Of the various abilities derived from Reading, Calm Heart was easy to understand.
Reading calmed the heart; that was nothing strange.
As for Scholarly Aura... when one read enough books, a special kind of disposition would naturally follow.
Because the first three realms could be achieved through hard practice, and Reading wasn't an extraordinary skill, these first two traits weren't very strong.
But the third skill was different. Mind Reading came from the saying, "Read a book a hundred times, and its meaning will reveal itself."
Its effect was also simple and clear: by activating this trait, Zhong Ming could easily grasp the principles within a book when he read it.
And now, feeling that he hadn't had enough, Zhong Ming aimed his Mind Reading at the [Mountain Stream Flowing Map] that his Eldest Senior Sister had taken out, and began to decipher its true meaning and rhyme.
HUM...
The moment the ability activated, Zhong Ming had the strange sensation that his head was either being stimulated by an electric current or had been lubricated with oil.
His brain operated at extreme speeds, causing countless inspirations to erupt in Zhong Ming's mind like a display of fiery trees and silver flowers.
At the same time, he also felt the illusion of having broken his own limits. His mind was exceptionally clear.
'Right now, I can decipher anything!'
HUM...
In this special state, when Zhong Ming looked again at the True Intent Map that recorded the Longxi Breathing Method, he found that what entered his sight was no longer a stream flowing through the mountains.
SPLASH...
ROAR!
The stream flowed faster and faster, more and more fiercely, until finally, the flowing stream transformed into—a Flood Dragon!
An ink-black Flood Dragon, flowing at extreme speed.
And the source of the stream had become the location of a Dragon Pearl.
What made Zhong Ming's pupils shrink even more was that this Flood Dragon seemed to have come alive. It stared right at where Zhong Ming was and met his gaze.
BOOM!
The instant their eyes met, countless streams of information rushed into Zhong Ming's mind like a flood from an opened sluice gate, washing over him incessantly.
...
Thanks to the miraculous nature of the True Intent Map, after the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, everyone had committed the Mountain Stream Flowing Map to memory.
At this moment, some continued to watch, hoping to comprehend more from it.
Others closed their eyes and began to cultivate, wanting to seize the moment to advance their cultivation.
Meanwhile, others were conversing.
Jiang Xiaoyu, who had a somewhat spoiled and headstrong personality, was complaining to her brother, "Brother, why did you invite Zhong Ming?"
Rubbing his temples with a headache, Jiang Yue replied helplessly, "Why else? For the Inner Sect Disciple spots, of course."
"The A and B Ratings just let us cultivate for an extra year or two. Only by entering the Inner Sect, or even becoming a True Disciple, will we be truly safe."
"But on Longxi Peak, or rather, in the entire Seven Profound Sect, spots for Inner Sect Disciples are extremely rare. Even with A and B ratings, we're only given a chance. To actually become an Inner Sect Disciple, there are still numerous trials."
"These trials test you as an individual, but also as a team."
"Zhong Ming comes from a humble background, but to cultivate such a disposition from that kind of origin is something no Mortal could do. Pulling him onto our team will be a huge help to us."
"Fine, I get it..." Jiang Xiaoyu also found the Scholarly Aura on Zhong Ming quite pleasant, so she nodded, agreeing with her brother's decision to bring him over.
She even gave him permission to exchange some of their family's Cultivation Insights with Zhong Ming—just the ordinary ones, of course. They wouldn't give away their deepest secrets.
As she nodded in agreement, Jiang Xiaoyu glanced over at Zhong Ming.
But with just one look, her expression turned to shock, and she subconsciously asked Jiang Yue, "Brother, are you sure Zhong Ming is actually capable?"
"Of course..."
Before he could finish, Jiang Yue froze as well.
Turning his head, he saw Zhong Ming, who was looking at the Mountain Stream Flowing Map, his face pale and his body swaying as if he had suffered a grievous injury.
Such people were not an uncommon sight here.
Although the True Intent Map Mo Shuying had produced was profound and allowed people to memorize it quickly, forcefully stuffing that much information into one's mind would inevitably impact the Divine Soul of those with weaker spirits.
People like that basically had no future.
And this was what Jiang Yue didn't understand:
"This shouldn't be happening. With his disposition, no matter what, his Divine Soul shouldn't be so weak..."
...
Zhong Ming was unaware of the Jiang siblings' conversation, nor did he have the mind to care.
Activating the Mind Reading Skill was very draining on his Heart Spirit.
He had also comprehended some extraordinary things from the Mountain Stream Flowing Map, which had put an even greater strain on Zhong Ming's Divine Soul.
The only reason his face was merely pale was that Zhong Ming's Reading Skill had reached Minor Achievement, which had already enhanced his Divine Soul once before.
Of course, a bigger reason was that Zhong Ming had only received a small fraction of what the Mountain Stream Flowing Map contained, which was why his Divine Soul wasn't severely injured.
But instead of feeling relieved, Zhong Ming was filled with endless regret.
'What a pity. My Divine Soul is insufficient, so I couldn't fully glimpse the True Intent of the Mountain Stream Flowing Map... Fortunately, by joining Longxi Peak and becoming a disciple, I'll have another chance to view the True Intent Map.'
...
"Zhong Ming, don't scare me! Are you all right?"
"I'm fine."
Supported by Dong Sea, it was a long while before Zhong Ming's headache finally eased a little.
After reassuring Dong Sea, Zhong Ming looked at his own attribute panel.
'I may have suffered a bit, but my gains this time were also huge.'
[Zhong Ming]
[Cultivation Realm: Mortal]
[Reading: Fourth Realm Minor Achievement (151/13,600)]
[Longxi Breathing Technique: First Realm Initiation (13/800)]
[Skill Trait: Dragon Flood Dragon Dao Rhyme (Fragmented) (3.7%)]
'Dao Rhyme... this must be a trait gained after successfully cultivating the Longxi Breathing Method. I just don't know at which realm it's obtained. The Third Realm of Refinement? The Fourth Realm of Minor Achievement? Or maybe the Fifth Realm of Master?'
Because he didn't know much about Cultivation, Zhong Ming couldn't determine the level of the Dragon Flood Dragon Dao Rhyme. At the same time, he didn't have the leisure to slowly ponder it.
After the time it takes for a full incense stick to burn, Mo Shuying waved her hand, and the Mountain Stream Flowing Map floating in the air was put away by her.
"Time's up. You can go cultivate now... Oh, right. Besides the Cultivation Technique, you can also go to the Longxi Scripture Pavilion and use your Token to receive one free Magic Technique."
"Additionally, every morning, I will remain here for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. If you have any questions, you can ask me then."
"But remember, don't ask me any stupid questions... You can also ask now."
WHOOSH...
The moment Mo Shuying's voice fell, the crowd swarmed around her, and all sorts of questions were fired off one after another.
"Eldest Senior Sister, how does one enter the early stage of Qi Cultivation?"
"By perfectly nurturing and breaking through the Qi Sea Acupoint."
"I heard that raising your Cultivation Method Realm can speed up your cultivation. Is that true?"
"Yes."
"Eldest Senior Sister, is there a way to speed up the cultivation of the Longxi Breathing Technique without consuming Spirit Stones?"
"Yes."
That single word, "Yes," caused the entire scene to fall silent. Zhong Ming was no exception.
"So a method like that really exists."
At that moment, everyone stared eagerly at Mo Shuying, hoping she would provide an answer that was easy to accomplish.
And Mo Shuying, though proud, was also conscientious.
"Man follows the Earth, the Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows the Dao, and the Dao follows what is natural... We who cultivate do so by emulating the heavens, the earth, and nature. Many Daoist Skills were created by our predecessors after observing the wonders of the natural world."
"Take our Longxi Breathing Method, for example. It is related to streams and their sources. Witnessing streams and their sources up close is beneficial to practicing the cultivation technique."
SWISH...
With that explanation, the crowd hurriedly looked around, searching for streams and their sources.
And as they looked, the crowd discovered that they were at the end of a stream. Looking up, they could see quite a few sources.
But what made everyone frown slightly was that the best spots by the sources were mostly occupied by the lavishly dressed disciples from various families, as well as a few other quick-witted individuals.
"..."
This scene left Zhong Ming speechless as well.
"Having inside information really makes a difference."
"Also, the impact on my Divine Soul slowed my reactions. Otherwise, I should have been able to notice what those noble disciples were doing and occupied a spot by a source after them."