"Fish Dragon Dance?" Zeng Fan fell into thought. The cultivation method for this killing move kept surfacing in his mind. The killing move inherent to Fish Dragon Fist was somewhat different from the others. It was a method of building up power.
Power was accumulated continuously during battle, then instantly unleashed once the body reached its limit. The point of eruption could be anywhere. In other words, there was no upper limit. The longer you fought, the more power you accumulated. Because of the limitations of the Body Tempering Realm, only with higher cultivation could the body withstand greater power.
Fish Dragon Dance was divided into Fish Dance and Dragon Dance. Fish Dance mainly involved moving like a fish in water; it taught a type of movement technique. After all, the longer the battle lasted, the greater your advantage became, and movement techniques could help you evade more attacks. Dragon Dance, meanwhile, taught a method of exerting force. Like a dragon soaring through the heavens, it gathered the accumulated power in a higher-level manner before unleashing it.
He would take a look at Fish Dance first. When the method of learning Fish Dance flashed through his mind, Zeng Fan could not help making a strange expression. Fish Dance required one to observe how fish moved in a lake or the sea and cultivate the movement technique in the water.
"Fish Dragon Dance's home base is in the sea. Naturally, cultivating this movement technique there would be convenient, but where am I supposed to find a sea?" Zeng Fan began to feel a headache coming on.
"I wonder if there are any large lakes nearby." The sea was definitely out of the question, but he could try a lake. With that thought, Zeng Fan walked outside, preparing to search the mountain range carefully.
After leaving, he headed beyond the area where the disciples lived. He continued recalling the memories from when he had first arrived, trying to remember where he had seen anything resembling a lake.
"Zeng Fan, where are you going?" a voice rang out. Zeng Fan abruptly snapped out of his memories and turned to look.
"Brother Xu Yun, what a coincidence. I'm going to cultivate a killing move and need to find a lake." It was Xu Yun, whom he had robbed Spirit Stones with earlier. He had not expected to run into him here by chance. Zeng Fan greeted Xu Yun and was about to continue searching.
"Cultivate a killing move? A lake? Take a look at what I have in my hand." Xu Yun lifted the things in his hand and smiled.
Zeng Fan looked over. Xu Yun was carrying several freshly caught grass carp. "Where did you get those fish? No, wait—if there are fish, that means there might be a lake nearby!" Zeng Fan froze when he saw them, then grew excited.
"Brother Xu, where did you catch those fish? Is there a lake nearby? Can you take me there to have a look?" Zeng Fan hurriedly asked Xu Yun.
"I've always liked fishing. After coming to the sect, I got itchy hands and felt restless, so I asked around to find out where there were lakes with fish. As it happened, I really did find one. I only went there to fish a couple of times today. I'll take you there first." Xu Yun lifted the grass carp in his hand and smiled.
"Thank you, Brother Xu!" Zeng Fan was also extremely excited. Just as he had grown sleepy, someone had delivered him a pillow. It saved him the trouble of searching, and he finally had a lead on cultivating this killing move.
Xu Yun led Zeng Fan toward a grove. The trees grew thickly, and a narrow bluestone path stretched inward from outside. Few people seemed to come to this grove; the path was covered in dead branches and fallen leaves. Neither of them cared about that, however. After walking for a while, a gradually brightening light began to shine through the leaves ahead.
"We're almost there, Brother Zeng." Xu Yun brushed the leaves off his head and turned to tell Zeng Fan. Zeng Fan nodded and walked a few more steps. A dazzling radiance streamed toward him, and a lake appeared before his eyes.
What appeared before Zeng Fan was a vast blue lake. Sunlight shone upon its tranquil surface, reflecting a stretch of golden light. Fish occasionally leaped from the water, splashing out rings of ripples.
"Does this lake meet your requirements?" Xu Yun asked Zeng Fan.
"It does, it does. Thank you, Brother Xu. If you ever need my help, just ask." Zeng Fan cupped his fists toward Xu Yun.
"You're too polite. Without you two, my Spirit Stones would probably have been stolen by now. How could I be this carefree?" Xu Yun returned the gesture to Zeng Fan, then turned and left.
After watching Xu Yun depart, Zeng Fan turned back to the lake. The first thing Fish Dance required was learning how fish swam. He walked to the lakeshore and observed the schools of fish on the surface.
After staring for a long time, Zeng Fan's eyes began to ache. He faintly sensed something, yet it always felt as though a membrane lay before him. As long as he broke through that membrane, he could officially begin cultivating Fish Dance.
"What exactly am I missing?" Zeng Fan pondered beside the lake. "I've observed how the fish swim from the shore. Not to say I've memorized everything, but I've remembered seventy or eighty percent of the way fish move in the water. Wait! In the water!" Zeng Fan slapped his thigh hard. Fish Dance, Fish Dance—it was meant to learn how fish moved in the water. How could I see clearly while standing on shore? I have to get in the water!
Light appeared in Zeng Fan's eyes. He immediately stopped hesitating. The rustle of clothes being removed rang out, and his pale body carefully slipped into the water without disturbing the fish.
The lake water carried threads of coolness that stimulated Zeng Fan's body. After entering the Body Tempering Realm, his body had already been strengthened, and Zeng Fan could hold his breath underwater for quite a long time. Once he had adjusted, he opened his eyes and carefully observed how the fish moved underwater—hunting, playing, and swimming freely. The fish's movements were continuously etched into Zeng Fan's memory. Gradually, he felt as though he had become a fish, living among the school and moving ceaselessly along with it.
The cultivation method of Fish Dance gradually merged with the fish's movements. Zeng Fan assumed a slightly strange posture underwater, pressing his hands against his abdomen and kicking both legs up and down together. He began swimming through the water. As he grew more familiar with the posture, his speed underwater became faster and faster.
"No good, I can't hold my breath any longer!" Zeng Fan suddenly surfaced and sucked in a deep breath, but his face was filled with excitement. "Fish Dance has reached the entry level! From here, I only need to practice every day and try to fuse this posture and form while on land. I'll definitely succeed!"
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