Chapter 23 Breakthrough: Planetary Level!

[Materials Science has been raised to Lv.15. Level Up.]
[Current Level: Tier One, Rank One.]
[You have gained +10 to all attributes and 10 free attribute points.]
[You have gained 33 specialty points.]
———
After reaching Rank Nine of Tier Zero, Jiang Chen had expected his next advancement to be Tier Zero, Rank Ten. Instead, he found himself stepping into Tier One, Rank One.
But at this moment, Jiang Chen had no time to dwell on such details.
His spiritual force began to operate of its own accord, entirely beyond his control.
Under the influence of some mysterious power, streams of spiritual energy gathered in his sea of consciousness, condensing into wisps of mist.
Within the expanse of his mind, the dense mist began to crystallize, forming star-like gems that spun rapidly around a massive sphere at the center, resembling a grand, swirling galaxy.
Suddenly, the central sphere began to contract and expand, like a beating heart.
With every pulse, a portion of the surrounding “galaxy vortex” was devoured by the sphere.
Only when all the crystals, streams, and mist within the sea of consciousness had been consumed did the sphere contract to its utmost, then explode with a tremendous roar.
Boom!
The entire sea of consciousness quaked, and a torrent of nearly tangible spiritual force flooded every corner in an instant.
At the peak of this eruption, a black hole seemed to appear at the center, pulling everything within the space toward it.
In a flash, the sea of consciousness was left barren, save for a single, radiant orb floating at its core—
Like a planet suspended in the void.
An invisible force radiated from the orb, rushing beyond the confines of his mind, permeating Jiang Chen’s entire body, slowly transforming him from the inside out.
Planetary-level spiritual force—achieved!
And this was only the beginning.
After the first miniature planet formed, a second, a third, and so on appeared—
A total of five miniature planets floated in Jiang Chen’s sea of consciousness, orbiting in a ring, subtly linked to one another.
With the birth of these five psychic planets, the invisible power spread throughout his body, triggering equally profound changes in Jiang Chen’s dantian.

After a long while, a green miniature planet emerged in his dantian, marking Jiang Chen’s martial rank as having also broken through to the planetary level.
“Martial Artist: Planetary Rank One. Psychic: Planetary Rank Five? That seems odd. Normally, a psychic’s mental level can only be two ranks higher than their martial rank at most, can’t it?”
A trace of doubt surfaced in Jiang Chen’s mind, but he quickly turned his attention to the green planet within his dantian.
As his awareness settled upon it, information flooded his mind.
“Wind attribute? Its special ability is to imbue attacks with a ‘sharp’ property, which can also be applied to weapons… Not bad. At the very least, it’s a significant boost to my offensive power.”
Sensing the elusive sharpness within his own mental and primal energies, Jiang Chen nodded in satisfaction.
Though untested, he was certain that this breakthrough had sent his raw attack power soaring.
Unless an opponent had some special defense, no one of his tier could withstand his blow head-on.
Of course, given Jiang Chen’s near-zero combat experience, whether he could actually hit his target was another matter entirely.
Still, below the planetary level, sheer force alone would allow him to crush any foe with ease.
Most importantly, by displaying his planetary-level strength, he could ensure that even other planetary-level human elites—uncertain of his true power—would not lightly provoke or test him.
Among humanity, there were only a few dozen parliamentary elites at the planetary level; their clashes were rare, sometimes years or decades apart.
Though the interests at stake with the “Boxer” project were great, by retaining only the right to produce and distributing most of the output to the Eight Giants, Jiang Chen’s current strength should suffice to protect his share.
“I’ve already finalized the energy and chip replacement solutions. Now that my materials science has advanced, I can update the alloy formulas as well. Soon, I’ll have a prototype of the new ‘Boxer’ ready for field testing. But before that…”
Feeling the surge of power flowing through his body, Jiang Chen couldn’t help but smile. “First, I’ll reveal my planetary-level might, make a name for myself, and then join the Temple of War!”
“That’s right!”
Suddenly remembering something, Jiang Chen opened the system panel.
———
Name: Jiang Chen
Race: Terran
Rank: Tier One, Rank One
Attributes:
Strength 107, Agility 106, Constitution 107, Intelligence 142, Spirit 142, Arcane 142
Free Attribute Points: 0

Knowledge:
Mathematics Lv.15, Physics Lv.15, Chemistry Lv.15, Materials Science Lv.15, Informatics Lv.11…
Specialties:
[Focused Concentration: While deeply engaged in study, your comprehension, memory, and understanding are greatly enhanced. The degree of improvement depends on your Intelligence, Spirit, and Arcane attributes.]
[Telekinesis: Your spiritual force can now interact with matter. The effects depend on your Spirit and Arcane attributes.]
Specialty Points: 243
———
Previously, Jiang Chen had been saving up his specialty points without redeeming them.
Now, with 243 points, he could obtain several powerful abilities.
Choosing slightly less potent options would allow him to gain two or three specialties, whose combined effects would rival those of a top-tier specialty.
Hoarding the points served no purpose; only by spending them to accelerate his growth could he realize their value.
However, Jiang Chen did not immediately check the specialties, but instead opened the system’s library.
In the vast library, rows upon rows of bookshelves stood packed with volumes—most of which Jiang Chen had already read and mastered, with only a few yet untouched.
At the far end of the library, where once there had been only a wall, a door had appeared.
Beyond the door, a staircase ascended. Climbing it, Jiang Chen found a second floor, also a library, though much larger and divided into more sections.
Scanning the room, he noticed that many book titles gave him a headache just to behold.
These were branches of knowledge far beyond his current understanding—like asking a grade-schooler to study university mathematics.
But what truly captured Jiang Chen’s attention was a new section, occupying half the entire floor.
The labels on these shelves read, in clear script, “Alchemical Technology.”
A brand new field!
Jiang Chen’s eyes widened in disbelief.
This advancement had brought him benefits far beyond his imagination!