A month after Qi Yuan arrived at Mine No. 5, the captain of the guards, Old Wu, who resembled a "green-faced ghost," paid him a visit.
Besides inspecting the operations at Mine No. 5 and transporting the newly mined Thunder Crystals, Old Wu also brought Qi Yuan the cultivation resources for the second month.
"Master learned that you've broken through to the third stage of the Stellar level and is in high spirits. In addition to the monthly Earth Soul Liquid, he has specially granted you a Wood Ya Crystal as a reward."
Old Wu handed over a crystal vial containing the Earth Soul Liquid and a white crystal emitting a faint rice fragrance to Qi Yuan.
"Wood Ya Crystal? Thank you, Master! Thank you, Lord Wu!" Qi Yuan said with a grateful expression. However, inside, he was curious about what the system might return to him if this Wood Ya Crystal was treated as a gift.
"I'll be heading back to the castle now. Keep an eye on Mine No. 5; the Thunder Crystal production is very important to Master."
After giving his instructions once more, Old Wu quickly departed with the month's yield from Mine No. 5.
Once he left, Qi Yuan immediately summoned Cang Fan to his cave.
"Teacher," Cang Fan respectfully saluted Qi Yuan.
Cang Fan, who had once been disheveled and in worn-out clothes, was now neatly dressed. His gray hair had been carefully groomed, and even his little mustache was perfectly trimmed. He no longer looked like the disheartened and worn-down figure from a month ago. Instead, he appeared like a spirited and sharp-eyed steward.
Furthermore, Cang Fan's cultivation had risen from Planetary Level 2 to Level 3, approaching the average level of the original disciples under Qi Yuan's guidance.
Qi Yuan originally planned to use the Wood Ya Crystal he had just received as a gift for his second return. However, after a brief thought, he changed his mind.
"Given the large amount of Wood Ya Crystals I received from the last return, I have more than enough for Stellar-level cultivation. It might be a good time to try another function of the system."
He pondered for a moment and then decided not to take out the Wood Ya Crystal just yet. Instead, he spoke:
"How has your cultivation been recently? Do you have any questions you wish to discuss?"
Cang Fan bowed respectfully and replied, "Teacher, I've been studying the new cultivation method you gave me, and there are indeed many questions I would like to ask you."
"Hmm, go ahead and speak. I have some free time today, and I can help clear up your doubts."
Qi Yuan nodded, while also secretly accessing the system interface. He selected the "Pass on cultivation experience" option to trigger the second return as a gift.
"Thank you, Teacher," Cang Fan said, bowing deeply. After a moment, he cautiously spoke again:
"Teacher, I originally reached the 'Harmonization' realm in body movement and martial arts, as mentioned by the ancestral star. However, after studying the new technique you gave me, I realized that the 'Harmonization' realm of the ancestral star doesn't seem to be the true 'Harmonization'."
"Above this 'Dao', there seems to be a true 'Great Dao'. But no matter how I research it, I still can't grasp the trajectory of this 'Great Dao'. Teacher, could you offer some guidance?"
"The Great Dao?" Qi Yuan was taken aback, but then smiled and nodded. "You're right, it is the Great Dao—the Dao of the Laws!"
He took a moment to organize his thoughts and then began to explain:
"Just like human society has laws and rules, the universe operates according to its own set of rules—that's the Fundamental Laws."
"The basic Fundamental Laws are divided into eight categories—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Thunder, and Light—each corresponding to one of the eight elemental properties of the universe."
"For example, the special ability 'Thunder' that you gained when you broke through to Planetary Level is connected to the Thunder Law. In the future, if you comprehend the Thunder Fundamental Law, it will be easier for you than comprehending other laws."
"Universal operational rules, the Fundamental Laws?" Cang Fan's eyes lit up. He quickly asked, "Teacher, how can one begin to control these laws?"
"Control the laws?"
Listening to Cang Fan's ambitious question, Qi Yuan was momentarily unsure of how to respond.
Even mastering one of the eight lower-level laws would be enough to achieve immortality.
But mastering the laws didn't mean controlling them.
To truly control the laws, one would need to break through to become one of the universe's strongest beings and create their own microcosm.
"I haven't even touched the threshold of a domain yet, and you're asking me about controlling the laws? Isn't this intentionally putting me on the spot?" Qi Yuan thought, but after a moment of reflection, he recalled the information Old Wu had provided and the contents from the original novel. He tried his best to explain in a way he could understand:
"When you reach a certain level of cultivation, and are able to perfectly merge your soul, primal energy, power, and will, you'll be able to form your own 'domain' around your body."
"A domain is essentially a simplified set of rules. With the aid of this simplified rule, the user can unleash far stronger power within a certain range."
"Above the domain, you must truly comprehend the fluctuations of the universe's Fundamental Laws, and try to use these fluctuations as a lever to shift a bit of the cosmic law's power for your own use."
"When you reach that point, that's when you'll have the capital to become a true powerhouse."
"As for controlling the laws… that's still too far away for people like us. Don't worry about it for now."
Qi Yuan's explanation, though somewhat rough, was already enough to shake Cang Fan, who had never been exposed to this kind of knowledge before.
It was like a beam of moonlight breaking through the darkness to illuminate a well—allowing Cang Fan, who had been trapped in a small well, to see a glimpse of the sky.
"The domain… the laws… it's truly amazing!" Cang Fan marveled.
For the next two days, Cang Fan continued to ask Qi Yuan about his various cultivation concerns, and Qi Yuan answered as thoroughly as possible based on his own insights.
During this process, Qi Yuan realized that Cang Fan's foundation was surprisingly solid.
Although his cultivation level was not very high, he had a deep understanding of martial arts and battle techniques. Some of his unique insights even moved Qi Yuan, making him feel as though he too could learn something new.
The two of them engaged in back-and-forth discussions, and time passed quickly.
When Qi Yuan felt that Cang Fan no longer had any particularly valuable questions, he decided to bring the lesson to a close.
"Let's stop here for today. After you go back, continue to meditate and don't slack off."
Though Cang Fan still seemed to have more questions, he didn't dare waste any more of his teacher's time. He respectfully bid farewell to Qi Yuan.
"By the way, take this," Qi Yuan said as Cang Fan was about to leave. He handed over half of the Earth Soul Liquid he had just received.
"Thank you, Teacher! I will never be able to repay your kindness!" Cang Fan bowed deeply once more before taking the bottle of Earth Soul Liquid and leaving quickly.
After he left, Qi Yuan's consciousness couldn't wait to connect with the system interface in his mind. When he heard the pleasant system notification sound, his heart was filled with excitement.
[Successfully passed on planetary-level cultivation experience to disciple!]
[Base return multiplier: 8x. Commencing return...]
[Detected that some of the teaching content greatly impacted the disciple, triggering a 50x critical reward. Final return multiplier: 400x!]
[Return reward: Insights related to the Domain of Thunder!]