Chapter 54: Mind And Soul Nourishing Food
[Enlightenment: Low (435/1000) (+3/1000)]
[Battle Instinct: (195/100,000) (+3/100,000)]
[Spirit Flame: Abyssal Void Flame: 7th Grade (45/30,000) (+1/30,000)]
[Mountain Heart Sutra: Level 1 (80/1000) (+20/1000)]
[Mountain Heart Scripture: 5th Layer (117/500) (+52/500)]
[Mid-grade Phantom Footwork: Beginner (70/100) (+30/100)]
[Low-grade Iron Body Technique: Completion (100/500) (+100/500)]
[Basic Knife Technique: Great Completion (200/1000) (+100/1000)]
[Basic Sword Technique: Great Completion (120/1000) (+120/1000)]
[Cook: 8th Grade (57/200) (+5/200)]
[Experience Points Doubled]
[Cook: 8th Grade (57/200) → 8th Grade (114/200)]
[Basic Sword Technique: Great Completion (120/1000) → Great Completion (240/1000)]
[Basic Knife Technique: Great Completion (200/1000) → Great Completion (400/1000)]
[Low-grade Iron Body Technique: Completion (100/500) → Completion (200/500)]
[Mid-grade Phantom Footwork: Beginner (70/100) → Minor Success (0/200)]
[Mountain Heart Scripture: 5th Layer (117/500) → 5th Layer (234/500)]
[Mountain Heart Sutra: Level 1 (80/1000) → Level 1 (160/1000)]
[Spirit Flame: Abyssal Void Flame: 7th Grade (45/30,000) → 7th Grade (90/30,000)]
[Battle Instinct: (195/100,000) → (390/100,000)]
[Enlightenment: Low (435/1000) → Low (870/1000)]
As usual, Xiang Yu braced himself for the enlightenment increase. When it hit, his mind exploded with an intense wave of insights washing through his consciousness. Insights into various techniques flooded in—not just isolated understanding, but intricate connections between them, revealing combinations and applications he’d never considered before.
Though the sensation was magnitudes more intense than previous experiences, it didn’t last as long as he’d anticipated. His earlier practice with the Mountain Heart Sutra had apparently strengthened his mental capacity; he could now contain this torrent of understanding, though just barely. The enlightenment wave pulsed in diminishing waves until it finally subsided completely.
Xiang Yu heaved a sigh of relief as he examined his status. Looking at the numbers, he realized his next doubling would finally transform his natural talent from Low to Mid—crossing a threshold that many cultivators never achieved in their lifetime. Though it appeared to be a mere 200-point gap, it represented a fundamental transformation of his potential. For others, this barrier might be insurmountable, but his system guaranteed the breakthrough.
The next wave brought insights into cooking—new recipes materialized in his mind alongside techniques for manipulating spirit flames with greater precision. He even glimpsed special recipes designed to assist with cultivation breakthroughs, dishes that could nourish the mind and soul. These were merely rudimentary fragments though, he guessed they were hints of what seventh-grade cooking might entail. His current skill had already passed the halfway point, virtually guaranteeing advancement to seventh grade after the next reset.
His battle intent had seen a remarkable jump, climbing to nearly 400 points. Before, he could already predict Li Yao’s attacks with impressive accuracy, but now that this attribute had doubled, he wondered if he might genuinely glimpse the future during combat. He set this speculation aside for the moment—he would discover the full extent of these enhancements in actual battle.
Turning his attention to his spirit flame, he noted it had almost reached the hundred-point mark. Strangely, he couldn’t detect any dramatic changes beyond improved control. The Abyssal Void Flame no longer felt foreign to him—it responded to his will with increasing fluidity. Perhaps significant transformations would only manifest when the flame advanced in rank.
Yesterday’s enlightenment increase had catalyzed major improvements across his techniques. His knife proficiency had increased by 100 points, sword by 120, and iron body technique by another hundred. The phantom footwork had improved more modestly, gaining only 30 points—unsurprising for a mid-level technique. After doubling, it had broken through to the Minor Success stage. Though he couldn’t test it immediately, he sensed a fundamental transformation in the technique and made a mental note to explore these changes during tomorrow’s practice.
His scriptures showed substantial progress. The Mountain Heart Sutra had improved dramatically, already reaching the hundreds. The Mountain Heart Scripture had advanced even further—with both sword and knife techniques at Great Completion, they had contributed a combined 22 points to the scripture even with the 10-to-1 conversion rate. After doubling, the scripture stood just shy of the halfway mark. He expected to make up the difference during tomorrow’s training, which would advance him to the sixth layer of Body Refining after reset.
Though his progress seemed to accelerate, he couldn’t help but feel concerned about an imminent slowdown. Once he reached the sixth layer, he wouldn’t be able to translate experience efficiently from his current techniques.
Feeling satisfied nonetheless with his advancement, he summoned his complete status screen:
...
[Name: Xiang Yu]
[Realm: Body: 5th Layer; Mind: Level 1]]
[Species: Human]
[Spiritual Root: null]
[Enlightenment: Low (870/1000)]
[Battle Instinct: (390/100,000)]
[Spirit Flame: Abyssal Void Flame: 7th Grade (90/30,000)]
[Professions: Cook: 8th Grade (114/200)]
[Techniques: Mid-grade Phantom Footwork: Minor Success (0/200); Low-grade Iron Body Technique: Completion (200/500); Basic Knife Technique: Great Completion (400/1000); Basic Sword Technique: Great Completion (240/1000)]
[Scriptures: Mountain Heart Scripture: 5th Layer (266/500); Mountain Heart Sutra: Level 1 (160/1000)]
[System Function: Double Exp (Cooldown: 24hrs)]
Examining the numbers closely, Xiang Yu realized something he’d almost overlooked—his doubled knife and sword techniques had already transferred their experience to the Mountain Heart Scripture. The two weapon techniques had contributed a combined total of 32 points, pushing the scripture’s total to 266—well beyond the halfway mark. This guaranteed his breakthrough to the sixth layer of Body Refining after tomorrow’s doubling.
A rare smile of satisfaction crossed his face as he studied his progress, particularly in the attributes that had proven most resistant to conventional training methods. His enlightenment approached the threshold for advancement to Mid level, his battle instinct had surged to nearly four hundred points, and his spirit flame steadily climbed toward its first hundred.
Much of this accelerated growth could be attributed to the Mountain Heart Sutra—a technique that initially seemed dangerous had proven invaluable to his exponential advancement. Speaking of which, it was time for his nightly practice.
Xiang Yu settled into his meditation posture, back perfectly straight, hands resting lightly on his knees. As he regulated his breathing and focused his mind, the transition happened instantly—his consciousness pulled into his spiritual sea without the gradual detachment he’d experienced in earlier sessions.
Within this internal void, he noticed the illuminated radius around him had expanded significantly. The darkness receded further with each practice session, replaced by that gentle ambient light that seemed to emanate from the void itself. Though he still hadn’t discovered how to utilize this phenomenon, he sensed its importance to his future cultivation. For now, he would continue cultivating patiently, trusting that understanding would come in due time.