The Secret Art of Mental Power Amplitude

If Mo Li had been the star of the first two rounds of testing, then after the third round, Jiang Yao became the focus of everyone's attention.

It wasn't just the enormous gap between his score and everyone else's in the third round. The runner-up in the test of willpower had been a girl, and even she had taken 24 seconds to wake from the illusion Kuman had created.

Several others had failed to escape the illusion even after the 60-second limit. Their results meant their willpower was inadequate.

But that alone couldn't explain the hostility he could feel down to the hairs on his body.

The hostility naturally stemmed from the fact that Jiang Yao was one of the four people rated as having top-grade talent.

People might not resent having too little, but they resented unfairness. That applied to aliens, too.

If the unfairness in the first two rounds had been all there was, then though it would have been upsetting, everyone could have understood it.

Lingtong Race members had known since childhood that Spirit Readers were their people's strong suit. There was no question that talent in Spiritual Force was important.

But Jiang Yao, whose Spiritual Force was clearly nothing special compared to everyone else's, had turned the tables through a test of willpower whose purpose no one understood.

How could the boys rated as having mid-grade or low-grade talent not feel resentful and jealous?

This guy acts like a big shot every day and keeps to himself, as if he looks down on us. That's bad enough. My Spiritual Force talent is clearly much better than his, yet he gets top-grade while I only get mid-grade or even low-grade.

Even the other two people with top-grade talent, aside from Mo Li, felt uncomfortable.

The distinction between top, mid, and low grades wasn't just about saving face. What mattered most was the benefits.

"Lord Prose, I refuse to accept this. Mo Li and the others are one thing; they're clearly stronger than us, and everyone can see it. But we're all Spirit Readers. My Spiritual Force control and burst power are both far stronger than Jiang Yao's. So why is my talent low-grade, while his Spirit Reader talent—which is far worse than mine—is top-grade?"

"Exactly! I refuse to accept it, either!"

"Three seconds is way too ridiculous. He was 21 seconds faster than the runner-up. Maybe there was some mistake in the test. Can we do it over?"

"I refuse to accept it, too!"

One boy had spoken up, and the others who had been fuming in silence bravely overcame their fear of the examiners and echoed his complaints.

Jiang Yao, the target of everyone's anger, was just as calm as ever. He showed no sign of worry or resentment, merely sneering to himself. They're all hothouse flowers. Do they think they're still at school?

The chorus of agreement might have stemmed from the subtle belief that no one would be punished if everyone was involved. Besides, these boys had all been praised and valued as geniuses by teachers on their home planets. Raised in a sheltered environment of competition, they had little understanding of the fundamental rules of the world.

Sure enough, as the boys grew increasingly agitated, a cold snort exploded through the trial grounds like the tolling of a great bell. Everyone, including Jiang Yao, was left dizzy.

The blond young man, Kuman, who had said little until now, spoke with disdain and a hint of icy menace. "Who do you think you are, questioning the results of my test?"

Though these boys had been called geniuses, the vast majority of them wouldn't even reach the threshold of Stellar level before they died. Why would Kuman, a powerhouse even among those at Stellar level, care about them in the slightest?

Nothing created a wider or more rigid class divide than power concentrated in the hands of individuals. Even members of the same clan had little more than a thin veil of familial warmth between them.

On top of that, Kuman's illusion in the third round had left a deep psychological shadow on them. So when the blond man let even a fraction of his Stellar-level power seep out, the pressure of his Spiritual Force overcame the boys' anger and turned them into quivering chickens.

After Kuman had cowed them all, Prose spoke. "When you return to your quarters, log in to the Virtual Universe. You'll find the secret art you'll need to focus on for the next twenty years, or even longer, Seven Turns of Heaven's End, in your residence on Starry Sky Island."

"Seven Turns of Heaven's End is a cultivation secret art for Planetary Level Spirit Readers, unique to the Lingtong Race. Even across the universe, it's one of the finest secret arts of its level. It combines control and burst power into one mental power technique."

"Mastering the first turn of Seven Turns of Heaven's End means you've reached the entry level, and your Mental Power Amplitude will reach six times. The second turn brings it to eight times, and so on. At the peak of the seventh turn, it reaches eighteen times. If you can't master the seventh turn, Spirit Readers of the Lingtong Race shouldn't even dream of reaching Stellar level."

"Let me make this clear: if you can't master the fourth turn within three years, don't even think about getting into the Upper Dormitory. If you can't master the fifth turn within twenty years, there's a good chance the clan won't continue to invest in your training."

"Starting tomorrow, you'll have lessons in the morning and train on your own in the afternoon. Listening carefully to your teachers will help you avoid a lot of detours, but in the end, mastering Seven Turns of Heaven's End will depend on you. Now, everyone return to your own quarters."

Jiang Yao and the others in his class had all been assigned to the eleventh floor of the Starry Sky Building. Everyone had their own room, and each apartment was about two hundred square meters. Naturally, the accommodations were worse than what they had enjoyed while growing up and studying on their home planets, but none of them complained. Prose's words had been like a whip, driving them to devote all their energy to cultivation.

Jiang Yao also headed excitedly toward his room. Of course, Prose hadn't inspired his excitement. The Taihuan Token Envoy had finally picked out a secret art that could be cultivated in this world and suited his current level.

But before he could enter his room, someone called out to him.

"Mo Li?" Jiang Yao stopped and looked at Mo Li approaching, along with several boys following him.

Had he already picked up some lackeys in this new environment?

Children were naturally talented at bullying the weak and fearing the strong.

Mo Li looked at Jiang Yao's fearless face, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

As for this "enemy" who had always been at odds with him at school, Mo Li had naturally wanted to trample him underfoot. But though he'd gotten halfway there today, Jiang Yao had somehow turned things around at the last moment. It had left him feeling rather frustrated.

"With talent as pitiful as yours, do you really deserve to be rated top-grade like me?"

Bullying among teenagers was always straightforward, with no beating around the bush.

Jiang Yao looked at the group slowly approaching with Mo Li at their head. Then he glanced at the other boys, watching from a distance like spectators, with no intention of helping. A sudden realization struck him.

Ever since boarding the ship, the boy who'd changed from the forceful, ruthless student at his home-planet school into someone mild-mannered hadn't changed his nature. As always, in a new environment, he was assessing his place in the jungle—

who he could bully and who he couldn't.

Once they'd established their place in the food chain, these innocent children quickly showed a talent for adapting to the law of the jungle that was greater than that of supposedly mature adults.

Especially when they had power.

Jiang Yao even felt a little ridiculous. He'd laughed at these sheltered, innocent boys for not understanding the rules of the world.

No, their ability to adapt to the law of the jungle was even more naked and direct than that of adults.

At that moment, Jiang Yao finally let go of the faint sense of superiority he'd felt toward these immature children since crossing over. He was the one who hadn't moved beyond the worldview and values he'd formed in his previous life.

This was the world of Swallowed Star, not Earth.

Mo Li wouldn't kill him, but if he merely bullied him, would Jiang Yao complain to the teachers, to Prose, to Kuman? And even if he did, would they do anything?

The entire floor was built from B5-grade alloy. Even a Planetary Level fighter would struggle to damage it, let alone leave a mark.

"Jiang Yao!"

A familiar voice broke the standoff between the two sides, whose strength was so unevenly matched. Jiang Yao felt a faint sense of relief.

Prose walked over. "The clan's Trial Space and Sparring Space in the Virtual Universe aren't open to those at Planetary Level, but there's a dedicated sparring ring on the second underground floor. If you want to spar, you can go there."

Mo Li dropped his previous arrogance and became obedient and respectful. "Yes, sir."

With that, he turned and left with his newly acquired lackeys.

Only Prose remained, looking down at the silent boy before him.

"Jiang Yao, your talent in willpower is indeed strong, but that's something that matters after reaching Stellar level. Even then, it only adds to what you already have. Powerful willpower built on a strong Mental Power Amplitude is meaningful; otherwise, it's just a castle in the air.

"But since you've shown this kind of talent in willpower, the clan will naturally consider investing in your training. You still need to demonstrate that your mental power cultivation is up to standard."

"Up to standard?"

Prose looked intently at Jiang Yao. "Though Seven Turns of Heaven's End starts out easy and gets harder later, someone like Mo Li might need only a dozen days to reach the entry level and achieve six times Mental Power Amplitude. From then on, though, each additional increase of one time will be much harder than the last.

"Even so, only a few people can master the first turn of Seven Turns of Heaven's End within a year.

"Based on past classes, almost everyone rated as having top-grade talent manages it. Only about half of those with mid-grade talent succeed. My requirement for you is that you at least match those with mid-grade talent. If you master the first turn and reach six times Mental Power Amplitude within a year, I can make sure the clan draws up a special training plan for you."

A trace of gratitude stirred in Jiang Yao's heart. "Don't worry, Lord Prose. I'll do it. I won't let you or the clan down."

Obviously. If he couldn't do even that with a cheat on his side, he'd be a disgrace to transmigrators everywhere.

Prose wasn't swayed by Jiang Yao's promise. Jiang Yao's Spiritual Force talent really wasn't high, and the young geniuses who had just arrived on Yanhe Planet had no idea how precious and difficult to master Mental Power Amplitude secret arts were.

In fact, the vast majority of Combat Power Amplitude secret arts in the universe were intended for Stellar level and above.

After all, Planetary Level beings had only just attained Universe Citizen status. In many conflicts throughout the universe, Planetary Level fighters didn't even qualify as cannon fodder. Often, an A-grade weapon was more useful than one, and A-grade weapons were cheap and unrestricted in production and sale.

If the Lingtong Race didn't need extremely high Mental Power Amplitude to awaken their Bloodline Divine Ability at Stellar level, making the transition from the ninth rank of Planetary Level to Stellar level especially difficult, they wouldn't have bothered to search for Mental Power Amplitude secret arts suited to Planetary Level or make the clan's young geniuses practice them.

Other races and factions much like the Lingtong Race used Wood Crystal Stones and Grade A Nutrient Pods—or even Grade B Nutrient Pods—to raise their Planetary Level geniuses from the first rank to the ninth over the course of several years. After that, they had them practice a secret art for breaking through to Stellar level.

What was the point of practicing a Combat Power Amplitude secret art at Planetary Level? It was a waste of resources and time.

Stellar level was the beginning of the path to becoming a powerhouse, and the point where the gap between people began to widen. Not only could they awaken a Domain, they might also comprehend the Laws.

A Stellar-level elite might even be able to kill someone at Universe level despite being a level below them.

What was the use of being invincible among those at the same rank at Planetary Level? They were still at the bottom of the Universe Citizens. What kind of idiot would waste resources training an elite Planetary Level fighter?

Jiang Yao didn't care whether Prose believed his promise. He didn't even wait to receive Seven Turns of Heaven's End. As soon as he returned to his room, he eagerly immersed his consciousness in the Taihuan Token.