Feng Ying sighed: "It's not that it's weighing on me—just that some things are hard to watch without feeling worried."
She then proceeded to explain at length.
Yang Kai listened, dumbstruck: "Really? How did I not notice?"
Feng Ying couldn't help rolling her eyes: "That's exactly what I mean—you men are all blind. Miao Feiping was the same, and so were you. The day she walked out of your Small World, her eyes were practically melting, and you didn't even see it."
Yang Kai scratched his head in embarrassment, at a total loss.
"Thinking about it timing-wise, that group of theirs should still be in secluded cultivation to consolidate their realms, right? So what—she came out and told you she wanted to join our squad?" Yang Kai asked.
Feng Ying replied: "Not exactly. She just mentioned it in passing on the way back after her promotion. I told her that unless Dawn suffered casualties in some battle, we wouldn't be taking on new members. So she said she wouldn't join Dawn after all. That girl's foundation is quite solid—while everyone else was still stabilizing her cultivation, she'd already emerged from secluded cultivation and specifically came looking to help out over here."
Yang Kai was surprised to hear this: "She consolidated her cultivation in just over a year? Did you check?"
Feng Ying said: "How could I be careless about such matters?"
Yang Kai nodded and considered the young woman's earlier sentiments, nodding approvingly: "She's a sensible girl."
"Exactly—precisely because she's sensible that I feel bad about this," Feng Ying sighed. "Unfortunately, that Miao kid hasn't noticed a thing. I can't tell if he's genuinely oblivious or just pretending."
Yang Kai shook his head: "But Dawn is already at full strength. Making an exception for one person goes against precedent and proper protocol. If we open that door, it'll make things difficult for the other Army Commanders down the line."
Feng Ying nodded: "That's true as well. Oh well, let's take things as they come. It's the young people's business anyway—no point in me worrying myself over it."
"Couldn't agree more!" Yang Kai nodded, then abruptly shifted the topic: "But speaking of which, Senior Sister, you should really start preparing to advance to the Eighth-Order. Staying at the Seventh-Order indefinitely isn't ideal."
Feng Ying gave him a playful wink: "These things depend on fate. If the right opportunity hasn't arrived, what's the use of grinding away in bitter cultivation?"
Yang Kai laughed: "And where might your opportunity come from?"
"Who knows? Maybe it'll show up tomorrow." Feng Ying chuckled, turned, and headed for the exit. "I'm heading out."
Watching her departing silhouette, Yang Kai slowly shook his head.
Feng Ying had already spent far longer than most at the Seventh-Order. Her own accumulation was more than sufficient for advancing to the Eighth-Order—she simply hadn't yet sensed the catalyst for breakthrough. But as Feng Ying herself had said, fate was something no one could predict. Perhaps one day she would suddenly feel the urge and advance to the Eighth-Order without warning.
Over these years, she had been preparing for that moment all along, so whenever she chose to advance, she would be able to ensure the highest possible chance of success.
Returning to his own small courtyard, Yang Kai activated the formation restrictions, sealing off the interior from the outside. He sat cross-legged, then turned his hand over and produced a Soul Sacrifice Thorn.
The artifact had already been forged. What remained was to refine it. The method was quite simple—identical to refining a normal spiritual artifact. He drove his spiritual sense into the thorn, aligning it with the artifact's inherent properties.
The refinement process was also a familiarization process. Only by fully refining the artifact could one wield it with complete control in battle.
Compared to forging the artifact, refining it was far simpler. In just a few days, the Soul Sacrifice Thorn had been fully refined.
The difficult part was the final step after complete refinement!
The refiner needed to split off a portion of their divine soul and merge it into the Soul Sacrifice Thorn. Only then would the process be truly complete.