"Meridian Severing?... Is it what I think it is? If so, this technique will be of great use."
After murmuring to himself, Zhong Ming took this manual as well.
He also took out some cultivation insights left behind by his predecessors.
After carrying these books back to the cultivation grounds, Zhong Ming began studying them with utmost care.
Yet his aloof attitude of ignoring everything else and focusing solely on cultivation... did not make anyone unhappy.
Even those whom Zhong Ming had just driven away spoke up for him.
"Rated Class A, yet he does not slack off in the slightest. Senior Brother Zhong Ming deserves to advance."
"Exactly, this is the attitude a cultivator should have..."
As long as you were strong enough, someone would argue your case.
Zhong Ming, rated Class A, had gained such treatment within Dragon Stream Peak as well.
Unfortunately, no matter what they said, Zhong Ming had no interest in paying attention. As for followers, he had only accepted Dong Hai for the time being.
What concerned him more now was cultivating Dragon Creek Swordplay.
"Breathe in, breathe out..."
After taking a deep breath and calming his mind, Zhong Ming spread the manual recording Dragon Creek Swordplay across his knees. Then he activated Intent Reading, reading the book and comprehending the mysteries within.
What Zhong Ming, wholly absorbed in his reading, did not know was that while he read, one... no, two people had been watching him all along.
Those two were naturally Yi Yunya and Youlan.
Watching her young mistress stare at Zhong Ming in a daze, Youlan felt deeply vexed.
She understood why her young mistress paid such close attention to Zhong Ming... unwillingness.
They had only been a hair's breadth away from having Zhong Ming become their companion, allowing them to completely turn the situation around.
Yet because of that tiny gap, Zhong Ming had slipped past them. This left the two women especially annoyed and regretful.
Still, Youlan understood even better that such a mentality was highly detrimental to cultivation.
Thus, after hesitating for a moment, she advised Yi Yunya, "Young Mistress, I know you are unwilling to accept missing Zhong Ming, but since we have already missed him, we should move forward. We cannot dwell on the past."
"Besides, Zhong Ming only advanced on the seventh day. Though he was rated Class A, his talent..."
Before Youlan could finish, Yi Yunya looked over at her. "You think his talent is poor?"
"Uh..." Her young mistress's stern gaze left Youlan somewhat puzzled. After considering it, she still said, "Being rated Class A, Zhong Ming's talent is naturally very strong. Among Dragon Stream Peak's disciples, he ranks near the front."
"But among Seven Mysteries Sect's Class A prodigies, Zhong Ming's talent can only be considered the bottom tier, right? After all, he ranks thirty-ninth..."
The more she spoke, the quieter Youlan's voice became, and the more hesitant her words grew. This was because after hearing her, disappointment had filled Yi Yunya's eyes.
That look made Youlan unable to stop herself from asking, "Young Mistress, am I wrong?"
"Of course you are wrong. You have forgotten something. Xue Yao called Zhong Ming the strongest."
"Huh?" Stunned, Youlan instinctively said, "Wasn't that a joke..."
Before she could finish, Youlan suddenly fell silent.
The impact Zhong Ming's advancement to Class A had on the people of Dragon Stream Peak was evident here.
Previously, when Zhong Ming had not opened his Qi Sea Acupoint, no one believed Xue Yao when she said such things.
The gap between a mortal and a Qi Practitioner made everyone prefer to believe that Xue Yao called Zhong Ming the strongest because beauty lay in the eye of the beholder, rather than believe Zhong Ming possessed extraordinary talent or that he was Dragon Stream Peak's strongest.
But when Zhong Ming, with the talent of a Third-grade Spiritual Root, unbelievably opened his Qi Sea Acupoint within seven days and was rated Class A, reconsidering Xue Yao's words meant that even Youlan had to seriously contemplate one matter—what Xue Yao said was true. Zhong Ming truly might be Dragon Stream Peak's strongest.
Yi Yunya, however, was deeply calculating, and she thought even further.
"Xue Yao is cold by nature, but she is not someone who disdains lying. Since she said Zhong Ming is the strongest, there is a great chance that he truly is."
"More importantly, Zhong Ming was only a mortal at that time... If he was already the strongest then, how strong has he become now that he has opened his Qi Sea Acupoint?"
At this thought, Yi Yunya's pupils suddenly contracted. A notion, rare for her, rose in her heart.
Then, somewhat hesitant and even more conflicted, she spoke to Youlan.
"Youlan, do you think I should join his team as a collaborator and form an alliance with him?"
"Uh..."
Her young mistress's words left Youlan speechless again.
If Yi Yunya wanted an alliance, what she should do was approach Zhong Ming as a team leader.
Equal standing was the foundation of an alliance.
Joining a team led by Zhong Ming—rather than an alliance, it was more like... attaching herself to him.
This made Youlan's voice turn dry. "Young Mistress, do we need to go that far?"
While Yi Yunya and her servant considered matters concerning Zhong Ming, the departed Mo Shuying was also thinking of him and felt a trace of guilt toward him.
"I'm sorry, but I am doing this for Dragon Stream Peak's sake."
Mo Shuying said this not because she had embezzled Zhong Ming's resources.
She had given him every bit of welfare and resources the sect was supposed to provide. Not a single portion was missing.
What made Mo Shuying feel indebted was that, as a force that had existed for centuries, Dragon Stream Peak had some reserves.
At a time when Dragon Stream Peak's survival hung in the balance, those reserves could naturally be brought out and used.
However, over the past few years, the Seven Mysteries Sect Master and the elders had provided Dragon Stream Peak's disciples with much support. To restore Dragon Stream Peak's glory, its Peak Master had also brought out more than half of its reserves, helping those disciples consolidate their cultivation and raise their strength.
During that time, Dragon Stream Peak's glory had indeed reappeared to some extent, and several swordsmanship seeds possessing Sword Hearts had been nurtured.
Unfortunately, sword cultivators who comprehended Sword Hearts were strong, but they were not invincible.
Especially sword cultivators who had yet to mature.
They could be forcibly killed by enemies of higher realms.
In the past, human forces generally would not do such things. Even if they did, they would act discreetly, and they certainly would not target everyone.
But Demons and Monsters did not care about any of that. During one expedition, powerful demonic and sinister beings appeared and either killed or crippled Dragon Stream Peak's prodigies.
That incident utterly crippled Dragon Stream Peak. Even Peak Master Yun Qianqiu was gravely wounded to the point of near death while rescuing disciples, and had spent years in seclusion recovering from his injuries.
That painful experience also marked the beginning of the sect's change in attitude.
The losses had been too severe.
One had to know that during those years, every disciple with even a little talent had been selected by Dragon Stream Peak and Mingshi Peak. Their tragic deaths also meant Seven Mysteries Sect's inheritance had been directly severed for several years.
There had even been so many deaths that they affected the surrounding Cultivation Families, making them somewhat afraid to send their outstanding descendants to Seven Mysteries Sect.
"Sect Master, this cannot continue. Demons and monsters possess bizarre abilities. Certainly, sword cultivators can use One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Arts, but reaching that realm is far too difficult, far too difficult. We might as well first support Molten Fire Peak and Green Fragrance Mountain, focusing on artifact forging and pill refining, then discuss matters after we have weathered the calamity of demons and monsters."
"Compared to artifact cultivators, would it not be better to support spell cultivators? Demons and monsters have bizarre abilities, but are our spell cultivation disciples lacking in methods? Moreover, spell cultivators do not need the sword cultivators' forward-driving sharpness. More importantly, aside from sword cultivators, we spell cultivators possess the strongest combat power."
"Hehe, you think us artifact cultivators are weak in combat? This is the Three Mountains Seal. Try blocking it..."
Mo Shuying: "Sigh..."
After that incident, Seven Mysteries Sect canceled most of its support for Dragon Stream Peak. Yet the sect was still unwilling to accept this, nor did it wish for the sect to lose its sharp edge. Thus, Dragon Stream Peak merely lost support and was not suppressed.
Unfortunately, people's hearts tended toward self-interest. Whether the surrounding Cultivation Families or the sect elders, they would send their most outstanding and cherished descendants to Molten Fire Peak, Green Fragrance Mountain, or failing that, pháp ấn Peak.
"Sword cultivators who comprehend Sword Hearts are indeed powerful among those of the same realm, but they are not invincible. Spell cultivators who comprehend True Intent or master Thunder Techniques, and artifact cultivators possessing top-grade magical artifacts, can all contend with sword cultivators."
Holding such thoughts, Cultivation Families had their outstanding disciples seek stability.
Those who were less outstanding were sent to Dragon Stream Peak to take a gamble.
With one side declining and the other rising, Dragon Stream Peak's situation naturally worsened.
Furthermore, after that incident, Dragon Stream Peak's remaining reserves were nearly exhausted. If cultivated with care, they could only nurture one person.
Unlike Yi Yunya, the person Mo Shuying regarded most highly in all of Dragon Stream Peak was Xue Yao.
Xue Yao, with her First-grade Spiritual Root, had advanced first and also possessed the special talent Ice Heart.
In Mo Shuying's eyes, among Dragon Stream Peak's disciples, if anyone could advance to Mid Qi Condensation within a single month and contend against Yan Chen, Su Lingya, and the others, it would certainly be Xue Yao.
Therefore, she used all of Dragon Stream Peak's remaining resources on Xue Yao and gave Zhong Ming nothing.
They both came from humble backgrounds and were both rated Class A, but in the end, she gave all of Dragon Stream Peak's resources to Xue Yao without giving Zhong Ming a single thing. Such unfair distribution made Mo Shuying somewhat uncomfortable.
—She regarded Dragon Stream Peak as her home and the Inner Sect Disciples as family. Such differential treatment naturally made her feel bad.
"If I want Little Yao to advance to Mid Qi Condensation and contend against Yan Chen and the others, who possess precious treasures, I must exchange a treasure of the same level for her. Dragon Stream Peak's wealth and resources therefore cannot be used on you. I'm sorry, Zhong Ming. I am doing this for Dragon Stream Peak's sake... If she takes the top three, or even first place, the Sect Master may perhaps incline resources toward us again."
"However, while Dragon Stream Peak's resources cannot be touched, we still have some connections on other peaks. Perhaps I can do this..."
Feeling that she owed Zhong Ming something, she ultimately still wanted to give him some compensation.
She also believed that Zhong Ming becoming stronger could help Xue Yao.
The end-of-month examination looks at overall strength. Even if Xue Yao can hold off Yan Chen and the others, if Zhuang Yi and Zhong Ming lose too quickly, Xue Yao will not be able to win either. After all, two fists cannot defeat four hands.
With this in mind, Mo Shuying went to Molten Fire Peak and arrived before a luxurious courtyard.
Just as she landed, a woman in magnificent palace dress came before Mo Shuying.
"Senior Sister Mo, why have you come?"
"I came to see Senior Brother Xie. How is he...?"
Those words darkened the palace-dressed woman's expression. "My husband is still recovering from his injuries..."
Yi Yunya wished to attach herself to him, while Senior Disciple Sister Mo Shuying wanted to find him some compensation. Zhong Ming knew nothing of any of this.
At this moment, all his attention was focused on comprehending and understanding Dragon Creek Swordplay.
After silently reading through the Dragon Creek Swordplay manual with Intent Reading, Zhong Ming unsurprisingly discovered that Dragon Creek Swordplay had far too many similarities with the Dragon Creek Breathing Technique.
"Let the sword be like a stream, following the current rather than resisting it... This is the general principle of Dragon Creek Swordplay."
Put simply, the early stages of Dragon Creek Swordplay trained the suppleness of water. When others attacked, Dragon Creek Swordplay would not meet force with force. Instead, it would use the sword to guide the opponent's attack, following the current of water and directing it to one side.
Practicing this step to its limit was Water Flow.
At that time, when Zhong Ming wielded Dragon Creek Swordplay, his Long Sword would be like a flowing stream. No matter how others attacked, Zhong Ming could guide their offensive to one side through the essence of water.
Of course, Dragon Stream Peak was renowned for the sword, and its sharp attacks were the foremost among the seven peaks. As its most basic and most core technique, Dragon Creek Swordplay naturally possessed more than merely the ability to redirect and dissipate force.
As the saying went, water's flow was for the sake of gathering momentum.
Once Dragon Creek Swordplay was practiced to mastery, while using Water Flow to shed an opponent's attack, Zhong Ming could also borrow that force and draw in a portion of the enemy's strength.
"This too is flow—turning the enemy's strength onto my sword."
"Come to think of it, water can transmit force... If someone strikes the surface of water hard from one side, it will cause ripples across the stream and make the current flow faster."
"My sword, like a stream, can also be like a stream in nature, borrowing the enemy's power to increase the speed and force of my sword moves."
"When the enemy's attack is guided to one side, their defenses will be wide open. That will be when my sword speed and power multiply. If I attack then, the enemy will find it difficult to block... Dragon Creek Swordplay's underlying intent truly is excellent."
"Even if the enemy can defend in time, it does not matter. Relying on Water Flow, I can continuously gather momentum. The longer I battle an enemy, the stronger my sword momentum will become. In the end, this babbling stream will become towering waves that blot out the sky. By then, the enemy still will not be able to stop it."
This was the first stage of Dragon Creek Swordplay: Sword Harmonizes with Stream.
Before you continue