Undercurrents, Whirlpools, and Yang Chen's Astonishment

The three people Qi Hong had invited over did not believe his exaggerated claims, nor did they think Zhong Ming was qualified to be mentioned in the same breath as Xiao Yichen, the True Disciple from their generation.

Still, they all believed that since Zhong Ming had earned Qi Hong's recognition and received a Class A rating, he certainly possessed some talent.

That was why they had come with some expectations.

"I hope Zhong Ming's talent reaches thirty percent of Senior Brother Xiao's. No—twenty percent would be enough."

Amid those expectations, Yang Chen, Shi Yun, and Lin Shuyu saw the utterly ordinary-looking Zhong Ming.

Zhong Ming saw the three of them as well.

What made him raise his brows was that all three had some physical disability.

One limped, one was blind in one eye, and the other had half his face shriveled and dry, like a skeleton.

Noticing Zhong Ming's surprise, Qi Hong shrugged and took the initiative to explain.

"Wondering why we're all cripples?"

"Uh..."

Just as Zhong Ming did not know how to answer, Qi Hong said indifferently, "There's nothing strange about it. In a couple of years, when you enter the Demon Suppressing Division, you'll understand. For sword cultivators like us, that place is both a crisis and an opportunity."

"Enemies everywhere, ceaseless life-and-death battles, and the resources the Demon Suppressing Division rewards for slaying demons and exterminating monsters... All of it drives any sword cultivator with even a little ability and ambition to fight their way forward in the Demon Suppressing Division."

"If we hadn't been severely injured, we wouldn't have stayed here."

After saying that, Qi Hong pointed at his friends again.

"This is Yang Chen, Shi Yun, and Lin Shuyu. You can consider them your Senior Brothers. They specialize in Dragon Creek Swordplay, Water Technique, and Footwork Technique respectively. What do you plan to learn first?"

"Swordplay."

With Dragon Creek Swordplay, he could cultivate four cultivation methods at once. Therefore, for Zhong Ming, the best way to cultivate was still swordplay.

Hearing that Zhong Ming wanted to practice swordsmanship, Yang Chen immediately stepped forward.

With half his face shriveled, he was not particularly courteous toward Zhong Ming.

"Qi Hong says you're very talented, but I have my doubts."

Swish!

As he spoke, he flicked his Long Sword and said in an icy tone, "Show me everything you have. I want to see whether you're worthy of our wholehearted instruction!"

"Even half-crippled, I don't want to waste my time teaching mediocrities."

"I understand."

Yang Chen's words did not anger Zhong Ming.

The other man was willing to teach him wholeheartedly. No matter what, Zhong Ming owed him a favor for that.

As for only being willing to teach geniuses, that was simply how this world worked. There truly was a gap in talent, and most people here only had patience for geniuses.

To show his respect for such a man, Zhong Ming chose to use everything he had and knock him down.

"Phew..."

After taking a deep breath, the spiritual power within Zhong Ming began circulating at high speed.

As his spiritual power circulated, he swung his sword with both hands. The sword light in his grasp flowed like a creek as it slashed toward his opponent.

This time, no waterlight surged forth.

Breath Harmonizes Heaven and Earth Creek required a nearby stream or source of water before Zhong Ming could draw upon it.

Without one, Zhong Ming's current spiritual power and cultivation realm were not enough for him to draw water vapor from heaven and earth out of thin air.

"Hum..."

Facing Zhong Ming's sword light, Yang Chen did not make many movements. With a casual swing, he used the Long Sword in his hand to parry Zhong Ming's attack.

Then, rather than erupting with spiritual power and forcefully knocking Zhong Ming's attack aside,

he followed Zhong Ming's force and guided Zhong Ming's Long Sword to one side.

Zhong Ming understood that Dragon Creek Swordplay centered on deflecting force, borrowing force, and building momentum. Naturally, he did not wish for that to happen, so he immediately tried to pull back his Long Sword.

But... he could not pull it free.

At that moment, Zhong Ming felt as if the Long Sword in his hand had fallen into a swirling water vortex. Its suction was powerful, and caught unprepared, he could not pull free at all.

Unable to withdraw it, Zhong Ming's sword was not only drawn to one side—even his body was affected by it, causing him to topple sideways.

In the end, with his stance broken, Yang Chen defeated him with ease.

This sight made Yang Chen, as well as the watching Shi Yun and Lin Shuyu, all frown.

A Zhong Ming like this could not satisfy them, much less be mentioned in the same breath as Xiao Yichen.

Shi Yun said, "Qi Hong, this is the prodigy you spoke of?"

Faced with his friend's doubts, Qi Hong did not get angry. Instead, he smiled. "Don't rush. In a moment, you'll understand why I said that."

His calm, unhurried attitude made Shi Yun, Lin Shuyu, and the others raise their brows and temporarily fall silent.

On the other side, Zhong Ming was not dejected after losing the duel. Instead, a faint gleam lit up in his eyes.

"Whirlpools—or rather, undercurrents. The Dynamic-Static Harmony required by Dragon Creek Swordplay is not merely motion and stillness. There is also light and darkness..."

Having gained something, Zhong Ming immediately pulled himself together and attacked Yang Chen again.

Yang Chen did not stop him.

After all, Zhong Ming was someone his companion Qi Hong had recommended. Thus, he was willing to give Zhong Ming more time to prove himself.

This time, Zhong Ming was much more cautious, and when he pulled back his sword, he suddenly exerted force.

With all his strength erupting, Zhong Ming pulled the sword free.

Yet Yang Chen was more seasoned.

This time, he demonstrated to Zhong Ming that borrowing force in Dragon Creek Swordplay was not limited to guiding an enemy's attack aside. When the enemy withdrew, one could also follow their force and strike at their body.

Caught off guard, Zhong Ming suffered another defeat.

Then came the third time, the fourth, the fifth, the seventh...

Like Qi Hong, the man before him had practiced the sword for eight or nine years, fought Demons and Monsters and all kinds of cultists hundreds and thousands of times, and faced dozens of life-and-death crises.

Having endured battlefields for so long, Yang Chen far surpassed Zhong Ming in both swordsmanship realm and combat experience.

Fighting him, Zhong Ming could barely gain any advantage at all—this was the gap between a battle-hardened veteran and an ordinary high school student.

Yet as the battle continued, Yang Chen's expression grew increasingly grave.

The watching Shi Yun and Lin Shuyu also gradually shed the contempt and disappointment from their faces.

At this moment, the only thing showing on their faces was the same astonishment Qi Hong had displayed.

"His rate of improvement is too fast!"

In their eyes, Zhong Ming was not particularly strong, but with every duel and every swing of his sword, his Dragon Creek Swordplay improved.

At first, Zhong Ming could not even withstand a single strike from Yang Chen.

But before the time it took to drink a cup of tea had passed, Zhong Ming could already exchange several moves with Yang Chen.

After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Zhong Ming could even fight back and forth against Yang Chen, who was restraining his own strength.

"Phew, inhale..."

"Splash..."

At that moment, Zhong Ming danced with his sword in the open space like a constantly spinning water vortex. Every attack Yang Chen launched was guided aside by Zhong Ming through Water Flow.

Moreover, there were undercurrents within the vortex Zhong Ming wielded.

As long as an enemy was careless for a moment and became caught by the force of Zhong Ming's undercurrent, they would not even be able to pull back their sword.

Such undercurrents could not only leave an enemy wide open, but also allow Zhong Ming to borrow the enemy's strength.

Unfortunately, Yang Chen, who had endured countless life-and-death battles, would not make a mistake at all.

Zhong Ming used Water Flow to raise a vortex. His opponent did the same.

And the vortex Yang Chen stirred up was stronger than Zhong Ming's and covered a wider area.

Boom!

When that flowing vortex crashed toward him, Zhong Ming could only barely maintain himself while retreating again and again. The sight made him look exceedingly bedraggled.

Yet Shi Yun and Lin Shuyu, who were watching, did not look down on Zhong Ming in the slightest.

"How many moves has it been?"

"Thirty-seven. It's thirty-nine now..."

Shi Yun said, "Yang Chen won't be able to take him down within a hundred moves..."

At this point, Shi Yun shook his head with a bitter smile. "Before stepping up, Yang Chen would never have imagined that a newcomer could actually entangle him for more than a hundred moves."

Lin Shuyu said, "It can't be helped. Zhong Ming really is strong. Under Yang Chen's pressure, he did not merely use swordplay—his breathing technique, Footwork Technique, and even Water Technique, he integrated all of them into his sword moves."

"And he has fused these skills quite well. Not just Yang Chen—even if we went up, defeating Zhong Ming would not be easy."

At this point, Lin Shuyu turned his gaze toward Qi Hong, his eyes excited and solemn. "Junior Brother Qi, are you certain he is a newly initiated disciple of our Dragon Stream Peak's generation?"

Qi Hong shrugged at those words.

"Haven't you seen Zhong Ming's improvement with your own eyes? In the first duel, he couldn't even withstand one move from Yang Chen."

"..."

Shi Yun and Lin Shuyu truly could not refute that.

And it left their gazes filled with amazement, envy, and... delight.

"I never thought Dragon Stream Peak would truly produce another peerless prodigy."