Staring at Pei Yan, whose mechanization gradually dissipated, returning him to a naked state in the deep pit, Zheng Jia Ru revealed a victorious smile: "You're quite strong to have held on for six minutes."
After saying this, he closed his eyes and fell back, not long before the sound of snoring rose and fell in the valley.
When Pei Yan regained consciousness, he was already lying in the barracks, shaking his aching neck as he got up to gulp down the mineral water beside him.
"You're awake." A yawning voice came from the bed across, belonging to Ye Jiumu.
Pei Yan threw the empty mineral water bottle into the trash and casually asked, "How long was I unconscious?"
"Not long, three hours."
Upon hearing this, Pei Yan nodded and asked, "What about Captain Zheng? How is he?"
"He's still sleeping. His ability works like that; once over-exhausted, he falls into a sleep state, and this time he might sleep for a whole day." As Wang Wenze spoke, he also rolled off the bed, sitting beside Pei Yan with an excited expression, "Pei Yan, you did it! You managed to draw with the army genius in just over a year!"
"This isn't a draw; he went easy on me!" Pei Yan rubbed his still aching temples and sighed, "If I'm not mistaken, he should have two different abilities, but during the fight with me, he mostly used only one."
Ye Jiumu smacked his lips in admiration, "You're right, he indeed has a second ability, but you don't have to be modest. My brother said his second ability isn't fully mastered yet, and if overused, he enters a berserk state, harming both the enemy and himself. Pushing him to unleash his full potential at a third-level awakening is already impressive. He only does that when facing a formidable opponent."
"Yes, indeed!" Wang Wenze chimed in, teasing, "I didn't expect you to awaken a third ability, controlling earthquakes! Seeing your performance on the screen almost made me kneel and call you dad! Planning to adopt a son?"
Pei Yan looked down at his hands with a bitter smile, "This is the power my sister left me. I still can't fully control it. Through this battle, I think Captain Zheng should understand my abilities, and I'll work on mastering these three abilities in future training."
Wang Wenze agreed, slapping Pei Yan's thigh and saying, "What do you plan to do about your sister? If you need anything from us, just say it. Don't be polite, we're colleagues and brothers, and we won't shy away from helping save your sister."
Ye Jiumu on the opposite bed interjected, "That's right, Pei Yan, we've all discussed it and will do our utmost to help. Saying your family is our family might sound cheesy, but since the Divine Will could resort to such low tactics against your family, it's possible the same could happen to ours. Whether out of emotion or logic, everyone in the team is willing to risk their lives for you."
Pei Yan was quite moved and nodded, exclaiming, "I know! Thank you all!" Then he turned to Wang Wenze and said seriously, "There's something I need your help with now. Do you remember what we talked about that night at the Marine Villa?"
"Oh!! I remember!" Wang Wenze was first taken aback, then slapped his forehead in sudden realization. He looked at Ye Jiumu, hesitating to speak.
"No need to keep it from Jiumu. Now that I've gained new abilities, I can better control that power. I plan to transform our team members!" Pei Yan noticed Wang Wenze's concern and decided to speak directly.
Ye Jiumu's puzzled gaze shifted between the two before he asked, "What are you guys talking about?"
Seeing Pei Yan no longer hiding it, Wang Wenze explained in detail to Ye Jiumu about their discussion that night at the Marine Villa. After listening for a while, Ye Jiumu, engrossed and incredulous, said, "You mean you can convert our internal energy into an Origin state?"
Seeing Pei Yan nodding, he continued to ask, "But what benefit does converting to Origin bring us?"
"Firstly, it enhances recovery speed. Unlike extracting energy from another dimension, you can constantly draw hidden energy from this world for your own use. This is also why my endurance in battles is longer than others."
Hearing Pei Yan's explanation, both Wang Wenze and Ye Jiumu nodded in agreement. Indeed, Pei Yan's energy recovery speed seemed abnormal to them. Even when he was at the first awakening level, his battle duration wasn't any less than theirs at the third level.
"Secondly, we won't be restricted by those mages and cultivators from another world. Thirdly, since abilities are a product of this world, using the Origin will better develop their potential. Fourthly, Originators who reach a fourth awakening level gain an additional skill, which is the Domain!"
"Domain?" Wang Wenze and Ye Jiumu asked simultaneously.
Pei Yan nodded, "Yes, Domain! I learned about this from the phone my sister left me. If you're an Origin Ability User reaching the fourth level, you'll expand your abilities. Within this extended space, you can weave your own set of rules known as the Domain."
"Oh!!! That sounds powerful! Does your sister have a Domain?" Wang Wenze's eyes lit up with excitement upon hearing this.
Pei Yan shook his head regretfully and replied, "Not currently. According to her, her ability is too unique to develop a Domain, so she hopes to awaken her own Domain when she gains a second ability."
Ye Jiumu sat across, crossed his legs, resting his chin on his hand in thought, "So, not everyone can awaken their own Domain, right?"
"You could say that! Are you ready to accept it?" Pei Yan looked at Ye Jiumu and extended his invitation.
Ye Jiumu didn't immediately respond but turned to Wang Wenze and asked, "What about you?"
"I've already decided to accept it; I decided during that conversation with Pei Yan that night. I just didn't expect Pei Yan to advance to the third level so quickly," Wang Wenze interjected, slapping Pei Yan on the shoulder, "You've really surprised me this time."
After hearing Wang Wenze's answer, Ye Jiumu remained silent for a while before running his fingers through his long hair and sighing, "I've always known about the gap between my brother and me, but I've avoided acknowledging it. I thought I could surpass him one day with my ability, but that's impossible, isn't it?"
He then raised his head to look at Pei Yan and Wang Wenze. The two glanced at each other but didn't know how to respond. However, Ye Jiumu continued to speak to himself, "It's impossible; today's battle between you and Zheng Jia Ru showed me that it's impossible. My brother and such a powerful monster have equal combat strength; if I just drift on like this, how could I surpass him?"
With a decisive gleam in his eyes, Ye Jiumu extended his hand to Pei Yan, took a deep breath, and responded, "I am willing to believe in your transformation! Change myself! Make me stronger!"