Unparalleled Under The Heavens

[Status]

Name: Li Fan

Realm: Qi Gathering – Stage 3

[Skills]

[Clear Mind Breathing Technique – Small Success - 1/200] 

[Flowing Leaf Sword Form – Beginner - 12/100] 

[Stone Palm Technique – Small Success - 23/200] 

[Exp: 4]

Compared to three days ago, there was a world of difference in his status now.

Two of his skills had advanced from [Beginner] to [Small Success]—a realm regarded as capable in the land of cultivation.

Only his [Flowing Leaf Sword Form] remained at the [Beginner] stage, largely due to his lack of practice—or in other words, a lack of grinding.

But beyond that, two details caught Li Fan's attention more than anything else.

The first was the EXP tab.

For days, it had been completely empty.

Now, it finally showed something.

The second was the sudden change in his Stone Palm Technique's proficiency.

Before leaving this morning, it had been at 22. Now, it was 23.

Li Fan usually gained a point by activating the technique and letting it run its course. A slow and consistent process.

But now?

He had only activated it once—just before killing the boar—and yet gained a point.

His eyes narrowed.

"Actual use of the skill… increases proficiency more?" he muttered.

"Perhaps even more effectively…"

It was a delightful discovery—one that hinted at a much faster growth path.

But right now, Li Fan's attention was fixed on the other revelation.

The EXP.

Li Fan stared at the [Exp: 4] line on his status panel, mind buzzing.

It had finally changed. 

"So it really does come from killing…" he whispered to himself, standing over the boar's lifeless body.

But then a deeper question surfaced.

"…What is it for?"

The EXP counter wasn't something others had. The status panel itself was a Mystery of the Heavenly Dao. The moment a person stepped onto the path of cultivation, it manifested in their soul, detailing their information.

That much was normal.

But Li Fan's panel was not normal.

His transmigration… it had done something.

First, there were the numbers behind each of his techniques—an exact breakdown of how skilled he was. No other cultivator had something like that. 

Most relied on instinct or years of practice to realize they had advanced in a skill. Li Fan? Not only could he see it, he could also watch the number rise with each repetition.

And now… EXP.

It also didn't exist for others.

Li Fan crouched beside the boar, eyes thoughtful. He traced the boar's muddy bristles with absent fingers, as if the answer might be hidden in its corpse.

Was EXP meant to fuel something?

Would it allow him to level up his cultivation realm?

Li Fan mind spun.

Could it be a resource?

A currency?

Could he spend EXP?

Was it meant to unlock something?

"Does it accumulate until it unlocks a reward?" he muttered, thinking aloud. "Like a threshold… or milestone?"

Li Fan stood up, brushing his palm clean on his robe, thoughts tangled like the undergrowth around him.

There were too many unknowns.

Li Fan looked again at his Stone Palm Technique's number.

23/200.

He tapped his fingers against his side.

"…What if EXP can be used to increase this?" he muttered.

That thought made him pause.

Was that it?

Could EXP actually feed into his skill mastery?

Li Fan closed his eyes. 

"Use EXP on Stone Palm Technique."

Li Fan willed his intent into his panel. 

A beat later, he snapped his eyes open.

[Stone Palm Technique – Small Success - 27/200] 

Li Fan blinked.

"…Wait, what?"

He opened and closed his hands, heart skipping.

He stared again.

No mistake.

It had gone up.

Not one point. Not two.

Four.

Exactly four.

Exactly the amount of EXP he had gained.

"...Oh."

He exhaled sharply, both stunned and frustrated at once.

"I didn't mean all of it," he muttered, voice dry.

He had meant to test one point. Just one.

But he'd accidentally dumped the entire pool into the Stone Palm Technique.

"Well… at least I know it works." He gave a weak laugh, shaking his head.

It was a discovery.

An enormous one.

He could use EXP to rapidly grow his techniques.

If he could generate EXP by killing beasts… and that EXP could directly enhance his skills…

Then he didn't have to rely solely on passive training or repetition anymore.

He could grind.

Systematically.

Efficiently.

And most importantly… faster.

Li Fan looked down at his hands.

He clenched them into fists.

A slow grin formed.

"I need more EXP."

And this time, he'd choose where to put it.

The boar wouldn't be the last thing he killed today.

Right now, Li Fan's most important goal was to reach Stage 5 of the Qi Gathering Realm within five months.

Thanks to his panel, he had already managed to break through a minor bottleneck and enter Stage 3. That meant he only needed two more minor advancements—just two more steps—and like Wu Jiang, he could shed the label of a registered disciple and become a true outer disciple of the Qinghe Sect.

If he succeeded, he wouldn't have to worry about being kicked out.

He could then afford to take his time to grind and grow.

However, with his lacking talent, Li Fan knew the only realistic path forward, the only method that had actually shown results, was to raise the level of his cultivation technique.

In the cultivation world, a higher mastery of one's cultivation technique translated directly into faster cultivation progress. Even if one lacked innate talent, profound comprehension could make up for it. If he could push his technique's mastery high enough, then it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he could artificially make himself a genius.

And it wasn't just about cultivation realm advancement. For martial skills like the Stone Palm Technique, increased mastery in his cultivation technique also drastically sped up the grinding process.

Before now, Li Fan had resigned himself to a slow, methodical pace—working hard and hoping for the best.

But the existence of EXP changed everything.

Currently, his [Clear Mind Breathing Technique] had just entered the [Small Success] stage. To reach [Great Achievement]—a realm only achievable in a short time by those with extraordinary comprehension and years for most cultivators—he needed 199 more proficiency points.

But now?

If each boar provided 4 EXP like the one he had just killed… then killing at least 50 more would be enough to push his cultivation technique to the next stage.

The thought sent a thrill through him.

The dim, uncertain future he'd been trudging toward suddenly seemed brighter.

"Surely," Li Fan murmured, eyes gleaming, "Great Achievement—no, perhaps even the stage above that… Mastery—should be able to massively improve my cultivation speed, right?"

He didn't know the answer yet.

But he intended to find out.