Infinite Awakening: My Exp Doubles Everyday novel Chapter 3

Chapter 3: First Settlement

Li Yao perched delicately on a branch atop the mountain, her keen eyes fixed on the distant figure of Xiang Yu. Her senior brother moved through the motions of his knife technique with an intensity she had never witnessed before. Something had changed in him since this morning—a transformation so abrupt it left her puzzled and concerned.

"Is he still unwell?" she whispered to herself, remembering his strange behavior earlier. The senior brother she knew preferred lounging in the shade to sweating under the sun's harsh glare. This newfound dedication was as unexpected as it was fascinating.

Just as she shifted her weight to leap down from her observation post, an unsettling sensation overtook her—her feet no longer touched the branch. She was floating, suspended in midair. With dawning horror, she slowly turned to find herself face-to-face with her master's stern countenance. Elder Guo Shantian held her aloft by the collar of her robes like a misbehaving kitten.

"What are you doing slacking off here?" he demanded, his bushy eyebrows drawn together in disapproval.

Li Yao's cheeks flushed crimson. "Master, I can explain—"

"No need!" The elder cut her off with a dismissive wave. "Go practice and stop bothering your senior brother." Without further warning, he hurled her skyward with effortless strength, sending her soaring through the clouds.

"Wait! Master, I can't fly!" Her panicked scream echoed across the mountainside, but Elder Guo merely watched Xiang Yu train for a few contemplative seconds before vanishing in a blur of motion, leaving his female disciple to her airborne predicament.

Below, oblivious to the drama unfolding above, Xiang Yu swung his knife with mechanical precision. His arms burned with fatigue, his palms raw and blistered. Sweat poured down his face in rivulets, soaking his simple garments until they clung to his trembling frame. Each breath came in ragged gasps as darkness threatened the edges of his vision.

The relentless sun beat down upon him, yet Xiang Yu refused to yield. "If I want to survive in this world," he muttered through gritted teeth, "I must earn every second I live."

Swing after swing, hour after hour, he continued his practice as the sun began its descent toward the horizon. Even as golden-orange hues painted the sky, signaling the day's end, his determination never wavered. Though his muscles screamed for relief, he pushed onward, unwilling to relinquish the momentum he had built.

"Still no progress," he hissed in frustration, yet his blade continued to slice through the air as darkness slowly enveloped the mountain.

From a nearby tree, Li Yao had returned to resume her observation, somehow having survived her master's impromptu flying lesson. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she studied her senior brother's unusual behavior.

"He's always been lazy," she thought, "always avoided cultivation because of his lack of spiritual roots. What could have possibly happened to change him so dramatically?" After watching his relentless practice for some time longer, she nodded to herself with newfound resolve. "If Senior Brother can work this hard despite his limitations, how can I possibly slack off?" With that thought, she silently retreated to resume her own cultivation regimen.

Atop the highest point of Mountain Heart Pavilion, Elder Guo Shantian observed his two disciples with quiet satisfaction. Li Yao, the undisputed genius of the sect, blessed with talent that appeared once in a generation, had always frittered away precious hours that could have been devoted to cultivation. Now, spurred by her senior brother's unexpected dedication, she too had found new motivation.

The elder's gaze shifted to Xiang Yu, and curiosity creased his weathered features. When he had handed the boy that Basic Knife Technique, he had expected nothing more than a fleeting burst of enthusiasm—one that would inevitably wither in the face of slow progress. Yet here was the boy, nearly a full day later, still swinging his blade with undiminished fervor.

What struck the elder most was the expression etched upon the young man's face. It wasn't mere determination—it was desperation, the look of someone who believed with absolute certainty that failing to execute one more swing might result in his death.

"I don't know what's driving you, boy," Elder Guo mused with a smile, "but whatever it is, it serves you well. Even without spiritual roots, your path isn't at its end."

As twilight deepened into night, Xiang Yu continued his relentless practice until suddenly, a translucent blue screen materialized before his exhausted eyes:

[Calculating Settlement]

...

The translucent blue screen pulsed softly in the darkness as Xiang Yu's exhausted eyes widened in wonder:

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