Chapter 70: Qi Gathering 2nd Layer
Xiang Yu sat in his meditative position as the familiar system screen materialized before him:
[Body Refining: 11th Layer (20/11,000) (+20/11,000)]
[Qi Gathering: 1st Layer (20/100) (+20/100)]
[Mind: Level 4 (1/4000)]
[Transcendent Dao Body: Level 1 (1/1,000,000)]
[Enlightenment: High (62/3000) (+2/3000)]
[Spirit Flame: Abyssal Void Flame: 6th Grade (630/40,000)]
[High-grade Fire Palm: Beginner (10/100) (+10/100)]
[Cook: 5th Grade (90/500) (+20/500)]
[Experience Points Doubled]
[Cook: 5th Grade (90/500) → 5th Grade (180/500)]
[High-grade Fire Palm: Beginner (10/100) → Beginner (20/100)]
[Spirit Flame: Abyssal Void Flame: 6th Grade (630/40,000) → 6th Grade (1260/40,000)]
[Enlightenment: High (62/3000) → High (124/3000)]
[Transcendent Dao Body: Level 1 (1/1,000,000) → Level 1 (2/1,000,000)]
[Mind: Level 4 (1/4000) → Level 4 (2/4000)]
[Qi Gathering: 1st Layer (20/100) → 1st Layer (40/100)]
[Body Refining: 11th Layer (20/11,000) → 11th Layer (40/11,000)]
His eyes scanned through the information. The first detail that caught his attention was the twenty points gained in body refining. He had a thoughtful expression as he wondered when he had gained the points, he then realized that he had exerted his body quite a bit when building the house so it was probably from there. The act of cutting, carrying, and assembling materials had served as a form of body training.
The qi gathering progression surprised him even more. He had actually gained twenty whole points. When he practiced before, he hadn’t gained that many points. He attributed this unexpected boost to his extensive practice in transforming pure qi into fire element for the new technique. After the system’s doubling, his qi gathering now stood at forty points. If he gained just ten more points during the day, he would break through to the second layer after the next reset. This rate of progress wasn’t bad at all.
As for the Fire Palm technique itself, he had managed to accumulate only ten points. Despite the modest number, Xiang Yu wasn’t disappointed. He had only practiced for a limited time, and it was a high-grade technique that naturally required more effort to master. The doubled points brought it to twenty, which was still commendable progress for a single day.
His cooking skill had also increased by twenty points, likely due to the meals he had prepared for his junior sister. He had indeed outdone himself with those dishes, even preparing a 5th grade meal. This observation triggered another realization—he hadn’t eaten anything since morning. With his Transcendent Dao Physique, he didn’t need to eat to sustain himself so he had completely forgotten about food.
He suddenly had a bold idea. Now that he was alone on the mountain, he had the perfect opportunity to leverage his fifth-grade cooking skills. Not only could he advance his culinary abilities, but with his spiritual roots, he could also fully absorb the benefits of spiritually enhanced food to accelerate his cultivation.
With this in mind, Xiang Yu formulated a structured daily routine. After midnight, he would focus on mind cultivation. From morning until noon, he would dedicate himself to cooking various spiritual foods, using them to enhance his qi practice. The afternoon to midnight would be reserved for technique practice, particularly the new Fire Palm and other combat skills.
This schedule felt perfect—a balanced approach that would maximize the development of all his abilities. For body refining, he determined to wear weighted clothes throughout his daily activities, providing constant resistance training without requiring dedicated time.
With his new routine established, Xiang Yu decided to put it to practice instantly. It was already past midnight, time to begin cultivating his mind as planned...
...
Xiang Yu quickly settled into his meditative position, his consciousness instantly pulled into his spiritual sea. Upon arrival, he froze in astonishment. The familiar landscape had transformed completely. Before, the area was filled with an endless dark void with a gentle radius of illumination. But now, the area was a vibrant, dynamic expanse filled with flowing colors and dazzling light. Streams of multicolored qi floated through the space.
The dark void had given way to this colorful manifestation as his spiritual power grew and refined itself.
Time passed without notice as he immersed himself in this practice, until finally, sensing the changing energy in the world outside his body, he slowly opened his eyes. The first rays of dawn were breaking through his window, painting the bamboo walls with soft golden light. It was morning—time to transition to the next phase of his new routine.
With the sun rising, Xiang Yu prepared for his cooking and qi cultivation session. Since he had already constructed his own kitchen, he made a quick trip to the common kitchen area, selecting various utensils to stock his personal cooking space.
Next came the ingredients. Since his junior sister wasn’t around, Xiang Yu ventured into the forest surrounding the Mountain Heart Pavilion to look for prey. He caught a wild boar and also gathered various herbs.
As he gathered the herbs, he thought to himself that he should also plant his own herbs just like his master did. They might even be useful when he finally gained the pill refining profession.
As he returned from hunting, he encountered a small herd of vicuñas grazing in a clearing. With swift movements, he managed to catch several of the animals alive. These would serve multiple purposes—not just as potential food, but their fine wool could be used to create a proper bed. After days of sleeping on hard floors, the prospect of comfortable rest appealed greatly to him.
Back at his bamboo dwelling, Xiang Yu set about preparing the wild boar for cooking. As for the vicuñas, he placed them in a hastily constructed pen behind his house. As he worked, a concerning thought occurred to him—during his hunt, he had noticed a scarcity of wild boars in the forest. It seemed their hunting had begun to affect the local ecosystem.
"We might run out of food if this continues," he realized. With this in mind, he decided not to cook the vicuñas but keep them instead.
Before returning to cooking, Xiang Yu took time to shear the vicuñas. Using his qi to refine the collected wool, he stuffed it into cloth casings and sewed them shut, creating a surprisingly luxurious mattress. He placed this atop the bamboo bed frame he had constructed, testing it with a satisfied smile. The comfort was immediate and welcome.
Realizing he had become distracted by the bed-making project, Xiang Yu hurried back to the kitchen. He needed to adhere to his planned routine. He began preparing the wild boar, employing his fifth-grade cooking techniques to infuse the meat with spiritual energy.
Though this was his second time preparing fifth-grade meals, it would be his first time actually consuming them himself. When the dishes were finally ready, their aroma filled the kitchen with tantalizing scents.
He took his first bite, and a wave of heavenly flavor washed over his palate. But although the taste was remarkable, it paled in comparison to the effects that followed. As he continued eating, he could feel his qi rising steadily within him, the energy accumulating and strengthening with each mouthful.
After finishing the meal, Xiang Yu immediately sat in meditative posture. The overwhelming qi circulating inside him needed guidance and refinement. He directed the energy through his meridians, feeling it strengthen and expand his qi pathways.
The circulation continued, the energy growing more and more condensed until suddenly...
[Qi Gathering: 2nd Layer (1/200)]
...
Author’s Corner
Is he improving too fast lol
7th grade cooking was able to heal a golden core so I thought that I would be nerfing him if 5th grade wouldn’t be able to trigger a breakthrough.
Xiang Yu was late in cultivation but so many of his other stats have increased a lot so the cultivation speed might be quite fast and I don’t want to nerf him.
Also, it’s my time hearing about vicuñas. I was looking for a source of wool for mc’s bed and I found it. (they’re also a protected species so he probably shouldn’t be eating them but oh well)