Swallowing the Stars: The Wind Sword Master.

Chapter 77 Differences Between Domains

Ning Ze remained silent in the face of Hong's earnest teachings.

Mood?

Enlightenment and seeing one's true nature?

A childlike heart? Harmony between humanity and nature?

Is the heart infinitely vast? Capable of encompassing everything?

Ning Ze didn't realize that he was just doing what he was supposed to do, which could be considered simple-minded.

As for the boundless size of his heart... his heart is sometimes very big, sometimes very small, and he doesn't know what kind of state that is.

He doesn't even know how big this world is, so how could he dare to have such a delusional thought?

He hasn't even properly looked at Earth...

long silence.

Hong did not disturb Ning Ze. He felt that after his words, this unparalleled genius of Earth should have come to his senses.

Yes!

It's remarkable that you can sense his remarkable light attribute on the first try.

He was able to sense the threat in his domain on the very first visit; his talent is unparalleled!

Sometimes he even possesses talents beyond his imagination, creating his own power generation techniques and defensive strategies. His physical attributes are growing at an alarming rate, with unlimited stamina and boundless glory.

However, these are not enough; a certain foundation is required for a specific field.

As a holder of a domain, he was quite certain that those below the planetary level could not comprehend a domain unless they reached the required level but lacked power. The most difficult thing was their mental state. Only after these conditions were met could they comprehend a domain!

Finally, Ning Ze spoke slowly and very seriously, "Master, my domain has been opened. Didn't you feel it?" He was very puzzled. The silence he had just given Hong was for this, but he seemed not to have noticed it at all.

Hong was stunned.

Is this a joke?

field?

Where is the field?

He glanced around, his mental energy probing outwards, but he noticed nothing...

For a fleeting moment, he felt that Ning Ze was lying to him, but seeing that earnest look in his eyes, he fell silent.

Because he genuinely didn't notice.

The two stared at each other for a moment, one asking a question and the other asking a question.

Ning Ze felt that he had said it all. After all, he was the number one person in the world. If there was something that even Hong didn't know, how could he not feel embarrassed?

Hong focused his mind, carefully sensing, but still felt nothing...

field?

I didn't feel anything at all, even after trying it once, twice, or three times, I gained absolutely nothing.

So Hong silently opened his domain. This time, he sensed something unusual. The domain expanded very slowly. He had to be careful to open it, but even then, the speed was somewhat hindered.

This situation clearly indicates that something unknown is influencing their field.

In that instant, he became even more silent; perhaps this, too, was a realm?

He didn't understand either, as there wasn't much information about the domain in the ancient ruins. But it did mention that the foundation still required a unified spirit, energy, and body.

As for his subsequent state of mind, that's his own conclusion. Currently, it seems he was wrong. Or rather, it was wrong for Ning Ze, but right for others.

Ning Ze's field must be a special case. After all, geniuses are always different from what is recorded in general information, which he can understand.

At that moment, Hong felt extremely embarrassed and could only try to keep his expression as cold as possible. "How did you do that?"

Ning Ze frowned slightly, and a transparent longsword about thirty centimeters long appeared in front of the two of them. "It seems that my speed of condensing the longsword has slowed down."

Hong raised an eyebrow. "It's not just you who's slower; my domain is expanding more slowly too. Is your domain condensing into a longsword?"

Ning Ze gently shook his head. He didn't say how he did it. With a thought, a long sword condensed beside him, a long sword condensed above his head, a long sword condensed behind Hong, and so on. The entire room was completely filled with transparent long swords.

Hong was taken aback.

This is completely different from his domain. His domain's attack methods are binding, suppression, and control. You can tell at a glance that Ning Ze's domain is an attack!

It seems... its attack power is pretty good?

Hong tried to use his domain to expel the longswords, and it did have an effect, but he could only expel a small portion of them when he was focused. The longswords disappeared one by one, but this speed was nothing compared to the speed at which they had been condensed earlier.

Clearly, his domain had an effect on Ning Ze's domain, but the effect was very limited.

It's like the two distinct seas, with only one line in the middle intersecting, which can restrain each other, but this restraint is negligible.

Silence returned to the room.

Hong didn't know how to explain.

Ning Ze didn't know how to ask, and the owner of the shop seemed to be unaware.

Neither of them knew what to say.

Finally, Hong spoke up, "I've sent you the relevant information about the field; you can study it yourself."

He felt he shouldn't be teaching anything. Everyone has their own world, and most people see the same thing. What could he possibly teach if he was already ahead of the curve?

But a genius?

This kind of person is not like everyone else; he shouldn't mislead others. His theories might be correct, because they apply to him. However, what he teaches isn't entirely accurate, because others are different. Now it's appearing in a form he doesn't understand; he can't even comprehend it—what is there to teach?

"Okay, thank you, Master." Ning Ze expressed his gratitude, as he had gained something from this trip.

Hong's domain requires energy, spiritual support, physical exertion, and mental focus, but he doesn't. His domain only requires a thought and a slight expenditure of spiritual energy, like thrusting a sword. It's the same kind of exertion, except that he doesn't hold a sword in his hand, but uses the surrounding energy as his sword. When his sword domain is activated, this is instinctive and doesn't require much spiritual energy.

Hong's domain slightly restrained his domain, but he had little effect on Hong's domain. The binding power of the light domain was very strong, as if the light was being controlled by someone. He was greatly suppressed, which was a suppression of the energy of heaven and earth.

The two are somewhat similar, but different. His domain is attack; he not only possesses a condensed longsword, but can also enhance the power of his own swordsmanship.

Ning Ze felt that the conflict between the two was related to their mental will. Both of their domains required mental willpower, and the conflict, influence, and restraint might stem from this aspect. However, he didn't understand that Hong's domain couldn't be interfered with, and Hong didn't understand that his domain couldn't be influenced; they were essentially unrelated.

Finally, since their fields were different, he felt that he could comprehend Hong's field, and Hong could comprehend his field; the formation of the two fields was fundamentally different.

He relies on sword techniques, which is essentially a realm beyond mere artistic conception. His swordsmanship levels appear to be Basic—Specialization—Perfection—Artistic Conception, but at each level of proficiency reaching 33.33%..., an additional layer of power is unleashed, resulting in a total of ten levels. However, the system presents it in the form he understands.

Hong talked about Yin and Yang, and the infinite. Whether it's Yin and Yang giving birth to all things, Yin and Yang being perfect, the infinite, or encompassing everything, the starting point of idealism is matter. It's talking about a nature, a law, and a mystery.

It refers to aligning with nature, understanding nature, and then comprehending certain attributes to form a special domain. This is related to one's state of mind, but it all depends on one's understanding. The higher one's state of mind, the easier it is to understand and control. Not reaching that state of mind does not mean that one cannot understand.

Now that Ning Ze has a clear direction, he feels that comprehending Hong's kind of 'domain' shouldn't be too difficult.

"How long until you break through to the planetary level?" Hong changed the subject and asked.

Ning Ze replied truthfully, "Based on my current cultivation progress, it should take about five months."

Hong nodded in understanding, then asked, "There will be a life-or-death trial on August 1st. If it will affect your cultivation, then don't go."

"August 1st, a trial of life and death?" Ning Ze thought for a moment and understood what it meant. In fact, he was very familiar with this term. Ning Hua had even used it to scare him, saying that the training camp was very dangerous!

"Battles never affect my cultivation; I go to life-or-death trials."

"Alright, you can even withstand laser cannons now, and with 10 times the power, you're equivalent to a newly broken-through planetary level cultivator. Plus, the Black God Set makes you very safe. As long as it's not an attack from the two Beast Kings, you're safe. It'll be good for you to come along and try it out."

Hong had complete confidence in Ning Ze. With his powerful defensive techniques, SS-class combat suit made from materials from a King-level monster, and the Black God Set to disperse damage, Ning Ze could withstand attacks from either of the two Beast Kings for a long time.

Ning Ze nodded slightly in respect. He only learned later that the stability of humanity was due to Hong Qu's negotiations with the two great monster kings, who agreed to keep the war at a certain level. Otherwise, the base city would not have been able to withstand the monster attacks at all.

"If there's nothing else, you can go now. Having cultivated to this level, you shouldn't need to cultivate within my domain anymore. Come find me again if you have any questions," Hong said softly, silently adding to himself, 'There are probably many questions I can't answer for you.'

"Yes."

Ning Ze left the headquarters silently. Just as he returned to the entrance of the training camp, he received a message.

Luo Feng: Brother Ning, do you have some time? Can you let me see your skills?

"Want to witness my power?"

Ning Ze felt a little nostalgic. He had only taken on a challenge on the first day after he arrived, and no one had challenged him since. He never expected to be challenged today.

"He broke into the top 100 as soon as he arrived at the training camp, and now he's in the top 30. Mentalists have a clear advantage over ordinary martial artists."

"His strength isn't bad either." Ning Ze replied directly: Why did you decide to challenge me?

Luo Feng: My contract with the martial arts school expires in one month, and I want to get the reward. I plan to keep challenging and honing myself in this month.

Ning Ze: Sure, I have some time now, I'll wait for you in the challenge room.

In a seemingly unremarkable, instructional battle, Ning Ze earned Luo Feng 1 billion Chinese Yuan.

Afterwards, he returned to Jiangnan Pavilion and sat in a daze in the cultivation room on the second floor, actually thinking about how to proceed in the future.

Having grasped the Sword Domain, his strength had increased dramatically, though he wasn't sure exactly how much. He couldn't very well attack Luo Feng and use his domain to bully a newcomer; he couldn't bring himself to do that. Luo Feng had come to him seeking guidance.

He had no rivals, and he had never fought anyone. There were no King-level monsters to fight in Hongning Base City, so he couldn't very well target other inspectors.

Apart from the Trial Tower, no one else can rival him.

Looking at the millions of points of proficiency in the Sword Domain, Ning Ze fell into deep thought. There was no doubt that his cultivation had once again encountered a bottleneck.

It's not that the bottleneck is insurmountable, but rather that the cultivation speed is too slow!

Both in terms of skill level and physical fitness, it is very slow.

With his proficiency slightly improved, he has been learning new sword techniques and movement skills. His current basic training speed is such that he can increase his proficiency in movement skills by 160 points per hour, which is 16 times that of before, and he can increase his proficiency in sword techniques by 185 points per hour, which is 18.5 times that of before.

If you engage in combat, this proficiency will increase exponentially again. It's doubled in normal combat, five times in intense combat, ten times under immense pressure, and hundreds or thousands of times in life-or-death crises. The leveling speed is quite fast. He gained a million experience points in just over half a year, and now it's even faster!

Ning Ze's biggest headache was his physical fitness; it was incredibly difficult. His basic cultivation speed was 5 kg per hour, which increased to 7 kg per hour after consuming dragon blood—a slight improvement, but still incomparable to his swordsmanship. It could be increased during combat, but ultimately, there was no room for further improvement in the base multiplier.

A simple calculation shows that he can reach Planetary Level 1 in a year. There are nine levels from Apprentice Warrior to War God, and nine levels at the Planetary Level, with a difference of two times between each level.

In other words, he can reach the Planetary level in one year. If he can maintain this high-speed cultivation state, he can break through from the first level of Planetary level to the second level in two years. In four years, when he is twenty-six years old, he can break through to the third level again. In eight years, when he is thirty-four years old, he can break through to the fourth level. In sixteen years, when he is fifty years old, he can break through to the fifth level of Planetary level.

Even if he breaks through to the planetary level, his strength will still increase faster due to his powerful foundation and evolved genes, but it will still take at least a few years to improve. He finds it hard to tolerate such a slow rate of improvement.

"My physical aptitude can't be changed, so I can only start with the gene energy cultivation method." Ning Ze murmured and sighed. How could the gene energy cultivation method found in the ancient ruins be so easy to change?

It's still unknown what level of powerful being created it from such a commanding position.

"Forget it, I don't have any ideas right now. I've done everything I can, and my cultivation efficiency hasn't changed much at all. The fact that I can force myself into a cultivation state is all thanks to the system. I'll break through to the planetary level first. My understanding of cultivation is still too shallow. Maybe I can come up with a solution with a higher foundation."

After saying that, Ning Ze slowly closed his eyes, and while continuing his basic training, he also tried to practice a new sword technique using visualization.

Two more months have passed, and it's now August 1st.

early morning.

One hundred and ninety-three trainees gathered on the grass in front of the Nine-Story Building, chatting in small groups. All the trainees were fully armed, carrying backpacks and their own weapons, because... today was the day to set off on the 'Life and Death Adventure'!

Just as everyone was waiting for the museum owner, an unexpected figure appeared, like a gentle breeze always by his side. His snow-white combat uniform fluttered in the wind, and his movements were graceful.

Ning Ze appeared beside Luo Feng and Zhao Ruo with a faint smile on his face, and jokingly asked, "Were you all waiting for me?"

Luo Feng's expression was somewhat strange. He tentatively asked, "Brother Ning, are you also going to undergo a life-or-death trial?"

Others might not know, but how could he not know this senior's strength? Five months ago, he was able to withstand a laser cannon, and afterwards, he sold dozens of lord-level monsters to his girlfriend Xu Xin's family! Most of them were high-level lord-level monsters.

Is this the kind of strength you need to participate in a life-or-death trial?

Perhaps it's a life-or-death trial for the monster?

"Is that not allowed?" Ning Ze asked with a smile, then casually made up an excuse, "You've all left, and I'm all alone. How boring would that be? I wouldn't see a soul all day long."

His progress has been relatively stable over the past two months, with a weight gain of over 8 kilograms. He is getting closer and closer to the peak of the God of War level. He wants to challenge a King-level monster, and maybe he can gain something else.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ruo couldn't help but retort, "What does it matter whether we're together or not? I only see you once a month..."

The conversation attracted everyone's attention, and one of the handsome men with a full head of blond hair noticed a slight change in his expression.

Candice thought to herself, "This is terrible. Ning Ze has also gone to the life-or-death trial. He and Luo Feng are very close. If the two of them are together, it's impossible to kill Luo Feng, and my brother's revenge will be impossible. I have to warn my aunt to be careful; we can't let Ning Ze ruin the plan."

Without making a sound, a message was sent to the vulture and scorpion couple.

(End of this chapter)