Xu Wuyi felt as if he had been completely hollowed out. Although his stamina wasn’t too depleted, his mind had grown sluggish, and he was practicing on pure instinct.

But he gritted his teeth and continued.

Nine hundred and eighty.

Nine hundred and ninety.

Nine hundred and ninety-nine...

Xu Wuyi took a deep breath. The simple act felt incredibly difficult, as if his chest were stuffed with cotton.

He slowly assumed the stance of Holding the Essence and Guarding the One.

Sink the shoulders, drop the elbows, relax the waist, tuck the hips...

His intention guided his Qi and Blood, circulating them along the familiar pathways.

Each movement was as slow as a film in slow motion, yet not a single detail was compromised.

Turn the body, breathe, conclude the form...

The moment he completed the final movement—

[Effective cultivation for today has reached 1,000 repetitions]

A line of archaic text slowly materialized in his sea of consciousness.

It was immediately followed by a second line:

[Thick Accumulation and Thin Emission. Effective cultivation for today has reached 1,000 repetitions. You have gained one instance of "Great Enlightenment."]

’It really works!’

’A thousand repetitions a day grants a "Great Enlightenment"!’

Before Xu Wuyi could even react, a torrential flood of comprehension, far more immense than any "Enlightenment," crashed into his consciousness!

If "Enlightenment" was a clear spring anointing his head, then "Great Enlightenment" was a mighty river flooding his mind!

Countless insights regarding the Basic Body Refining Technique—its details, variations, and possibilities—collided, fused, and then sublimated within his consciousness at an inconceivable speed!

This time, it wasn’t just about the Cultivation Technique itself.

Xu Wuyi felt as if he could see the Creator of the Basic Body Refining Technique, a figure toiling through countless days and nights to deliberate and improve upon it.

He saw how this Cultivation Technique evolved from the crudest of exercises, refined step by step until it became the Foundation Establishment Technique suitable for all people to practice.

He saw what it carried: the crystallized wisdom of the entire human civilization during the nascent stages of Martial Arts.

Basic.

That word, at this moment, took on a whole new weight.

It didn’t mean simple, nor did it mean low-level.

Rather, it was the beginning of all things, the foundation of all profound Martial Arts.

Without a solid foundation, even the most exquisite Techniques were nothing but castles in the air.

And to practice the basics to the absolute limit...

...was "Perfection."

VMM!

Xu Wuyi’s body trembled slightly.

He felt that his understanding of the Basic Body Refining Technique had reached an unprecedented level.

It wasn’t a technical understanding, but an essential one.

He saw through every detail of this Cultivation Technique, understood the purpose behind every part of its design, and comprehended how it used the most basic movements to guide a Martial Artist in building the most solid of foundations.

On the panel of the Martial Arts Diligence Record, the text quietly updated:

[Martial Art: Basic Body Refining Technique]

[Current Realm: Perfection]

[Martial Arts Trait: Returning to Truth]

[Assessment: Returning to the Essence, the foundation is complete.]

Perfection.

The proficiency percentage after the Realm had vanished completely.

Xu Wuyi slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a long, turbid breath.

He focused on the changes in his body.

Although his Life Energy Level hadn’t risen and the total volume of his Qi and Blood hadn’t significantly increased.

But things were different.

Completely different.

It was as if his body had been thoroughly "reorganized."

Every minute stagnation in the circulation of his Qi and Blood had been completely cleared.

The coordination between his muscles, bones, and meridians had reached a state of near-perfection.

More importantly, it was the sense of control he had over his body.

Xu Wuyi had a feeling that his understanding of his body had now reached the cellular level.

How to utilize every ounce of strength, how to exert force in every movement—it was all crystal clear.

"This is... Perfection?"

He muttered to himself, a flash of understanding in his eyes.

’No wonder the panel described the trait of the Perfection Realm as "Returning to Truth."’

’Returning to the Essence.’

’Practicing the most basic things to the extreme is the most profound Realm.’

Xu Wuyi moved his arm, performing a simple flexion and extension.

There was nothing fancy about it—just a simple bend and stretch of the elbow.

But the moment he completed the movement, he felt every fiber of his arm’s muscles contract and relax in the most efficient way possible, with no loss of power in the transfer of strength.

The efficiency had increased by at least thirty percent.

’If I were to use the Shocking God Spear now...’

The thought flickered through Xu Wuyi’s mind, but he didn’t try it immediately.

He was too exhausted.

After more than eight consecutive hours of high-intensity training, even with the Recovery Power of a Martial Artist, he needed time to recuperate.

He walked to the control console and said to Anna, "Prepare the Deep Recovery Liquid. I need to soak for two hours."

"It is being prepared for you. The Recovery Pod will be full in five minutes," Anna’s voice replied.

Xu Wuyi nodded, dragging his exhausted body toward the bathroom.

After a quick rinse, he walked into the adjacent recovery room.

A two-meter-long, one-meter-wide alloy pod stood open, filled with a pale blue liquid that gave off a faint, fresh herbal scent.

Xu Wuyi stripped off his clothes and lay down inside.

The lid slowly closed.

The liquid submerged his body, and a gentle pressure enveloped him from all sides. Combined with the special components within the liquid, it began to accelerate his body’s recovery.

Xu Wuyi closed his eyes, but his consciousness didn’t drift completely into sleep.

He was still savoring the feeling of the "Great Enlightenment" from earlier.

’A thousand effective repetitions... it really can trigger a "Great Enlightenment."’

’But the cost is immense.’

More than eight hours—almost an entire day.

And that was with his Great Success Level proficiency, where he could complete two sets almost every minute with perfect, uncompromising form. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

If it were another Martial Art he was less proficient in, it would likely be impossible to complete a thousand repetitions even if he dedicated the entire day to it.

And as for the returns...

Xu Wuyi carefully assessed them.

Achieving Perfection in the Basic Body Refining Technique didn’t bring a significant, direct increase in combat power.

But the enhancement to his body control and the improvement in his power-exertion efficiency were tangible.

More importantly, the fortification of this "foundation" would have immeasurable benefits for his future cultivation.

「Two hours later.」

The lid of the Recovery Pod opened automatically.

Xu Wuyi sat up. The pale blue liquid slid off his body without leaving a trace.

He stretched his limbs; most of his fatigue had vanished.

His stamina and Spiritual Power were seventy to eighty percent recovered.

"Anna, what time is it?" he asked.

"It is 10:47 PM," Anna’s voice came from outside the pod. "Do you require a meal? Your nutrient meal is ready."

"Yes, have it sent to the dining room."

Xu Wuyi stepped out of the Recovery Pod, dried himself off, and changed into clean loungewear.

In the dining room, a standard meal of three dishes and a soup was already on the table.

Even though he was at home, Xu Wuyi maintained his habits, his diet strictly following the plan designed by his nutritionist.

He sat down and ate in silence.

His mind, however, was already contemplating his future training plans.

His experiment with the Body Refining Technique had proven the feasibility of "thousand-repetition training." It could grant a "Great Enlightenment" far superior to a mere "Enlightenment" and could even help him break through to a new Realm.

’But for more High Tier Martial Arts, there’s no way I can practice them a thousand times a day.’

’Besides, the most important thing right now is to increase my Spiritual Strength...’

’Tomorrow, I’ll try the Mountain Shifting Technique, and the other Martial Arts.’ Xu Wuyi had a plan.