Chapter 57: Two Perfect Techniques (fixed)
[Enlightenment: Mid (1/2000)]
[Battle Instinct: (785/100,000)]
[Spirit Flame: Abyssal Void Flame: 7th Grade (184/30,000)]
[Mountain Heart Sutra: Level 1 (400/1000)]
The stats had increased modestly. Though not the most substantial growth, Xiang Yu felt satisfied, particularly with his Enlightenment gaining a single point. This meant he would have something to double after the system reset. Without anything to double, the system’s primary advantage would be wasted. Now he could breathe easier knowing progress had been made. As for the Mountain Heart Sutra itself, it had only increased by twenty points, likely because he’d devoted less time to it after spending two hours on his enlightenment breakthrough.
Xiang Yu stepped outside his dwelling and inhaled deeply, savoring the crisp morning air that filled his lungs. Truly refreshing. He made his way to the nearby river, eager to wash away the sweat and fatigue from yesterday’s training and begin the day anew. After he was done, he headed to the training grounds where Li Yao awaited.
They exchanged customary greetings before assuming their sparring positions. This time, however, Xiang Yu didn’t reach for his knife as usual—instead, he drew his sword. This deliberate change came because his knife technique had already reached perfection, and practicing it further would be pointless, he noted that it didn’t even show a progress bar anymore. It made more sense to focus on advancing his sword skills.
"Not using the knife anymore?" Li Yao asked, visibly surprised by the deviation from his established routine. She had grown accustomed to Xiang Yu’s training regimen: knife practice in the morning followed by sword work in the evening.
"My knife technique reached the perfect level yesterday, so I’ll focus on the sword instead," he explained matter-of-factly.
Upon hearing this, Li Yao’s eyes widened momentarily before she composed herself. "As expected of Senior Brother," she murmured with acceptance.
Without further ceremony, the two began their sparring session. As their weapons clashed, Xiang Yu contemplated his next move in cultivation. Now that he had mastered one technique to perfection, he could finally approach Martial Aunt Huang for more teachings. What technique should he request next?
Lost in these thoughts, he narrowly parried another of Li Yao’s strikes, stepping backward to create distance between them. Li Yao, ever persistent, pressed her advantage and surged forward. But Xiang Yu had anticipated this response. When she expected him to dodge as usual, he instead charged forward to meet her, employing the enhanced speed granted by his Phantom Footwork technique.
The unexpected counter startled Li Yao, disrupting her rhythm. Uncertain how to respond, she instinctively closed her eyes, bracing herself for the impact of his strike. Instead, she felt a gentle flick against her forehead.
"Aw!" she exclaimed, eyes flying open to find Xiang Yu smiling down at her.
"Don’t close your eyes in battle," he admonished, echoing the very advice she had once given him.
Li Yao’s lips formed a small pout as she realized her senior brother had grown stronger and was now confident enough to tease her during training. As they reset their stances to continue, Li Yao’s expression grew serious. She would not let him bully her again. She channeled her power, escalating to the Body Refining 9th layer.
...
After releasing her 9th layer of Body Refining, Li Yao felt a remarkable lightness throughout her body. The channeled power transformed her movements, making her feel weightless yet powerful. She was finally fighting Xiang Yu with genuine pressure, though not completely overwhelming him as she once could. For that level of dominance, she would need to unleash even more of her strength.
Xiang Yu swung his sword with precision, the blade meeting Li Yao’s with a metallic clash that sent sparks dancing through the air. Recognizing his disadvantage in raw strength, he activated his newly improved Phantom Footwork, executing a smooth sidestep intended to let Li Yao’s momentum carry her forward unbalanced.
But Li Yao was no ordinary opponent. Instead of tumbling as he anticipated, she gracefully redirected her sword’s tip downward, using the blade as a pivot point. In one fluid motion, she performed an acrobatic flip over the sword, landing with perfect balance on the opposite side before immediately creating distance with a controlled backstep.
Li Yao caught her breath as she observed her senior brother preparing his next sword form. A mixture of admiration and competitive spirit flickered in her eyes. Senior Brother is truly remarkable , she thought. Sparring with him now created genuine pressure that forced her to maintain peak vigilance and performance. The sensation he gave her was the same as the one she got when in front of the old man. And her senior brother had achieved it in such a short time, it was really impressive.
He had evolved from someone she could effortlessly overwhelm to an opponent who generated this formidable battle pressure. More surprisingly, their roles had somehow reversed. Where once she had been his teacher, she now found herself learning from him, particularly in battle awareness. His exponential growth had turned their sparring sessions into mutual cultivation opportunities.
As Xiang Yu exchanged blows with his junior sister, he marveled at how the Iron Body technique had transformed his durability. Strikes that would have previously sent him sprawling he could now withstand with minimal effort. Though absorbing too many consecutive hits might still prove problematic , he thought, nimbly dodging another powerful strike from Li Yao.
His progress was undeniable. Before, even when Li Yao deliberately held back, he had struggled to keep pace, constantly finding himself knocked to the ground. Now he maintained his footing against her at what appeared to be comparable cultivation levels. The realization brought an internal chuckle. Could it be that I’m also a genius? The thought emerged unbidden, but he quickly dismissed it as foolishness.
A darker possibility suddenly occurred to him: what if Li Yao was still operating at a lower level of Body Refining than his current sixth layer? Since he couldn’t sense cultivation levels within the Body Refining realm, and she likely couldn’t either, there was no way to know for certain. He suspected she avoided inquiring about his level out of respect for his privacy, just as she concealed her true capabilities.
This train of thought led him to a practical concern about his system. Why don’t I have some sort of appraisal ability? he wondered. What if I encounter some invincible expert playing pig to eat the tiger? I’d be finished before I realized the danger.
Just as these worries clouded his mind, his consciousness abruptly shifted. The training ground vanished, replaced by a strange, ethereal space. Within this void, he saw a reflection of himself, sword in hand. With deliberate calm, his reflection lifted the blade and executed a single, perfect downward slash—a movement of absolute purity, devoid of hesitation or unnecessary motion.
When awareness returned to his physical body, he found himself effortlessly parrying an incoming attack from Li Yao, the movement identical to the vision he had just witnessed.
"Senior brother, you..." Li Yao began, her voice trailing off in astonishment.
A rare, genuine smile spread across Xiang Yu’s face. "I’ve reached perfect stage in my sword technique," he announced, unable to contain his joy. He hadn’t expected to achieve perfection through his own comprehension rather than the system’s doubling.
As if responding to his achievement, something unprecedented occurred. Without being summoned, a system notification materialized before him—the first time the system had appeared unsummoned outside the reset period.
[Ding! New system function unlocked]