Five months.
For Lin Yuan, it felt both like an eternity and the blink of an eye.
Every morning, he rose before the sun. The first light of dawn found him already in the training hall, movements flowing like water, practicing Thunder Slash, Lightning Body, and every technique he had painstakingly refined. Every swing of the sword, every step, every lightning-charged strike was calculated, measured, perfected.
The days blurred into one another. Mist-Horned Beasts in the nearby forests became familiar opponents. He no longer needed to track them carefully—the system guided him subtly, helping him refine technique rather than brute force. Each kill wasn't for strength; it was for mastery. Every strike, dodge, and combo taught him something new.
By noon, he would retreat to the outer grove, testing new combinations: Thunder Slash + Lightning Body footwork, Thunder Barrage chains, even experimenting with multiple-step attack sequences. The forest became a silent teacher, guiding his flow with each move.
Afternoons were spent collecting rare herbs, refining his sword techniques, or sparring lightly against his peers—not to dominate, but to test his control and precision.
The disciples admired him, often watching silently from the edge of the platform. They never underestimated him; they were all higher-level cultivators, but they acknowledged the unusual refinement in Lin Yuan's techniques. Some offered advice, some challenged him to brief sparring matches, and he accepted every one, treating each as a lesson rather than a contest.
Five months of this relentless cycle had led to something remarkable:
Every skill in his arsenal had reached complete mastery. Thunder Slash, Lightning Body, Thunder Barrage—all flowed naturally, instinctive yet refined.
His swordplay had become fluid, precise, and devastatingly efficient, capable of overwhelming multiple mid-tier beasts without effort.
Even his footwork, his control of spiritual energy, and the subtle manipulation of his lightning aura had reached peak proficiency at his level.
But mastery alone wasn't enough. The system remained silent on one matter: he could not advance to Foundation Establishment until he had accumulated an enormous amount of experience. All that skill mastery had to translate into the next step through sheer accumulation of effort, discipline, and strategic hunting.
[System Notice: Skill Mastery Complete – EXP Required for Breakthrough: 120,000]
[Recommended: Hunt High-Tier Spiritual Beasts, Collect Rare Artifacts, Master New Techniques]
Lin Yuan paused at the edge of the training forest, looking over the familiar terrain. Five months of waking before dawn, training until sunset, fighting beasts, refining every move—it had been exhausting, monotonous, and sometimes frustrating.
Yet, in every strike, he had felt progress. In every kill, he had felt skill refinement. And now, standing atop the familiar stone cliff, he understood the value of discipline and patience.
It's not raw power that leads to true cultivation… it's mastery.
He tightened the grip on his sword, letting faint arcs of lightning dance along the blade. Beyond the forest, deeper mountains loomed—territories teeming with high-tier spiritual beasts, ancient ruins, and mystical treasures.
If I am to break through to Foundation Establishment, I must leave behind the familiar…
The next step will demand everything I've learned, and more.
Lin Yuan took a deep breath. The wind carried a faint electric charge, tickling his skin. Five months of relentless training had made him unstoppable in his domain—but the world outside would test him in ways far beyond anything he had faced so far.
And somewhere atop the Sword Hall peak, the elder with the wine gourd watched silently, swirling the last drops of wine in his gourd. His eyes glimmered faintly.
The boy has finally mastered himself… soon, he will test the heavens.