Chapter 7: Seeking Guidance
The first rays of dawn crept over the horizon as Xiang Yu's eyes snapped open. His body had adapted to this new rhythm, waking him before the mountain mist had fully dissipated. Without hesitation, he rose from his humble bed of dried leaves, muscles no longer protesting after days of relentless training.
The cool morning air kissed his skin as he made his way to the familiar training ground, practice knife already in hand. His movements had evolved dramatically since that first awkward day—each swing now carried intention, each stance flowed naturally into the next. The wooden blade cut through the air with precision that would have been unimaginable just days earlier.
From her concealed perch in a nearby tree, Li Yao observed his practice with undisguised fascination. She had made this morning vigil part of her routine, watching her senior brother's transformation with a mixture of pride and curiosity. The lazy, unmotivated young man she had known seemed to have vanished overnight, replaced by this dedicated cultivator who pushed himself beyond ordinary limits.
As the sun climbed higher, casting dappled shadows through the forest canopy, Xiang Yu noticed something troubling. His movements, while more refined than yesterday's, yielded diminishing returns. The technique that had once felt like a steep mountain to climb now presented subtler challenges—plateaus of understanding that required increasingly focused effort to overcome. The more he improved, the harder it was to improve further.
Yet where others might have grown frustrated, Xiang Yu saw only logical progression. Of course advancement would become more difficult as he approached Minor Success—that was the natural order of things. Rather than discourage him, this realization only strengthened his resolve. He redoubled his efforts, attacking each form with renewed intensity.
The sun traced its arc across the azure sky, shadows shifting beneath his feet as he maintained his practice without pause. Only brief intervals for meals and necessary bodily functions interrupted his relentless rhythm.
When darkness finally embraced the mountain, Xiang Yu stood beneath the stars, his breathing controlled despite hours of exertion. Then, like a faithful companion, the translucent blue screen materialized before his eyes:
[Calculating Settlement]
[Calculation Complete]
[Basic Knife Technique: Beginner (70/100) (+10/100)]
[Experience Points Doubled]
[Basic Knife Technique: Beginner (70/100) → Minor Success (0/200)]
[Next Settlement: 23:59:59]
Xiang Yu stared at the notification with a mixture of satisfaction and surprise. Despite the increasing difficulty, he'd still managed to accumulate ten more experience points, bringing his total to seventy. But what truly caught his attention was the unexpected transformation after doubling—instead of showing 140 points as he'd anticipated, the system had advanced him to Minor Success, resetting his counter to zero out of 200.
"So I can't exploit the system by overflowing experience," he mused, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
This wasn't particularly problematic—just one more variable to factor into his long-term strategy. With a satisfied nod, Xiang Yu sheathed his practice knife and made his way back to his dwelling, allowing his exhausted body the rest it deserved.
...
Morning arrived, rousing Xiang Yu from his dreamless slumber. As he stretched his limbs, consideration replaced his usual immediate dash to training. Today presented a critical juncture—he'd qualified for a scripture, yet hesitation gave him pause.
Earlier, he had assumed that he could exploit the system by overflowing exp but it seemed that wasn't possible as his exp was reset to 0. He didn't want to try practicing the scripture just yet, after all, scriptures were supposed to be harder than practicing techniques, if he decided to practice a scripture and made no progress, when the day ended, he'd have nothing to double.
That's why he decided to at least have a good amount of exp in the knife technique before he practiced the scripture, that way, he would still have something to double the following day even if he achieved nothing in the scripture. "Quite clever, if I do say so myself."
With his plan solidified, Xiang Yu resumed his knife practice with renewed focus, his movements now carrying the polished precision of Minor Success.
In his private chambers, Elder Guo finally enjoyed blessed silence thanks to the expensive soundproofing formation he'd installed. The peaceful environment should have brought him contentment, yet he found himself strangely distracted, attention drifting toward his young disciple's training ground.
"A worthy investment," he assured himself, stroking his long beard while justifying the extravagant expense. Yet despite the formation's effectiveness, he couldn't help but miss the distant sounds of dedicated practice that had become a strange comfort over the past days.
With a sigh, the elder gazed through his chamber window toward the training field where Xiang Yu continued his relentless regimen. A smile of appreciation formed beneath his white beard, only to transform into wide-eyed shock as he truly registered what he was seeing.
"What! That's..." Though invisible to untrained eyes, Elder Guo's centuries of cultivation experience allowed him to instantly recognize the subtle transformation in Xiang Yu's movements. The boy had unquestionably reached Minor Success in the Basic Knife Technique—in merely four days, no less!
While not comparable to the meteoric rise of true geniuses, such progress remained genuinely impressive, especially for someone lacking spiritual roots. Elder Guo's smile deepened though he didn't understand why the boy didn't come to him for a scripture even after achieving Minor Success, he began mentally preparing an appropriate scripture for when his surprisingly determined disciple finally sought one.
...
The sun climbed higher in the sky as Xiang Yu maintained his relentless pace, his practice knife cutting through the air with methodical precision. Each movement now carried the refined quality of Minor Success, yet he found himself in a new struggle. The improvements that had come so readily at the Beginner stage now required exponentially more effort, each minuscule advancement extracted through sheer determination and countless repetitions.
He paused only twice throughout the day—first to prepare lunch for himself, Li Yao, and Elder Guo, and later to craft their evening meal. These culinary interludes had become a welcome ritual, a brief respite from the grueling training regimen he'd imposed upon himself. Yet even as his hands deftly chopped vegetables and seasoned meats, his mind remained fixed on knife forms, mentally rehearsing sequences he would soon physically execute.
"Harder now," he muttered to himself as afternoon waned into evening. "Each point requires ten times the effort."
This realization didn't discourage him—it merely confirmed what he had already anticipated. Cultivation followed a predictable pattern of increasing difficulty. What truly concerned him was the possibility of making no progress whatsoever before the day's reset. Such an outcome would be catastrophic for his exponential growth strategy, leaving nothing for the system to double.
As twilight painted the mountain in hues of amber and purple, Xiang Yu pushed himself with renewed desperation, his movements becoming simultaneously more precise and more frantic. Sweat soaked his simple robes as he refused to yield to fatigue, determined to wring at least some measurable progress from the day's efforts.
When midnight approached, bringing with it the familiar translucent blue screen, Xiang Yu finally allowed himself to rest:
[Calculating Settlement]
[Calculation Complete]
[Basic Knife Technique: Minor Success (3/200) (+3/200)]
[Experience Points Doubled]
[Basic Knife Technique: Minor Success (3/200) → (6/200)]]
[Next Settlement: 23:59:59]
He studied the notification with a mixture of relief and disappointment. Three points—a mere fraction of what he'd been accumulating in previous days. Yet as the doubling took effect, transforming three into six, knowledge flooded his consciousness, insights into the knife technique cascading through his mind with surprising clarity.
As he completely absorbed the comprehension, he realized that something had changed. Just the three points doubling provided more insights into the technique than he previously got when doubling 70 points.
This revelation made perfect sense upon reflection—Minor Success represented a fundamentally higher plane of mastery. Even small advancements at this level carried profound implications for his technique. With this comforting thought, Xiang Yu retreated to his humble dwelling, allowing his exhausted body the rest it desperately needed.
...
Dawn arrived, rousing Xiang Yu from dreamless slumber. As consciousness returned, a singular thought crystallized in his mind: today he would finally attempt to practice a scripture.
"Should I go to the pavilion now?" he wondered, weighing his options carefully. Memory of Elder Guo's promise surfaced—the master had instructed him to go directly to him when he achieved Minor Success. A smile of appreciation tugged at his lips as he recognized the elder's subtle protection. Without his master's intervention, he would certainly face humiliation and possibly outright rejection at the Scripture Pavilion.
"Should I go to his chambers now?" The question lingered briefly before Xiang Yu dismissed it with a shake of his head. "It's too early—I shouldn't disturb Master's morning meditation. I'll ask during lunch instead."
Decision made, Xiang Yu retrieved his practice knife and returned to his training ground. There remained six hours before their midday meal—he decided to see if he could get a few swings in before lunch time, it was better than waiting idly after all.
The morning progressed peacefully until unfamiliar voices disrupted his concentration, calling from the base of the mountain peak.
"We would like to learn from the Mountain Heart Pavilion senior brother!"
Xiang Yu deliberately ignored the calls, continuing his practice without pause. The transparent pretense of their "learning" request couldn't mask their true intentions—nothing good ever came from such challenges in cultivation novels. Like the protagonist-centered stories he desperately wanted to avoid, these visitors undoubtedly harbored malicious intent thinly veiled behind courteous words.
His strategy of avoidance proved futile. After several minutes of pointed silence, new voices emerged—not from the mountain's base, but directly behind him. The unwelcome visitors had actually ascended the peak after not getting a response.
A resigned sigh escaped Xiang Yu's lips as he lowered his practice knife. So much for avoiding trouble—it had found him despite his best efforts to remain inconspicuous. Turning slowly, he confronted five figures standing with poorly concealed smugness, their smirks exchanged between knowing glances.
One stepped forward, his voice dripping with false reverence. "We're here to seek guidance from the Mountain Heart Pavilion's senior disciple."