Chapter 55: Mid Level Enlightenment
Xiang Yu maintained his deep meditation until the first light of dawn crept through his window. As consciousness flowed back into his physical form, his eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the gentle illumination of early morning. Golden rays had just begun to stretch across the horizon, painting the edges of his simple room with warm hues. With practiced mental focus, he summoned his system interface to assess his overnight progress:
[Enlightenment: Low (871/1000)]
[Battle Instinct: (392/100,000)]
[Spirit Flame: Abyssal Void Flame: 7th Grade (91/30,000)]
[Mountain Heart Sutra: Level 1 (190/1000)]
His enlightenment and battle instinct were proving increasingly resistant to improvement, yet even this gradual progression impressed him. Most cultivators would struggle to advance these attributes at all, particularly at such high levels. With enlightenment already well beyond its halfway point, he felt little concern about its slower pace—the inevitable breakthrough to Mid level was virtually guaranteed.
His battle instinct continued its steady climb toward the thousands, a milestone that would transform his combat capabilities in ways he could scarcely imagine. The Abyssal Void Flame showed modest improvement as well, but he didnt think much of it as he could enhance it later during his daily cooking sessions.
Most striking was the Mountain Heart Sutra’s thirty-point increase—a remarkable achievement for a single night’s practice.
Satisfied with his progress, Xiang Yu rose from his meditation posture. His muscles had remained motionless for hours, yet he felt no stiffness or discomfort. Still, he performed a series of deliberate stretches, preparing his body for the rigorous training ahead. Once properly loosened, he departed for the familiar training ground.
The two disciples arrived simultaneously, exchanging brief morning greetings before drawing their weapons.
As they settled into their respective stances, Li Yao felt a palpable wave of pressure emanating from her senior brother. His battle intent had intensified overnight, creating an almost physical force that pushed against her senses. But something else caught her attention—a subtle quality in his knife technique that hadn’t been present before. It was the feeling of perfection.
Li Yao couldn’t help but marvel at his progress. Though he wasnt there yet, she could feel that her senior brother was about to perfect a technique.
Their weapons clashed in a deadly dance of steel, each strike and parry flowing with increased precision. As they sparred, Xiang Yu found himself puzzled. Despite his battle intent doubling overnight, he hadn’t experienced the dramatic enhancement he’d anticipated. Where was the precognition he’d hoped might manifest? The ability to glimpse future attacks before they occurred?
He deflected another of Li Yao’s lightning-fast strikes, his mind analyzing possible explanations. Perhaps his cultivation level remained too low to fully harness his battle intent’s potential? The attribute itself might be advancing normally, but his physical form and spiritual foundation couldn’t fully express its capabilities yet. This theory made sense—many cultivation attributes only revealed their true power once the practitioner reached appropriate realms.
Still, even without precognition, his combat awareness continued to sharpen. Prediction lines formed with greater clarity in his mind, his responses becoming more fluid, more instinctive with each exchange. Though he couldn’t yet access battle intent’s full potential, its benefits remained substantial and immediate.
They continued their rigorous practice until the sun reached its zenith, signaling the lunch hour’s arrival. Both disciples lowered their weapons simultaneously, acknowledging the time to replenish their energies had come.
...
After savoring the delicious spirit-infused lunch that Xiang Yu had prepared—a meal that rejuvenated their bodies and replenished their qi—the two disciples returned to the training ground with renewed vigor. The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the worn earth as they resumed their relentless sparring, steel meeting steel in a symphony of controlled violence. Hours melted away beneath the azure sky until evening descended, prompting another brief respite for dinner.
When they emerged once more into the moonlit training area, Xiang Yu made his customary switch from knife to sword. As the gleaming blade settled comfortably in his grip, when he held the sword, he noticed something remarkable—his swordsmanship no longer lagged significantly behind his knife technique. Usually, when he wielded the sword, he would feel the slight difference in mastery between the two.
But now each movement flowed with similar precision, each strike carrying comparable intent. While his extraordinary battle awareness certainly contributed to this balance, the true cause was simpler: his sword technique had genuinely caught up to his knife mastery.
Across the training ground, Li Yao observed this transformation with widening eyes. The same subtle quality she’d sensed in his knife work now emanated from his sword form, though slightly fainter—a sense of harmony that approached true perfection. A realization struck her: her senior brother was on the verge of perfecting not one but two combat techniques simultaneously.
With such mastery coupled with his uncanny battle awareness, she guessed that her senior brother would probably be invincible below the Qi Refining realm—unless his opponent was one those rare monsters who had cultivated Body Refining to extraordinary heights.
The two continued their rigorous practice until midnight finally compelled them to part ways. Alone in his quarters, Xiang Yu settled onto his simple bed, observing the day’s progress:
[Enlightenment: Low (871/1000) (+1/1000)]
[Battle Instinct: (392/100,000) (+2/100,000)]
[Spirit Flame: Abyssal Void Flame: 7th Grade (91/30,000) (+1/30,000)]
[Mountain Heart Sutra: Level 1 (190/1000) (+30/1000)]
[Mountain Heart Scripture: 5th Layer (318/500) (+84/500)]
[Mid-grade Phantom Footwork: Minor Success (40/200) (+40/200)]
[Low-grade Iron Body Technique: Completion (300/500) (+100/500)]
[Basic Knife Technique: Great Completion (500/1000) (+100/1000)]
[Basic Sword Technique: Great Completion (360/1000) (+120/1000)]
[Cook: 8th Grade (118/200) (+4/200)]
[Experience Points Doubled]
[Cook: 8th Grade (118/200) → 7th Grade (0/300)]
[Basic Sword Technique: Great Completion (360/1000) → Great Completion (720/1000)]
[Basic Knife Technique: Great Completion (500/1000) → Perfect]
[Low-grade Iron Body Technique: Completion (300/500) → Great Completion (0/1000)]
[Mid-grade Phantom Footwork: Minor Success (40/200) → Minor Success (80/200)]
[Mountain Heart Scripture: 5th Layer (318/500) → 6th Layer (0/600)]
[Mountain Heart Sutra: Level 1 (190/1000) → Level 1 (380/1000)]
[Spirit Flame: Abyssal Void Flame: 7th Grade (91/30,000) → 7th Grade (182/30,000)]
[Battle Instinct: (392/100,000) → (784/100,000)]
[Enlightenment: Low (871/1000) → Mid (0/2000)]