Swallowing the Stars: The Wind Sword Master.

Chapter 95 An Intractable Bottleneck

A simple tea room.

A rosewood tea table, and two huanghuali wood chairs.

The tea table was filled with the smoke of tea. Ning Ze leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to rest. He slowly opened his eyes and looked towards the door. Just then, the door opened, and his expression became strange.

Luo Feng asked, slightly surprised, "Is something wrong?"

"Alive?" Ning Ze asked rhetorically, then added, "You even brought it with you? Where is it?"

As he spoke, he looked at Luo Feng's wrist, where the quantum computer Luo Feng had acquired was located. This was a rare item on Earth, but now it had been replaced, and he sensed a consciousness within it.

"Damn it! Of course I'm alive!" Babata was furious. He was an intelligent life form! How could he be dead? Did they really think he was some lifeless program? This was an insult to him!

Luo Feng's expression was somewhat strange. He didn't say anything, but the other side had already guessed what was going on.

Ignoring the incessant clamor of Babata in his mind, he asked curiously, "Brother Ning, how did you find out?"

"I sensed anger and a bit of irritation from you, along with a hint of hostility. You shouldn't feel that way about me," Ning Ze said truthfully.

He could understand his own body's emotions, so he could naturally sense the emotions of others. He sensed a kind of vexation in Luo Feng, which didn't seem like Luo Feng's own, and there was also a sense of unfamiliarity, which led to his earlier guess.

Luo Feng introduced him, "His name is Babata, he's an intelligent life form. Ning, would you like to meet him?"

Ning Ze shook his head and refused, saying, "There's no need to meet an AI. Although it carries a life form, it should be able to change its appearance. How was your harvest this time?" He didn't want to meet an AI that was hostile to him or had even tried to deal with him.

Babata: "Bastard! I don't even want to see you! You native brat who doesn't even know what intelligent life is, how dare you look down on Lord Babata!"

"It can be considered as obtaining a legacy, and learning some specific information about the universe," Luo Feng replied.

"Specific information?" Ning Ze's eyes lit up. "What kind of information?"

Luo Feng pondered for a moment, then began to organize the information about the universe that Babata had told him, and slowly said, "There are many kinds of life outside. There are about 21 life-bearing planets in the Milky Way, inhabited by a large number of creatures. A life-bearing planet is considered the most primitive civilization."

Ning Ze listened quietly. The world was far more vast than he had imagined. There were 21 life-bearing planets alone. This was the Milky Way galaxy. The Milky Way was not considered large among galaxies, while the number of galaxies that humans had estimated and observed was as high as hundreds of billions! And this was only what current technology had observed.

"Just like our Milky Way galaxy, so many planets can form a relatively advanced civilization, which is called a primary civilization in the universe, the Silver Blue Empire. Above the galaxies are star regions, the Black Dragon Mountain Star Region, which includes about 8000 star systems, including the Milky Way galaxy."

"The 'Black Dragon Mountain Star Region'... is the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, which is considered a relatively good intermediate-level civilization in the universe."

"The Black Dragon Mountain Empire directly controls over six thousand star systems, and also has more than five hundred 'primitive cosmic civilization' vassal states. The Silver Blue Empire is just one of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire's vassal states."

Ning Ze nodded slightly, indicating that he would continue; this was still within his imagination. However, judging their perspective by imagination was an exaggeration; they were merely humans on a habitable planet in the Milky Way.

Luo Feng's voice deepened. "And above the star fields, there are even larger units: star sectors. Each star sector contains a powerful, almost invincible cosmic kingdom. There are 10081 such kingdoms among the human race. Such vast regions are teeming with life. The orcs, elves, and other creatures we imagine exist even more in the universe; they are collectively known as the human race. Those 10081 star sectors are merely human territories."

"And the powerful beings among them are beyond imagination. We know of the Eternal Star level, the Universe level, the Domain Lord level, and above that, the World Lord level. In normal development, one such powerful being can emerge in 1000 star systems. Above that, there are what are known in the universe as immortal gods, who cannot be killed even by time. Such powerful beings cannot be described by words alone."

Ning Ze nodded heavily, a burning passion appearing in his eyes. Time could not kill him! What kind of state was that?

"The legacy you received..."

"Immortal God!" Luo Feng replied telepathically.

Ning Ze revealed a bright smile, "Now that you have obtained the inheritance, then hurry up and start cultivating. I really want to see how the strong in the universe fight."

Luo Feng hesitated, wanting to share with Ning Ze, Hong, and Lei Shen, but Babata was already getting agitated in his mind.

"Luo Feng! Let's go! We'll go get you the inheritance right now, and then you can teach this bastard a lesson!"

"Look at the way he's grinning! Does he really think he's invincible just because he's mastered twice the power? He wants to see the methods of the strongest in the universe. You frog in a well! Wait until you've cultivated enough to slap him in the face. Seeing him laugh makes me uncomfortable!"

Luo Feng also wanted to see what the inheritance was like, so he nodded and stood up. "Okay, then I'll go back first."

Ning Ze nodded slightly. "I have something else to think about. Please do as you see fit."

Luo Feng nodded, walked out of the tea room, and closed the door.

I went downstairs.

Shu Yi stood up from the sofa and asked curiously, "Why are you leaving so soon? Didn't you have something to discuss?"

Luo Feng smiled and replied, "I've finished talking. Brother Ning said he still has some things to think about. I have something to do, so I'll be leaving now."

"Okay, I'll take you," Shuyi replied.

Luo Feng nodded and quickly walked towards his home.

Upon entering the training room, Babata opened a training space similar to a trial tower.

You must take martial arts training seriously and never neglect it!

"The 'Control Chapter' and 'Illusion Chapter' left by the master are the foundation of mental magic, corresponding to the object control and mental attacks on your Earth. You must learn them all."

"And the 'Miscellaneous Chapters' are the essence of my Meteorite Star lineage. As a descendant of my Meteorite Star, you absolutely must learn these precious secret techniques! Whether you choose the 'Master of Control' or the 'Illusionist' path in the future is your choice!"

"Oh, and martial artists also need to train!" Babata added.

"Martial artist?" Luo Feng frowned and said, "Babata, as for martial artist cultivation, I'm a mentalist, so I just need to cultivate a strong body. As for other aspects... at most, I'll cultivate movement techniques. There's no need for anything else, right?"

"Shortsighted!" Babata angrily smashed the half-eaten apple in his hand on the ground.

"Let me tell you!"

Babata solemnly stated, "There are two main factions in the universe: martial artists and psychic cultivators! There is no definitive conclusion as to which is stronger or weaker, but psychic cultivators' methods are more complex and unpredictable. Martial artists who wish to break through and improve must emphasize 'spirit and will,' while psychic cultivators who wish to improve must also emphasize 'body and genetic energy.'"

"You can't tell now!"

"However, the requirements for cosmic-level beings, especially domain lords and world lords, are extremely high in terms of spirit, will, primal energy, body, and realm!"

Babata said, "A wooden bucket can only hold as much water as its shortest stave! Therefore, a martial artist's training absolutely cannot lag behind. Your martial arts skills are far too weak right now; your physical strength is only 3.5? And your swordsmanship and movement techniques are still at the basics?"

Luo Feng exclaimed, "My swordsmanship is already at the 'Specialized' level, and my movement technique is at the 'Perfect' level!"

"That's how you say it on Earth!"

Babata raised his head disdainfully, "According to the classification in the universe, your swordsmanship and movement techniques can only be considered at the 'basic level,' the lowest level. Your physical exertion is only 3.5? That's pitifully low. On my Meteorite Star, the average level of a ninth-grade apprentice is 10!"

"10?" Luo Feng was somewhat surprised.

This is even taller than Thor and Hong before!

Luo Feng asked curiously, "How strong is Brother Ning?"

"Him?" Babata's lips twitched slightly. "That bastard's attack is pretty good; he can exert 14 times the force."

"What realm is he at in the universe?" Luo Feng asked curiously.

Babata reluctantly said, "The realms in the universe are divided into foundation, artistic conception, domain, and world. He should be in the artistic conception realm; he just doesn't show much in his casual sword strikes."

"alright!"

"What are we talking about him for?"

"Cultivation is your primary task. I've even implanted the inheritance crystal into your soul. Later, you'll need to study the miscellaneous chapters; they all have gold covers, making them easy to recognize. I also have some inscriptions left by my master when he was teaching his disciples. If you encounter any problems, you can ask me."

Luo Feng was slightly taken aback; he didn't feel the sensation of receiving the inheritance.

Looking around.

The Soul Control Secret Technique: Soul Imprint!

The Soul Defense Arcane Art: Void Tower!

The secret technique of soul transfer: Body Possession

The Soul Combination Strike Secret Technique: Hexagram

……

At that moment, Luo Feng understood what happiness truly meant.

Inside a villa not far away.

Ning Ze remained quietly leaning back in his seat, his eyes fixed on the system panel in front of him, lost in thought. He murmured to himself, "How do I break through that bottleneck?"

[Host: Ning Ze]

[Realm: Planetary Level 3, 25% (Martial Artist); Planetary Level 2, 37% (Mentalist)]

[Insight: Wind Domain (Level 1) 4935189/10000000]

[Cultivation Skills: Initial Understanding of the Great Freedom Mind Technique (Tier 1) 9657/10000000; Visualization Technique: One Sword Seals the Heavens]

【战斗技能：《风影》行之奥义（一阶）4825238/10000000；《风剑绝尘》剑之领域（一阶）3796428/10000000；《旋风劲》御之玄奥（一阶）2425271/10000000】

After he comprehended the "God of the Flesh," he entered a wondrous state through the pulsation of his life instincts, thus forming a secret method for sensing all things and sensing life.

He named it "The Great Freedom Mind Technique". With this secret method, he can have a high degree of control over all the will of his body and can increase his cultivation speed tenfold!

More importantly, he can sense emotions, sense the world, and even see the incomparably magnificent world above the nine heavens.

However, there was a veil separating him from that world; he could see it, but it was infinitely far away, untouchable, and he could not see how magnificent that world was.

This is his new bottleneck.

It wasn't just a simple improvement in his realm; it was a major discovery in his understanding. He didn't even know what it was... It couldn't be described with power, nor could it be described with his own knowledge. This was incredibly tempting to him!

A slight smile appeared on Ning Ze's lips. "This is quite a challenge!"

In the past year or so, he has now reached the planetary level, and it is no longer as difficult for him to comprehend the sword techniques on Earth as before.

He could see through those secret manuals at a glance. Relying on those countless sword technique manuals that he used to find neither useful nor worthless, he continuously comprehended them, and his basic cultivation speed increased to 50 times that of before!

You can gain 500 proficiency points in an hour. Practicing for 20 hours a day will give you 10000 proficiency points.

His movement speed is somewhat worse, only 40 times faster than before. His defensive techniques are even worse, only 25 times faster than basic training speed.

In one year and three months, or more than 450 days, his progress was quite remarkable.

Whether it's physical attributes, swordsmanship, power generation, movement, or defense, he has improved by a small margin, resulting in an overall strength increase of at least tenfold! Even his domain has reached the mid-level; if both his sword domain and wind domain advance, his combat power will be even more terrifying.

Now that he has created the "Great Freedom Mind Technique," his energy cultivation speed has increased significantly. He tried it briefly and found it to be five times faster than before!

The whole body is working hard to absorb cosmic energy, and the body is full of the former "Five Hearts". How could the cultivation speed not be fast?

The previous two hours increased the level of planetary stage one by 0.1%, which is equivalent to 0.1% of 100 million kilograms, or 1000 kg.

Now, the cultivation speed has increased fivefold, and it takes only two hours to advance one level of the Planetary stage by 0.5%, which is equivalent to 5000 kg.

What's even more terrifying is that this bonus also applies to his comprehension of the Wind Domain and even his swordsmanship. In fact, this bonus is even more effective than the one applied to his body, increasing his speed tenfold!

He can gain 10000 swordsmanship proficiency points in an hour. Among swordsmanship, movement techniques, and defense, his swordsmanship level is the highest. During normal training, practicing swordsmanship is equivalent to comprehending a domain. Special insights like the Wind Domain improve at the same speed as swordsmanship, also gaining 10000 proficiency points per hour.

The system was of great help to him, but it was not omnipotent; he could only improve himself, not interfere with the outside world.

"How can I experience that magnificent world?" Ning Ze murmured to himself. "I didn't feel any obstruction from that barrier. I could even see the phantoms inside when I was standing on the 'ground.' It never stopped me. It's just that I'm not tall enough."

"I sense the body's natural state; I control the head of the physical body, the 'heart.' However, what I can control is the essence of my spirit and will. My soul is in harmony with my body, and the 'spirit of the body' is also part of my will."

"In this situation, I feel that the barrier is high, perhaps because my own mental strength is too weak and I haven't reached the point where I can touch that magnificent world. So what should I improve?"

"Simply enhance my mental strength? The kind of mental fortitude the Master spoke of? Or strengthen my willpower!"

"Or perhaps, all three are acceptable?"

Ning Ze fell silent for a moment.

After a long pause, he rationally analyzed, "Mental strength increases with cultivation level. My 'One Sword Seals the Heavens' technique doesn't even qualify for experience points yet, which means it has no potential. At the very least, I don't have a way to advance. I've already removed the useless guiding techniques. It's extremely difficult to improve mental strength with a technique of this level! Simply cultivating mental strength is too slow, after all, my talent doesn't seem to be very good, and the growth rate of my mental power has always been slow."

"The matter of mind and nature is ethereal and vague. I only understand swordsmanship and do not understand those theories about mind and nature. My current experience is not at that level. Even if I had the experience of Master Hong, I am still me and will not have the same kind of mental changes as him."

"As for willpower, that requires tempering under special circumstances... The base city needs to maintain its current stability. Without the strength to completely crush them, rashly killing the two beast kings might trigger a riot. Although I don't concern myself with other people's affairs, I can't let millions die because of me. This matter needs to be handled slowly. For now, we just need to reduce casualties. I can't temper my willpower."

All three roads were blocked.

Ning Ze looked up at the blue sky and saw an endless, magnificent sky in a special perspective. He longed to enter it, as if it were waiting for him at any moment, but he couldn't even touch it.

(End of this chapter)