[Heaven-Human Communion, Listening to Thunder to Perceive the Micro]

Whoosh~

His jumbled thoughts faded away.

With a flick of his mind, Wu Dao opened the Attribute Panel--

[Constitution: Heroic Realm (Minor Completion)]

[Transcendent: Stealing Heavenly Secrets Breathing Technique (65% Potential Liberation)+

Tyrant Whale Fist: Fifty Years (Hundred Variations)+]

[Evolution Points: 40]

There were no surprises.

For the next evolution of the Stealing Heavenly Secrets Breathing Technique, from Minor Completion to Major Completion, the required Evolution Points had jumped straight to three hundred!

That was only natural.

From 65% Potential Liberation onward,

a creature's power would grow increasingly terrifying, with every minor stage bringing a tremendous increase in strength.

At the same time,

progress was now divided into realms of 9% each.

65%--74%, Heroic Domain.

(65%–68% Minor Completion, 69%–71% Major Completion, 72%–74% Limit!)

The same pattern applied from there on.

75%--84%, Overlord Realm.

85%--94%, Human Extreme Realm.

And finally, 95%--100%.

That was the Peak of Human Extreme.

In his previous life, only Wu Dao had entered this realm, standing at the summit of billions of Old and New Humanity!

"Tyrant Whale..."

Wu Dao narrowed his black-and-gold eyes slightly, noticing the Tyrant Whale Fist on the panel.

In last night's battle to the death with the Flesh Tai Sui,

the Tyrant Whale Fist had played no small part.

It was like a master race-car driver taking the wheel of a top-tier car. The two became one, allowing him to push every bit of his strength to the limit and making a mighty tiger even more formidable.

If the Grandmaster-level Tyrant Whale Fist was already this powerful,

what would Subtle Mastery be like?

As expected, the Attribute Panel isn't rigid. The body's various powers complement and advance one another. After I advanced to the Heroic Realm, the Tyrant Whale Fist changed too.

Wu Dao glanced at the hint after the plus sign beside the Tyrant Whale Fist and murmured to himself.

At this moment,

his advancement to the Heroic Realm had brought a qualitative transformation in his mental strength and intellect.

His so-called comprehension had naturally grown by leaps and bounds as well.

Subtle Mastery had originally required 60 Evolution Points.

Now, the cost had actually shrunk to a mere 10!

In other words, as long as Wu Dao wanted,

he could enter the Tyrant Whale Fist's Subtle Mastery Realm at any time.

But

Wu Dao had no plans to use his Evolution Points.

Because Stealing Heaven's Secret itself was a super learning program!

Subdue one's heart; achieve Unity of Heaven and Man!

The perfect state of enlightenment countless people dreamed of was within easy reach for him. All he had to do was hypnotize his brain and cut off every distracting thought.

"If I still need Evolution Points to improve, then that proves Subtle Mastery can still help me. In that case..."

Wu Dao dismissed the Attribute Panel and rose to his full height in the darkness. He stepped out of the cave's gloom and into the spacious cavern, bright with daylight.

Whoosh--

Inhale--

He regulated his breathing and focused his mind, then circulated the Stealing Heavenly Secrets Breathing Technique. Hypnotizing his brain and subduing his own heart, he quickly let the sacred, desireless aspect of himself take over his eyes, entering a perfect state of cultivation as he began practicing the Tyrant Whale Fist.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh--

As he executed the Tyrant Whale Fist's moves,

his iron arms churned the surrounding air. It surged and roared, sending dust, shattered sand, and fallen leaves whirling through the cavern. Caught in the unending currents, they could not settle for a long time.

Within his mind,

the Tyrant Whale Fist's many principles were as clear as lines on his palm.

With no distractions to interfere,

Wu Dao entered a self-forgetful state of enlightenment, devoting all the brainpower at his disposal to understanding and deducing the Tyrant Whale Fist.

With every passing second, he discovered new ideas and new principles. His mastery of the Tyrant Whale Fist began soaring once more, building upon its Grandmaster foundation.

Had Wu Dao checked the Attribute Panel at that moment,

he would have noticed

the information beside the Tyrant Whale Fist constantly changing as he practiced, comprehended, deduced, and reaped the rewards.

Sixty years!

Seventy years!

Eighty years!

One hundred years!

One hundred and ten years!

As Wu Dao's understanding deepened, the Tyrant Whale Fist's "years of mastery" kept climbing. Before long, it had surpassed the "century of life" people dreamed of, entering a realm that was "impossible" for ordinary mortals.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Within the cavern, a hundred meters across,

the air grew ever more violent and turbulent under Wu Dao's churning movements. Sand and stones flew, and rumbling echoes rolled through the cavern. Heard from afar, it sounded like muffled thunder rolling across the Nine Heavens, shaking the soul.

Thunder roared all around him.

Yet Wu Dao remained utterly undisturbed, immersed in the ocean of the Tyrant Whale Fist's mysteries. He was listening, listening for a particular sound.

A sound that came from the Tyrant Whale Fist, the body's Vitality and Spirit, and the world beyond, all flowing together as one, inseparable.

Three becoming one!

That was the marvel of Subtle Mastery!

Rumble--

The "thunder" in the cavern grew louder and louder.

Driven by the Tyrant Whale Fist, the air swirled and surged. Countless grains of sand shot out, pelting the cavern walls like a torrential downpour of beans.

The world grew noisier by the moment.

Wu Dao's consciousness hung upside down above a turbulent sea. With his eyes closed, he listened to the surrounding thunder and rain, sensing every subtle shift.

At a certain moment,

"BOOM!!"

A thunderclap exploded across the Nine Heavens of his mental sea.

On a spiritual level, Wu Dao seemed to tear through an invisible veil of mist. He joined and mingled with the world around him, sensing it with unprecedented clarity. At last, he heard the sound he had been seeking.

It came from a single grain of sand rolling in the corner of the cavern, a hundred meters away!

Amid the raging thunder and rain, it was soundless.

But within Wu Dao's spiritual world, it rang out clearer and louder than any thunderclap!

Heaven-Human Communion, Listening to Thunder to Perceive the Micro!

He had achieved Subtle Mastery!

Whoosh--

Wu Dao abruptly opened his eyes and breathed out a long stream of stale air. Lightning flashed in his black-and-gold eyes. Like an ancient giant whale gazing upon heaven and earth, he saw every last detail clearly, divine light shining in his eyes as he stood in inviolable majesty.

Rustle, rustle--

Only now, with the currents of air no longer driving them, did the surrounding sand, stones, and leaves rain down to the ground, their thunderous clatter fading as all fell still.

Amid the dust,

Wu Dao narrowed his eyes and carefully savored the marvels of Subtle Mastery.

Subtle Mastery

was a rather mysterious state.

In this state,

the small world within Wu Dao's spiritual perception, which had once seemed separated from him by a high-definition surveillance screen, had become one with him. He could tangibly sense every subtle change within it.

It was different from spiritual perception.

The distinction between the two was this:

Spiritual perception was "seeing."

The Subtle Mastery's communion with the small world was "becoming one with it." Everything within the surrounding small world became part of his "body."

He could truly feel the weight of each and every speck of dust.

No matter how noisy and chaotic his surroundings became, the roll of a single grain of sand rang clear as a thunderclap.

This meant

that within the realm of Wu Dao's Heaven-Human Communion and Subtle Mastery, there would be no more tricks or deceptions, no more ambushes he couldn't see coming!

The moment an enemy made a move,

no matter how well they hid, how devious or sinister their methods, or how imperceptible their actions,

they would ring like thunder in Wu Dao's perception. He would move before his enemy, always a step ahead, striking before the enemy could even act!

In actual combat,

this ability was practically a cheat!

He had to admit,

the world's transcendent methods had surprised Wu Dao once again.

Because within the Stealing Heaven's Secret System,

reaching the state where spiritual perception transcended appearances and merged with external things required mental strength at the Major Completion stage of the Heroic Realm.

At this moment,

although the Tyrant Whale Fist's Subtle Mastery had not increased the range of Wu Dao's mental strength, it had let him reach the state of merging with external things ahead of time.

Or perhaps,

through the technique of Subtle Mastery,

Wu Dao had learned how to use his existing mental strength with greater precision. He had gone from primitive slash-and-burn farming to mechanized operations, greatly improving his efficiency and combat ability.