Chapter Summaries

New recruits at Dragon Stream Peak learned that their Hundred Day Assessment would determine their cultivation resources and whether mediocre disciples would soon be sent to fight Demons and Monsters. As Zhong Ming studied the Dragon Creek Breathing Technique, his Stage 4 reading ability gave him the special trait Intent Reading.

• Mo Shuying explained the Hundred Day Assessment’s rating thresholds and warned that Class C and D disciples would have to join the Demon Suppressing Division after one year.
• Mo Shuying said higher-rated disciples would receive far better resources and could choose followers, while all recruits were expected to cultivate as if their lives depended on the assessment.
• Dong Hai asked Zhong Ming to help him earn a higher rating, and Jiang Yue offered to share cultivation insights and practice with Zhong Ming.
• Mo Shuying displayed the Dragon Creek Breathing Technique’s True Intent Diagram and gave the recruits one incense stick to study it.
• Zhong Ming used his Stage 4 reading skill to activate Intent Reading, a trait gained through his Heaven Rewards Diligence ability.

Zhong Ming used Intent Reading on the Mountain Stream Diagram and glimpsed its true meaning as a flood dragon, gaining a Dragon Flood Dragon Dao Rhyme at the cost of a severe strain on his soul. After Mo Shuying ended the viewing, she explained how disciples could cultivate the Dragon Creek Breathing Technique faster, and Zhong Ming found that the best springhead locations had already been claimed.

• Zhong Ming activated Intent Reading and saw the stream in the Mountain Stream Diagram transform into a flood dragon whose gaze flooded his mind with information.
• Jiang Xiaoyu questioned why Jiang Yue had invited Zhong Ming, and Jiang Yue explained that Zhong Ming could help their team compete for Inner Sect Disciple slots.
• Jiang Yue and Jiang Xiaoyu noticed Zhong Ming looking pale and unsteady, while Zhong Ming regretted that his soul had prevented him from fully understanding the diagram.
• Dong Hai supported Zhong Ming until his headache eased, and Zhong Ming noticed that he had gained a Dragon Flood Dragon Dao Rhyme.
• Mo Shuying ended the viewing and told the disciples they could claim a free spell and ask her questions about cultivation.
• Mo Shuying explained that observing streams and springheads helped cultivate the Dragon Creek Breathing Technique, but Zhong Ming found that prominent and quick-witted disciples had already claimed the best spots.

Zhong Ming found that his Third-grade Spiritual Root made cultivation beside the stream painfully slow, but he refused Jiang Yue’s invitation to a spring eye and began acting strangely around Dragon Stream Peak. Jiang Yue suspected Zhong Ming had comprehended something from the True Intent Diagram, leaving open whether he had found a better path to cultivation.

• The disciples gathered along Dragon Stream Peak’s stream after the spring eyes were claimed, and Zhong Ming observed how their talent and status divided them into tiers.
• Zhong Ming cultivated with the Dragon Creek Breathing Technique and found that little Spiritual Energy reached his Qi Sea Acupoint, so he considered improving his technique’s realm to speed up cultivation.
• Jiang Yue offered Zhong Ming a place at his spring eye, but Zhong Ming politely refused and chose to cultivate elsewhere.
• Wei Jie mocked Zhong Ming’s refusal to undermine Jiang Yue, who was also competing with Wei Jie for Liu Wanyu’s attention.
• Jiang Yue noticed Zhong Ming trekking across Dragon Stream Peak with Dong Hai and wondered whether Zhong Ming had comprehended a technique’s true intent from the Mountain Stream Diagram.

Zhong Ming rejected Lu Mingfeng and Xia He's attempt to persuade him to become Jiang Yue's follower, then found a vantage point to cultivate by visualizing Dragon Stream Peak's stream as a flood dragon. His incomplete Flood Dragon True Intent dramatically improved his cultivation efficiency, sending seventy percent of the spiritual energy he drew into his Qi Sea Acupoint.

• Lu Mingfeng and Xia He warned Zhong Ming about the Demon Suppressing Division's high casualty rate and urged him to apologize to Jiang Yue, but Zhong Ming refused to become anyone's follower.
• After Zhong Ming left, Lu Mingfeng and Xia He assumed he would soon regret turning down Jiang Yue's offer, since they doubted he could earn a Class B rating.
• Zhong Ming found a spot where the stream and terrain resembled a dormant flood dragon, then began cultivating while visualizing the full mountain stream as a dragon flood.
• His incomplete Dragon Flood Resonance gave the imagined flood dragon force and intent, allowing it to smash through obstructions in his body and carry spiritual energy into his Qi Sea Acupoint.
• Zhong Ming realized that seventy percent of the spiritual energy reached his Qi Sea Acupoint, far more than during his previous cultivation, and credited the result to his incomplete Flood Dragon True Intent.

Zhong Ming discovered that Dragon Flood Resonance could greatly boost his cultivation, but its incomplete nature made the effect unreliable, and his meridians prevented him from cultivating without rest. After Jiang Yue offered him a Spirit Meal, Zhong Ming inferred that Jiang Yue had noticed something and led him outside to talk, leaving the others baffled.

• Zhong Ming triggered Dragon Flood Resonance once and gained a large burst of cultivation progress, but failed to trigger it again in later sessions.
• Zhong Ming shared the Dragon Creek Breathing Technique’s key insight with Dong Hai to repay his earlier help, then continued cultivating until aching meridians forced him to stop.
• Zhong Ming ate at the cafeteria and encountered Lu Mingfeng and Xia He, who criticized him for rejecting Jiang Yue’s earlier invitation.
• Jiang Yue brought Jiang Xiaoyu to Zhong Ming and offered to share his Spirit Meal, bewildering the watching disciples.
• Zhong Ming suggested that Jiang Yue had discovered something and led him outside to talk, while Jiang Yue silenced Jiang Xiaoyu before she could object.

Zhong Ming traded his insights into the Mountain Stream Diagram to Jiang Yue for cultivation pills, then headed to the Dragon Creek Peak Scripture Repository seeking a way to improve his cultivation quickly. Jiang Yue believed the two would not compete for the same rating, while Zhong Ming still faced a difficult seven-day deadline to reach early Qi Condensation and earn Class A.

• Jiang Yue admitted he had only a thirty percent chance of earning Class A and explained how pill toxins could lower a disciple’s rating.
• Zhong Ming offered to sell Jiang Yue the key points of his Mountain Stream Diagram insight, and Jiang Yue gave him pills worth two hundred and forty spirit stones.
• Zhong Ming told Jiang Yue that the diagram’s true core was a dragon formed from mountains and rivers, and offered to demonstrate his mountain-and-stream momentum that afternoon.
• Jiang Yue told Jiang Xiaoyu he trusted Zhong Ming and believed they would not be rivals because Zhong Ming could at most earn Class B.
• Zhong Ming used Earth Marrow Spirit Liquid to ease his meridian fatigue and hurried to the Dragon Creek Peak Scripture Repository, hoping to find a path to early Qi Condensation.

Zhong Ming chose the Dragon Creek Sword Drawing Technique to help him understand the Dragon Creek Breathing Art, then used an Origin Spirit Pill to accelerate his cultivation. He realized that weak meridians and limited practice time made a seven-day breakthrough impossible without improving his cultivation method.

• Zhong Ming searched the Scripture Repository and chose the single-move Dragon Creek Sword Drawing Technique because it was quick to practice and suited his goal of understanding the Dragon Creek Breathing Art.
• Zhong Ming used Intent Reading to grasp the technique’s mysteries, then bought a Long Sword and headed to the stream, where Jiang Yue eagerly followed him.
• Yi Yunya grew curious about Zhong Ming and instructed Youlan to investigate him and arrange a meeting if he proved capable, while Zhuang Yi dismissed him as unimportant.
• Zhong Ming thanked Jiang Yue for the pills, swallowed an Origin Spirit Pill, and cultivated with greatly increased Spiritual Energy until the pill’s effects faded and strain forced him to stop.
• Zhong Ming estimated that he could reach early Qi Condensation in eighteen days, not seven, and concluded that advancing his cultivation method was his only path to a rapid breakthrough.

Zhong Ming trained the Dragon Stream - Sword Drawing Technique until it reached Stage 2: Proficient and granted him the Quick Reflexes trait. To meet the higher training requirements for further advancement, he asked Dong Hai to throw stones at him and began practicing strikes against moving targets.

• Zhong Ming repeatedly practiced the Dragon Stream - Sword Drawing Technique, gaining proficiency through focused visualization and careful movements.
• Zhong Ming advanced the technique to Stage 2: Proficient and gained the Quick Reflexes trait.
• Zhong Ming realized that advancing to Stage 3 required accurately striking high-speed moving objects.
• Zhong Ming asked Dong Hai to throw stones at him, and Dong Hai threw a pebble past him.
• Zhong Ming tracked the pebble's trajectory and drew his sword to strike it.

Zhong Ming trained the Dragon Stream - Sword Drawing Technique with Dong Hai throughout the day and into the night, improving his accuracy and discovering a flowing sword movement. Exhausted after a nighttime barrage of pebbles, Zhong Ming called a halt to training.

• Zhong Ming repeatedly practiced cutting Dong Hai’s thrown pebbles, raising his hit rate and making rapid progress in the Dragon Stream - Sword Drawing Technique.
• After training through the afternoon, Zhong Ming and Dong Hai ate at Dragon Stream Peak’s dining hall, then continued practicing after dark.
• Zhong Ming developed Keen Hearing while training at night and realized the technique’s later proficiency involved drawing the sword back as well as releasing it.
• Zhong Ming asked Dong Hai to throw a handful of pebbles at once and used a flowing sword stroke to split several of them.
• The remaining pebbles struck Zhong Ming, who was too exhausted to continue and told Dong Hai to stop throwing.

Zhong Ming began training intensely at Dragon Stream Peak after others started treating him as a potential Class B candidate because of Jiang Yue’s support. When Xue Yao broke through to become a cultivator, Zhong Ming briefly felt the disparity in their progress but returned to training, while Jiang Yue considered how to gain his wholehearted support.

• Zhong Ming and Dong Hai recovered from a full day of pebble training, then headed to Dragon Stream Peak’s cultivation grounds the next morning.
• Dao children crowded around Zhong Ming to curry favor, believing Jiang Yue’s support and his access to pills gave him a strong chance of earning a Class B rating, but Zhong Ming declined their offers.
• Zhong Ming cultivated the Dragon Creek Breathing Technique, used Earth Marrow Spirit Liquid to ease his meridian fatigue, and then practiced the Dragon Stream - Sword Drawing Technique against Dong Hai’s pebbles.
• The Dao children learned that Xue Yao had opened her Qi Sea Acupoint and become a cultivator after just one day and one night.
• Zhong Ming continued training despite being stunned by Xue Yao’s breakthrough, while Jiang Yue admired his composure and considered investing more in him, possibly through his younger sister.

After Xue Yao’s advancement stirred the Dao Academy, Yi Yunya learned of Zhong Ming’s remarkable sword talent and sought to meet him. Zhong Ming trained relentlessly, drew closer to Jiang Yue over a meal, and ended the chapter focused on eating rather than engaging with Liu Wanyu’s arrival.

• Yi Yunya asked Youlan about Zhong Ming, and Youlan reported that he had rapidly mastered the Dragon Stream - Sword Drawing Technique and showed exceptional sword talent.
• Zhong Ming continued practicing until every sword draw hit its target, though each successful strike now gave him only one point of proficiency.
• Jiang Yue invited Zhong Ming to eat after witnessing his progress, and Zhong Ming accepted, planning to repay the meal with sword guidance.
• Jiang Xiaoyu realized Jiang Yue wanted her to marry Zhong Ming and silently resisted the idea while Zhong Ming ignored her attitude.
• Liu Wanyu arrived with Wei Jie, but Zhong Ming kept eating and resolved to focus on his sword practice rather than women.

Liu Wanyu bought Zhong Ming’s Dragon Creek Breathing Technique insights in exchange for books, then stayed to discuss cultivation with him. When Yi Yunya’s attendant Youlan arrived to summon him, Wei Jie began to doubt his assumption that Zhong Ming had learned nothing.

• Liu Wanyu asked Jiang Yue and Zhong Ming whether they had gained cultivation insights and offered to pay for them, while Wei Jie challenged their credibility.
• Liu Wanyu rebuked Wei Jie and told him to leave, then Zhong Ming agreed to sell her his insights for books about the Dragon Creek Breathing Technique.
• After Zhong Ming explained that the technique’s core mystery was the dragon, Liu Wanyu understood something and stayed to exchange ideas with him.
• Wei Jie’s subordinate Lu Mingfeng argued that Zhong Ming’s insights were false, but Wei Jie grew uneasy when he saw Youlan approach Zhong Ming on Yi Yunya’s behalf.
• Youlan told Zhong Ming that her young lady wanted to see him, and Zhong Ming agreed to go.

Yi Yunya offered Zhong Ming a Profound-grade retainer position with Golden Jade Tower, but he refused so he could focus on cultivation and pursue a Class A assessment. After he returned to Jiang Yue and the others, they realized he believed he might earn that rating, though they doubted his chances.

• Yi Yunya explained Golden Jade Tower's retainer system and offered Zhong Ming monthly resources and a discount as a Profound-grade retainer.
• Zhong Ming asked about the Class A rating, learned it corresponded to an Earth-grade retainer, and declined Yi Yunya's offer for now.
• Yi Yunya gave Zhong Ming Snow Jade Paste as an advance investment and said she would give him only two chances.
• Yi Yunya and Youlan discussed Zhong Ming's ambition and doubted he could receive a Class A rating.
• Zhong Ming told Jiang Yue that he had refused the offer because he wanted to focus on cultivation, then left to train with Dong Hai.
• Jiang Yue, Liu Wanyu, and Jiang Xiaoyu realized Zhong Ming might believe he could earn a Class A rating, and Jiang Xiaoyu insisted he could not.

Zhong Ming’s nighttime sword training with Dong Hai unexpectedly stirred the Dragon Flood Resonance and let him unleash a powerful Sword Qi strike. After surviving the near-disaster, Zhong Ming recognized a possible way to trigger the resonance again and grew eager to test it, unaware that someone had watched his strike.

• Zhong Ming healed himself and Dong Hai with Snow Jade Paste, then began nighttime sword-drawing practice while Dong Hai threw stones at him.
• Zhong Ming’s focused practice and heroic fantasies made his swordsmanship feel increasingly dangerous, and he imagined cutting down any opponent within three feet.
• The Dragon Flood Resonance stirred as Zhong Ming drew his sword, empowering the strike and sending a fierce Sword Qi blast toward Dong Hai.
• Zhong Ming diverted the blast at the last moment, but Dong Hai collapsed from fright while Zhong Ming fell exhausted and apologized.
• Zhong Ming reasoned that his heroic intent had stirred the resonance, noticed his Attribute Panel had improved, and resolved to keep testing the technique.
• An unseen observer watched Zhong Ming unleash the dragon-like sword strike.

Zhong Ming failed to recreate his earlier sword strike, but persistent practice and self-hypnosis triggered a brief Dragon Flood Resonance that advanced Dragon Stream - Sword Drawing Technique to Realm 3, Mastery. He gained the Water Flow trait and realized he needed to improve Dragon Creek Breathing Technique to cultivate the sword technique further, so he turned to mana training.

• Zhong Ming tried to recreate his powerful sword strike but could not recover the unrestrained state of mind that had produced it.
• Zhong Ming trained with Dong Hai while repeating that he was the strongest, and a fleeting illusion of cutting through everything stirred Dragon Flood Resonance.
• Zhong Ming's sword technique reached Realm 3, Mastery, and he gained the Water Flow trait during a brief state of enlightenment.
• Zhong Ming understood that Realm 3 required mana to circulate rapidly, but his lack of mana prevented him from practicing the method.
• Zhong Ming thanked Dong Hai and began cultivating Dragon Creek Breathing Technique with a long sword in his arms.

Zhong Ming used his understanding of Water Flow to refine his Dragon Creek Breathing Art, easing strain on his meridians and greatly increasing his cultivation efficiency. After reaching Stage 2: Proficient and cultivating for most of the day, he believed a Class A rating was within reach, leaving Jiang Yue and Liu Wanyu curious about his good mood.

• Zhong Ming used the sword-drawing stance and Water Flow to guide Spiritual Energy smoothly through his meridians, reducing the strain of cultivation.
• Zhong Ming realized that flowing Spiritual Energy could gradually scour blockages without damaging his meridians, and his Dragon Creek Breathing Art reached Stage 2: Proficient.
• Zhong Ming gained another Water Flow trait and recognized that the shared roots of his Dragon Creek skills let progress in one art drive the others.
• Zhong Ming cultivated through the morning and most of the afternoon, using Earth Marrow Spirit Liquid to extend his training and increasing his efficiency more than tenfold.
• Zhong Ming ate dinner smiling with Jiang Yue and Liu Wanyu, who wondered why he seemed so pleased.

Zhong Ming studied cultivation journals and became certain he could earn a Class A rating, while Jiang Yue realized his confidence and resolved to support him. Reading the journals greatly advanced Zhong Ming’s Dragon Creek Breathing Technique and Reading Skill, prompting him to commit to reading regularly.

• Zhong Ming thanked Liu Wanyu for the cultivation insights she had lent him and left with the journals after dinner.
• Liu Wanyu wondered whether Zhong Ming’s relaxed mood meant he was sure of earning a Class A rating, while Jiang Yue and Jiang Xiaoyu guessed he had given up.
• Jiang Yue took Jiang Xiaoyu to the Scripture Pavilion to buy more cultivation journals for Zhong Ming, explaining that Zhong Ming’s delight suggested he was certain of success.
• Zhong Ming studied the predecessors’ insights by the creek and gained new understanding of the Dragon Creek Breathing Technique, including possible requirements of its higher stages.
• Zhong Ming discovered that reading the journals had raised his cultivation method progress by seventy-nine points and increased his Reading proficiency, so he decided to read several books every day.

Zhong Ming combined reading cultivation notes, practicing swordsmanship, breathing exercises, and drinking wine, discovering that the mix accelerated his progress and helped him grasp the Dragon Creek method's lively nature. He cultivated until he was exhausted, unaware that Liu Wanyu, Jiang Xiaoyu, Jiang Yue, Wei Jie, and Youlan had been watching him.

• Zhong Ming read several Dragon Creek Breathing Technique commentaries, gaining modest progress from the first two and learning new insights about allowing qi to flow and leak from the third.
• Zhong Ming exhausted himself after using Intent Reading three times and went to bed early.
• The next day, Zhong Ming read, practiced his sword, cultivated, and sipped wine beside a stream, using the activities to test and deepen his understanding of the Dragon Creek method.
• Zhong Ming found that combining these practices accelerated his technique progress and helped his Spiritual Energy flow with a lively, unrestrained rhythm.
• Zhong Ming cultivated from morning until evening, became physically and mentally exhausted, and was dragged to the dining hall by Dong Hai while Liu Wanyu, Jiang Xiaoyu, Jiang Yue, Wei Jie, and Youlan watched him.

Zhong Ming’s unusual cultivation routine inspired Dragon Stream Peak’s ordinary disciples to imitate him, prompting him to explain why they should not copy his drinking. Mo Shuying gave Zhong Ming cultivation notes, while Jiang Yue, Liu Wanyu, and Yi Yunya hesitated over recruiting him because of his Third-grade Spiritual Root, leaving their decisions for later.

• Jiang Yue urged Jiang Xiaoyu to approach Zhong Ming, but she refused to take the initiative, while Liu Wanyu also decided to wait before judging his prospects.
• Youlan and Yi Yunya watched Zhong Ming read, practice his sword, and drink, and Yi Yunya doubted his routine showed any meaningful backing.
• Zhong Ming arrived at the cultivation grounds and discovered that many disciples were copying his book, sword, and wine routine because they hoped to learn from him.
• Mo Shuying confronted Zhong Ming, and he warned the disciples that drinking could harm their cultivation while encouraging them to read; he also revealed he had reached Level 2 of the Dragon Creek Breathing Technique.
• Mo Shuying gave Zhong Ming her cultivation insights and instructed Xue Yao, while Jiang Yue pressed Jiang Xiaoyu to act and she refused again.
• Yi Yunya and Liu Wanyu chose to wait until after the Class A rating before reconsidering Zhong Ming, despite his growing cultivation progress.

Xue Yao asked Zhong Ming to become her companion, insisting that he was stronger than everyone else despite his unremarkable appearance and unopened qi sea. When her spell helped him understand the Dragon Creek Breathing Technique and restore his mental strength, Zhong Ming accepted her offer, hoping her help would accelerate his cultivation.

• Mo Shuying encouraged Xue Yao to find companions so she could gain support, spar, and exchange insights.
• Xue Yao approached Zhong Ming and asked him to become her companion because she believed he was stronger than her and everyone else.
• The disciples, including Yi Yunya, questioned Xue Yao's judgment and examined Zhong Ming, who denied being strong and tried to avoid attention.
• Xue Yao cast a spell on Zhong Ming that eased his mental exhaustion and helped him gain a new understanding of the Dragon Creek Breathing Technique.
• Zhong Ming realized Xue Yao's spell could greatly speed his cultivation, so he accepted her offer to become companions.