There was no doubt that Zhang Ruoxi would be able to advance to the Eighth Rank, but whether the underlying reason was truly what Yang Kai had theorized, he couldn't say for certain.
If his guess was correct, it would be absolutely astonishing. The Tianxing Bloodline could even circumvent the drawbacks inherent in the Opening Heaven Method — something that even the Sacred Spirit Bloodline could barely achieve.
While Yang Kai was still pondering the implications of the Tianxing Bloodline, Ruoxi spoke again. "Sir, there is one more thing I'd like to consult you about. It concerns my bloodline."
"Oh?" Yang Kai's interest was immediately piqued. "Tell me about it."
Zhang Ruoxi glanced around. "It's not convenient to explain here. I could demonstrate it for you, but I'd need you to accompany me into the void."
"Of course!" Yang Kai nodded. He sent out a voice transmission in every direction, ordering the Ink Expulsion Ship to continue along its course. He then left a Space Spirit Pearl on the deck for navigation purposes before activating the Space Laws, enveloping Zhang Ruoxi, and vanishing.
After a few spatial jumps, they plunged deep into the void. The Ink Expulsion Ship was no longer visible in any direction.
Once they came to a stop, Yang Kai said, "This will do."
The vast, boundless void offered unlimited space — no matter what Zhang Ruoxi wanted to demonstrate, she would have all the room she needed.
Zhang Ruoxi nodded. The gateway to her Small Universe opened, and a Stone Clan warrior stepped out from within, looking rather simple and doltish.
Stone Clan warriors always had this appearance, but anyone familiar with their racial characteristics would know that their dopey exterior was nothing but an illusion.
The moment the Stone Clan warrior appeared, it did something that made Yang Kai's jaw drop — it walked right up to him, clasped its angular fists together, and performed a respectful bow!
Yang Kai swore that this was, without question, the most courteous Stone Clan warrior he had ever seen in his entire life.
Stone Clan warriors were known for their low intelligence and had absolutely no concept of manners. Normally, when human warriors deployed them, the moment they sensed the Ink Force, they would charge forward with wild howls. The warriors had to refine them beforehand to maintain even minimal control; otherwise, the little creatures would inevitably run off and get lost.
The first batch of Stone Clan warriors Yang Kai had given to the human race had been wasted in precisely this way — the humans hadn't yet figured out the proper refinement method.
But he could tell that this particular Stone Clan warrior wasn't being courteous of its own volition. It was under Zhang Ruoxi's control.
Yet this warrior bore no trace whatsoever of having been refined, and Zhang Ruoxi showed not the slightest sign of strain in controlling it.
And it didn't stop there. After the bow, the Stone Clan warrior proceeded to perform an entire set of martial arts in front of Yang Kai. Even in the void, the moves were executed with ferocious power — every punch and kick landed with devastating force. At the end, it pressed both palms downward in front of its abdomen, performing a motion of sinking its qi into the Dantian…
Yang Kai stared in stunned silence, his gaze darting back and forth between the Stone Clan warrior and Zhang Ruoxi. A faint smile tugged at the corner of Ruoxi's lips.
"How… how is this possible?" Yang Kai asked in astonishment.
He could do the same thing if he controlled them, but he needed the Solar and Lunar Marks bestowed upon him by Brother Huang and Sister Lan. The Stone Clan warriors they had brought out of the Chaotic Death Domain had been raised by Zhuozhao and Youying for a thousand years, effectively turning them into living Yellow and Blue Crystals. Only through the Solar Mark and Lunar Mark passed down from the two Sacred Spirits could Yang Kai command them.
He could even draw upon the power stored within their bodies to unleash the Purification Light!
Zhang Ruoxi had no Solar or Lunar Marks. Every Mark that Yang Kai had brought back from the Chaotic Death Domain had been distributed among the Sacred Spirits.
Zhang Ruoxi said, "Please keep watching, Sir."
She didn't answer Yang Kai's question directly, because there was more to show.
As she spoke, two more Stone Clan warriors emerged from her Small Universe and joined the first. The three let out a synchronized shout, their auras linked together. Their forms shifted and repositioned in the blink of an eye, settling into a — Three Powers Formation!
This Three Powers Formation was even more stable than one assembled by human warriors. Their auras had merged completely, leaving not a single flaw or opening.
Next, Stone Clan warriors continued to file out of Zhang Ruoxi's Small Universe one after another, joining the formation.
The Three Powers Formation became a Four Symbols Formation, then Five Elements, Six Harmonies, all the way to Nine Palaces…
And it still wasn't finished. More and more Stone Clan warriors walked out, each group forming its own Nine Palaces Formation.
Those Nine Palaces formations then served as base nodes for yet another layer of assembly — a Greater Three Powers Formation composed of twenty-seven Stone Clan warriors, a Greater Four Symbols Formation of thirty-six, and ultimately a Greater Nine Palaces Formation formed by eighty-one Stone Clan warriors…
Yang Kai's mind reeled. He stood there, dumbstruck.
He finally understood why Zhang Ruoxi had been stockpiling so many Stone Clan warriors in her Small Universe.
He had originally assumed she was keeping them as reserves — Stone Clan warriors were easily damaged in battle, so maintaining extras for quick replacement was simply prudent preparation.
But now he saw that this was not the case at all. Zhang Ruoxi genuinely had the ability to command and control this many Stone Clan warriors!