The benefits of Dao Rhyme: Vortex Dragon to Zhong Ming went far beyond a mere surge in his combat power.

When his consciousness was attached to the Sword Seed, Zhong Ming’s realm would be elevated by an entire level. By using this transcendent state to practice other Magic Techniques—whether it was Longxi Swordsmanship, Spirit Stream Finger’s Jie Technique, or Wave-Surging Dragon Stream Step—Zhong Ming could grasp their profound mysteries. His progress was astonishingly fast.

For this reason, after returning from the Golden Jade Tower, Zhong Ming dedicated all his time to honing and cultivating his Magic Techniques and Swordsmanship.

He wanted to grind all of his Cultivation Techniques to the Proficiency stage of the Fourth Realm before the end of the month. Then, by using the overlapping resonance of his various Rhythms of Life, he hoped to comprehend a third Dao Rhyme.

—Although Zhong Ming was already confident he could take first place in the Seven Peaks Grand Competition, if he could improve even further, he certainly wouldn’t pass up the chance.

And while Zhong Ming cultivated, all related trivial matters were naturally left for Yi Yunya to handle.

Even the decision of whether to accept the Jin and Qin Families’ gestures of goodwill was left entirely to her.

To Zhong Ming’s surprise, Yi Yunya ultimately chose not to reject the overtures from the Jin and Qin Families.

When she returned from the Golden Jade Tower, the retinue of attendants behind her had more than doubled in size.

Furthermore, the people following her were all slender, beautiful young women, and among them were quite a few from the Jin and Qin families.

This scene surprised Zhong Ming, and he asked, "The Jin and Qin Families, aren’t they your Yi Family’s rivals at the Golden Jade Tower? Is it really a good idea to let them join us?"

At his words, Yi Yunya’s eyes shimmered. She smiled elegantly, then said without hesitation, "The Jin and Qin Families are rivals to the Yi Family, not to you, Master. Rejecting their goodwill would only make them hostile toward you."

"That wouldn’t be good."

"The Yi Family can deal with its own enemies."

"I am your person now, Master. In all things, I will always prioritize your interests."

Yi Yunya was no fool. She knew very well the reason for her current prestige.

’Senior Brother relies on me; that’s why I’m the leader of the Yi Family’s new generation. If he were to cast me aside, I’d become just another unremarkable face among the dozens of Yi Family disciples.’

’And my sisters would have absolutely no qualms about replacing me the moment I make a mistake.’

Clearly understanding her situation, Yi Yunya was unwilling to defy Zhong Ming or do anything to displease him.

Although she knew Zhong Ming valued loyalty and that her accepting the offers wouldn’t cause him to discard her, Yi Yunya was unwilling to take even the slightest risk.

...

People aren’t made of stone. Yi Yunya’s attitude of always siding with him truly warmed Zhong Ming’s heart.

He now asked with some concern, "Won’t your family blame you for doing this?"

In fact, when Yi Yunya had accepted the goodwill of the Dong and Qin families, some of the family elders had already come forward, accusing her of "disregarding the bigger picture" and the like.

However, Yi Yunya was no pushover. She only appeared meek and gentle in front of Zhong Ming.

Facing her accusers, Yi Yunya had retorted forcefully.

"The bigger picture? Heh. You’ve all witnessed Senior Brother’s Talent. Securing my primary position by his side—*that* is the most important matter for the Yi Family right now."

"Right now, *I* am the bigger picture!"

Of course, Yi Yunya would never reveal this side of herself, this somewhat domineering attitude, in front of Zhong Ming.

In response to Zhong Ming’s words of concern, she simply clenched her delicate fists. Looking aggrieved yet resolute, she said, "Enduring a little unfairness for Senior Brother’s sake is nothing."

"..."

After this, Zhong Ming’s trust in Yi Yunya deepened.

He then dedicated all of his time to cultivation.

Like an Ascetic Monk, Zhong Ming practiced his sword by day, and he practiced his sword by night.

And with the Heaven Rewards Diligence panel, he could watch the progress bars of his Cultivation Techniques grow bit by bit, which filled his daily training with endless motivation.

[You have practiced Wave-Surging Dragon Stream Step. Cultivation Technique progress +1]

[You have practiced Spirit Stream Finger’s Jie Technique. Cultivation Technique progress +1]

[You have...]

’As long as the grind doesn’t kill me, I’ll grind myself to death.’

Embracing this philosophy, Zhong Ming’s cultivation was so intense that he lost all track of time.

However, Zhong Ming’s intense cultivation left the pair of twin girls from the Dong Family and the enchanting, direct-line daughter of the Qin Family feeling rather helpless.

They had come with the intention of competing with Yi Yunya, but after arriving, they discovered there was no opportunity at all to enact their schemes or vie for his favor.

Forget getting close to Zhong Ming; they couldn’t even find an opportunity to say a single word to him.

Zhong Ming, completely absorbed in his cultivation, had neither the interest nor the time to pay them any attention.

To their even greater exasperation, when they reported this back to their families...

...their families didn’t give up on Zhong Ming. On the contrary, they prepared to double down on their investment.

"He’s training relentlessly every single day, without a moment’s rest?!" After hearing the report, Dong Jinhai was stunned for a moment before sighing in admiration. "...Zhong Ming is truly destined to become one of the greats!"

Qin Rou was also full of praise for Zhong Ming’s perseverance. "It’s not surprising for the mediocre, who have nothing, to throw themselves into bitter cultivation. But to possess such superior perception and Talent, yet remain completely free of arrogance and complacency... Longxi Peak has truly produced a hidden dragon."

Zhong Ming ignored the praise of others and all other distractions, simply keeping his head down and continuing his bitter training.

And so, time quietly slipped by as Zhong Ming cultivated...

One morning, as the Sun began its ascent, its light spilled across the land, and all living things began to stir.

At this unique moment, Zhong Ming was seated atop a blue-green boulder. With his Mind Reading active, he silently observed and immersed himself in the growth, vitality, and reawakening of the world...

Just as his entire being merged with nature, a gentle voice suddenly sounded from beside him:

"Senior Brother."

The sudden voice made Zhong Ming frown. Turning to look, he saw it was Yi Yunya, the one he relied on most.

This, however, only made his frown deepen.

"Why are you looking for me at a time like this? Has something happened?"

She knew his cultivation habits. Ordinarily, she would never dream of disturbing him while he was training.

This time, however, there was indeed a reason:

"It’s not me who’s looking for you, Senior Brother. It’s First Senior Sister."

"First Senior Sister? What does she want with me?"

Seeing Zhong Ming’s genuine confusion, Yi Yunya sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead.

"Senior Brother, you’ve been training so hard you’ve lost track of time... The Seven Peaks Grand Competition is the day after tomorrow. Today, the sect has organized a gathering, and First Senior Sister came by to tell all of us A-Class Disciples to attend."

"And at the gathering, the sect will also announce the specific assessment method for the Seven Peaks Grand Competition."

"..."

Her words finally brought the situation into focus for Zhong Ming, pulling him out of his state of single-minded training where he had shut out the entire world.

’It’s already been seven days since I fused with Dao Rhyme: Vortex Dragon!’

With a sigh, Zhong Ming immediately stood up from the boulder and followed Yi Yunya toward the sect’s main hall.

While Zhong Ming was heading over, Mo Shuying had already arrived at the Profound Secret Hall, bringing the aloof Xue Yao with her.

Just as the Four Great Heavenly Kings often turn out to be five, the Seven Profound Sect had a Xuankong Mountain in addition to its Seven Peaks.

This was the place where the Sect Leader of the Seven Profound Sect lived and cultivated.

Unlike ordinary peaks, Xuankong Mountain was true to its name; it was not a mountain that stood upon the earth, but a mountain-shaped Magical Treasure that could float and move through the sky.

Normally, it floated high among the clouds, both demonstrating the Sect Leader’s supreme status and shouldering the crucial duty of warning against and deterring outside threats.

But today, Xuankong Mountain had descended to the ground, and the lead disciple from each of the Seven Peaks had brought their A-Class and B-level Rating disciples to attend the gathering.

Among them, the A-Class Disciples could enter the Profound Secret Hall, while the B-Class Disciples could only wait outside.

Mo Shuying of Longxi Peak led Xue Yao and Zhuang Yi into the great hall.

—Her arriving early wasn’t because she didn’t want to wait for Zhong Ming.

When she had gone to fetch Zhong Ming, she had intended to bring him with her.

However, Yi Yunya knew that her Senior Brother hated being disturbed during his cultivation, so she had stopped Mo Shuying and prevented her from going to him.

In the end, only when time was running out and she had no other choice did Yi Yunya finally wake Zhong Ming.

But while Yi Yunya could afford to be patient, Mo Shuying, who was unaware of Zhong Ming’s circumstances, was not.

Sensing that Yi Yunya genuinely cared for Zhong Ming, she had entrusted him to her and come on ahead with Xue Yao.

By arriving early, she also intended to find some allies for Xue Yao.

The hall was abuzz with voices.

Although only prodigies with an A-level Rating were allowed entry, the Profound Secret Hall was still quite crowded, as it included disciples from all Seven Peaks.

But as she looked at the head disciples from the other peaks, each with seven or eight A-level disciples in their group—some peaks even having more than ten—while she herself had only brought a mere two people, a sense of desolate sorrow welled up in Mo Shuying’s heart.

’Longxi Peak... it really has fallen into decline after all...’

Just as she was wallowing in her sorrow, a low, hoarse voice spoke up from her side.

"Junior Sister Mo, you’re here too."

The sudden voice made Mo Shuying turn her head, where she saw a burly man with a terrifying scar across his face.

Seeing him, Mo Shuying’s mood inexplicably lifted.

With the advent of Demons and Evil Spirits, Longxi Peak, which specialized in Sword Cultivation, had fallen into decline. But if you had to say which peak in the entire Seven Profound Sect was in the worst situation, it would have to be Bright Stone Peak.

Compared to Sword Cultivators, the Body Forging of Body Cultivators required far more medicinal resources and all manner of extreme training just to unlock the body’s Divine Treasures.

In the past, this was manageable. Despite the various drawbacks, Body Cultivators had one incredibly powerful advantage: they were hard to kill!

The Undying Body, regeneration from a single drop of blood—most of these were the Divine Techniques of Body Cultivators.

Unfortunately, the arrival of Demons and Evil Spirits changed everything.

The bizarre power of the Evil Spirits was too strange and tenacious. Once tainted by it, it clung like maggots to bone, impossible to expel.

In that situation, it didn’t matter how strong one’s Recovery Power was.

Not to mention, the abundant qi and blood of Body Cultivators were coveted by those very same demons and evil spirits.

If the Seven Profound Sect still had any thoughts of supporting Sword Cultivators, then Body Cultivators had been well and truly abandoned.

"Senior Brother Du, are you here to propose an alliance with our Longxi Peak?" Mo Shuying, knowing his personality, got straight to the point.

Du Gang didn’t deny it, simply nodding. "Yes. Within the Seven Profound Sect, our two peaks are brothers in misfortune. In circumstances like these, we must unite if we want to..."

He seemed to want to say more, but before he could finish, he was cut off by a voice thick with resentment:

"Senior Brother Du, why waste your breath? Longxi Peak is nothing like us. They’re far too proud... so focused on restoring the glory of their peak that they wouldn’t even deign to consider an alliance with our Cuixiang Mountain."

The sudden voice made both Du Gang and Mo Shuying turn to look. They saw that the speaker was the First Senior Sister of Cuixiang Mountain, Ning Yunlu.

When Ning Yunlu accused Longxi Peak of being "arrogant," Mo Shuying initially felt a surge of anger.

’We’ve already fallen this far, and you’re still here slandering us.’

But she quickly realized something was off. The pretty First Senior Sister of Cuixiang Mountain, Ning Yunlu, was standing there with a look of pure indignation, her resentment seemingly even deeper than Mo Shuying’s own.

Furthermore, her final words left Mo Shuying completely bewildered.

’What’s this about Cuixiang Mountain seeking an alliance with us and us turning you down?’