Cultivation: Grinding Proficiency for Longevity

Liu Chen's fingertip brushed past a shimmering blue light in the void: [Purple Bamboo Scripture Body Tempering Mastery +1] Having crossed into this world, his greatest reliance was not on his innate talent, but on this quietly accumulating proficiency panel. “The ostentatious break easily; the steady achieve longevity.” He inscribed this eight-character mantra on the flyleaf of his cultivation journal, and from then on, he concealed his brilliance and feigned mediocrity. When his sect-mates vied for treasures, he kept his distance; when prodigies shone upon the world, he lowered his gaze and cultivated. Time passed in silence as the numbers on the panel quietly leaped upwards. Until one day, a powerful enemy appeared at his door, scoffing at him for being mediocre and worthless. Liu Chen lifted his gaze, and ten thousand sword-lights erupted from his sleeve, cascading down like a river of stars. “I do not contend, but that does not mean I cannot.” Three thousand years later, at the pin