Wu Sheng first closed his eyes and examined his inherited memories. Sure enough, they now contained a great deal of information about "Mind Control."
Before, "Mind Control" couldn't reach too far from him. Otherwise, the "Mind Control" mark would automatically dissipate, and the slot would be taken back.
Now, that concern about distance was gone. This new mark was even more overbearing than the Soul Slavery mark. Even across an infinite distance, it wouldn't fail.
Likewise, under the old "Mind Control" mark, the target was like a puppet. Unless Wu Sheng actively controlled them, they could only passively carry out the orders they'd previously been given.
With the new "Mind Control," the so-called puppet was more like a Soul Slave, with a certain degree of autonomy.
However, this "Mind Control" mark didn't forcibly alter their perception, so it did little harm to their potential. Wu Sheng could also withdraw it at any time and restore their freedom.
The final point was backlash.
In the past, backlash occurred because the "Mind Control" mark clung to the surface of the target's soul. It was like forcibly putting a bridle on a wild horse: treating the symptoms but not the cause. Sooner or later, the horse would buck.
Now, however, the "Mind Control" mark completely fused with the target's soul. If an outsider didn't examine them closely, they'd assume at most that the person had cultivated some kind of special Soul Art that had altered the properties of their Spiritual Force.
Naturally, the so-called backlash was gone, too. In fact, after enough time passed, the target wouldn't just stop resisting; they might even come to identify more and more with their master in every way.
Before evolving, a "Mind Control" target was more like a puppet: they couldn't be too far away, had no autonomy, and posed a risk of backlash. Although Wu Sheng could use them to employ his own abilities, even including Law Comprehension, much like a Zerg Mother Empress controlled Zerg Warriors, he had only two slots.
After evolving, a "Mind Control" target was even better than a Soul Slave. There was no distance limit, they had far more autonomy, the risk of backlash was gone, and they could even share their Law Comprehension with each other. (That only meant sharing; to truly master it, they still had to comprehend it themselves, bit by bit.) The number of slots had also increased to five.
This was the strengthened Innate Secret Art, "Soul Control"!
"Master!"
As two beams of scarlet light shot from Wu Sheng's eyes and struck Leo, his body stiffened ever so slightly. Then he bowed to Wu Sheng with an expression of complete deference.
"Haha, good. Very good!"
Wu Sheng smiled calmly and ordered, "Release your Thunder Domain. I need to borrow it to comprehend my own domain."
"Yes! But there isn't enough room here. If possible, I'd ask you to come outside with me. Our Thunder Wing Giant Clan's Thunder Domain can only be used after we return to our true forms."
"If it's Swiftness, then we can use it even in our normal forms!"
Leo replied respectfully.
"Good. Let's go outside!"
Wu Sheng lightly tapped his forehead. How had he forgotten about that?
Before long, a nearly two-hundred-meter-tall green giant rose from the ground. The broad purple wings on his back sent countless purple arcs of electricity bursting through the space around him, spanning several thousand meters.
"Can you use Swiftness while your Thunder Domain is active?"
Wu Sheng asked.
"No problem!" Leo answered respectfully.
"Then use it as many times as you can!"
Wu Sheng closed his eyes and began using the "Mind Control" mark to comprehend every subtlety of Leo's body.
Domains!
Although they came in many varieties due to differences in the energies each used, their essence was the same.
They were all divided into nine layers, and their amplifying effects were basically similar.
As a Special Lifeform, Wu Sheng had an Innate Life Core within him. Once he reached Cosmic Level, he could possess a domain outright, just like the Golden-Horned Giant Beast, and might even comprehend the corresponding Wind Source Law.
But he wasn't satisfied with that!
Ordinary races like Li Long, Cang Ge, and Kadi—by which he specifically meant those who didn't even have an Innate Life Core—could comprehend a domain ahead of time. As a Special Lifeform, he ought to be able to do it even more easily.
"No, I've got the wrong idea!"
Wu Sheng frowned and shook his head, eyes closed. "A domain is about borrowing the force of the world. I've been too fixated on my own power. I've taken the inferior path!"
"Hmm, borrowing the force of the world?"
Wu Sheng's eyes suddenly lit up. That was right!
As the saying went... circumstances made the hero, and the hero rose to meet his moment!
He might not be much of a hero, but the simplest meaning of that saying was that "circumstances" and "people" complemented each other.
"One person's strength is ultimately insignificant. But once they gather enough 'momentum,' they can achieve something earth-shattering!"
"Before, I only knew how to protect myself. I couldn't use the 'momentum' around me, let alone gather it."
"Gather momentum!"
Wu Sheng closed his eyes again and sensed the wind around him.
Suddenly, he tried to act, drawing in a breeze stirred up by Leo's flapping wings. Guided by Wu Sheng, the breeze turned into a tiny whirlwind, but it lasted only a few seconds before dissipating on its own.
Undeterred, he continued. Another tiny whirlwind formed, this time lasting nearly ten seconds before slowly fading away.
By midday, the latest whirlwind he'd drawn in was spinning steadily before his palm, showing no sign of dissipating.
Then came a second!
A third!
More and more tiny whirlwinds gathered, and he drew them in faster and faster!
After seven days, over a thousand tiny whirlwinds had gathered in front of Wu Sheng. They spun on their own while circling around him.
"Domain! Merge!"
Wu Sheng opened his red eyes, his expression calm. The aura of command over heaven and earth that surrounded him gradually stirred along with the tiny whirlwinds, until they slowly merged as one.
Whoosh!
The wind grew stronger and stronger. The tiny whirlwinds circling Wu Sheng began to converge, gathering into an immense column of wind over a thousand meters tall and nearly a hundred meters wide.
"Haha!"
Wu Sheng stood alone in the middle of the column, where the eye of the storm was safest.
With a thought, a gentle breeze sprang up around him and slowly lifted him into the air. He finally stopped more than a thousand meters above the ground.
"Master, th-this..."
Leo stopped. His two-meter-wide eyes bulged as if he couldn't believe anyone could comprehend a domain in just seven days.
"That's incredible! Why am I so stupid? If I could comprehend my own domain, forget Li Long—even Lei Ao would have to fight me before I'd back down."
Whoosh!
Wu Sheng rode the wind down and landed on Leo's shoulder, where he sat.
"Master, how did you do it?" Leo looked at Wu Sheng expectantly, clearly hoping to learn from him.
"It's hard, but it's also simple!" Wu Sheng smiled faintly. "The most important thing is to understand that you and the world around you exist in relation to each other. It can affect you, and you can affect it."
"Exist?" Leo was a little confused. Wasn't he always there? What did that have to do with existence?
"Forget it. Carefully sense things through my perception, then combine that with your own insights and try to awaken a domain of your own!"
Wu Sheng shook his head. If he tried explaining things like "timing, terrain, and people" to this big fellow, he might only end up confusing himself, too.
In Leo's eyes, fighting was probably the only thing that mattered.
"Okay! Sorry for the trouble, Master!" Leo cried excitedly.
By rights, as a Thunder Wing Giant, he would gain a domain outright once he reached Cosmic Level. But the earlier he gained one, the greater his advantage.
Besides, he already had an innate Thunder Domain. If the two domains could be combined, he'd surely be able to crush Li Long with ease.
"Calm your mind and sense carefully," Wu Sheng said softly.
Then he transmitted the aura he'd comprehended into Leo's soul through the "Mind Control" mark.
Once he'd finished, Wu Sheng lay back on Leo's broad shoulder, folded his hands behind his head, crossed his legs, and waited at ease.
He'd already realized that, with guidance from the experts at Thunder Star Mountain, Leo had long since met all the requirements for comprehending a domain. What he lacked was an understanding of the force of the world around him.
Sure enough, a month later, Leo burst into laughter and summoned a howling wind. Countless purple arcs of electricity burst from his wings. Once the two forces combined, their power was astonishing.
"Master, thank you! I finally have a domain of my own. Haha!"
Leo shouted at the top of his lungs, while Wu Sheng smiled faintly from the ground below.
Damn it, I told you to comprehend the Thunder Domain. Why did you go and make yourself a Wind Domain like mine?