Breakthrough to Planetary Level

Guen took Del along and soon left Beast Canyon.

At the entrance to Beast Canyon, a Core Member with green hair was already waiting for the two of them.

"Guen, well done. Since Beast Canyon was established, you're the first to kill a Planetary Level beast. This Essence of Vegetation is yours by right." The green-haired man handed Guen a clump of green plant matter that gave off a strange aura.

It looked like a shriveled radish.

"So this is Essence of Vegetation?" Guen couldn't help squeezing it a couple of times. Aside from its surging Life Energy, it was tougher than an ordinary plant.

Del glanced enviously at the Essence of Vegetation in Guen's hand. "As agreed, it's yours, Guen. Besides being exchangeable for Green Marrow, Essence of Vegetation has some unusual effects of its own. This particular one, for example, can boost virility and replenish Blood Qi."

Guen was a little disappointed. "That won't do me any good."

Del explained, "Don't underestimate Essence of Vegetation. Plenty of people outside are desperate to get their hands on it. Planetary Level fighters are one in ten thousand in the Aoyu Empire, after all. Even diluted in water, Essence of Vegetation can benefit most people. Even Planetary Level fighters have family and friends who might need it. If you don't think it's useful, you can go to the Aoyu Empire and trade it to other Planetary Level experts for plenty of things you do need."

Guen smiled and didn't argue.

He already had a Second-order Force Weapon, Secret Methods, and cultivation experience. He lacked nothing. What could other Planetary Level fighters offer that would be useful to him?

He could even feed this piece of Essence of Vegetation to the Kejia Beast.

Del could tell what Guen was thinking and could only sigh helplessly. "Once I've recovered, we can enter Beast Canyon again. I was careless this time, and we didn't get to use the ultimate move of our Goddess Temple lineage. When we've gathered two pieces of Essence of Vegetation, you can exchange them for Green Marrow."

"No," Guen said proudly. "There are only two Planetary Level beasts left in Beast Canyon. There are plenty of unclaimed pieces of Essence of Vegetation outside, so I'll just go get those. I'll be off. See you later."

Guen waved to Del and headed straight for his lodgings.

Del stared wide-eyed as Guen walked away.

Unclaimed Essence of Vegetation? Wouldn't he have to leave the Goddess Temple to get his hands on that?

The green-haired man beside Del looked impressed. "He really is a genius who can rival the Chief of the Gu Tribe. Even advancing to Planetary Level seems so casual for him. Del, you should work harder too. It's been almost ten years. If you still can't advance to Planetary Level, the High Priest will be disappointed in you."

Del hurriedly replied, "I'll keep working hard. I've already had a few breakthroughs in my understanding."

The man in green robes nodded. "Good."

"Talent on par with the Chief of the Gu Tribe, and a genius who cleared the Trial Fifth Layer..." Del's eyes clouded over for a moment, but then his fighting spirit returned. "But I'll definitely advance to Planetary Level before you do."

Guen returned to his lodgings and set aside the materials he had stripped from the Vajra Ape. To take care of the Kejia Beast, he also cut off dozens of pounds of meat and told it to watch the door for him. Only then did he enter the inner room and begin practicing the Guiding Technique.

Vast amounts of Cosmic Energy poured in and entered Guen's body.

He practiced for three days straight.

Guen was like a parched desert, absorbing an endless stream of Cosmic Energy. In his mind, a Secret Method from Tucha Planet emerged—the method for breaking through to Planetary Level.

As for the Apprentice Level Limit, the Grey Bamboo Shoot Liquid and Green Marrow had been completely absorbed during his battle with the Vajra Ape. Three days of practicing the Guiding Technique had brought him to the threshold.

"Apprentices are innumerable in the vast universe. Their status is barely even acknowledged. The prerequisite for becoming a Cosmic Citizen is reaching Planetary Level!

"Only once you reach Planetary Level do you become a true warrior of the universe—a true Fighter or Spirit Reader. The methods they use to break through to Planetary Level differ, but they all share one thing: willpower!

"Once the body reaches its limit, at Apprentice Level 9, all you need is a breakthrough in willpower to advance. Willpower is like the commander of an army, with everything else as its soldiers. The commander's every move determines the strength of the army.

"There are usually three ways to break through to Planetary Level. The first is to wait for a breakthrough in willpower. It's difficult for an ordinary person to lift a heavy object, but when their mind is fired up or they're in a life-or-death situation, their willpower can suddenly gather and grow stronger, and they'll naturally break through. But they might wait five or ten years without ever getting such an opportunity.

"The second is to keep cultivating! A person is like a bucket, with a limit to how much water it can hold. Once it reaches that limit, it can't hold any more. A breakthrough is the only way. But waiting for a breakthrough in willpower is uncertain, while the potential of the body is limitless. It isn't really a 'bucket.' If it's tempered enough and kept in a state of 'overflow' for a long time, it will gradually transform and surpass its former limits, becoming bigger and broader. Once it transforms enough, it can naturally hold more water—and advance. If a breakthrough in willpower is an uncertain method, then a breakthrough of the body is a long, grueling ordeal. It's like grinding an iron rod into a needle. Making a bucket bigger by keeping it full of water takes an incredibly long time.

"The Mang Beast Tempering Method described in this text is a shortcut to the second method. It turns all of one's Blood Qi into a Mang Beast that crashes into the body, tempering it from the inside out so that it can bear more energy. It turns decades of hard cultivation into a single session—but it's also more dangerous. The following points must be observed..."

Guen had memorized the Mang Beast Tempering Method so thoroughly that he could recite it backward. Now that he began to put it into practice, he immediately found it full of difficulties.

Guen knew he had absorbed Cosmic Energy, and when he used the Meteor Light Blade, he could feel some of that energy being activated in his body. But he still had no idea how to directly control and use it.

He could only follow the Secret Method.

"Thump, thump, thump."

Guen's heart suddenly began pounding violently, its beating terrifyingly loud. It was like a great drum, pounding so hard that it seemed ready to leap out of his chest.

The pounding didn't ease. It grew even more violent. Guen's chest bulged irregularly, and then the swelling surged throughout his body.

Even the Kejia Beast was startled. It poked half its head out to sneak a look into the inner room.

"It hurts... It hurts so much."

Pain made Guen feel as if his whole body was about to burst, nearly knocking him unconscious. But when he thought of what would happen if he passed out—ruptured blood vessels and damaged internal organs—he forced himself to endure. If he got hurt, he wouldn't be able to attempt the breakthrough to Planetary Level again for some time.

"Thump, thump, thump."

The Mang Beast inside him grew more and more violent.

Just as Guen felt he was about to burst, all the Blood Qi scattered and delivered one last explosive impact to the inside of his body. Guen felt as if his limbs were about to split apart and his internal organs were damaged, but he still managed to calm the Blood Qi.

In an instant, Cosmic Energy surged in and rapidly gathered inside Guen's body. It nearly condensed into droplets before slowly forming a translucent sphere of light. Then it exploded, forming a black hole that sucked in all the energy.

"Thump."

Another tremor.

The black hole disappeared, leaving behind a fiery-red sphere, like a tiny planet in the boundless universe.

The planet began to turn. A tremendous force poured into Guen's body, while an invisible wave spread beyond it, drawing in Cosmic Energy and transforming it into a higher-grade energy—Origin Power.

Guen felt that the planet within him did more than give him strength. It also formed a faint repulsive force with the ground. At a thought, he strengthened that force, and he immediately began to float.

"I did it!

"Is this what Planetary Level feels like? It's incredible!"

At the same time, every part of Guen's body—from his flesh and blood down to his cells—underwent a dramatic transformation. Even the genetic combinations buried at the very core of his body changed, rearranging into a stronger structure.

His body was incredibly powerful. Guen felt that with a light punch, he could kill his Apprentice Level 9 self if he wasn't wearing the Flame God Armor.

With his full strength, he could shake a small mountain!

"And I don't need to breathe anymore. That means I can survive in space. No wonder you can only become a Cosmic Citizen after reaching Planetary Level." Guen suddenly understood.

He flew back and forth through the air, enjoying himself immensely.

The Miniature Planet inside him was proof that he had crossed that threshold.

Every transformation from Apprentice First Order to Apprentice Level 9 could be measured, but this time, he had made a leap in life itself.

Guen could feel that the planet inside him seemed almost alive. It spun constantly, and every rotation was more powerful than a whole day of cultivation before.

The force between the planet inside him and the world around him wasn't merely repulsion. It was the effect of a miniature magnetic field.

Forward, backward, up, or down—he only had to make the planet inside him exert a force on him to fly through the air. He could do all of it.

"Unfortunately, the planet's strength is limited, so a Planetary Level fighter's flying speed is limited too. It can't exceed the planet's limits. Still, now that I've reached Planetary Level, I can begin cultivating Star Body Forging."

Guen could hardly wait. Star Body Forging could only be practiced at Planetary Level. Once he mastered it, he could have a body as tough as a beast's without even needing the Flame God Armor.

Planetary Level opened the door to an entirely new world.