I Am Complete!

Jo Yuan stood under the pale glow of the Moonshadow blade, the gift from Elder Li still feeling foreign in his grip. Its weight was light, but the energy within it—silent, yet pulsing—felt heavy. He swung it gently, trying to feel its rhythm, its natural flow. Yet something was missing. No matter how he moved, it didn't resonate with his body.

Days passed, and frustration grew. He watched other disciples in the training grounds, their weapons moving like extensions of their bodies, the air humming with the harmony between technique and blade. Jo Yuan knew then. The problem wasn't the weapon. It was him. He lacked the right cultivation technique. A blade this unique needed more than just basic moves.

The next morning, he visited the Hall of Cultivation Techniques, a place deep in the West Wing, far from his small abode in the Easting. It was said to hold methods passed down from the sect's earliest masters. But Jo Yuan's eyes weren't drawn to the elegant scrolls displayed on golden stands. Instead, they landed on the dark, aged shelves where rare techniques sat, quietly waiting to be discovered. These techniques, however, weren't free. Contribution points were the currency here, and he had none.

To exchange for the right technique, Jo Yuan realized he needed to gather points, fast. A single glance at the contribution board in the Hall of Tasks showed him that the bigger missions—the ones that offered enough points to buy a technique immediately—were beyond his ability as a new disciple. They required experience and often the backing of a small team. He wasn't ready for that. Instead, Jo Yuan focused on the short-duration tasks. These were less glamorous, often seen as chores by the senior disciples, but they paid in steady, smaller amounts.

For two months, he dedicated himself to these tasks. They ranged from collecting rare herbs in the lower hills to cleaning the training halls after hours. Each task took a day or two at most, and while the rewards were small individually, they added up. He completed fifty tasks in just sixty days.

Word spread quickly in the East Wing where Jo Yuan lived, and soon the senior brothers noticed. It wasn't that no one else did these tasks, but the sheer number he had completed left them surprised. Some chuckled in disbelief, others nodded with grudging respect, but one thing was clear—this new outer disciple had drawn attention. His work ethic didn't match his rank, and whispers of his name started circling the halls.

With enough contribution points, Jo Yuan returned to the Hall of Cultivation Techniques. This time, he knew what he was looking for. The technique that caught his eye was a rare one: the Lightning-Moon Body Flow. It was more than just a sword technique—it integrated body cultivation. This technique wasn't just for the Moonshadow blade, whose lunar energy could fuse with the body during combat. It also used lightning to stimulate and strengthen the body gradually.

The technique came at a steep cost, nearly all of his contribution points, but Jo Yuan didn't hesitate. It worked by channeling lightning energy through his meridians, targeting his cells, forcing them to regenerate at a faster pace while strengthening muscles, bones, and skin. Over time, this would make his body not just stronger but more resilient, perfect for longer battles. The lightning stimulated his cells much like a storm nourishes the earth, bringing about slow but steady growth.

With the scroll now his, Jo Yuan felt something click inside him. He had a weapon that utilizes moon energy, a technique that connected his blade to his body, and the means to make both stronger. For the first time since entering the sect, he felt whole.

'HAHAHA! With this, I am complete!'