Night Talk

At night, Arannis and Jie Ning were half-lying on the bed, holding each other.

"Jie Ning, do you think I'm dreaming?" Arannis suddenly said to Jie Ning.

"Why would you think that?" Jie Ning asked, a little puzzled.

"Look, before I met you, I was just an ordinary Level 5 Mage. Back then, I thought that if I could eventually become a Level 9 Mage, that would already be a luxury."

"But after I got to know you, I first quickly became a Level 6 Mage, and then in these past few years, I broke through the thresholds of Level 7 and Level 8 at lightning speed. Now, I can clearly sense that the Level 9 Mage who once seemed so far out of reach is now right before my eyes..." Although she had long heard Jie Ning explain that as long as she stayed by his side, she could enjoy the boost in talent and comprehension, recalling the changes over these years still filled Arannis's tone with disbelief.

Jie Ning gently patted Arannis's hand. "Breaking through to Level 6 was because your own accumulation was already sufficient; it just happened to coincide with that moment."

"As for the changes afterward, that's the wonder of the world's rules. I merely comprehended some mysteries of life within heaven and earth, and this effect followed." Jie Ning also felt a bit emotional.

In his past life, when he didn't yet know that the world he inhabited was The Nine Cauldrons, he had always been exploring how to advance after becoming a Grandmaster. Although he had some small achievements, shallow waters cannot nurture true dragons, and in the end, he could only die with regrets.

Back then, because the Internal Family Boxing he practiced shared some common ground with the national arts mentioned in novels from his past life, Jie Ning had also tried referencing theories from works like Dragon Snake Romance to deduce further, but without much success.

Later, after coming to this world of Coiling Dragon, especially after comprehending some rules, he didn't expect that some of his original ideas would instead produce a qualitative change.

In his past life, he had once envisioned a realm of 'Land Immortal' for the path of Internal Family Boxing—resonating one's own small magnetic field with the universe's large magnetic field, using the small field to alter the great field of heaven and earth.

As the saying goes, when the time comes, heaven and earth work together. And the 'Land Immortal' Jie Ning imagined was one who was always in sync with heaven and earth.

Where such a 'Land Immortal' resided, that place was his dojo—where the heart finds peace, there is home.

In such a 'dojo,' for ordinary people, the magnetic field of heaven and earth adapts to the human body. This is the legendary Cave Heaven and Blessed Land. Even common folk living there could live their entire lives without illness or disaster, reaching a hundred years of age.

Although the principles for realizing this idea in this world were somewhat different, the effects were indeed similar.

Currently, Jie Ning was constantly studying and adjusting his own 'Life Fluctuation' around him. When he didn't control these fluctuations, they naturally affected the surrounding environment and living beings. This was also Jie Ning's method of comprehending and cultivating the Life Rule.

In nature, every life form has an environment most suitable for its survival and growth.

As a human, the fluctuations and environment Jie Ning adjusted after the change naturally benefited humans the most. Over this period, the greatest beneficiary was naturally Arannis.

However, Jie Ning estimated that this influence of his was currently limited to below the Saint Domain. If the other party reached the Saint Domain, even without understanding the Life Rule, their natural bodily evolution would stabilize their own Life Fluctuation. The stronger the life form, the harder it was to be affected.

Unless Jie Ning forcibly manipulated the other party... At the Saint Domain level, Jie Ning suspected that such behavior might instead hinder the other's comprehension of the laws, forcing them to follow only his footsteps. After all, his method of turning other lives into puppets worked the same way.

Of course, it was also possible that if Jie Ning's strength increased further, this limitation could be lifted.

Under Jie Ning's reassurance, Arannis broke free from that state of anxiety and uncertainty.

"Pfft—hahaha..." Suddenly, as if thinking of something, Arannis burst into laughter.

Jie Ning looked at Arannis, who was laughing uncontrollably in his arms, with a puzzled expression.

Noticing Jie Ning's gaze, Arannis blinked playfully. "Great Jie Ning, Saint Magus, I just find it hilarious that a moment ago you had this look of profound insight into life, and then at the very end of your enlightenment, you comprehended the Earth Mystery and broke through to become a Saint Domain Mage."

Jie Ning could only say innocently, "I can't help it when inspiration strikes suddenly..."

"Even without that insight, my mental strength was growing rapidly thanks to my understanding of life. Breaking through to the Saint Domain was just a few days away."

"But then, right at the final step, I suddenly gained insight into the Earth Element."

"Still, it's a good thing that because of my insight into the Earth Element, I also gained some new understanding of the Earth-walking Technique..."

Arannis had been smiling, but as she listened, she felt something was off. What did he mean by 'it's a good thing he gained new understanding'? Looking at Jie Ning's handsome face, she suddenly wanted to punch him.

'Don't get angry, don't get angry, he didn't mean it...' Arannis 'painfully' suppressed her urge to throw a punch.

"So how far are you from becoming a god?" Setting aside those little thoughts, Arannis was still curious about Jie Ning's strength growth.

Jie Ning thought for a moment. "I have a feeling that whether it's the Life Rule or the Earth Law, the dividing line to becoming a god isn't too far away for me."

"Then you'll soon become a deity like War God Highness?" Arannis said with some surprise.

Jie Ning lowered his head and kissed Arannis on the cheek. "It may seem like I'm only a few steps away from becoming a god, but each step is a world of difference."

"Currently, all Saint Domains on the Bana Continent can be divided into three levels."

"The first type are those whose Battle Qi has merely reached the Saint Domain level, with no comprehension of laws or rules. These weakest Saint Domains make up ninety-five percent of all Saint Domains." Jie Ning said bluntly. "Most of the Battle Qi cultivation manuals on the continent come from the Overgods, or are derived from them. As long as the cultivator is somewhat of a genius and practices with a bit of diligence, they basically have hope of reaching the Saint Domain."

"The second type are like me—those who have not only broken through to the Saint Domain in Battle Qi or mental strength but also have some understanding of the mysteries of heaven and earth. These people make up ninety-nine percent of the remaining number. Their strength varies depending on how many mysteries they've comprehended, but the gap isn't particularly huge."

"The third type are those who have comprehended their mysteries to the limit, just a hair's breadth away from becoming a god. They are invincible among all Saint Domains, and there are only about a dozen such Saint Domain Limits across the entire continent." Saying this, Jie Ning smiled at Arannis. "Actually, you've met one of them."

Arannis was a little surprised. "I have?"

After a moment's thought, she asked, "Is it that senior who attended our wedding?"

After all, the only Saint Domain experts she had met were the big shots who came to their wedding. Several candidates instantly came to mind.

Jie Ning nodded. "It's Senior Gru of our Dalut Family."

"It's not Duke Darut?" Arannis was somewhat astonished. In her memory, Senior Gru was extremely low-key. Aside from occasionally teasing Duke Darut, he mostly sat quietly, showing no sign of being the strongest person present.

Jie Ning explained, "Senior Gru's strength is only known to those above the Saint Domain within our Dalut Family. Very few outside the family know about it."

Jie Ning recalled the time when, provoked by Duke Darut, he challenged Gru and got thoroughly beaten up.

At the thought, some parts of his body phantom-ached again.

If it weren't for Gru going easy on him out of consideration for his recent marriage, that beating would have been even worse.

'That Dalut ancestor really has no sense of propriety.' Jie Ning silently complained in his heart.

Dalut: "I've been beaten by Gru. None of you juniors are getting away."

The Saint Realm experts of the Dalut Family: "That's right..."

"So that's how it is..." Arannis found it somewhat hard to believe.

"Strength in the Saint Realm doesn't come with age. Even a Saint who has lived for a thousand years might not have comprehended a single shred of a Profound Mystery," Jie Ning reminded her. "But you can take a guess—which attribute's Laws and Profound Mysteries do you think Senior Gru has comprehended?"

Arannis recalled how Gru always wore that flat, expressionless face and said uncertainly, "Water? Or earth?"

Jie Ning winced, remembering the punch he'd taken to the mouth back then. "...It's the Fire Profound Mystery, and one of the most aggressively offensive ones at that. Every single one of his attacks carries explosive power."

"Ah..." Arannis couldn't for a moment reconcile Gru's bland expression with the typical fiery, explosive, passionate image of a fire-attribute cultivator. "But shouldn't a fire-attribute warrior be hot-blooded, irritable..."

Jie Ning explained, "It's said that hundreds of years ago, Senior Gru really was like that. Later, because he realized that explosions shouldn't be unleashed wildly at all times, but should instead focus on the buildup before the eruption—like magma—he gradually learned to cultivate his temperament. Now he only shows his violent side in battle, and his strength has improved dramatically as a result."

"This is also a method of comprehending Profound Mysteries: integrating your understanding of them into your daily life. Not only does it enhance your control over the Mystery, but whenever something strikes you, it naturally deepens your comprehension as well. This is the method Senior Gru strongly recommended to me..."

'Though the other Saints didn't seem to approve much... but from my own practice, I've found it quite useful.' Jie Ning remembered that when Gru shared his experience, some of the other Saints had rather complicated expressions.

The other Saints: Because you two are freaks. Normal people don't just suddenly have epiphanies all the time.

Happy New Year, everyone, brothers and sisters.

It's a rare holiday, so I slept all day.

PS: Thanks to Infinite Sword Demon and Four Rivers Worm for their monthly tickets.

Finally, as usual, asking for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets.

There should be more today. As for one chapter or two, it depends on my speed.