Battle Intent Power, Domain?!

To break through to the Planetary level, one first had to reach that critical threshold: the body, will, and mind all had to reach the peak of the Apprentice Ninth Stage. Only after all three reached the threshold could one consider making a breakthrough.

Generally speaking, there were three methods.

The first was to wait for an opportunity, or encounter some particular situation. When one's emotions were stirred, someone who had already reached the threshold might very well break through directly. That was what had happened to Li Yao.

The second was to continue strengthening the body. Once the physical foundation became powerful enough, one's will and mental power could naturally break through as well.

The third was the method Vinina was currently using.

Thousand Hammers was a secret technique of Yunmo Star's lineage. It was similar to the Nine-Nine Soul Tempering used by Luo Feng in the Original Work, as well as Hong's Mental Master foundation technique. It only worked on genetic martial artists, but the underlying logic was interconnected. Both relied on certain means to achieve a breakthrough.

It consisted of nine movements, which had to be completed in one continuous sequence without stopping. Once they were performed in a single breath, one could break through to the Planetary level.

As Vinina performed the first movement, she felt her entire body heating up. As she continued through the movements, every cell in her body seemed to boil completely. The Gene Primal Energy latent within each cell, which had yet to be absorbed, began gathering like droplets of water, forming streams, brooks, and rivers.

Whoosh!

A hot current surged through her body, then began rotating violently before finally settling in Vinina's dantian.

Buzz!

With a soft hum, the dantian that had never existed before suddenly opened. The rotating Gene Primal Energy accelerated, continuously expanding and contracting. With every expansion and contraction, its volume shrank further, until a blue hexagonal crystal formed within the seemingly boundless dantian. Only then did it slowly stop.

That hexagonal crystal was like a miniature planet, constantly revolving as it emitted strange ripples.

"Gene Primal Energy?"

With a thought, Vinina immediately drew a wisp of blue primal energy from her dantian and sent it flowing through her body. In an instant, every part of her body—her bones, marrow, skin, meridians, internal organs, and more—began rapidly transforming. Her bones especially seemed as if they were being hammered and tempered without end, producing a series of crackling sounds.

From the outside, faint arcs of lightning could even be seen.

"Don't be nervous. This is normal."

"Advancing from the Apprentice Level to the Planetary level counts as the first transformation. The degree of bodily enhancement is astonishing."

Babata explained with a smile, then looked at Vinina and nodded slightly. "Your special ability is quite good. It's Thunder Soul."

"Thunder Soul?"

"That's right."

Babata nodded. "At the Apprentice Level, Mental Masters hold a tremendous advantage. But upon stepping into the Planetary level, martial artists gain methods of their own as well—special abilities. Different Planetary-level martial artists possess different special abilities. Some have 'Flame,' while others have 'Light Ray.'"

"Those are your Earth's terms, and they're fine. But in the universe, this category is mainly classified into eight major types: metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, lightning, and Light Ray. Yours is the relatively rare 'Startling Thunder' within the lightning attribute."

Seeing Vinina listen so attentively, Babata explained in greater detail. "The Cosmic Energy absorbed by your bodies is actually different. Naturally, the Gene Primal Energy formed from its conversion is different as well. Gene Primal Energy is divided into the eight major attributes of metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, lightning, and Light Ray. This special power is bestowed by Gene Primal Energy."

"Though they are mainly grouped into eight major categories, each major category contains countless subcategories. Your Thunder Soul belongs to the lightning attribute. With it, your bones and muscles will be stronger than those of other martial artists at the same level. Because of that, your attacks, speed, and defense will all be stronger. Your speed in particular will be incredibly astonishing compared to martial artists of the same level when you unleash your Gene Primal Energy!"

"So, this special ability can be considered very well-balanced."

"And because it is balanced, it is very rare."

Vinina nodded.

Put another way, it was like gaining a permanently fixed passive buff, one that enhanced everything across the board. She was quite satisfied with that.

And—

This breakthrough had brought her more than just that.

Whoosh!

With a thought, faint golden light sprang from Vinina's fingertips. It was Battle Intent Power!

After entering the Planetary level, Vinina discovered that aside from being able to project her Gene Primal Energy outward, she could also condense Battle Intent Power into substance. Then—

Could it be used to defend against and attack enemies?

At that thought, Vinina immediately mobilized all the Battle Intent Power she had refined in her sea of consciousness and released it outward. Golden dense patterns instantly appeared across her fair body, accompanied by faint glimmers of light.

The hazy Battle Intent Power enveloped her Delicate Body completely, like a domain.

Under this power, her Gene Primal Energy, will, and body reached an incomparably wondrous state of harmony, as naturally as water flowing into a channel. The powers even began to merge. The Battle Intent Power fused with the power within Vinina's body actually gained a controlling effect over the surrounding space!

At the same time, if she separated it out, the brilliant trace she had refined contained a terrifying sharpness that Vinina could sense just by looking at it!

Moreover, in this state, Vinina could faintly sense a strange fluctuation.

That fluctuation was mysterious, as though it were covered layer upon layer by gauze.

"Laws?"

Vinina murmured softly, somewhat surprised. But after thinking about it, it seemed only natural.

Since Battle Intent Power was called a powerful method for Battle Formation Masters to fight enemies, it naturally could not serve only to temper the will and body before being refined into a Battle Array Spirit.

Only this seemed worthy of it.

After all, the Spirit of the Hundred Patterns Battle Array that could shatter space was merely an entry-level technique. If it were not powerful enough, that would be unreasonable instead.

But what Vinina considered powerful seemed utterly absurd to Babata.

"Impossible!!!"

"How is this possible?!"

Inside the wrist space, Babata was completely stunned. "Is this a domain?"

"What about a domain?"

Vinina looked at Babata and deliberately asked what she already knew, immediately making Babata cry out, "What the hell do you know!"

"That's a domain!"

"Do you know what a domain means? It's a necessary condition for becoming a Domain Lord! Even plenty of ordinary Universe-level beings don't possess a domain! Those are Universe-level beings! Under normal development, a star system only has one Universe-level being!"

"How did you comprehend a domain?"

"You've only just advanced to the Planetary level!"