"Kill!"
CLANG!
The cold Sword Light moved like a dragon, weaving relentlessly through the hordes of demonic fiends. Every chop, every sweep, stirred up a cloud of black ashâthe remnants of scattered, distracting thoughts.
In the dreamscape, the battle was a contest of will. And Zhong Mingâs Heart Soul Rhyme was unquestionably his strongest attribute. This made the Zhong Ming in the dream even more formidable than his real-world self.
Though he could only use a sword to temper his Sword Heart, Zhong Ming still managed to cut the Demonic Fiends to pieces with just that single longsword.
Amid the slaughter, a question flashed through Zhong Mingâs mind:
âDonât Heart Demons grow stronger along with a Cultivatorâs power? Why are mine so weak? Not a single one can withstand even one of my strikes.â
The moment this wisp of doubt appeared, it condensed into a blurry Heart Demon shadow, which he promptly obliterated into ash with a backhanded slash.
In the instant he destroyed it, Zhong Ming realized why his Heart Demons were so weak.
âIâm not trying to achieve enlightenment like a Buddha. Iâm just slaying my distracting thoughts to make my mind as clear as a mirror.â
âAnd in truth, my distracting thoughts are few and weak. I harbor very little confusion.â
Zhong Ming had never held a single shred of doubt about his future power. He was absolutely certain that with the aid of Heaven Rewards Diligence, he would not only become the worldâs strongest but would also transcend its very shackles.
This willpower, so firm it bordered on arrogance, was precisely why the Heart Demons it spawned were so incredibly weak.
âItâs not just me. Other Cultivators are the same. The more resolute their will, the fewer distracting thoughts they have, and the smoother their path in the Sword Dao. I just happen to be among the most resolute.â
SHINK...
Even as his thoughts raced, Zhong Mingâs sword never paused. With a flash of Sword Light, several more Heart Demons dissipated:
[You have slain a Tribulation Demon. Clarity +7]
[You have slain a Death Demon. Clarity +5]
[You have slain a Wrath Demon. Clarity +6]
[...]
As Zhong Ming cleared away the Demonic Fiends, his Mental Realm grew increasingly âClear,â and the sword forged from his will became ever more formidable.
At the same time, Zhong Ming had the feeling that his âswordâ could now cut through illusions.
Of course, not yet abstract concepts like fatigue or injury.
Rather, it could cut through the Heart Souls, minds, wills, and Divine Thoughts of others.
âBut this is still a huge step forward. One day, my sword will be able to destroy anything.â
CLANG!
Along with this thought, an endless Sword Light bloomed in Zhong Mingâs Sea of Consciousness. This time, a single sweep of his sword directly annihilated a hundred Demonic Fiends.
[You have slain an Obsession Demon. Clarity +2]
[You have slain a Lust Demon. Clarity +4]
[You have slain a Tribulation Demon. Clarity +5]
[...]
After clearing away a multitude of Heart Demons with a single strike, the âsoundâ of experience being tallied rang in Zhong Mingâs mind, as clear and constant as dripping spring water.
This, in turn, made Zhong Mingâs mind all the more clear and flawless.
However, despite the large influx of progress, the Cultivation Technique of his Longxi Lineage showed no sign of advancing to the next stage.
Ever since Zhong Ming had emulated a Buddha within the Great Dream of Thousand Yearsâmanifesting his Heart Demons only to slay them with his swordâhe had been walking a path that, while originating from Longxi Peak, was now completely distinct.
Of course, this wasnât a bad thing. It wasnât even particularly unusual.
Cultivation, at its heart, was about cultivating oneâs true self, oneâs authentic self.
Since the âtrue selfâ is the focus, Cultivators are always advised against completely copying the paths of their predecessors.
This was vividly reflected in the Cultivation Method Realms.
âThe first three realms of a Cultivation TechniqueâFirst Realm: Initiation, Second Realm: Insight, and Third Realm: Refinementâare all considered stages of imitating oneâs predecessors.â
âBut that imitation only extends to the Third Realm. Starting from the Fourth Realm, Proficiency, one must develop their own insights.â
âAnd at the Fifth Realm, Master, one must possess completely unique insights.â
âI am now walking my own unique path... Itâs just that my insights are deeper, and the changes to my Dao are more radical than most.â
These extensive changes had even altered the name of Zhong Mingâs Cultivation Technique.
The five techniques that were once separateâLongxi Sword-Drawing Technique, Longxi Swordsmanship, Wave-Surging Dragon Stream Step, Spirit Stream Finger: Water Dragon Technique, and Spirit Stream Finger: Jie Technique.
Now, all these abilities had fused into a single, brand-new Cultivation Technique: [Longxi Sword Dao: Mirror Heart Demon Slayer].
Even its level had changed.
[Longxi Sword Dao: Mirror Heart Demon Slayer]
[Level: Earth-Level High Grade]
[Realm: Fourth Realm]
[Traits: â Dao Rhyme Dragon Flood, ⥠Dao Rhyme - Flow of Water, âą Dao Rhyme - Living Rhyme, ⣠Dao Rhyme - Clear Sword Heart Demon Slayer (Uncondensed)...]
Born from the sectâs own techniques yet transcending their original Cultivation Method Level, this kind of evolution was exactly what Sect Leader Zong Chengze most wanted to seeâthe very thing he hoped for.
âItâs a shame. No one else can possibly practice this Longxi Sword Dao: Mirror Heart Demon Slayer.â
The comprehension required to master this technique to the level of Great Success is simply too high.
Comprehending a fragmented Dao Rhyme at every single realm... This wasnât just difficult; it was something utterly unattainable for anyone short of a peerless prodigy.
And thatâs not even mentioning the Fourth Realmâs Clear Sword Heart Demon Slayer. You not only need the Talent for entering dreams, but also the Rhythm of Life, allowing you to vitalize distracting thoughts and desires into Heart Demons.
âStill, while the conditions are difficult, the benefits are tangible... With the original Longxi Technique, achieving a Clear Sword Heart relied on comprehension and a bit of luck.â
âNow, as long as you meet the conditions, manifest the Heart Demons, and slay them, success is guaranteed.â
Of course, great danger lurked behind these benefits. âMy will is firm, but others might not be so lucky. When dueling against Heart Demons and distracting thoughts, thereâs a chance they could be slain or seriously wounded by them. In that case, while they wouldnât die, they would end up with a tarnished Sword Heart and a damaged Dao Heart.â
âThis problem, however, would never happen to Zhong Ming.
As the Master of Dreams, Zhong Ming could eliminate the Demonic Fiends with a single thought.
However, if he didnât slay them with his sword, he wouldnât gain any experience.
Such an act could even be considered evasion, which would tarnish Zhong Mingâs Sword Heart.
But he didnât care in the slightest. Possessing Heaven Rewards Diligence, he gained experience points as long as he slew Demonic Fiends.
âSo what if it gets tarnished? As long as the Heart Demons keep coming, I can keep slaying them and keep improving. Through pure grinding, I can still master this Sword Dao to the level of Great Success!â
Indeed, this resolute Heart Sword also ensured that Zhong Ming would never lose to distracting thoughts or Heart Demons.
...
Zhong Ming had Heaven Rewards Diligence, but others didnât have such a convenience. When facing Heart Demons, they could not retreat. The moment they did, their Sword Heart would become flawed.
The path of the Sword Dao demands one to be ever-advancing. This was the truest reflection of that principle.
...
Despite some minor drawbacks, there was no question that Zhong Mingâs current Sword Dao was at the Earth-Level High Grade.
If one day he could reduce the obstacles and difficulties of this Sword Dao, Longxi Peak would gain an additional Earth-Level High Grade Cultivation Technique.
Of course, for the time being, Zhong Ming had neither the interest nor the time to do so.
âI can still improve myself. Even if I want to repay the sect and leave behind a Cultivation Technique, thereâs no need to rush it.â
After slaying all the Demonic Fiends, Zhong Ming rested for a while.
Then, at the moment of the Midnight Clear Sound Spring Stone Drops, he activated Mind Reading, Bright Mirror Stilled Water - Ripples, and As Clear as Daylight... With his abilities fully prepared, he began to read the inscriptions on the Zhenyuan Stele.
He wanted to convert the underlying intent of the Zhenyuan Stele into his own Divine Power and Techniques.
However, the results this time were less than ideal.
The steleâs suppressive and stabilizing intent made it act as a single, monolithic whole. After expending a great deal of energy, Zhong Ming could only barely resonate with it, perceiving just a few vague traces of its intent.
But this setback didnât disappoint Zhong Ming; on the contrary, it only piqued his interest.
âIt can actually resist the resonance of Mind Reading? Interesting. If I can master this intent, my defenses will become even more solid.â
He failed to uncover the secrets of the Zhenyuan Stele, but his subsequent attempt to utilize it proved effective.
VMMMM!
This time, Zhong Ming didnât wait until after. He activated the power of the Zhenyuan Stele *before* using the Candlelight Heart Eye for his Body Forging.
WHOOSH!
As he activated its properties, Zhong Mingâs body was immediately locked in place by gravity. This force rendered him immobile, but it also made his physical form incredibly difficult for any external force to damage.
However, Zhong Mingâs Candlelight Heart Eye and his Dao Rhyme - Flow of Water were not to be underestimated.
As the crimson-gold light began to seep into his body in the form of ripples, even in the face of the Zhenyuan Steleâs suppressive power... well, Zhong Ming had to slightly lessen the treasureâs oppressive force.
After some experimentation, Zhong Ming gradually found a point of equilibrium.
At this point, the power of his Candlelight Heart Eye could still permeate his cells in the form of ripples, but the process now required three times the effort.
Zhong Ming wasnât doing this because he was bored, of course.
His physical body was under immense pressure. For his Solar Power to penetrate it, it indeed required more strength, but this penetration also became more meticulous, more microscopic, and more profound.
And this very meticulousness was what doubled the efficiency of Zhong Mingâs Body Forging.
What surprised Zhong Ming even more was that the Zhenyuan Steleâs stabilizing and suppressive power also increased the resilience of his cells. This allowed his body to withstand the scouring of high temperatures for much longer.
âThe power penetrates more finely, the training time is longer... My Body Forging efficiency is now three to five times what it was before.â
âItâs just that the energy consumption is also much higher.â
This training method was actually quite wastefulâhe was expending far too much energy just to overcome the Zhenyuan Steleâs suppression.
But it was undeniable that training this way allowed Zhong Ming to increase his physical strength in the shortest possible time.
And for a genius, time was the most valuable currency. As for wasting resources:
âI donât lack for common resources!â
And so, Zhong Mingâs body grew rapidly stronger, alternating between âheavy pressureâ and âhigh temperature.â
And when his body was tempered to its limit, Zhong Ming would enter the dreamscape to slay Heart Demons and clarify his Mental Realm.
Time slipped by quietly amid such high-intensity training. In the blink of an eye, a night had passed.
The next day, Zhong Ming had planned to continue his training.
However, early that morning, Ji Qingyue came to find him.
Her words made Zhong Ming raise an eyebrow.
"Another genius has arrived in Qinghe County City, and you want me to go with you to recruit them?"
Ji Qingyue: "Yes. Teaming up isnât forbidden in the Star Moon Treasure Vault. Although my father and the various sect elders are watching from the outside and canât do anything too outrageous, they will definitely try to sabotage us secretly if they get the chance."
"If we have too few people, youâll definitely be at a disadvantage."
"So, we need to recruit more people."
At this, Ji Qingyue grew excited, her voice filled with newfound confidence. "Whenever exceptional people have shown up before, Iâve tried to recruit them, but someone else always poaches them first. But this time, with you here, we might actually succeed."