Yang Kai nodded. He had no need to exchange for cultivation resources — he had made preparations long before coming to the Ink Battlefield. The cultivation resources stockpiled within his Small Universe were sufficient for his advancement to the Eighth Order, with plenty to spare.
That said, the quality of certain spirit pills available at the War Preparation Hall was quite impressive, some for healing and recovery, others for aiding cultivation.
Yang Kai spent a modest amount of War Merits to exchange for a selection, intending to test their efficacy.
Feng Ying finished her own exchanges not long after.
Within Biluo Pass, every warrior had a dwelling assigned to them. The higher one's status, the better the accommodations and the more expansive the grounds. With Yang Kai's promotion to Team Leader, he was theoretically entitled to a small courtyard of his own.
However, whether it had been forgotten by the higher-ups or deliberately arranged, Yang Kai had received his commission but never been granted a dwelling.
Fortunately, Feng Ying's residence was spacious enough, so sharing it with her was no imposition.
Upon returning to Feng Ying's quarters, Yang Kai immediately entered the private chamber to begin his seclusion. Before doing so, he withdrew most of the Yin-Edge Bamboo from his Small Universe and handed it over to Feng Ying for her to submit.
Having just advanced to the Seventh Order, Yang Kai genuinely needed time to consolidate his suddenly expanded cultivation and strength.
Over the next several months, Yang Kai remained in seclusion, refining cultivation resources of various grades every day to enrich the foundation of his Small Universe.
Most cultivators relied on Open Heaven Pills for their practice. Even those who refined other resources typically used only low-grade materials, because a complete set of Yin-Yang and Five Elements resources had to be gathered for safe refinement. If any of the seven were missing, it risked creating an imbalance in the Small Universe's power, laying down hidden dangers.
Five Elements resources were relatively easy to acquire, but high-grade Yin- and Yang-attribute resources were far harder to come by.
Yang Kai had no such concerns. The Yellow Crystals and Blue Crystals he had obtained in the Chaotic Dead Zone were abundant in quantity. Though these two resources served as the fundamental materials for purification and the dispersal of the Ink Force, using some for cultivation was perfectly fine.
As a result, Yang Kai's cultivation speed was naturally incomparable to that of ordinary people.
Furthermore, he harbored living beings within himself. The countless Little Stone Race members within his Small Universe, in particular, were perpetually procreating and thriving, adding to the foundation of his Small Universe with every passing moment.
Even more significantly, because he himself had comprehended the Time Laws, and because his Third Disciple Xu Yi had once practiced the Desolate Scripture, the flow of time inside his Small Universe was more than four times faster than the outside world.
One year outside meant four years within. Over long stretches of accumulated time, this saved Yang Kai an enormous amount of cultivation duration.
One could well imagine that his eventual advancement from the Seventh to the Eighth Order would take far less time than the standard requirement.
Now that he had advanced from the Sixth to the Seventh Order, his Small Universe had undergone a dramatic expansion in scale, and its capacity for foundational accumulation was proportionally greater. By Yang Kai's own estimation, the foundation of a Seventh-Order Open Heaven cultivator was at least ten times that of a peak Sixth Order — and this was only upon initial advancement. Given time, with continued cultivation, that foundation would only grow stronger.
With this, he gained a profound appreciation for the immense gap between the Sixth and Seventh Orders, and felt privately fortunate that the Seventh-Order Open Heaven cultivators he had previously encountered had not been particularly formidable. Against someone like Feng Ying, he would certainly have stood no chance.
Several months later, a disturbance from the chamber's protective formations stirred Yang Kai from his seclusion. He waved his hand and dispelled the barrier.
Feng Ying stepped inside, glanced at him, and said, "The battlefield has been cleared. Uncle-Master Zhong is waiting for you."
Yang Kai rose to his feet. "Let's go."
Shortly after, the two of them left Biluo Pass. Looking out over the battlefield, the innumerable Ink Clouds of varying sizes that had once littered the void had all been swept clean. Even the numerous fragments of shattered Small Universes had been cleared away, leaving the entire expanse pristine and unblemished.
Of the four Grand Army Commanders, only Zhong Liang was present — clearly waiting for Yang Kai.
Upon seeing the two of them, Zhong Liang waved them over.
Yang Kai and Feng Ying stepped forward and paid their respects. Zhong Liang gave a slight nod. "I'll leave matters here in your hands. Find those Blessed Lands and Cave Heavens that haven't been tainted by Ink, keep their gateways open, and the Pass will send people to handle the rest."
Yang Kai clasped his fists. "Disciple will do his utmost."
Zhong Liang nodded. "You've worked hard. There's one more thing I'll need you to take care of once you've finished here. You may find yourself rather busy with little time for cultivation, so look after yourself — don't overdo it."
As he spoke, he reached out and patted Yang Kai's shoulder.
Yang Kai asked with a puzzled expression, "What else is there?"
Zhong Liang clasped his hands behind his back. "You'll find out when the time comes. I need to get back to the Pass — Feng Ying will assist you here. If you need anything, just let her know."
With that, his figure blurred, transforming into a streak of light that shot back toward the Pass.
Yang Kai and Feng Ying watched him go. After Zhong Liang's silhouette vanished from sight, Yang Kai turned to Feng Ying. "Senior, what was Uncle-Master Zhong talking about?"
Feng Ying shook her head. "I'm not sure, but it's probably related to the Ink Force."
Although Yang Kai had advanced to the Seventh Order, the Seventh-Order cultivators in all of Biluo Pass numbered in the hundreds. For something to require his personal attention, it very likely had something to do with the Ink Force.