Exchange

"Looks like I made the right choice coming to this public lecture." Qin Zhao thought to himself. "A Domain Lord's perspective really is extraordinary! This lesson has saved me at least a month of Law Comprehension! And while advancing from a domain to a law is difficult, it's much easier to use a law to elevate a domain in reverse!"

"I only need two days to get used to it. I should be able to work backward from the Law of Earth Origin and derive the Ninth Layer of the Earth Domain!"

The three-hour lesson ended quickly. After Domain Lord Yanjue left, most of the students remained immersed in their insights, reluctant to leave even after a long while.

Qin Zhao didn't waste time. After leaving Thick Earth Hall, he headed straight to the Secret Technique Hall in the Law Transmission Pavilion. Listening to a powerful expert's lecture showed him the way, but to truly turn his insights into strength, he still needed suitable secret techniques to practice and test them against.

The Secret Technique Hall was as vast as an ocean. The Earth-style secret techniques alone were divided into categories and numbered in the tens of thousands. They covered everything from the most basic Force Application Techniques and Origin Force circulation methods to advanced movement techniques, attack techniques, defensive techniques, Soul Defense Secret Techniques, and even various specialized techniques to assist with cultivation.

Redeeming these secret techniques required points. Points were essentially the currency of Glacier Sacred Land, allowing students to exchange them for the resources they needed.

As a newly promoted Core Student, Qin Zhao had only 10,000 starting points. He had to budget carefully. Fortunately, with the Coiling Dragon Achievement System, he could directly gauge how well he had mastered a secret technique and keep track of his progress in real time.

"For attacks, I have my Earth God Clone as a trump card, so I'm not short on powerful finishing moves for now. For movement, I should redeem a technique that can help me comprehend the Origin Law of Space. Hmm... Ten Thousand Line Flow would be a good fit. Besides that, what I need most right now is a technique that can help me better comprehend the Pulse of the Earth and bring out the full power of my current Law Comprehension. Ideally, it should also have some defensive or crowd-control capabilities."

Qin Zhao carefully sifted through the list of secret techniques, keeping his needs and points in mind. In the end, his attention settled on two techniques.

The first was called Shockwave. It was an attack technique that transmitted Earth-style power through vibrations at a unique frequency. At a high level of mastery, its vibrations could penetrate some material defenses and strike directly at what lay beneath. It had much in common with the Profound Mystery of the Pulse of the Earth, and it cost 600 points to redeem.

The second was called Earth Pulse Guard. It was a defensive technique that could form a sturdy Earth Element shield around the body. It could also draw on the power of the earth to create a special force field beneath one's feet, weakening enemy attacks and even influencing the surrounding environment to a certain extent, helping the user hold their ground. It was highly beneficial to comprehending the Laws of the Earth as a whole, and cost 500 points to redeem.

"Shockwave directly complements my comprehension of the Pulse of the Earth and can speed up my understanding of this Profound Mystery. Earth Pulse Guard is more comprehensive, combining offense and defense, and it'll also benefit my overall comprehension of the Laws of the Earth." After a brief pause, Qin Zhao made up his mind. "I'll redeem both!"

The two techniques cost 1,100 points, which wasn't expensive. The real expense was Ten Thousand Line Flow!

"And then there's Ten Thousand Line Flow. Although it's widely known among the undying, it's still only circulated in their circles. Redeeming it will cost me 8,000 points! I was hoping to save up 20,000 points to redeem an S-Class Bloodline Evolution Agent, too. I'll just have to take my time now!"

Qin Zhao had originally planned to save up enough points to redeem an S-Class Bloodline Evolution Agent and improve his foundation. But one such agent cost 20,000 points. Qin Zhao only had 10,000 points to his name, so he couldn't afford one at all! So he decided to focus on laws and secret techniques first.

Once the exchange was complete, detailed information on all three secret techniques was sent directly to his Identity Token and synced to the Virtual Universe, where he could study it whenever he wanted.

When he returned to his residence, Qin Zhao immediately began studying the three secret techniques.

The core of Shockwave lay in controlling the frequency of a force's vibrations. It progressed from simple vibrations transmitted across the surface of a material to deeper energy resonance, and even touched on the rudiments of Soul Attack. Qin Zhao tried circulating Origin Force as the technique instructed while focusing his mind on his Earth God Clone and drawing upon that sliver of the Profound Mystery of the Pulse of the Earth.

At first, it felt rather awkward, but thanks to his 15% comprehension of the Pulse of the Earth, he quickly grasped the basics. As he threw a punch, faint ripples, almost invisible to the naked eye, spread across his fist, condensed with Origin Force. It struck the Black Iron Pillar used for testing in the courtyard. A low hum rang out. The pillar's surface remained intact, but faint cracking sounds came from within.

"What a strange attack!" Qin Zhao was quietly delighted. Shockwave really did mesh extremely well with the Profound Mystery of the Pulse of the Earth. The two techniques complemented one another, deepening his understanding of "vibration" and "transmission." On the panel, the progress of his [Pulse of the Earth Profound Mystery] seemed to inch forward as well.

Next, he began studying Earth Pulse Guard. This technique placed greater emphasis on connecting and resonating with the earth as a whole. Qin Zhao stood on the courtyard ground and, following the technique's circulation path, combined his Origin Force with his Spiritual Force to stir the dark yellow earth beneath his feet.

Hum!

A solid, ochre-colored shield unfolded around him. Patterns like the veins of the earth flowed across its surface, radiating a steady, weighty aura. At the same time, the ground beneath his feet seemed to come alive. Streams of thick, powerful energy surged into his body and reinforced the shield, while an invisible zone of increased gravity formed within a few meters of him.

"With this technique protecting me and Shockwave for offense, my combat ability will improve by a great deal. And practicing Earth Pulse Guard over the long term will help me understand the stability and load-bearing qualities of the Earth Element, as well as how the power of the Pulse of the Earth is transmitted."

[Name: Qin Zhao]

[Talent: Earth Element (Transcendent), Water-style (Advanced)]

[Achievements: Saint Realm, Lowgod, Erudite, Praise of a Paragon, Faced a Highgod]

[Secret Techniques: 128 Martial Arts Secret Techniques (Perfected), Shockwave (Beginner 1%), Earth Pulse Guard (Beginner 1%)]

[Comprehension: Earth-style Laws (Earth Element 100%, Pulse of the Earth 25%, Gravity Space 1%)]

[Items: None]

[Buffs: Comprehension +30%, Soul Resistance +10%]

Because he already had a foundation in Law Comprehension, Qin Zhao quickly mastered the basics of Shockwave and Earth Pulse Guard. But when it came to the most troublesome technique, Ten Thousand Line Flow, mastering the basics was nowhere near as simple.

"I have no foundation in comprehending the Origin Law of Space, so there's no way I can master Ten Thousand Line Flow as quickly as Shockwave and Earth Pulse Guard. I'll have to start with the basic training for Ten Thousand Line Flow!"

Qin Zhao didn't let his inability to master Ten Thousand Line Flow quickly throw him off balance. After all, no one understood the difficulty of Ten Thousand Line Flow better than he did.

Once he mastered First Line Flow, the first level of Ten Thousand Line Flow, it would mean he had comprehended a trace of the Origin Law of Space—and only a peerless genius could manage that! With his bloodline foundation at roughly ninth-grade, his chances of comprehending even a trace of the Origin Law of Space were practically zero. So he needed to complete Ten Thousand Line Flow's basic training as soon as possible and get a Bloodline Evolution Agent to improve his foundation!