WHOOSH...

The Water Flood Dragon coiling around Zhong Ming made him look like a young deity riding a dragon, his majesty greatly enhanced.

This sight caused the Dao Hearts of Lin Shuyu, Qi Hong, and the others to crack.

They could sense that the Flood Dragon formed from the flowing water was more than just for show.

And they were right.

THUD!

While engaged in battle with Shi Yun, Zhong Ming saw his opponent and his black shadow attack, and he subconsciously tried to retreat.

He used the Wave-Surging Dragon Stream Step to dodge and move.

Previously, this Stepping Technique allowed Zhong Ming to move like a Flood Dragon, leaping over ten meters in a single bound.

But moving *like* a Flood Dragon was entirely different from having a real one protecting you—even if Zhong Ming’s Flood Dragon was merely condensed from water, possessing only a sliver of a real Flood Dragon’s divine essence.

WHOOSH...

As Zhong Ming executed a leap with the Wave-Surging Dragon Stream Step, clouds supported his body, making him as light as a feather, while the wind lent him strength, allowing him to move as swiftly as a swallow.

Riding the void and commanding the wind, a single step from Zhong Ming was like taking flight, crossing a hundred meters in an instant. He shot through the air as fast as a lightning strike. Weaker cultivators, like Yi Yunya, Orchid, Xie Yuzhu, and Zhuang Yi... could only see a fleeting afterimage before Zhong Ming reappeared far in the distance.

Qi Hong: "Is that... Cloud Riding and Mist Driving? Zhong Ming can fly now?"

With the aid of the Water Flood Dragon, Zhong Ming could indeed perform Cloud Riding and Mist Driving, soaring freely between heaven and earth.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t realized this yet.

The strange, corrosive black water, and the two figures coordinating as one—the pressure Shi Yun was putting on Zhong Ming was immense.

The relentless and extremely dangerous assault forced Zhong Ming to focus his entire Heart Spirit on his opponent.

His nerves were stretched so taut that Zhong Ming hadn’t even noticed that his Dragon Flood Dragon Dao Rhyme had activated.

BUZZ!

The moment after dodging Shi Yun’s attack, Zhong Ming subconsciously "loaded his bullet"—compressing Longxi - Sword Pulling into a water droplet.

Because the Dragon Flood Dragon Dao Rhyme had possessed him, the water droplet Zhong Ming condensed this time contained not only the power of Longxi - Sword Pulling and Dao Rhyme - Flow of Water... The essence of the Dragon Flood Dragon had also merged into it.

As Zhong Ming bent his finger to flick it, the Water Flood Dragon immediately coiled around his arm, making his right arm look like a roaring Flood Dragon with its mouth wide open.

And at the Flood Dragon’s mouth, the water droplet infused with immense power shone dazzlingly, like a Dragon Pearl—and it was just as dangerous.

’Maximum output, Longxi - Sword Pulling, cleave... Huh?!’

Just as the droplet condensed and he prepared to launch it, he realized something was wrong—the power inside the water droplet was too strong for him to control.

Looking down, Zhong Ming’s pupils instantly constricted.

’This is... the Dragon Flood Dragon Dao Rhyme!’

Upon this discovery, Zhong Ming felt no joy, only alarm.

The next moment, he quickly looked up and shouted to Shi Yun.

"Get out of the way!"

As he shouted, the water droplet, like a Dragon Pearl, was fired by Zhong Ming.

He had no choice but to fire it; the power was too violent for Zhong Ming to control.

If he didn’t, the droplet would explode in his hand, and the force would blow him to pieces.

BANG!

This time, it truly was the roar of a heavy cannon.

The blast from the Dragon Pearl gave off the feeling that it could destroy anything in its path.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

And everything in its path was indeed shattered by its thunderous force.

And halfway through its flight, it transformed again.

ROAR!

Along with a heaven-shaking dragon’s cry, water materialized from thin air and merged into the speeding droplet. This caused the droplet to slowly transform into a Water Flood Dragon mid-flight, shaking its head and tail.

RUMBLE...

The roaring Flood Dragon continued to lunge forward, violently bulldozing everything in its way.

The bamboo forest, the pebbles, the trees—everything was pulverized by the Flood Dragon’s power, which was like a raging torrent.

Finally, the massive Flood Dragon flew a full eight hundred meters before its power was completely exhausted.

...

...

...

The terrifying strike left everyone at the scene in a state of shock.

Among them, the most terrified was, naturally, Shi Yun.

If not for Zhong Ming’s warning, and the fact that he had deflected the droplet’s trajectory at the last second, the attack would have hit him squarely.

And Shi Yun didn’t think for a second that his half-crippled self could have blocked such a terrifying blow.

While reeling from the aftershock, Shi Yun also felt a sense of disbelief:

’Is this an attack someone in the early stage of Qi Cultivation can unleash?’

He found it hard to accept. Zhong Ming himself was also astonished.

’Am I that strong?’

Soon, however, he had no time to marvel at the power of his move.

THUMP...

The strike, enhanced by two Dao Rhymes, was immensely powerful, but it had also completely drained Zhong Ming.

His body went limp, and he collapsed directly onto the ground, not wanting to even lift a single finger.

"Senior Brother."

Seeing his state, Yi Yunya immediately snapped out of her stupor and ran over, supporting him with a worried expression on her face.

"Senior Brother, are you okay?"

"Hah... I’m... I’m fine... I just ran out of Magical Power."

At this moment, even speaking was difficult for Zhong Ming.

At the same time, he once again confirmed his greatest weakness—a lack of Magical Power.

’No matter how strong a move is, you need Magical Power to use it. Right now, my low Magical Power has become my biggest bottleneck... From now on, I won’t focus on anything else. I’m going to put all my energy into cultivating my Magical Power.’

As he thought of this, a faint smile appeared on Zhong Ming’s face.

’Thankfully, my Affinity for Water is very helpful for my Magical Power cultivation.’

’Besides, last night’s fusion also brought my main Cultivation Technique, the Longxi Breathing Technique, to the Second Realm at 6375/8100 points. With just another thousand or two, it will advance.’