Fish Dragon Dance

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A young man was fighting a flood dragon in the water. The sounds came from his fists pounding against the flood dragon's scales.

It was called a fight, but the young man was drenched in sweat and gasping for breath, while the flood dragon looked completely absentminded. Its eyes wandered in every direction, as though it had no idea what it was thinking. Although it never looked toward the direction of his attacks, it easily blocked every one with its tail, as if it could predict them in advance.

A figure came from deep within the woods toward the shore. Before the person arrived, her voice rang out.

"Big guy, look what I brought you."

It was Murong Xue and Zeng Fan. Earlier, the Jade Spirit Flood Dragon had only been asked to play with Zeng Fan, but judging from the current situation, it seemed to have become Zeng Fan's sparring partner instead. This was the result of Murong Xue and Zeng Fan's efforts. Murong Xue had promised to secretly steal more pills for the Jade Spirit Flood Dragon, and with Zeng Fan's flattery added in, the Jade Spirit Flood Dragon's intelligence was equivalent to that of a child, so it had naturally fallen for it.

While observing its movements, Zeng Fan imitated its methods of exerting force during battle. After several days of cultivation, his Fish Dragon Dance had already begun to take shape.

Hearing Murong Xue's voice, the Jade Spirit Flood Dragon let out a joyful roar and was about to head toward the shore.

At that moment, Zeng Fan suddenly laughed. "Big guy, take my final strike!" He leaped forcefully into the air. The method of exerting force from the Fish Dragon Dance flowed through his mind, while the muscles throughout his body trembled in a rhythmic pattern, as if all his strength had been gathered into his right fist.

"Fish Dragon Dance!"

Zeng Fan sent his fist crashing toward the Jade Spirit Flood Dragon with all his strength, producing a sharp whistle as it tore through the air. The Jade Spirit Flood Dragon looked up in surprise, then casually swept out its tail and blocked the attack head-on. The force behind this punch seemed much greater than before. Although it still failed to leave the slightest mark on its scales, the Jade Spirit Flood Dragon felt somewhat annoyed. Why was this fellow using so much force? With a lash of its tail, Zeng Fan flew straight into the woods, followed by a tremendous crash.

Murong Xue cried out in alarm. "Zeng Fan, are you all right?"

A burst of laughter came from the woods. "I've mastered the Fish Dragon Dance!" Zeng Fan emerged from the trees covered in leaves. His clothes were torn, and his hair was a mess, but he paid none of it any attention. His face was filled with excitement. After several days of observing and sparring with the Jade Spirit Flood Dragon, he had finally comprehended the Fish Dragon Dance just now. He believed that the punch he had unleashed would probably leave an ordinary Body Tempering Muscle Mastery cultivator seriously injured upon contact.

"With this Fish Dragon Dance, I have a bit more confidence in the Disciple Competition." Before he could finish celebrating, Zeng Fan suddenly froze. He sensed that the bottleneck in his cultivation had begun to loosen, while his body's need for spiritual energy suddenly increased.

"I'm about to break through!"

He had no time to greet Murong Xue. Zeng Fan immediately sat cross-legged on the ground. After steadying his mind, he began absorbing spiritual energy into his body. The Fish Dragon Technique circulated, continuously pouring the energy into his sinews and meridians. Seizing this opportunity, he broke through his cultivation.

Seeing Zeng Fan sit in meditation, Murong Xue immediately understood what was happening. She could not help feeling envious. His cultivation had begun to break through at the very moment he successfully mastered a killing move—what good luck.

Murong Xue knew she could not disturb him now. She placed a slender finger to her lips and gestured for silence toward the Jade Spirit Flood Dragon. The Jade Spirit Flood Dragon glanced at Zeng Fan, understood that he was breaking through and could not be disturbed, and quietly settled down. It even surveyed the surroundings, alert for suspicious people approaching. After confirming that the area was safe, the girl and the flood dragon quietly waited for Zeng Fan to finish cultivating.

Zeng Fan was immersed in cultivation. As he continuously absorbed spiritual energy, the area in which his sinews and meridians were being strengthened kept spreading. When the strengthening reached a certain range, Murong Xue sensed the speed at which he absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy suddenly surge. The cultivation fluctuations around Zeng Fan grew considerably stronger.

"He broke through." Murong Xue let out a soft breath. The spiritual energy around Zeng Fan gradually diminished until it vanished. He opened his eyes, and a flash of brilliance flickered through them.

"Body Tempering Muscle Mastery!" Zeng Fan slowly exhaled, pleasantly surprised. It was truly a double blessing: with the Fish Dragon Dance and Body Tempering Muscle Mastery, he now had the power to fight even a Body Tempering Muscle Perfection cultivator.

Zeng Fan clenched his fists, feeling the strength that had increased within him. Only when a roar rang out did he remember that one person and one flood dragon were still beside him.

"You succeeded in breaking through?" Murong Xue asked with a smile when she saw Zeng Fan look over.

"Yes, I've reached Body Tempering Muscle Mastery, and I've basically mastered this killing move as well. Murong, you deserve part of the credit. Gratitude this great need not be spoken—if you ever need anything, just call on me." Zeng Fan cupped his fists toward Murong Xue.

"We've known each other for so long. Why be so polite?" The girl waved her hand, but her face was beaming. Clearly, she was quite pleased by Zeng Fan's words.

"You'll be participating in the Disciple Competition too, right? What cultivation level are you at now?" Zeng Fan was rather curious. His cultivation speed was already quite good, but Murong Xue was definitely faster than he was.

The girl blinked at Zeng Fan, a sly glint in her eyes. "Of course I'm participating. All Earth Vein disciples in the Body Tempering Realm will take part. However, because of differences in cultivation speed, most disciples are still at the Body Tempering Bone and Body Tempering Blood stages, so you generally won't run into them. As for my cultivation level, I'm not telling you. You'll find out when the time comes."

Zeng Fan was helpless when he heard the girl's reply. However, upon learning that all Earth Vein disciples would participate in the Disciple Competition, he also felt a weight on his heart. The might of Earth Vein disciples had already been fully displayed by Murong Xue. If he encountered another Earth Vein disciple during the competition, he might well suffer a crushing defeat.

Murong Xue seemed to remember something. "Oh, right. You need to be careful of someone. He's also an Earth Vein disciple, but his cultivation is at Body Tempering Muscle Perfection."

Zeng Fan's gaze sharpened. "An Earth Vein disciple at Body Tempering Muscle Perfection? Then I really do need to be careful. What's his name?"

"Wang Beichen."