Three days later, Tian Shi came to pay his respects again.
"Disciple Tian Shi greets Master!" Tian Shi bowed deeply and respectfully.
"Mm." Wang Yu nodded and said calmly,
"Three days have passed. How much have you comprehended from the Fire Refinement Secret Manual?"
"Reporting to Master, this disciple is slow-witted and has comprehended very little..." Tian Shi lowered his head in shame, looking as though he truly believed he had understood very little.
But Wang Yu did not take that seriously.
It was obvious that this kid simply came from a humble background and lacked sufficient horizons, so he could not recognize that he was a genius.
Though he claimed to have comprehended little, he had most likely improved greatly.
The only question was how great that improvement was.
It was just like those people who said before an exam that they had not revised, had not slept well, were in poor condition, and were doomed...
He would not believe a single word of that!
"No matter." Wang Yu smiled faintly.
"Do not belittle yourself. Show me what you have learned, and let your master see exactly how much you have comprehended over these three days."
"Yes, Master!"
Tian Shi answered respectfully, took a deep breath, and then... a scorching aura rose from his body!
Buzz!
Seven crimson flames condensed out of thin air!
The flames were only the size of fists, yet they were incomparably solid, deep in color, and emitted astonishing heat!
"He has cultivated the first level of the Fire Refinement Secret Manual to this extent in only three days?" Wang Yu was somewhat surprised!
Apprentice Grade force could only be stored within the body, supplying explosive power to the body. Martial artists could only fight at close range.
Starting at the Planetary-level, force could be released externally. Combined with special abilities and secret techniques, even martial artists were no longer limited to close combat.
For example, once the first level of the Fire Refinement Secret Manual was mastered, one could condense flames with force. They could be controlled to attack, or applied to one's own body to enhance one's strength, making it equivalent to an explosive secret technique.
Cultivation progress was judged by the number of flames one could condense. At the peak of the first level, one could condense at most nine flames.
Seven flames already represented an extremely high level in the first level.
"Burn!" Tian Shi shouted softly. The seven crimson flames shot onto his body, and in an instant, flames coiled around his entire body!
Boom!
Tian Shi seemed to transform into a fiery war god, erupting with astonishing might!
Then Tian Shi stepped forward, his right fist wrapped in blazing fire as he violently punched forward!
The flames around his fist howled and exploded, leaving behind a scorching trail in the air. This punch carried extraordinary force, and even the air throughout the hall trembled slightly!
War God Star was the only top-quality life planet the Blue Silver Empire had given him. If it were to be traded, its price would certainly exceed three trillion White Dragon Coins, placing it among the highest tier.
On ordinary planets, a Planetary-level warrior could shatter mountain ranges with a single strike. But the higher the quality of a planet, the more stable its environment, and the less impact ordinary Planetary-level attacks would have.
For someone who had just entered the Planetary-level, Tian Shi's strike was already extremely powerful!
Wang Yu sat upright on his throne, calmly watching his disciple punch.
To a Universe-level powerhouse like him, a mere Planetary-level warrior had no secrets at all.
"Good heavens, the Force Amplitude of that punch has already reached sixteen times, even higher than the fifteen times I expected."
"Moreover, his Artistic Conception is far more refined than before. With such strength, he directly condensed seven flames while cultivating the Fire Refinement Secret Manual. His progress is truly astonishing."
Wang Yu was genuinely somewhat surprised.
Tian Shi's improvement was even greater than he had expected.
Do not think that being one time stronger in Force Amplitude and having slightly more refined Artistic Conception was insignificant.
If it had taken a year or two to achieve, it would indeed be nothing much. But only three days had passed?
Even taking into account the feedback gained from breaking through to the Planetary-level, the scale of his progress was still astonishing!
Wang Yu sat on the throne with approval on his face and nodded slightly.
"Not bad."
"In only three days, you have condensed seven flames. Your rate of progress is even faster than your master expected."
Wang Yu did not hesitate to praise his disciple's excellence.
Tian Shi had originally been uneasy, afraid that his performance would be too poor and disappoint his master.
Hearing Wang Yu's praise now, his face naturally filled with delight!
"Come with your master."
Wang Yu stood and led Tian Shi toward the outside of the hall.
Tian Shi hurriedly followed, unable to help feeling curious. Where was his master taking him?
Wang Yu soon led Tian Shi to a quiet courtyard within the palace.
At the center of the courtyard stood an exquisite and beautiful square paved with white jade.
It was the special lord building Wang Yu had deliberately arranged within the palace—the Preaching Ground.
"Sit."
Wang Yu pointed to a meditation cushion in front of the stone platform.
Tian Shi did not dare ask more. He obediently walked over and sat cross-legged on the cushion.
With a flash, Wang Yu lightly descended onto the central stone platform and also sat cross-legged.
His gaze swept over his disciple, who sat below him in a solemn posture, and he slowly began:
"At the peak of the first level of the Fire Refinement Secret Manual, one's Force Amplitude can reach twenty times, and one can comprehend Artistic Conception."
"The sign of that is being able to condense nine Refined Flames."
"You can now condense seven flames, which shows that you have cultivated the first level to a considerably high standard. You have already comprehended Artistic Conception. What you lack now is merely sufficient Force Amplitude."
"So-called Force Amplitude is, in essence, control over one's own strength." Wang Yu sat on the stone platform, his voice clearly reaching Tian Shi's ears.
Tian Shi immediately listened with complete focus, afraid of missing even a single word.
"In truth, everyone, even those at Apprentice Grade, possesses tremendous strength within their bodies, yet they are utterly unable to unleash it." Wang Yu spoke calmly.
"That is because they do not understand the method of controlling their strength. Most of their power cannot be mobilized, resulting in tremendous waste."
"Cultivating secret techniques and learning exertion methods is learning how to better control one's own strength. The more refined one's control techniques, the more strength one can mobilize. That is the increase in Force Amplitude."
Tian Shi's eyes lit up as he listened. The principle was simple and straightforward, and he understood it at once!
"So that's how it is!" he could not help murmuring.
"The limit of Force Amplitude is one hundred times," Wang Yu continued.
"Reaching one hundred times means you can completely control all of your strength, without wasting even the slightest bit. Every bit of strength can be used where it matters most."
"One hundred times..." Tian Shi sucked in a cold breath.
His master had just said his Force Amplitude was sixteen times. He was still far from one hundred times!
Wang Yu could see what he was thinking and smiled. "Having just broken through, you already possess sixteen times Force Amplitude and have comprehended Artistic Conception. In truth, you have already surpassed the vast majority of Planetary-level warriors. You are a genius!"
"The Fire Refinement Secret Manual your master bestowed upon you is an immensely powerful secret technique of an extremely high level. Even its first level, which corresponds to the Planetary-level, is extraordinarily difficult for ordinary Planetary-level warriors to master."
"But with your talent and comprehension, fully mastering the first level of the Fire Refinement Secret Manual is only a matter of time."
"Furthermore, you have every chance of mastering the second level while still at the Planetary-level!"
"The second level?" Tian Shi was stunned.
"Correct." Wang Yu nodded.
"The Fire Refinement Secret Manual has seven levels in total. The first level corresponds to the Planetary-level, while the second level corresponds to the Star-level."
"But that correspondence is only for ordinary people."
"You are different. You are the disciple your master has chosen. You are a genius!"
"A genius must naturally accomplish what others cannot. Mastering a higher-level secret technique ahead of time is only natural."
"Master it ahead of time?" Tian Shi's eyes widened. Could someone at the Planetary-level cultivate a secret technique that Star-level warriors were meant to cultivate?
"Correct." Wang Yu nodded, his expression turning serious.
"You are my first disciple, and I have high expectations for you."
"Comprehending Artistic Conception at the Planetary-level makes one a genius, but only an ordinary genius."
"Only those who can comprehend a higher realm of technique beyond Artistic Conception—Domain—can be considered true top-tier geniuses!"
"Domain?" Tian Shi murmured, repeating the unfamiliar word.
"Above Artistic Conception lies Domain! If you can comprehend a Domain at the Planetary-level, even if it is only the most preliminary first level of Domain, you will still be an extraordinary genius!"
"Even the immensely powerful major factions of the universe would compete to take such a genius under their wing, nurturing them as core elites!"
"My requirement for you at the Planetary-level is to cultivate the second level of the Fire Refinement Secret Manual to perfection and comprehend a Domain!"
Before you continue