Yang Kai began recounting everything from the moment he arrived at the Yin Yang Heaven, leaving out nothing. He spoke of how Chen Xiu had assigned Tao Lingwan to look after him, only for the woman to suffer Qi Deviation right in front of him. He had acted out of goodwill to pull her back from the brink, but never expected that, due to the unique nature of the Yin Yang Heaven's cultivation techniques, he would end up leaving traces of his own aura inside her Small Universe.
If Tao Lingwan ever wanted to advance to the Seventh Rank in the future, she would have no choice but to seek his help.
Qu Huashang listened attentively, and after a long while, she sighed. "Senior Sister Tao is too innocent in all of this."
If anyone was innocent, Yang Kai himself was the most innocent of all. He had been completely in the dark before any of it happened. Someone had suffered Qi Deviation right in front of him, and since she happened to be a disciple of the Yin Yang Heaven, his first instinct was naturally to help. He never imagined that doing so would create such complications.
From Tao Lingwan's perspective, she had simply been following her master's orders. Given her personality, if Chen Xiu gave any directive, she would never think to refuse.
From Chen Xiu's perspective, he had been trying to preserve the Yin Yang Heaven's reputation and defuse the awkward situation they found themselves in, even at the cost of his own disciple's happiness.
Of course, in his calculations, with Yang Kai's identity and aptitude, he was indeed a worthy match for Tao Lingwan. If the two could truly become a couple, it might not be such a bad thing.
As for Qu Huashang, still trapped in the Samsara Pavilion, Feng Chengsi would be dispatched to rescue her — that way, both matters could be resolved satisfactorily.
Chen Xiu's thoughts and actions were the most beneficial for the Yin Yang Heaven, but they were not what Yang Kai wished to see. That was why he had ventured deep into the Samsara Pavilion and endured nine lifetimes of reincarnation together with Qu Huashang.
"What do you plan to do?" Qu Huashang asked.
Yang Kai frowned. "Is Senior Sister Tao's problem something only I can solve? Doesn't the Yin Yang Heaven have any precedent to follow?"
Yu Xiangdie shook her head. "There is none. Apart from you, no one else can help her advance to the Seventh Rank. If you don't lend a hand, her martial cultivation will end here for the rest of her life. Moreover, she will continue to face the risk of Qi Deviation from time to time, and sooner or later her Small Universe will collapse due to the imbalance of Yin and Yang."
This was no trivial matter. Yang Kai's head ached fiercely, and he grumbled inwardly: The Yin Yang Heaven's cultivation techniques are far too bizarre.
Qu Huashang said, "Don't forget — Senior Sister Tao took a sword blow for you!"
In the Samsara Realm, every experience carved itself into the heart. During their first lifetime of reincarnation, Tao Lingwan had thrown herself in front of Yang Kai to block a sword strike. That was her true feelings. In the real world, if Yang Kai ever found himself in that same situation, she would undoubtedly make the same choice.
The memory of that scene stirred emotion in Yang Kai's heart, yet he still found himself unable to decide how to face Tao Lingwan.
Qu Huashang reached out and took Yang Kai's large hand in hers, leaning her body against his.
In the Samsara Realm, Tao Lingwan had taken one sword for Yang Kai.
But she herself had stabbed Yang Kai twice — both times nearly taking his life. Just as Yang Kai had said in the Samsara Realm: what couldn't be repaid in this life would be repaid in the next.
Luo Tinghe's advancement seemed to proceed without any turbulence, proceeding with perfect smoothness.
The power of heaven and earth swirling around her grew denser and more abundant by the moment. The phantom of her Small Universe behind her flickered between manifestation and fading, continuously expanding and contracting as if being inflated by breath.
Her aura surged step by step, rapidly reaching a critical threshold — the peak power of the Seventh Rank.
Once she reached this level, there was no further room for gradual progress. The expansion and strengthening of the Small Universe subjected her to unimaginable shockwaves. Invisible to all onlookers, a deadly crisis was sweeping through the entirety of her Small Universe.
She had to hold on with everything she had, without the slightest lapse. One thought meant life; another meant death. She was treading the razor's edge between the two, with no third option available.
Several days later, the advancement that had been proceeding smoothly suddenly ran into trouble.
Even though Yang Kai had never experienced anything like this, he could sense that something was wrong.
Looking over, the phantom of Luo Tinghe's Small Universe behind her was still expanding continuously. It contracted on occasion, but it could no longer return to its previous state — as though she had lost control of the explosive force within her Small Universe.
Yu Xiangdie's expression had turned extremely grave, further confirming Yang Kai's suspicion.
On several occasions, Yang Kai even sensed that Yu Xiangdie wanted to step forward to help, but she forcibly held herself back.
An advancement into the Open Heaven Realm was not something outsiders could assist with. Acting rashly would only make the situation worse. Moreover, Luo Tinghe was currently advancing from the Seventh Rank to the Eighth Rank, while Yu Xiangdie was only a Seventh Rank cultivator herself. Even if she gave it her all, what could she possibly do to help?
Yang Kai quickly figured out the crux of the matter.
With Luo Tinghe's own aptitude, had she followed the normal progression of cultivation and advanced methodically, moving from the Seventh Rank to the Eighth Rank should not have posed significant risk. Even if there were dangers, they should have been manageable.
But she had been trapped inside the Samsara Pavilion for two thousand years, spending that entire time cycling through different reincarnation worlds in a daze. Although Yang Kai and Qu Huashang's nine lifetimes of reincarnation had broken through her mental barrier and helped her reclaim her identity, two thousand years of lost time had inevitably taken some toll on her.
Had she been given time to rest, to consolidate her cultivation before attempting the advancement, she might have gotten through safely.
But the moment she stepped out of the Samsara Pavilion, Luo Tinghe had already sensed the opportunity to advance, with virtually no time to catch her breath.
What she lacked was not foundation — her foundation had long been accumulated to sufficient depth, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to advance at all.
What she was missing was control over her own power. The two-thousand-year gap had made her somewhat unfamiliar with her own strength.
Once this thought struck him, Yang Kai couldn't help but share in the worry.
Luo Tinghe had once been a terrifying existence who had advanced directly into the Seventh Rank — someone who, given the chance, could have ascended to the Ninth Rank of the Open Heaven Realm. If she perished here due to insufficient control over her own power, the loss to the Yin Yang Heaven would be devastating.
Setting aside the Yin Yang Heaven, even during those lifetimes of reincarnation, Luo Tinghe had helped him on numerous occasions. Yang Kai did not wish to see anything happen to her.