From Apprentice First Order to the peak of Realm Lord Ninth Order, the difference in base strength between each level was generally about twofold.
Even across a major level, such as from Apprentice Ninth Order to Planet Grade One, the difference in base strength was still twofold. (In the original story, Luo Feng, at Apprentice Ninth Order, could control a hidden weapon weighing 500,000 kilograms. At Planet Grade One, that rose to one million kilograms.)
The difference was that advancing to a major level brought enormous benefits. Not only did it affect lifespan, but special abilities and consciousness also underwent fundamental changes. That was why a breakthrough to a major level caused one's strength to soar.
For example, upon advancing from Apprentice Ninth Order to Planet Grade One, one gained certain special abilities and developed a gravitational field. As long as the surrounding gravity wasn't too strong, even a Planet Grade warrior could fly through the air, and Primal Force within the body could be released to a limited extent.
So although a Planet Grade One powerhouse had only twice the base strength of someone at Apprentice Ninth Order, their actual strength was far more than twice as great.
To break through from Planet Grade Nine to Star Grade One, however, one had to awaken another kind of power. For instance, a Planet Grade Nine warrior had to awaken some Spiritual Force before advancing to Star Grade. (I added this part myself; it doesn't apply to soul-based lifeforms.)
You could be a Star Grade Spirit Reader or a Star Grade warrior. You didn't have to use that other kind of power, but you had to possess at least the minimum amount of it, or it would hinder your progress in later stages.
After all, Star Grade beings could fly into space and survive there during short-distance flights. If a Star Grade Spirit Reader had a body only as strong as someone at Apprentice Ninth Order, they simply couldn't do that.
Star Grade powerhouses were more well-rounded than Planet Grade ones, so the improvement to their overall strength was naturally more pronounced.
But to break through from Star Grade to Cosmic Level, they still had to further make up for their own weaknesses.
Ideally, both Spiritual Force and Genetic Primal Force would reach Star Grade Nine. Then, with a slight improvement to Psychic Amplification and Force Amplitude, the chance of reaching Cosmic Level would be at least fifty percent.
That might seem easy, but for most Star Grade powerhouses, it was quite difficult.
After all, everyone had different talents and opportunities.
For ordinary people, even if they had some talent, it was already quite remarkable to reach Star Grade by relying on just one kind of power—either Genetic Primal Force or Spiritual Force.
They had no Cosmic Crystals, Wood Bud Crystals, Wind Chime Fruits, Azure Wave Marrow, or other treasures to help them. They could only absorb cosmic energy and slowly increase their strength on their own. People like that would remain at Star Grade until they died.
Even if someone were lucky enough to reach Star Grade Nine by relying on just one kind of energy within their body, it would still be difficult for even one Cosmic Level powerhouse to emerge from a hundred thousand such Star Grade Nine warriors.
Cosmic Level powerhouses could cross the universe, fight starships with their physical bodies, and even survive on a White Dwarf. If either of the two great powers within their bodies was a weakness, they wouldn't deserve to be called Cosmic Level.
The leap from Cosmic Level to Domain Lord was even more crucial. Whether one possessed a Domain was one of the most important factors.
Without a Domain, there was no way to draw upon "the power of heaven and earth" and gather one's Spiritual Force, Primal Force, and will together to form a Life Core.
The stronger one's Domain, the easier it was to form a Life Core. If a Cosmic Level genius had a Domain that had reached Nine Layers and no significant weaknesses in other areas, their chance of breaking through to Domain Lord would be at least seventy percent.
So the greatest difference between a Domain Lord and a Cosmic Level being was the Life Core. It could be located anywhere in the body, which was also why a Domain Lord could have his head smashed apart and still survive.
The leap from Domain Lord to Realm Lord was another huge one. At this stage, the most important step was to make one's Life Core resonate with the Origin Land of the Primordial Universe. Only then could Spiritual Force and Genetic Primal Force fuse within the Life Core, giving birth to the first wisp of World Force and ultimately forming an Inner World.
Once someone reached the Realm Lord stage, their Domain would transform into a World Projection, giving them an overwhelming advantage over those below Realm Lord.
So the further one progressed, the harder it became to break through to the next major level.
However, for Wu Sheng, a "Soul-Devouring Demon Tank," he had to gain the recognition of a Source Law during the Domain Lord stage before undergoing his final transformation upon reaching Realm Lord. And the more Source Laws that recognized him, the better.
But...
"Difficult, so difficult! I might still have some hope of gaining the Wind Source Law's recognition during the Domain Lord stage, but the other Source Laws? I'm probably completely out of luck."
The thought gave Wu Sheng a serious headache.
He was still too young. Why had he chosen such a troublesome identity as a Special Lifeform in the first place? And that cheat of his, the Time-Space Shop, was a complete rip-off.
Not only had it offered no help at the start, but he also had to invest a trillion Cosmic Crystals of his own first.
"My Spiritual Force has already reached Planet Grade Nine, so I can't break through any further for now. From here on, I should focus on Wood Bud Crystals to improve my Genetic Primal Force!"
Wu Sheng sighed again. After all, the sooner he opened the Time-Space Shop, the better. If he could open it at Planet Grade, he wouldn't wait until he reached Star Grade.
"Hmm, what's going on outside?"
Wu Sheng frowned and contacted Man Gu directly through the Mind Control Mark. A stream of information immediately flooded into his mind.
"Hmph, a bunch of fools looking for death. Di Fei and He Na aren't even keeping them in line? Looks like there are quite a few troublemakers among these newcomers!"
"After refining the pure soul power of nearly a hundred people, my will got stuck at Star Grade Seven. I was just worrying about how to find more people. Now they're practically delivering themselves to me."
With a cold laugh, Wu Sheng rose and headed out of the cavern.
Outside.
"Bai Yu, you two really don't know what's good for you. My master invited Wu Sheng because he thinks highly of him. But he's ignored us time and again, sending a mere servant like you to brush us off. Does he think my master is someone he can bully?"
"Exactly! He's a nobody with no backing, so why does he get to hold sixth place in the Blood River Squad? If you know what's good for you, get lost and give up the spot. Otherwise, the two of you have shown my master such disrespect—you deserve to be killed on the spot!"
A group of oddly shaped Prison Clan Members stood outside the cavern, sneering at Bai Yu and Man Gu as their patience gradually wore thin.
But Man Gu was a puppet now. Without Wu Sheng's instructions, he could only mechanically carry out the orders Wu Sheng had left him.
So Man Gu didn't say a word. He simply prepared for battle, his four limbs tense with muscle, his head lowered slightly, and the three horns on his head glowing with a hazy blue light.
Bai Yu, however, was caught between two sides. On the one hand, he had to obey Wu Sheng's orders; on the other, he had to keep dealing with the provocations from the people outside.
But the longer this went on, the greater the pressure would become. And now, this group was the first to make a move.
"What's going on?"
Just as Bai Yu was at a loss, Wu Sheng's voice came from behind him. The stone door creaked a few times, then slowly opened, and a youth in green robes stepped out.
"Master, you're out of seclusion!" Bai Yu cried happily. He hurried forward to pay his respects, while also sending Wu Sheng what he knew through their soul connection.
"Oh, you've finally decided to come out. Perfect—my master has summoned you. Hurry up and come with us to meet him!"
The same Prison Clan Member spoke first. He looked like a scorpion, over two meters long, with black scales covering his body. The stinger on his tail gave off a dark glow, and his two front pincers were as large as stone hammers, making him look extremely formidable.
"So that's what happened!" After learning some of the situation from Bai Yu, Wu Sheng rubbed his chin.
He had been in seclusion for a year and a half. Lured by the promise of large amounts of Cosmic Crystals, He Na and the others had indeed managed to recruit quite a few Trial Takers. After Wu Sheng, they had recruited another thirteen Elite Trial Takers.
So the Blood River Squad now had nineteen members. In addition, each member had been recruiting Excellent Trial Takers like Man Gu, bringing the squad's total numbers to over two hundred.
But as the saying went, the bigger the forest, the more kinds of birds it held. The later recruits saw that Wu Sheng, despite his high ranking, wasn't building up his own forces, wasn't going out to kill Trial Takers from hostile groups, and wasn't socializing with the others. He just kept cultivating in seclusion. Naturally, some wanted to take his place.
Although Wu Sheng ranked near the top among the squad members, the ranking only reflected how early they had joined. It had no practical meaning at all.
Still, that didn't stop some people from deliberately using it to provoke him, and things had gradually escalated to the situation they were in now.
"Beautiful women really are trouble. The ancients were right!"
Wu Sheng chuckled and shook his head again. He had become a Special Lifeform and was living among the Prison Clan, so how had he ended up with such a huge headache for no reason?