Simply absorbing the energy into his Small World was far faster than refining it. Even though Ling Tian was absorbing all kinds of strange energy, and in tremendous quantities, that still held true. At this rate, he could easily absorb all of it into his Small World before Chi Xue and the others arrived.
Although they knew Ling Tian planned to give Chi Xue and the others some Chaos Qi and the like, it would still benefit him greatly if he could claim all the other strange energies for himself. After all, some of those energies could be refined by Chi Xue and the others, and keeping them for himself would undoubtedly maximize Ling Tian's strength.
Most importantly, the initiative lay with Ling Tian. Giving Chi Xue and the others some energy later would earn him their gratitude. He might even be able to trade Chaos Qi, High-level Outer Realm Power, and the like for other kinds of strange energy. So many years had passed; Chi Xue and the others must have gathered some energies they couldn't refine. Acquiring those in exchange would undoubtedly benefit Ling Tian the most.
Ling Tian didn't join Po Qiong and the others in their discussion. He was focused on absorbing the strange energies.
Setting aside Ling Tian's all-out effort to absorb those strange energies, Chi Xue and the others could also learn what he was doing by sensing the energy or through scouts who had arrived ahead of them. When they learned that Ling Tian was absorbing all the strange energies in one fell swoop, looking as if he intended to take every last bit, their expressions turned grave.
It made sense. If Ling Tian had been refining the strange energies on the spot instead of absorbing them outright, that would have meant he