Chapter Fifty-Two: The Hidden Realm

With a heavy thud, Shi Yan could no longer maintain his handstand and collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath. Invisible wisps and threads of strange negative energy, perceptible only by the mind, quietly slipped from the acupoints in his head. These negative energies tangled together inside his mind, weaving into knots, mingling with his nerves like twisted threads.

An agonizing pain spread instantly through his mind, sharp as a surge of electricity, radiating throughout his body and activating every acupoint within him. In just three seconds, every acupoint in his body released dense waves of negative energy. The negative forces from his acupoints wandered tirelessly through his meridians, gradually permeating his flesh, bones, cells, and internal organs.

It was as if true currents of electricity swept through him. Aside from the unchanging agony in his head, his limbs began to contract and grow thinner. Pale mist drifted from his pores, soon forming a ring of wan fog around him. That mist brimmed with bloodthirsty killing intent, saturated with a seductive, evil power.

Once all of Shi Yan’s acupoints had discharged their negative energies, his entire body had shrunk by a third. Standing there, his frame was gaunt and skeletal, yet his body was suffused with a terrifying aura of slaughter. That aura coiled around him, dense and tangible like a shroud.

At that moment, the pain in his mind abruptly vanished. Shi Yan opened his eyes and suddenly found his nerves exceptionally sensitive, his thoughts clear and sharp, his calculations quickened—his mind worked faster than ever before. He felt an unprecedented state of cold, precise clarity.

The tendrils of negative energy within his mind seemed to have fused miraculously with his neural pathways, heightening his body’s sensitivity. Standing there, he could sense the subtle shifts of negative energy within his flesh, could distinctly perceive how these changes brought him an extra surge of power.

In that instant, he resembled a cold machine devoid of human emotion, his mind filled only with strategies to annihilate his enemies, thinking solely of the most efficient ways to bring death. He was, without question, terrifying.

All chaotic thoughts were cast aside—only slaughter remained. Every notion in his mind was founded on the premise of killing. In that moment, there was not a trace of mercy, not a single hesitation or concern.

Shi Yan, panting heavily, was like a bloodthirsty beast in the gravity chamber, exuding murderous intent, his gaze devoid of human warmth, searching for a target to devour.

“Stop!”

With a fierce cry in his heart, Shi Yan summoned his iron will and drew the white mist back into his acupoints. Suddenly, he sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and restrained himself, banishing thoughts of slaughter from his mind, guiding the strange negative energies to slowly return to the acupoints in his head.

A long time passed.

Shi Yan exhaled evenly, his exhaustion palpable as he slowly opened his eyes. His gaze had returned to its clear, deep calm; the chilling, bloodthirsty coldness was gone.

Rampage, First Heaven!

Only now did Shi Yan realize what the true First Heaven of Rampage was—a profound transformation not only of the body but, more terrifyingly, of the mind. He believed that in that mental state, he would become the most ruthless killing machine, able to unleash his body’s potential to the fullest. In that state, he felt no emotion, only a heart for slaughter. Every thought revolved around killing with greater speed and efficiency—utter coldness and cruelty.

Terrifying!

Recovering from that strange condition, Shi Yan couldn’t help but cry out in shock. Only then did he realize that his original training approach had been mistaken. The cultivation of Rampage should begin with the mind; the transformation originates from the brain, and once the mental rampage begins, the whole body follows suit.

Previously, he had started with his limbs, gradually covering the body, and only worked on his mind after the body had changed. Clearly, his earlier method was incorrect, which explained why he had fainted during several arduous training sessions.

Now, at last, he had completed the final step of Rampage.

Utterly exhausted, Shi Yan no longer had the strength to practice the Finger Gun Technique. He was forced to sit where he was, letting the Undying Martial Soul within him mend the aftereffects of Rampage.

After one cycle, his energy recovered somewhat, and he again tried to break through the blood-patterned ring on his finger. Over these days, he had often attempted it, hoping to pierce another barrier and discover what secrets the ring held.

Unfortunately, every attempt ended in failure. Even at the realm of Innate Third Heaven, he could not break through a single barrier. His sharp energy was blocked each time it touched the ring’s wall.

As his energy receded like a tide, Shi Yan rose helplessly, walked to the corner of the gravity chamber, and retrieved a spirit-grade martial technique titled "Magnetic Domain Field" from his backpack.

Sitting in the corner, Shi Yan frowned, flipping through the yellowed pages of the ancient manual. In that moment, he felt a quiet gratitude toward the original owner of this body. Without that person’s deep mastery of ancient texts and relics, Shi Yan would never have understood the contents.

Within the vast Shi family, it seemed only this man was truly versed in such ancient script.

Fortunately, that man had left every bit of his knowledge about ancient texts to Shi Yan. Otherwise, Shi Yan would have needed to find a specialist to translate the manual—a troublesome prospect.

This was, after all, a spirit-grade martial technique.

He had concealed all information about the technique from Shi Jian and Yang Hai. If a translator let word slip, it could lead to endless complications.

…

One by one, Shi Yan silently recited the incomprehensible ancient characters. The manual was not thick—only twenty-seven pages—and he soon finished reading it all.

Closing the manual, Shi Yan’s expression was peculiar as he muttered, "This spirit-grade technique is truly fascinating. It actually requires the body to possess different types of energy to cultivate."

There was no limitation on cultivation realm, only on energy types. Though a spirit-grade technique, it could be practiced by both Postnatal and Innate martial artists. The sole requirement: the practitioner must possess at least two distinct types of energy.

Only the collision and interplay of two different energies could generate the Domain Field—a field capable of twisting space, collapsing it, and producing powerful suction.

Once the Domain Field appears, it draws everyone but the caster into its grasp. Those caught within are forced to spin involuntarily, their flesh compressed, even their energy disrupted, making it impossible to release techniques smoothly.

According to the manual’s author, the more types of energy a practitioner possesses, the stronger the Domain Field becomes. If three or four types are combined, the Domain Field can even slaughter martial artists of the Hundred Tribulations realm. With five types, even those at the Sovereign realm would face certain death.

Shi Yan pondered the manual, his eyes gradually brightening, and suddenly he laughed softly.

Ordinary martial artists possess only one kind of energy—only those with special Martial Souls can acquire an additional type, like Di Yalan’s Blue Demon Flame Martial Soul.

Clearly, most martial artists cannot cultivate this strange spirit-grade technique, as few possess two or more types of energy.

But Shi Yan was one of the rare few. The negative energy flowing from his acupoints was entirely distinct from his primary energy.

He could cultivate the technique directly.

…