Books, Swords, and Wine

After realizing the benefits of reading, Zhong Ming immediately made up his mind to grind this skill to mastery by reading ten thousand scrolls.

Moreover, silently reading cultivation insights on his main cultivation method would raise his technique proficiency. Killing two birds with one stone like this filled Zhong Ming with drive.

Thus, he quickly took another book and began reading it carefully.

After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Zhong Ming had finished reading the cultivation notes through Intent Reading.

Yet his expression was not very pleasant.

"The Fundamental Cultivation Method's proficiency really isn't so easy to raise."

What made Zhong Ming look so troubled was that, while reading the second set of cultivation notes, he discovered that this senior's insights overlapped heavily with those of the previous person.

"They're ultimately cultivating the same technique and come from the same source, so the seniors' insights are quite similar."

Fortunately, no two leaves in the world were exactly alike.

Cultivating a technique was also a highly personal matter.

Thus, although the two seniors had cultivated the same manual, there were still subtle differences between them.

Drawing inferences from one instance to another meant Zhong Ming had not returned empty-handed.

You studied cultivation insights for the Dragon Creek Breathing Technique and gained some understanding. Technique progress +13

You silently read a complete book and comprehended its true meaning. Reading proficiency +1

"Thirteen points isn't too little, but as I keep reading, there'll be more and more overlap in the techniques, and the experience I gain will keep decreasing... Forget it. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."

He rubbed his head. Once his mind had relaxed slightly, Zhong Ming picked up the book and continued reading—this was the second difficulty of reading for him. Intent Reading consumed a great deal of mental energy, and he could only use it a few times a day.

"As expected, there's no way to raise a technique effortlessly."

He did not complain for long. Soon, he eased his mental strain.

"No matter what, having the Meaning Comprehension Trait gives me an extra advantage over everyone else. I should be happy."

With a trace of gratitude in his heart, Zhong Ming began reading the third book.

This time, his eyes lit up.

"Ordinary men cultivating qi always stubbornly fixate on 'drawing qi through the mouth and nose, storing qi in the dantian,' turning a perfectly good Dragon Creek method into filling a granary... Ridiculous."

"This technique isn't about 'training the lungs and viscera' at all. It borrows the rhythm of a 'creek' to draw the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth into the meridians. Only fools keep staring at their puffed-up chests..."

"First, discern the 'creek.' After midnight, find a stream of living water. Don't squat beside a stagnant pond and rack your brains. Close your eyes and listen to water passing through cracks in the stones; feel the coolness of creek winds wrapped in watery mist. Remember that rhythm—'gentle yet not scattered, winding yet not stagnant.' That is the root of Dragon Creek."

"In future cultivation, every exhalation and inhalation must emulate this force. I'm not telling you to imitate the 'splash splash' of a creek. I'm telling you to make qi travel within your body like streamwater. When it meets blocked meridians, don't force your way through. Go around them, flow with them. It's three times faster than using brute force to break through barriers."

Seeing this, Zhong Ming did not pay much attention. The Dragon Creek Breathing Technique lay in gentleness and circulation; Zhong Ming had long realized that firsthand.

At this moment, his only impression was that this senior had quite the personality.

However, this did not help Zhong Ming much. The words that followed, though, made his eyes light up.

"The second step is training the 'form.' You don't need to sit cross-legged like a statue. Find an old pine to lean against, relax your shoulders and back like a creek bank, and don't tense up as if you're about to bear heavenly lightning. Also, ordinary men are always afraid of qi leaking out, but what the Dragon Creek method needs is precisely 'leakage'—only by leaking out impure qi can you draw in purer Spiritual Energy..."

Zhong Ming said, "Don't be afraid of qi leaking out? That never occurred to me."

You studied cultivation insights for the Dragon Creek Breathing Technique and gained some understanding. Technique progress +27

Having gained some understanding, Zhong Ming was greatly tempted.

At that moment, he dearly wished to follow this senior's experience and test it himself.

Unfortunately, Zhong Ming's meridians were still swollen and aching, leaving him no choice but to set the idea aside.

What made him frown even more was that after using Intent Reading three times in succession, his head had become heavy and muddled. He could no longer read.

"Looks like this is all I can do today..."

His muddled head made Zhong Ming turn in early.

The next day, when Zhong Ming awoke, his cultivation method had already changed.

Previously, he would finish one task before moving on to another.

But today, Zhong Ming did things differently.

Leaning beneath a large tree and looking down at the stream, Zhong Ming held a sword in one hand and a book in the other. Beside him sat a jug of clear wine.

During cultivation, he would read for a while, practice his sword for a bit, or close his eyes and cultivate the Dragon Creek Breathing Technique.

Sometimes, accompanied by the breeze and the stream, he would even sip a couple cups of wine.

This manner gave Zhong Ming an air of uninhibited delight, free and transcendent. Yet he was not putting on an act.

He had merely discovered that, as he read the cultivation insights of those who came before him, it was as if he were discussing the Dao across time and space with the Senior Brothers and seniors of Dragon Stream Peak.

Such mutual verification gave him many thoughts and flashes of inspiration.

Under such circumstances, if he could put things into practice, he would retain even more realizations.

That was why he read and cultivated qi at the same time.

"Don't fear leakage... This time, I'll try no longer restraining the Spiritual Energy..."

"Exhale, inhale..."

"No, merely not restraining it definitely won't work... That Senior Brother didn't explain everything in his notes. While allowing qi to leak out, I also need to draw Spiritual Energy continuously into my body through breathing..."

"Leaking on one side, drawing in on the other. With this exchange, there's no need to fear qi leakage..."

You completed one full cultivation session of the Dragon Creek Breathing Technique. Proficiency +9

"The Dragon Creek method lies in following... following the nature of the creek, following the nature of qi, following one's own nature... Interesting..."

"Is this how one follows while cultivating?"

You completed one full cultivation session of the Dragon Creek Breathing Technique. Proficiency +7

"The Dragon Creek Breathing Technique can be still, but it can also move... Dragon Creek Swordplay can be cultivated together with the Dragon Creek Breathing Technique..."

Zhong Ming said, "My Sword Drawing Technique also seems capable of being cultivated alongside the Dragon Creek Breathing Technique..."

You completed one full cultivation session of the Dragon Creek Breathing Technique. Proficiency +3

"By adjusting the rhythm through breathing, I can make the Spiritual Energy between heaven and earth come seek me of its own accord..."

After a round of cultivation and experimentation, Zhong Ming discovered that this method was viable.

By mutually verifying his understanding with those who came before, his technique proficiency advanced three to five times faster than through solitary hard cultivation.

As for drinking wine while practicing his sword, Zhong Ming had discovered that his temperament was somewhat serious and stern, which did not quite suit the next realm of the Dragon Creek Breathing Technique: "liveliness."

Therefore, Zhong Ming used wine to make his temperament a little more spirited.

Of course, he knew that excessive drinking could ruin things, so Zhong Ming only had a couple cups, keeping himself in a lightly tipsy state.

"It actually works..."

Under the effects of alcohol, the slightly tipsy Zhong Ming felt as though he moved as his heart wished and acted as his nature led.

This perfectly suited the artistic conception of the Dragon Creek Breathing Technique. It also gave the Spiritual Energy stream within Zhong Ming's body a lively, unrestrained charm, like a little creek flowing through nature.

Even the Dragon Flood Dragon Dao Rhyme, which was silent most of the time, trembled once in response to Zhong Ming's invigorated state of mind.

"Dragon Creek, Dragon Creek. The core true meaning of this technique is dragon, but it is also connected to water. And wine is water too... They do connect, they do connect! Hahaha..."

Nourishing wisdom with books, forging one's backbone with the sword, freeing one's spirit with wine... Mixing all these things together and letting them collide, cultivating in this way made sparks of inspiration flash constantly through Zhong Ming's mind.

His cultivation efficiency and technique progress were both far faster than usual because the three were carried out together.

However, while this cultivation method was good, it also consumed an enormous amount of Zhong Ming's time and mental energy.

Using Intent Reading to examine the cultivation insights of his predecessors, comprehending techniques, cultivating the Dragon Stream - Sword Drawing Technique, refining Spiritual Energy through the Dragon Creek Breathing Technique, drinking wine... With all these matters mixed together, Zhong Ming remained busy from morning until evening, with barely any idle time in between.

Yet Zhong Ming relished this way of cultivating.

His steadily rising technique progress and gradually filling Qi Sea Acupoint gave Zhong Ming endless motivation. He even wanted to cultivate without stopping.

Unfortunately, having exhausted too much mental energy, by evening Zhong Ming was weary to the limit in both body and soul.

Even the wine—since it was his first time drinking and he was unfamiliar with it—he had drunk a little too much.

In the end, Dong Hai had to drag him to the dining hall.

And because all his attention was focused on cultivation, Zhong Ming failed to notice that while he cultivated for his own enjoyment, many people had been watching him.

For instance, Liu Wanyu, Jiang Xiaoyu, Jiang Yue, Wei Jie, and Youlan...