Chapter 122: Chaotic Dance [Sword Technique]

Zhao Ming trembled all over, his eyes wide open in utter astonishment, staring blankly at Cheng Ling without moving an inch.

Cheng Ling’s voice turned stern as she repeated:

"Use the iron sword in your hand to attack me! Quick!!"

Zhang Feng and the other soldiers were dumbfounded. Neither Zhao Ming’s abnormal reaction nor Cheng Ling’s command made any sense to them. The players lingering around the periphery of the parade ground stood frozen like statues. Meanwhile, Cheng Yuan and the official had both risen from their chairs, staring fixedly at the scene.

Given Cheng Ling’s level and martial prowess, she was hardly someone Zhao Ming could easily injure. Cheng Yuan and the official simply could not comprehend what Cheng Ling was trying to achieve.

Due to the distance, those on the second floor of the village town hall could not hear what Cheng Ling had said to Zhao Ming. Ruo Yan watched in perplexity for a moment before lowering her voice to ask Li Zhan:

"What are they doing?"

Li Zhan was concentrating intently on the spectacle. Hearing Ruo Yan’s question, he shook his head slightly and said:

"Watch closely. Prepare yourselves to handle any sudden developments. Don't be surprised even if Zhao Ming turns into Ultraman a moment from now."

Ruo Yan pouted, looking at Li Zhan who remained entirely focused on the parade ground. Suppressing the strong urge to give him a sharp flick on the forehead, she turned her gaze back to the drill square.

By now, Zhao Ming resembled a trapped beast. His whole-body tremors had worsened significantly, bulging veins thrummed beneath his skin, and bloodshot veins spread through his eyes, making him look exceptionally fierce and distorted. Unlike the utter astonishment written on the faces of Zhang Feng and the soldiers, Cheng Ling maintained a calm expression as she watched Zhao Ming's sudden mutation, once again raising her voice sharply: "Zhao Ming, use the iron sword in your hand to attack me! Hurry!!"

With that, Cheng Ling stepped back a pace, swung the steel spear in her hand, and pointed it straight at Zhao Ming's throat. Almost like a conditioned reflex, Zhao Ming let out a sudden, explosive roar, hoisted his sword with both hands, and knocked aside Cheng Ling's spear. Under the astonished gazes of everyone present, he lunged frantically toward Cheng Ling with his iron sword raised.

Cheng Ling withdrew her spear and retreated step by step under Zhao Ming’s relentless and pressing assaults. As she backed away, she shouted at the frantic Zhao Ming, who was hacking wildly at her:

"Activate your skill!"

Zhao Ming paused slightly and hurriedly activated his brawling and swordsmanship skills. Knowing that he could not possibly harm the "scholar," he held nothing back with every frantic stroke of his iron sword. He could not understand why an inexplicable, scorching current surged within his body, burning him like an inner fire, driving him to the brink of madness.

Even after activating his skills, Zhao Ming's offense remained chaotic. The iron sword slashed and chopped wildly, seemingly beyond his control. While inwardly shaking her head, Cheng Ling realized that Zhao Ming needed someone to guide him, to corral his iron sword into the specific routines of the wild dance skill—much like holding a young child's hand to teach them how to write.

However, Cheng Ling lacked even a shred of confidence in her own ability to pull this off. If her guidance went awry, she would only push Zhao Ming faster into the abyss of cultivation deviation and madness. Yet, if left unguided and allowed to drag on like this, Zhao Ming would ultimately lose control entirely and become a raving madman.

Biting her lip, Cheng Ling cursed herself inwardly for ever demonstrating this wild-dance spearmanship in the first place. Had she known this would happen, she could have simply lowered her head and apologized to Li Zhan, and none of these complications would have arisen. She also blamed Zhao Ming; his comprehension was bizarrely unique, practically tailor-made for the wild dance skill. Merely watching her demonstrate forms one through nine had nearly driven him to deviation, whereas when she herself had first learned the skill from her mentor, it had taken her a full half-year, even then drawing constant praise for her extraordinary talent. If her master were to see this Zhao Ming now, he would likely regard him as a divine being.

There was no time for further hesitation. Cheng Ling decided to take a gamble—guiding Zhao Ming offered a glimmer of hope; if things continued down this path, Zhao Ming was completely finished.

With that thought flashing through her mind, Cheng Ling executed the "Wind Shadow" skill of the wild-dance spearmanship, drastically boosting her speed. She stepped back a large stride to put a two-meter distance between herself and Zhao Ming, flipped her right hand holding the steel spear, and fixed her eyes on the iron sword hacking toward her. Using the tip of her spear to press, deflect, parry, or thrust, she guided Zhao Ming's movements to align with the choreography of the wild dance skill.

Steel spear and iron sword collided, showering the air with sparks. Under Cheng Ling's guidance, Zhao Ming's wild, repeated swings of the iron sword were consistently suppressed. Gradually, Zhao Ming felt the nameless inner fire raging hotter and fiercer within him, burning as if he were about to explode. A surge of heat coursed rapidly through his entire body, flooding his limbs and bones. He felt as though not only the iron sword, but his very body no longer belonged to him—it was as if his physical form were being commandeered by this torrent of heat, which in turn manipulated the iron sword to evade Cheng Ling's suppression and press forward with its attacks.

The steel spear in Cheng Ling's hands ceased its suppression. To her pleasant surprise, under her guidance, Zhao Ming's moves were indeed flowing in accordance with the wild-dance routine. Beneath her astonished gaze, the iron sword in Zhao Ming's hand batted away her steel spear, and with a sudden bound forward, he closed the distance. Wielding his iron sword in a flurry, multiple flashes of cold light enveloped Cheng Ling as the blade danced up and down.

Cheng Ling did not dodge. She knew this was the most critical moment; she had to allow Zhao Ming to strike her. Otherwise, if this form of the wild dance skill failed to land, Zhao Ming would revert to his madness, rendering all her prior guidance completely futile.

"Thud! Thud! Thud!" Three consecutive sword strikes landed instantly on Cheng Ling's shoulders and chest. At the same time, Zhao Ming froze, beads of sweat covering his forehead as he stared in disbelief at the iron sword resting against Cheng Ling's body. He hastily pulled back his sword, intending to beg for forgiveness, but noticed that Cheng Ling's scholar robe—loosely fitted and unfastened by the impact of his sword—had parted slightly at the corner, revealing a corner of a bright red bellyband underneath.

The sudden turn of events left Zhao Ming's mind entirely blank, driving away any thoughts of apologizing as his eyes remained fixed in sheer astonishment upon that vibrant red garment. (Scholar robes were relatively loose, and since Cheng Ling was not a man, she hadn't bothered to bind her chest with strips of cloth.)

While Cheng Ling was feeling a sense of relief and gratification for successfully guiding Zhao Ming out of his deviation, she saw him staring blankly at her chest with a stunned expression. She looked down instinctively, flushed bright red, and with a crisp "Crack!", swung her left hand to deliver a resounding slap across Zhao Ming's face.

Simultaneously, the system verified that Zhao Ming had met the comprehension requirements for his new skill. A wave of crimson light rose from the soles of his feet, rippling outward like water before enveloping his entire body amidst countless sparkling stardust particles that drifted downward like a bathing celestial being.

The system notification informed Zhao Ming that he had successfully learned the Wild Dance [Swordsmanship] skill. However, this notification could only be heard by Zhao Ming himself.

Because of the distance, the players outside the drill ground and the soldiers behind Zhao Ming had not witnessed Cheng Ling's accidental exposure; they only saw Zhao Ming take a resounding slap, immediately followed by a shroud of red light washing over him. The onlookers muttered in amazement, wondering what sort of miraculous skill Cheng Ling had used to produce such a bizarre effect. For a moment, the perimeter of the parade ground was abuzz with animated discussion and speculation.

Stunned by the slap and jolted back to reality by the system prompt, Zhao Ming hurriedly retrieved his iron sword, bowed, and offered apologies to Cheng Ling. Cheng Ling withdrew the left hand she had used to strike him, covered her chest with it, held her steel spear in her right hand, snorted coldly, and bypassed the bowing Zhao Ming, walking straight out of the parade ground.

Cheng Yuan hurried over to meet his daughter, asking with a bewildered expression:

"Ling... ahem, what on earth made you strike that soldier just now? And what was that red light that burst out of him right after you hit him?"

Resentfully, Cheng Ling snapped:

"He deserved to be hit!"

With that, she brushed past the players blocking her path and hurried back to the inn. Cheng Yuan and the official exchanged a puzzled look, shook their heads in bewilderment, and followed her toward the inn.

Up on the second floor of the village town hall, Li Zhan leaned against the windowsill. Seeing the red light enveloping Zhao Ming, he struck the window frame excitedly, startling Ruo Yan as he exclaimed:

"Some miraculous change must have happened to Zhao Ming! Let's go take a look."

With that, he grabbed Ruo Yan and started toward the door. Ruo Yan yanked her hand away from his grip and retorted:

"No matter what miraculous change he undergoes, he's still just a soldier and will never make clothes. If you want to see, go yourself. I have zero interest."

Li Zhan shook his head helplessly. Ruo Yan possessed not a shred of interest in military affairs; her attention was entirely monopolized by civil administration and garment design. Much like right now—having just finished watching Cheng Ling's wild-dance spearmanship, Ruo Yan had already dived back into designing her clothing lines.

When Li Zhan arrived at the parade ground, the players had mostly dispersed. Zhang Feng and the other soldiers were crowded around Zhao Ming, firing questions at him left and right, while Zhao Ming answered their inquiries mechanically with a somewhat dazed expression on his face.

Seeing Li Zhan approach, the soldiers promptly greeted him, and Zhao Ming snapped back to attention, offering a respectful bow as well. Li Zhan nodded, turned to Zhao Ming, and asked:

"Zhao Ming, what was that all about just now? Why did a red light suddenly erupt from you?"

Before Zhao Ming could answer, a nearby swordsman chimed in cheerfully:

"Town Mayor, our squad leader has learned the Wild Dance skill! It's truly a joyous occasion!"

Hearing this, Li Zhan was filled with astonishment. Although he had speculated beforehand that Zhao Ming might have acquired some skill, he never imagined it would be the Wild Dance—a specialized NPC skill falling just a hair short of a Hero skill. Moreover, because the Wild Dance possessed an immense repertoire of moves (thirteen forms), anyone who mastered it fluently and understood its auxiliary principles could easily rival Hero skills, and might even surpass certain ones. Zhao Ming's acquisition of the Wild Dance marked his stepping threshold into the ranks of specialized NPCs.

Suppressing his surprise, Li Zhan promptly checked Zhao Ming's attributes:

Soldier [Male]
Name: Zhao Ming
Civilization: China [Yanhuang Tribe]
Title or Position: Swordsman, Squad Leader
Level: 10
Training: 95
Morale: 85

Attributes:
----Potential: +8
Physique: 149 [+14]
Strength: 164 [+15]
Intelligence: 83 [+8]
Agility: 19 [+11]
Fame: 3

----Command: 8
Attack: 14 + 7 (Standard Iron Sword +7 Attack)
Defense: Armor 6 + 2 (Clothing bonus +2 Defense) / Shield 0 + 0
Speed: 4

Skills:
----Intermediate Brawling 25% (Provides slight bonuses to personal attack and defense)
----Beginner Swordsmanship 22% (Provides bonuses to sword-type weapons: Attack +5, Accuracy +5, Speed +2)
----Wild Dance [Swordsmanship] (All attribute upgrade growths +1, Fame +3, Level cap increased by 30 levels.)
1. Wild Dance Form One - Meteor Shower (Beginner) (Dense single-target attack. After closing in on the enemy, unleashes a dense barrage of sword strikes to overwhelm the opponent's defense and evasion, making counterattacks extremely difficult. Though damage output is relatively low, its greatest advantage is its extremely low spiritual energy consumption; when used flexibly alongside other skills, it can yield unexpected results.)

Having reviewed Zhao Ming's attributes, Li Zhan smiled, nodded, and gave Zhao Ming's shoulder a hearty pat. Suddenly remembering something, he asked:

"By the way, why did that scholar hit you earlier?"

Notes:
Level Cap: The ultimate class advancement for a swordsman is a Warrior. The maximum level cap for a swordsman is 60 levels. With the cap increased by 30 levels, it becomes 60 + 30 = 90 levels. The following two rules are excerpted from "Game Settings" for reference:
Player levels are uncapped. However, advancing past level 120 becomes exceptionally difficult. A legion battle involving hundreds of thousands of troops will yield less than ten percentage points of experience.
Heroes can generally reach level 90, with a very small minority reaching level 100. Skills generally cap at Expert level, while certain specialized skills can reach Legendary level (Master level and above).