Sword Like a Flowing Stream

Clang!

After gaining the Quick Reflexes trait, Zhong Ming's sword-drawing speed skyrocketed.

Almost the moment the thought arose, his arm swung fiercely.

Mind moved with intent, making Zhong Ming's slash exceptionally swift and chillingly sharp.

Yet this nearly perfect strike had one enormous flaw: ...he had missed.

Whoosh...

Looking at his sword cutting through empty air, Zhong Ming fell silent for a moment.

"...Trying to hit a high-speed moving object with a sword draw really isn't that easy."

His first failure did not discourage Zhong Ming. With a deep breath, he calmed his emotions again.

Then Zhong Ming looked at Dong Hai and called out directly, "Again!"

"Careful."

Whoosh!

Soon, the second pebble shot rapidly toward Zhong Ming.

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

By the sixth pebble, with a bang!, Zhong Ming hit it.

Precise timing and lightning speed combined as Zhong Ming split the flying pebble in two in an instant.

Huff...

Only then did Zhong Ming finally relax and let out a long breath.

At the same time, a system notification belatedly sounded beside Zhong Ming's ear.

"Not bad!"

He immediately shouted at Dong Hai.

"Again."

"Got it."

Seeing that Zhong Ming could strike the pebbles, Dong Hai was no longer afraid.

Whoosh!

Soon, Dong Hai threw the seventh pebble.

But this time, Zhong Ming, who had drawn his sword... missed.

Without any hint of discouragement, before even a breath had passed, Zhong Ming calmly assumed his sword-drawing stance again.

"Keep going!"

Whoosh!

Clang!

And so, Zhong Ming spent the entire afternoon training in the Dragon Stream - Sword Drawing Technique.

Sometimes he missed, sometimes he hit. At times, the stones Dong Hai threw would even smash into Zhong Ming.

Several hours of training left Zhong Ming covered in bruises.

Yet his injuries did not make Zhong Ming miserable. Instead, his heart was filled mostly with joy.

—Continuous training had brought Zhong Ming's Dragon Stream Sword Drawing Technique progress to this point in just one afternoon:

"Though my Stage 2: Proficient progress has only increased by one-sixth or so, that was because my hit rate was too low at first. Now, out of ten pebbles, I can cut down six or seven. My training efficiency has risen severalfold as well."

"If I go all out, I might even raise the Dragon Stream - Sword Drawing Technique to Stage 3: Mastery within the next day or two."

It could only be said that this Sword Drawing Technique, with only a single move, truly suited Zhong Ming.

Whoosh!

Bang!

That brief distraction earned Zhong Ming a vicious hit. Seeing this, he no longer dared to be careless.

Whoosh!

Clang!

After training for another two hours, the sky grew dark. Zhong Ming, who drew the sword, and Dong Hai, who threw the stones, were both exhausted in body and mind.

Seeing this, the two went together to eat at Dragon Stream Peak's dining hall.

After eating and drinking their fill and resting for a while, Dong Hai watched as the sun completely set, leaving only a hazy thread of moonlight over the land. A trace of hesitation appeared in his eyes as he asked Zhong Ming:

"Zhong Ming, it's getting late. Are we still training?"

Beneath the shroud of the pitch-black night, everything around them became dim and gray.

Under such conditions, it was already very difficult for Zhong Ming to see the pebbles.

Having noticed this, Dong Hai asked Zhong Ming whether he still wanted to train.

Zhong Ming's answer was naturally, "Train!"

"Our talents aren't enough, our resources are scarce, and time is even tighter. If we want to earn a higher grade, we can only train ourselves to the bone!"

To secure a good start, Zhong Ming held onto the belief that so long as he did not train himself to death, he would train himself half to death.

That attitude also encouraged Dong Hai and gave him even greater confidence that Zhong Ming would be rated Class B.

Zhong Ming is a loyal man. If he's rated Class B, he'll definitely pull me up with him.

Thinking this, Dong Hai said with renewed determination:

"I understand, Zhong Ming. Be careful."

"I will."

Clang!

With only a sliver of moonlight, Zhong Ming could not see the incoming pebbles at all unless he focused every scrap of his attention.

Even with his full concentration, he still missed many.

As a result, at the beginning of his nighttime training, Zhong Ming's chance of striking the pebbles dropped back to twenty or thirty percent.

Fortunately, training at night had its benefits as well.

The extremely harsh training environment meant that every successful strike brought Zhong Ming enormous gains.

"Besides Quick Reflexes, I've gained Keen Hearing as well. I won't have to fear nighttime battles in the future."

"Still, the trait I gain when advancing from Stage 2: Proficient to Stage 3: Mastery shouldn't be limited to enhanced hearing."

Reality was not a game, after all. Zhong Ming's cultivation techniques and skills did not instantly advance the moment his Experience Points filled up.

With every sword draw, with every bit of proficiency he gained, Zhong Ming developed a little more understanding of the Dragon Stream - Sword Drawing Technique he was cultivating.

Thus, although the Sword Drawing Technique before him had yet to advance to Stage 3, he could already sense certain changes and glimpse the direction in which it was evolving.

"There's not much to say about the Stage 1: Novice Sword Drawing Technique. In one word: fast."

"The first half of Stage 2: Proficient also made me draw faster, then added accuracy."

"But halfway through, it isn't just about releasing the sword. It also needs to be drawn back..."

As he thought this through and gained deeper insight, Zhong Ming stopped having Dong Hai throw the pebbles one at a time.

"Dong Hai, grab a handful and throw them all at once."

"..." Dong Hai paused at those words, but soon said, "Be careful."

Rustle...

With that warning, a handful of pebbles flew toward Zhong Ming like heavenly maidens scattering flowers.

Staring intently at the many incoming stones, Zhong Ming drew his sword once more with a clang!

This time, the sword light Zhong Ming drew was still swift and fierce.

The difference was that, even as its edge shone naked and bright, Zhong Ming flicked his wrist. With a whoosh!, the drawn sword light traced a graceful, beautiful curve through the air like a flowing stream.

Bang! Bang! Bang...

That flowing-stream sword light split several pebbles apart.

Having grasped something else, Zhong Ming was brimming with excitement.

Yet before that excitement could fully show itself—

Thud! Thud! Thud...

A rapid string of sounds rang out beneath the night sky.

This time, they were no longer the sounds of a sword cutting pebbles, but of countless pebbles striking Zhong Ming's body.

Zhong Ming had only just comprehended the true meaning of flow. Let alone mastering it, he was not even certain he could use it a second time.

And it was night. An unfamiliar technique and an unfavorable environment allowed Zhong Ming to cut down some of the pebbles, but not all of them.

Naturally, the remaining stones struck Zhong Ming.

The barrage of pebbles made Zhong Ming bare his teeth in pain.

"Stop, stop, stop! Don't throw any more."

Zhong Ming prepared to pause his training for the time being.

It was not because the blows hurt.

The training that had lasted for most of the day had left Zhong Ming exhausted in both body and mind.

At that moment, he no longer had the strength to continue training.