This was Li Fan's first skill to reach the realm of [Great Achievement].
From [Entry] to [Beginner], then [Small Success] and finally [Great Achievement]—even for geniuses, advancing a technique to this level required considerable time and effort.
For ordinary cultivators, it often took a decade or more of relentless practice, repetition, and comprehension.
Yet Li Fan had done it in less than a week.
Not because of talent. Not through some secret pill or master's guidance.
But because of his cheat.
Through sheer grinding and EXP manipulation, he had forcefully pushed his cultivation technique to a realm most could only dream of touching.
And as always, the breakthrough came with its rewards.
First was the flood of insight.
A torrent of information surged through his mind—as if he'd been practicing the [Clear Mind Breathing Technique] for years. Nuanced adjustments to posture, breathing rhythm, meridian control… All of it arrived in perfect clarity, imprinting itself into his instincts.
But it was the second effect Li Fan also treasured.
The tangible change.
His breathing deepened. The moment he exhaled, a wave of heat pulsed from his core.
His meridians stirred, stretching like waking muscles. He could feel his dantian expanding—just slightly—but enough to know that his capacity had increased.
Li Fan's eyes snapped open.
The forest looked sharper. The light filtering through the canopy brighter. His senses, for a brief moment, felt heightened.
Li Fan didn't move right away.
He simply breathed, letting the warmth in his core settle. Everything felt clearer—his body, his senses, even his thoughts.
It was as if a barrier had lifted—not a realm breakthrough, but the invisible wall that dulled progress for most cultivators. With his technique now at [Great Achievement], each breath drew in more spiritual energy than before. The efficiency was staggering. A full cycle that once took an hour to recover his qi now needed twenty minutes at most.
And that wasn't all.
He could feel his cultivation realm stirring.
He wasn't breaking through to Stage 4 yet—but the pressure was building. The kind of pressure that came before a surge. The next time he sat for focused cultivation, it wouldn't take long.
"…In another half a year," Li Fan thought, "I can push through to Stage 4."
He paused.
No. That wasn't quite right anymore.
With this breakthrough, maybe he didn't need that long.
With his current pace, Li Fan mentally recalculated.
"Four months for Stage 4," he whispered. "A year for Stage 5."
Even with his low-grade water spirit root—a talent barely above waste level—that kind of speed was incredible. Most cultivators with average roots needed years to make such progress. But thanks to the synergy between his cultivation technique, his low realm, and his panel, Li Fan was on a different track entirely.
"They work together," he realized. "Technique mastery and realm strength. One feeds the other."
If he relied on external resources—like pills or high-grade spirit stones—his growth would be even faster. But for now, all he had was the monthly low-grade spirit stone given by the sect. And that alone wouldn't be enough.
Not when the clock was ticking.
Six months.
That was all he had.
If he didn't reach Stage 5 by then, he'd be expelled from the Qinghe Mountain Sect.
His hands clenched.
"I need more," he said aloud, standing.
Li Fan glanced at his updated panel.
[Status]
Name: Li Fan
Realm: Qi Gathering – Stage 3
[Skills]
Clear Mind Breathing Technique – Great Achievement - 1/500
Flowing Leaf Sword Form – Small Success - 1/200
Stone Palm Technique – Small Success - 199/200
[EXP]: 0
A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"At least for now, let me finish what I started."
Casting distracting thoughts away from his mind, Li Fan activated [Stone Palm Technique].
A while later.
A subtle click echoed in his consciousness.
[Stone Palm Technique – Great Achievement - 1/500]
The moment the Stone Palm Technique stepped into [Great Achievement], the effect was instantaneous.
Power surged through his arms.
He felt his arm strength increase once again.
His hands tingled. A sharp crack echoed through the clearing as his knuckles flexed, like stone plates shifting beneath flesh. The familiar grey hue that once coated his skin whenever the technique activated had now darkened to a deeper blackish tone . His forearms took on the sheen of polished basalt, a sharp contrast to the pale skin of the rest of his body.
He looked down, breathing slowly.
The technique still consumed the same amount of Qi, but what it produced… was leagues beyond what it used to.
Li Fan raised his right hand and pressed his fingers lightly against the mossy tree beside him.
The bark cracked with a dull thud—and split.
He hadn't even pushed.
A chill ran down his spine, not from fear—but anticipation.
"If I play my cards right…" he murmured, stepping back from the fractured tree, "it'll be hard to find someone in the same realm who can match me."
The gap wasn't just in strength—it was in quality. A typical Qi Gathering Stage 3 cultivator wouldn't have such refined techniques. Their skills would be passable at best if they hadn't spent at least close to a decade in that realm.
Even normal geniuses in the sect wouldn't have achieved this much this fast. The only reason he had… was because of the panel—and his ability to grind.
Li Fan let out a slow, satisfied breath.
Compared to just a few days ago, this status was unrecognizable.
He didn't even need to test his strength against others to know.
Right now, if any outer disciple of the same realm tried to fight him, as long as they weren't some freakish genius and he wasn't trash… they would lose. Even if they had higher cultivation stages, their techniques wouldn't be refined enough to withstand the sheer efficiency of his movements.