The flow of time within Yang Kai's Small Universe differed from the outside world, and this ratio continued to increase as his comprehension of the Dao of Time deepened and his strength grew.
With his current Ninth-Order Open Heaven cultivation and his mastery of the Dao of Time having reached the eighth layer, the time flow within his Small Universe was even faster than before — nearly reaching a ratio of ten to one.
In other words, one day outside meant ten days within his Small Universe.
It had been many years since Yang Kai had last selected talents from the Void Dao Academy. Converted to the years that had elapsed within the Small Universe, tens of thousands of years had passed. With that much time for accumulation, the number of promising seeds in the Academy was naturally not small.
These people had all reached their limits within the Void Dao Academy. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't take long after leaving the Small Universe for them to advance into the Open Heaven Realm, which meant they needed a powerhouse to escort and protect them.
But Yang Kai had always left this sort of thing to his Grand Manager to handle. Hua Qingsi hadn't come today, so entrusting it to Zhan Wuhen was fine too.
Once all the Emperor Realm cultivators who met the criteria had gathered, Yang Kai said, "These people are in your hands now. Grand Manager Hua knows how to handle this."
Zhan Wuhen nodded. "You're not going back?"
Yang Kai glanced toward Star Boundary, then shook his head. "No need." A hasty reunion followed by an abrupt parting would only add to the melancholy. Now that he had returned and the war situation was pressing, it was more important to head to the Supreme Headquarters first.
As he spoke, he raised his hand in a wave, took a single step, and his figure vanished into the distance.
The group of Disciples who had emerged from the Void Dao Academy hadn't even figured out what was going on before they saw the Dao Master already departing. All they could do was bow to see him off.
Meanwhile, inside the alchemy chamber of Lingxiao Palace, before a massive pill furnace, Xia Ningshang — her features concealed behind a veil — was changing hand seals, channeling her power to control the furnace fire and refine Spirit Pills.
This particular batch of Spirit Pills was not especially difficult to produce — they were healing pills that saw enormous demand on the battlefield. With her current status as a Grand Master Alchemist, refining them was well within her capabilities.
At a certain moment, Xia Ningshang's movements paused briefly. She lifted her head and gazed outward beyond the heavens. Though thick walls and layer upon layer of restrictions stood in the way, those water-clear eyes seemed to see through every obstacle, reflecting a familiar figure departing into the distance.
The furnace fire flickered once.
Xia Ningshang quickly gathered her focus, regained control of the fire, and continued the refinement.
A smile bloomed in her eyes, which curved like crescent moons. In that moment, Xia Ningshang's heart soared with joy. Her hands danced through seal after seal, and from within the furnace came the crisp, melodious chime of Spirit Pills taking form.
Back when Mi Jinglun had come to Lingxiao Palace to speak with her about Yang Kai's disappearance, Xia Ningshang had appeared perfectly composed — as though she harbored not a shred of worry about his safety. But in truth, how could she not have worried at all?
She simply placed unwavering faith in that man.
She believed that no matter what difficulties or dangers he faced, no matter where he ended up, he would always return — because this was his home, and there were people here waiting for him.
Now that he had finally come back, the worry that Xia Ningshang had carried in her heart for so long could finally be set to rest.
Outside Star Boundary, Hua Qingsi arrived in a hurry with a group of Open Heaven Realm cultivators, having received Zhan Wuhen's urgent message. The first thing she saw upon arrival was the crowd of Emperor Realm cultivators gathered around him. She was momentarily startled, then quickly understood and cried out in delight, "The Palace Master has returned?"
She had witnessed this exact scene more than once before — so many Emperor Realm cultivators on the verge of advancing to Open Heaven gathered in one place. She knew exactly where they had come from.
Zhan Wuhen nodded and pointed at the Emperor Realm cultivators. "I'm leaving this lot to you."
With that, he flashed back down to Star Boundary. His injuries were severe, and he still needed to continue his recovery. Had he not sensed the aura of Yang Kai's return, he would not have emerged from seclusion so rashly.
Hua Qingsi had wanted to ask for more details about Yang Kai, but Zhan Wuhen had vanished before she could get a word in. She could only sigh in exasperation.
Still, the Palace Master's return was cause for joy. For years, rumors had circulated that their Palace Master had been trapped within the Heaven Refining Furnace, and many had worried over it. Now that he was back, those people could finally rest easy.
"E-Elder, I can't hold on much longer..." A weak voice suddenly came from nearby.
Hua Qingsi turned to look and saw a Dao Academy Disciple whose expression was strained, his entire aura fluctuating wildly. He was clearly on the verge of a breakthrough.
They had cultivated within the Void Dao Academy for years, long since reaching the limits of their current cultivation. They had condensed Dao Seals and refined resources, but Yang Kai's Small Universe had suppressed them, preventing them from breaking through the bottleneck.
Now that they had left the Small Universe and that suppression had vanished, the breakthrough was imminent — it would come in an instant.
It wasn't only the one who had spoken. Many others were showing signs of breaking through as well.
Hua Qingsi was entirely unfazed — she had handled this many times before and could do it in her sleep. She immediately ordered the Disciples to spread out and find suitable locations, then had the Open Heaven Realm cultivators she'd brought each take up positions to serve as guardians for the breakthroughs.
As for herself, she personally distributed Heavenly Origin Correct Seal Pills to each of the Dao Academy Disciples. With the aid of these pills, the Disciples' success rate in breaking through to the Open Heaven Realm would increase by more than thirty percent.