Chapter 35 - 33: Sword Testing Platform, Flood Dragon True Intent Map

"Hm?"

Yi Yunya noticed Zhong Ming’s excitement and exhilaration, which she found a little puzzling.

She couldn’t understand why he was reacting this way.

’The opportunity to view a True Intent Map is certainly precious, but not to *this* extent, right?’

Ultimately, she just didn’t understand Zhong Ming’s situation. If she knew that he possessed Mind Reading and could use it to comprehend the intent and rhythm within a True Intent Map, her attitude would be completely different.

While she was still pondering this, Zhong Ming pushed all the resources she had just given him back to her.

"Young Master, what is this?"

"Don’t misunderstand." Seeing the slight panic on Yi Yunya’s face, Zhong Ming smiled and said, "I have no intention of refusing our partnership. I just want to use these resources to trade for another opportunity to view a True Intent Map."

"Are these resources enough? If not, I have some Spirit Stones I can add."

"Also, does your Golden Jade Tower have a Flood Dragon map? I’d like to exchange the Nu River Waves Painting for a Flood Dragon True Intent Map."

Yi Yunya replied, "It’s enough."

"The Golden Jade Tower does have a Flood Dragon map." Here, she hesitated for a moment before continuing, "But if you wish to view the Flood Dragon True Intent Map, Young Master, you’ll have to wait a while. I’ll need some time to prepare it."

"That’s fine. I’m not in a hurry."

And Zhong Ming truly wasn’t in a hurry.

Even if Yi Yunya had let him view it right then, he wouldn’t have gone.

When he had used Mind Reading on the Mountain Stream Flowing Map before, Zhong Ming discovered that to gain anything from a True Intent Map, one’s own power was just as important as the map’s quality.

Only if his Heart Soul was strong and his own accumulation was sufficient could he obtain more from viewing a True Intent Map.

Otherwise, the moment he witnessed the profundities of the True Intent, he would likely be unable to withstand it, suffer heavy damage to his Heart Spirit, and be forced out of his Mind Reading state.

...

Although Zhong Ming said he wasn’t in a hurry, Yi Yunya still left Longxi Peak and returned to the Golden Jade Tower to get busy.

As for Zhong Ming, he took a longsword and headed to the Sword Testing Platform to assume his position as a team leader.

But just as the two of them left, the clamor on Longxi Peak was only just beginning.

"Did I see that right? Yi Yunya joined Zhong Ming’s team?"

Having been baptized by Spiritual Qi, most of the disciples on Longxi Peak had sharp senses. Zhong Ming and Yi Yunya hadn’t made much effort to conceal their conversation, so many people had noticed them talking and overheard that Yi Yunya was joining Zhong Ming’s team.

This was something many of them simply couldn’t comprehend.

"Yi Yunya... with her background, and as proud as she is, how could she submit to Zhong Ming?"

"...Could it be true what Senior Sister Xue Yao said? That on our Longxi Peak, Senior Brother Zhong Ming is actually the strongest!"

"But he was the fourth one to break through, and on the very last day of the A-level Rating period at that?"

The strongest, yet the last to break through—this bizarre situation was something many couldn’t wrap their heads around.

However, this development also made some people resolve themselves.

At that moment, Liu Wanyu found Jiang Yue and said to him, "Young Master Jiang, you’re on good terms with Zhong Ming. I was wondering if you could invite Senior Brother Zhong Ming..."

"You want to join *that* person’s team too."

The one speaking about Zhong Ming in such a tone at a time like this was naturally not Jiang Yue, but his younger sister, Jiang Xiaoyu.

Hearing her words, Liu Wanyu sighed softly and said, "It’s the best choice. Regardless of whether Miss Yi Yunya has genuinely submitted or has other motives, a team that brings together Xue Yao, Yi Yunya, and Senior Brother Zhong Ming is already the strongest on Longxi Peak."

"..."

Jiang Yue couldn’t refute that.

Meanwhile, someone else had also realized this.

"Zhong Ming, Xue Yao, and Yi Yunya... the three of them actually teamed up. I’ve become a lone wolf."

The one who had realized this a bit late was, naturally, Longxi Peak’s final A-Class Disciple, Zhuang Yi.

Thinking about Xue Yao’s cold temperament and Yi Yunya’s usual arrogance, Zhuang Yi immediately understood that those two women would never have cooperated on their own.

’So, the core of their team is Zhong Ming?’

As this realization dawned on him, a fanatical expression appeared on his face. "Now this is getting exciting. Zhong Ming, what kind of skills do you possess to make those two women commit to you?"

Zhuang Yi now had a mind to challenge Zhong Ming.

However, he wasn’t doing this out of jealousy over the women.

Zhong Ming was slow to grasp the situation on Longxi Peak, but Zhuang Yi, Yi Yunya, and even Xue Yao, Jiang Yue, and Liu Wanyu... they all had some understanding of Longxi Peak’s circumstances before they even arrived.

It was like in his past life after the college entrance exams (the Spiritual Root test): regular students could only wait for their results, while the top scorers would get personal visits from university admissions officers.

Before entering Longxi Peak, disciples from several other peaks had approached them and told them about the situation on the various peaks of the Seven Profound Sect.

This advance information led to several disciples who were fond of the sword being recruited to other peaks.

The fact that Zhuang Yi, Xue Yao, and Yi Yunya remained was for their own various reasons.

Among them, Xue Yao was personally invited by the Master, Mo Shuying, who even used Longxi Peak’s past sacrifices as leverage to make the other peaks back off and thus secured her as a disciple.

—The fact that Mo Shuying was now preparing a precious Magical Artifact for Xue Yao was partly because of the terms agreed upon back then.

Besides Xue Yao, Yi Yunya had come to Longxi Peak because she saw its dire situation as an opportunity to more easily befriend and recruit some muscle.

Strictly speaking, Yi Yunya was a merchant.

As a merchant, she didn’t need to practice Artifact Refining or Alchemy; she just needed to know how to recruit people.

As for the Demon Suppression Bureau, others might need to worry about it, but she didn’t.

Even her Cultivation path wasn’t a conventional one.

This was because she wasn’t a Sword Cultivator at all and had other motives for coming to Longxi Peak, which was why the Master, Mo Shuying, didn’t particularly like her and had always treated her as an outsider.

Besides the two women, there was Zhuang Yi. He was also well aware of Longxi Peak’s situation. In fact, his family had been strongly against him coming, and had even arranged a master for him on Molten Fire Peak.

That he still came under these circumstances was because he genuinely loved the sword and yearned for the free and unrestrained life of a Sword Cultivator.

He could barely be considered a Sword Cultivator with a Sword Heart—barely, because he had yet to be tempered by a life-and-death struggle.

Only if he could hold true to his heart in such a moment could he be considered a true Sword Cultivator.

With such a personality, the battle lust in his eyes was mostly because he felt he had found a worthy opponent.

’Should I make a move now?’

’No, not yet. Zhong Ming just advanced and hasn’t accumulated much Magical Power. I should give him more time.’

’Zhong Ming, I hope you don’t disappoint me when the time comes.’

...

?!

’What’s going on? Why do I suddenly have this chilling feeling of being watched?’

He whipped his head around to look, but, of course, he saw nothing.

His abrupt stop also made Orchid halt.

"Young Master Zhong, did something happen?"

"It’s nothing."

Orchid had stayed behind on Yi Yunya’s orders, who had told her to remain and handle miscellaneous matters for Zhong Ming.

Initially, Zhong Ming hadn’t wanted her to, but Yi Yunya convinced him with a single sentence.

"Senior Brother, the Master assigned you the position of team leader at the Sword Testing Platform, right? Even though you’re just a figurehead, it wouldn’t be good to be completely clueless about the situation."

"Orchid has been with me for years and is excellent at handling trivial matters. With her around, you only need to focus on your Cultivation, Senior Brother. You can leave everything else to her."

"...Thank you."

And just like that, Orchid was by his side.

And she did indeed save Zhong Ming a lot of trouble.

Or rather, it was Zhong Ming’s status that allowed him to assume the position without any resistance at all.

"Greetings, Senior Brother."

When Zhong Ming arrived at the Sword Testing Platform, a group of people was already there, having waited for quite some time.

Among them were quite a few Cultivators at the mid and even late stages of Qi Cultivation.

However, none of them looked down on him, nor did they show any hostility.

This was true even for the late-stage Qi Cultivation Cultivators.

Clearly, they were well aware of the future that awaited an A-Class Disciple.

One doesn’t slap a smiling face. Since they were being respectful to him, Zhong Ming naturally clasped his fists and said, "You’re all too kind. It is I who should be calling all of you Senior Brothers..."

After a round of amicable conversation, Orchid, who was standing behind Zhong Ming, stepped forward to handle the miscellaneous affairs for him as his representative.

As for Zhong Ming, now that he was free, he didn’t immediately enter a state of Cultivation.

Finding a large tree next to the Sword Testing Platform, Zhong Ming leaned against it and sat down. Then, his gaze turned to the platform itself, and he carefully watched a group of people who were sparring.

As he watched them, Zhong Ming narrowed his eyes and activated his special skill—Mind Reading!

Having used it several times over the past few days, Zhong Ming’s understanding of Mind Reading was growing.

He now knew that besides books and paintings, if he focused his entire being on observing other things, he could also read some of their inherent intent and rhythm.

And the reason he was activating the skill now was:

’When three walk together, one will be my teacher... I hope I can learn something from you all.’

Zhong Ming was, shockingly, planning to use Mind Reading to observe the strengths and weaknesses of others’ swordsmanship and compare them with his own.

’With Mind Reading, if I cultivate this way, my gains will surely be immense... Speaking of which, Mind Reading really is a Divine Skill... ’