"Hm?"
Yi Yunya saw Zhong Ming's excitement and exhilaration, and it left her somewhat puzzled.
She did not understand why Zhong Ming was acting this way.
The opportunity to view a True Intent Diagram is indeed precious, but it shouldn't warrant this much excitement, should it?
It could only be said that she still did not understand Zhong Ming's circumstances. If she knew that he possessed Intent Reading and could comprehend intent through reading True Intent Diagrams, her attitude would certainly have been different.
Just as she was puzzling over it, Zhong Ming pushed all the resources Yi Yunya had just given him back toward her.
"Young Master, what is this?"
"Don't misunderstand." Seeing the alarm on Yi Yunya's face, Zhong Ming smiled. "I have no intention of refusing our cooperation. I merely wish to use these resources to exchange for another opportunity to view a True Intent Diagram."
"Are these resources enough? If they aren't, I still have some spirit stones that I can add."
"Also, does your Golden Jade Tower have a Flood Dragon Diagram? I want to exchange the Raging River Waves Diagram for the Flood Dragon True Intent Diagram."
Yi Yunya said, "That will be enough."
"Golden Jade Tower does have a Flood Dragon Diagram." After hesitating for a moment, Yi Yunya continued, "But if you wish to view the Flood Dragon True Intent Diagram, Young Master, you will need to wait for a while. I need some time to make arrangements."
"That's fine. There's no rush."
Zhong Ming truly was not in a hurry.
In fact, even if Yi Yunya had allowed him to view it immediately, he would not have gone.
When he had previously used Intent Reading on the Mountain Stream Diagram, Zhong Ming had discovered that gaining something from a True Intent Diagram depended not only on the diagram's quality, but also on his own strength.
If his soul was powerful and his corresponding accumulation sufficient, only then could he obtain more while viewing a True Intent Diagram.
Otherwise, the instant he witnessed the mysteries of true intent, he would very likely be unable to withstand them, suffer a grievous blow to his mind, and be forced out of the Intent Reading state.
Although Zhong Ming said he was not in a hurry, Yi Yunya still left Dragon Stream Peak and returned to Golden Jade Tower to busy herself.
As for Zhong Ming, he took a Long Sword and headed to the Sword Testing Platform to assume his post as its leader.
Yet after the two of them left, the uproar on Dragon Stream Peak had only just begun.
"Did I see that right? Yi Yunya joined Zhong Ming's team?"
Having undergone the baptism of Spiritual Energy, most Dragon Stream Peak disciples had keen five senses. Zhong Ming and Yi Yunya had not made much effort to conceal their conversation, so many people noticed their exchange and heard that Yi Yunya was joining Zhong Ming's team.
And that left many people unable to understand.
"Yi Yunya comes from such a good background and is such a proud person. How could she submit to Zhong Ming?"
"...Could what Senior Sister Xue Yao said be true? Is Senior Brother Zhong Ming actually the strongest person on our Dragon Stream Peak?"
"But he was the fourth to break through, and he did so on the final day of the Class A evaluations?"
The bizarre contrast between being the strongest and breaking through last left many people baffled.
Yet this matter also caused some people to make up their minds.
At that moment, Liu Wanyu found Jiang Yue and said to him, "Young Master Jiang, you are on good terms with Zhong Ming. Could you invite Senior Brother Zhong Ming..."
"You want to join that person's team too."
The one who still referred to Zhong Ming in such a tone was naturally not Jiang Yue, but his younger sister, Jiang Xiaoyu.
Hearing her words, Liu Wanyu sighed softly. "This is the best choice. Whether Miss Yi Yunya has sincerely submitted or has other intentions, a team that gathers Senior Sister Xue Yao, Miss Yi Yunya, and Senior Brother Zhong Ming has already become the strongest on Dragon Stream Peak."
"..."
Jiang Yue could not refute that.
At the same time, someone else had also noticed this.
"Zhong Ming, Xue Yao, and Yi Yunya have actually joined forces. I've become a lone wolf."
The one who realized this belatedly was naturally Zhuang Yi, Dragon Stream Peak's final Class A disciple.
Thinking of Xue Yao's cool temperament and Yi Yunya's former arrogance, Zhuang Yi immediately understood that those two women could never have cooperated.
"So Zhong Ming is the core of their team?"
A feverish expression appeared on his face. "Now this is truly exciting. Zhong Ming, just what abilities do you have to make two women fall for you?"
Zhuang Yi had developed the urge to challenge Zhong Ming.
However, he was not doing this out of jealousy.
Zhong Ming had only learned of Dragon Stream Peak's situation after the fact, but Zhuang Yi, Yi Yunya, Xue Yao, Jiang Yue, Liu Wanyu, and the others had understood Dragon Stream Peak's circumstances before entering.
It was like after the college entrance examinations in his previous life—ordinary students could only wait, while the top scorer would have admissions teachers personally come knocking.
Before they entered Dragon Stream Peak, disciples from several peaks had approached them and explained the circumstances of the Seven Mysteries Sect's various peaks.
This advance notice caused several disciples who loved the sword to be recruited by other peaks.
Zhuang Yi, Xue Yao, and Yi Yunya each had their own reasons for remaining.
Among them, Xue Yao had been personally invited by Senior Disciple Sister Mo Shuying. Mo Shuying had even used Dragon Stream Peak's sacrifices to make the other peaks back down, only then bringing Xue Yao into the sect.
—Part of the reason Mo Shuying was now preparing a precious magical artifact for Xue Yao was because it had been agreed upon back then.
As for Yi Yunya, apart from Xue Yao, she had believed that Dragon Stream Peak's situation was dire—but in such circumstances, it would be easier for her to build connections and recruit some hired hands, which was why she had come.
Strictly speaking, Yi Yunya was a merchant.
As a merchant, she did not need to refine artifacts or concoct pills. She merely needed to know how to recruit people.
As for the Demon Suppressing Division, others needed to worry about such matters, but she did not.
Even her cultivation did not follow the conventional path.
That was because she was not a sword cultivator at all. She had come to Dragon Stream Peak for another purpose, which was why Senior Disciple Sister Mo Shuying did not particularly like her and had always treated her as an outsider.
Unlike the two women, Zhuang Yi also understood Dragon Stream Peak's predicament very well. Moreover, his family had strongly opposed his coming here and had arranged a master for him at Molten Fire Peak.
Yet he had still come because he genuinely loved the sword and yearned for the unrestrained, unfettered freedom of sword cultivators.
He could barely be considered a sword cultivator with a sword heart—the reason for "barely" being that he had yet to undergo the tempering of life and death.
Only if he could still remain true to his heart then would he truly count as a sword cultivator.
With such a temperament, the battle intent in his eyes came more from feeling that he had encountered a worthy opponent.
"Should I make a move now?"
"No, not yet. Zhong Ming has just advanced and has not accumulated much mana. I need to give him more time."
"Zhong Ming, I hope you won't disappoint me then."
"?!"
"What's going on? Why do I feel a chill, as if someone is watching me?"
He turned to look around, but naturally, Zhong Ming found nothing.
His halt also made Youlan stop.
"Young Master Zhong, did something happen?"
"It's nothing."
Youlan had remained behind on Yi Yunya's orders. Yi Yunya had instructed her to stay and handle Zhong Ming's miscellaneous affairs.
Originally, Zhong Ming had not wanted her, but one sentence from Yi Yunya convinced him.
"Senior Brother, Senior Disciple Sister has assigned you the post of leader at the Sword Testing Platform, hasn't she? Although you are merely holding the position in name, it would not be good if you knew nothing about what was happening."
"Youlan has been with me for many years and is best at handling trivial matters. With her here, Senior Brother, you only need to cultivate. You can leave everything else to her."
"...Thank you."
And so, Youlan began following him.
She truly did save Zhong Ming a great deal of trouble.
Or rather, given Zhong Ming's status, he encountered no obstruction at all when taking up his post.
"Greetings, Senior Brother."
The moment Zhong Ming arrived at the Sword Testing Platform, a group of people were already waiting respectfully for him.
Among them were no shortage of cultivators at Mid Qi Condensation and even Late Qi Condensation.
Yet no one looked down on him, nor did anyone show him hostility.
Even those Late Qi Condensation cultivators were the same.
Clearly, they understood very well the future prospects of a Class A disciple.
One did not slap a smiling face. Since others treated him respectfully, Zhong Ming naturally clasped his hands and returned the gesture. "You are too kind. I should be the one calling all of you Senior Brothers..."
After a round of harmonious conversation, Youlan stepped forward from behind Zhong Ming and began handling trivial matters for him as his representative.
With time on his hands, Zhong Ming did not immediately enter cultivation.
Finding a large tree beside the Sword Testing Platform, Zhong Ming leaned against it and sat down. Then he turned his gaze toward the platform and carefully watched the group currently fighting there.
As he watched them, Zhong Ming narrowed his eyes and activated his special skill—Intent Reading!
After using Intent Reading over the past few days, Zhong Ming had come to understand it more and more.
By now, he knew that apart from books and picture albums, if he observed other things with complete focus, he could also read some traces of intent from them.
And the reason he activated this skill now was:
"When three people walk together, one of them is bound to be my teacher... I hope I can learn something from all of you."
Zhong Ming clearly intended to use Intent Reading to observe the strengths and weaknesses of others' sword techniques, then compare and verify them against his own.
"With Intent Reading, cultivating this way will surely bring immense gains... Come to think of it, Intent Reading is a Divine Skill too..."
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