The True Meaning of Dripping

“I can’t keep running. If I run any further, my Crimsonbright divine power will be completely exhausted. Once my divine power is gone, I’ll be dead for sure, without even the strength to struggle.” Ji Ning came to a sudden halt, then turned to look at the nine ugly giants who were chasing him, now furious. The giants all held stone clubs and charged forward on their huge feet.

“Finally stopped running.”

“Human, your divine power is almost gone, right?”

“Trying to outrun us? We could keep going for days without tiring.” The nine ugly giants practically wanted to devour the human before them.

Ji Ning stood calmly, a sword in each hand.

Facing life and death, his mind became utterly empty. He cast aside all other thoughts in that moment, focusing only on this battle.

“Hmph.” Just as the nine ugly giants charged before him, Ji Ning surged forward. The three fire lotus petals and three water lotus petals around his body spun and churned. As soon as the alien giants got close, their bodies wobbled, unable to form an encirclement.

Ji Ning’s sword moved.

The sword was like fire!

Slashing wildly!

“Haha, your sword is too weak.”

“Too weak.” The ugly giants didn’t care at all. Even when Ji Ning’s sword pierced through the dense black light, it only left a faint scratch on their faces.

Ji Ning remained calm. He was simply giving his all.

“Not much divine power left.” Sensing his reserves, Ji Ning gritted his teeth and suddenly leaped upward like a great Roc soaring into the sky.

Whoosh!

The corridor was a hundred zhang tall. Ji Ning leapt to that height, and as he rose, a pair of ancient Dao talismans appeared in his hands—one a Lightness Talisman, the other an Agility Talisman. His innate true ki surged into both talismans, and two streams of strange power immediately flooded into his body.

“One final sword!” When Ji Ning touched the ceiling of the corridor, he kicked off with both feet, unleashing all his power.

Plunging downward!

Fast!

Using the rebound from kicking the ceiling, the terrifying speed of the Windwing Evasion technique itself, the acceleration of gravity, and the extra speed granted by the Lightness and Agility Talismans—at this moment, Ji Ning’s downward speed reached an inconceivable level, swift as a streak of light!

Speed was power. When speed reached its extreme, the power of the sword naturally increased.

“Dripping water—the meaning is that water drops wear through stone. A drop can form a thread, a trickle, a river, even an ocean.” As Ji Ning executed the killing move of the Dripping Sutra—‘Dripping Water Pierces Stone’—while diving down, a scene from his childhood flashed through his mind: his father Ji Yichuan demonstrating sword techniques before him. His father had performed the Dripping Nine Swords three times in front of him.

At this moment, with a death-defying resolve, Ji Ning suddenly understood.

His father’s demonstrations had been slow. He started with ‘Dripping Water Pierces Stone’, then moved to ‘Silk Rain Forms Threads’, ‘Running Water Never Stales’, ‘Running Water Is Merciless’, and then returned to ‘Dripping Water Pierces Stone’.

Then he turned to ‘Drizzling Rain’, ‘Rainstorm Like a Curtain’, ‘Connected Curtains of Water’, and finally returned to ‘Dripping Water Pierces Stone’.

Then he turned to ‘Endless Flowing Waters’, ‘Not a Single Leak’, and finally returned to ‘Dripping Water Pierces Stone’!

“Dripping Water Pierces Stone is the strongest move. And also the weakest. The wonder of the Dripping Sutra is endless, infinite—one can spend a lifetime comprehending it. Remember… water drops wear through stone.” Ji Ning had thought he understood when his father said those words.

But after a night of enlightenment, after hovering between life and death several times, Ji Ning now truly grasped his father’s intentions.

“This is the move.”

“Drip!”

Diving at high speed, Ji Ning held his twin swords. With one sword, he diverted the stone club of the ugly giant, causing it to smash into the ground. His right sword thrust directly toward the giant’s head. With the club already deflected, the giant couldn’t block in time, but it still wasn’t afraid: “You can’t hurt me.”

“Pierce stone!” Ji Ning’s eyes were calm, fixed on that ugly head.

Chi!

A sword like water, like a heavy water drop falling on stone. Pa! The sword pierced through the dense black light, driving deep into the ugly giant’s head, even into its abdomen. The terrifying power of heaven and earth contained within exploded. With no internal defenses, the giant’s body burst with a bang, turning into a pool of black water. The armor and stone club fell to the ground.

“Collect.” Ji Ning immediately stored the Dao-Soldier Armor and stone club into his storage treasure.

The pool of black water quickly congealed and reformed into the alien giant, who cried out in shock: “How is that possible? How?”

“Nothing is impossible.” Ji Ning was completely relieved. He understood that these nine alien giants could no longer stop him.

“Die.”

With just the Water-Fire Lotus, Ji Ning quickly crushed this giant back into a pool of black water. Without the protection of Dao-Soldier Armor, the alien giant couldn’t withstand the grinding of his Water-Fire Lotus.

“The eight of you, die too.” Ji Ning turned into a blur, flashing again and again.

Only when nine sets of Dao-Soldier Armor are assembled can they unite. Now the alien giants couldn’t unite, and against Ji Ning’s greatly improved sword technique, they had no escape. One by one, they were slain. Their Dao-Soldier Armor and stone clubs were all collected by Ji Ning into his storage treasure.

“Die.”

Ji Ning stood still, relying only on his Sunstar and Taiyin divine patterns to control the six pairs of Water-Fire Lotuses, grinding the nine alien giants into black water again and again. Even as they reformed, he crushed them again.

After just a few grinds, the nine alien giants finally dispersed completely, unable to reform.

The mist at both ends of the corridor gradually dissipated.

“Father.” Ji Ning murmured to himself.

Although he had spent the previous night in enlightenment, gaining a trace of true meaning in water, fire, and wind, insight and application were two different things. Before, Ji Ning only knew the ‘Water-Fire Lotus’ technique, which was mainly defensive and not suited for offense.

But just now, relying on his foundation and his father’s guidance, in the moment between life and death, he had finally comprehended the ultimate true meaning of the Dripping Sutra—the True Meaning of Dripping.

By the division of realms…

Above Unity of Man and Heaven lay the True Meaning of the Dao.

“The essence of the True Meaning of Dripping lies in the single drop.” Ji Ning marveled. “A drop of water is the foundation. When many drops gather, they form a thread—that is ‘Silk Rain Forms Threads’. When even more drops gather, they naturally begin to flow and gain vitality—that is ‘Running Water Never Stales’. And when the water surges, unstoppable by anyone—that is ‘Running Water Is Merciless’. Yet all these endless drops, gathered together, can still be called a single drop.”

“Dripping Water Pierces Stone is the strongest move of the Dripping Sutra, and also the weakest.” Ji Ning smiled. “In defense as well, ‘Drizzling Rain’, ‘Rainstorm Like a Curtain’, ‘Connected Curtains of Water’—all converge into ‘Dripping Water Pierces Stone’. And ‘Endless Flowing Waters’, ‘Not a Single Leak’—they too converge into ‘Dripping Water Pierces Stone’.”

“The True Meaning of Dripping…”

“Lies in endless cycles.” Ji Ning sighed. “No wonder father said the Dripping Sutra could consume a lifetime.”

There was no doubt—his father had long since comprehended the True Meaning of Dripping.

Knowing that the Dripping Sutra could endlessly cycle and elevate, yet still dedicating a lifetime to it.

Strictly speaking…

Once one comprehended the True Meaning of Dripping, the Dripping Sutra itself became useless. Perhaps the ancient senior who created the Dripping Sutra had only reached the level of True Meaning of Dripping, and by chance created these nine endlessly cycling moves. Or perhaps some mighty Fiendgod or Immortal deliberately created such a sword art that could endlessly cycle and improve.

“Water drops wear through stone, water drops wear through stone.” Ji Ning murmured to himself, then closed his eyes to rest. The previous battle had exhausted him.

…

After resting, eating, drinking his fill, and recovering his divine power, Ji Ning began to refine his True Meaning of Dripping. Once one comprehends the True Meaning of Dripping, one can train a single drop into a thread and execute ‘Silk Rain Forms Threads’—a move whose power would be even greater than ‘Dripping Water Pierces Stone’.

Time passed.

Ji Ning ate and drank. Fortunately, the storage treasures of the crystal and Tie Muzhan contained some food. What he needed most now was time—the longer he had, the greater his chance if the Crimsonbright Diagram could advance by one level, or if his sword technique could become stronger.

Ji Ning understood…

He had only passed the first trial thanks to the Water-Fire Lotus. He had been pushed to his limit in the second trial, only breaking through by comprehending the True Meaning of Dripping. Given the increasing difficulty, the third trial would surely be terrifying. Celestial Immortal Juhua was openly taking disciples; the difficulty of the third trial was entirely imaginable.

…

By Winged Serpent Lake.

Ji Yichuan and Yuchi Snow had temporarily settled by the lake shore. They waited silently for their son’s return. But as days passed, their anxiety grew. The longer it dragged on, the lower their son’s chance of survival.

“Cough, cough.” Yuchi Snow coughed.

“Take it easy, take it easy.” Ji Yichuan watched his wife’s condition worsen rapidly over the past month, his heart aching.

“I want to take it easy, but…” Yuchi Snow gazed at the endless waters of Winged Serpent Lake, sighing. “But Ning’er, Ning’er… it’s been over a month. Why hasn’t he come out? Why?”

For Yuchi Snow, her son was her entire world.

“Our son will definitely come back. He will. You know you left a root of illness when you were pregnant with Ning’er—you can’t get angry or anxious. Take care of your body.” Ji Yichuan was also burning with worry. He was anxious about his son, but also concerned for his wife. Ever since that great battle on the way back from the North Sea…

Although the Whitewater Hound had risked its life to carry his gravely wounded wife to safety, and they were fortunate that the child was born alive, both mother and child had been left with lasting damage.

“Ji Ning.” Ji Yichuan also stared at the endless lake. “You have to come back alive.”

…

The endless corridor.

There was no sun or moon in the corridor, so time passed vaguely. His appetite was large, and the food stored in the crystal and in Tie Muzhan’s storage wasn’t much. After all, in the Yan Mountains, one could hunt anywhere, and the crystal space was limited—why would they store too much?

In just over a month, all the supplies were eaten clean.

“‘Endless Flowing Waters’ and ‘Silk Rain Forms Threads’—I’ve also merged the True Meaning of Dripping into them.” Ji Ning thought to himself. One defensive, one offensive—his strength had greatly improved. “After over a month of training, my divine power is also more abundant. This third trial is the final battle…”

Ji Ning understood the terror and danger of the final trial.

He also understood that if he passed, he would live.

But if he failed, he would die.

“Life or death—this is it.”

“If I die, I’ll probably go to the Netherworld. This time, I probably won’t be lucky enough to avoid Meng Po’s soup. If I drink it, I won’t be me anymore.” Ji Ning had a vague feeling—a subconscious intuition born of his strengthened soul—that something incredibly terrifying awaited him, like an enormous calamity.

“Let life and death be decided.”

Ji Ning grasped his two Northsea swords and walked to the corridor on the other side of the bend. On the ground lay three not-yet-completely-rotted corpses, along with scattered magic treasures.

Ji Ning swept them up with his divine sense, calmly refining them. A look inside showed thousands of treasures in the storage treasure—all easily refined, all truly low-grade. Still, such a terrifying quantity was an unimaginable fortune. But Ji Ning remained calm, because… if he died, what use would any of it be?

“Finally here.” A hoarse voice sounded, speaking the common human language of the Grand Xia Dynasty.

Ji Ning immediately looked.

From the distant black mist, a figure emerged. He had a hunched body, greenish eyes, and black fur all over. He seemed to walk slowly, but each step covered dozens of zhang. “Pity. You are too weak.”

Hua!

He appeared before Ji Ning in an instant. A gray, oversized palm like a winnowing fan, thick with deathly aura, slapped directly at Ji Ning. The simple slap was so fast that Ji Ning couldn’t dodge; he could only use his twin swords to execute the defensive technique ‘Endless Flowing Waters’, which also contained the True Meaning of Dripping.

“Bang!” Ji Ning was sent flying, his arms instantly numb with sharp pain.

“No—” Ji Ning tried to hold onto his Northsea swords. If the swords flew away, what use were his sword arts? But his fingers were completely numb and senseless. With a whoosh, his broken fingers and the two Northsea swords flew off into the distance, clattering against the far corridor wall.

Ji Ning’s skin split everywhere, spraying blood mist. Both hands had lost their fingers. He flew through a cloud of blood and crashed onto the ground in the distance.

**

End of this volume.