Shi Yan pressed against the gravity pillar, his body inverted with his left middle finger touching the floor, every vein bulging across his frame.

After fifteen minutes, he switched to using his ring finger to maintain the inverted posture, then rotated through each subsequent finger after another fifteen minutes, continuing this cycle repeatedly.

When one rotation was complete, Shi Yan, drenched in sweat, sat down on the bluestone floor. He extended his left arm and released the negative energy accumulated in the meridian points along that limb.

Wisps of milky white mist coiled around his arm, silently drifting forward at the subtle direction of his will.

Essence energy subtly flowed from his ten fingertips, thin strands of faint luminescence flickering erratically as they were channeled into the lingering white mist before him.

The luminescence snaked like water creatures, meandering through the white fog…

The white mist and the Essence energy gradually merged, swirling into a tiny vortex, and a peculiar suction force suddenly radiated from that specific nexus.

As the suction took hold, the space in that immediate area seemed to abruptly collapse and contract…

The surrounding air was instantly drawn in, and the very fabric of space appeared to dip heavily, conveying an intensely weighty sensation.

Shi Yan’s eyes gleamed brightly, fixed unblinkingly on the small, nascent “Domain Field.” He concentrated intently, feeling the strange force emanating from it, and channeled yet another measure of Essence energy into the field.

After this infusion of Essence, the power of the “Domain Field” did not intensify; instead, the peculiar interactive force within it actually weakened significantly.

“Huh!”

Shi Yan exclaimed, momentarily stunned.

After a lengthy period of contemplation, he seemed to grasp a crucial trick. He immediately stopped injecting Essence energy and instead directed some of the negative mist swirling around his arm into the “Domain Field.”

The moment those white mists, composed of negative energy, entered the “Domain Field,” the field, which had begun to wane, rapidly intensified once more.

Gazing deeply into the “Domain Field” for ten full seconds, meticulously savoring the sensation, Shi Yan finally withdrew both forces he had applied to it.

The “Domain Field” vanished into thin air.

Through this practice session, he arrived at a conclusion: for the “Domain Field” to maintain its powerful effect, the two energies injected into it had to be balanced; only when the two forces were roughly equivalent could the “Domain Field” consistently remain robust.

If one energy source became overwhelmingly dominant, it would not enhance the “Domain Field’s” might; rather, it would disrupt the equilibrium, causing the overall power of the “Domain Field” to diminish substantially.

The two energies fed into the “Domain Field” could both grow stronger or both weaken, but one could not be strong while the other was weak.

Precision was required to maintain balance; otherwise, it would be impossible to maximize the potential power of the “Domain Field.”

During this period, Shi Yan had immersed himself completely in mastering the martial techniques of both the “Finger Gun Secret” and the “Magnetic Shock Domain.” Apart from basic necessities like eating, drinking, and resting, every ounce of his focus was dedicated to rigorous training.

After a month of self-inflicted, inhuman torment, his progress with the “Finger Gun Secret” was undeniable.

Now, he could sustain the posture using each finger individually for fifteen minutes.

The knuckles of his ten fingers were growing increasingly hard; after hardening them, striking one finger against another even produced a sound like metal clashing.

After every session dedicated to the “Finger Gun Secret,” he would devote himself to studying the Spirit-grade martial skill, the “Magnetic Shock Domain.”

During each practice session for this skill, he dared not release all the negative energy from the meridians throughout his entire body. Each time, he only utilized a small fraction of the negative power from one arm, mixing it with Essence energy to try and unravel the profound mysteries of the “Magnetic Shock Domain.”

Although the resulting “Domain Field” was small, the underlying principles remained the same.

Through repeated testing, his comprehension of the “Magnetic Shock Domain” deepened incrementally. Periodically, he would discover a new insight into the technique.

The more he delved into the “Magnetic Shock Domain,” the more he realized how vast and profound this Spirit-grade martial skill was, containing many ineffable, fundamental truths of the cosmos.

A Spirit-grade martial skill was truly worthy of its designation; the process of cultivating it seemed intrinsically linked to gaining an understanding of the world’s principles.

Shi Yan sat still, covered in foul sweat, his brow furrowed in deep thought.

“Creak!”

The door to the Gravity Room was pushed open, and Han Zhong strode in, swaying his head, calling out loudly, “Brother Yan, the Patriarch wants to see you in the Reception Hall.”

“Reception Hall?” Shi Yan glanced at him, frowning. “Didn't he tell me not to leave the Gravity Room unless necessary? Is there some important guest visiting this time?”

“Zuo Xu is here, and along with him is that girl, Zuo Shi,” Han Zhong paused at the doorway to explain. “Zuo Xu just brought Zuo Shi back from the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, taking her away from her master, Chi Xiao. They stopped by our Shi family on the way to discuss the Martial Arts Tournament with the Patriarch.”

The Zuo family was one of the five great families within the Merchant Alliance, and they had always maintained close ties with the Shi family.

The Zuo family’s Martial Soul was the “Phantom.” During conflict, lifelike “Phantoms” would materialize beside Zuo family members. Skilled Zuo family experts could manifest seven or eight “Phantoms” while fighting, and these “Phantoms” could move and execute different actions, making it impossible to distinguish the real from the fake.

With the “Phantom” Martial Soul, Zuo family members held an immediate advantage in combat.

Opponents’ attacks frequently struck the “Phantoms,” allowing the Zuo family members to wear down their adversaries at their leisure.

This “Phantom” capability was not only versatile in direct fighting but also infinitely useful for escaping danger.

When their lives were threatened, Zuo family members would split off several “Phantoms” and flee in different directions simultaneously. If the pursuer was only one person, they could only choose one direction to chase.

Upon catching up, they might discover they had pursued a mere “Phantom,” while the true body had already vanished.

If they were fortunate enough to catch the real person, the Zuo family member would again generate “Phantoms” and continue to flee in several directions, forcing the pursuer into a guessing game that would wear down their resolve.

After being subjected to this maneuver a few times, opponents would often collapse mentally, losing all desire to pursue further.

“Oh, I see,” Shi Yan nodded, casually picking up the azure warrior’s tunic from the floor and slipping it on. He walked directly toward the Gravity Room door. “Let’s go.”

“Uh, Brother Yan, aren’t you going to take a shower?” Han Zhong pinched his nose, waving a dismissive hand. “You stink like sweat.”

“Not bothering. I’ll be back soon anyway.”

“Don’t you want to make a good impression on Zuo Shi?” Han Zhong’s expression turned peculiar. “Zuo Shi is known as the ‘Delicate Flower’ of the Merchant Alliance. Young Masters Tian Xiao and Tian Luo are practically queuing up to court her favor. Aren't you interested in joining in, maybe developing something with Zuo Shi?”

“Zuo Shi?” Shi Yan paused, a flash of realization striking his mind. Inexplicably, a pang of bitterness shot through his heart. He shook his head. “It seems that girl and I have some connection…”

“Of course you do!”

Han Zhong chuckled conspiratorially. “That girl was born on the very same day as you. Because it was such a coincidence, your grandfather and Zuo Xu almost betrothed you two right then and there. However, on her third day, Zuo Shi manifested her ‘Phantom,’ while your body didn't undergo ossification. Ah, after that, the matter was never brought up again; both sides tacitly chose to forget…”

Han Zhong paused, then sighed softly. “It’s normal, though. Zuo Shi possessed a Martial Soul, and you initially showed none. To the Shi and Zuo families, a descendant without a Martial Soul wouldn't achieve much great success and wouldn't be a focus for cultivation. The Zuo family would never marry Zuo Shi, who had a Martial Soul, off to an ordinary person without one, and the Shi family felt it improper to take such an unfair advantage. So, in the end, it just fizzled out.”

Memories buried deep in his mind seemed to be ripped open by Han Zhong’s words. Shi Yan stood there blankly, slowly sorting through the foreign memories flooding his consciousness. After a long silence, he murmured quietly, “That fellow... he was quite the romantic, wasn't he…”

“Zuo Shi’s talent is exceptional, and she is incredibly astute. I hear she’s notoriously lazy and dislikes martial arts. Her accomplishments, it seems, were largely forced upon her by the Zuo family. Even so, her cultivation speed surpasses many others. At seventeen, she’s already at the second heaven of the Human Rank! This is another miracle in our Merchant Alliance.”

Han Zhong shook his head and muttered, “That kid Bei Ming Ce was only at the second heaven of the Human Rank when he was seventeen, and Bei Ming Ce trained relentlessly, never slacking off. But Zuo Shi spends her days sleeping and strolling through markets, reaching the second heaven of the Human Rank by seventeen… If we truly compare raw aptitude, Zuo Shi might even surpass Bei Ming Ce.”

Shi Yan remained silent, his brow deeply furrowed.

He could feel a faint ache in his heart, a pang of sorrow directly caused by Zuo Shi…

With the memories unearthed, he realized the original owner of this body had harbored a persistent, unrequited love for Zuo Shi, yet she had never given him a second thought.

Zuo Shi was indeed lazy, disliking monotonous, grueling practice. She loved calligraphy, painting, flora and fauna, the art of tea, and astrology…

She was interested in every kind of miscellaneous pursuit, possessing an incredibly broad range of hobbies. She appeared to lack any ambition, yet her innate genius allowed her to effortlessly shatter barrier after barrier, casually reaching the second heaven of the Human Rank.

Not only was Zuo Shi exceptionally talented, but her beauty was also outstanding.

The original owner of this body had met Zuo Shi only once, yet her image became deeply imprinted in his heart. Regrettably, this man was inarticulate and possessed a clear sense of self-awareness; he never once expressed his feelings.

A classic case of one-sided infatuation.

“Is that so…” After staring vacantly for a moment, Shi Yan’s voice drew out, and he smiled. “In that case, the girl really is a genius, huh?”

“Absolutely!”

Han Zhong confirmed emphatically. “Otherwise, Chi Xiao from the Cloud Mist Mountain Range wouldn’t have insisted on taking her as a disciple three years ago after seeing her just once, forcing her to come to the Cloud Mist Mountains. Chi Xiao is a Heavenly Rank powerhouse, one of the preeminent experts across the Merchant Alliance, the Blazing Fire Empire, and the Divine Protection Empire. I heard even Bei Ming Shang suffered losses at his hands back in the day.”

“Oh,” Shi Yan said flatly. “Shall we go now?”

“Uh, after I’ve told you all that, you’re not moved at all? You’re not planning to clean yourself up, freshen your appearance, and make a good impression?” Han Zhong asked with a wry smile.

“Since that girl is so sought after, and with Chi Xiao and Zuo Xu keeping a close watch over her, I certainly don't stand a chance of winning over this delicate little cabbage right now. No point wasting energy on it.”

…M