Because of the hundred-day assessment, most of the disciples at the Longxi Daoist School looked terrified and uneasy.
In this situation, Zhong Ming's relaxed and joyful demeanor stood out all the more.
In particular, the fact that Zhong Ming had gained some kind of insight—an insight he could share with others to speed up their cultivation—piqued Liu Wanyu's interest even more.
After exchanging a look with Jiang Yue, Liu Wanyu gave Zhong Ming a gentle smile and said:
"You're in such high spirits, Young Master Zhong Ming. Did something good happen?"
"I suppose so." At this, Zhong Ming gestured to the books in front of him and said to Liu Wanyu, "My good mood is partly thanks to you, Miss Liu. The Cultivation Insights you brought have been a huge help to me."
He wasn't just being polite.
Cultivating the Longxi Sword-Drawing Technique from the Third Realm to the Fourth Realm involved meridians and the circulation of Magical Power, something Zhong Ming couldn't practice right now.
Similarly, since his meridians had reached their limit, he also couldn't cultivate the Longxi Breathing Method.
As a result, Zhong Ming was left with no techniques to practice at night.
But now, the several volumes of Cultivation Insights Liu Wanyu had brought him gave Zhong Ming something to do.
Liu Wanyu: "There's no need for that, Young Master. This was a trade. The insights you grasped are a great help to me as well. If anything, I'm the one who got the better end of the deal."
Conversing with a refined person was always a pleasure.
However, he didn't stay for long.
After finishing his meal, he quickly left, taking the large pile of Cultivation Insights with him.
But even after he was gone, Jiang Yue and Liu Wanyu remained, silent for a long time.
After a good while, Liu Wanyu was the first to speak. Her voice was a little hoarse as she said hesitantly, with a touch of envy, "So relaxed… Zhong Ming, could it be he's now confident he'll receive an A-level Rating?"
Neither Jiang Yue nor Liu Wanyu were fools. After interacting with Zhong Ming for so many days, they had long since realized that he also held ambitions for Longxi Peak's A-level Rating.
And they could both clearly sense that yesterday, and even this morning, Zhong Ming had been just like them—hopeful, but also deeply anxious and worried because success wasn't guaranteed, putting all of them on edge.
But now, such a drastic change in Zhong Ming's mood inevitably led them to speculate.
Hearing Liu Wanyu's doubtful words, Jiang Yue fell silent for a moment before suddenly laughing. "Wanyu, you might be overthinking this. There's another possibility for Zhong Ming… He might have realized how difficult the A-level Rating is and, seeing no hope, simply gave up."
"Sometimes taking a step back opens up a wider world. With Zhong's Talent, a B-level Rating is a certainty. Without the pressure of the A-level Rating, of course he'd be relaxed."
"…"
Liu Wanyu didn't respond to this speculation, but Jiang Xiaoyu nodded emphatically. "That must be it. How could the A-level Rating be so easy to achieve? Brother, Wanyu, even you two can't do it. Zhong Ming only has a third-grade Spiritual Root, so it's even harder for him."
Jiang Xiaoyu had the most complicated feelings about Zhong Ming. Having once rejected a marriage alliance with him, a part of her didn't want him to do well, as it would reflect poorly on her own judgment.
However, what Jiang Xiaoyu, who was just echoing her brother, failed to notice was that after hearing her words, Jiang Yue's expression froze, and his fists clenched slightly.
It took him two or three full breaths before he calmed himself.
"It's getting late, Miss Liu. We should be leaving as well."
Not long after Zhong Ming left, Jiang Yue also departed with his sister.
Then, halfway back, Jiang Xiaoyu realized they weren't heading in the direction of their stone houses, but toward the Scripture Pavilion.
"Brother, what are you doing at the Scripture Pavilion?"
"Buying some Cultivation Insights for Zhong Ming. And you're going to deliver them to him personally in a bit."
"Huh? Why…" Before she could finish, Jiang Xiaoyu understood.
"Brother, didn't you say Zhong Ming gave up?"
"Sigh." Jiang Yue rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache and said wearily, "Yu, do you really think someone with Zhong Ming's temperament is the type to give up so easily?"
"Besides, if he'd really given up, he might have been relieved, but he would never be this joyful."
"For him to be in this mood, there's only one possibility: he's completely confident he can get an A-level Rating."
Jiang Xiaoyu: "That… how is that possible? He only has a third-grade Spiritual Root."
Jiang Xiaoyu found it hard to believe, and Jiang Yue was just as baffled.
"Yeah, how on earth did he do it?"
But even though he didn't understand, it didn't stop Jiang Yue from making the right decision.
"With a B-level Rating, Zhong Ming can only be my most important right-hand man. But if he achieves A Class, he'll have the qualifications to be our equal, or even… a cut above."
"A man like that would also be the best choice of husband for you."
Jiang Xiaoyu: "…"
...
"'Do not force a breakthrough against resistance; follow the stream to naturally open the meridians… The essence of the Longxi Breathing Technique is 'Suixi Form.' The meridians are like a valley, the Spiritual Qi like a stream. However the valley bends, so flows the stream. If the stream tries to crash against the valley walls, it will only splash and dissipate…'"
Being confident in achieving A Class didn't make Zhong Ming relax in the slightest.
He knew very well that the hundred-day assessment was only the beginning of his Cultivation journey, and that many more hardships and obstacles lay ahead.
'Still, an A-level rating isn't useless. It gives someone like me, from a humble background, a good start.'
To ensure his future path of cultivation would be smoother, Zhong Ming went to the creekside after dinner. There, by the light of the moon, he began to study the Cultivation Insights left behind by his predecessors.
"Suixi Form… isn't this the same as the 'Water is formless, thus it has ten thousand forms' that I comprehended? As expected, no matter who cultivates the Longxi Breathing Technique, there are many commonalities in the early stages."
Because Zhong Ming's Longxi Technique had already reached the Second Realm of Insight, as he read the insights of others, he found many things felt familiar.
Fortunately, observing the realizations of others and comparing them with his own still increased the experience of Zhong Ming's Cultivation Technique.
[You have studied the Cultivation Insights for the Longxi Breathing Technique and gained some understanding. Cultivation Technique progress +1]
[You have studied the Cultivation Insights for the Longxi Breathing Technique and gained some understanding. Cultivation Technique progress +3]
[You have studied the Cultivation Insights for the Longxi Breathing Technique and gained some understanding. Cultivation Technique progress +1]
[...]
At the same time, within the predecessors' Cultivation Insights, Zhong Ming not only saw things that were familiar but also discovered many things he had never noticed before.
"'Breath of Heaven and Earth Stream… Inhale as the tide rises, drawing in the spiritual dew of the world; exhale as the tide falls, expelling the turbid qi from your body… Breathe like this, and you will be in sync with the heavens and earth. At that point, it will not be you laboring to absorb Spiritual Qi, but the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi that seeks you out with every breath…'"
[You have studied the Cultivation Insights for the Longxi Breathing Technique and gained some understanding. Cultivation Technique progress +17]
"Using breath to make the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi actively merge with the body… This senior's idea is quite good."
Beyond these minor insights, Zhong Ming also perceived some secrets of higher realms through the predecessors' Cultivation Insights.
"'…The Longxi Breathing Technique cultivates not just speed, but longevity; not just ferocity, but gentleness. Once you grasp the balance of hard and soft, what you seek will be 'life.'"
"'The Qi Sea is a spring, Magical Power a stream. With a Living Spring and a Huoxi, the water will never stagnate, and life will be ever-renewing…'"
Reading this, Zhong Ming fell into thought.
"Living Spring, Huoxi, running water never stagnates, ever-renewing… Don't tell me reaching the Third Realm of the Longxi Breathing Technique means I have to constantly maintain the flow of Magical Power in a state of Qi Circulation."
After some careful thought, Zhong Ming realized this was highly likely.
[You have studied the Cultivation Insights for the Longxi Breathing Technique and gained some understanding. Cultivation Technique progress +21]
"That said, if the Third Realm of the Longxi Breathing Technique is about Qi Circulation and making Magical Power flow endlessly within the body, then what about the Fourth Realm?"
As he continued to flip through the books, Zhong Ming actually found some descriptions of the Longxi Breathing Technique at the Fourth Realm of Minor Achievement.
"Clear? What does that mean?"
[You have studied the Cultivation Insights for the Longxi Breathing Technique. Cultivation Technique progress +1]
Right now, Zhong Ming had just entered the Second Realm; the Fourth Realm of Minor Achievement was still a distant goal.
Therefore, even though Zhong Ming now knew the word "Clear," he still had no idea what it was used for.
Because he hadn't understood its deeper meaning, he didn't gain much Cultivation Technique experience from reading this part.
However, while he didn't gain much experience here, the earlier process of cross-referencing insights had benefited Zhong Ming greatly.
When he finished this book, Zhong Ming discovered that the progress of his Basic Technique, the Longxi Breathing Technique, had actually increased by a full 79 points.
"…"
"That's so much, even more than I get from practicing the technique itself. Is reading other people's Cultivation Insights really this useful?"
Such a large increase in Skill Level completely exceeded Zhong Ming's expectations, leaving him stunned for a good while.
But after thinking about it carefully, Zhong Ming felt it was reasonable.
'When three walk together, one will be my teacher.' The experience and insights of predecessors could indeed help those who came after avoid many detours.
Of course, if that were all, Zhong Ming's Cultivation Technique experience would increase, but not by this much in such a short time.
There was another extremely important reason for his gains—his Reading Skill, which had been raised to the Fourth Realm of Minor Achievement.
'Reading the Cultivation Insights of others isn't just about reading them once. What's more crucial is to understand them, internalize them, and distill the principles within.'
'Only then can you transform another's knowledge into your own.'
'This step is quite difficult for ordinary people and requires a lot of time.'
'But I'm different. With Mind Reading, I only need to read a book once to quickly grasp its core True Intent.'
Thinking of this, Zhong Ming's eyes lit up. He realized that while the Reading skill seemed ordinary, it was actually a Divine Skill with huge potential for growth.
'Come to think of it, all of human civilization is built on the transmission of knowledge, or rather… on knowledge and learning.'
Understanding this, Zhong Ming immediately made a resolution.
'To raise the Reading skill from the Fourth Realm of Minor Achievement to Great Success requires reading ten thousand books. In that case, starting today, I'll set aside some time every day to read a few.'
After making his resolution, Zhong Ming continued to look at the system log. Then, he discovered another pleasant surprise—when reading the Cultivation Insights of others, it wasn't just his Basic Technique, the Longxi Breathing Technique, that improved.
His Reading Skill Level also increased.
[You silently read a complete book and grasped its True Intent. Your Reading Skill Level +3]