Time slowly ticked by as Zhong Ming circulated his Cultivation Technique, refining the elixirâs medicinal power.
The systemâs prompts also rang out in his ear, one after another.
[You have circulated the Longxi Breathing Technique once. Cultivation Technique progress +1]
[You have circulated the Longxi Breathing Technique once. Cultivation Technique progress +1]
[You have circulated the Longxi Breathing Technique once. Cultivation Technique progress +32]
[You have circulated the Longxi Breathing Technique once. Cultivation Technique progress +37]
[Through Reading, you have gained a new understanding of the Longxi Breathing Technique. Cultivation Technique progress +42. Reading progress +7]
While cultivating, Zhong Ming would also intermittently activate his Mind Reading, treating his own meridians as a book to be read in detail and comprehended with a Calm Heart.
Activating Mind Reading almost always yielded results, causing his progress in the Longxi Breathing Technique to experience periodic leaps and bounds.
"Exhale... Inhale..."
As Zhong Ming quietly breathed in harmony with the Breath of Heaven and Earth, he continued to refine Spiritual Qi.
Meanwhile, as he trained arduously, Yi Yunya was staring at Xie Yushuang with great interest.
Under her gaze, Xie Yushuangâs body stiffened.
Just when she didnât know what to say, Yi Yunya suddenly spoke with a charming smile, "Little sister, youâve only just arrived and youâve already helped Senior Brother investigate the Four Qi and Five Flavors, and even helped him understand another use for his Dao Rhyme. Youâve really done a good deed."
"?!"
Yi Yunyaâs words made Xie Yushuangâs lovely brows furrow even tighter. She wasnât sure if Yi Yunya was being sarcastic or genuinely praising her.
And just as she was pondering this, Yi Yunya continued, "Donât overthink it, little sister. Youâve truly performed a great service this time. Iâll be sure to ask Senior Brother to reward you for it later."
Before her voice had even faded, Yi Yunyaâs tone suddenly shifted. "Speaking of which, the Xie Family must have given you some instructions before you came, right? For example, to compete with me, or perhaps to gather information about Senior Brother."
Xie Yushuangâs hands clenched at her words, but she quickly said in a quiet voice, "I donât know what youâre talking about. The family gave me no such instructions."
"Family, instructions... You really do value them, donât you." Yi Yunya chuckled, and without waiting for Xie Yushuang to answer, she went on, "If I were you, I would temporarily cast the family aside and make Senior Brother my priority."
"Never mind the old saying about following whoever you marryâif you follow Senior Brother, your future will be far grander."
Glancing at the cultivating Zhong Ming, Yi Yunya lightly waved her fan and said, "Even now, Senior Brother can use his Dao Rhyme to transfer the Erysipelas out of a Cultivatorâs body. And since that Dao Rhyme works on him, it can naturally be used on us as well."
Pointing to herself, the smile on Yi Yunyaâs face grew wider.
"And Senior Brother is a generous person. If I ask, he certainly wouldnât mind cleansing my body for me."
"If you devote yourself wholeheartedly to Senior Brother, youâll benefit too."
"?!"
Yi Yunyaâs tempting words deeply affected Xie Yushuang.
As a disciple of Cuixiang Mountain, she knew very well what a huge boon it would be for her Cultivation to be able to flush the Erysipelas from her body.
âIf I could take Elixir Pills without limit, Iâd be a prodigy too!â
At this moment, Xie Yushuang finally understood why families gave such preferential treatment to supreme talents.
The benefits of befriending them were simply too numerous.
And the benefits werenât limited to having the prodigy grow strong enough to protect the family.
There was expanding territoryâpower has always been linked to authority. When a prodigy grows into a powerful expert, they inevitably take up a high position.
At that time, they would certainly need some confidants to handle trivial matters for them. Then, the families on good terms with them could take the opportunity to expand their own sphere of influence.
There was optimizing Cultivation TechniquesâCultivation Techniques are never set in stone, nor are they perfect from the start. A peerless expert, with just a little effort, could optimize their familyâs Cultivation Technique, raising its upper limit and making it easier to cultivate.
For now, Zhong Ming couldnât do those things, but his Dao Rhymeâs ability to transfer Erysipelas was still an exceptionally good skill.
And thanks to her proximity, she was about to be the first to benefit.
However, just as Xie Yushuangâs heart was surging with emotion at Yi Yunyaâs words, indulging in daydreams, the latter suddenly spoke again. "Little sister, it seems youâre tempted. If I were you, I wouldnât see me as your main enemy. The ones you need to watch out for are your own family."
She raised a finger, wagging it gently as she said calmly, "This isnât me trying to sow discord. Youâre probably not the most outstanding daughter of the main lineage, are you? Back when Senior Xie Yongjie came over, he could never have imagined that Senior Brotherâs Talent would be this strong."
"Therefore, he couldnât possibly have brought the most talented daughter of the Xie Family with him. But when word of Senior Brotherâs Talent gets back, everything... will be different."
"If a child of the Xie Family with better Talent takes an interest, then the one receiving Senior Brotherâs Dao Rhyme cleansing... wonât be you..."
Hearing this, Xie Yushuangâs expression turned cold. Then, without any more hesitation, she came to Yi Yunyaâs side and respectfully called out, "Greetings, older sister."
After her greeting, she asked with sincere earnestness, "Please teach me, older sister. What should I do?"
Her respectful attitude made Yi Yunya nod in satisfaction.
"It is not I who will teach you. Here, everything revolves around Senior Brother. His will is everything."
"If you prioritize Senior Brotherâs interests in all things, he wonât abandon you..."
...
While Yi Yunya and Xie Yushuang were talking, Zhong Mingâs cultivation session came to a temporary halt.
And after he finished, his first sensation was... that his vital energy and blood were depleted.
âIntegrating the Dao Rhyme into my heart, making every powerful beat trigger a ripple of vital energy, certainly speeds up my refinement of Spiritual Qi. But it also consumes a great deal of vital energy.â
âFortunately, vital energy is easy to replenish.â
Thinking of this, Zhong Ming immediately called out to Yi Yunya.
"Yun Ya, are there any Spiritual Meals that replenish vital energy? Please prepare some for me."
"Hm?"
Though confused as to why Zhong Ming wanted a Spiritual Meal, she quickly nodded and said, "Yes, Iâll have Orchid bring some to you right away."
"Iâll have to trouble you then."
While Yi Yunya was preparing the Spiritual Meal, Zhong Ming closed his eyes again and, with a DING, activated [Bright Mirror Stilled Water - Ripples].
This time, Zhong Ming wasnât focused on cultivating. He wanted to locate the Erysipelas within his body and see if he could flush it out using the Flow of Water.
"WENG..."
As the Power of the Mind rippled through his body, Zhong Ming conducted a detailed search... and found nothing.
...
âSo many Cultivators fear Erysipelas. It was never going to be that easy to remove.â
âStill, some of the Erysipelas in my body was definitely cleared out. This proves Dao Rhyme - Flow of Water works. The fact that it isnât working now most likely means my realm isnât high enough.â
Zhong Ming hadnât forgotten that during the previous self-cleansing, he had been in a state of Enlightenment Void Spirit and Unity of Heaven and Man. This was not a regular occurrence, and it was a state far beyond what he could currently reach.
"Sigh..."
Zhong Ming sighed at his inability to immediately flush out the Erysipelas in his body.
Seeing his expression, Yi Yunya asked with concern, "Senior Brother, is your cultivation not going smoothly?"
"Yes. Iâve gathered that the Erysipelas transfer is related to Dao Rhyme - Flow of Water. Unfortunately, my current realm is insufficient, so I canât immediately cleanse my body."
Hearing that Zhong Ming couldnât transfer the Erysipelas, Yi Yunya... didnât feel overly disappointed.
She always kept one thing in mind: Zhong Ming had only been on the path of Cultivation for half a month!
For someone like him to have already comprehended two types of Dao Rhyme was a sign of transcendent Talent.
And she believed that Zhong Ming, who had comprehended these things in just half a month, would surely be able to raise his Flow of Water Dao Rhyme to perfection, so long as he didnât become Fallen.
Thus, upon hearing that Zhong Mingâs cultivation had hit a setback, she wasnât anxious at all. Instead, she comforted him.
"Senior Brother, donât be too anxious. Your rate of progress is already fast enough. You can take your time cultivating the rest."
"..." Zhong Ming replied, "Youâre right. Matters of Dao Rhyme canât be rushed. For now, Iâll just focus on accumulating Magical Power."
As the two were talking, Orchid had already brought over the items for replenishing vital energy.
Besides the Spiritual Meal, she also brought a jug of wine named Red Flame.
It was a strong liquor brewed from nine types of Supreme Yang Spiritual Objects, such as ginseng, Antler, Danggui, and Polygonum multiflorum... plus the heartâs blood of a Spirit Beast.
Zhong Ming took just one sip and felt as if he had swallowed molten lava.
"HISS... Thatâs got a kick!"
"BOOM!"
As the potent liquor entered his stomach, surging yang qi immediately radiated from his abdomen, making him unbearably hot.
However, this kind of supreme yang substance had an excellent effect on replenishing vital energy.
The vital energy Zhong Ming had expended from his heartâs powerful beats was quickly replenished by the yang qi radiating from the Red Flame.
Seeing this, he once again took an Elixir Pill and closed his eyes to cultivate.
"THUMP!" "THUMP!" "THUMP!"
Amidst the drum-like beating of his heart, his vital energy spread like ripples, infusing the Spiritual Qi within his body wave after wave.
[You have circulated the Longxi Breathing Technique once. Cultivation Technique progress +1]
[You have circulated the Longxi Breathing Technique once. Cultivation Technique progress +2]
[You have circulated the Longxi Breathing Technique once. Cultivation Technique progress +24]
[You have circulated the Longxi Breathing Technique once. Cultivation Technique progress +35]
[You have activated Mind Reading...]
After comprehending the Water Dao Rhyme and determining that his greatest weakness was his Magical Power, Zhong Ming no longer casually practiced his Stepping Technique, Swordsmanship, or Water Technique for the next two or three days.
He focused all his energy on refining his Magical Power.
At the same time, knowing that he would be able to expel the Erysipelas from his body in the near future with Dao Rhyme - Flow of Water, Zhong Ming no longer had as many scruples about taking Elixir Pills.
âCultivators donât fear Erysipelas because its effects are violent or swift. The most troublesome part is that it accumulates slowly and is difficult to remove. Over time, this buildup makes a Cultivatorâs Magical Power impure and their foundation unstable, creating major obstacles when trying to break through to the next realm.â
âThatâs why Cultivators are so extremely cautious about taking pills.â
âBut I donât have to worry about any of that!â
Even for a Cultivator who takes pills every day, it would take three to five years before Erysipelas becomes a problem.
And in that much time, forget the Flow of Water Dao RhymeâZhong Ming was confident he could even complete his Dragon Flood Dragon Dao Rhyme.
At that point, transferring the Erysipelas out of his body would be a piece of cake.
Without worrying about future consequences, the amount of Elixir Pills Zhong Ming took during this period was three to five times that of a regular Cultivator.
Taking a large amount of pills, combined with the fact that the Flow of Water Dao Rhyme could accelerate the Refinement of Spiritual Qi, made Zhong Mingâs cultivation base shoot up rapidly.
âI wonât even need to wait until the end of the month. In another three to five days, I should be able to break through to the mid-stage of Qi Cultivation.â
Bolstered by his various abilities, Zhong Mingâs cultivation speed was just that fast.
Besides the explosive growth in his Magical Power, Zhong Ming had another huge gain during this period.
âAfter obtaining the Clear Sound Spring Stone, Zhong Ming could activate the Mind Reading trait twelve times a day.
When he focused all twelve daily uses of Mind Reading on the Longxi Breathing Technique, the result was that even though the Basic Technique was difficult to practice, Zhong Ming still managed to cultivate it to perfection in just two or three days.
[Longxi Breathing Technique: Second Realm - Insight (8100/8100), Traits: â Flow of Water... Dragon Flood Dragon Dao Rhyme (Incomplete) (9.6%)]
âI can break through at any time now.â
âBut thereâs no rush. At noon, the Clear Sound Spring Stone will emit a clear chime.â
âWhen that clear chime sounds and my Divine Soul is cleansed by its special power, Iâll definitely gain more insights if I break through at that moment.â
Thinking of this, a look of anticipation appeared on Zhong Mingâs face.
âCome to think of it, as a Basic Technique, the Third Realm of the Longxi Breathing Technique is equivalent to the Fourth Realm of Longxi Swordsmanship, the Longxi Sword-Drawing Technique, and the Wave-Surging Dragon Stream Step.â
âIn other words, at noon, Iâll touch upon the concept of âLiving.â I wonder what the difference is between âLivingâ and âFlowingâ.â
Sitting cross-legged on a bluestone in the stream, Zhong Ming waited with anticipation.
After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, something happened that made him raise his eyebrows.
He hadnât even made it to noon when a group of people came looking for him.
What surprised Zhong Ming even more was that these people were not the familiar disciples of Longxi Peak, but rather:
âMolten Fire Peak, Cuixiang Mountain... What are they doing here?â