Chapter 43: The Mysteries of Domain!
Jiang Zhe slowly awakened in bed.
The lingering numbness from being poisoned and the soul-deep agony still seemed to echo faintly in his senses.
Without a word, he sat up, scanning his surroundings with a fierce, domineering gaze—like a tiger surveying its territory.
His eyes were wide and sharp, brimming with wildness, savagery, and a murderous aura.
The aftershock of that dream was far too intense.
He had brought back many of the tiger's instincts—so much so that he could no longer tell whether it had been a mere dream… or if he had truly reincarnated and lived over fifty years as a tiger named Hu Yao.
"Master, something's not right with your condition!" Orianna reminded him at the perfect moment.
Her sharp voice and the soul-link's resonating call struck his mind like a bell tolling at dawn and dusk, forcefully shaking Jiang Zhe out of his trance and helping him reclaim himself.
He closed his eyes and sat in meditation. The scriptures he had read over the past sixteen years surfaced in his mind, and he began silently reciting them.
To be honest, counting both his past life and this one, he'd only lived for a bit over forty years—not even close to the tiger's experience, which had been far more dramatic and extensive.
So losing his sense of self was understandable.
And precisely because of that… it revealed the terrifying power of the Hibernating Dragon Technique—its ability to temper one's consciousness and inner world was extraordinary.
After two full days of meditation, reciting scriptures, and reorganizing his thoughts...
Jiang Zhe finally came to a complete awakening.
His gaze became tranquil and deep, like still pools of ancient water—calm and vast, tinged with the profound charm of time's refinement.
"Zhuang Zhou dreamed he was a butterfly; now Jiang Zhe dreams he was a tiger. How marvelous!"
A faint smile appeared on Jiang Zhe's face. Yet suddenly, a shadow seemed to flash across it. The smile twisted ever so slightly—less a gentle scholar, more a cold sneer. It was as if Hu Yao's wild, domineering presence had been reborn within him.
But the moment passed in a blink, like an illusion.
His smile faded, and a thoughtful expression replaced it.
"Heaven and Earth were born with me; all things are one with me..."
He murmured softly, as a new insight into mental cultivation dawned upon him.
"The essence of existence lies in unity. The goal I pursue… is to follow nature's rhythm, dissolve the boundary between self and matter, become one with Heaven and Earth, and resonate in harmony with the universe itself. All things are me. I am all things. That is true freedom and transcendence."
He looked up, sensing the strange rhythm emanating from the universe's very source.
Back when he was just a trainee, he could vaguely perceive it—but it had been like trying to glimpse an object through layer after layer of veils. He could barely see the outline, let alone understand it.
But now that he had broken through to Planetary-Level, his affinity with lightning elemental energy had become overt rather than subtle. Coupled with the experience from Hu Yao's memories, those veils were beginning to lift.
Though a thick layer still remained, light had already begun to filter through.
Like a wanderer in the desert stumbling upon a spring, Jiang Zhe eagerly absorbed it, replenishing his soul-starved body.
The blood-red banner mark between his brows, the Thunder Prison Domain seal on his chest, and the ancient Prime Core hidden within all pulsed with the universe's rhythmic law.
Once again, deep violet runes emerged from his chest, spreading rapidly from the Thunder Prison Domain mark to cover his entire body.
Jiang Zhe didn't force anything—he was guided purely by instinct. By tapping into the laws, his mental power, origin force, will, and body reached a miraculous harmony.
The different powers even began to fuse, forming a new dark-purple energy that warped the space around him!
Following the instincts of his newly awakened body, streaks of electricity burst around him.
In the blink of an eye, lightning surged across a hundred-meter radius around his courtyard—this was his Lightning Domain.
At the very top of the Jiang family estate, in the ninth floor of the Martial Hall, Jiang Chengbo—who had been standing guard for nearly two months—witnessed this spectacle.
The old man sensed a powerful energy fluctuation and stepped out of his room. What he saw was a vast lightning field, centered around Jiang Zhe's courtyard, extending outward like a storm.
His hands trembled slightly as he held his warm hand stove. Not even when Jiang Zhe first broke through to Planetary-Level had he reacted so emotionally.
Two streaks of light—one yellow, one blue—soared into the sky, rushing to the edge of Jiang Zhe's domain within moments.
Elsewhere, three War Gods leapt over rooftops like locusts, arriving outside the courtyard moments later.
At the gate, a brass-skinned lady automaton bowed slightly and opened the long-shut door before stepping back.
This meant her master had awakened—and guests could now be received.
Despite being Jiang Zhe's elders, everyone bowed politely to Orianna's clone. She was, after all, stronger than any of them—an Elder-Level powerhouse.
After about ten seconds, the lightning domain faded, and everyone entered the courtyard in a line.
Jiang Zhe was already waiting in the living room. Orianna served freshly brewed tea.
When they saw his face again, it struck them like a thunderbolt. They stood frozen, shocked, unable to move—as if petrified.
Compared to two months ago when he first broke through...
He had transcended.
He stood there, and yet it was as if he were not there at all.
The pressure in his gaze felt like divine judgment—overwhelming and absolute.
The two Elders even hallucinated, seeing a fierce tiger crouched behind him, grinning wickedly and ready to strike.
The three War Gods and Jiang Sisi weren't as sensitive, but they still felt as if a mountain had descended, crushing the air and nearly suffocating them.
Orianna elbowed Jiang Zhe.
He turned his head away slightly, and the invisible pressure in the room eased instantly.
His spiritual intensity had grown terrifyingly powerful!
For Domain Masters, even if they deliberately concealed their power, their will and consciousness alone could crush the minds of Planetary- and Cosmic-level beings.
It would take him some time to adjust—to better control it and avoid harming weaker souls.
After everyone settled into their seats, Jiang Zhe took a sip of tea and casually asked, "How long was I in closed-door training?"
The old man chuckled. "Today's January 16th, Year 47. Nine days left before the new year. You do the math."
Eighty-one days, fourteen hours, and twenty-three minutes!
That was the exact time, and Orianna had tracked every second of it. But she didn't say a word or transmit it mentally. She knew when to speak—and when to remain a silent observer.
Jiang Zhe was a little surprised. He had expected time to pass, but not nearly three months.
He murmured, "That long?"
"Just 80 days, and I'd say it was more than worth it!" the old man huffed. "I still don't understand how you manage to succeed even when working blindly behind closed doors. Your Tiger Form of Xingyi has reached divine levels—you've carved out your own path!"
Jiang Zhe scratched his chin with a chuckle. "Maybe it's because I had a dream? Slept a bit midway… dreamt I was a brainy tiger."
"You're still making jokes at your age?" the old man scolded with a smile.
Then he set his hand warmer down and straightened up, the mood suddenly turning serious.
Everyone noticed the shift and instinctively sat upright.
"That move just now… was it…?" The old man looked tense. "Was that Hong's secret technique? You've grasped it too?"
"Domain." Jiang Zhe nodded. "Hong's was a Light Domain, mine is Lightning, tied to our elemental affinity with the universe's laws."
"For example, if you, Grandpa, ever grasp it—it'll likely be an Ice Domain, a branch of the Water Domain. Uncle would lean toward Earth Domain."
Jiang Chengbo rubbed his hands together, his excitement barely contained. "We can grasp it too? Can you teach us?"
Jiang Zhe quickly shook his head. "Uncle, I only know two possible paths. Whether you succeed is entirely up to you—it's not something I can give you."
"Let him finish!" the old man barked, silencing his impulsive son, then turned to Jiang Zhe with warm encouragement. "Go ahead."
"The first method," Jiang Zhe began, "is to naturally evolve upon reaching Cosmic-Level. That advancement will trigger a metamorphosis—seize the chance, and you can awaken your Domain."
The others looked confused, but the two Elders understood and frowned. To them, even Planetary-Level was a massive challenge—Cosmic-Level felt out of reach.
"The second method—follow Hong's path."
"First, you need a mind as refined as the sages of ancient Hanxia—like Hong or the Thunder God. Both meet this requirement."
"But the Thunder God—" the old man started.
"Don't underestimate him," Jiang Zhe cut in. "He's just a step away. With one life-or-death breakthrough, he'll make it."
Jiang Zhe continued, "Once the mental state is refined, the next step is to master 'Six Harmonies Dragon Spear' to its theoretical peak."
Gasps of disbelief filled the room.
None could believe the ancient Jiang family spear manual hid the secret to Domain comprehension.
Only the old man had a moment of realization. "Yes, what Xiao Zhe said makes sense! I've always said our family's spear technique shares the same origin as Hong's 'Extinction' style. Both stem from the ancient martial art 'Six Harmonies Spear'!"
"Six Harmonies!"
The old man's gaze burned bright. "It's the inner Three Harmonies, isn't it? Hong definitely mastered the union of Essence, Energy, and Spirit!"
"Correct." Jiang Zhe nodded. "But using universal terms, it's the fusion of mental power, origin force, will, and body—the four as one!"
In fact, he had sensed this truth when he first studied the manual back in early August.
External Three Harmonies: coordination of hand, eye, and waist—supreme technique.
Internal Three Harmonies: Essence (body), Energy (origin force), and Spirit (mental power + will). When fused… one stands at the edge of Domain.
Jiang Zhe had no illusions that his family could master Domain at Planetary-Level. But he wanted to give them a clear goal—to drive them to strive forward.
As for Grandpa…
With his talent, perhaps once he reached Stellar-Level, he'd have a real chance.
Jiang Zhe had always believed: fate is unpredictable—no one knows what tomorrow brings. The Jiang family couldn't rely on him alone.
(End of the chapter)
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