Gazing in the direction Granny Lan had departed, Shi Yun mulled over her words and said with a peculiar expression, "That old woman doesn’t think we already knew Zhong Ming had comprehended a Dao Rhyme, and because of that, we decided the Xie Family wasn’t qualified to have him as a Guardian, does she?"

At this, Yang Chen shrugged and, for once, actually defended Granny Lan. "It can’t be helped. If I were in her position, I’d also assume that comprehending a Dao Rhyme is his strongest Talent."

As he said this, Yang Chen shook his head, his face filled with boundless emotion.

And he wasn’t the only one present who was overcome with emotion.

After glancing at Zhong Ming and recalling that his greatest Talent was actually his terrifying speed of improvement, everyone’s expression grew complex. "Now I finally understand why they say the difference between people can be greater than the difference between a person and a dog. Compared to Junior Brother Zhong Ming, my Talent isn’t even fit for a dog."

Qi Hong added, "You’re not the only one. I’ve practiced Swordsmanship for eight or nine years and fought in more than a hundred life-and-death battles, yet I haven’t even grazed the concept of Dao Rhyme. Junior Brother Zhong Ming... he hasn’t even been cultivating for a full month, and he’s already grasped the True Intent of a Cultivation Technique... *Sigh*. You really can’t compare one person to another."

...

Qi Hong and the others had always known that Zhong Ming’s Talent was extraordinary.

The emergence of the Dao Rhyme caused them to raise their assessment of him yet another notch.

However, Zhong Ming’s overwhelming power also dealt a serious blow to their Dao Hearts.

But besides feeling disheartened, a sense of excitement surged within them.

Crippled as they were, they knew they couldn’t rely on themselves alone, whether to revitalize Longxi Peak or to walk the path of Cultivation once more.

The only one they could count on was Zhong Ming.

Under these circumstances, the stronger Zhong Ming became, the happier they were.

While they were feeling uplifted and excited, Zhong Ming, having recovered, took out the Cultivation Technique manual for the Spirit Stream Finger: Jie Technique and resumed his reading.

He wanted to increase his Magical Power, but instead of cultivating right away, he began studying a Magic Technique. This might have seemed odd, but it was a calculated move.

Zhong Ming hadn’t forgotten one crucial fact: his Spiritual Root was only third-grade.

With such a mediocre Spiritual Root, if he just cultivated arduously without a specific strategy, there was no way he could reach the mid-stage of Qi Cultivation by the end of the month.

This was the very reason Eldest Senior Sister Mo Shuying had practically given up on him, choosing to concentrate all resources on Xue Yao instead. In the early stages of Cultivation, a Spiritual Root was indeed more important than one’s comprehension.

A strong affinity for Spiritual Qi simply meant you could cultivate faster.

Of course, this would flip in the mid-to-late stages of Cultivation, but Zhong Ming was currently in the early phase.

Therefore, if he wanted to rapidly advance to the mid-stage of Qi Cultivation, he had to resort to some unconventional methods. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

’Dao Rhyme is crucial. If I want to keep up with the cultivation speed of other prodigies despite my mediocre Spiritual Root, I need the help of Dao Rhyme.’

At this thought, Zhong Ming sighed.

The truth was, the Dragon Flood Dragon Dao Rhyme could also aid his Cultivation.

For instance, when he unleashed his Long Wei, the tides would surge toward him and acknowledge him as their master. This alone would vastly increase his efficiency in absorbing Water Spiritual Qi.

By aggressively infusing the Spiritual Qi with his Dragon Qi, he could even brand the ambient Spiritual Qi with his own mark in a short amount of time. This Refinement speed was over ten times faster than normal Cultivation.

Unfortunately, under normal circumstances, he was completely unable to trigger the Dragon Flood Dragon Dao Rhyme.

’*Whew*... Well, on the bright side, that last strike earned me a ton of experience points.’

[You have resonated with the Dragon Flood Dragon Dao Rhyme. Your understanding has deepened. Dragon Flood Dragon Dao Rhyme progress +0.13]

[You have executed a strike with Sword Momentum Like a Dragon. Your Longxi Swordsmanship progress +173]

[You have executed a strike with Sword Momentum Like a Dragon. Your Longxi Sword-Drawing Technique progress +115]

[You have resonated with the Dragon Flood Dragon Dao Rhyme and grasped a sliver of True Intent regarding wind, rain, dominion, and the form of a Flood Dragon. Your Spirit Stream Finger: Water Dragon Technique progress +379]

[You... Your Wave-Surging Dragon Stream Step progress +337]

A single sword strike had caused the experience points for all his skills to jump significantly. Such was the power of Dao Rhyme.

Of course, the cost was also immense.

Even though Orchid had given him Moonlight Spiritual Water, it still took the time of a full incense stick burning before his Heart Spirit recovered enough to use Mind Reading on the Spirit Stream Finger: Jie Technique.

This time, as he read, Zhong Ming immediately noticed what made this Cultivation Technique different and understood why it had been placed on the third level.

’This technique isn’t about the Flow of Water... No, that’s not right. It is about the Flow of Water, but it teaches how to sever it...’

The Longxi Swordsmanship, the Wave-Surging Dragon Stream Step, the Spirit Stream Finger: Water Dragon Technique, and even the Longxi Sword-Drawing Technique—all of these, be they Swordsmanship, a Stepping Technique, a Magic Technique, or a burst-power art—were centered around a single concept.

"Flow!"

The Breath of Heaven and Earth is a form of ’Flow’; gathering Sword Momentum for the Longxi Swordsmanship is also a form of ’Flow’.

Water is formless, and thus can take on countless shapes, which is also a way of flowing with the rules of the world.

Just as a raft needs little effort to travel downstream, going with the flow allowed Zhong Ming to practice Qi Cultivation more easily and gather momentum more smoothly.

’But the Spirit Stream Finger: Jie Technique is different. It’s about severing, not flowing with the stream.’

[DING! Through reading, you have grasped some of the mysteries of the Spirit Stream Finger: Jie Technique. Your Cultivation Technique progress +108]

[You have achieved Initiation in the Spirit Stream Finger: Jie Technique.]

[Spirit Stream Finger: Jie Technique, First Realm Initiation (108/600)]

Ignoring the notifications, Zhong Ming continued to read. He soon discovered that while the core concept of the Spirit Stream Finger: Jie Technique was different from his other Cultivation Techniques, it also shared many similarities.

’The "Jie" in the Jie Technique isn’t about crude blocking or forceful severing. It’s about striking at the vital point, like damming a stream at its most crucial channel.’

’But to strike a vital point, one must first find it.’

’Thus, the first step to cultivating the Spirit Stream Finger: Jie Technique is observation—Observing the Flow of Water.’

"..."

This ’observation’ part left Zhong Ming silent, and frankly, speechless.

He knew far, far too much about the Flow of Water.

[Through reading, you have grasped some of the mysteries of the Spirit Stream Finger: Jie Technique. Your Cultivation Technique progress +91]

[An insight into the Flow of Water has surfaced within you. Spirit Stream Finger: Jie Technique progress +131]

[An insight into the Flow of Water has surfaced within you. Spirit Stream Finger: Jie Technique progress +92]

[An insight into the Flow of Water has surfaced within you. Spirit Stream Finger: Jie Technique progress +103]

[You...]

As Zhong Ming recalled the various properties of the Flow of Water, a torrent of system notifications began to spam his Sea of Consciousness.

Thanks to this near-constant stream of notifications, his Spirit Stream Finger: Jie Technique successfully advanced in less than a minute, before he had even done anything.

[Your Spirit Stream Finger: Jie Technique has advanced. Current level: Second Realm Insight]

[Spirit Stream Finger: Jie Technique, Second Realm Insight (89/5500). Trait: Observing the Flow of Water]

’...So fast.’

The speed and ease with which this Cultivation Technique advanced left Zhong Ming stunned for a moment.

But he quickly realized that it made perfect sense.

There is a saying that all methods stem from the same source, and different paths lead to the same end.

It was like how some Sword Dao Grandmasters could master a new Swordsmanship and grasp its True Intent after seeing it only once.

Or how some mathematical geniuses can solve a problem after reading it just once.

Although Zhong Ming hadn’t reached that level, the Spirit Stream Finger: Jie Technique was, after all, derived from the same lineage of Cultivation Techniques as those of Longxi Peak.

And his understanding of Longxi Peak’s techniques and their underlying principles ran incredibly deep. Under these circumstances, it was only natural for him to achieve Initiation, and even proficiency, so quickly.

’If that’s the case, cultivating this technique to the Third Realm will be easier than I thought.’

After murmuring to himself, Zhong Ming continued reading. He then discovered that the fundamental concept of this Cultivation Technique was incredibly profound.

’The world has theories of creation from the four elements: earth, wind, water, and fire. Among these, water represents flow, change, nourishment, wisdom, and life.’

’It is because of this flow that the world transformed from boundless silence into a vibrant tapestry of life... Thus, within this world, all things are in a constant state of flux.’

’Water seeking lower ground is a flow. A person breathing and eating is a flow. The turning of the seasons and the rising of the sun and moon are also flows... Even when sitting perfectly still, the force of time continues to flow through the body...’

’All things are in a state of flow. Some call it breath, others call it pulsation...’

’A smooth flow signifies a natural, healthy state. But if that flow were to be severed...’

Reading this, a brilliant light flashed in Zhong Ming’s eyes.

’Severing the flow at a critical node... It could throw an entire area into chaos, cause it to collapse, or even reduce it to lifeless silence...’

’Jie Technique... This has a hint of the Heaven-Cutting Sword Dao to it.’