Chapter 72: Physique Stats
Xiang Yu observed the day’s advancements with quiet satisfaction. Despite having already broken through to the second layer of Qi Gathering, he was still able to gain fifty new points. He surmised these points came from the new techniques he had been training which required transforming his qi into different elemental forms. After the system’s doubling effect, this brought him to a hundred points, meaning that he was guaranteed a breakthrough to the third stage after the next reset. Such speed was remarkable even to him.
But what surprised him even more was that his transcendent dao physique had actually gained three points. He hadn’t expected to be able to increase the points of this extraordinary physique at all and wondered what had caused it to improve. From what he understood of the transcendent dao physique, it possessed a feature that allowed him to cultivate all sorts of essences. He reasoned that it had increased because he had transformed his qi into the five elements.
He made a mental note to expand his studies to other elements as well. That way, he would be able to further improve his transcendent dao physique, unlocking more of its boundless potential.
Another stat that had increased greatly was his enlightenment, jumping by a whole forty points. He speculated this was probably because he had created new techniques. To increase his enlightenment even more, it seemed he would need to continue innovating and crafting techniques of his own rather than merely practicing established arts.
As for the elemental techniques, he had managed to gain ten points for each after practicing diligently, and they were now at twenty after the doubling effect. His spirit flame appeared to have entered the thousands and was now picking up pace in its development. Speaking of flame, his cooking skill was actually just a hundred points away from breaking through to fourth grade.
Xiang Yu contemplated how the fifth-grade meals were already useful for cultivation and wondered just how much more beneficial the fourth-grade ones would be. His mouth watered not because of the taste but rather because of the benefits it might bring him.
After inspecting all the day’s progress, he pulled up his full status panel:
[Name: Xiang Yu]
[Realm: Body: 11th Layer (140/11,000); Spirit: Qi Gathering 2nd Layer (100/200); Mind: Level 4 (84/4000)]
[Species: Human]
[Spiritual Root: Medium-Grade Omni-Element]
[Physique: Transcendent Dao Body: Level 1 (10/1,000,000)]
[Enlightenment: High (334/3000)]
[Battle Instinct: Mortal (100,000/100,000)]
[Spirit Flame: Abyssal Void Flame: 6th Grade (2530/40,000)]
[Professions: Cook: 5th Grade (400/500)]
[Techniques: High-grade Fire Palm: Beginner (40/100); High-grade Water, Wood, Earth, Metal Palm: Beginner (20/100)]
[Scriptures: ]
[System Function: Double Exp (Cooldown: 24hrs); Fusion]
His eyes lingered on the numbers, checking out each line with a sense of accomplishment.
After admiring the numbers for a while, letting the satisfaction of progress wash over him, Xiang Yu finally decided it was time to return to training. According to his carefully planned routine, it was now time for his mind cultivation. He settled into a comfortable meditative posture, his breathing slowing to a measured rhythm. Within moments, his consciousness detached from his physical form, instantly drifting into the vast expanse of his spiritual sea.
...
The following day,
Xiang Yu slowly opened his eyes from his meditation as the sun was starting to rise. According to his routine, it was time for qi practice and cooking, so he quickly set out to look for something to cook. He covered the entire pavilion with his qi sense, instantly detecting the location of some wild boars. At the same time, he also noticed some people snooping around the pavilion—their cultivations were just at the Qi Gathering stage so he didn’t care about them much.
He wondered if they were also subordinates of Elder Mei. It seems they have already noticed that Wang Wei is missing . Still, Xiang Yu just hoped they would continue their snooping and not find trouble with him; otherwise, he would have to get rid of them too.
As he thought of this, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. If the elder found out that his assassin had gone missing, would he send an even stronger one? Or worse, would he come to finish the job off himself? Just the thought alone made him shiver involuntarily. For one to become an elder, they had to have at least Core Formation realm strength. Xiang Yu didn’t want to have such a formidable opponent after him.
He hoped the elder would simply ignore him—after all, he was just an insignificant person in the grand scheme of things. The elder shouldn’t pay attention to him. With that reassuring thought, he pushed his worries aside and went off to catch the wild boars.
This time, he successfully caught three wild boars—two male and one female. He even managed to catch another vicuña, this one male. The ones he had before were both females, so he was glad to have this male one. He finally had a complete family.
He first built a quick shed for the boars, placing one male and one female there. As for the other male...
Without delay, he got to work, expertly preparing the meat. After the meat was ready, he began cooking it. His hands moved quickly, expertly controlling the spirit flame as well as infusing qi to prepare the fifth-grade dishes. The aroma filled the pavilion, rich and enticing, but Xiang Yu’s mind remained focused on cultivation rather than mere enjoyment.
Once the meals were ready, he started eating them, pausing every few bites to circulate his qi. The energy from the food flowed through his meridians, strengthening his cultivation base with each circulation. Although the meals are truly delicious, he cared more about the benefits to his cultivation.
...
Outside the Heaven-Testing Pagoda,
"Li Yao just reached the 50th floor," someone spoke, excitement evident in their voice.
"Her speed is really impressive," another added, unable to hide their admiration.
"Do you think she can break the record?" asked a curious onlooker, eyes fixed on the towering pagoda.
"No way, the record was set by the ancestor. Managing to clear the 99th floor. How could it be broken by just anyone?" scoffed a skeptical cultivator.
"Li Yao isn’t just anyone," one simp defended, folding their arms across their chest.
The talks were getting heated as disciples gathered in clusters, debating the young woman’s potential.
On the side, Elder Mei Zhiyuan clicked his tongue in irritation. "What are those guys doing? How hard can it be to get rid of a single girl?" As he was thinking of this, a group of three disciples approached him, their expressions cautious.
"Master," they bowed respectfully, keeping their heads lowered.
"Tell me, what did you find?" he asked impatiently.
"We didn’t see any traces of battle," one said hesitantly.
"The only thing different we noticed was that the senior disciple seems to have built a new house," the second one spoke, meeting the elder’s gaze briefly before looking away.
The elder heard the information and seemed to be contemplating something. He wondered why the senior disciple was building a new house. Was this related to Wang Wei’s disappearance? His brow furrowed as he considered the possibilities.
The crowd’s excitement surged once more.
"Li Yao has cleared the 50th floor in record time! She’s moving on to the 51st floor!" someone announced.
"Do you think she’ll be able to keep up the same speed in the upper floors?"
"How could that be? The upper floors are when the real test begins," replied a veteran disciple with confidence.
"Didn’t you say that a few floors ago?"
"Well, that’s different,"
Elder Mei Zhiyuan shook his head, dismissing his earlier suspicions. He was probably imagining things. Wang Wei might have just fallen to a trap and gotten himself killed—he had always been so rash. The elder’s lips curved into a slight smile. He would just send a more competent person to finish the job this time.