In a perfect world, you start by relying on your own strength.

From then on, Shigen settled down temporarily in Longgu Village.

The village is mostly populated by ordinary civilians who have no fighting ability and are powerless to even kill a chicken, but there are also quite a few awakened practitioners who have awakened the essence of life.

These people possess a wide variety of unique and mysterious talents and abilities: some can use their mental power to restrain or even control the Devouring Beasts, some can hide their bodies in the shadows, and others have the ability to see a thousand miles, hear the wind, and pass through walls. There are also those who can control water and fire and manipulate the elements of heaven and earth, each with their own unique and wonderful uses.

Dragonbone Village was built on the foundation of Mana, which can shield it from the erosion of the Mana ecosystem, making it a rare and peaceful haven in the apocalypse.

The villagers lived a simple but peaceful life, relying on their labor. The awakened beings, who had awakened the essence of life, became the village's guardians, going out together to search for supplies and clear out the low-level Devouring Beasts roaming the area, protecting the safety of the entire village.

Shi Geng was just like an ordinary person. He usually stayed quietly on the edge of the village, occasionally watching the villagers practice their supernatural abilities and secretly observing and deducing.

He could tell that these superpowers all originated from some kind of power within his body, which was very mysterious and seemed to be hidden in his blood.

At first, the villagers were somewhat wary of this sudden stranger, but they gradually discovered that Shi Geng was calm and never caused trouble. Occasionally, when a few Devouring Beasts approached the village, he would quietly take action to deal with them. Over time, the villagers lowered their guard and treated him like one of their own.

Bai Yuekui would often come to chat with Shi Geng, telling him about the origins of the Awakened Walkers of Dragon Bone Village, the secrets of the awakening of life essence after this land fell, and the Incarnation-level Devouring Beasts that were far more terrifying than the King-level Devouring Beasts, lurking deep within the ecosystem.

The Devouring Beasts at the Transformation level have broken free from the influence of the Mana ecosystem and possess intelligence comparable to or even surpassing that of humans.

Shi Gen was somewhat interested in this, but Transformation-level Devouring Beasts were extremely rare in the world, and he didn't have the leisure to search for them everywhere. He could only hope to encounter one in the future and practice against it.

Xia Dou always liked to hang around Shi Geng, her little face full of anticipation. She would circle around him from time to time, asking if there was anything she needed to buy. She couldn't hide the little thoughts in her eyes. Obviously, she had her eye on the new game cards and wanted to get something out of him by running errands.

Beneath the tranquil surface of the village's daily life, undercurrents were stirring. Mark, a half-human, half-beast, hid in a secluded corner of the village. The villagers had mixed feelings towards him, including deep-seated fear, constant vigilance, and hatred for the Devouring Beasts. They deliberately avoided him and no one was willing to approach him.

Shi Geng took all of this in stride, his mind clear as a mirror, yet he never interfered. While meditating and absorbing the cosmic energy that roamed the heavens and earth, steadily solidifying his foundation and progressing steadily toward the planetary level, he also focused his mind on sensing the flow of life essence within the bodies of the awakened beings around him, meticulously observing every state of their awakening abilities and the operation of their power.

With the support of his domain, his mental power is like a sophisticated scanning machine. These unique powers, which originate from the depths of his bloodline, have shed their mysterious veil and are being silently dissected, comprehended, and gradually integrated into his own development and utilization of the domain.

Cosmic energy continuously flowed into his body, and his physical body and mental power underwent simultaneous transformation, bringing him closer and closer to the planetary level barrier.

At the same time, by comprehending the abilities of the Awakened One, his own martial arts domain became more refined and his application more skillful. Even without deliberately releasing his aura, the invisible pressure emanating from his body could frighten the Devouring Beasts so much that they would prostrate themselves on the ground, not daring to approach even a fraction of a second.

Moreover, within the area covered by Shi Gen's domain, he controls all the power of heaven and earth around him, and his domineering and boundless domain power directly isolates all Mana ecosystem infiltration.

No matter how rampant or frantically the mana ecosystem erodes the land, once it enters the boundary of his domain, it will instantly freeze and become ineffective, making it difficult to penetrate even a fraction further.

At this moment, he stands on the land eroded by the Mana ecosystem, an invisible domain quietly spreading out, encompassing a radius of one kilometer.

Within his domain, the air currents flowed as he pleased, and mountains, rivers, and vegetation were all controlled by him. The roars of the Devouring Beasts and the encroachment of the Mana ecosystem were all kept out.

He is the sole ruler and master of this small world.

"Unfortunately, the current area can only be expanded to one kilometer."

Shi Geng gently shook his head. With a thought, the invisible and intangible martial arts domain around him slowly contracted, receding back into his body like a tide, and instantly disappeared without a trace.

While his martial arts realm is indeed profound and unparalleled, it has only been a short time since he fully comprehended it. Even with the support of the foundation accumulated by Shi Gen in other worlds, which can save him from a long process, he is still limited by time and can only push his realm to the fifth level in a short period of time.

The path to mastery lies in refinement, immersion, and deep integration with the universe. It cannot be achieved overnight through mere cultivation. What is needed is an understanding of the universe, or a sudden flash of inspiration.

If you want to break through from the fifth level and step into a higher level, you can't be impatient or restless. You can only calm down, slowly savor and comprehend the mysteries of heaven and earth as time goes by, hone your foundation day by day, and wait for the right time to succeed and climb to the next peak.

Shi Geng, who possesses an immortal lineage, was fully aware of this and showed no impatience whatsoever.

He simply calmed down and did not force a breakthrough in his domain. Instead, he focused on consolidating his current five domains and, taking advantage of the peaceful environment of Dragonbone Village, focused on absorbing cosmic energy to break through to the planetary level.

He was already only one step away from the planetary level. Now, in the peaceful and undisturbed land of Dragon Bone Village, he devoted himself to cultivation, absorbing cosmic energy and refining his fundamental essence day after day. Before long, he naturally ushered in a qualitative change in his cultivation.

The first thing to undergo a transformation was his mental power.

Deep within the sea of ​​consciousness, countless floating droplets of mental energy, as if drawn by an invisible force, converged and gathered towards the center of the sea of ​​consciousness. Then, under extreme compression and condensation, the myriad mental energies blended together, slowly coalescing into a perfectly round sphere of light, resembling a star.

The vast sea of ​​consciousness, which was originally filled with swirling mist and flowing water, was instantly cleared, and all the mixed mist and water disappeared without a trace.

In the boundless void of the sea of ​​consciousness, only this solitary sphere of light remained at the core, like the only star born in the vast universe.

A hazy, warm glow enveloped the outer layer of the sphere, making it exquisitely beautiful, sacred, and profound. Upon closer inspection, one could discover that this celestial sphere was not a single, unified entity, but rather a densely packed mass of countless pyramid-shaped, transparent crystals. The crystals were flawless and translucent, layer upon layer constructing the outline of the planet.

A mysterious and inexplicable spiritual fluctuation emanated from the sphere of light and spread continuously throughout the entire sea of ​​consciousness, calm, vast, and naturally majestic.