The feedback power of the World Tree's subsidiary tree was truly formidable! And this was only in Yang Kai's Small Cosmos, where the population base wasn't particularly large. It was hard to imagine the grand spectacle it must be in the Star Realm, where the population was far more vast.
Of course, while the Small Cosmos's population base couldn't compare to the Star Realm's, it had its own advantages due to the difference in time flow—something the Star Realm couldn't match. Overall, Yang Kai's Small Cosmos and the Star Realm each had their own strengths and weaknesses.
In the beginning, Yang Kai had carefully settled and personally guided each disciple who emerged from the Void Dojo. Before they advanced to the Open Heaven Realm on the Ink Battlefield, he would diligently prepare everything for them, and he would even personally serve as their guardian during the breakthrough.
But as the numbers grew, Yang Kai found this approach far too draining on his energy and time. On average, someone left the Small Cosmos every two to three years, and preparing everything for each of them—ensuring their successful advancement—took months, even half a year.
One or two was fine, but dozens or even hundreds? Yang Kai simply couldn't keep up.
So long ago, he had handed this matter over to Biluo Pass to handle.
The disciples who emerged from the Void Dojo were passed to Biluo Pass's higher-ups, who would take care of everything that followed. It was originally just a way to slack off, but to his surprise, it was warmly welcomed by the many Eighth-Grades of Biluo Pass.
The reason was simple—these disciples were simply too talented. Pick any one of them, and they had the potential to advance to the Eighth Grade in the future. Such talent was coveted by every Grotto-heaven and Blessed Land.
Nobody knew when it had started, but these disciples emerging from the Void Dojo had become fiercely contested among the Eighth-Grade Open Heaven masters. Their competition wasn't about taking disciples—on the Ink Battlefield, where life and death were beyond one's control, taking on disciples held little meaning, since no one could say how long they themselves would live, or how long their disciples would survive.
The real reason they competed was that they had been far too idle in recent years. Most Eighth-Grade Open Heavens had already cultivated to the absolute pinnacle of their martial dao, with no possibility of further advancement. Yang Kai still needed seclusion to enhance the foundation of his Small Cosmos, but they did not.
It could be said that in the absence of battle, most Eighth-Grade Open Heavens were essentially sitting around growing mold. At times like these, anything that could pique their interest was welcome—such as these fresh new recruits freshly emerged from the Void Dojo.
Especially since every one of these newcomers was exceptionally talented, yet still at only the Emperor Sovereign Realm, making them highly malleable. As a result, warriors who emerged from Yang Kai's Small Cosmos had become hot commodities throughout all of Biluo Pass.
Yang Kai was happy to let it be. Biluo Pass had gathered the powerhouses of over a hundred Grotto-heavens and Blessed Lands. No matter what tradition these disciples favored or where their talents lay, they could find a suitable home here. So now, whenever a disciple in the Small Cosmos wished to leave, Yang Kai would hand the matter off to Zhong Liang to handle.
At this moment, the two Emperor Sovereign Realm cultivators—one male and one female—were released by Yang Kai. They were dazed for a moment before hastily bowing. "Greetings, Dao Master!"
Over the years, Yang Kai had basically never shown himself within the Small Cosmos, so no one had seen his true appearance. Ordinary disciples in the dojo didn't know the secrets of the Void World. But for those who intended to leave and advance further on their martial dao, the dojo's master would explain everything—informing them that the first person they would meet after leaving this world was the Dao Master of the entire Void World, its supreme ruler.
They would also be informed of the situation they would face after leaving the dojo and advancing to the Open Heaven Realm. If the disciples still chose to press forward without hesitation, only then would Yang Kai release them. If they feared the dangers of the outside world and wished to preserve their own safety, Yang Kai wouldn't force them—after all, fighting against the Ink Clan was not something that could be forced.
Those disciples who chose to remain in the Small Cosmos would naturally never have another chance to advance to the Open Heaven Realm. But everything came with gains and losses—as long as they stayed true to their own hearts in their choices, that was enough.
Over the past thousand years, the Void Dojo had cultivated many elite disciples. Those qualified to leave and advance to the Open Heaven Realm had mostly chosen to do so, with only a scant few remaining in the Small Cosmos. After all, a warrior's obsession with cultivation was universal—every warrior yearned to advance further on the martial dao, and such temptation could not be deterred by mere danger.
Yang Kai nodded to the two disciples. "Since you've left the Void Dojo, I trust you've come to terms with your decision. You will gradually come to understand everything about the outside world. As for your advancement to the Open Heaven Realm, someone will make all the necessary arrangements."
The two disciples listened silently, nodding repeatedly.
Yang Kai turned to look at Zhong Liang. "Martial Uncle, this disciple will take his leave first."
Zhong Liang didn't even glance at him, just smilingly gazing at the two disciples as he waved his hand dismissively. "Go on, go on."
Yang Kai vanished in a flash.
After he left, the two disciples exchanged a glance, then looked at Zhong Liang. His warm, amiable smile left them somewhat confused. They secretly sent out their spiritual sense to probe him, only to discover that this seemingly kindly senior's cultivation was as deep and unfathomable as the ocean—they couldn't discern even the slightest hint of it.
This was an Open Heaven Realm cultivator! The realization dawned on both of them. They were at the peak of the Emperor Sovereign Realm, and in the Void World, no one had been stronger than them. Anyone whose cultivation they couldn't detect at all had to be a legendary Open Heaven Realm expert—and one of extremely high grade at that.
"Greetings, Senior!" The two of them hurriedly bowed.
Zhong Liang chuckled warmly. "No need for such formalities. Hmm, when you two condensed your Dao Seals, what grade of resources did you use?"
He knew that disciples emerging from Yang Kai's Small Cosmos could at minimum advance directly to the Sixth Grade, though some could even reach the Seventh Grade. Zhong Liang naturally hoped that one of these two might be such a case.
The male disciple replied, "Reporting to Senior, both my Senior Sister's Dao Seal and mine are Sixth Grade."
No Seventh Grade... but he wasn't disappointed. After all, even in a place like Yang Kai's Small Cosmos, producing someone who could advance directly to the Seventh Grade was no easy feat. In over two hundred years, only two had emerged.