Chapter 42: Advancing Rapidly in Mathematics (Part II)

Is this buff really that powerful?!

When Shi Tie Xin saw the explanation for the “Complete Comprehension” state, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. He had always thought that training in mind techniques was both arduous and painful, with progress painfully slow. Had it all been because he had never truly mastered the first level of the manual, making every step so difficult?

The world is vast, and my knowledge is so limited. I really have to admit defeat—never did I know there existed a state called “Complete Comprehension.” Come to think of it, perhaps all those geniuses advanced by leaps and bounds precisely because they attained complete comprehension time and again, as if aided by the gods.

But achieving complete comprehension is by no means easy. Without the top-tier attribute “Step by Step,” which reduces the aptitude requirement by thirty percent, very few people could fully grasp a manual. Even with an exceptional manual, without a master’s frequent guidance, success would be unlikely.

But then, what about me?

Why did I comprehend the manual so smoothly just now? It was as if years of chronic constipation were suddenly relieved, as if a long-blocked dam had burst open.

Even an idiot can tell there must be some unexpected factor at play. If training mind techniques had always been this hard, how could it suddenly become so easy?

Could it… have something to do with that strange state of both sudden clarity and unwavering certainty?

Was that state the legendary unity of man and nature, harmony with the Way, an enlightenment from the cosmic Dao itself?

Would the universe really grant me enlightenment for learning basic arithmetic?

Nonsense!

Shi Tie Xin couldn’t figure out the cause of his sudden breakthrough, but the ever-shifting interface gave him no time to ponder. The manual’s comprehension progress bar lit up, shrinking into a tiny badge inscribed with the character for “Comprehension,” which hovered at the edge of his vision. The badge radiated a warm, bright glow, indicating Shi Tie Xin was under a beneficial effect.

Immediately afterward, a new progress bar appeared in the upper left of his field of view. This bar was simple: on the far left was marked “Pass,” and on the far right, “Good.” A progress bar stretched out from the left about ten percent of the way—just barely past the starting point.

Shi Tie Xin understood at once: this bar represented his current cultivation progress—in other words, he had just scraped a pass.

That’s pretty low. How embarrassing!

He raised his head and looked at the boys chatting idly and the girls gossiping and preening in the classroom. To his shame, Shi Tie Xin realized he couldn’t even reach the average level in this class of underachievers. Truly disgraceful.

Just then, the “Comprehension” badge beside him suddenly shot out a beam of light, blasting the progress bar like a burst of ki. The bar, as if fueled, surged forward under the dazzling glow. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—the progress bar leaped forward, rising by about thirty percent, and finally stopped near the middle.

The badge’s light faded, leaving only a faint radiance, and the progress bar settled into place. This, it seemed, was the promised effect of “Complete Comprehension”: an initial cultivation progress boost of thirty percent.

The display wasn’t merely a visual change—Shi Tie Xin genuinely felt a difference. He couldn’t say for sure what caused it—perhaps some mysterious system at work, or perhaps it was simply the deeper understanding of the manual—but he could clearly sense his grasp of the first level of elementary mathematics had risen.

At the same time, a spark of thought flickered among the neurons in his brain. An indescribable flow of energy was born deep within his mind. Shi Tie Xin couldn’t say which cell, nerve, or sulcus it originated from, but he distinctly sensed a cool, minty feeling spread through his brain.

The sensation faded as quickly as it came, as if it had never existed—but Shi Tie Xin knew it was no illusion. That strange, thought-born energy was none other than Mind Qi.

The foundation of mind technique cultivation.

Just like training in strength techniques, Shi Tie Xin himself possessed a background in mind techniques, but this body and brain had never trained in either strength or mind techniques, so both Vital Qi and Mind Qi would need to be accumulated from scratch. However, unlike Vital Qi, Mind Qi mainly derives from the level of the six fundamental mind techniques. Once the level is reached, Mind Qi can quickly catch up.

So, Shi Tie Xin felt a wisp of cool Mind Qi spiral and grow within his brain, quickly reaching the appropriate strength. It wasn’t much, but all the dazzling, mysterious mind techniques of the future would stem from this very wisp. How could Shi Tie Xin neglect it?

He immediately pulled out the supplementary manual—in other words, a workbook of elementary arithmetic exercises.

He had fifteen workbooks on hand: nine of ordinary quality, four of superior quality with the added attribute “High Difficulty,” and two of exceptional quality with the attribute “Arduous.” Given his current progress, the “Limit Practice” and “Little Genius” workbooks were far beyond him, requiring at least a “Good” level to use.

Therefore, the best manuals he could use now were the four with the “High Difficulty” attribute. The basic enhancement increased training speed by twenty percent, and “High Difficulty” added another twenty percent—altogether, a forty percent boost in cultivation speed. These were the sports cars of supplementary manuals!

Why settle for the mediocre when you can use the best?

He opened one, picked up his pen, and got to work!

Tonight, Shi Tie Xin would use up the entire supplementary manual and live the decadent life everyone envied!

He opened the workbook and glanced at the densely packed problems.

Studying the content, Shi Tie Xin picked up his pen, brimming with heroic spirit and determination.

One minute passed…

Two minutes passed…

Five minutes passed…

With a snap, Shi Tie Xin closed the workbook and set it aside with a nonchalant air, then glanced at the ordinary workbooks—Maybe I’ll find something easier…

This was way too damn hard! It was just basic arithmetic—shouldn’t it be simple additions and subtractions up to two digits, and multiplications and divisions up to the teens? What on earth were these swarming problems in the workbook? Why did his head spin just looking at them?

“High Difficulty” was no exaggeration; the difficulty was indeed high.

No wonder a “Pass” was required to use them, and anything below “Excellent” would even slow progress. He himself was already being slowed down—down to a snail’s pace, utterly stuck!

It seems you should wear a hat that fits your head; better to start from the basics. Shi Tie Xin looked around, then picked up his math textbook.

Didn’t this textbook have an “Integrated Learning” attribute? He might as well use up the supplementary manual that came with the textbook first. Besides, the manual and its supplementary are one unit—maybe there’d be some unexpected effect?

Shi Tie Xin opened the textbook and glanced at the exercises: addition and subtraction within ten. Good—every journey starts with a single step. Let’s begin here!

He plunged into battle, pen racing as he wrestled with single-digit addition and subtraction.

Five minutes later, Shi Tie Xin suddenly shuddered all over—because his field of vision was changing once again.