A gentle breeze rustled through the quiet courtyard where Li Yao sat in meditation, his breath calm, posture steady. The sun hovered high above the mountain range, scattering golden beams across the tiled roof of his humble dwelling. Though the wind was soft, his thoughts swirled with mounting curiosity.
A flicker of light shimmered before his eyes.
[Proficiency Technique Function Unlocked]
Li Yao's brows twitched. He had grown accustomed to the occasional cryptic messages from the mysterious system within him, but this new function stirred something deeper- an instinctual sense of importance. With eyes narrowed and heart focused, he asked silently, "System, what does this function do?"
[Host, this function allows you to monitor the mastery of your cultivation techniques. Additionally, it can place you in an Insight State to perfect your mastery by consuming Observation Points.]
"Insight state…?" Li Yao murmured under his breath, a faint gleam entering his gaze.
It sounded almost too good to be true.
Without hesitation, he opened the Proficiency Technique window.
[Technique Proficiency Panel
Emberheart Nourishment Sutra – 27% Mastery
Diamond Body Tempering Scripture – 1% Mastery]
The numbers etched themselves into his vision like carvings in stone.
"…Only twenty-seven percent?" he whispered, a quiet frustration blooming in his chest.
He had been diligently practicing the Emberheart Nourishment Sutra for nearly two full months. Every day, he had cultivated it, waking at dawn, meditating until dusk when possible, and even studying its theory whenever he found time between chores. And yet, he had only attained twenty-seven percent mastery?
His heart sank for a moment. The realization hit harder than expected- if his understanding was so shallow, how much of his effort had been wasted?
He turned his attention to the Diamond Body Tempering Scripture. A mere one percent mastery. But that was acceptable- it had only been a day since he began it, just a trial phase.
Still, the Emberheart Nourishment Sutra was his lifeline, the foundation of his cultivation path. If his understanding of it was flawed, then his entire foundation might be shaky.
Li Yao's fists clenched for a moment… then slowly relaxed.
"No," he muttered with quiet determination. "At least now I know. Now I can improve."
—
The month passed in a blur.
Li Yao maintained his routine—working in the herb garden, practicing both techniques, and studying in the reading hall during the evenings. His days were simple but meaningful. And when the first rays of the new month's sun crested over the horizon, he made his way to the Contribution Hall.
As a Qi Refining third-stage disciple, he was now eligible to receive twenty low-grade spirit stones per month.
He bowed respectfully to the steward and accepted the bag of spirit stones with a steady hand. Without pause, he returned to his courtyard, sat down, and drew a deep breath.
Of the twenty spirit stones, he set aside five for daily use, emergency purchases and minor pills. The remaining fifteen?
He placed them one by one before him and sacrificed them to the system.
As the final stone vanished in a swirl of white light, he felt a subtle pressure enter his forehead. The space between his brows pulsed with warmth.
What Li Yao did not know was that- at the moment the raw spiritual energy entered him- a Dao Mark etched itself faintly into his skin. Invisible to the naked eye, the mark shimmered with golden brilliance, its ancient runes glowing for a fleeting second before fading into dormancy once more.
[Observation Points: +10.5]
Li Yao smiled as the system prompt appeared. Last time, he had only received a handful. This time, it was almost eleven more than enough to test this new Insight Function.
He opened the Proficiency Panel again and hovered his gaze over the Emberheart Nourishment Sutra.
Without hesitation, he selected it.
[Initiating Insight State – Observation Points will be consumed][Confirm?]
"Yes."
The moment he confirmed, his world changed.
A brilliant wave of warmth surged through his body- not burning, not overwhelming- but clarifying. Like a fog had been lifted from his senses. As he sat cross-legged and began to cultivate, the Emberheart Nourishment Sutra flowed through his body with shocking clarity.
Every breath, every movement of qi- he now saw the gaps.
A twist in the lower dantian rotation, slightly off-center. A breath held half a second too long. A minor obstruction in his fire meridian.
None of these had been noticeable before. He had thought himself diligent, precise. But now? It was as if a hidden mentor sat beside him, pointing out every silent error, gently guiding his hand without words.
The state lasted only ten minutes.
And yet, when he opened his eyes, sweat coated his brow, and a wild heartbeat pounded in his chest.
"...What was that?" he whispered.
It felt divine.
It felt like touching the edge of the Dao itself.
He quickly checked his Observation Points- completely gone.
Then he checked his technique.
[Emberheart Nourishment Sutra – 89% Mastery]
[Diamond Body Tempering Scripture – 8% Mastery]
Li Yao stared at the numbers in disbelief.
"From twenty-seven percent… to eighty-nine…" he whispered.
His shock gradually turned into a slow, growing grin.
He had not yet reached full mastery, but the difference was night and day. His understanding of the sutra was now almost complete. No more wasted breath. No more excess qi loss. Every thread of energy now flowed through him like fire following the path of least resistance.
With trembling excitement, he activated the Sutra again and began to cultivate.
The result left him stunned.
In the past, refining a single strand of qi had taken nearly five days. Now, three threads can be formed in the same time- and more than that, every thread was pure and firm, without leakage or destabilization.
"Not only faster… but more efficient too," he muttered.
In just a single sitting, he advanced his refinement progress significantly.
But even as joy welled in his heart, Li Yao remained calm.
"There's still room to improve," he said to himself. "I can feel it. This isn't the Sutra's final form."
He opened his personal status window.
[Host Status
Name: Li Yao
Age: 13
Spiritual Root: Mid-Grade Fire Spirit Root +
Constitution: Human Mortal Body +
Cultivation: Qi Refining – Early Stage (3rd Stage) – (82/100)+
Cultivation Mantra: Emberheart Nourishment Sutra+
Intent: None]
A subtle change caught his eye.
[Host's spiritual root has begun to improve due to exposure to the Observation-infused insight. Continued use of the insight function may lead to qualitative changes.]
Li Yao's lips parted slightly.
His root was improving?
Not artificially- no pills or forced evolution- but naturally, through progress, understanding, and effort.
He took a long breath, calming the excitement within. "Then I'll keep walking this path."
As the sun dipped into late afternoon, casting long shadows across the herb garden and stone paths of the outer court, Li Yao stood slowly and began practicing the first stance of the Diamond Body Tempering Scripture.
Slow. Deliberate. Every motion reinforced the marrow, tightened the sinew, and pressed the muscles into harmony with the bones.
His body burned. Sweat rolled from his back. But through the fire, he felt growth.
Each technique, each effort, was another stone laid into the foundation of his path.