Gathering

"Hahaha, Yue Ming, you've finally come out of seclusion. Don't forget our agreement from a year ago. This time, we have to have a proper spar. Don't make excuses and refuse again."

"We'll talk about sparring after we finish drinking."

The moment Yue Ming arrived at the Limit Martial Hall headquarters, Thor came to greet him and pulled him into the spaceship-shaped building. The building was actually a spaceship, which Hong had obtained from a ruin in his early years and later converted into the Limit Martial Hall headquarters.

Led by Thor, the two arrived in a spacious hall. Hong had already prepared the drinks and was waiting for them. When he saw Yue Ming arrive, he actually stood up to welcome him personally and invited him to sit. If anyone had witnessed this scene, their jaws would have dropped.

"Yue Ming, come taste this wine. It's a fine vintage I've kept for years. Normally, I can't bear to take it out and drink it."

After the three of them sat down, Hong personally poured wine for Yue Ming and Thor. The entire hall was immediately filled with its fragrance. There were probably only two people on Earth who could enjoy the treatment of having the world's number one person pour them wine: Yue Ming and Thor.

"Brother Hong, you're going too far. Isn't this blatant favoritism? You took out your treasured wine to entertain Yue Ming, but every time I asked you for it, you said you'd already finished it all. No way! I have to drink more and make you regret it..."

"Have you taken too little wine from me already? I only have a few jars left. I can't let you ruin them all."

"It really is good wine!"

Yue Ming took a sip and found that it truly was excellent. Not only did it taste wonderful, but it also contained immense life energy. Although it was far inferior to Dragon Crystal Rice, it was comparable to several Spirits of Plants and Trees.

"Yue Ming, you've been in seclusion for so long. You must have gained quite a lot, right?"

"I did gain quite a bit, but you two aren't doing badly either. You've both already broken through to the Stellar Level. However, I need to remind you not to pursue breakthroughs in cultivation level too blindly. Pay more attention to comprehending domains and laws. True geniuses in the universe almost all possess domains at the Stellar Level, and top-tier geniuses have even crossed the threshold of the Origin Laws..."

Yue Ming was afraid that they would focus entirely on raising their cultivation levels while neglecting their progress in domains and laws. When the Peak Genius Battle began, it would be a terrible shame if they had advanced to the Universe Level and thus become ineligible to participate.

In the original story, the two had failed to seize the opportunity of the Peak Genius Battle, allowing Luo Feng to leave them far behind. There was still plenty of time before the Peak Genius Battle. If they worked hard at comprehending domains and laws, they might not be unable to achieve good rankings.

"Improving a domain is far too difficult. Brother Hong's domain has already reached the second level, but after more than a year of comprehension, my own domain has barely improved. I don't know when I'll be able to break through to the second level..."

"I was trapped at the first level of the domain for many years, so it isn't surprising that I broke through to the second level. It was simply the result of long accumulation. But breaking through to the third level won't be easy. I'm afraid it will be difficult without several decades."

"You have no secret technique inheritances and no famous teachers to guide you, so naturally, improving your domains is difficult. Once you obtain secret techniques in the future and have a direction to guide you, the speed at which you comprehend domains will increase greatly."

Yue Ming understood their troubles. Without secret technique inheritances or guidance from famous teachers, they had to explore every step on their own, so improving their domains was naturally fraught with difficulties. Fortunately, Luo Feng had appeared on Earth. Once Luo Feng obtained Meteor Star's inheritance, the two would naturally gain secret technique inheritances as well.

"Don't look at me. I don't have any secret technique inheritance either. Although I know where one is, anyone who wants to obtain it must be a Mental Master. There's only one person on Earth who meets that requirement."

"Who is it?"

Hong and Thor asked in unison.

"Luo Feng from your Limit Martial Hall. Luo Feng has enormous talent as a Mental Master—the strongest Mental Master talent on Earth at present. Only he can obtain that inheritance. Unfortunately, Luo Feng is trapped in Ruins No. 9 right now and probably won't be able to come out anytime soon, so just wait patiently."

"You're saying Luo Feng isn't dead, but trapped in Ruins No. 9?"

"There are many kinds of trials in Ruins No. 9. Luo Feng's talent as a Mental Master is too high, so he was forced to participate in a special elite assessment. That assessment is somewhat difficult. He must master a secret technique within three years. Luo Feng's talent is good, but it will probably still take him one or two years to master it."

"As long as Luo Feng isn't dead, that's enough. Once he comes out, we'll have him obtain the inheritance you mentioned."

Hong and Thor did not press for details or ask how Yue Ming knew all this. Everyone had their own secrets. Yue Ming was already being generous by telling them this much. Anyone else would probably have kept it hidden and secretly sought a way to obtain the inheritance themselves.

The three changed the subject and spoke about humanity reclaiming its homeland and rebuilding civilization. Before they knew it, two jars of fine wine had been emptied. Thor brought up the old matter again and pulled Yue Ming outside to spar.

"Are you sure you want to spar with me?"

Yue Ming unleashed his Water Domain, though he did not use his full strength. Its power only reached the fifth level, yet even this fifth-level domain completely crushed Thor and bound him in place, unable to move.

"Forget it. Pretend I never mentioned sparring."

Thor's face darkened. He felt utterly humiliated. He had actually been crushed by Yue Ming's domain without the slightest ability to resist, completely pinned in place. He would never mention sparring again.

"What level has your domain reached?"

A trace of shock flashed across Hong's face. His second-level domain was already very powerful, yet he could not directly crush Thor the way Yue Ming had. Although Thor was no match for him, he could at least put up some resistance.

"I spent more than a year in painstaking seclusion. Did you think I was playing around? What I comprehended is the Water Domain, and it has now reached the fifth level."

Yue Ming did not tell them the truth. After all, advancing from the first level of a domain to crossing the threshold of the Origin Laws in just over a year—and comprehending both the water and space Origin Laws—was simply too astonishing.

"Freak!"

Hong and Thor looked at each other and spoke in unison.

"Maybe that's just talent. After this gathering ends, I may continue my seclusion. This time, it will last at least half a year. When I come out, I'll find you two for drinks again. You should work hard too. Don't let me leave you too far behind."

Hearing Yue Ming say this, Hong and Thor truly felt immense pressure. They secretly decided to begin seclusion once the gathering ended. After all, the two Beast Emperors had been eliminated, and the five great nations were overseeing humanity's reclamation of its homeland. There was no need for them to keep watch at all times.

"Alright, the wine is finished. Let's call it a day."

"I'm heading back into seclusion too."

Thor also planned to leave. Like Yue Ming, he intended to begin seclusion as soon as he returned. However, Thor had a good mindset. Even after being crushed by Yue Ming, he was not discouraged in the slightest. Instead, he was filled with fighting spirit.