Fire Refinement Secret Manual, an Ordinary Ultimate Technique!

He had always thought his home world was incomparably vast.

Yet his teacher ruled over more than a hundred worlds like his home world!

He used entire planetary worlds as territory!

This completely exceeded the limits of his imagination!

As Tian Shi looked at Wang Yu, beyond his original reverence, an indescribable fervor and yearning welled up within him.

Ruling over more than a hundred planetary worlds—what kind of power was that?

"Above the Universe-level, stronger beings still exist. But those are still far too distant for you, so there is no need to discuss them for now," Wang Yu said with a smile.

"Now that you have a basic understanding, let me explain my arrangements for you."

"From now on, you will cultivate the truly profound inheritances and powerful secret techniques of the universe."

"Yes!" Tian Shi's spirits immediately rose.

"Whenever a martial warrior breaks through to the Planetary-level, they awaken a special ability. After testing, the special ability you awakened is 'Refined Fire,'" Wang Yu continued.

"Refined Fire?" Tian Shi was somewhat puzzled.

"Special abilities reflect the attribute inclinations of a lifeform's essence. Since you awakened a fire-element ability, the secret technique you cultivate must be fire-element."

As Wang Yu spoke, he flipped his hand and took out a metal secret manual with a dark red cover from his spatial ring.

The manual's surface was covered in intricate flame patterns and faintly radiated a warm aura.

Under Wang Yu's telekinetic control, the manual landed steadily in Tian Shi's hands.

"This Fire Refinement Secret Manual is the strongest fire-element secret technique in my possession that can be cultivated at the Planetary-level stage."

"Fire Refinement Secret Manual?" Tian Shi held the manual with a shocked expression. Feeling the warmth from its cover, even his breathing became slightly hurried.

A profound secret technique from a cosmic civilization!

His teacher had actually handed such a precious secret technique directly to him!

"I'll give you three days to study it. Come see me again in three days and demonstrate what you have comprehended. Let me see how far you can get through your own understanding. Consider it a simple test."

"Yes, Teacher!" Tian Shi nodded hard, his expression earnest.

Three days of independent comprehension!

Such a profound inheritance was surely extremely obscure and difficult to understand, but he had to make some progress. He absolutely could not disappoint his teacher!

"Go." Wang Yu waved his hand.

"Study it well. Remember, a master can lead you through the door, but cultivation depends on the individual. How far you can go will ultimately depend on yourself!"

Watching his disciple withdraw and leave.

"Refined Fire? A fire-element special ability?"

"When Palace Master Tian Shi guided Luo Feng in the Space Law, I recall that he also used nine black flame planets to demonstrate the mysteries of the Space Law. So Palace Master Tian Shi should follow the Fire-Space Law path..."

"This seems to match my disciple as well."

"I'll test him with an ordinary ultimate technique and see whether his comprehension really is heaven-defying."

The Fire Refinement Secret Manual he had just bestowed upon Tian Shi was an ordinary ultimate technique he had purchased from the system store.

In the universe, any technique worthy of being called an ultimate technique was created by at least a peak World Lord or an ordinary Immortal, but those only counted as "low-grade ultimate techniques."

Those created by genius World Lords or Marquis Immortals could be called "ordinary ultimate techniques."

The Fire Refinement Secret Manual was precisely an ordinary ultimate technique created by a Marquis Immortal!

In truth, any technique worthy of being called an ultimate technique, even a mere low-grade ultimate technique, was extraordinarily valuable. He simply could not afford one, much less an ordinary ultimate technique.

Fortunately, the Fire Refinement Secret Manual had seven levels in total. The first level could be cultivated at the Planetary-level, and the store allowed it to be purchased separately.

Buying only the first level was not too expensive, costing just 100 million Universe Coins.

According to the manual's description, the first level corresponded to the Planetary-level. Once cultivated to perfection, it could raise one's force amplification to twenty times and allow one to comprehend artistic conception.

After his guidance, Tian Shi had already comprehended artistic conception, though it was somewhat crude. As for force amplification, artistic conception and breaking through to the Planetary-level could both drive improvement. Tian Shi had originally reached ten times, and was now probably at around fifteen times.

From what he had later learned in detail, Tian Shi had cultivated for two and a half years. But because he had to spend much of his time working for the tribe, he had not had much time to focus on cultivation. The tribe he belonged to was not powerful either, and there were no so-called Celestial Beings—Planetary-level experts—to guide him.

This had a major impact. It meant Tian Shi could have improved much faster, rather than needing two and a half years just to reach a force amplification of ten times.

Having him comprehend this secret technique on his own was the perfect way to see his true level of comprehension.

Over the following days, Venina periodically reported work progress to Wang Yu.

First, ten thousand Star-level slaves had been delivered. Their chip controls had all been removed as well, and they had been converted into free citizens.

The reason they had only arrived now was mainly because lower-tier nations had little demand for Star-level slaves. Too few people could afford them, while those with sufficient power generally preferred to train their own clansmen, which cost far less than buying slaves.

Those who purchased Star-level slaves usually did so to arrange bodyguards for younger members of their families, or because they needed powerful cannon fodder.

For Wang Yu to buy ten thousand Star-level slaves, the slave merchants had needed to spend some effort gathering enough stock. Delivery also took time. It had taken more than ten days from start to finish, and that was after he had paid extra.

[Purchased 10,000 Star-level citizens. Reward: 100 source energy.]

As expected, buying Star-level slaves was still a money-losing operation.

Still, it was not too bad. If the Universe-level was used as the dividing line, then Star-level was the ceiling for ordinary people and the highest grade of citizen.

Even the lowest Star-level cultivators had usually cultivated passable secret techniques, possessed passable comprehension, and had decent bloodlines—roughly at the seventh or eighth rank.

Human bloodlines were divided into ten ranks.

Those of the ninth and tenth ranks were low-grade lifeforms upon adulthood, like the most ordinary Blue Planet humans. They still needed resources and cultivation before becoming first-order Apprentice Grade.

Those of the seventh and eighth ranks naturally reached the Apprentice Grade upon adulthood and were somewhat better.

Humans on undeveloped indigenous planets were generally of the ninth or tenth rank.

Those born directly in cosmic nations had undergone generations of bloodline improvement by their ancestors, so most were of the seventh or eighth rank.

Although this level still made them ordinary people within cosmic nations, they were fairly good in his current territory. They could produce descendants with better bloodlines, and they themselves were barely worth cultivating.

Unfortunately, after testing, whether those selected from the territory's citizens or the slaves he had bought, no particularly astonishing geniuses appeared again.

Though he was somewhat disappointed, this was only natural.

If geniuses were so easy to find, then every Universe-level expert would not be able to become a lord and obtain territories of dozens of life-bearing planets.

Discovering one Tian Shi was already proof that his luck was defying the heavens.

Finding more was simply impossible.

However, through the fat bank president's connections, one hundred high-quality Star-level slaves were being transported over.

Naturally, the slave merchant claimed they were superior goods with excellent talent and potential, and that they would not easily be sold to others if not for the sake of friendship. Whether that was really true would have to wait until they arrived.

Although he also wanted to take in more personal disciples, he was still a Universe-level expert and an exalted territorial lord. Naturally, he could not accept just any riffraff into his sect.

He did not dare hope for another Tian Shi, but they at least had to be reasonably capable. If there truly were not even ordinary geniuses of that caliber, there was nothing he could do.

He could only see whether any among the so-called superior slaves met his requirements.

As for the potions and Star-level instructors, arrangements were underway.

Although Planetary-level evolution potions were not particularly remarkable, Wang Yu had asked for three billion of them at once. That quantity was still astonishing.

If he traded in the Blue Silver Empire or the White Dragon Sea Empire, it would be troublesome on one hand and draw too much attention on the other.

Thus, with Wang Yu's approval, Venina purchased them from Cosmic Galaxy Bank.

A distinguished one-star account came with many convenient services, so purchasing resources was naturally no issue.

The only difference was that with ordinary trade channels, large purchases could easily be negotiated at a discount. But a behemoth like Cosmic Galaxy Bank charged exactly what it charged, and any discounts or preferential terms followed the rules. There was almost no room for negotiation.

However, with Cosmic Galaxy Bank, no quantity was a problem, and the transaction was far more confidential. Until the goods were actually delivered, it could basically be kept secret. Ordinary people would not discover that he had spent so much money.

He was currently at the ninth level of his domain. Among Universe-level experts, he could only be considered fairly good. With the confidence the system gave him, he still did not want to take risks lightly. He would play it safe and keep a low profile until he crossed the threshold of the Laws.

It was impossible to keep the outside world completely unaware.

Even if the potion purchase could be kept secret, once the potions arrived and three billion citizens broke through to the Planetary-level, such a massive operation would inevitably attract outside attention.

But by then, he would have crossed the threshold of the Laws and would count as a notable powerhouse among Universe-level experts. So long as a Domain Lord Level expert did not personally intervene, ordinary Universe-level experts would be unable to do anything to him. Weaker ones would merely be coming to their deaths.

Buying potions was simple. Recruiting one million Star-level instructors, however, was progressing rather slowly.

There were quite a few Star-level cultivators, but those skilled at teaching were much rarer. He had asked for one million at once, so even though he offered three times the market price, it was impossible to find that many in a short time.

Still, it only required more time. With enough money, failing to recruit people was impossible.

They had only just begun, yet nearly thirty thousand Star-level instructors had already been recruited. Sending them to guide Apprentice Grade cultivation was more than enough; it was simply that when there were fewer instructors, each had to teach more Apprentice Grade cultivators.

These operations truly made money flow away like water, especially the three billion Planetary-level evolution potions, which cost five million Universe Coins!

When the money was deducted from the account, it immediately gave the fat bank president, Bjorn, a huge fright. He hurriedly contacted Wang Yu to ask about it.

Wang Yu told him that he had need of it. In any case, they had agreed that Wang Yu would go to War God Star to collect Universe Coins a year later. At that time, he would not merely deposit two million—he would deposit another ten million in one go.

Seeing Wang Yu act so generously, and seeing that he did not seem like someone unable to produce the money, Bjorn was still somewhat uneasy, but ultimately chose to believe him.