After finishing dinner, Xiang Yu and Li Yao returned to their training ground, the evening air cool against their skin. This time, Xiang Yu wielded his sword, its weight now familiar in his grip. His focus sharpened as Li Yao approached, her movements fluid and purposeful.

She swung her blade in a graceful arc, forcing Xiang Yu to react quickly. He barely twisted away from the strike, the edge of her sword passing close enough for him to feel the displaced air. Seizing what seemed like an opening, he attempted a counter-attack, lunging forward with determination—only to find himself promptly knocked to the ground.

As he pushed himself back up, dust clinging to his robes, Xiang Yu reflected that despite accepting Aunt Master Huang's offer, little had fundamentally changed. He still needed to master numerous techniques to reach the perfect level, a path he had already intended to follow given his lack of spiritual roots. The only meaningful difference was his newfound ability to request specific techniques from his Aunt Master.

As long as he demonstrated satisfactory progress, she would continue providing both techniques and resources. Of course, these offerings remained limited to what she could personally contribute. With the experiment's confidential nature, they couldn't access the sect's broader resources—but this hardly concerned Xiang Yu. With his system's doubling function, he'd become invincible regardless of external support. Resources were merely secondary considerations.

He managed to push Li Yao back an inch during their exchange, a small smile of satisfaction forming on his lips. His moment of pride proved devastatingly premature as Li Yao simply grabbed his sword with her bare hand, halting his attack completely.

Is that even allowed? he wondered, staring at her in disbelief.

"Umm... can I give up?" he asked nervously.

Li Yao's smile contained no mercy. "Of course not," she replied cheerfully. "If you give up now, you'll lose all your momentum." Without warning, she lifted him by his sword and threw him over her shoulder.

Xiang Yu landed hard on his back, the impact knocking the breath from his lungs. He stared up at the stars scattered across the night sky, their distant light offering no sympathy for his predicament. Li Yao's face appeared above him, concern replacing her earlier playfulness.

"Senior brother, are you okay?" she asked, extending her hand while examining him for injuries.

"I'm fine," he assured her, accepting her assistance. "Let's continue." He rose to his feet, determination outweighing discomfort as they resumed their relentless training.

Their sparring continued until the familiar blue screen materialized before Xiang Yu's eyes:

[Calculating Settlement]

Recognizing the timing, Xiang Yu suggested they conclude for the day. "Let's stop here," he proposed, receiving Li Yao's agreement. They sheathed their weapons and returned to their respective quarters.

In his room, Xiang Yu stretched out on his simple bed, eyes fixed on the system notifications hovering before him:

[Calculation Complete]

[Enlightenment: Low (1/1000)]

[Mountain Heart Scripture: 2nd Layer (157/200) (+8/200)]

[Basic Knife Technique: Major Success (35/400) (+30/400)]

[Basic Sword Technique: Minor Success (70/200) (+50/200)]

[Cook: 9th Grade (2/100) (+2/100)]

[Experience Points Doubled]

[Cook: 9th Grade (2/100) → 9th Grade (4/100)]

[Basic Sword Technique: Minor Success (70/200) → Minor Success (140/200)]

[Basic Knife Technique: Major Success (35/400) → Major Success (70/400)]

[Mountain Heart Scripture: 2nd Layer (157/200) → 3rd Layer (0/300)]

[Enlightenment: Low (1/1000) → Low (2/1000)]

[Next Settlement: 23:59:59]

…

Xiang Yu's eyes widened as he noticed a new addition to his status screen—a cooking stat. The unexpected development brought a smile to his face. He had certainly felt his culinary skills improving with each meal he prepared, but hadn't anticipated the system would actually recognize it as a formal skill.

In this cultivation world, professions extended beyond the path of the warrior-cultivator. Pill refiners, artifact crafters, formations masters—all were respected paths in their own right. Cooking, too, held its place among these esteemed professions. While 9th grade wasn't particularly impressive in the grand hierarchy, it represented tangible acknowledgment of his efforts.

"If the whole cultivation thing doesn't work out, seems I really could open a restaurant," he mused, finding genuine comfort in having a backup plan. The thought of becoming a celebrated chef rather than a powerful cultivator held its own peculiar appeal—certainly less dangerous than the typical cultivator's journey.

His attention shifted to the Enlightenment stat displayed prominently in the settlement screen. Though he felt a twinge of disappointment that such intensive practice had yielded minimal growth, the reality made sense. If natural talent were easy to cultivate, geniuses would be commonplace rather than rare exceptions.

Still, the system's ability to double even this attribute filled him with profound satisfaction. Though the increase appeared modest—merely from one to two points—he could already sense the difference. Low-grade techniques that had previously felt just beyond his grasp now seemed potentially manageable. The sensation of doubling natural talent differed markedly from technique advancement—a euphoric rush that transcended ordinary progress. This wasn't merely becoming stronger; this was changing what cultivation society considered immutable fate.

Examining his combat techniques, Xiang Yu nodded with appreciation. His knife technique had increased by thirty points, while his sword technique jumped by a remarkable fifty. The accelerated progress confirmed what cultivation manuals had always stressed—actual combat yielded results far superior to isolated practice.

With such rapid improvement, being pummeled by his junior sister suddenly seemed a worthwhile investment. A mischievous grin spread across his face as he contemplated their future training sessions. He hoped she wouldn't disappoint him—she should hit him even harder tomorrow! When he eventually achieved invincibility, he would certainly repay her for this dedicated "care." It wasn't pettiness; he was simply being considerate. Such a thoughtful senior brother he was.

In her own quarters, Li Yao suddenly shivered while removing her training clothes. She paused, momentarily concerned. Was she catching a cold? How could that possibly happen with her advanced body refining cultivation? Dismissing the inexplicable sensation, she quickly slipped beneath her bed coverings and settled in for the night.

Meanwhile, Xiang Yu continued analyzing his progress. His sword technique stood at 140 points—well positioned to breach the next level after tomorrow's reset. Since he couldn't exploit experience overflow, focusing exclusively on knife technique tomorrow would maximize his system's efficiency.

Finally, his eyes moved to the Mountain Heart Scripture. Though it had gained eight points, this advancement was essentially wasted since the scripture had already been primed for breakthrough. Nevertheless, satisfaction washed over him as he confirmed his advancement to the third layer—a corresponding breakthrough in his Body Refining realm.

With measured anticipation, he summoned his complete status screen:

[Name: Xiang Yu]

[Realm: Body Refining 3rd Layer]

[Species: Human]

[Spiritual Root: null]

[Enlightenment: Low (2/1000)]

[Professions: Cook: 9th Grade (4/100)]

[Techniques: Basic Knife Technique: Major Success (70/400); Basic Sword Technique: Minor Success (140/200)]

[Scriptures: Mountain Heart Scripture: 3rd Layer (3/200)]

[System Function: Double Exp (Cooldown: 24hrs)]