A person was a whole. Nothing existed in isolation; everything was connected.
Among the five attributes, Zhao Cheng's Vitality did not stand out. That was because, at this stage, Vitality was more closely linked to Constitution.
According to official Vitality data, a Swordsman had a Vitality of at least 3, a Sword Master at least 7, and a Sword Saint at least 10.
Of course, Vitality did not represent combat power. It was merely a rough estimate of one's life force.
Measuring Vitality required specialized equipment.
As far as Zhao Cheng knew, Vitality-measuring devices supposedly worked by detecting the strength of a person's life magnetic field. The more precise the equipment, the more sophisticated the technology—and the larger the device.
The best life-sign detector in Xiangnan City was at the Kendo Association in Xiangnan. It could estimate Vitality below 8, but anything higher was beyond its accuracy.
Besides that, some high-tech companies also produced bracelets that supposedly measured Vitality at any time.
In truth, though, those things were closer to toys. Their readings were wildly inaccurate.
In the Imperial Capital, however, there was an experimental machine built without regard for cost. According to rumors online, it could measure Vitality up to three digits. Its footprint alone was half the size of a stadium.
In the eyes of the rubberneckers, the machine had little practical value. Three-digit Vitality was absurd; someone with that much might be able to cross the universe in the flesh.
After all, an ordinary person had a Vitality of only 1, and every increase made it one and a half times what it had been before.
So some people joked that the machine was meant to measure the "Vitality" of the Earth. After all, people had life magnetic fields, and the Earth had a geomagnetic field.
Others said it was meant to receive mysterious waves from the universe.
In short, everyone had a different theory.
The last time Zhao Cheng had gone to the Kendo Association to have his Vitality measured was three months ago. Back then, his reading had been 1.2. He had gained 0.3 in three months—a respectable rate of growth.
And Zhao Cheng knew that once his swordsmanship broke through to the Proficient stage, his Vitality would make a significant leap in a short time.
The same went for his realm.
Of course, the realm of Quietude was still unimaginably far away.
Cultivation only got harder the further one progressed.
Besides, swordsmanship at the Proficient level was not enough to raise Zhao Cheng's life level to that of a Swordsman.
In fact, not even swordsmanship at lv4 could do it. Even if Zhao Cheng trained his swordsmanship to the limit of his talent, lv8, reaching the Mastery stage, it would at most let him quickly fill his Quietude progress bar.
After that, it would be a slow, steady grind. He would need years, perhaps even decades, of constant accumulation to build his foundation, push his swordsmanship beyond his talent's limits, and reach a new height—one that could drive a leap in his life level.
Or, by some stroke of fate, he might suddenly attain enlightenment and break free of his shackles.
The so-called limit of one's talent in swordsmanship did not mean a true limit. It meant the highest level one could reach at a relatively fast pace by relying on talent.
For example, the 17th Basic Swordsmanship 6th Revised Edition lv4 (lv8) (6/300) on Zhao Cheng's Panel: the lv8 in parentheses was the limit of his talent.
It meant that until Zhao Cheng's swordsmanship reached lv8, the proficiency required would remain relatively low.
Once he reached lv8, however, the proficiency he needed would increase tenfold or more. It was not impossible to surpass his limit, only unimaginably difficult.
At the same time, barring any surprises, it would be exceedingly hard for Zhao Cheng to bring this swordsmanship to the Master stage. With normal training, he might reach lv8 within the next couple of years, but further progress to lv10 would likely take decades.
Decades, that was, if he kept up his hard training without fail. If he trained fitfully, he probably would not get there in his entire life.
Swordsmanship was something that could regress if left unpracticed for too long.
Still, this was the norm in this world.
Everyone had talent for the sword. If you wanted to surpass others, you either needed greater talent—a higher limit from birth—or great will and perseverance, never ceasing your hard training.
If someone could train this 17th Basic Swordsmanship 6th Revised Edition to lv10 and reach the Swordsman level, it would be as natural as water flowing into a channel.
A so-called genius was someone born with a talent limit of level ten or even higher. Naturally, their cultivation progressed like a bamboo shoot after rain.
A true genius had more than a high level cap; they also needed less proficiency to raise their level.
Zhao Cheng guessed that the reason the world of his previous life had no such cultivation system was probably that all life there lacked this particular trait.
Take Zhao Cheng himself: without the Sword Seed's enhancement, his swordsmanship level cap would have been lv5. The Proficient stage would have been the limit of his talent.
Besides that, the proficiency required to level up would have risen sharply. Even if he devoted himself to sword training and had access to advanced methods, he probably could not have reached lv10 in his lifetime.
Of course, if he truly trained hard, he would surely have achieved something. Some exceptionally gifted people might even have trained to the peak of Quietude, or perhaps reached Settlement.
But that was probably their limit!
So in his previous life, there had been people who could fight, but even the best among them were nowhere near as incredible as the people of this world.
The Shop in the Panel is based on equivalent exchange. Does that mean that as long as I have enough currency, I can exchange for anything—talent, proficiency, attributes, and so on?
The reason none of that is available now might be that I have zero Source Points. Once I have some, things will surely change.
One thought after another crossed Zhao Cheng's mind.
He had already opened the Shop page. There were two main sections: the Source Point Shop and the Simulation Point Shop. Both were empty.
But where exactly do Source Points come from?!
Killing?!
As the thought turned over in Zhao Cheng's mind, he felt an answer rise within him: no.
This sensation was the trait responding to the Self. The two were one and the same.
From some kind of item?!
No.
At that moment, Zhao Cheng was practically asking and answering himself.
Interfering with history?!
Leading an era?!
Faith?!
Emotions?!
Hard work?!
Lying flat?!
One thought after another welled up in Zhao Cheng's mind, only to be rejected by that feeling.
The Panel was ultimately just a Panel, the manifestation of some power within himself. It was no artificial intelligence, nor was there some spirit inside it that might pop out as a mature beauty or a loli.
If it had a spirit, that spirit was probably himself.
Within the bounds of what Zhao Cheng could perceive, the Panel was undeniably intelligent. Beyond those bounds, however, it seemed rather "clumsy."
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