With his Perfect Mastery of the 'Butcher's Elegance,' he was able to easily discern the Fierce Beasts' weaknesses and dissect their bodies in a short amount of time, being extremely smooth and efficient.
"This is crazy," Gray muttered, eyes wide with excitement. "When I look at these Fierce Beasts, it's like my body already knows what to do. I can feel where to cut, where the bones are, even their weak points. It just makes sense."
"That's because you've reached Perfect Mastery. There are three levels to technique mastery. Small Mastery, Great Mastery, and Perfect Mastery. The length of practice depends on the difficulty of each technique." Matriarch Zareena explained patiently.
"For reference, the technique which you learned earlier, 'Gluttonous Heaven's Qi Preservation Art' takes an average of about 100 years for a talented cultivator to get from zero knowledge to Small Mastery, 1,000 years to get to Great Mastery, and 100,000 years to reach Perfect Mastery."
"In the history of my sect, which was established 20 million years ago. The number of people who have reached Perfect Mastery in the two techniques I gave you is only less than 30,000 in total, and the ones who are still alive number less than 10,000. The number who have tried in total are in trillions, probably more."
"Now, do you understand just how high your comprehension is?" Matriarch Zareena smiled.
Gray was shocked, he understood that his comprehension was merely average, probably even below average.
It was only because of the System which helped him understand the techniques.
With these two techniques, even if he only had no Spirit Roots, he would be valuable enough to survive.
The two women exchanged a glance, and almost at the same time, both sighed.
"If only…" Matriarch Zareena murmured.
Gray blinked. "If only what?"
Ziye folded her arms, her voice flat but not sharp. "If only you aren't a cripple. With your comprehension, even with average Spirit Roots, with proper nurturing and planets' worth of resources, it would've been enough to push you into the ranks of a proper genius."
"Indeed, you could've been a talent worth grooming," Matriarch Zareena added softly, "you could have stood out amongst the disciples of our Gluttonous Immortal Sect one day."
For a moment, the air was quiet between the three of them.
Matriarch Zareena's gaze softened just a little as she looked at him. "Fate can be cruel. To grant you a monstrous comprehension… but with no Spirit Roots. You have both an amazing gift and a horrible curse."
Gray shrugged, though his eyes flickered with determination. "Then I'll just have to make the most of the gift."
Matriarch Zareena smiled faintly. "Good answer." With a flick of her wrist, several books appeared in the air, neatly stacked before Gray. "Then here. If comprehension is your strength, let's make the most of it."
Gray's eyes shone. "Matriarch, this is—"
"A few more techniques from the sect," she interrupted. "Some are for enhancing flavor of the food, some for farming, some for making pastries, and even one for fishing."
"Fishing?" Gray blinked.
"Yes," Ziye said dryly. "Our sect has a fishing technique that could shame professional anglers. Don't think little of it, fishing actually has a huge secret to it."
Gray held back a grin. "Fishing with technique manuals… this sect really has everything, huh?"
Matriarch Zareena's lips curved. "Don't underestimate them. Every single one of these techniques is exquisite even by my standards. Even what I consider 'basic' would be priceless to cultivators in this realm."
Gray carefully touched the stack of manuals as though they were treasure.
"So all of these doesn't need any Spiritual Energy to use?"
"Exactly," Matriarch Zareena confirmed. "They're meant for disciples to strengthen their foundation and refine their craft. To us, they are entry-level. But for you, they may become the tools that ensure your survival and pave your way towards a better future."
Gray looked at Matriarch Zareena in gratitude. "Thank you, Matriarch. I'll definitely repay you someday."
Matriarch Zareena smiled nonchalantly and said, "No need for that, you're now a nominal disciple of our Gluttonous Immortal Sect. All of these techniques are naturally accessible to you."
Gray nodded, however, he still took note of this favor in his heart.
It was only because Matriarch Zareena gave him a chance to even learn that he was able to go this far.
If it were any other cultivator at her level, they probably wouldn't even give a cripple like him a second glance.
…
Days passed, Gray read all the techniques but decided that he will learn it later on when he get more [Street Cred Points.]
Because he ate Truth Realization Fierce Beast meat everyday, his cultivation had reached Qi Condensation Level 6, even stronger than his previous self.
Matriarch Zareena advised him against advancing too fast, it was better to build a strong foundation first.
Gray could only shake his head in regret at this, but he knew that she was doing this for his own good.
Gray's physique had also reached Mortal Physique Level 5. His physical strength felt much stronger than before.
He felt that he might even be able to fight against cultivators at a higher cultivation level than him, especially with his [Street-Smarts of a Thousand Gang Wars (Low Celestial Grade)]
Ziye proceeded to annihilate every other monster that dared to approach, her attacks were extremely brutal. It happened so frequently that, before long, Gray became numb to the sheer carnage.
"At this rate, I might develop an emotional immunity to mass slaughter." Gray said placidly.
"Congratulations then. That's the first step to surviving in the cultivation world." Matriarch Zareena said casually.
"Say, what cultivation level are you guys at?" Gray asked, his tone casual as he walked beside them. "Could you be at the Nascent Soul stage? Otherwise, there's no way the clan leader would treat you with that much respect if you were still at Golden Core…"
Gray knew they were Immortals, however, he wanted to see if he could learn more details.
Both Ziye and Matriarch Zareena turned to look at him with the same expression. An equal mix of disappointment and disgust.