Chapter 31: Chapter 29: Immortal Swordsmanship, Qi Meridian Unity
"The First Realm is Initiation, the Second is Insight, and the Third is Refinement. These all belong to the stage of Sword Unification Stream."
"In the First Realm of Initiation, you just practice the Sword Techniques until you’re proficient. In the Second Realm of Insight, you can redirect an enemy’s attack to the side. Only at the Third Realm of Refinement can you use the intent of flowing to borrow an enemy’s attack, increasing the speed and power of your own Sword Techniques."
Since he had already understood the True Intent of the Flow of Water, Zhong Ming could sense that in one or two days at most, once he mastered the moves of the Longxi Swordsmanship and integrated them with the Flow of Water, his Swordsmanship would reach the Third Realm of Refinement.
Realizing this, Zhong Ming continued reading.
Then, he discovered that the second stage of the Longxi Swordsmanship was called [Qi Smooth Sword].
This realm required Zhong Ming to achieve Qi Meridian Unity. This meant his Magical Power had to flow ceaselessly like a stream, with the sword acting as an extension of that stream. He would have to achieve a state where his power never stagnated at the blade’s tip, his techniques were not rigid in form, and his mind remained undisturbed by Sword Momentum.
Furthermore, Zhong Ming had to comprehend the harmony of motion and stillness: being still like a deep stream pool, and moving like a gushing spring.
’Qi Meridian Unity... As expected, to cultivate Immortal Swordsmanship to a High Realm, Magical Power is essential. You can’t practice with Sword Techniques alone.’
Most Cultivators would only have this thought upon reading this far.
However, Zhong Ming’s current state was anything but ordinary.
He had activated Mind Reading, and before he began to read, he had sought out Xue Yao to cast an Ice Heart Spell on him.
This special state made Zhong Ming’s mind as calm as a placid lake, allowing countless insights to surface.
At this moment, he comprehended something from the phrase "harmony of motion and stillness."
’Motion and stillness... Longxi Swordsmanship is motion, and the Longxi Breathing Technique is stillness. Since it requires harmony of motion and stillness, and also Qi Meridian Unity, can I practice my Swordsmanship while also practicing my Cultivation Technique?’
[You have gained an insight into Longxi Swordsmanship. Cultivation Technique progress
109]
[You have gained an insight into the Longxi Breathing Method. Cultivation Technique progress
4]
[You have comprehended some True Intent from the book. Reading progress
7]
The system prompts immediately confirmed Zhong Ming’s suspicion.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he drew his sword, rose to his feet, and found a remote, deserted spot to begin practicing the Stream Swordsmanship.
He sought a secluded place because he didn’t want to be disturbed.
After being rated A Class, Zhong Ming was receiving far too much attention.
Although he had driven them off and they no longer dared to disturb him casually, everyone was still staring at him intently during their own practice, hoping to learn something from him.
After all, Zhuang Yi, Yi Yunya, and Xue Yao had been rated A Class purely because of the talent of their Spiritual Roots.
Only Zhong Ming, with his third-class Spiritual Root, had achieved his rank by comprehending something profound.
The disciples on Longxi Peak weren’t fools. They knew who to watch if they wanted to learn.
As a Cultivator with heightened senses, Zhong Ming found their scorching gazes deeply uncomfortable.
He could ignore them once he entered a state of deep focus, but the feeling of discomfort lingered. So, finding a secluded place became his top priority.
Fortunately, Zhong Ming now carried an intimidating presence. Seeing that he didn’t wish to be disturbed, the others just looked at each other, none daring to approach.
And so, beside a remote, deserted stream, he began to practice with his longsword.
SWOOSH...
At first, Zhong Ming’s swordsmanship was clumsy.
It was, after all, his first time practicing this technique. He was unfamiliar with the Sword Techniques, making his movements stumbling and anything but fluid.
At times, he would even perform the Sword Techniques incorrectly or imprecisely.
Fortunately, that situation quickly improved.
The effects of the Ice Heart Spell had yet to fade, and what’s more, Zhong Ming possessed the True Intent of the Flow of Water.
Practicing a Swordsmanship from the Mortal World after having grasped its True Intent made Zhong Ming’s progress exceptionally fast.
Not to mention, he also had Heaven Rewards Diligence, which solidified the results of his training.
SWOOSH...
By his sixth repetition of the Sword Techniques, Zhong Ming could execute the moves of the Stream Swordsmanship—Flowing Spring Piercing Stone, Pine Waves Around the Stream, Nine Bends of the Stream, Flying Waterfall Cliff, and Cold Stream Bone-Soaking—one by one with precision.
With each repetition, Zhong Ming’s techniques grew more precise, and system prompts echoed in his mind one after another.
[You practiced Longxi Swordsmanship, gaining some insight. Cultivation Technique progress
62]
[Longxi Swordsmanship: First Realm: Initiation (497/600)]
[You practiced Longxi Swordsmanship, gaining some insight. Cultivation Technique progress
41]
[You practiced Longxi Swordsmanship, gaining some insight. Cultivation Technique progress
33]
Before his ninth repetition, Zhong Ming’s sword was still bound by the fixed forms. Soon, however, he began to deconstruct the Sword Techniques.
As he reached this stage, another system prompt sounded in his mind.
[Ding! Your Longxi Swordsmanship has broken through to the Second Realm: Insight. You have obtained the trait: River and Sword Convergence.]
[River and Sword Convergence: Your Sword Momentum will flow like a stream, allowing you to redirect and shed an opponent’s attacks. Your movements will also be as fluid and agile as a stream.]
[Longxi Swordsmanship: Second Realm: Insight (27/4900)]
Zhong Ming ignored the system panel’s notification and simply continued to practice.
In his hands, the longsword moved with increasing smoothness, the techniques becoming less and less rigid. Eventually, the individual Sword Techniques were no longer visible. Instead, a continuous stream of Sword Light, like a swirling mass of water, coiled and flowed around him.
[You practiced Longxi Swordsmanship, gaining some insight. Cultivation Technique progress
41]
Once he grew familiar with the sword and was no longer bound by rigid forms, Zhong Ming proceeded to the next step: breathing.
Inhale... exhale...
With each long breath, he subconsciously began to circulate his Cultivation Technique.
This step... was successful.
Normally, dividing one’s focus between two tasks would easily lead to deviations in cultivation.
But Zhong Ming had already practiced the Longxi Breathing Technique to the point of utter mastery. Without looking closely, it was impossible to tell whether he was simply breathing or actively cultivating.
Under these circumstances, Zhong Ming only needed to focus on his Sword Techniques.
This, naturally, made things infinitely easier.
...
However, while Zhong Ming could now practice his swordsmanship and his breathing skill simultaneously, they were not yet in sync.
’When the Spiritual Qi in my body circulates rapidly, my Swordsmanship is calm. When the Spiritual Qi flows gently, my Swordsmanship becomes ferocious... This rhythm is all wrong.’
’I need to harmonize the two. That is the true meaning of Qi Meridian Unity, of the harmony between motion and stillness.’
Left with no choice, Zhong Ming could only continue to breathe naturally while trying to align his Swordsmanship with his Mental Method.
This time, it wasn’t nearly as easy.
While practicing, Zhong Ming imagined he was fighting an enemy. This required his Swordsmanship to be versatile and unpredictable—this was "motion."
The Longxi Breathing Technique, on the other hand, was primarily for refining Spiritual Qi and required a calm, unhurried pace—this was "stillness."
The harmony of motion and stillness. It was easy to say, but truly difficult to achieve.
His breathing rhythm and his Swordsmanship were constantly out of sync.
Fortunately, while there were deviations, there were also moments when he got it right. Each time his technique operated correctly, a system prompt would sound in his mind.
[You practiced Longxi Swordsmanship, gaining some insight. Cultivation Technique progress
13]
[You practiced Longxi Swordsmanship, gaining some insight. Cultivation Technique progress
17]
[You practiced Longxi Swordsmanship, gaining some insight. Cultivation Technique progress
23]
Once, twice, three times, four times...
As Zhong Ming continued to practice, the synchronization between his Breathing Skill and his Swordsmanship grew stronger and stronger.
By now, Zhong Ming could keep his Swordsmanship and Breathing Skill in sync for a third of the time.
When his Spiritual Qi surged, his Sword Momentum was swift and fierce; when his Spiritual Qi flowed steadily, his Sword Momentum was as calm as still water.
Seeing this progress, Zhong Ming immediately incorporated the Breath of Heaven and Earth Stream as well.
Inhale... exhale...
The so-called Breath of Heaven and Earth Stream required Zhong Ming to sync his breathing to the frequency of the streams in the natural world, to resonate with them.
Integrating this step was also easy—he had already accomplished it while practicing the Longxi Breathing Technique.
And now, Zhong Ming was striving to achieve Qi Meridian Unity—to have his Magical Power flow without end like a stream, with his sword as its extension.
This unique state, combined with the Breath of Heaven and Earth Stream, gave rise to an extraordinary scene.
SPLASH...
As Zhong Ming’s breath synchronized with Heaven and Earth, his Magical Power began to resonate with the longsword in his hand.
This unity of three elements—Heaven (the stream), Man (his Magical Power), and Sword (the Stream Swordsmanship)—actually allowed Zhong Ming to influence the water of the stream using nothing but his Swordsmanship!
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