Back when Ling Tian was much stronger than them, Chi Xue and the others hadn't been too worried that the Lord of the Universe would assign them a fight to the death. Now Ling Tian had caught up to them in cultivation level, and the Lord of the Universe still hadn't assigned them such a task. That only made them more certain he never would. With that thought, Chi Xue and the others were finally able to put their worries to rest.
This had been a constant source of concern for Chi Xue and the others, so finally being able to set their minds at ease would let them devote themselves wholeheartedly to cultivation. That would have some effect on their strength, and, barring any surprises, their cultivation levels would improve by at least a little.
Ling Tian's successful breakthrough also greatly heartened Hua Min'er and the others. But they didn't slack off because of it; they continued to cultivate diligently. After all, they knew that the stronger they became, the more they would be able to help Ling Tian in the future—and the better their chances would be of breaking free from the Lord of the Universe's restraints.
However, just as Po Qiong and Ling Tian had previously reasoned, it became incredibly difficult for cultivators to make further progress after reaching the Near-Saint Nineteenth Heaven. At the very least, even after all this time, Hua Min'er and the others still hadn't reached the late stage of the Near-Saint Nineteenth Heaven. Not even Little One had broken through.
Of course, Little One hadn't broken through because he had wasted too much time being reborn through nirvana after consuming the Phoenix Soul Fruit, then recovering his cultivation level. On top of that, he had only reached the middle stage of the