Chapter 839: Cultivation

"How is it that this week, we only get four episodes of Journey to the West?" Jiang Xiaoyue complained, even as she hit play to watch the first four episodes all over again.

One had to consider that with past television dramas like Wind and Cloud or The Legend of the White Snake, four episodes would drop every Monday and Tuesday, totaling eight a week.

Yet with this Journey to the West, everyone found that the trail went cold right after the fourth episode, and to see what came next, they had to wait until...

"Next week!?"

"I am going to lodge a formal protest with the boss!" Song Qingfeng declared. "Since the other dramas get eight episodes, this one should be broadcast at least four times a week! Two episodes a day!"

"Oh, give it a rest." Sitting beside Nalan Mingxue, Lanyuan took a sip of her milk tea, thoroughly unfazed by the situation. "When the time comes, the boss will just say, 'If you watch that much, will you even be able to digest it all? Isn't this shop doing it for your own good...'"

As she spoke, she mimicked Owner Fang’s grand, orchestrating gestures with uncanny precision.

She then turned her gaze to Nalan Mingxue beside her.

The young woman was already deeply engrossed in her second viewing of Journey to the West.

By now, the tournaments across the various League of Legends regional leagues were drawing to a close; because it was a round-robin points system, the latter stages were naturally a bit more relaxed.

"There is still some time before the World Championship," Nalan Mingxue remarked. "If we have the time, it is best to take a brief rest and regroup."

They, at least, had the luxury of time to watch Journey to the West a few more times.

"There is a saying: 'Read a book a hundred times, and its meaning will become clear on its own,'" Nalan Mingxue added. "There are still three days before the next episode airs. If you cannot comprehend it, use this time to watch it again and again. You are bound to gain something from it."

...

Meanwhile, in this world, the teleportation technology used by cultivators to travel between major territories could be considered quite highly developed.

At this moment, the Grand Heaven Faction and the Grand Heaven Academy—two sects of cultivators from the same ancestral lineage but located across the separate continents of Xianyi and Xianxu—were conversing in their group chat...

"Do you all think... we ought to expand these teleportation arrays a bit more?" Gu Tingyun initiated the conversation in the chat. "After all, regarding cross-continental teleportation arrays, there is currently only a single, small private array connecting the two of us. Traveling back and forth is truly rather inconvenient."

"How does the venerable Academy Master Gu find the leisure to discuss such trivial matters?" Feng Xuehe, the Sect Master of the Grand Heaven Faction, chuckled.

"Just a few days ago, the Tang family, the Xun family, and various other clans all stated they wished to travel to the Eastern Continent for cultural exchange and networking, and sought to borrow our teleportation arrays..." Gu Tingyun shook his head. "Old as I am, it is truly awkward for me to agree..."

"There are even several disciples within the academy applying to go to... what was it, the Western Continent for academic travel!" Gu Tingyun sent a fainting emoji. "This old man truly... cannot make it happen!"

"This is indeed a matter of considerable gravity," the Supreme Elder Zhuge Qingyun interjected. "Should an emergency arise, it would even allow multiple factions to ride to each other's rescue. This old man believes there is indeed a necessity for it."

...

The atmosphere within the shop remained entirely harmonious and serene, with some patrons watching television, others chatting on Penguin, and still others playing games with rapt attention.

They carefully studied and honed all manner of gaming techniques.

Meanwhile, Owner Fang was currently alone inside the system's Cultivation Room.

In the past, the Cultivation Room possessed only a single mode of cultivation: choosing a character from a game, television drama, or movie to spar against. As the synchronization rate increased, the yields would rise accordingly.

Concurrently, Fang Qi could continuously learn and refine that character's combat techniques through the process, integrating them into his own repertoire.

However, there was a glaring flaw: when the chosen character's combat prowess was excessively high... one would be instantly obliterated upon the very first encounter, leaving no opportunity to learn combat techniques, let alone elevate one's cultivation.

Now that the system had upgraded to 50%, the Cultivation Room had introduced a brand-new method of cultivation: synchronizing with a character from a game, television series, or movie to participate in and simulate an actual battle.

In this manner, one's own baseline attributes would naturally not be too poor.

Furthermore, by synchronizing with characters of higher power levels, the advancement of one's cultivation would be significantly swifter than before.

Of course, this Cultivation Room required a 10% baseline synchronization rate to assume the role of any character, meaning the old Cultivation Room was by no means entirely obsolete.

"Which one should I choose..." The images before Owner Fang's eyes shifted continuously. Scenarios like Havoc in heaven or the fierce battles against the Hundred Thousand Heavenly Soldiers and Heavenly Generals featured immortal deities of such caliber that, given Fang Qi's current synchronization progress, were naturally beyond his reach.

"Uh..."

"Havoc in the Underworld"...

Appearing before Fang Qi's eyes was the vista of a monkey wielding the Golden Cudgel, with underworld soldiers and ghost troops barring his path.

In the "Havoc in Heaven" conflict, his synchronization rate with Sun Wukong was a mere 2%, but here, it had risen to 7%.

"Is it because... at this point in time, Sun Wukong had not yet ascended to the Heavenly Court, nor had he stolen and eaten the Flat Peaches, meaning his cultivation and strength were not yet as high as they were during the Havoc in Heaven?" Fang Qi pondered for a moment, then continued to adjust the pendant in his hand. The scene before him shifted once more, transforming this time into the likeness of Sun Wukong standing atop a Somersault Cloud, gazing out at the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits, completely devoid of the Golden Cudgel on his person.

Below the crest of the clouds, a black-furred demon king wielding a great falchion could be seen bullying the monkeys and grandsons of the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits; this was precisely the period right after his return from the Square Inch Mountain.

At this juncture, the synchronization rate rose yet again, reaching 9%.

Only then did Fang Qi nod slightly in approval.

Initiate Synchronization: Character synchronization rate insufficient; cannot synchronize.

Initiate Combat Cultivation: Yes.

With the selection finalized, the demon king and the countless monkeys before him gradually faded away. Above the sky of the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits, only a single monkey flying upon a cloud remained, its gaze slowly locking onto him.

Utterly distinct from the mischievous, laughing, and cursing persona that brimmed with the traits of a playful monkey, its eyes bore an unadulterated intent to kill. Locked on!

In the very next instant, Fang Qi felt his vision blur as a figure clad in a Taoist robe with a monkey's face materialized before him in a flash!

A fist thrust forward, soundless and imperceptible, yet Fang Qi possessed an instinctual certainty: "If this punch connects... I will absolutely die!"

In that split second, at the absolute eleventh hour, Fang Qi lunged violently to the side to dodge. Although dying in the Cultivation Room did not equate to actual death, still...

Another fist arrived instantly!

Abandoning all semblance of grace, Fang Qi executed a desperate roll along the ground, the force of the fist grazing past his left arm.

Crack!

A crisp snap echoed!

Though Fang Qi generally did not dial the pain settings to one hundred percent when facing insurmountable foes in the Cultivation Room, this setting directly influenced the progression speed of his synchronization rate, so it naturally could not be set too low.

A bead of cold sweat rolled down Fang Qi's forehead.

In the next moment, another howl rent the air like tearing silk!

Almost simultaneously, a faint blue gleam of data flashed deep within Fang Qi's eyes.

Boom!

A colossal detonation shook the area as a pair of sinister demon arms clad in scaled gauntlets instantly blocked the strike.

The ground was plowed into a massive, yawning chasm. Before him, a demon draped in a crimson cape knelt on one knee, slowly raising its head.

"Complete Synchronization!?" Fang Qi stared at his own hands in astonishment. "This is also a new function added after the upgrade!?"

Yet, upon sensing his own energy and stamina plummeting at a staggering, drastic rate, Fang Qi instantly deactivated the Complete Synchronization. A flash of sword-light ignited beneath his feet, and he soared into the azure sky.

"I must conserve it..." One had to understand that this synchronization time—which did not consume the Divine Weapon Fragments used to manifest weapons—was exceedingly precious. Fang Qi practically split a single duration into dozens or hundreds of fragments for use.

How swift was the Somersault Cloud? It caught up almost in the blink of an eye!

The sword-light in his hand flashed, his robes rustling wildly as Fang Qi’s techniques shifted once more, as though he had transformed into yet another figure.

With a resounding crash, the ethereal white clouds all around were completely shattered and dispersed by the impact of this single blow.