Swallow Dips Water, Spring Return Technique Tenth Layer

Zhou Qing's consciousness instantly absorbed the insights of the blade technique.

His body also underwent obvious changes. His arms became somewhat thicker, his muscles more robust, and his palms broader and callused.

This was the result of practicing the blade technique over many long years.

Traceless Blade Technique / Mastery (Traits: Blade Speed Burst 300%, Strength Burst 200%)

Zhou Qing looked at the panel.

After a year of arduous cultivation, the Traceless Blade Technique had reached the Mastery Realm, gaining the two major traits of Blade Speed Burst 300% and Strength Burst 200%.

There was no need to elaborate on Blade Speed Burst—it increased the speed at which he drew his blade.

Beyond that, there was Strength Burst.

For example, with the internal force enhancement of the Spring Return Technique, Zhou Qing could unleash one thousand jin of force. But if he channeled his internal force to execute the Traceless Blade Technique, the force he unleashed would reach three thousand jin.

This was the boost brought by cultivating a martial skill to mastery, enough to multiply one's strength severalfold.

"Swallow Dips Water."

Zhou Qing put away the manual for the Traceless Blade Technique and opened another manual.

This was a lightness and movement martial art.

Swallow Dips Water focused primarily on short-range bursts. Once cultivated to mastery, one could borrow force in midair three times, skimming over the waves like a swallow.

Swallow Dips Water / Not Initiated

Once he finished reading the Swallow Dips Water manual, the martial art appeared on the panel.

"Consume one Dao Source Point to improve Swallow Dips Water."

Zhou Qing silently recited in his heart.

As the Dao Source was consumed, scene after scene surfaced in Zhou Qing's mind. He practiced Swallow Dips Water without pause.

He cultivated day and night, taking only three days to go from Not Initiated to Initiated.

Ten days brought Minor Accomplishment, two months brought Proficiency, and half a year brought Major Accomplishment.

After a year of day-and-night cultivation, he finally reached mastery.

Swallow Dips Water / Mastery (Traits: Light as a Swallow, Midair Force Borrowing, Speed Burst 200%)

Zhou Qing looked at the panel.

With Swallow Dips Water at mastery, it possessed three major traits.

First, Zhou Qing felt that his body had become much lighter, no longer as cumbersome as before. This was the effect brought by being Light as a Swallow.

Midair Force Borrowing and Speed Burst, meanwhile, required the aid of internal force.

"Not bad!"

Zhou Qing nodded in satisfaction.

Both the Traceless Blade Technique and Swallow Dips Water had reached mastery, greatly raising his strength. The blade technique enhanced his combat power, while the lightness and movement art was immensely useful whether for attacking or fleeing to shake off enemies.

"Too bad I don't have an Internal Art."

Zhou Qing sighed inwardly.

To a martial artist, an Internal Art manual was their foundation. It could not only strengthen one's body, but also multiply the power of martial skills.

The Spring Return Technique was, in the end, merely a health-preserving cultivation method. It had already reached its limit. Without a new Internal Art, it would be difficult for him to break through to the Fourth Level of the Acquired Realm.

But Internal Arts differed from martial skills.

Martial skills were relatively common. At some martial academies in the county town, one could learn them simply by paying money. Cultivation methods, however, were the foundation of a faction and could not be learned easily.

Internal Art manuals were basically never passed on to outsiders.

Thus, it was difficult to purchase an Internal Art outside. Even if someone was selling one, the price would not be cheap—far beyond what ordinary people could afford.

The Internal Art manuals circulating outside were basically like the Spring Return Technique Zhou Qing cultivated: health-preserving cultivation methods.

Zhou Qing understood this clearly.

For an ordinary person to obtain a superior Internal Art manual, they either had to join a powerful sect or gang, or enter the imperial court. So long as they were willing to risk their lives and earned Merit Points, they could exchange them for a superior Internal Art manual.

As for martial arts families, they only nurtured descendants of their own bloodline.

"Forget it. No use thinking about this."

Zhou Qing shook his head and cast the stray thoughts from his mind.

The days passed one by one.

In the blink of an eye, only five days remained until the execution.

"The time is about right."

Zhou Qing decided that he would break out of prison the next time the jailers came to deliver food.

He could not possibly wait until the execution to escape.

By then, the execution supervisor and numerous officials and soldiers would all be present. Security would be airtight, and the Judicial Clerk would personally take charge of escorting the prisoners.

Escaping then would be far more difficult.

However, before putting his plan into action,

he needed to raise his strength further to ensure nothing could go wrong.

"Consume five Dao Source Points and fully comprehend the Spring Return Technique."

Zhou Qing could no longer worry about wasting Dao Source Points.

He had accumulated twenty Dao Source Points in total. He would spend five first to test the waters, using them to cultivate the Spring Return Technique. Even if this cultivation method had reached mastery, he needed to derive something new from it.

You had cultivated the Spring Return Technique to the ninth layer, reaching the Mastery Realm, but felt that it was still lacking and needed to further excavate its potential. You persisted in diligent cultivation every day.

One year, two years, three years of unceasing cultivation—at last, you gained an insight and guided your internal force toward the first of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians.

The Spring Return Technique lacked a Great Zhou Cycle circulation method, so using internal force to open the first of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians was an exceptionally arduous process. It took you half a year to open the first meridian.

Five years of arduous cultivation came to an end. In total, you opened four of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians.

Scene after scene of cultivating the Spring Return Technique surged through Zhou Qing's mind.

He had consumed five Dao Source Points, yet his realm remained at the Third Level of the Acquired Realm. He had not broken through to the Fourth Level of the Acquired Realm.

The Third Level of the Acquired Realm to the Fourth Level of the Acquired Realm was a threshold.

Once he crossed it, he would advance from a Third-rate Martial Artist to a Second-rate Martial Artist.

But the good news was that Zhou Qing had opened four of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians. So long as he opened the remaining four, he could complete the Great Zhou Cycle and break through from the Third Level of the Acquired Realm to the Fourth Level of the Acquired Realm.

Without a Great Zhou Cycle circulation method, he would simply wear it down with water-dripping-stone-piercing persistence.

At once, Zhou Qing consumed another two Dao Source Points.

After two years of day-and-night cultivation, you opened all the Eight Extraordinary Meridians. Your internal force converged, completing the Great Zhou Cycle, and the Spring Return Technique was deduced to the tenth layer.

At that moment, smoke-like internal force gathered within Zhou Qing's dantian sea of qi, condensing a fourth layer of clouds above the three existing layers.

Name: Zhou Qing

Realm: Fourth Level of the Acquired Realm (Second-rate Martial Artist)

Martial Arts Mastered: Spring Return Technique / Tenth Layer (Traits: Enhanced Internal Force Healing, Lifespan Increase of Half a Jiazi, Poison Resistance Increase 300%, Improved Innate Physique)

Traceless Blade Technique / Mastery (Traits: Blade Speed Burst 300%, Strength Burst 200%)

Swallow Dips Water / Mastery (Traits: Light as a Swallow, Midair Force Borrowing, Speed Burst 200%)

Talent: Nine Breaths Assimilation (As long as you breathe and circulate your breath for nine breaths, you will receive the blessing of an unknown divine power, automatically refining the power of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth into Dao Source. You automatically gain 1 Dao Source Point each day. Each Dao Source Point is equivalent to one year of arduous cultivation.)

Dao Source: 13

Zhou Qing looked at the panel. His realm had broken through to the Fourth Level of the Acquired Realm, and the Spring Return Technique had been deduced to the tenth layer. The traits displayed afterward had also changed considerably.

Enhanced Internal Force Healing remained unchanged, but life extension had become a Lifespan Increase of Half a Jiazi. One jiazi was sixty years, while half a jiazi was thirty years.

Poison Resistance Increase had risen from 200% to 300%.

Beyond that, there was an additional trait: Improved Innate Physique.