Heaven, Man, Sword (Seeking Bookmarks, Seeking Follow-up Reads)

"Splash, splash..."

Drawn by Zhong Ming's sword momentum, the stream water coiled and flowed around him like a water flood dragon.

This was not merely a figure of speech.

Zhong Ming could even draw the stream water outward, three feet away from himself.

"Splash..."

With a sweep of his Long Sword, the current danced along with it. This kind of sword dance did not merely look spectacular—it also extended the reach of Zhong Ming's Long Sword.

Moreover, with flowing water as its medium, Zhong Ming could use Water Flow to draw forth far more techniques. At this moment, even spells could be diverted from afar by him drawing away their flow.

Using flowing water, the power Zhong Ming could store up with his Dragon Creek Swordplay also became stronger.

Boom!

After finishing a full set of sword forms, Zhong Ming fiercely slashed down with the Long Sword that had been gathering momentum. The stream dragon circling his side followed the force of his strike, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws as it charged furiously forward.

Rumble...

In the end, Zhong Ming's sword strike landed more than ten meters away.

The raging stream dragon had even plowed a half-meter-wide, more-than-ten-meter-long gash into the ground.

"Haah, haah, haah..."

After unleashing that sword strike, Zhong Ming panted without stop.

That slash had drained both his mana and his mind-soul dry.

Yet Zhong Ming had no time to care about that. Looking at the marks before him, his face was filled with astonishment.

"Did I really make this? It's so strong."

"This strike isn't any weaker than that one empowered by the Dragon Flood Dragon Dao Rhyme."

"Haah, haah, haah..."

As he panted and pondered, Zhong Ming realized that it was perfectly normal for this strike to rival the previous one.

He had not forgotten something: although he had triggered the flood dragon's intent back then, he had still been a mortal.

Therefore, no mana had been involved in that strike. It had been nothing more than Zhong Ming's Sword Drawing Technique slash.

This sword strike, however, not only contained mana, but also had its sword momentum accumulated to the utmost limit through uninterrupted sword dancing and the true meaning of Water Flow.

Furthermore, he was beside a stream, the environment most suited to displaying Dragon Creek Swordplay.

With all those factors layered together, his strike naturally possessed such power.

"One had no mana involved, while the other has mana, requires stored momentum, and even needs the right environment. Looking at it now, the Dragon Flood Dragon Dao Rhyme still has the upper hand... No."

Before he could finish his sigh, Zhong Ming shook his head. His eyes suddenly blazed bright.

"The Dragon Flood Dragon Dao Rhyme and my current sword strike don't need to be separated."

"Back then, even without mana, the strike that triggered the Dragon Flood Dragon Dao Rhyme was already so powerful."

"Now that I've accumulated Water Flow to its limit, if I trigger the Dragon Flood Dragon Dao Rhyme again, just how strong will this strike become?"

Simply imagining it made Zhong Ming excited and filled with longing.

Unfortunately, he could only fantasize about it for now.

Accumulating his sword momentum to the limit was something he could now do with ease, but he had no confidence at all in how to trigger the Dragon Flood Dragon Dao Rhyme.

"Phew... No rush. The Dragon Flood Dragon Dao Rhyme and the sword arts of Dragon Stream Peak share the Same root, same origin. Once I train Dragon Creek - Sword Drawing Technique and Dragon Creek Swordplay to the fourth stage, I should be able to touch upon the Dragon Flood Dragon Dao Rhyme."

"There are still over twenty days until the end of the month. That should be enough time... right?"

Because that sword strike had exhausted all of Zhong Ming's mana, he rested where he stood for a full incense stick's time.

Once his energy had recovered, he began practicing his sword again.

This time, however, Zhong Ming's attention was no longer focused on Dragon Creek Swordplay or the power of his sword forms.

As he practiced, Zhong Ming closed his eyes and sensed the mana within his body.

He had not forgotten that mana was the foundation of cultivators.

And one reason for his unusual cultivation method was his hope that combining movement and stillness would speed up his refinement of mana.

"Splash..."

Though he was not deliberately paying attention to the movements of his sword forms, his Stage 2: Proficient swordsmanship was enough to ensure that Zhong Ming made no mistakes.

What was more, as an immortal sword art, Dragon Creek Swordplay placed greater importance on the circulation of mana within the body, the true meaning of Water Flow, and Breath Harmonizes Heaven and Earth Creek.

The sword moves themselves were not all that important.

As long as Zhong Ming made no mistakes in circulating his mana, the power of his swordplay would never be weak.

"Splash, splash..."

As Zhong Ming's Long Sword danced, the stream water was once again drawn into motion by him. Like a living flood dragon, it flowed and coiled around his body.

What made Zhong Ming's heart leap with joy was that as his body and Long Sword moved, the stream, his body, and that peculiar breathing produced a special resonance and rhythm.

Within that strange sensation, Zhong Ming felt as if his body had turned into a mass of flowing water as well.

This watery rhythm made much water Spiritual Energy pour into Zhong Ming's body as though returning home.

Because the Spiritual Energy moved of its own accord, very little of it dissipated as it circulated through Zhong Ming's body.

Indeed, because the fit was so perfect, the Spiritual Energy did not even need to make a full circuit through Zhong Ming's body. Once it had flowed halfway through, it could receive Zhong Ming's imprint and become his mana.

This increased Zhong Ming's refinement efficiency by a full sixty percent.

"It actually works."

"Splash..."

The tremor in his mind made it impossible for Zhong Ming to maintain the state of heaven, man, and sword as one.

Without that special resonance and rhythm, the stream water Zhong Ming had drawn up fell straight to the ground with a splash.

The sight made Zhong Ming somewhat embarrassed.

"For me to achieve unity of heaven, man, and sword right now, I need to focus my entire mind."

Upon realizing this, Zhong Ming hurriedly steadied his heart and devoted himself wholly to circulating the Dragon Creek Breathing Art and practicing Dragon Creek Swordplay.

You completed a full cultivation session of the Dragon Creek Breathing Technique and gained some insight. Technique progress +3

Having found a special cultivation method, one that allowed Zhong Ming to cultivate two techniques at once, he spent all his following time cultivating in this manner.

"Splash..."

His body moved with the sword, while the sword rippled with his mana. The more he practiced, the more Zhong Ming felt that he had become the stream itself.

In the end, he no longer needed to build momentum or prepare anything. With a casual stroke of his Long Sword, he could draw the stream water from afar.

When Zhong Ming's mastery of Dragon Creek Swordplay reached such a level, a system notification sounded beside his ear, shattering his special state of mind once more.

—Zhong Ming had already grown used to ordinary notifications. Logically speaking, they should not have disturbed his state of mind.

But this time, the notification from the Attribute Panel took Zhong Ming completely by surprise.

You gained insight into the Leaping Wave Dragon Creek Steps. Technique progress +152

Your Leaping Wave Dragon Creek Steps have entered the beginner level.

"???"

This notification utterly baffled Zhong Ming.

"I haven't even read those two manuals yet?"

He had not read the manuals, yet the technique had already entered the beginner level. It seemed strange, but it was not.

It could only be said that the techniques of Dragon Stream Peak were too closely connected.

Sharing the Same root, same origin, as long as one of them improved and one's comprehension was deep enough, insight could be gained into the other techniques even without studying them.

And Zhong Ming's understanding of Dragon Stream Peak's techniques was deep enough.

This made Zhong Ming's heart leap with joy and, for the first time, gave him immense confidence in the end-of-month assessment.

"The various Dragon Creek techniques are connected so closely. That means that whether it's Dragon Creek Swordplay or Dragon Creek - Sword Drawing Technique, as long as one advances, it can drive my techniques, arts, and Footwork Technique forward together."

"If every technique reaches the fourth stage, Minor Mastery, I'll become flawless, without a single weakness. At that time, even if I haven't perfectly nurtured the Dragon Flood Dragon Dao Rhyme and my cultivation has not advanced, I'll still have a certain chance of defeating someone in Mid Qi Condensation."

"And if the Dragon Flood Dragon Dao Rhyme can be triggered at will, then taking first place isn't impossible either..."

Thinking of how the Seven Mysteries Sect's support might include an upgrade to his spiritual root if he brought Dragon Stream Peak to first place, Zhong Ming's heart could not calm down for a long while.