Xiang Yu's eyes scanned the streamlined reset screen, noticing how many of his stats had advanced significantly, some had even reached their full potential, disappearing completely from the daily reset. As he watched this, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. The once-lengthy list of doubling attributes had condensed, making him feel as though he wasn't fully exploiting his system's potential. He longed for the satisfaction of watching thousands of stats double each day.
His attention settled on his Mind level, which seemed to have just hit its own bottleneck. Was this limitation due to his current cultivation level, or had the Mountain Heart Sutra simply reached its ceiling? Despite this concern, he took comfort in achieving Mind level 4—an impressive feat that would likely provide sufficient mental fortitude to withstand future enlightenment breakthroughs, at least for now. The recent doubling of his High enlightenment had occurred without any strain, suggesting his mind had grown robust enough to handle such transformations.
Xiang Yu summoned his complete status display:
[Name: Xiang Yu]
[Realm: Body: 9th Layer; Mind: Level 4]
[Species: Human]
[Spiritual Root: null]
[Enlightenment: High (60/3000)]
[Battle Instinct: Mortal (100,000/100,000)]
[Spirit Flame: Abyssal Void Flame: 6th Grade (630/40,000)]
[Professions: Cook: 5th Grade (70/500)]
[Techniques: Mid-grade Phantom Footwork: Perfect; Low-grade Iron Body Technique: Perfect; Basic Knife Technique: Perfect; Basic Sword Technique: Perfect; Basic Weapon Techniques: Perfect]
[Scriptures: Mountain Heart Scripture: 9th Layer (180/900); Mountain Heart Sutra: Level 4]
[System Function: Double Exp (Cooldown: 24hrs); Fusion]
Satisfaction washed over him as he admired the rows of "Perfect" designations in his techniques section. To have advanced this dramatically in just a little over a month exceeded even his own expectations. His enlightenment had ascended to the High level, placing him among the ranks of thousand-year geniuses—though still far behind his junior sister, who qualified as a million-year genius.
Despite his impressive progress, one glaring issue remained unchanged: his "null" spiritual root status. Though he had maintained optimism about his advancement, Xiang Yu recognized the fundamental limitations he faced. If unlimited body refinement were possible without talent, wouldn't immortals with millions of Body Refining layers be commonplace?
He couldn't determine precisely how far his physical cultivation could progress. The system still tracked his advancement through the ninth layer, suggesting he possessed above-average potential—most cultivators reached their limit at the ninth layer, either breaking through to Qi Refining if blessed with spiritual roots or abandoning cultivation entirely if not.
A soft sigh escaped his lips. Then, drawing his attention to his techniques section, he examined the eighteen newly mastered techniques alongside his original two weapon skills. He decided to postpone worrying about his cultivation ceiling—he would cross that bridge when he got there. For now, his priority was testing the newly unlocked Fusion system function he'd been anticipating for so long.
...
Xiang Yu stared intently at the techniques displayed before him as he activated the system function. To begin the merge process, he first selected the Fist and Spear techniques but he immediately encountered resistance—the system indicated that the two techniques were incompatible. Shock rippled through him. If these two couldn't merge, did that mean his dream of creating an invincible technique was impossible?
With mounting anxiety, he rapidly tested various combinations, only to discover that only a few pairs out of his twenty techniques showed compatibility. Discouragement had nearly settled in when inspiration struck. He selected the Knife technique and paired it with the Sword technique, which the system confirmed were compatible. Then, experimentally, he added the Spear technique—one that had previously shown incompatibility with the Sword. To his astonishment, the system accepted this addition.
A smile of realization spread across his face. The techniques didn't all need direct compatibility with each other; they merely required a chain of connection. The Sword was compatible with the Knife, which in turn was compatible with the Spear, creating a linking bridge between otherwise incompatible techniques.
Renewed hope surged through him. His ambitious dream technique could still materialize—he just needed to construct the proper chain. Working methodically, he connected the Spear to the Kicking technique, then linked that to the Fist technique, and continued building his sequence. Occasional incompatibilities arose, requiring restructuring, but these proved mere temporary obstacles. Within minutes, he had successfully arranged all twenty weapon techniques into a harmonious chain of connections.
His finger hovered over the fusion button, ready to merge his masterpiece, when a daring thought seized him. His gaze drifted to the Scriptures section of his status display. Could he possibly...? He swallowed nervously. There was no harm in attempting, he reasoned.
With tentative movements, he selected the Mountain Heart Scripture and added it to his fusion chain. He squeezed his eyes partially shut, bracing for the inevitable rejection notification. After several seconds passed without any negative response, his eyes widened in wonder. The scripture had integrated seamlessly into his technique chain.
Emboldened by this success, Xiang Yu reached further. He added the Mountain Heart Sutra to the mix, holding his breath as he awaited the system's verdict. Just like before, the sutra connected without resistance, expanding his fusion chain even further.
Turning his attention to his remaining techniques, Xiang Yu added both the Mid-grade Phantom Footwork and the Low-grade Iron Body technique to the growing amalgamation. Once again, the system accepted these additions without protest, incorporating them into the ever-expanding chain of connection.
By now, Xiang Yu could barely contain his excitement, practically salivating at the possibilities before him. The fusion would combine twenty weapon techniques, a movement technique, a body enhancement ability, a body refining scripture, and a mind refining scripture. If this didn't result in an invincible war god technique, he would consider himself thoroughly cheated by the system.
Drawing a deep breath to steady himself, Xiang Yu extended his finger and gently tapped the fusion button. The moment his fingertip made contact, a blinding light erupted from the interface, he suddenly stumbled to the ground, struggling to get up. He wondered what was happening as he held onto the walls of his house trying to get up. Suddenly, he felt all the strength leave his body, loosing his grip on the brick wall as he fell onto the cold floor...
...
Xiang Yu felt his body lose all strength as he crawled on the ground, desperately trying to rise but failing. This wasn't the end of his suffering—what came next was even more jarring. A searing pain shot through his entire body, penetrating deep into his bones. The agony was so intense that he drifted in and out of consciousness every few seconds, yet he kept his lips firmly shut the entire time though, biting down to ensure no sound escaped.
With his level four mind, he could analyze the situation despite the overwhelming pain. He recognized that something profound was happening to his body due to the fusion, but he didn't want to alert anyone to his condition. Revealing all his secrets wasn't part of his survival strategy. This excruciating process continued for what felt like hours, though he was barely conscious for most of it.
The pain transcended anything he'd ever experienced or imagined possible. His body felt as though it was being torn apart, ravaged by invisible beasts. He experienced the sensation of being skinned alive, his muscles stripped away, his bones removed one by one. This torment persisted for a long time before it finally subsided and he regained full consciousness. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂
He found himself sprawled on the ground, contorted into a position as if someone had tried to fold him like clothing. Noticing it was still night, he realized the ordeal likely hadn't lasted as long as it seemed. He attempted to rise, moving slowly and deliberately, afraid of triggering the pain again. To his surprise, the opposite occurred—his body felt remarkably light. Not only was there no pain, but he sensed his physical condition had somehow improved beyond its previous state.
Wondering what had happened, he instantly summoned his system:
[Name: Xiang Yu]
[Realm: Body: 11th Layer (1/11,000); Mind: Level 4 (1/4000)]
[Species: Human]
[Spiritual Root: Medium-Grade Omni-Element]
[Physique: Transcendent Dao Body: Level 1 (1/1,000,000)]
[Enlightenment: High (60/3000)]
[Battle Instinct: Mortal (100,000/100,000)]
[Spirit Flame: Abyssal Void Flame: 6th Grade (630/40,000)]
[Professions: Cook: 5th Grade (70/500)]
[Techniques: ]
[Scriptures: ]
[System Function: Double Exp (Cooldown: 24hrs); Fusion]
As Xiang Yu read his stats, his jaw nearly dropped when he noticed his spiritual root was no longer null. He actually had a spiritual root now, and a medium-grade one at that. Medium grade could be considered a hundred-year genius. With such a root, he could qualify as an inner disciple in even a top-ranked sect.
However, he had never heard of an "omni-element" root; he only knew of the five usual elements. Drawing on knowledge from video games from his previous life, he deduced that omni-element likely meant he could control all elements. This wasn't necessarily advantageous in the cultivation world, where single-element roots were prized for their ease of cultivation. The more elements, the longer cultivation typically took.
But to Xiang Yu, it didn't matter which spiritual root he received—with his system, any root would become the best instantly. He was slightly disappointed to see no progress bar beside the spiritual root. It seemed he needed something to help him advance it, even by just a single point, so his system could double from there.
Then he noticed another new addition to his status: a physique stat. He possessed something called the "Transcendent Dao Body." He wondered if this was what his martial aunt had been talking about. If so, did that mean obtaining this physique required perfecting and merging techniques? Without the system's fusion function, would he never have acquired it even after practicing thousands of techniques? The thought was terrifying.
He questioned whether his martial aunt knew about this restriction. This physique, if not for someone like him with a system, who else could possibly acquire it? Perhaps only someone with godlike enlightenment who could seamlessly merge techniques—everyone else might as well give up.
The outrageous requirements finally made sense when understanding of the physique flowed into his mind. The Transcendent Dao Physique was the ultimate body for cultivation. It allowed mastery of all techniques easily and optimized his physical form for cultivation, refining different energy types effortlessly and comprehending all worldly concepts.
However, those benefits would come in later stages. At its current level, he merely received a slight boost in enlightenment, enhanced recovery, an optimized body, and the ability to manipulate all elements once he cultivated qi. Looking at the experience required to elevate the technique, he could only sigh, though he acknowledged the current benefits weren't insignificant.
He realized his body refining had also broken through during the process, advancing to the eleventh layer, but the experience requirement had dramatically increased afterward. This made sense—after the tenth layer, each subsequent level was like breaking through a major realm. Currently, he felt capable of easily overpowering his former self. He even suspected that if he fought Li Yao at her full body refining capacity, he might not necessarily lose—such was the power of the Transcendent Dao Body, even at level one.
He also noticed his mind level, which had previously stopped improving, seemed to have resumed advancement. Since morning hadn't yet arrived, he considered whether to practice as usual, but after careful deliberation, he decided to attempt qi refining instead. Having reached the ninth stage of body refining, his physical form should be able to handle qi, and with his Transcendent Dao Physique, he could absorb various energies easily without complications, even without a specific qi refining technique.
It was finally time for him to become an actual cultivator.
...