Days in training camp

The next day...

"I'm finally back," Wang Yi said as he sat with two companions, Shi Jiang and Zhao Ruo, in the living room of Jiangnan Pavilion, sipping tea together.

"Wang Yi, you reached the fifth position on the Black Dragon ranking last month. You must have been awarded quite a few resources this month," Zhao Ruo said, her voice filled with admiration. Zhao Ruo, who had joined the training camp five years ago, didn't possess the same level of strength as Wang Yi or Shi Jiang. Her ranking hovered outside the top 100, a far cry from the heights Wang Yi and Shi Jiang had reached.

Wang Yi smiled modestly. He knew that his recent trip to mainland Australia had yielded tremendous gains. Not only had his genetic cultivation reached the third level of the planetary star rank, but his spiritual power had also broken through to the first level of the planetary star.

With the additional power of Mo Yun Vine, a rare and powerful life form under his control, Wang Yi's strength now rivaled the third most powerful being on Earth, surpassed only by 'Hong' and 'Thunder God.'

"Let's take it easy for the next couple of days. The ranking competition is starting next month," Shi Jiang remarked with a sigh. "Quite a few students were killed or injured this month during the training in the wild. I'm sure we'll see many new recruits arriving soon to fill those gaps."

Wang Yi nodded. The yearly life-and-death trials in the wilderness of Australia were the true tests for students of the training camp. Unlike the routine monster hunts, these adventures placed the students in extreme danger, with many never returning. Every year, the camp had to replace its fallen members with fresh blood. Familiar faces often vanished overnight, a stark reminder of the camp's brutal reality.

Back in the basement of Wang Yi's residence, he prepared for his next steps. To avoid unnecessary attention, he had left Cloud Vine in the wilds of Australia, along with enough wooden crystals to sustain its evolution. Meanwhile, Wang Yi returned to the training camp to continue his cultivation in secret.

"I ranked fifth last month, which means I can use the Ancient Civilization Gravity Room for about 30 hours this month," Wang Yi thought to himself. The gravity room, an advanced relic capable of producing 1,000 times Earth's gravity, was one of the few training aids that could still benefit Wang Yi's current level of strength.

However, Wang Yi found himself at a crossroads. "I'm now a third-order planetary star warrior, but my physical strength is closer to that of a fourth-order, even approaching the fifth-order. The gravity I can withstand exceeds 3,000 to 4,000 times Earth's gravity, far beyond what the Ancient Civilization Gravity Room can provide." He sighed internally. "Even with its advanced technology, the gravity room is becoming less useful. If I want to continue improving quickly, I'll need to rely on the energy of the wooden crystals."

The wooden crystals, which had been casually dismissed by Babata, were now invaluable to Wang Yi's cultivation. He had reserved ten crystals for emergencies, left one-third for Cloud Vine's evolution, and used the remaining crystals to accelerate his own growth.

Thanks to his superhuman cultivation talent and the potent wooden crystals, Wang Yi had managed to progress from the first rank of the planetary star to the third rank within a single month. His mental power, though more difficult to cultivate, had also broken through, though at a slower pace, now resting at the first rank of the planetary star level.

As his strength grew, the training camp's ability to challenge him diminished. While the camp had once been a place for him to push his limits, Wang Yi now realized that its offerings could no longer keep pace with his rapid growth.

Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, a radiant 'ball of light' had formed, the core of his spiritual power. This light ball, which appeared to be a planet in miniature, was composed of countless transparent, pyramid-shaped crystals. These crystals merged to form a dense, solid sphere that pulsed with invisible, yet powerful energy waves.

As Wang Yi reached higher levels, his Sea of Consciousness would eventually hold multiple such planets, up to a maximum of nine, symbolizing the ninth rank of the planetary star.

In his physical body, his Dantian housed three miniature planets, two orbiting the central one. While his realm was impressive, his 'body force' and 'mental power amplitude' were still developing. Wang Yi had mastered the Nine Thunder Sword technique, which allowed him to increase his body force to 2.8 times the base strength of a third-level planetary star warrior.

As for mental power, his recent breakthrough to the planetary star level had increased his amplitude to 8. This meant that Wang Yi could control eight weapons simultaneously, each at maximum strength, giving him an immense advantage in combat. His mental power was already three times stronger than that of an average spiritual master at the same level, making him a formidable opponent.

Combining his physical strength with his enhanced mental abilities, Wang Yi's overall attack power was 28 times stronger than a typical warrior of his rank. For comparison, East, the Earth's strongest spiritual master, was a second-order planetary star with an amplitude of 14. Even though East was a level higher, Wang Yi's combined abilities, along with the aid of Cloud Vine, would allow him to stand toe-to-toe with the seasoned master.

As Wang Yi sat cross-legged on the cold alloy floor of his basement, he took out two wooden crystals from his space ring, closed his eyes, and began absorbing their pure life energy. Slowly, the energy transformed into genetic power and spiritual force, fueling Wang Yi's continued growth.

Time passed quietly in this manner.

By September, Wang Yi had ascended to the top of the Black Dragon rankings, becoming the number one student in the training camp. His rise shook the world, and all the great powers took note of the young genius who had, within just three months, claimed the highest position in the camp.

Despite his newfound fame, Wang Yi remained focused. He continued his cultivation, using the wooden crystals to steadily increase his strength while periodically venturing out to hunt monsters. Yet, even these hunts were merely a cover—Wang Yi was secretly training underground, beyond the reach of the camp's observation satellites.

Though he had achieved renown as the strongest student in the camp's history, Wang Yi kept a low profile, rarely appearing in public. Aside from his two close friends, Zhao Ruo and Shi Jiang, no one saw much of him. To most, he was a diligent and hardworking genius, always immersed in training.

Little did they know that Wang Yi had already surpassed the level of God of War, and was now the third most powerful person on Earth, surpassed only by Hong and Thunder God.

By October, the rainy season had begun in Hongning Base City. Heavy rains poured down day after day, casting a mist over the ancient, elegantly designed buildings of the training camp.

In the basement of his residence, Wang Yi examined a wooden crystal that had turned to powder after his cultivation. He felt a twinge of regret.

"Almost two months... My physical strength has advanced to the fifth rank of the planetary star, and my mental power has reached the third rank. But I've nearly exhausted my supply of wooden crystals." Though he sighed, Wang Yi was pleased with his progress.

The rate at which his body absorbed the wooden crystals had surprised even him. In just two months, he had advanced from the third level to the fifth level of the planetary star like a rocket. However, this rapid growth came at a steep cost—over 200 wooden crystals had been consumed in the process.

Each crystal represented the life force of a powerful planetary star being, a resource that was rare and precious. At a rate of three or four crystals per day, it was no wonder that his progress had been so fast.

Yet, as his physical power surged forward, Wang Yi noticed that his mental growth lagged behind. Even though he had reached the third rank of the planetary realm in spiritual power, he knew that his mind had much further to go.

Still, at this level, Wang Yi had become Earth's strongest spiritual teacher.