Days turned into nights, and in the blink of an eye, Yang Kai had already spent three years in this Secret Realm.
Over those three years, the Ink Clan warships were continuously refined and improved, and Yang Kai's Artifact Refining skills rose in tandem. When he first arrived, his proficiency was inferior to even Sun Jiu's, but after three years, his mastery had surpassed Sun Jiu's.
He still hadn't reached the Grandmaster level, but compared to when he'd first come, he had grown tremendously.
All of this was inseparable from his natural talent and diligent effort, but the daily exchanges with other Artifact Refiners had also greatly accelerated his growth.
Wu Xinghe's patient guidance, in particular, had been invaluable.
It should be noted that before leaving Biluo Pass, Yang Kai had spent a full ten years devoting himself entirely to studying Artifact Refining. His teacher during that time was none other than Chai Hao, a Grandmaster of Artifact Refining. Over those ten years, Chai Hao had held nothing back, and it could be said that every secret of Artifact Refining known within the Divine Cauldron Heaven had been passed down to him.
In terms of pure theory, Yang Kai was second to no Grandmaster. What he lacked was only the accumulation of practical experience.
After coming to the Ink Clan's side, he had spent nearly a decade intentionally forging Artifacts for the Ink Lords, and his skills had grown enormously.
Now, having been sent into this Secret Realm, spending his days alongside Grandmasters like Wu Xinghe and masters like Sun Jiu, his Artifact Refining comprehension naturally soared to new heights.
Wu Xinghe observed his talent and growth with keen interest and guided him with increasing care. Even Wang Sibo and Guan Ning, the other two Grandmasters, had begun to view Yang Kai in a new light because of his performance. Whenever Yang Kai sought them out to ask questions about Artifact Refining, these two Grandmasters would share everything they knew without reservation.
Through Yang Kai's deliberate and casual interactions alike, three years had been enough for him to build a considerable bond with all three Grandmaster Artifact Refiners.
After three years of observation and planning, a vague but daring plan had taken shape in Yang Kai's mind. If he could pull it off, he would not only sever the Ink Clan's hopes of completing their warships but might even find a path to escape.
However, executing this plan was far from easy. Too many variables remained beyond his control, and a single misstep at any stage could bring everything crashing down. So even though the plan had long been formulated, he had been biding his time, waiting for the perfect opportunity.
This day, while helping with the work on a warship, Yang Kai suddenly raised his head and gazed up toward the top of the valley. A figure cut through the sky above the valley, heading straight for the entrance to the Secret Realm.
That figure was unmistakably Qing Lei, the Domain Lord who presided over this place.
There were a total of two Ink Clan Domain Lords within the Secret Realm, roughly a hundred Ink Lords, and the rest were all upper-ranking Ink Clan. Of the two Domain Lords, Mie Qiong guarded the entrance, while Qing Lei oversaw the Artifact Refiners' work on the warships from this side.
Compared to Mie Qiong, who never left his post at the entrance, Qing Lei resided in the palace above the valley but departed roughly once every half year.
Yang Kai had once casually asked Wu Xinghe about this, and according to him, the Twilight King placed tremendous importance on the warship project, so Qing Lei was required to travel to the Royal City every six months to report on their progress.
Each time Qing Lei returned from the Royal City, he would haul the Grandmasters, Wu Xinghe among them, over the coals, berating them to speed up the warship's completion. He had presumably been given a hard time by the King and took his frustrations out on the human Artifact Refiners.
But perfecting and completing the warships was directly tied to one's Artifact Refining expertise. Wu Xinghe and the others, despite being Grandmaster-level Artifact Refiners, simply could not forge anything on par with the human warships.
So this scene played out approximately once every six months, like clockwork.
Qing Lei's sudden departure from his palace today must have been just like every other time—a trip to the Royal City to report their progress.
Sure enough, moments later, Yang Kai sensed an exceedingly faint ripple of spatial power coming from the direction of the entrance. It vanished almost immediately.
That had to be the entrance being opened and then quickly shut. The window was extremely short—an ordinary Seventh-Order cultivator might not even have noticed it. But for Yang Kai, who was well-versed in the Dao of Space, such fluctuations were impossible to miss.
After waiting a while longer and confirming that Qing Lei had truly departed, Yang Kai finally set down what was in his hands and turned to Sun Jiu beside him. "Junior Brother Sun, I can't keep going. I need to rest for a while."
Sun Jiu looked up and saw that Yang Kai's face had gone slightly pale, his aura unsteady and drained. He nodded immediately. "Go ahead, Senior Brother Yang. I'll keep an eye on things here."
The Artifact Refiners were treated reasonably well, but because the work demanded such enormous energy, it wasn't uncommon for a refiner's strength to be depleted, requiring them to go back and recover. Yang Kai's condition was nothing unusual, and Sun Jiu thought nothing of it.
"Thank you, Junior Brother." Yang Kai thanked him, then leapt off the warship in a flash, heading toward the Artifact Refiners' quarters.
He did not, however, return to his own residence. Instead, with practiced ease, he made his way to a three-story pavilion.
This was Wu Xinghe's dwelling. As one of the three Grandmaster Artifact Refiners, Wu Xinghe naturally enjoyed far better accommodations than the ordinary refiners.
Yang Kai had come here many times before. In the past, it had mainly been to consult Wu Xinghe on Artifact Refining matters. Half a day ago, Wu Xinghe had also returned here to rest after exhausting his energy. He should be inside at this moment.
Nearby, a patrol of Ink Clan guards walked past. They caught sight of Yang Kai from a distance but didn't approach to question him, simply continuing on their way.
Yang Kai reached out and triggered the wards, then called out softly: "Senior Brother Wu!"