Wind Domain

The Dark Universe was painted in a single shade of ink-black.

The starship Black Dragon Mountain X4396 drifted slowly through the boundless clouds of dark energy, a solitary speck. The Star Pattern Dark Steel covering its hull occasionally reflected the faint glow of the clouds. Other than that, there was no light at all.

No stars glittered, no nebulae swirled, and even the passage of time grew indistinct. Only the indicator lights on the main control console flashed at regular intervals.

Tang Ping sat in his personal Cultivation Chamber, having just placed an order on an interstellar shopping platform: a batch of Planetary Rank breakthrough resources, including Star Essence Grass and Thunder Pattern Crystal. He set the delivery address as the mining station in the BX10081 Star System and specifically selected standard shipping. After all, the Dark Universe voyage would take another year, so expedited shipping would just be a waste of money.

The moment he confirmed the order, he tapped his Personal Terminal with a fingertip, and his consciousness instantly connected to the Virtual Universe.

The Virtual Training Ground was a boundless gray space. Beneath his feet lay a coldly gleaming alloy floor, and the only boundary in the distance was a blurry energy barrier.

As soon as Tang Ping found his footing, a pair of translucent Wind-Thunder Wings unfurled behind him, their surfaces rippling with pale blue wind energy and silvery-white lightning patterns.

"Let's begin." He took a deep breath and willed the wings into motion. They beat violently, and he shot forward like a streak of blue lightning, flashing back and forth across the training ground.

His erratic, lightning-fast changes of direction nearly left afterimages behind. The whooshing of air echoed through the empty training ground as each turn sent energy surging violently, even tearing fine ripples through the air around him.

"Wind, faster!" Tang Ping gritted his teeth and forced the Origin Force within him into motion, trying to break through his current speed limit.

But the next second, a ripping pain shot through his body. The pressure from his high-speed turns had exceeded what his flesh could withstand. With a sharp crack, the bones in his right arm gave way first. He immediately spat out a mouthful of blood, then crashed to the ground like a broken kite. His body instantly broke apart, scattering into a stream of data that dissipated.

The next second, Tang Ping's form reconstituted at the entrance to the training ground. His wounds and exhaustion were gone without a trace. That was the advantage of the Virtual Training Ground: it could simulate extreme conditions endlessly without inflicting permanent damage in reality.

But the agony of his bones shattering and his organs shuddering had felt real, and he couldn't help frowning.

"Most people really wouldn't train like this." Tang Ping rubbed his chest, though a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Other people worried that virtual training wouldn't feel the same as reality, but he knew the core of the Wind-Thunder Secret Canon lay in mastering "wind." As long as he maxed out his proficiency in the virtual space, he would only need to make a few adjustments in reality to master it quickly.

He spread his Wind-Thunder Wings again, and his blue figure darted across the training ground once more. The whooshing sounds repeated without end, as did the cycle of collapse and rebirth.

After who knew how long, when Tang Ping was reborn at the entrance to the training ground for the 370th time, a notification suddenly appeared on his personal status panel: "Secret Technique: Wind-Thunder Secret Canon proficiency +1. Current progress (1000/10000000)."

The instant his proficiency increased, he suddenly froze in place, eyes shut tight. A strange insight surged through him. His telekinetic power, Origin Force, and will seemed to be linked by invisible threads, and the three began to merge of their own accord. Pale blue energy seeped from his body, forming a thin field around him.

This fused energy carried the nimbleness of the wind. It swept gently over the training ground, and even the hard alloy floor rippled faintly beneath it.

Tang Ping could clearly feel himself forming some kind of connection with the "wind" around him. He could even control the air currents in the training ground, making them flow as he wished.

"Is this... a domain?" Tang Ping's eyes flew open. The Laws section on his personal status panel refreshed instantly: "Law: Wind Domain, First Layer (1/1000)."

He tried to expand his domain, and the pale blue field spread out instantly, covering a radius of ten meters.

When he activated his Wind-Thunder Wings again, the whole world felt different. The strain on his body during high-speed turns vanished. He seemed to have truly become a gust of wind, elusive and shifting—at times as gentle as a spring breeze, flowing slowly along the ground; at others as wild as a gale, blinking across the training ground dozens of times in an instant. Every turn fit the air currents' paths precisely, without the slightest resistance.

"My speed has increased!" Tang Ping brought up his data panel, his eyes alight with excitement.

His top flight speed had risen from 5,400 meters per second to 6,480 meters per second. It might seem like an increase of only 1,080 meters per second, but at the Planetary Rank, every extra 100 meters per second took enormous effort. A twenty percent increase was already terrifying.

He tried gathering his strength, then punched the nearby test pillar.

"Boom!" The numbers on the pillar jumped instantly: "Basic Attack Power: 1.2 million jin (20% Domain bonus); Telekinetic Weapon: 3x amplification; Spirit Reader secret technique: 12x amplification; Final Attack Power: 43.2 million jin."

"Not bad, but I still can't beat that girl." Tang Ping rubbed his chin, thinking of Luo Xiaoyu's strength.

As a ninth-level Planetary Rank martial artist, her basic attack power plus Origin Force attack reached 18 million jin. With the fivefold amplification from her secret technique, her total attack power could reach 90 million jin—more than twice his current strength.

"But that's fine." Tang Ping's lips curled into a confident smile. "Once I reach the BX10081 Star System, those Star Essence Grass and Thunder Pattern Crystal will come in handy. Breaking through to the ninth level of the Planetary Rank will be just around the corner.

"By then, my basic attack power will have increased, and with the Domain bonus, my total attack power should reach at least 388.8 million jin. Then..."

The image of his cool, beautiful wife looking sulky after he beat her flashed through his mind, and he couldn't help laughing out loud.

Heh heh heh~

Suddenly, he felt a chill at the tip of his nose, and it seemed as if something had blocked the light before his eyes.

Tang Ping looked up sharply. His heart skipped a beat: a tiny figure was floating right in front of him, so close it was almost touching his face.

The figure wore a black hooded cloak. Beneath it shone a pair of red eyes full of sly amusement, while two pairs of transparent little wings fluttered rapidly on its back, stirring up tiny currents of air.

What made Tang Ping's scalp prickle most was the figure's smile, even more wicked than his own had been a moment earlier. Two little fangs peeked out from between its lips, glinting coldly in the Virtual Training Ground's light.

"L-Lord Babata!" Tang Ping realized who it was and hurriedly wiped the smile from his face before bowing respectfully.

Babata flapped her little wings and circled Tang Ping once, then landed on his shoulder. She patted him with her little hands and spoke in a world-weary tone.

"You've got something, kid. You've comprehended the Wind Domain at the first level of the Planetary Rank. With talent like that, you'd be in the top three on Earth right now."

She paused, a hint of approval flashing in her red eyes. "No wonder the Falling Ink Star chose you as its successor. You haven't let the old master down."

At the praise, Tang Ping's eyes lit up like a child waiting for a reward. He even found himself holding his breath.

So...

Babata seemed to see right through him. She snorted and raised her little head, shooting him a sidelong glance. "Don't look at me like that. I was just praising you.

"And don't get too full of yourself. The universe is vast, and geniuses are a dime a dozen. Forget other Universe Countries—even in the Ganwu Universe Kingdom alone, plenty of Planetary Rank fighters have mastered the Laws, and those with advanced Domains are everywhere. What you've achieved so far is nothing special."

Tang Ping's spirits sank at once. He grumbled to himself: I'm just an ordinary human. How can I compare with those freakish Alien Races, born in harmony with the Laws...

But just as his mood dipped, Babata changed her tune and tapped his ear with a little wing. "Still, your talent is among the best in the Luo Family.

"According to the Luo Family rules, anyone who masters a Domain at the Planetary Rank gets a reward of ten billion Silver Blue Coins, which converts to ten million Black Dragon Coins."

She paused deliberately, watching Tang Ping's eyes light up again before leisurely adding, "I'll chip in another ten million Black Dragon Coins of my own.

"Every time you raise your Wind Domain by one layer, the family reward and my contribution will be the same amount.

"Keep working hard. Don't disappoint me."

With that, Babata winked at Tang Ping with her right eye, giving him a come-hither look that was downright sultry. Then she beat her wings, transformed into a streak of black light, and vanished from the training ground in an instant. Only her airy "Take your time training. Good luck~" lingered in the air.

Tang Ping hadn't yet recovered from the sudden surprise when his Personal Terminal rang out with a crisp notification:

"Ding~ Notice from the Black Dragon Mountain Empire Bank: 20,000,000 Black Dragon Coins have been deposited into your account 98433********82138xewrw. For investment services, click the link; to reject this payment, reply 'R.'"

Staring at the huge deposit amount, "20,000,000.00 Black Dragon Coins," on his terminal screen, Tang Ping froze for a full three seconds before the realization hit him. He was overjoyed.

Lord Babata, loyal! Falling Ink Star, loyal!