Water Domain

"I... I'm a Planet Lord recognized by the Black Dragon Mountain Empire! If you kill me, the Empire will never let you get away with it!" the True Blood Lord said, his voice trembling as he tried to sound confident.

"Heh."

Bai Kuangren chuckled, his laughter dripping with unconcealed scorn.

"Within the Black Dragon Mountain Star Sector, I've fought more Domain Lords than I can count. Apart from Jiang Tianchen, who can best me, the rest are nowhere near my level."

"And as for the undying? Do you really think beings like that would personally step in for a mere Universe Realm nobody like you?"

This wasn't arrogance. Among the Domain Lords of the Black Dragon Mountain Star Sector, Bai Kuangren might not make the top five, but he was undoubtedly among the top ten.

Forget killing a Planet Lord at the Universe Realm. Even a Domain Lord could be killed without consequence, as long as they weren't with the royal family or one of the Four Great Organizations. Who would dare seek revenge on him?

After taking control of the True Blood Lord, Bai Kuangren turned to Bai Yuan, his gaze full of approval.

"Young as you are, you've already comprehended the second level of the Gold Domain. Keep working hard, and you might touch the threshold of the Origin Law while still at the Star Realm."

"I can tell you this with certainty: in all of history, not a single member of the Blade Clan has ever managed it. If you do, you'll be the most talented member of the Blade Clan to have ever lived."

Bai Kuangren was proud and aloof by nature. There weren't many people he genuinely respected.

And now, Bai Yuan was one of them.

Back in his own day, he hadn't comprehended a domain until the sixth level of the Planet Realm. He didn't reach the second level until after advancing to the Star Realm.

"This junior will do everything in his power and won't disappoint you, Senior," Bai Yuan said respectfully.

At first, he'd thought Bai Luoyan was going to make a move against him, so he'd asked Bai Kuangren for help on the off chance he agreed.

Who would've guessed Bai Kuangren would happen to be meeting an old friend in the Black Dragon Mountain Star Sector? When he received the message, he'd agreed at once.

Otherwise, Bai Yuan would never have agreed to come here with Kulu.

"I'll take this man away for now. Once I've dealt with things, I'll come find you," Bai Kuangren said with a nod.

As soon as he finished speaking, he grabbed the True Blood Lord and vanished in a flash.

Bai Yuan stood where he was, his gaze settling on Kulu's corpse as it slowly grew cold. A tangle of emotions welled up inside him.

Kulu had been a Third Grade Elite of the Hundred Tiger Tower, with a bright future ahead of him. If he'd continued cultivating along the proper path, he might well have become a powerful figure one day.

But now, like a withered leaf drifting silently to the ground, he'd fallen without a sound in this dark cave.

"Talent, background, opportunity... sometimes, none of them can make up for one wrong thought, one misstep."

Bai Yuan slowly crouched down and gently closed Kulu's eyes, which were still open.

Then he left the cave and contacted Pusis, telling her that Kulu had died.

Pusis was just as shocked, but there was nothing she could do.

The Hundred Tiger Tower didn't raise its disciples like hothouse flowers.

Elite disciples received more resources, but they also had to take on dangerous missions and push themselves to their limits on the edge of life and death.

So it wasn't unusual for elite disciples to die.

But when it actually happened to someone close to her, she still felt dazed.

Not long ago, they'd been laughing and talking together. Now, he was gone.

After ending the call, Bai Yuan returned to the castle and began reviewing what he'd gained and learned from the battle.

"Water is ever-changing, with tides rising and falling... the ultimate in softness..."

Tai Chi had always been divided into yin and yang.

The Gold Domain represented "ultimate hardness," and the Sharp Metal Thirty-Three Slash he cultivated was also a fierce, forceful technique.

The "ultimate softness," however, had always been his weakness.

There was no helping it. He'd been cultivating for too short a time to master everything.

In this battle, he'd experienced the Water Domain firsthand, along with the vastness and transformations contained in the third level of the domain.

That profound sense of softness tempered by resilience, yet encompassing all things, had stirred countless ripples in his heart.

As inspiration surged through him, Bai Yuan didn't hesitate.

Opportunity vanished in a flash. This was the perfect moment to comprehend the Dao!

"System, use Enlightenment!"

Rumble!

It was as if a silent thunderclap had exploded deep within his consciousness. His thoughts surged, and every detail of the battle replayed with perfect clarity.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Pale blue ripples spread out from him, swiftly widening.

Then the ripples grew more and more solid.

At the same time, streaks of golden light suddenly shone through the water, illuminating the entire pale blue surface with flowing golden radiance.

Gradually, the ripples and golden light stopped clashing and began to merge, settling into harmony.

At last, the pale blue ripples vanished, and the golden glow quietly faded.

Bai Yuan opened his eyes, their light flashing like deep, distant stars.

"Hahahaha..."

He couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.

What he'd gained this time far exceeded his original expectations.

He'd thought that comprehending the Water Domain through this battle would be the most he could manage.

He hadn't expected to comprehend the Water Domain and, in the process, fuse the Gold and Water Domains together.

Though it was only a preliminary fusion, he'd already taken an immensely important first step.

The fusion of two basic elemental domains might not compare to higher laws like time and space, but cultivated to its ultimate level, it could still possess boundless power—enough to rival even a lower law at the threshold of mastery.

Of course, all this depended on Bai Yuan continuing along this path.

Time flew by, and two more days passed.

That day, after Pusis and the others had taken care of Kulu's body, she sought Bai Yuan out.

"Did you know? You've already become famous within the Hundred Tiger Tower. No, your name has spread among all the major factions of the Black Dragon Mountain Star Sector."

"The other three organizations, the Sixteen Families, even the Two Great Holy Lands—all of them have heard something about you."

"Huh?" Bai Yuan stared at her. "Did my record in the Battle Space get leaked? But surely it doesn't deserve all this attention. I only fought my way to nine stars in two days. Is that really worth making a fuss over?"

Pusis gave him an odd look.

"I suspected that 'Yuan' was you back then. Now it looks like I was right, but that's not the point."

"Then what is?" Bai Yuan asked.

"The point is that Senior Bai Kuangren has been singing your praises to the other Domain Lords. Almost every Domain Lord he knows has heard about you, and they've been passing the word along... Now, several factions are planning to send disciples to test your strength."

Bai Yuan's mouth twitched. He'd never imagined Senior Bai Kuangren would be so enthusiastic.

He had no idea Bai Kuangren had come to see him the day before. Seeing him in seclusion, hard at work cultivating, he'd had a sudden idea: he might as well arrange some opponents for him and call it a little training.

And... it would also give him a chance to show off in front of his old friends.

"You're always bragging about how amazing your disciples are. Well, the youngsters in my clan are just as good as yours!"

"Anyone at the Planet Realm can come challenge him. If one of my clan's youngsters loses, I'll give each of you ten billion Universe Coins!"

"But if my clan's youngster wins, each of you owes me ten billion Universe Coins."

Those were Bai Kuangren's exact words.

That was what had prompted the Domain Lords to agree one after another. They all wanted to see just how capable the junior he'd been praising really was.

As for ten billion Universe Coins, that was equivalent to thirty-three trillion Ganwu Coins—enough to buy nearly fifty thousand ordinary life planets.

Even a weaker Domain Lord who hadn't joined any major faction might have no more than that in total assets.

But to Domain Lords like them, ten billion Universe Coins was just pocket money.

If they spent it, so be it. They'd just be paying for a little entertainment.