Time slipped by, and Yang Kai maintained his pace of refining one set of Seventh Order resources roughly every half year. He didn't lock himself away in isolation the entire time, either.
Cultivation was an exceedingly dull affair. Without sufficient mental fortitude, sustaining that state for long stretches would inevitably lead to restlessness and agitation.
Yang Kai wouldn't suffer from that, but he took care to avoid it all the same. After refining each set of Seventh Order resources, he would emerge from seclusion for a short spell — sometimes three to five days, sometimes as long as ten days or a fortnight — to relax his mind and loosen his muscles before retreating once more. This combination of work and rest dramatically improved his Cultivation efficiency.
During one of his breaks, he made time to visit the War Preparations Hall again, handing in all the Fifth and Sixth Order resources he still possessed. He converted them into War Merits, then exchanged every last Merit for Seventh Order Five Elements resources.
These Fifth and Sixth Order resources were ones he had originally brought over from the Thousand Worlds for his own Cultivation. Now that Seventh Order resources offered the best returns, their value to him had dwindled considerably — Seventh Order was the clear choice.
The exchange rate for Seventh Order Five Elements resources was astonishingly favorable. Handing in just two sets of Sixth Order Five Elements resources earned enough War Merits to claim one set of Seventh Order — a two-to-one ratio.
In the Thousand Worlds, the gap in value between each Order of resources was tenfold. Here at Biluo Pass, it was merely double.
There were two reasons for this. First, the Pass deliberately subsidized the soldiers fighting the Ink Race, so resource valuations were never calculated at Thousand Worlds rates. Second, Seventh Order resources weren't consumed all that quickly. Over the years, Biluo Pass had stockpiled a massive reserve of Seventh Order materials — even Eighth Order supplies were plentiful.
The Pass housed no shortage of upper-grade Open Heaven cultivators. The Eighth Order commanders alone numbered in the dozens. But even they weren't so extravagant as to refine Seventh Order resources for their own Cultivation. The crux of the matter remained the scarcity of high-grade Yin and Yang element materials. Without Seventh or Eighth Order Yin and Yang resources, no amount of Five Elements materials could be safely refined — they risked throwing their Small Universes out of balance.
Now, beyond Biluo Pass, the mining of one World after another was unearthing more Seventh and Eighth Order resources. But those materials were primarily consumed for artifact forging and formation construction, not personal Cultivation.
Yang Kai had, in effect, hit the jackpot.
The resources he possessed were more than sufficient to advance him to the Eighth Order and then some.
He also swung by the Alchemy Hall during one of his breaks, wanting to check on the progress of the Ink-Expelling Pill. Unfortunately, he couldn't catch either Zhuge Ming or Zhou Fang — only Tang Qun was available.
According to Tang Qun, ever since Yang Kai had departed that day, both Masters had thrown themselves wholeheartedly into deducing and experimenting on the complete formula for the Ink-Expelling Pill. They had consumed a staggering quantity of medicinal ingredients, and at last there were signs of progress. But producing the final pill would still require considerable effort. Meanwhile, the Medicinal Garden had ramped up cultivation of the Lightless Grass and the Azure Feather Mysterious Vine. Once the Ink-Expelling Pill finally materialized, they would be able to meet the demand for alchemy materials.
On this day, Yang Kai completed the refinement of yet another set of Seventh Order resources and stepped out of his private chamber.
Feng Ying was already waiting outside the door. Hearing it open, she turned her head and offered a faint smile. "Junior Brother certainly maintains a very regular schedule."
Over the past two years, Yang Kai emerged from seclusion roughly every half year. Feng Ying had calculated that his next emergence was due, which was why she was posted here.
"Cultivation is tedious. I came out for a bit of relaxation." Yang Kai stretched his limbs. "Senior Sister, is something the matter?"
The fact that Feng Ying had waited here specifically meant she had business with him.
"Uncle-Master Zhong Liang has ordered that you report to him immediately upon leaving seclusion." Feng Ying's expression turned serious.
Yang Kai straightened up as well. "Has something happened in the Pass recently?"
Feng Ying shook her head. "Nothing is wrong in the Pass. From what Uncle-Master let slip, it concerns the Heaven and Earth Spring."
Yang Kai understood at once.
Back when he had refined and merged the World Tree, he had told Biluo Pass's four Corps Commanders that he was willing to surrender the Heaven and Earth Spring from within his Small Universe. After all, the World Tree sub-tree also served to seal and stabilize a Small Universe, and was in no way inferior to the Heaven and Earth Spring. Though it remained unverified, Yang Kai felt confident that even without the Spring, the Ink Force would be unable to corrode him.
At the time, Zhong Liang and the others had said there was no rush. Even if he was willing to surrender the Heaven and Earth Spring, they needed to deliberate carefully on who should ultimately receive it.
Yang Kai hadn't expected that deliberation to stretch on for a full two years. It seemed the Corps Commanders had taken the matter extremely seriously.
"I'll head over now." Yang Kai said, then shot into the sky and made straight for the Western Army Command.
Arriving at the destination, he had someone announce his presence and waited a short while before being summoned by Zhong Liang.
Stepping into the great hall, he found Zhong Liang in the midst of relaying some instructions to a Seventh Order cultivator. After the man finished receiving his orders and withdrew, Yang Kai stepped forward and cupped his fists. "Greetings, Commander!"
Zhong Liang gave a slight nod and rose to his feet. "You know why I've called you here — Feng Ying told you?"
Yang Kai nodded. "Senior Sister briefed me. Has the group settled on a candidate to receive it?"
Zhong Liang said, "We have. But before we proceed, I must remind you of one thing. Surrendering the Heaven and Earth Spring will inevitably mean severing a portion of your Small Universe. Your Small Universe will suffer damage. The Xuanpin Spirit Fruit can repair it, so it's not a grave matter. However, if you lose your ability to resist Ink Force corrosion in the process, you will need to stay put inside the Pass from now on and refrain from wandering."
Yang Kai replied respectfully, "Disciple understands this perfectly."