I Need Cultivation Techniques, System, You Know What I Mean

Old Cao had been gone for over two and a half months now.

Young Master Cao had drawn prizes a total of 101 times.

And finally, he hit the jackpot—a diamond!

During previous draws, the diamond had occasionally flickered in and out of view, never clear enough to satisfy his restless anticipation.

But now, he could see it plainly.

It looked like a massive chunk of diamond, weighing hundreds of tons… floating in the void, dazzling beyond measure, radiating brilliance from within.

[Ding~]

[Congratulations, Host, for your incredible luck! You’ve drawn a Diamond Treasure Chest and obtained an Unrestricted Skill Upgrade Card!]

"Huh?"

"This?"

"Seriously?"

Cao Cheng shook his head.

Truthfully, he had been hoping for a cultivation manual—even just a beginner-level one.

After all, who could resist the allure of immortality?

But…

The thought passed in an instant.

There would be more opportunities in the future.

This Skill Upgrade Card was indeed a valuable item—unrestricted, meaning it could elevate any skill already at the Grandmaster level even higher.

Grandmaster-tier skills were already overpowered.

And beyond that…

Just thinking about it was terrifying.

Take cooking, for example.

Well…

Right now, his culinary skills were only at the Advanced level.

But Cao Cheng had one Skill Upgrade Card (usable below Grandmaster) and one Unrestricted Upgrade Card.

Using both at once could propel his cooking straight to a level beyond Grandmaster.

What kind of realm would that be?

The dishes he made would probably glow.

Eating them might even grant stat bonuses.

At this thought,

Young Master Cao was tempted.

But he quickly dismissed the idea.

He wasn’t going to upgrade his cooking skills—he hated cooking.

"Traditional Chinese Medicine, though… that’s worth considering."

Cao Cheng mimicked the mannerisms of a protagonist blessed by fate—rubbing his nose, stroking his chin, massaging his temples.

Didn’t that make him seem more profound?

Even if he couldn’t quite capture the essence of a true protagonist, it was passable.

His TCM skills were currently at the Advanced level, enough to handle most complex ailments.

If he upgraded to Grandmaster, he could probably cure all forms of cancer.

And beyond Grandmaster? He might even be able to refine elixirs.

Plus,

TCM was a perfect skill for showing off.

Too bad he hadn’t run into any elderly men with chronic injuries and influential backgrounds in the plaza.

Otherwise, Cao Cheng wouldn’t hesitate to upgrade his TCM skills immediately.

As it stood, his Advanced-level TCM was more than enough for… ahem, "bone-setting" sessions with the female protagonist.

"Makeup skills?"

No need.

"Comprehensive pistol marksmanship?"

Also unnecessary.

"Tailoring?"

Even less so.

"Piano, dance, vocal mimicry, parkour…"

Not his calling.

Parkour might be useful, though—given his growing list of enemies, it’d be practical for avoiding beatdowns.

But his parkour skills were already at the Grandmaster level, practically equivalent to light-footed martial arts.

Upgrading further… would he just ascend to the heavens?

No thanks.

"Then it’s settled—Comprehensive Combat Arts!"

In the end,

Cao Cheng decided to use the upgrade card on the most crucial skill: combat.

Realistically, the Grandmaster level was already more than enough. His current physique couldn’t even fully utilize the skill’s potential, tapping into only about 80% of its power.

But…

On second thought, upgrading his combat arts would raise his skill ceiling.

Even without improving his physical attributes, his combat prowess would still take a qualitative leap.

A win-win scenario.

Who wouldn’t want to be stronger?

"Use the Upgrade Card—enhance Comprehensive Combat Arts!"

The moment he spoke,

the Upgrade Card in the void shattered into shimmering motes of light, instantly merging into Cao Cheng’s body, suffusing his limbs and bones.

His understanding of combat arts seemed to undergo a systematic evolution.

New details flooded his memory.

Comprehensive Combat Arts wasn’t just about external techniques—it encompassed fist strikes, kicks, palm strikes, finger techniques, footwork, and more, along with stance training and breathing methods.

A fusion of internal and external mastery.

After the upgrade, in these fleeting moments, Young Master Cao gained an ineffable, intuitive grasp of the subtleties within combat arts—as if he’d glimpsed something profound.

These insights couldn’t be shared.

They belonged to him alone.

Even if Cao Cheng dedicated himself to teaching someone else, no matter how talented that person was, they could only reach the Grandmaster level at best.

They’d never surpass him.

The same moves, the same stances—but Cao Cheng carried an indescribable aura and presence.

[Ding~~]

[Upgrade complete!]

[Comprehensive Combat Arts (Grandmaster)] → [Comprehensive Combat Arts (Barely Understands)]

"?"

"??"

"???"

What the—?

What the hell is this?

Young Master Cao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

"Well, now I barely understand for real."

"System, are you broken?"

"When I say ‘barely understand,’ it’s modesty—you took it literally?"

"After Grandmaster comes ‘Barely Understands’—what kind of logic is that?"

"You think you’re funny?"

"Ugh…"

The system was half-broken and wouldn’t respond.

Cao Cheng couldn’t be bothered to argue.

It was just a label… or so he told himself.

But seriously—how was he supposed to explain this to others?

Cao Cheng was speechless for a long moment. After calming himself, he began practicing his stances and breathing exercises to sense the changes post-upgrade.

Soon, he noticed the energy within him flowing faster, more vigorously than before.

This wasn’t some martial arts "true qi."

Just pure physical force.

Trying to perceive it with his consciousness made it feel abstract, elusive.

Unlike those exaggerated cultivation tropes—where people could project qi outward, even manifest visible energy currents… or ride flying swords.

Ridiculous.

But enviable.

Cao Cheng’s eyes burned with jealousy.

He could only hope future Diamond Treasure Chests would grant him such techniques.

"Wait!"

"Is there a level after ‘Barely Understands’?"

A sudden thought struck him.

The Upgrade Card was unrestricted.

If he got another one in the future, could he use it on his combat arts again—pushing "Barely Understands" even higher?

Would that trigger a qualitative transformation?

Could these combat techniques, stance training, and breathing methods evolve into… even a rudimentary cultivation method?

The system had no answers.

Cao Cheng couldn’t be sure either.

But…

He could always test it later.

After all, his rate of gathering emotional energy had skyrocketed—the next 100-draw wouldn’t be far off.

……

This haul was decent.

The Diamond Treasure Chest hadn’t met his expectations, but he could grudgingly accept it.

The other rewards, however, left him satisfied.

Probably because the final ten-draw—the grand finale—had yielded premium items.

One Diamond Treasure Chest.

Two Gold Treasure Chests.

Two Silver Treasure Chests.

And the remaining five were all Bronze.

Not a single Iron-tier item…

At least that offered some consolation.

Then,

a sudden notification echoed in his mind.

[Ding~]

[After 100 treasure chest draws, the system is upgrading…]

[Please wait!]

[Countdown: 23 hours, 59 minutes, 51 seconds]

Young Master Cao’s mood lifted instantly.

He’d suspected the system might upgrade.

This was a data-driven thing—how could it not have an upgrade feature?

Especially since the system was so barebones—it didn’t even have a response function, worse than voice assistants like Siri.

It had to have room for growth.

After the initial joy came anticipation.

What improvements would the upgraded system bring?

Would it raise the quality of items in treasure chests?

I need cultivation manuals, System. You get me, right?