Chapter 9: Perfect Mastery
Time passed as Shawn continued his training. He amplified his right hand, released the Qi, amplified it again and repeated till the evening. By the time, he was called for Dinner, Shawn could imbue his right hand in 45 seconds. Clearly, it took more effort to reduce the time needed to use the skill the more he progressed. As he was heading downstairs, he asked the System.
'By the way, System. Have I reached Initial Mastery yet?'
[Negative, Host. You need to be able to amply any part of your body within 10 seconds to achieve Initial mastery.]
'Oh boy, that'll take a while, right? Then What about the higher stages of mastery?'
[To reach Intermediate Mastery, you need to be able to imbue all 4 limbs within 3 seconds. For Advanced Mastery, amplify the entire body and even the internal organs in 1 second. To achieve Phenomenal Mastery, you need to amplify any part of the body you want in an instant, that is the moment the thought crosses your mind. Finally, to attain Perfection in Spirit Amplification, you should be able to maintain the skill perpetually, on instinct without diverting a bit of focus toward keeping the technique active. The technique will essentially fuse with and become a part of your body and constitution. It will bring further benefits, but that is a matter of another time]
Shawn paused his descent down the stairs, his mouth wide open, jaw almost touching the ground as he stared blankly at the air.
'The Hell?! Is that even possible? Isn't that basically wearing a super-powerful armor 24/7? And will I be able to reach that level?'
[Host, with the blessings of the Immortal Cultivation System, you can achieve Phenomenal Mastery in all basic skills with enough time and effort. But beyond that, you're all on your own. It is not impossible. But only a handful of geniuses can reach that level in every era.]
Shawn was still reeling in shock. What was the Immortal Cultivation System? It was a divine legacy that enabled a mortal like him to cultivate. It bestowed him a Heaven-Ranked Physique and myriad information about the cosmos. Yet even such a divine creation couldn't help him achieve this. Yet some people reached that level without help. He couldn't help but think of himself as a frog in a well. An infant who had yet to see the world. Shawn didn't notice that his parents were staring at him in confusion, wondering why he was standing still, looking like he saw a ghost. Worried, they called out to him.
"awn...Shawn...SHAWN!" In the end, Jeanne had to yell at him to grab his attention. Shawn finally broke out of his astonishment. He hurried to the table and sat down.
"Are you alright, son? Do you need to see a doctor?" Max, who had returned home asked with worry etched on his face. Jeanne was sitting beside him. She too was eyeing him with concern.
"I'm fine, Mom, Dad. I was just thinking about something. It's not a big deal." Shawn had to convince his parents that he was alright before he could start eating. Quickly he finished dinner and returned to his room. After he left, Max asked his wife, "Honey don't you find it weird?"
"What do you mean?" Clearly, Jeanne didn't understand what her husband meant.
"I mean, Shawn always ate little even when he was healthy. And now that he's supposedly sick, he gobbled down 2 entire plates. Moreover, he seems more energetic than usual. Almost as though he became healthier if that's even possible."
"Now that I think about it, he also ate the same amount at lunch. And he stays in his room the entire day, only getting out for food." Jeanne also realised the anomaly. As Shawn started his cultivation, his parents pondered about the unusual change of their child.
************
A/N: Good day, readers. This is my first Webnovel, so there are bound to be mistakes and some areas might feel lacking. I hope you guys will inform me about any oversights as well as help me increase the quality of my work. I am open to any advice, ideas or suggestions.