My Swordsmanship Has No Upper Limit

The force of this whip was a bit weak, not nearly as powerful as my own Water Drop - Longxi Sword Pulling.

Of course, that alone wouldn’t have made Zhong Ming so dejected.

What made him sigh was that his grandest idea—creating an external circulation system—had failed.

’I originally thought of my Magical Power circulation as my internal system. The Longxi Feather Robe, then, would create an external system, autonomously absorbing the world’s Spiritual Qi through its own cycle and allowing me to use it.’

’Ideally, the external and internal systems would be interconnected. The Longxi Magical Robe would absorb Spiritual Qi, perform a preliminary Refinement, and then, using the Dao Rhyme - Flow of Water, transfer that partially refined Magical Power into my body. That way, I’d only need to refine it a little more to make it my own.’ 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

’Furthermore, the Longxi Magical Robe could also serve as my external Magical Power reserve. When fighting, I could first use the power stored in the robe before tapping into my own.’

One could only say that during his epiphany, Zhong Ming had a wild imagination and dared to think big.

Had the Feather Robe he envisioned been successfully constructed, it would have functioned like a true mecha, proving invaluable to him.

Unfortunately, fantasy is one thing, and reality is another.

Limited by his insufficient Dao Practice, he had only managed to construct a crude, stripped-down version.

Now, far from having the Feather Robe absorb Magical Power on its own, Zhong Ming had to expend his own Magical Power just to maintain it.

Fortunately, the failure of his Inference Technique didn’t discourage Zhong Ming.

’HUFF... ’It’s fine. Constant dripping wears away a stone; this isn’t a one-day job. It’s normal to fail the first time I use the Inference Technique. Success would have been the real miracle.’’

’Besides, it wasn’t a complete failure.’

’Regardless, I’ve managed to build a framework for the Feather Robe. Now, I just need to fill it in.’

’And I already have some ideas about what to fill it with.’

With this in mind, Zhong Ming turned his attention to his Spirit Stream Finger: Water Dragon Technique and his Wave-Surging Dragon Stream Step.

’To be complete is to be alive, but to ’breathe’ autonomously—is that not also a form of life?’

’Just as I comprehended the Water Dao Rhyme, if I can raise all my Cultivation Techniques—the Longxi Swordsmanship, the Wave-Surging Dragon Stream Step, the Spirit Stream Finger: Water Dragon Technique, and so on—to the Fourth Realm, then I will also comprehend several facets of the Rhythm of Life.’

’By combining them, I will surely be able to form the Dao Rhyme: Living Rhythm.’

’If I use that Dao Rhyme to empower the Feather Robe, then my original vision might actually be possible.’

He imagined his Feather Robe becoming like a living treasure—autonomously absorbing Spiritual Qi, automatically protecting its master, automatically...

’Wait, isn’t that just a Law Spirit?’

...

Since his epiphany ended, Zhong Ming had considered many things.

Apart from his Cultivation Techniques, he soon thought of another way to increase the power of his Longxi Magical Robe.

"Yun Ya."

After calling her over, Zhong Ming said pensively, "I recall the Treasure Atlas the Xie Family sent. There was a treasure in it called the Heavy Abyss Water Pearl, wasn’t there?"

"There is. Do you want that treasure, Young Master?"

"Yes, I’ll choose that one."

To build a connection with him, the Xie Family had promised him an Earth-level Middle-grade Treasure and a high-grade flying sword, a type of Magical Artifact.

In fact, just yesterday, they had delivered the Treasure Atlas, which listed the treasures and flying swords Zhong Ming could choose from.

However, the Xie Family’s resources were no match for the Golden Jade Tower’s. Their family collection of treasures and flying swords offered only a handful of options.

Since he hadn’t found anything that perfectly suited him, Zhong Ming hadn’t made his choice immediately.

But after his recent reflections, he realized the Heavy Abyss Water Pearl was a perfect match for his Longxi Daoist Robe.

’I remember how the Heavy Abyss Water Pearl works. When activated with Magical Power, it produces Abyssal Sea Water, which has a deep, dark luster and is incredibly heavy.’

’A Magical Robe formed from ordinary water is a bit weak in terms of defense, offense, and even load-bearing capacity.’

’Abyssal Sea Water is different. It can bear the power of Longxi - Sword Pulling more easily. When blocking attacks, its inherent properties alone can nullify many assaults.’

’Even elemental attacks like Thunderbolt, Flame, and frost can’t have a significant effect on Abyssal Sea Water.’

’With the Heavy Abyss Water Pearl paired with the Longxi Magical Robe, at least I won’t have to worry about my safety anymore.’

Having chosen the treasure, Zhong Ming no longer hesitated about the flying sword either.

"When you go retrieve the Heavy Abyss Water Pearl, bring the flying sword as well. I want Thunderclap."

"Hm?"

The word "Thunderclap" made Yi Yunya’s delicate brows furrow.

She had read the description of this flying sword as well and knew it was incomparably swift and possessed immense attack power.

’But isn’t this flying sword of the Thunder Element?’

Although she was puzzled, she didn’t voice her thoughts. Instead, she bowed to Zhong Ming and left to retrieve the flying sword.

After she left, Zhong Ming... began practicing his Sword-Drawing Technique.

The main reason was that ever since his Basic Technique, the Longxi Breathing Formula, had achieved Qi Circulation, Zhong Ming was constantly cultivating, whether he was sitting, lying down, or walking.

This meant he had the energy to cultivate other techniques.

The reason he chose the Sword-Drawing Technique was that it consisted of only a single move, making it the easiest to advance to the Fourth Realm.

SHING!

Draw, sheathe!

Draw, sheathe!

Draw, sheathe...

[You have practiced the Longxi Sword Drawing Technique once. Technique progress +1.]

[You have practiced the Longxi Sword Drawing Technique once...]

The Proficiency stage of the Fourth Realm is also known as the "Expert" level. To successfully advance, one must gain some unique insights into the Cultivation Technique being practiced.

Furthermore, from the Fourth Realm onward, mere diligence and arduous training were no longer enough to advance. From this point on, cultivating a technique depended more on one’s comprehension.

For this reason, even with the aid of the Heaven Rewards Diligence system, the requirements for advancing the Longxi Sword-Drawing Technique to the Fourth Realm were extremely high and incredibly tedious.