[The Dean's Office - Continued]
"...and that," The Timeless Scholar concluded, leaning back in his chair, "is why most cultivators who reach 99% remain there for millennia. The final step isn't about accumulation. It's about transformation."
Elias absorbed the information, his analytical mind cataloging every detail. They'd been talking for over an hour—discussing the nature of 100% comprehension, the fundamental difference between approaching infinity and embodying it, and the various paths others had taken.
"You achieved 100% through the traditional method?" Elias asked.
"Traditional is a strong word," the Dean replied with a slight smile. "But yes, essentially. I meditated on the nature of incompleteness until I understood that completeness itself was incomplete. A paradox that resolved into enlightenment." He paused. "It took me seventeen million epochs of contemplation."
"Seventeen million epochs," Elias repeated flatly.
"Patience is a virtue in cultivation."
