Yi Yunya, Spurred On; the Flying Sword Has a Lead

Because his state of mind had been shattered, and he had cultivated for an entire afternoon, Zhong Ming's body was utterly exhausted.

Seeing this, he simply stopped cultivating, returned beneath the tree, and opened the Leaping Wave Dragon Creek Steps and Spirit Stream Finger · Water Dragon Art to study them.

Activating Intent Reading, after reviewing them, he understood why he had managed to grasp the basics of these two techniques without a teacher.

"The Leaping Wave Dragon Creek Steps' minor mastery lies in treading waves to build momentum, but once cultivated to Stage 3: Mastery, it lets me evade enemy attacks as though I were flowing water."

"It is, after all, a Footwork Technique."

"And just now, when Heaven, man, and sword became one during my cultivation, I truly felt as if I were a rushing mass of water. That perfectly matched the Leaping Wave Dragon Creek Steps, so its progress naturally increased."

You gained insight into the Leaping Wave Dragon Creek Steps. Technique progress +124

Thinking this through, Zhong Ming realized that his resonance of 'Heaven, man, and sword' was not cultivating a single technique, but four.

The Dragon Creek Breathing Technique, Dragon Creek Swordplay, Leaping Wave Dragon Creek Steps, Spirit Stream Finger · Water Dragon Art... he could cultivate them all at once.

"Is this what it means to be a sect disciple?"

At that moment, Zhong Ming truly felt the advantages of a renowned orthodox sect.

Unlike Rogue Cultivators, who hammered east with one stick and west with another, leaving their cultivation scattered and unsystematic, cultivators of great sects practiced through complete, interconnected systems.

Such cultivation not only let sect cultivators advance quickly, but also allowed their cultivation techniques and arts to complement one another.

"No wonder most Rogue Cultivators are no match for sect disciples unless they play dirty. There really is no way to fight this."

Of course, others could not cultivate as easily and comfortably as Zhong Ming.

The state of resonance where Heaven, man, and sword became one was still quite difficult to attain.

Without Intent Reading, without the Breath Harmonizes with Heaven and Earth Flow, and without the stacked effects of Water Flow, Zhong Ming would have found it difficult to enter that state.

And even if he had entered it, without Heaven Rewards Diligence, a single cultivation session could not possibly improve all four techniques at once. He would inevitably have had to focus on one over the others.

"But there are no what-ifs in this world. With these things, my cultivation speed is very fast."

"And Heaven Rewards Diligence truly is a Divine Skill."

"Phew..."

Having found the cultivation method that suited him best, everything afterward became simple. On this joyous day when he had been rated Class A, Zhong Ming did not slack off or indulge himself. Instead, he cultivated for an entire day beside a secluded stream.

By the time it was over, both Zhong Ming's body and mind had been drained dry.

In the end, Dong Hai had to drag him away.

What Zhong Ming did not know was that not long after he left, two young women arrived by the stream.

Looking at the crisscrossing sword marks that stretched for more than ten meters, as well as the water splashed all over the ground, Yi Yunya fell silent for a breath.

Then, with a ringing hum, she formed a sword seal with her fingers, and a silver Flying Sword flew out from her body.

"Whoosh..."

Like a swimming fish, the sword circled around her once. Then, in the next instant—

"Go!"

With her sharp cry, the Flying Sword shot out fiercely.

"Whoosh!" As a Flying Sword, it easily slashed more than ten meters away.

The sword mark carved by her Flying Sword was no smaller than the one Zhong Ming had made, and it was sharper and swifter.

The only thing it lacked was the grand momentum Zhong Ming had created when he stirred the water flow. Its area of effect was also narrower than Zhong Ming's strike after he had built his momentum to the limit.

But which of the two strikes was stronger was still hard to say.

That left Yi Yunya bewildered.

"He has only just entered the Qi Refining Realm, yet he can create such momentum. Zhong Ming is indeed quite capable, but someone like this cannot be called the strongest on Dragon Stream Peak, can he?"

Her confusion was justified. The current Zhong Ming could not be called weak, but if he did not trigger the Dragon Flood Dragon Dao Rhyme, he truly might not be called the strongest, much less hold an overwhelming advantage over everyone else.

Yi Yunya and Zhuang Yi possessed mid-to-high-grade artifacts. Xue Yao was exceptionally talented, had advanced first, and also possessed an Ice Heart.

In a normal fight, Zhong Ming... still had the higher chance of winning.

And the longer the fight dragged on, the higher Zhong Ming's chances became.

There was no helping it. He had already comprehended several Water Flows, allowing him to borrow force and build momentum. Furthermore, after cultivating for an afternoon, aside from his swordplay, his Footwork Technique, the Leaping Wave Dragon Creek Steps, and his art, the Spirit Stream Finger · Water Dragon Art, had also entered Stage 2: Proficient.

Leaping Wave Dragon Creek Steps: Stage 2: Proficient (478/4800), traits: Water Walking, Body Like a Stream

At this point, he could attack and defend, advance and retreat. He had almost no weaknesses.

Yi Yunya, meanwhile, was nowhere near as well-rounded as Zhong Ming, and her swordplay was not as outstanding either.

As for the high-grade artifact in her hand... due to her low realm and weak spiritual power, she could not bring out its full might.

Thus, she naturally would not be Zhong Ming's match.

Unfortunately, Yi Yunya had not personally witnessed Zhong Ming practice his swordsmanship, so she underestimated Zhong Ming's Footwork Technique and Water Flow's ability to dissipate force.

More importantly, Zhong Ming's afternoon of cultivation had not triggered the Dragon Flood Dragon Dao Rhyme, and he had not unleashed that sword strike which surpassed the mundane.

Without that shock, she naturally began to hesitate.

Seeing this, Youlan stepped forward and offered a word of advice.

"Miss, why don't we watch a little longer..."

"No!"

The instant Youlan spoke those words, Yi Yunya's body shuddered, and she instinctively refused.

She had not forgotten that she had previously hesitated, chosen to wait a little longer, and thus missed her chance with Zhong Ming.

Clearly, that incident had dealt Yi Yunya a heavy blow and taught her an extremely harsh lesson.

It made her react stressfully the moment she heard the words 'watch a little longer.'

"Phew..."

However, her emotions soon calmed down.

At the same time, Youlan's words also helped her make up her mind.

"No more waiting. Tomorrow, we will go find Zhong Ming."

Having learned her lesson, Yi Yunya had become much more decisive.

Although Youlan had some doubts, her young mistress had already made up her mind, so she could not say anything further.

"So this is a Class A-rated cave dwelling? It really is spacious."

While Yi Yunya and Youlan were discussing matters, Zhong Ming had already collected his pills and spirit stones from the Resource Hall and returned to his own cave dwelling on Dragon Stream Peak.

After using his token to open the cave dwelling's restrictions and entering, he immediately felt the difference.

Unlike the ordinary stone rooms of disciples who had yet to enter the sect, the cave dwellings of Class A disciples could even be called luxurious.

There was a separate main hall, a sword practice room, a bedroom, a study, and a reception room.

There was even a small courtyard outside Zhong Ming's cave dwelling, with several side rooms for his followers and maids to live in.

Beside the courtyard were two or three mu of spirit fields, where medicinal herbs could be planted.

Besides being fully furnished, the cave dwelling was also filled with rich Spiritual Energy.

The formation outside could also keep Zhong Ming from being disturbed.

"Class A disciples really are different."

The next day, Zhong Ming noticed even more differences in being a Class A disciple.

After sleeping through the night, Zhong Ming arrived early at the cultivation grounds. Before he could even sit down, Senior Disciple Sister Mo Shuying came looking for him.

And as soon as she arrived, she told Zhong Ming something.

"Junior Brother Zhong Ming, I found you a job. The Seven Mysteries Sect has Sword Testing Platforms specifically for disciples to spar, train together, and familiarize themselves with spells. The A-1 Sword Testing Platform was established by our Dragon Stream Peak. Go there later and serve as its supervisor."

The moment he heard this, Zhong Ming frowned.

"Senior Disciple Sister, I only wish to cultivate right now. These trivial matters..."

Mo Shuying said, "You will not need to handle the trivial matters. You only need to hold the post and stay there for one or two hours a day."

Hearing this, Zhong Ming immediately understood. This was a benefit Senior Disciple Sister Mo Shuying had secured for him.

A benefit where he held a post, collected money, and did no work.

"..."

Just as Zhong Ming was feeling touched, Mo Shuying's preferential treatment had not yet ended.

"Since you were rated Class A, I did not take the Flying Sword you should receive from the Dragon Creek Peak Scripture Repository. Instead, I visited a Senior Sister from Molten Fire Peak."

"That Senior Sister has some ties to our Dragon Stream Peak... one of our Senior Brothers became Dao companions with her. Originally, I intended to exchange for a better-quality Flying Sword for you from her."

"But while we were talking, Senior Sister Mo's daughter returned. She is also cultivating on Molten Fire Peak now, and what she excels at most is forging Flying Swords."

"Since she was interested in you, I made the decision to have her forge one for you."

At this point, Mo Shuying's expression turned slightly solemn. "My niece is named Xie Yuzhu. She is still young, and her forging skills may not be very refined, but her materials are quite precious. A Flying Sword forged by her could have a chance to advance to high grade after being reforged."

"More importantly, she can be considered an old family friend of Dragon Stream Peak, so you are naturally close. If you get along well with her, you can have her maintain or upgrade your Flying Swords in the future."

"However, my niece has quite the personality. She said that she would not let mediocre people use the Flying Swords she forges. Therefore, if you wish to use her Flying Sword, you must undergo her test."

"Are you willing to accept?"