Chapter 4 — Foundations of Power — Skill Breakthrough System
For a moment, the world was silent — suspended, almost unreal.
Li Feng sat motionless before his laptop, eyes locked on the faint holographic interface glowing in his mind. The silver letters hung weightlessly in the air, every line sharp, deliberate, and alive.
[Skill Breakthrough System: Activated.]
[Welcome, Li Feng.]
[Current Skills:]
• Cyber Security — Lv. 1 (50%)
• Programming — Lv. 1 (40%)
• Software Engineering & Design — Lv. 1 (30%)
The text didn't fade. It remained steady, waiting.
Li Feng drew a slow breath. "So this is real…"
Staring at the screen, more text unfurled.
[Each skill is measured by comprehension and mastery, not time spent.]
[Level 0 (0–99%) — The learning curve of ordinary people.]
[Level 1 (0%) — Threshold of genius; true mastery begins here.]
[Level 1 (50%) — Peak of genius; the summit of talent and experience achieved by the rarest minds.]
[Level 1 (99%) — The mythical limit of human potential; spoken of in legends, rarely witnessed.]
[Level 2 (0%) — Beyond human; the impossible made tangible.]
Li Feng's expression stayed calm, but his pulse quickened slightly.
So, even in his previous life — when he had been hailed as one of the best in the underground tech world — when he could breach encrypted systems others considered untouchable and build frameworks from memory — he had only been Level 1 (50%).
What he once thought to be the peak… was merely halfway up the mountain.
A quiet exhale escaped him.
'So this is the real scale of mastery… No wonder I always felt there was something beyond what I could grasp.'
The revelation wasn't discouraging. It was exhilarating.
---
He took a moment to explore the system's interface. The system was rather simple, simply showing his name and skills. No intrusive AI, just a plain stats sheet that promised unlimited growth.
'Let's get to work'.
He rolled up his sleeves and opened his laptop. The soft blue light from the screen filled the quiet room.
He began rebuilding everything from scratch — his old network analysis suites, encryption scramblers, adaptive tracing modules. Each keystroke flowed with confident rhythm, his mind sharp and centered.
Hours passed without his noticing. Lines of code stretched endlessly, every segment cleaner, every algorithm more efficient. His concentration deepened until thought and motion blurred together.
Then—
[Detected sustained cognitive synchronization.]
[Passive ability formed: Accelerated Comprehension.]
[Description: A resonance born from mastery. Passively enhances pattern recognition, learning speed, and neural clarity — an amplified reflection of existing ability.]
Li Feng froze for a moment, then continued typing. He didn't need confirmation; he felt it.
The code on his screen no longer looked like strings of logic — it was instinct. Patterns unfolded naturally, flaws revealed themselves without effort. His mind had entered a higher resolution.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
'So, passives are enhanced reflections of what I've achieved…'
They weren't freebies. They were results refined — abilities that already existed within him, but magnified through the system's recognition.
And there was no fixed formula; different skills, or combinations of them, could awaken new abilities as his mastery deepened.
'That means this system isn't just giving me handouts,' he thought. 'It's mirroring my evolution — and amplifying it.'
---
The digital clock on his desk blinked 11:48 p.m. He leaned back slightly, cracking his knuckles.
[Skill Progression:]
• Programming Lv. 1 (40% → 45%)
• Software Engineering Lv. 1 (30% → 36%)
The growth was modest but visible — solid proof that the system worked.
Outside, Longhai City shimmered through his window, its distant towers like cold stars. The estate was quiet, asleep under a sky veiled with mist.
Li Feng's reflection stared back at him from the glass — calm, sharp, quietly resolute.
'At first,' he thought, 'I only intended to build enough strength to protect my family. To make sure Li Xue never has to bow her head again.'
He paused, a faint glint in his eyes.
'But with this system… maybe I can go further. Much further.'
He closed the laptop gently.
The hum of the air conditioner filled the silence once more, soft and steady — like a heartbeat.
'Two years,' he murmured to himself. 'Let's see how far we can climb.'
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Hello, Author here,
Thanks for reading — Leave a comment to tell me what you think about this chapter, and drop a Power Stone if you're enjoying Li Feng's story so far! Let's grow this story together.