Chapter 40: One’s Nature
As usual, the first sensation to wash over Xiang Yu was his enlightenment doubling. The experience grew more intense with each cycle, a cascade of revelations flooding his consciousness like a mental tidal wave. New insights materialized within his mind, connections forming between concepts he’d previously seen as disparate. The sensation persisted, a symphony of understanding playing throughout his awareness before gradually subsiding into a contented hum.
Following this was the doubling of his cooking experience. Culinary knowledge blossomed in his mind—flavor combinations, heat control techniques, ingredient preparations he hadn’t considered before. The insights arrived like scattered puzzle pieces slotting perfectly into place, enhancing his already considerable skill. When the feeling suddenly seized, he recognized that his cooking abilities teetered on the precipice of advancement. Though slightly disappointed he couldn’t immediately cross this threshold, he accepted that the next doubling would likely trigger this breakthrough.
Shifting his awareness to battle instinct, Xiang Yu noted with mild frustration that the day’s rigorous training had also yielded no perceptible improvement to the stat. The metric remained stubborn, resisting conventional advancement methods. Still, he took comfort in his system’s inevitable progression—even without personal improvement, the doubling effect didn’t let him down.
His attention moved to the Mountain Heart Scripture. While it had accumulated additional points, they hardly mattered given its position past the halfway mark. More significantly, the system’s doubling had propelled him beyond the threshold, breaking through to the scripture’s fourth layer. This advancement corresponded directly to his body cultivation, elevating him to the Body Refining 4th Layer. He could feel newfound strength coursing through his muscles and bones, though he couldn’t tell by how much exactly his strength had increased, he knew that he was still leagues behind his prodigious junior sister. The gap between them remained a chasm, albeit a slightly narrower one.
Examining his other techniques, he noted the Iron Body had likewise crossed its halfway point. After doubling, it had advanced to the Intermediate stage, with immediate physical manifestations. His skin had hardened perceptibly—not quite achieving genuine iron-like properties, but impressive nonetheless. Running his fingers across his forearm, he could feel the subtle difference.
His knife technique had improved by twenty points—less than usual, but expected given its recent advancement to Completion stage. As cultivators often noted, mastering a technique through the Beginner to Completion stages represented only the foundation. Beyond that lay the arduous path of refinement and perfection, where progress naturally slowed.
Meanwhile, his sword technique, already beyond its halfway mark, had leaped forward to Major Success after doubling. The rapid advancement didn’t surprise him—the shared principles between knife and sword techniques created a natural synergy, allowing insights from one to accelerate progress in the other.
As for the mid-grade movement technique, Xiang Yu had yet to make concrete progress, though he sensed he was drawing closer to comprehension. A few more cycles of Enlightenment doubling might finally grant him the breakthrough needed to grasp this elusive skill.
After meticulously examining the day’s improvements, Xiang Yu called up his complete status:
[Name: Xiang Yu]
[Realm: Body Refining 4th Layer]
[Species: Human]
[Spiritual Root: null]
[Enlightenment: Low (24/1000)]
[Battle Instinct: (8/100,000)]
[Professions: Cook: 9th Grade (90/100)]
[Techniques: Low-grade Iron Body Technique: Intermediate (0/300); Basic Knife Technique: Completion (40/500); Basic Sword Technique: Major Success (0/400)]
[Scriptures: Mountain Heart Scripture: 4th Layer (2/400)]
[System Function: Double Exp (Cooldown: 24hrs)]
First, he observed that the scripture’s exchange rate had reverted to ten-to-one—not ideal, but at least there was measurable progress. Turning his attention to his techniques, he noted both Iron Body and Sword techniques had reset to zero after their respective advancements. The Iron Body technique caused him little concern; he could continue developing it passively by wearing weighted clothing during his daily activities.
The sword technique, however, required more deliberate consideration. With both sword and knife techniques needing substantial development, he briefly contemplated dividing his training day between the two weapons as he had previously. But after careful deliberation, he decided against this approach. While effective for accelerating progress, weapon-switching disrupted his momentum, making him achieve less in both techniques. Better to dedicate the entire day to sword training, allowing complete focus and deeper immersion. The knife technique already possessed a foundation for doubling, so this approach wouldn’t significantly impede his overall advancement.
With his training strategy settled, Xiang Yu closed his eyes, mentally preparing for tomorrow’s intensive sword practice.
...
In her chamber, Li Yao sat in a lotus position as she immersed herself in cultivation. Visible tendrils of qi swirled through the air around her, luminous wisps spiraling toward her body before being absorbed. The ethereal energy flowed into her meridians, circulating through her pathways before finally settling in her core, enriching the concentrated power stored there.
This rhythmic dance of energy continued uninterrupted throughout the night, the soft glow of qi illuminating her serene features as she remained utterly still, lost in meditative communion with the world’s essence. Only when morning light filtered through her window did she finally stir, her eyes opening with measured control.
Li Yao rose gracefully, stretching muscles that had remained motionless for hours. She reached for her weapon with practiced familiarity, her fingers wrapping around the hilt with anticipation. The sparring sessions with her senior brother had become a highlight of her daily routine—especially now that he displayed such remarkable progression. Each day brought noticeable improvements, as if he transformed overnight. She found herself genuinely curious about how much he might have advanced since yesterday’s training.
When they met at their usual training ground, Li Yao immediately noticed the sword in Xiang Yu’s grip rather than the knife he’d used the day before.
"So it’s the sword today," she thought with interest as she charged forward, her own blade describing a deadly arc through the morning air.
From his private chamber overlooking the training grounds, Elder Guo observed his disciples with pride. The elder stroked his long beard contemplatively, his experienced eyes narrowing as he tracked Xiang Yu’s movements. Was he seeing correctly? The boy’s swordsmanship displayed signs of having reached the Major Success stage.
The elder shook his head in quiet amazement. Xiang Yu had begun practicing the sword technique mere days ago, yet his progress defied conventional expectations. Perhaps his junior sister wasn’t merely indulging in fanciful theories—the boy might indeed possess the potential to unlock that ancient physique she was so enthusiastic about.
As the sparring intensified, Elder Guo noted another promising development. Xiang Yu’s battle awareness had notably sharpened, his defensive movements and positioning reflecting growing tactical acumen. With each passing day, he seemed to embody more qualities of a true fighter, his instincts refining themselves through these repeated encounters.
Yet one disappointing trait persisted. Even when presented with clear counterattack opportunities, Xiang Yu remained reluctant to press his advantage, preferring defensive maneuvers over offensive strikes. The elder sighed deeply—it seemed the disciple’s cautious, some might say cowardly, nature remained deeply ingrained, resistant to change despite his technical improvements.
With a subtle gesture, Elder Guo reached toward his spatial ring. A flash of light preceded the appearance of a weathered manual in his palm, its edges frayed and its cover worn by the passage of countless years.
"It seems I’ll have to use this," he thought, examining the ancient text with contemplative eyes. "I don’t know if the boy can learn it though."