Chapter 111: EXP Farming [PART 1]
Xiang Yu’s eyes widened as he observed the status screen. The transformation had yielded exactly what he’d hoped for:
[Spiritual Root: Medium-Grade Omni-Element (10/2000)]
Just as he’d suspected, the Chaos Body had triggered another improvement in his spiritual root. When he first acquired the Transcendent Dao Physique, he’d gained a spiritual root where none had existed before. Now, with this second physique, his cultivation potential had increased yet again.
He took a deep breath, tempering his excitement with rational analysis. While this was undoubtedly progress, he recognized its limitations. This improvement could only elevate him to high-grade status eventually. If he wished to advance beyond that threshold, would he need to somehow acquire yet another physique? This wouldn’t be sustainable.
"I need to focus on my secondary professions as planned," he reminded himself. It was the clearest path forward. By improving his pill refining, he could eventually create pills capable of enhancing his spiritual root directly, bypassing the need for additional physiques.
Xiang Yu committed himself to grinding experience points across his various professions. He began with talisman making, eager to test the new formulas he’d acquired during the last system reset.
He crafted explosion talismans of the eighth grade—nearly fifty of them in succession. The process flowed more naturally now, each talisman requiring less concentration than before. He then diversified his production, creating barrier talismans, water prison talismans, wind burst talismans, qi dispersion talismans, tremor talismans, and many more.
Though each variant offered unique tactical advantages, Xiang Yu still preferred the OG explosion talismans. Their straightforward destructive power held an undeniable appeal. Nevertheless, he crafted substantial quantities of each type, knowing they weren’t solely for his personal use.
Now that he had been recognized as a secondary professionist, with his Martial Aunt investing resources in him, he need to show tangible results, he thought. Most of these talismans would be submitted to the sect, strengthening their collective power rather than just his individual capabilities.
Xiang Yu didn’t mind this at all. In fact, he was all for it. He had never been one to enjoy combat. If he could provide weapons for others to handle the fighting, that would be ideal. His survival-focused mindset remained unchanged despite his growing power.
After completing his talisman production, Xiang Yu shifted his attention to alchemy. Between the abundant herbs growing in the spirit vein cavern and those provided by his martial aunt, his resources seemed practically limitless.
With focus, he refined an impressive array of ninth-grade pills: qi condensation pills, minor healing pills, qi circulation pills, basic poison resistance pills, minor strengthening pills, and various others. The diversity available even at this lowest grade surprised him.
Though he encountered several failures, his success rate hovered around thirty percent—remarkably high compared to the typical ten percent achieved by most ninth-grade alchemists. He attributed this efficiency to his superior enlightenment and elevated mind level. He was confident that he could increase his success rate further as long as he improved these aspects.
Having little personal use for these pills, Xiang Yu stored them carefully, planning to deliver them to his junior sister upon her return. They would serve the sect’s broader needs.
When he was done, he realized that it was already late. Dinner time had arrived, yet he’d been completely absorbed in his craft. He departed the spirit vein and prepared a meal, though no one appeared to share it. While he understood his junior sister and martial aunt’s absence due to pressing sect matters, his master’s absence concerned him.
Extending his qi sense toward his master’s quarters, Xiang Yu detected Elder Guo’s aura—still vibrant and steadily rising. Not wishing to disrupt the delicate process, he quickly withdrew his perception.
"He’s building his foundation," Xiang Yu realized with genuine admiration. Two days after losing his cultivation completely, he was already building a foundation—truly a genius. Though abundant resources had certainly facilitated this rapid recovery, the achievement remained remarkable.
After finishing his solitary meal, Xiang Yu returned to the spirit vein, channeling his energy into crafting formations and weapons for sect disciples. Having completed numerous items, he stored them alongside his previous creations. Like the talismans and pills, these items would primarily benefit the sect rather than himself, their current quality being of limited personal value.
Exhaling loudly as he surveyed his day’s production, a wry smile crossed his face. "I hope they won’t call me lazy," he thought. "I’ve probably contributed more to the sect today than their entire GDP."
...
He glanced at the time, noticing only two hours remained until system reset. These precious moments had been deliberately reserved for something far more ambitious than mere crafting.
His gaze drifted to the spirit spring where the boar continued floating aimlessly, showing no signs of qi absorption. But the animal’s progress—or lack thereof—wasn’t his concern now. What truly interested him was that the spring had completely replenished its energy since his last use.
A calculating smile spread across Xiang Yu’s face as he retrieved several pills from his spatial ring. These weren’t the ninth-grade remedies he’d just refined but the superior eighth-grade healing pills claimed from the Core Formation expert—ten remained of his original stock.
He removed his clothing and slipped into the multicolored waters of the spirit spring. The familiar tingling sensation of spiritual energy caressing his skin barely registered as his mind focused entirely on what was to come.
"Time for bloodline training," he whispered to himself, steeling his nerves for the agony he was about to endure.
After settling into a comfortable position, Xiang Yu turned his awareness inward, conducting a final assessment of his internal landscape. The dragon and phoenix bloodlines rested peacefully in their respective territories.
Taking a deep breath, he gritted his teeth and released his control.
The effect was instantaneous. Like two ancient enemies spotting each other across a battlefield, the bloodlines surged from their designated regions with predatory intent. There was no gradual escalation, no warning growls or circling—it was on sight.
Xiang Yu’s face contorted as the warring essences collided within him. Their battle lines crisscrossed through his organs, leaving catastrophic damage in their wake. His spleen ruptured first, followed quickly by his liver and one kidney. Blood vessels shredded beneath the onslaught, flooding his abdomen with internal bleeding.
On the surface, his skin began to crack like parched earth, crimson lines appearing across his arms and chest as the conflict manifested externally. Yet through this excruciating pain, Xiang Yu maintained his resolve. He had to endure, this was an investment in future strength.
"Let them fight," he thought grimly, swallowing one of the healing pills.
His body worked frantically to repair itself—the Transcendent Dao Physique and phoenix bloodline’s regenerative properties laboring alongside the spirit spring’s restorative energy. When even these combined forces struggled to keep pace with the devastation, he supplemented them with healing pills, consuming them at carefully timed intervals to maximize efficiency.
The process continued relentlessly as minutes stretched into hours. For Xiang Yu, however, time lost all meaning, dissolved in an ocean of torment. Each second extended into what felt like years of unbearable agony. Blood seeped from his eyes as capillaries ruptured beneath the strain.
Several times his consciousness wavered, tempting him to abandon this self-imposed torture. Each time, he forced himself to endure. "Just one more minute," he promised himself repeatedly, even as his vision dimmed and his lungs struggled to draw breath through damaged tissues.
Finally, when he teetered at the very precipice of his endurance, the familiar notification appeared before him:
[Calculating Settlement]