My Swordsmanship Has No Upper Limit

When he came to the Sword Testing Platform, Zhong Ming had originally planned to stay for only a short while before returning to Longxi Peak to cultivate.

But thanks to Senior Brother Qi Hong and several of his peers, Zhong Ming ended up training there for an entire day.

By the time his training was over, he was so exhausted that several of his senior brothers had to help him to the Sword Testing Platform.

At this moment, Orchid still hadn’t left.

Orchid raised an eyebrow when she saw Zhong Ming with Qi Hong and his group, noticing how attentive and approving they were of him.

Ultimately, however, she said nothing. Instead, she stepped forward to take over for them.

"Senior Brothers, please leave Young Master Zhong Ming to me."

At her words, Qi Hong and Shi Yun sized her up.

They saw that she had the demeanor of a handmaiden and was very respectful toward Zhong Ming, but... they were still not at ease.

They now saw Zhong Ming as the hope for Longxi Peak’s resurgence and, more importantly, their only chance to heal and resume their own paths of Cultivation.

Under these circumstances, they couldn’t possibly let anything happen to Zhong Ming.

So, they followed her back toward Zhong Ming’s residence.

They didn’t leave until Zhong Ming had fallen asleep.

This scene left Orchid looking thoughtful as she returned to Yi Yunya’s side.

"What’s wrong? Did something happen?"

Yi Yunya naturally noticed her expression, which prompted her to ask out of curiosity.

The question snapped Orchid back to her senses. As she looked at Yi Yunya, her eyes filled with admiration.

"Something did happen, but it’s good news." The loyal Orchid told her lady everything about the attitude of Qi Hong and the others toward Zhong Ming.

When she finished, she added respectfully, "You truly have great foresight and decisiveness, My Lady. If you hadn’t made that decision, we would have completely missed our chance with Zhong Ming."

Orchid was being respectful, but Yi Yunya... was also stunned.

"Are you sure that Qi Hong, Shi Yun, Lin Shuyu, and Yang Chen are all treating Zhong Ming well?"

Orchid replied, "I’m positive. They were so concerned for Zhong Ming’s safety that they wouldn’t even leave him with me. They insisted on escorting him back to his courtyard themselves."

"..."

Her words sent Yi Yunya into deep thought.

Yi Yunya knew of Qi Hong, Shi Yun, and the others.

They were B-Class Disciples of Longxi Peak—and not just any B-Class Disciples, but experts forged in the crucible of battle.

Their combat prowess was such that Yi Yunya had even considered recruiting them herself.

She abandoned the idea, however, because their injuries were so severe they had virtually no future to speak of.

Because of this, however, Yi Yunya had investigated Qi Hong and the others in depth and understood them well.

And from what she knew, having been forged in battle, Qi Hong held great contempt for the sheltered, academy-type disciples who never left the safety of the sect.

’They’re crippled, and Zhong Ming is an A Class disciple. They shouldn’t have any reason to provoke him, but getting them to be respectful would be difficult, given their tempers. The most likely reaction they’d have to Zhong Ming is to simply ignore him.’

It had to be said, Yi Yunya was indeed a capable woman.

When Zhong Ming first arrived at the Sword Testing Platform, some had flattered him, while others watched on coldly. Qi Hong had been one of those observers, sitting in a corner.

Under normal circumstances, the two of them would never have crossed paths.

’These people who should have had nothing to do with him have suddenly become friendly and value him highly. And Zhong Ming isn’t some rich young master; he doesn’t have the medicines or resources to heal Qi Hong and the others.’

’For them to be friendly to him under these circumstances, there can be only one explanation... They’re betting on his future. They believe he has the Talent to rise, and that’s why they’re willing to help him.’

’Xue Yao valued Zhong Ming, and now Qi Hong and the others do as well. Whew... My decision wasn’t wrong after all.’

Letting out a long sigh, Yi Yunya finally allowed herself to relax.

Although she had decisively entered into a "partnership" with Zhong Ming, she had actually been on edge the entire time.

She hadn’t been sure whether Zhong Ming truly possessed great Talent or if Xue Yao was just talking nonsense.

But now, seeing him held in such high regard by veterans like Qi Hong and Yang Chen, Yi Yunya knew her gamble had paid off.

Realizing that Zhong Ming truly had potential, Yi Yunya began to ponder something. "Orchid, what do you say? Should we increase our investment?"

Previously, Orchid would have absolutely urged Yi Yunya to reconsider, but this time, her answer was a firm, "Yes."

"My Lady, when you had me gather information on Qi Hong and the others, I met them in person. Though they’re crippled, they are incredibly proud."

"Ordinary A-Class Talent would never earn such high regard from them. And then there’s Xue Yao, who recognized him as the strongest even when he was a Mortal... Zhong Ming’s Talent is very likely at the True Inheritance First Level."

Orchid didn’t need to say more. Yi Yunya knew she had to invest everything she had in Zhong Ming.

True, the Golden Jade Tower was larger than the Seven Profound Sect, but that was the organization as a whole. In Jade Lake City, the Golden Jade Tower was inferior to the Seven Profound Sect.

Moreover, her family was just one of the powers in charge of the local Golden Jade Tower branch, and she was merely one of her father’s dozen or so children.

’If Zhong Ming becomes a True Disciple, his status will surpass my own. At that point, I won’t even have the chance to get close to him...’

...

It had to be said that sleep was indeed the best way to recover physical strength, energy, and the power of one’s Heart Soul.

Before falling into a deep sleep, Zhong Ming had been so exhausted he didn’t even want to lift a finger.

But after a night of sound sleep, his mental and physical strength were completely restored.

Well... it was probably also related to the Hundred Flowers Brew he drank before falling asleep.

However, once he woke up, Zhong Ming’s hellish journey began.

Qi Hong and the others, who viewed Zhong Ming as the hope for Longxi Peak’s resurgence, taught him with everything they had, but their demands were also extremely high.

The moment he woke up, he was dragged away for special training.

First, it was Swordsmanship practice, followed by running on water, and then leaping up waterfalls—from the bottom to the top.

There was also underwater Swordsmanship, live combat duels...

They used every method imaginable to improve his strength and Swordsmanship on Zhong Ming.

That day, Zhong Ming was trained to within an inch of his life.

But this arduous Cultivation, along with the unreserved, dedicated guidance from Qi Hong and the others, yielded astonishing rewards for Zhong Ming.

At the end of the day’s training, the three skills Zhong Ming had focused on had all reached:

[Longxi Swordsmanship: Second Realm, Insight (4889/4900)]

[Spirit Stream Finger: Water Dragon Technique: Second Realm, Insight (4175/4200)]

[Wave-Surging Dragon Stream Step: Second Realm, Insight (4730/4800)]

’All three skills are just a hair away from a breakthrough...’

Despite this, Zhong Ming didn’t force a breakthrough that day.

Advancing to the next realm would grant him a minor epiphany, but after a full day of training, his Heart Spirit and physical stamina were completely drained.

Forcing the advancement under these conditions would be a great waste.

Therefore, he decided to wait. It wouldn’t be too late to advance to the Third Realm tomorrow after his Heart Spirit had recovered.

’There’s no need to rush...’

Even so, the thought of advancing all three skills at once—especially since they all possessed the Flow of Water characteristic—made it difficult to stay calm.

The stacking of multiple instances of the Flow of Water could potentially trigger a qualitative leap in his understanding of the characteristic. The very thought made it impossible for Zhong Ming to quiet his mind.

It took him a full ten minutes longer than usual, but Zhong Ming finally managed to quiet his mind completely and fall into a deep sleep.