Chapter 38: Completion
The wave of enlightenment crashed over Xiang Yu like a tsunami, flooding his mind with newfound understanding. His techniques, once murky waters, now seemed crystalline in their clarity. The doubling effect had granted him six additional points—a small number on paper, but the sensation was overwhelming. Xiang Yu exhaled slowly, deliberately, trying to steady himself against the mental tide.
If this is what six points feels like, he pondered, what will happen when it doubles again? The thought both thrilled and terrified him.
He mentally shifted focus to his battle instinct, noting with slight disappointment that it remained unchanged. Increasing this attribute clearly required more than diligent practice. Still, Xiang Yu’s lips curved into a small smile. With his system’s exponential growth, even the most stubborn stats would eventually yield. Time was on his side.
His culinary insights had blossomed unexpectedly, new cooking techniques and flavor combinations materializing in his mind like perfectly timed inspirations. Tomorrow would be an excellent opportunity to test these revelations in the kitchen.
Turning his attention to the Mountain Heart Scripture, Xiang Yu noted the improvement. The scripture had gained 32 points total, with 20 being new growth beyond the previous 12. An impressive achievement considering this represented pure bodily cultivation without the knife technique’s conversion assistance.
Speaking of which, his knife technique had transcended expectations, breaking through to the completion stage after settlement. His path forward was clear: beyond Completion lay Great Completion, followed by Perfect mastery. Each milestone now seemed within reach rather than distant fantasies.
His other techniques showed equally promising development. The sword technique had surpassed its halfway mark and would soon breakthrough to major success after the next reset. Similarly, the iron body technique was progressing steadily through minor success, poised to reach the intermediate stage after the next settlement. The mid-grade technique remained elusive, but Xiang Yu could sense his grasp of it strengthening daily.
A pattern had emerged regarding the Mountain Heart Scripture’s experience translation. Practicing the intermediate sword technique hadn’t contributed any experience conversion, confirming Xiang Yu’s suspicion about limitations. He theorized the exchange rates followed specific rules: an intermediate technique could supply experience to the first layer at a 5:1 rate and the second layer at 10:1, but proved useless for the third layer and beyond.
This pattern extended across realms. Major success techniques would offer a 1:1 exchange for the first layer, 5:1 for the second, 10:1 for the third, and nothing beyond. With his knife technique now at completion stage, it would likely provide third-layer experience at a 5:1 rate, then 10:1 when he finally broke through to the fourth layer. After that, it would become obsolete until he achieved Great Completion.
Xiang Yu sighed, realizing his system exploitation had limits after all. No perfect loopholes existed, even in this strange cultivation world. The endless calculations were beginning to wear on him. His eyelids grew heavy as mental fatigue set in. These complex theorizations could wait until tomorrow. For now, rest called to him like a siren song impossible to resist.
[Name: Xiang Yu]
[Realm: Body Refining 3rd Layer]
[Species: Human]
[Spiritual Root: null]
[Enlightenment: Low (12/1000)]
[Battle Instinct: (4/100,000)]
[Professions: Cook: 9th Grade (40/100)]
[Techniques: Low-grade Iron Body Technique: Minor Success (100/200); Basic Knife Technique: Completion (0/500); Basic Sword Technique: Intermediate (200/300)]
[Scriptures: Mountain Heart Scripture: 3rd Layer (160/300)]
[System Function: Double Exp (Cooldown: 24hrs)]
...
As dawn painted the mountain with gentle brushstrokes of amber and gold, Xiang Yu rose from his bed made of leaves with practiced discipline. His first action, now habitual, was checking his status. The knife technique’s progress bar had reset to zero while his other techniques remained untouched. This observation shaped his day’s focus—the knife technique demanded priority. The sword technique had already progressed halfway to breakthrough, meaning it wouldn’t matter whether or not he practiced it.
Decision made, Xiang Yu gripped his knife with renewed purpose. The weapon felt like an extension of his arm now, familiar and responsive. He settled into his stance, feet planted firmly on the training ground’s worn soil, body aligned with practiced precision. Each movement, each breath synchronized with an efficiency that hadn’t existed mere weeks ago.
Across the training yard, Li Yao observed her senior brother with analytical eyes. "So it’s the knife today?" she thought, her gaze tracing the clean lines of his form. There was something different about him—his knife stance possessed a confidence and stability she hadn’t noticed before. Unlike his sword technique, which still showed hints of newness, his knife work existed in another realm entirely.
His posture spoke volumes about his progress. The way he balanced his weight, the angle of his wrist, the measured tension in his shoulders—all indicators of someone who had transcended mere practice. "Has he already reached Completion stage?" she wondered.
[He has indeed reached Completion] the Empress’s voice confirmed in her mind, startling Li Yao. She hadn’t expected her idle speculation to be correct. The realization settled on her shoulders—her lazy, seemingly talentless senior brother really possessed a comprehension ability rivaling her own extraordinary talents.
But it wasn’t just his technical mastery that had evolved. His battle awareness had transformed overnight. Where yesterday’s Xiang Yu had shown promising vigilance, today’s version seemed hyper aware of every potential threat. His eyes tracked Li Yao’s movements with predatory focus, already anticipating attack vectors before she committed to them.
As her hand moved toward her sword hilt, she noticed his gaze following not just her hand but projecting the blade’s future path through the air. A knowing smile touched her lips. He wasn’t just a technical genius—he possessed combat intuition that couldn’t be taught.
With fluid grace, Li Yao drew her sword and launched into an attack sequence, her blade cutting through the morning air with deadly precision. Despite Xiang Yu’s improved awareness, his physical capabilities remained those of a third-layer Body Refinement cultivator. His mind recognized the danger, but his body could barely respond in time. He twisted awkwardly, the sword missing vital points by mere inches.
And so their sparring began—a dance between her overwhelming power and his growing understanding, between her lifelong talent and his exponential improvement. Steel flashed against steel in the rising sunlight, each exchange a lesson written in sweat and determination.