"Not bad. It seems everyone has made great progress."
Qin Yang floated down, his gaze sweeping over the waiting crowd. He was very pleased with the current situation.
As he looked out now,
he saw that the auras of Elder Li and the others in the courtyard were powerful and overflowing.
They were suffused with the Dao rhythm of the Unity of Heaven and Man.
It was clear their strength had increased by a huge margin; they were far beyond the state they had been in five years ago.
"You praise us too much, Young Master. This is merely our duty."
Elder Li stepped forward, trembling slightly, his aged face filled with joy. "If you hadn’t modified the Blood Spirit Array all those years ago, I would never have been able to reach this Realm in my lifetime."
"That’s right, it’s all thanks to your modifications, Master."
"Senior Brother, my Realm has advanced too... Do you want to see?"
Everyone nodded excitedly, their faces alight with emotion. Having not seen him for years, they were all eager to step forward and show off their achievements.
"Not bad,"
Qin Yang found an empty chair and sat down, glancing at Liu Wushuang beside him. "Elder Wushuang, please report on everyone’s progress."
"Yes, Young Master!"
"In the five years you were away, everyone’s Cultivation has progressed without delay."
Liu Wushuang reported with his head held high, his gaze slowly sweeping over the group as he recounted their progress over the past five years:
"Among the members of the Heaven-Blasting Gang, we now have ten at the Quasi-Venerable Realm!"
"Elder Li, Lin Mofeng, Li Daoming, Li Qinghe... all the core members have advanced. In addition, there are two new recruits."
"They are the old ancestor of the Lin Family and a close friend of mine from the Venerable Alliance. Their backgrounds are completely trustworthy."
"Mm, very good."
Qin Yang nodded slightly upon hearing this, not particularly surprised.
It was well within his expectations for trusted confidants like Elder Li to advance toward the Venerable Realm.
After all, they were supplied with heavenly materials and earthly treasures daily, had Li Zixuan providing the Heart of Law, and benefited from the rich starlight in the world. It was a massive boost for everyone’s cultivation speed!
’It would be stranger if they *didn’t* advance to the Venerable Realm with all that help!’
"What about those outside the core members?"
Qin Yang asked again, "Those Martial Artists who were originally in the Innate Realm, what Realm are they at now?"
"Reporting to the Young Master, we have three hundred at the Grandmaster Realm!"
Liu Wushuang said with a broad smile, "Ever since you modified the Blood Spirit Array, the world’s Star Force has become as vast as an ocean, and our Jianghai City is right at its center."
"Basking in the nourishment of the abundant Star Force every day, a full three hundred of our Star Martial Artists have successfully reached the Grandmaster Realm!"
"So many?"
Qin Yang’s eyebrows shot up at the news, and he was instantly overjoyed.
’Holy cow!’
’Ten Venerables at the top and three hundred Grandmasters at the ready below... You could say we have no weak links at all!’
’What did this lineup mean?’
’It meant they could march out of the city and sweep across the globe without any problem!’
’In terms of sheer power, we’ve long since surpassed the old Venerable Alliance and the Beast God Sect!’
’And more importantly!’
’Now, with so many Grandmasters and Venerables providing support, supplying a continuous stream of Star Force, the power of the Star Array is bound to increase dramatically!’
’Then, as soon as the Celestial Vault Black Hole opens...’
’I’ll be able to break through immediately!’
’At that point, reaching the Divine Venerable Realm will be a certainty!’
Just then.
"Master! And me, this Fairy! Quick, look!"
Xiaobai excitedly cozied up to him from the side, hopping right onto Qin Yang’s lap to show off her fluffy tails.
Nine snow-white, fluffy tails swayed back and forth.
Their fur was soft and sleek.
"Your servant is a nine-tails now, hehe... Go on, Master, feel them."
Xiaobai turned, took her softest tail, and fawningly pushed it into Qin Yang’s arms. "It’s really soft," she cooed.
Qin Yang gave it a gentle squeeze, and she immediately narrowed her fox-like eyes, savoring his touch.
’Now that I have nine tails,’ she thought, ’I’m definitely the strongest in the Fox Realm!’
’In terms of power, there’s no question I’m one of the top Star Beasts.’
’And when it comes to Charm Arts and Illusion Techniques...’
’I’m absolutely the number one fox in the world!’
"Not bad. You’ve all worked hard."
Qin Yang felt a deep sense of satisfaction as he stroked Xiaobai’s fur.
It’s like the saying goes: ten years of practice for one minute on stage.
Even with an abundant supply of Star Force,
advancement still required unceasing effort from everyone.
He imagined they must have endured many hardships.
Thinking of this, Qin Yang paused and summoned his Star Ring. "As a congratulatory gift for your breakthroughs, I’ve also prepared a few small presents."
The next moment.
A line of cold light flashed across the courtyard.
The piercing glint dazzled everyone’s eyes.
Immediately, the ground was covered by a dazzling pile of Divine Weapons. Sabers, spears, staves, halberds—a complete arsenal of eighteen types of weapons was there, each one exquisitely luxurious, with gilded and silver-inlaid patterns etched onto their surfaces.
Every single piece was a top-tier Divine Artifact!
"This...!"
Elder Li’s white eyebrows shot up in shock as he saw a sword lying amidst the pile. He was instantly stunned by the extravagant gesture.
’Wait a minute...’
’Weren’t we supposed to be celebrating the Young Master’s return from seclusion?’
’But now...’
’...Qin Yang is the one giving *us* gifts?’
’What kind of topsy-turvy situation is this?!’
"What are you all staring for? Pick one that suits you and take it."
Seeing everyone staring blankly, Qin Yang couldn’t help but laugh. He casually picked out a Profound Bow and tossed it to Liu Wushuang, who was standing beside him.
"Young Master, what is this?"
Liu Wushuang caught the Profound Bow, stunned. He caressed the exquisite patterns on it and looked at Qin Yang, at a loss. "Is this... for me specifically?"
"Didn’t your bowstring snap once before?"
Qin Yang smiled. "Consider this Profound Bow a gift, a reward for your efforts."
"Every member of the Heaven-Blasting Gang who breaks through a Realm will be handsomely rewarded!"
A short while later.
After Elder Li and the others had chosen their weapons and thanked him again excitedly, they exchanged a few pleasantries before Qin Yang dismissed them.
Only Liu Wushuang was left behind.
A leaf drifted down, spiraling onto the green grass.
"Young Master, do you have other important matters to discuss?"
Liu Wushuang’s expression turned solemn as he leaned in close to Qin Yang and asked in a low voice.
"Yes, there’s something I need your help with."
Qin Yang stroked his chin, sizing him up for a moment before asking, "After five years of Cultivation, your Realm... you should have reached Celestial Venerable by now, right?"
"You are correct, Young Master."
Liu Wushuang didn’t hide anything, nodding in reply. "Your subordinate has indeed reached that Realm."
"Then have you discovered the fetters of this world?"
"Fetters?"
Liu Wushuang’s brow furrowed slightly. He looked up at the ten black holes in the sky. "I can indeed feel them. I never noticed them when I was an Earth Venerable, but after entering the Celestial Venerable Realm, the restriction has become increasingly obvious."
"That’s right. Those are the shackles preventing entry into the Divine Venerable Realm."
Qin Yang sighed softly, also gazing at the black holes. "Come with me to Li Shui Lake. I need you to act as my personal Protector."
"Young Master, you’re going to...?"
"I plan to open one of the Celestial Gates!"