After sorting out the general situation, Qi Tian took Mikita back to the Gold Soul Clan Sacred Hall, while the spacecraft remained on standby over the sea.
They were both Universe Level, so they flew back to their clan's territory very quickly. When they neared the Gold Soul Clan, they saw clan members who had already lowered their guard sparring with one another.
"Buddha Lord, can your people change their outward appearance?"
Mikita hovered high in the sky, watching from afar as two Gold Soul Clan members deep in the mountains transformed into their Golden Buddha Form. Though they were only at the third tier of Planetary Level, their combat power came close to that of the fifth tier.
Because Qi Tian had discovered their fleet's arrival in advance, the Gold Soul Clan had been prepared. They had not revealed their Golden Buddha Form at all during this time.
And because Mikita had been too aggressive, although he had sent slaves to investigate, he still had not learned much about the Gold Soul Clan, let alone about Qi Tian, their Buddha Lord.
Now, seeing two natives with human appearances suddenly change from two-meter-tall beings of flesh and blood into five-meter-tall golden monsters, he couldn't help but be shocked.
"This is my clan's natural talent. It strengthens the body and unleashes tremendous power," Qi Tian said frankly.
Now that he knew this was the Swallowed Star World, the talent the Gold Soul Clan displayed on the surface seemed unremarkable to Qi Tian, even among the Human Race.
Before the Indestructible Golden Body reached a certain level, this sort of bloodline talent wouldn't even rank among the top hundred of the Human Race. Besides, Qi Tian had no intention of letting the Gold Soul Clan enter the universe too soon.
"Their attacks are crude, but for Planetary Level humans who haven't entered the universe, they're not bad."
Mikita watched the two Gold Soul Clan members fight for a while and offered a few words of appraisal. He wasn't flattering Qi Tian; in his eyes, the two really did have a level of physical strength that planet-bound natives shouldn't be capable of.
"Buddha Lord, would you like me to provide you with some basic secret techniques from the universe? You could easily obtain them yourself once you enter the universe, but it might be better to look them over in advance."
Qi Tian had planned to wait until they returned to the Sacred Hall to ask him about cultivation techniques. He hadn't expected Mikita to bring it up on his own.
"What level are the secret techniques you have?" Qi Tian asked.
Seeing that Qi Tian was interested in cultivation techniques, Mikita hurriedly introduced the techniques he currently practiced, along with some ways to obtain secret techniques in the universe.
"I'm afraid my techniques may disappoint you, Buddha Lord. They're all widely circulated in the universe and aren't very expensive, but if you follow them step by step, they can take you all the way to Domain Lord."
"After you searched the souls of those crew members, you should have learned what level a Domain Lord is. I exchanged for the techniques that can take you there through the Universe Mercenary Alliance."
"The techniques include a fairly good Gene Origin Energy cultivation method and a corresponding Guidance Technique. They also explain the concept of domains in detail, and include several Combat Secret Techniques for cultivating and fighting with different attributes."
Qi Tian's eyes lit up. He needed these basic cultivation methods, especially the secret techniques for cultivating domains.
"Let's go back to the Sacred Hall. Tell me more about them there."
With that, Qi Tian flew back to the Gold Soul Clan Sacred Hall with Mikita. Qi Jingshi and the other two were waiting inside. When they saw Qi Tian return with Mikita, they hurried over to pay their respects.
"Greetings, Buddha Lord."
The three respectfully bowed to Qi Tian, who was seated on the altar platform. Then they glanced at Mikita, standing nearby. Seeing that he, too, looked respectful, they finally felt completely at ease.
"Jingshi, Tian Shou, Shang Xie, this is Mikita, an adventurer from the universe. There was a misunderstanding between us earlier, but he has now submitted to me. From now on, we'll all get along peacefully."
After Qi Tian spoke, Mikita turned to the three beneath the altar platform, bowed slightly, and apologized.
"I sincerely apologize for the negative impact I caused you and everyone else earlier."
Qi Jingshi and the other two bowed in return. They had personally experienced the strength Mikita had displayed earlier; his Consciousness Pressure alone had left them completely unable to resist.
"Mr. Mikita."
Seeing that the three weren't acting arrogant toward him, Mikita felt somewhat better. A faint smile appeared on his face.
To him, Planetary Level beings were nothing but ants, not worth a second glance in the universe.
But these were the Buddha Lord's people. For the Buddha Lord's sake, he had to show them some respect.
"All right, Mikita. Go on and tell us more about the secret techniques," Qi Tian said once they had all introduced themselves.
"Yes, Buddha Lord. Actually, Gene Origin Energy cultivation techniques aren't particularly valuable in the universe. They're just methods of absorbing energy."
"The techniques I practice are available to almost every Universe Citizen. They're nothing like those precious Combat Secret Techniques, each of which can cost a fortune."
As Mikita explained the techniques bit by bit, Qi Tian learned about the various ways ordinary humans in the universe could grow stronger when they had no inheritance.
The Guidance Techniques for absorbing energy from the universe were common wares. Their routes of execution differed somewhat, but their results were much the same.
Even organizations founded by some World Lord powerhouses had their disciples use techniques like these. The more advanced versions weren't much better.
That was because there was a limit to how much Gene Origin Energy each person could absorb. Once they reached the limit their bodies could withstand, they couldn't absorb any more.
Of course, Mikita might simply have had limited experience. He didn't know whether the inheritances of those Immortal organizations were fundamentally different.
But for the Gold Soul Clan, or even all the humans on Gold Soul Planet, an ordinary Guidance Technique from the universe would already greatly speed up their cultivation.
To absorb more Gene Origin Energy, faster and more effectively, they would need to practice Combat Secret Techniques.
After all, to execute a set of Combat Secret Techniques, one first needed a strong enough physical foundation.
Every attack in a Combat Secret Technique required the body to exert force. That meant learning the accompanying movements that guided the body's power.
So while practicing how to kill, the corresponding movements also trained the body, accelerated cell growth, and allowed it to absorb more Gene Origin Energy.
However, secret techniques of this kind were quite valuable. The techniques Mikita had exchanged for through the Universe Mercenary Alliance were no more than common fare. At most, they could bring his body's force output to around 40.
Even after practicing such techniques, Mikita's current physical force output was only 33. That was average among those at the lower end of Universe Level, far below the disciples raised by major powers.
Qi Tian didn't mind. He was a pauper, and a poorly informed one at that. For now, anything that could help him improve was worth a try.
"Mikita, can you pass on the techniques you exchanged for through the Universe Mercenary Alliance? I know the universe has strict secrecy rules for cultivation techniques and doesn't allow them to be freely shared."
"The Gene Origin Energy cultivation method can be shared. It's not a high-level technique; any Planetary Level warrior with a little savings in the universe can afford it."
"Officially, the Combat Secret Technique can't be taught to someone else, but there's no problem with you borrowing its force-exertion methods, Buddha Lord. Just be careful not to perform the entire technique in the universe."
Before you continue