Chapter 108: Divine Ability
After working on it for almost three hours, Xiang Yu finally managed to extract a pure yang scripture without all the unnecessary elements. Although it still sounded somewhat inappropriate, this version was the purest form he could achieve. He exhaled deeply to calm himself, determined not to rest now that he had reached his goal. It was time to derive the yin technique while the momentum remained.
As he delved into the yin aspect, Xiang Yu noticed something unexpected—the process wasn’t nearly as difficult as he had anticipated. This was because, despite the [Midnight Yang Restoration Technique] being primarily yang-focused, it still incorporated yin energy for restoration purposes. Even the name contained "midnight," which naturally inclined toward yin energy. The version he had extracted, the [Midnight Sun Yang Method], still retained this subtle yin aspect.
With this insight guiding him, Xiang Yu concentrated on isolating just the yin energy portion. After merely a few minutes of focused effort, he succeeded:
[Crescent Yin Method]
He could sense it immediately—this was a pure yin scripture, distinct from the yang method he had extracted earlier. Surprisingly, this duality presented an advantage. To fuse techniques using his system function, they needed to be compatible. Merging pure yin and pure yang would be nearly impossible given their extreme opposition, but since the yang method contained a small yin component, it created a connection point where they could interface, making fusion feasible.
However, Xiang Yu encountered an unexpected revelation. When he discovered these yin and yang methods, he realized his fundamental understanding had been flawed. These weren’t elements as he had initially thought—they were more like foundational energies that comprised the elements themselves. Water, for example, contained rich yin energy balanced by slight yang. Disrupting this balance by introducing more yin would transform it into ice. The yin-yang equilibrium formed the very basis of elemental composition.
After attempting to merge these energies with other elements, he found it impossible—such a combination would completely destabilize the elemental balance. Nevertheless, his efforts weren’t wasted. He decided to preserve these techniques, recognizing their potential future utility. Since the yin and yang methods showed compatibility with each other, he proceeded to merge them.
The moment he activated the fusion, Xiang Yu found himself transported to an environment of extreme heat. His entire body seemed to burn and evaporate. In the next instant, he plunged into bitter cold, his form crystallizing and fracturing from the intense solidification. He oscillated violently between these polar states, experiencing the absolute extremes of both conditions.
After what felt like an eternity, everything suddenly stilled. Xiang Yu found himself standing atop a massive tai chi symbol. To his right extended a burning world of scorching heat; to his left spread a frozen landscape of bitter cold. His body occupied the precise midpoint, simultaneously experiencing both extremes. He felt these opposing forces existing within him, but unlike the competing bloodlines that fought for dominance, these extremes perfectly balanced each other—harmony emerging from opposition.
In the next moment, his eyes opened to a new system notification:
[Divine Ability: Yin-Yang Harmony]
...
Xiang Yu stared at his system interface in disbelief. A completely new section had appeared: Divine Ability. He had never encountered such a classification before, but the name alone suggested it might typically be accessible only to those with divine-level enlightenment or higher—a level well beyond his current capabilities. How had he managed to unlock something so profound?
Upon reflection, it made sense. Yin and yang represented the ultimate opposing forces; their successful merger would naturally produce something extraordinary. Still, the reality of what he’d accomplished stunned him.
Examining the interface more closely, he noticed the absence of any numerical stats beside this new ability. It wasn’t that the divine ability couldn’t improve—rather, his enlightenment level was insufficient to accumulate experience points for it. He suspected he couldn’t gain even a single point of experience until his enlightenment reached the divine stage.
Despite this limitation, the situation wasn’t entirely discouraging. Even with just this initial understanding, Xiang Yu sensed a doorway to an entirely new realm of possibilities opening before him. He raised his hand, activating the fire palm technique. His palm began to glow with a gentle orange light.
In the next moment, Xiang Yu deliberately enhanced the yang energy, pushing it to its extreme limit. His arm flared dramatically, blazing brighter than iron in a forge. Concerned about damaging the spirit spring, he quickly stepped out of the water onto the cavern floor.
Approaching a massive boulder, he pressed his incandescent palm against the stone surface. To his amazement, his arm passed through the rock as though it were merely soft plastic, leaving a perfectly smooth hole in its wake. The raw destructive power of extreme yang energy exceeded anything he had previously wielded.
Then, he shifted the balance toward the opposite extreme, channeling pure yin energy instead. Instantly, the temperature in the entire cavern plummeted. Delicate snowflakes materialized from the air, drifting downward in a gentle shower. The boulder he had been touching instantly became encased in a thick block of ice, frost patterns spreading across its surface like intricate lace.
Just as he was admiring this astonishing display of power, a wave of overwhelming dizziness struck him. His vision blurred, his knees buckled, and he collapsed against the ice-encased boulder.
...
When consciousness returned, Xiang Yu found himself still slumped against the frozen rock. The ice had barely melted, suggesting he had been unconscious for only minutes. Yet when he checked the system reset countdown, he discovered it was already dawn. Nearly two hours had passed, yet the ice remained almost perfectly preserved.
He had merely used the fire palm—a technique naturally abundant in yang energy. What might happen if he channeled extreme yin through his ice palm technique? The potential seemed limitless.
Reality quickly tempered his enthusiasm, however. The divine ability exacted a tremendous cost—just seconds of use had rendered him unconscious for hours. How could such a technique be practically applied in combat if it left him completely vulnerable afterward?
Still, Xiang Yu refused to dismiss the ability as useless. He summoned his Abyssal Void Flame, watching as the dark energy materialized above his palm. During the yin-yang fusion process, he had gained unexpected insights into this flame’s composition. He now suspected it contained a dark element, or at least components of one.
A bold hypothesis formed in his mind: if he could extract this dark element, then use his new Yin-Yang Harmony divine ability to reverse it, couldn’t he potentially generate both light and dark elements? This would complete his elemental collection, granting him mastery over every fundamental energy.
His eyes narrowed with determination as he gazed into the swirling darkness of the flame.
"Well," he whispered to himself, "there’s only one way to find out..."
...
Author’s Corner:
I didn’t want to reveal a divine ability this early on. But when two extremes like these, which are kinda like fundamental rules, if i made them sacred grade, it would be a huge nerf and I’d have to adjust other aspects. It was better to just have it as a divine ability and remove the ability to advance. (the zero exp is not nerfing Xiang Yu, as he said, he lacks enough enlightenment to even get a single point. He was just lucky I guess)
What do you guys think? Did I cook or nah?