Chapter 15: Measuring with Grass

The Good Deeds of the Punishing Evil System currently serve one purpose: exchange for Enlightenment Time.

And Enlightenment Time has several levels.

The first level is Illumination Time: 100 Good Deeds for one second. It illuminates actions and knowledge, enabling one to quickly identify past deficiencies and make improvements.

After Illumination Time has been used for a certain length of time, one can exchange Good Deeds for the second level.

The second level is Enlightenment Time, 1,000 Good Deeds for one second.

Expounding on all principles is enlightenment!

If the effect of using Illumination Time is like having correct answers for comparison.

Then using Enlightenment Time is like having a teacher breaking down these correct answers, explaining and deepening them, showing one a clear path forward. It allows practitioners to bypass the process from nothing to being.

The potent effect of Enlightenment Time is astounding!

Like when Shen Zhui had been practicing Iron Ruler Ninefold for two years, along with the help of his experiences during Illumination Time, he was still unable to reach the Great Achievement Realm.

However, when he exchanged for twenty seconds of Enlightenment Time, he achieved the Unity of Heaven and Man.

Of course, if someone gets full after eating seven steamed buns, the credit can't all go to the seventh bun.

The accumulation of insights into the ruler technique during Illumination Time also played a part.

"38500 Good Deeds can be exchanged for 385 seconds of Illumination Time

If exchanged for Enlightenment Time, it will be 38.5 seconds, which is not a small amount." Shen Zhui murmured within his heart.

Shen Zhui originally planned to exchange for Enlightenment Time to breakthrough the final barrier of Flowing Cloud Step to the Great Achievement Realm.

But he didn't expect that the killing outside the city earlier had allowed him to breakthrough Flowing Cloud Step during the life-and-death situation, saving him many Good Deeds in the process.

Now that I've reached the Ninth Rank and eaten all the major Essence Pill's, there's no way to increase my cultivation level in a short period.

Shen Zhui got up from the bed, pulled out several straws from under the blanket, and began to play with them in his hand.

Although both the ruler technique and movement must've reached the Great Achievement Realm, with so many Good Deeds at hand, I might try to improve them a bit. I need to consider how to use these Good Deeds properly."

He twisted and turned the handful of straw into a shape of a stick.

He swung it twice, and Shen Zhui nodded. At the Unity of Heaven and Man state he was in, the difference between practicing with a tree branch or a weapon wasn't big.

"Although I've just broken through to the Great Achievement Status in movement technique, even if I exchange all the Good Deeds for Enlightenment Time now, I'm afraid it might still be difficult to breakthrough to the Perfect Realm. Only the ruler technique has a glimmer of hope."

Shen Zhui thought to himself, and quickly made a decision.

First, he'll divide the Good Deeds into two parts for exchange, where 20,000 Good Deeds are reserved for exchange into Enlightenment Time.

The remaining Good Deeds, on the other hand, are for exchanging into Illumination Time, for the purpose of slow accumulation.

"Let's first exchange for forty seconds of Illumination Time and give it a try."

As the thought crossed his mind, Good Deeds were deducted.

"Exchange successful, countdown for Illumination Time begins: 39, 38, 37...."

And there it is ~

The inexplicable feeling arrived.

It's like a drowning person suddenly coming up for air.

Even after experiencing this feeling many times before, Shen Zhui still found it incredibly wonderful.

And so, he started practicing Iron Ruler Ninefold with a straw stick, completely immersed in the Illumination Time.

Iron Ruler Ninefold has a set of diagrams, recording eighteen ruler techniques, which serve as guides for practitioners to comprehend.

Shen Zhui was already very familiar with these techniques, so practicing with a straw stick as a weapon felt different.

"Huh~"

Multiple illusions were created by the straw stick. As Shen Zhui continued to swing with his body movement, the real figure of the stick soon disappeared, as if there was nothing in his hand.

The sunlight shone in through the window, overlapping the shadows of the stick and the person, completely unified as one.

Shen Zhui naturally achieved the Unity of Heaven and Man.

Many insights were born from deep within him, resolving previously held doubts. New queries, however, arose, requiring adjustments...

"Illumination Time ends here."

Although the system prompt sounded, Shen Zhui continued practicing for a while before stopping.

"Unity of Heaven and Man, what exactly is considered the realm of Unity of Heaven and Man..."

Shen Zhui, looking at the straw stick in his hand that was somewhat ragged from practice, casually tossed it aside, closed his eyes, and reflected on the feeling just now.

The feeling of coming out of Illumination Time was not very pleasant. It was as if a person who had just been rescued ashore was thrown back into the water and was having a feeling of drowning.

Without much delay, Shen Zhui opened his eyes and sat back down.

"Although I feel a bit of progress, I still don't have the slightest inkling about how to practice the slightest 'momentum' in the ruler technique to the extent that I can harness the power of the heaven and earth..."

Progress, indeed, he had made.

However, this progress was not a vertical leap to the Perfect Realm, but rather horizontal.

"In the books or from Captain Wang, they both mentioned that to reach the 'Unity of Heaven and Man' realm, you need to achieve both perfect control of strength and the ability to harness the power of heaven and earth," he said.

"But how can both these conditions be met?"

Neither the books nor Wang Long, the Innate master he had consulted before, offered any guidance on this.

Not because they don't want to teach, but because it's impossible to teach.

The 'Unity of Man and Weapon' in the Great Achievement Realm carries a trace of 'momentum', such as swordsmanship or knife technique.

Each person's understanding differs greatly depending on their training.

For the same technique, one person might exhibit a domineering knife technique while another might be gentle. There are countless variations!

As such, it is impossible to provide direct guidance!

In the Perfect Realm's 'Unity of Heaven and Man', you must unite this 'momentum' with the world and activate the power of heaven and earth.

It's even more obscure and elusive than the Great Achievement Realm, so it's even harder to explain.

"The master leads you to the door, but walking through it depends on the individual," sighed Shen Zhui. Regardless of the martial skill, even the most adept of masters can only guide you to the minor accomplishment realm, which is extremely close to the Great Achievement Realm.

Further than that, although guidance still has its uses, it largely depends on the individual's ability.

As for the Perfect Realm, one can only rely on themself.

This is akin to learning to swim. Even if someone clearly explains all the postures and techniques, many people are still unable to learn.

Not to mention such a martial realm, which is practically impossible to convey in words.

"Could it be because I had just made a breakthrough, and my control over my power is no longer perfect, so I have no clue at all?"

Shen Zhui believed this to be quite likely.

Perfectly controlling one's strength entails that every bit of the warrior's power can be controlled very precisely. Only then can it be considered perfect control of strength.

Perfect control of strength is something that Shen Zhui has been able to demonstrate for a long time.

The complete mastery of the ruler technique inherently demands high control over one's strength.

However, having recently made a breakthrough to the Innate Ninth Rank, there may have been a small burst of strength growth. An adjustment period might be needed to return to a state of perfect control.

After consideration, Shen Zhui picked up a small stone from the ground and threw it through a gap in the iron gate.

"Clang~"

The stone did not pass through the gap, instead it veered off and hit the top panel of the door.

"So it is," Shen Zhui smiled and shook his head at the sight.

Without precise control of strength, you can't even hit the target, let alone anything else.

He had initially thought that the weapon in his hand was too light, but he overlooked this detail.

"Seems like I need to first adjust to the growth of physical strength."

Luckily the cell they arranged for him was not small and provided enough space for Shen Zhui to practice.

Without using Enlightenment Time, Shen Zhui began working on controlling his strength in the cell...

.......

As days went by, on the tenth day, Shen Zhui achieved perfect control over his strength.

He then picked up a straw as a ruler and continued practicing.

Combined with Enlightenment Time, he used the mistakes in 'Iron Ruler Ninefold' to improve.

Soon enough, Shen Zhui's ruler technique began to reveal a mysterious effect.

Although he was still a long way from achieving the realm of 'Unity of Heaven and Man'...at least, Shen Zhui felt that he was on the right track.

Every day of such dedicated practice without having to carry out tasks or worry about anything else, he felt his progress was quite substantial.

Slowly, he felt, inching closer to the realm of 'Unity of Heaven and Man'.

Even the 'Flowing Cloud Step' technique, had some breakthroughs.

Shen Zhui estimated that without exceeding two minor realms, his evasion rate should reach about eighty percent.

......

By the twentieth day, as Shen Zhui continued to exchange for Enlightenment Time, the consumption of 'Good Deeds' had fallen to just over twenty thousand.

The room was also filled with damaged grass. The once neatly arranged room had become rather messy.

Yet Shen Zhui continued to hold back the urge to exchange for more Enlightenment Time, and continued absorbing from his prior gains.

These twenty days were the most intensive period of his life in exchanging for Enlightenment Time, and also his most dedicated time for practicing his ruler technique.

Barring any possible escapes, his mindset had become calmer as a result.

Another five days went by with such wholehearted dedication, and by the evening of the twenty-fifth day.

As Shen Zhui was practicing, a sudden idea came to him.

He finally decided to start trading for 'Enlightenment Time'.