Getting Stronger By Fighting

Where on earth is my sister?

With that thought, Wang Zhan drifted into slumber.

In his drowsy state, all he felt was a severe headache, the clear complications of a hangover.

Because his sister, Wang Qi, was following the Military Department's plan, Wang Zhan had few effective options. Unless he could swallow his pride and seek help from Li Chengyuan.

The problem was that Li Chengyuan, that mad man, had seemingly gone insane and actually killed a Crown Prince. Now he had to be relegated to some godforsaken place to lay low for a while. This meant that route was effectively closed.

Another workable method would be to seek help from Wei Daoming. As one of the principals of the Federation's Four Major Martial Arts Academies, Wei Daoming had the authority to access deeper levels of classified information. Therefore, his sister's existence wouldn't be much of a secret to him.

But Wang Zhan was just a lowly Martial Master!

Self-awareness is a virtue. What could I offer in return for Wei Daoming's assistance? Moreover, revealing even a minor secret could potentially compromise the Federation's plans. This doesn't even account for matters involving my sister, which could potentially relate to the Federation's secret military deployments. Who knows if organizations lurking in the shadows, like the Original Organization, are just waiting for the right moment to interfere? They could indirectly sabotage the Federation's operations and interests, leaving me to take the blame.

It was possible.

Thus, Wang Zhan drifted deeper into a sleep filled with desperate longing and helpless struggle.

He awoke the next day with a splitting headache, painfully getting up from the wooden plank bed in the small shop.

"Phew! Forget it, I won't dwell on it. Worst case, I'll conduct a grid search, seize every opportunity, and take on more missions. That way, I won't become a fugitive, and I can slowly find my sister."

After tidying up, he walked directly out of the small shop. He casually hailed a pedicab and leisurely returned to the Federation's airport.

My sister should be safe for now. Otherwise, the Military Department would surely have informed me. So, even though I'm worried, I can only suppress it for the time being.

Yet, as he stepped onto the airship, something else caught his attention. Wang Zhan looked at the hurried warriors, cloaked in black fabric that obscured their features. A sudden thought struck him:

Compared to the secrets of Heaven and Earth, how insignificant are we, these little people scurrying about?

"Departing!"

Amidst a deafening roar, Wang Zhan officially boarded the airship, embarking once more on that familiar, nauseating journey with its constantly shifting gravity.

RUMBLE...

RUMBLE...

Amidst the upward thrust of rockets and a dazzling blaze of light, the airship officially ascended. The immense G-force pressed down on Wang Zhan, a sensation even more terrifying than his first ride.

In the profound silence of the cabin, he could even hear his own heartbeat, the throb of his pulse, and the myriad sounds of blood flowing within him. It felt as if they were boiling, clamoring, trying to convey some message to him.

Wang Zhan snapped his eyes open. Brows furrowed, he scanned the silent walls of the empty room.

What's happening? I just advanced not long ago. Am I about to break through again?

He felt it. The True Essence roiling within him was like a surging flood, desperately seeking an outlet. But the cause wasn't an influx of external Spiritual Energy. Instead, it stemmed from the changes in gravity and air pressure, as well as the agitation of his own mental energy.

I can't break through... If this continues, I'll die!

Wang Zhan's heart tightened. He immediately focused his entire mind inward, beginning to guide and realign the Essence Energy and mental energy within his body.

Before meeting Wei Daoming, he hadn't understood this. But Wei Daoming had once told him that to suppress the urge to break through, one shouldn't simply block it. Guiding it was better than blocking. He should release some mental energy to temporarily alleviate the internal pressure.

But once Wang Zhan did that...

One minute, two minutes... One hour, two hours...

BOOM.

As the airship seemed to breach some kind of boundary, Spiritual Energy and True Essence became completely isolated from him. At this moment, even though Wang Zhan was continuously controlling and releasing his mental energy in an attempt to alleviate the internal pressure, he was still overwhelmed by this sudden impact, his mind thrown into disarray.

The small room Wang Zhan occupied was now filled entirely with specks of azure blue light, and nothing else. They resembled dust motes, or perhaps a miniature galaxy. These lights illuminated Wang Zhan, pulsating with a certain rhythm, creating a dreamlike, fantastical scene.

As Wang Zhan's concentration shattered, the tranquil star-like lights were violently disturbed. The specks of light scattered fearfully, darting about erratically like disoriented flies, a chaotic mess.

PFFT...

Wang Zhan opened his eyes and spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turning deathly pale.

Especially when I saw this sea of stars before me... He almost laughed bitterly. Usually, people only vomit blood when a breakthrough fails. But me? I wasn't even trying to break through, and yet I coughed up so much...

However, in an instant, Wang Zhan noticed several large clusters of azure blue light. Within them, he sensed something that seemed to possess a primal instinct.

The next moment—

"Wang Zhan..."

An illusory figure suddenly appeared before Wang Zhan. Its mouth was twisted in a savage grin, its entire form exuded a baleful aura, and its gaze was unsettlingly vacant. The figure looked down at its raised hands, then surveyed its surroundings as if seeing this world and this utterly unfamiliar environment for the very first time.

Is that... the mad man?

Wang Zhan was startled, falling into a brief silence. He remembered: when that mad man had died, a strange craving had surfaced within him. Following his instincts and utilizing the mysterious domain within him, he had approached and absorbed the mad man's spirit.

But hadn't Old Master Zao from the Book Collection Pavilion said that one needed to be at least a Grandmaster, or even a higher-level Martial Artist, to use a domain? What's happening now?

But just as he tried to understand the cause, the mad man before him gave him no chance to investigate. As if it understood something, the mad man suddenly roared, baring its teeth, its eyes filled with hatred.

"You killed me! You killed me! You actually killed me! Go to hell!!"

Instantly, the mad man lunged forward. Its aura was ferocious, even stronger than when Wang Zhan had killed it. Wang Zhan was instantly on alert.

Just as the mad man was about to reach his face—

BANG.

A fist slammed into the mad man's stomach with a dull thud. The mad man should have been sent flying backward. However, this small room seemed to impose some kind of restriction. Although Wang Zhan's blow sent the mad man flying, it lacked the expected immense force and recoiling momentum. It was more like a vacuum. Apart from the sound of their impact, the mad man could only exist within a certain range. If it went beyond that, it would drift aimlessly in mid-air like rootless duckweed.

A realization struck Wang Zhan. Isn't this a characteristic of a domain?

At this moment, Wang Zhan felt an urge to sing Old Master Zao's praises. If Old Master Zao hadn't given him that book with a basic description of domains, Wang Zhan would probably still be utterly confused, thinking he was trapped in some dream.

In front of Wang Zhan, the mad man, having been knocked back a short distance by Wang Zhan's punch, was already preparing to charge again.

However, now that he understood why the mad man had appeared and had seen the changes on his System Panel, how could I not understand the solution?

He immediately ignored the mad man. Concentrating his mental energy, he projected it outwards forcefully before swiftly retracting it.

"Return to me! Come back!"

As the small area defined by his mental energy continuously shrank, the blood-red hue and baleful aura around the mad man also began to fade. The mad man roared, threatened, and shrieked in fury.

"No! You killed me! I won't let you go!"

Wang Zhan's gaze was icy. Without looking at it, he stated coldly, "Idiot!"

It won't let me go? Hmph. It's already dead. Its fundamental existence is just an ethereal 'spirit,' and it's even been drawn into my domain. On what grounds?

Simply put, although the mad man currently appeared lifelike, it had undoubtedly become a part of Wang Zhan. It was like the relationship between an individual consciousness and a collective pan-consciousness; once caught in the web of the pan-consciousness, escape was impossible.

In the final analysis, Wang Zhan was its foundation; Wang Zhan's consciousness was its subconscious. Everything about it was bestowed by Wang Zhan. It was real to Wang Zhan, but to others, it was merely a manifestation of Spiritual Energy or mental energy. Therefore, it posed no threat at all.

WHOOSH...

A light breeze seemed to pass, and the surroundings returned to normal. It was as if a painted canvas veiling his senses had been lifted, revealing an undeniable reality.

Wang Zhan ignored the changes around him, calmly observing his System Panel.

Host: Wang Zhan

Domain: 1 (+)

Limit: 3300

Strength: 9600

Agility: 9600

Physique: 9600

Charm: 240

Wisdom: 300

Mental Power: 104,976 (+)

The "+" symbol that had appeared after "Mental Power" now also appeared after "Domain".

This means it was the veritable mountain of mental energy within me that ultimately caused the mad man to reappear within my domain.

After a moment of sensing, Wang Zhan discovered he could seemingly use his mental energy to bolster the mad man's strength, much like a clone. But clearly, the mad man was antagonistic towards him. So, it seemed Wang Zhan was at a slight disadvantage. After all, this was one of his means, yet it had needlessly introduced an obstacle.

And yet, Wang Zhan smiled. The corners of his mouth lifted into a joyful arc, exuding a refreshing and bright aura, as if he were thoroughly pleased.

However, this joy also carried a hint of iciness...