These two hundred Small Stone Clan alone were a massive haul of war merit.
What surprised Yang Kai even more was that he couldn't detect any trace of refinement on any of the Small Stone Clan.
It was as though Zhang Ruoxi had merely stockpiled them, with no intention of using them at all.
Ruoxi's voice echoed from within the Small Universe: "This matter, I ask that Ruoxi be permitted to report on later. It is also something I wish to consult you about, Master."
Yang Kai felt a flicker of surprise. Was there some special purpose behind Ruoxi's stockpiling of these Small Stone Clan? But since she said so, he could only set aside his curiosity and carefully examine her Small Universe.
His divine sense quickly reached the boundary of the Small Universe's territory.
The Small Universe of a Heaven Opening Realm martial artist was, in essence, no different from a true World. The boundary of its territory could be called the World Wall — a natural barrier that prevented the Small Universe's power from leaking out, but also a shackle that constrained a martial artist's growth.
As a martial artist cultivated, refining resources and Spirit Pills, their own foundation would continually expand. The most direct manifestation of this within the Small Universe was the expansion of its territory.
A newly promoted Fifth-Order Open Heaven expert and a veteran Fifth-Order Open Heaven expert, though they shared the same rank, could possess Small Universes of vastly different scales. The latter's territory might be several times, even a dozen times or more, larger than the former's.
The size of the territory directly influenced a Heaven Opening Realm martial artist's combat strength.
That was why, back during the Ink War, those martial artists whose territories had been corroded by the Ink Force — and who had been forced to sever the contaminated regions — had suffered dramatic drops in power. If too much territory was severed, they might even fall in rank, and in the worst case, lose their lives entirely.
Moreover, once a portion of one's Small Universe territory was severed, the Small Universe would become imperfect, which would have enormous consequences for future advancement.
And the only thing in this world capable of repairing a Small Universe was the Mysterious Origin Spirit Fruit.
Xiang Shan had once fallen in rank after severing part of his Small Universe. Though he had long since been fully restored, his strength completely recovered, that past action still caused a faint disruption to his current attempt to advance to Ninth Order.
The reason the Four Pillars of the Universe and the World Tree sub-trees could seal and stabilize a Small Universe, keeping it flawless and whole, was that these treasures' wondrous power influenced the Small Universe's territory and even its World Wall, preventing interference from external forces. Those who possessed the Four Pillars of the Universe or a sub-tree had nothing to fear from the Ink Force's erosion — even if the Ink Force entered their Small Universe, they could easily seal it away.
When a Small Universe's territorial expansion reached its limit, the martial artist would hit a bottleneck. If they broke through that limit, they could advance to the next rank, their territory would expand once more, and their strength would undergo a transformative change.
Ruoxi was currently at the peak of Seventh Order, and her Small Universe's territory had expanded to its limit — the absolute maximum limit of her life. In theory, her World Wall should have been incapable of further improvement.
Yang Kai sent a verbal transmission and prodded with a slight pulse of power to test it.
In an instant, the Small Universe trembled with the force of an earthquake, and the World Wall rippled outward in layered waves.
Yang Kai's eyes widened in surprise, and he withdrew his consciousness.
In front of him, Zhang Ruoxi's complexion had paled slightly from his actions — having one's Small Universe shaken from within was an unpleasant experience for anyone. Fortunately, Yang Kai had exercised restraint and controlled his force with precision, causing no real harm to Ruoxi. She merely needed a moment to recover.
Gu Pan, standing nearby, asked, "Well?"
"Truly strange…" Yang Kai's brows furrowed deeply. "Ruoxi genuinely still has the potential to advance further in her cultivation."
Through that brief test, he had confirmed that although Zhang Ruoxi's current cultivation had hit a bottleneck, she had not yet reached the end of her martial path.
With just a bit more effort to break through this bottleneck, she could advance to Eighth-Order Open Heaven!
That was nothing short of astonishing.
Yang Kai had traveled far and wide over the years, encountering all manner of human martial artists, including no small number of Upper-Order Open Heaven experts. Yet never had he encountered anyone like Ruoxi — someone who could defy the natural constraints on her cultivation path. It turned Yang Kai's understanding of the Heaven Opening method completely on its head.
Even he himself, at this very moment, was still troubled by that invisible shackle of the Small Universe.
Upon hearing Yang Kai's assessment, a look of joy surfaced on Gu Pan's face. She had previously examined Zhang Ruoxi's condition and reached the same conclusion, but she had lacked confidence in her own judgment. Now it seemed her assessment had been correct all along.
After all, even Yang Kai said so.
This was excellent news for Zhang Ruoxi. She had originally been limited to the peak of Seventh Order, but now there was hope for Eighth Order, perhaps even Ninth Order…
Yang Kai pondered for a moment, then asked, "Has Ruoxi ever consumed a World Fruit?"
Zhang Ruoxi shook her head. "Never."