Governor's Office.
Lorenzo looked at the light screen, which showed Ender fighting other students.
"From near Perfection Level to Perfection Level in over a month, this level can only be said to be acceptable.
After all, he's young and hasn't experienced life-or-death struggles. It will probably take him more than a year for his techniques to reach Perfection Level."
There was no surprise; the result was within his expectations and acceptable.
...
After his combat techniques Broke Through to Perfection Level, Ender didn't relax and continued to Cultivate.
However, in the next six months, he didn't make a Breakthrough in Perfection Level combat techniques. Instead, his explosive power reached the level of an ordinary student.
And at this time, the second ranking trial arrived.
Compared to the seven groups divided in the first ranking trial, the second trial ranking was divided into three groups, which were divided according to the length of time students had Cultivated in the academy.
Ender was assigned to the lowest group, where students had Cultivated in the academy for a maximum of three years, and their overall strength was relatively weaker than the two groups above.
In the second ranking trial, Ender achieved a middle-tier ranking.
The reason for this achievement was that he relied solely on close-quarters combat throughout the competition, without using Spiritual Force to assist in battle.
The effect was that it allowed him to touch the edge of Perfection combat techniques...
Virtual Universe, sparring space.
Two figures were fighting in this space, one of them completely suppressing the other.
Ender, who was completely suppressed, sighed in his heart, "Such powerful suppression! As expected of Perfection Level combat techniques!"
With his near-Perfection Level combat techniques, he was far inferior when facing true Perfection Level.
As soon as they engaged, his opponent seized control of the rhythm, leading to continuous suppression.
The earth cracked, dirt flew, and grass blades danced wildly.
The clash between two Planetary Level powerhouses turned the once-grassland into a pockmarked landscape, as if struck by a meteor shower, leaving numerous craters.
Boom!
With a loud bang, Ender was struck by a pre-planned attack.
The ground he used to dissipate force shattered, as if hit by a missile, sending dirt and grass flying.
A huge gully was ploughed into the earth, and when Ender stopped, a small mountain of dirt had piled up behind him.
"Troublesome!"
The student fighting Ender, who had sent him flying with a single blow, felt annoyed.
His opponent was cunning, constantly trying to disengage from the fight, and with his Spiritual Force assistance, he couldn't defeat him through suppression.
He could repel him, but not defeat him, which was the cause of his frustration.
Smelling the fresh earth, with green Gene Energy flickering around him, Ender looked at his opponent, who was about ten meters above the ground, and pushed off with his legs.
Dong!
Accompanied by a loud bang, he transformed into a green beam of light, charging towards his opponent.
Facing Ender's charge, the student's eyes narrowed with fierce intent. "Since you want to play, I'll play along. Let's see who can last until the end!"
His golden Gene Energy surged, and the student transformed into a golden beam of light, intertwining with the green beam.
As the two continued to fight, Ender felt something was off. His opponent wasn't using full strength as before; he was merely suppressing him after gaining control of the battle rhythm.
Ender slashed out with his battle blade, the green light on the blade shining and transforming into a stream of light that cut towards his opponent.
His opponent seemed to have anticipated this strike, effortlessly dodging it while gently parrying with his own battle blade, neutralizing the fierce blow.
With his strike missing, Ender continued to launch attacks without stopping, while his opponent relatively dodged and neutralized them.
After a while of this entanglement, Ender understood his enemy's plan. "Is he trying to exhaust me to death?"
Even though he understood the enemy's plan, he was powerless against such a war of attrition.
His opponent's combat techniques were superior to his, especially when he controlled the battle rhythm, which resulted in much less Gene Energy consumption for him.
If this continued, his Gene Energy would inevitably run out before his opponent's.
"Control, I must break free from his control of the battle rhythm; I need to suppress him instead!"
Thinking this, Ender wanted to disengage, while also accelerating his blade speed. This was a strike propelled by a large amount of Gene Energy, making it even faster.
This unexpected strike forced his opponent to abandon dodging and brace for a direct block.
"Finally, he couldn't hold back!" The student's eyes lit up with joy.
In his opinion, this strike was merely Ender's dying struggle.
The faster the blade strike, the greater the consumption of Gene Energy. It wouldn't be long before his Gene Energy was exhausted.
The student laughed, "Haha! You rely on Spiritual Force to assist you, preventing me from defeating you through suppression, but I can exhaust you to death!"
Feeling pleased, he continuously used his battle blade to block Ender's incoming strikes.
Ender's blade speed remained very fast, yet it was still blocked by his opponent.
"Suppression, I need suppression, stronger suppression!"
Ender's strikes became faster and faster, even one faster than the last, like continuous waves, each higher than the previous one!
Facing this increasingly fast blade speed, the student was greatly alarmed, "How can this be?"
He was being suppressed!
He, with Perfection Level combat techniques, was being suppressed by an opponent with Perfection Level combat techniques!
Without distractions, Ender's eyes only held his opponent. He swung his blade again and again, as if by instinct.
In just two or three seconds, he unleashed over ten strikes, and his internal Gene Energy was nearly depleted.
Gathering the remaining Gene Energy in his body, he used all his strength to unleash his final, and fastest, strike ever!
"Block it! Block it!"
The student roared in his heart, trying to block with his battle blade, but he ultimately failed.
Ender's battle blade, carrying a green light, swept like a stream of light from his left shoulder diagonally down to his lower right, while his hand had not yet made a blocking motion.
"How could this be?"
Struck by the blade, the student was incredibly confused. He had clearly made a blocking motion, but why hadn't he blocked it?
Confused, but when he saw Ender, surrounded by a green glow ten meters away, he finally understood.
It was a Domain!
It turned out that the Domain had restricted his body, preventing it from keeping up with his thoughts, thus failing to block that strike.
"Is this the control of a Domain?"
The student looked at Ender, bathed in green light, his eyes filled with envy.
As a student with Perfection Level combat techniques, he knew that Perfection Level was the embryonic form of a Domain.
Understanding a Domain meant combat techniques would inevitably reach Perfection Level, but understanding a Domain did not necessarily require Perfection Level combat techniques.
"To bypass Perfection Level and directly comprehend a Domain, such luck and talent are truly enviable! And how did he comprehend the Artistic Conception?"
Thinking this, the student closed his eyes powerlessly, exiting the sparring space as the defeated party.
"Is this a Domain?"
Feeling the green glow surrounding him, Ender whispered softly.
He had a misconception, as if the space enveloped by the green glow was under his control, and he was the Divine Thought of this space!
With a flash of his figure, Ender left the Virtual Universe and returned to reality.
Taking off the consciousness sensor, his body floated in the air, and a green glow enveloped the entire room.
Ender felt that the entire room was under his control; he could make objects float without using Spiritual Force.
After exploring the use of the Domain for a while, he was somewhat confused, "When did I comprehend the Artistic Conception?"
"Could it have been then?"
Suddenly, he recalled the sensation, similar to comprehending the true meaning of life, that appeared when his Gene Energy Broke Through to Planetary Level.
Now, thinking back, that wasn't a misconception, but rather the manifestation of comprehending an Artistic Conception.
"Since I've comprehended a Domain, I'll go to the Governor to claim my reward!"
Ender stood up, opened the door, and walked towards the Governor's Office.