Bad at it, but hooked anyway

Northwest Base City, the Limit General Hall building.

The July sky looked as though flames had licked across it. Fierce sunlight beat down on the earth, threatening to scorch the pedestrians below.

The air warped in the heat, and distant scenery shimmered like ripples on water.

Inside the Martial Arts Training Hall on the thirtieth floor of the Limit General Hall building, Yang Zheng sat cross-legged in silence. At that moment, an astonishing transformation was taking place in his sea of consciousness.

Within that vast sea of consciousness was just one miniature planet, surrounded by a halo of light.

The transparent miniature planet, originally formed from countless densely packed, transparent pyramid crystals, had now turned completely blood-red.

"Whew, that feels good!" Yang Zheng felt utterly at ease.

"Yang Zheng, congratulations on getting through the hardest part!" Babata congratulated him in his mind. Back on Yunmo Star, those disciples had relied on themselves, and it had taken them a very, very long time.

"I owe you thanks for helping me when I needed it."

With Babata's help, along with his sufficiently high brain domain width, Yang Zheng had taken only a few months to transform his spiritual force into Yunmo Star's special spiritual force.

Anyone else feeling their way forward alone would probably need years, or even decades, to transform all their spiritual force.

His personal Virtual Space.

Inside the cultivation room, Yang Zheng sat before a long jade table and picked up a copy of the Control Chapter to read. A copy of the Illusion Chapter lay beside it.

The Control Chapter and Illusion Chapter left behind by Hu Yanbo were foundational texts for the two major branches of Spirit Readers-Controllers and Illusionists. They laid the groundwork for following either path in the future.

The Control Chapter contained nine fundamental principles: condense, scatter, sharpen, toughen, soften, harden, dance, illusion, and fuse.

According to the requirements of the Control Chapter's nine principles, once he achieved minor mastery of all nine, he could shape his spiritual force into something broad, like an iron plate, to smash enemies, or something fine, like a needle, to pierce straight through both their weapons and their bodies.

"Once I practice these nine fundamental principles, they'll pretty much cover everything Spirit Thorn can do."

Yang Zheng had learned the Spirit Thorn secret technique from Fundamentals of Psychokinesis, but before he had even used it much, it was already on the verge of becoming obsolete.

Putting down the Control Chapter, Yang Zheng waved his hand, and all the books on one of the shelves devoted to Spirit Readers flew over.

These books were all miscellaneous texts, each with a golden cover. They represented the true core of the Yunmo Star Lineage's inheritance: all manner of exclusive secret techniques for defense, attack, illusions, desperate last stands, control and enslavement...

Soul Seal, Void Tower, Possession, Six-Pointed Star...

Yang Zheng was a core disciple of Yunmo Star and a nominal disciple of Hu Yanbo. According to Babata, if there had not been only one Inheritance Soul Seal, Yang Zheng would also have enjoyed the privileges of a personal disciple.

Those privileges naturally meant the right to inherit the enormous fortune Hu Yanbo had left behind.

Yunmo Star's disciples were divided into three categories: Outer Disciples, Inner Disciples, and true core disciples.

"Soul Seal, Void Tower..."

Yang Zheng focused on these two secret techniques. Soul Seal was part of Yunmo Star's core inheritance. It was precisely this secret technique that had allowed Hu Yanbo to control nine Immortal Servants.

Of course, the book in his hands contained only the basics of Soul Seal.

Void Tower was a soul defense secret technique that Hu Yanbo had obtained through a stroke of luck. Even before his death, he had only cultivated it to the six-story tower stage. Had he reached the seven-story tower stage...

In Hu Yanbo's own estimation, he would not have had to die in that catastrophe.

Void Tower held an important place in Yang Zheng's cultivation plans. His offensive power could be lacking, but his defenses had to be maxed out. Soul attacks were nearly impossible to guard against, making a soul defense secret technique his highest priority.

The soul defense secret technique Void Tower had seven tower stages in total.

Forming a one-story tower would allow him to withstand consciousness or soul attacks from the peak of Star Level.

A two-story tower corresponded to the peak of Universe Level, and the progression continued up to the six-story tower stage-the stage Hu Yanbo had reached before his death-which should be at the Marquis Immortal level. The seventh stage was very likely King Rank.

Time passed, little by little.

Yang Zheng finished reading the secret manuals in his hands and was about to log off and begin cultivating.

"You passed the Quasi-Warrior Assessment?"

Inside the Martial Arts Training Hall on the thirtieth floor of the Limit General Hall, Yang Zheng looked at the Quasi-Martial Artist certificate in his hands, then at his younger sister standing beside him with her chin raised.

"You underestimated me, big brother!"

His younger sister, Yang Jing, could not help rolling her eyes. Her foundation had never been poor, and she had trained even harder over the past few months.

All for that goal she held in her heart.

After finishing her college entrance exams, she had actually passed the Quasi-Warrior Assessment a few days ago and obtained her Quasi-Martial Artist certificate.

"I certainly did!"

Yang Zheng nodded. Although he had wood bud crystals to support his cultivation, bringing his physical fitness to Planetary Level Four and his spiritual force to Planetary Level Seven, that was the result of pushing himself to his limits in the Gravity Room.

He had not yet provided his family with any resources. His original plan had been to bring them cultivation resources only after his trip into space.

"You've really worked hard to keep Yi in line!"

Yang Zheng tossed the Quasi-Martial Artist certificate back to her. Other people might not know, but how could he not? Yang Jing had trained so hard precisely so that she could overpower Yang Yi.

And also...

Because she did not want to study those boring books.

After the college entrance exams in June, Yang Jing's results had only reached the passing mark, while their younger brother, Yang Yi, had gotten into China's top university.

"Hm? Why are you still here?"

Yang Zheng was about to begin practicing the nine control principles from the Control Chapter, only to notice Yang Jing curiously looking around the Martial Arts Training Hall.

"Big brother, are you that eager to get rid of me?" Yang Jing was a little disgruntled. Her own brother was a Councilor Level powerhouse. Could she not be curious about the cultivation facilities someone at Councilor Level used?

"Go on home. Take your Quasi-Martial Artist certificate and show off to Yi!" Yang Zheng ignored her dissatisfaction and simply shooed her away.

"I already did!"

Yang Jing looked curious. "Big brother, Dad said you have an Ancient Civilization Gravity Chamber here. Let me try it and see what it's like!"

"Fine! I'll let you try it!"

A cruel smile spread across Yang Zheng's face. He stood, opened the door to the Ancient Civilization Gravity Chamber, and pushed Yang Jing inside, giving her no chance to change her mind.

A few minutes later.

The Gravity Room's door opened again. Yang Jing crawled out with trembling legs, then collapsed on the floor. Just a few minutes in that gravity environment had nearly drained her of all strength.

"What's wrong? You can't handle just a few times normal gravity? Want to try

the thousandfold gravity used at Planetary Level?"

Squatting in front of Yang Jing, Yang Zheng could not resist poking her chubby cheek.

"Big brother, I was wrong!"

Yang Jing admitted her mistake weakly, hoping to salvage what little affection her brother had for her.

"You..."

Yang Zheng had just opened his mouth when Babata's slightly excited voice rang out in his mind.

"Yang Zheng, Yang Zheng, the spaceship's repaired! Hurry over!"

"All right, I'm on my way!"

After replying to Babata in his mind, Yang Zheng rose and headed straight outside.

"Hey, big brother, big brother... at least take me home!" Still sprawled limply on the floor, Yang Jing stared in disbelief. He was just going to leave her there?