Chapter 50: The Flood Dragon

"I never expected Daoist Shen to wake up so early." Early the next morning, Jiang Yunyi caught sight of Shen Chang'an, who was already waiting outside.

Shen Chang'an had not slept a wink all night. He had spent the entire night comprehending the sword. After practicing for a whole night, Shen Chang'an felt no fatigue whatsoever; instead, he was brimming with energy.

Having enlightened himself in swordsmanship, he had taken advantage of the purple qi coming from the east at daybreak to practice diligently for a while.

After all this exertion, Shen Chang'an felt refreshed and clear-headed, and his cultivation had also improved tremendously.

"I have a habit of practicing early every morning," Shen Chang'an explained casually before asking, "What would Miss Jiang like for breakfast? After we eat, we can take a stroll together, buy a few things, and then we'll set off."

Jiang Yunyi nodded and replied, "Breakfast can be anything. I'll leave it to Daoist Shen's preference."

After giving it some thought, Shen Chang'an ordered two bowls of noodles topped with eggs and meat, which he and Jiang Yunyi shared.

Though there was no biological necessity for him to eat, Shen Chang'an was quite happy to indulge his palate.

Once they finished eating, the two of them went together to purchase supplies in the town.

In truth, the shopping was mainly for Jiang Yunyi's benefit. Shen Chang'an was accustomed to a carefree existence; he wouldn't starve easily, and if his clothes got dirty, he could simply slap on a Cleansing Talisman. As for sleeping, he carried a sleeping bag; as long as he found a random spot to shelter from the wind and rain, everything was fine.

For the sake of convenience, he could have just curled up under a tree to sleep just like before.

However, now that he had a companion, Shen Chang'an had to consider someone else's needs to some extent. Since she had generously handed over three meditation techniques, Shen Chang'an certainly couldn't nitpick over such minor details.

"Daoist Shen, what is this?"

"Uh, that's an umbrella. It's used to shield against the rain. Have you never seen one?"

"Never. I don't use such things on rainy days," Jiang Yunyi said with a mischievous smile.

Shen Chang'an was stunned. She was a dragon, after all; summoning wind and rain was her innate skill, so how could she possibly ever need an umbrella?

"Daoist Shen, and what is this?"

"Um... that's rouge and powder..."

"Daoist Shen, and what is that over there?"

"Ah, that's a handcart..."

"Daoist Shen, there are so many people over there! Let's go take a look too..."

"Hey, hey, hey, don't go over there! That's a pleasure house!"

Jiang Yunyi tugged at Shen Chang'an's hand, darting back and forth through the small town. She acted as if she had just stepped into the mortal world for the very first time, finding everything novel and fascinating, and endlessly bubbling with questions.

Dragged around in circles by her, Shen Chang'an finally managed to gather all the necessary items and said, "Miss Jiang, it's almost time for us to leave."

"Oh, I haven't seen enough yet..." Jiang Yunyi lowered her head, looking somewhat disappointed.

Unable to help a chuckle, Shen Chang'an said, "We will encounter many more towns ahead and see plenty of fresh sights. Why must Miss Jiang linger in a place like this?"

Hearing this, Jiang Yunyi's expression instantly brightened with excitement. She nodded and said, "Daoist Shen is right. Let's hurry and set off then!"

A moment ago she had been reluctant to leave, but the moment Shen Chang'an mentioned there were more unseen wonders ahead, Jiang Yunyi suddenly urged him to hurry on.

She was just like a child, possessed of boundless curiosity.

Shen Chang'an couldn't help but wonder what kind of life Jiang Yunyi had lived before, seeing as she seemed utterly oblivious to the outside world.

Yet Jiang Yunyi remained tight-lipped about her origins, leaving Shen Chang'an with no convenient way to probe deeper.

"Let's go."

The two mounted the horses they had just purchased and gently flicked the reins, sending the fine steeds galloping off swiftly.

Shen Chang'an had assumed Jiang Yunyi would be unable to control her mount, but to his surprise, the horse was completely docile toward her, showing not the slightest hint of resistance. By contrast, Shen Chang'an had to rely on pure brute force to keep his own horse in check and make it obey him.

With the horses aiding them, the pace of their journey quickened considerably.

By nightfall, having bypassed the very last village, they found themselves out in the desolate wilderness and had to prepare to camp in the open.

Shen Chang'an gathered some firewood, ignited it with a flint, and took out his prepared rations to hand to Jiang Yunyi.

As the day had passed, the two had communicated a great deal, and their bond had deepened somewhat.

Afterward, Jiang Yunyi inquired, "Daoist Shen, did you practice the technique I gave you last night?"

Shen Chang'an shook his head and replied, "I took a look at them, but those three techniques aren't quite suitable for me."

A troubled expression appeared on Jiang Yunyi's face as she said, "But I don't have any other cultivation methods suited for humans."

Waving his hand, Shen Chang'an said, "It's no matter. They are just cultivation techniques, nothing of great consequence."

It wasn't as though he couldn't continue practicing the Shangqing Sensing Technique. Shen Chang'an was still a long way from reaching the realm of Heaven and Man, so the technique didn't have an overwhelming impact on him.

Seeing that Shen Chang'an truly wasn't overly concerned, Jiang Yunyi offered, "If Daoist Shen doesn't wish to learn the astromancy or the Immovable King's Heart Sutra, you could perhaps practice that body-tempering movement technique. That method focuses on tempering and strengthening the physique, and it doesn't conflict much with the path of cultivation. Once you achieve mastery in the future, it can even give birth to a divine ability."

Jiang Yunyi spoke the truth. The divine ability recorded in that nameless manual was called "Coiling Dragon Bind." It used dharma power to construct the form of a dragon, wrapping it around one's own body to stimulate human potential and erupt with immensely formidable power.

Having a coiling dragon wrapped around one's body was more than enough to multiply a person's physical strength.

However, Shen Chang'an hadn't thought much of this technique. He possessed the divine ability of supreme strength, allowing his power to reach boundless and heaven-shaking heights. At best, this technique only offered the strength of a dragon, which would provide little practical use to him.

Seeming to see right through Shen Chang'an's thoughts, Jiang Yunyi smiled and said, "Daoist Shen, I know you possess boundless strength, so you clearly look down upon this dragon's strength. But the strength you possess, Daoist Shen, is not physical strength—it is dharma power."

"Your power can only be used to combat enemies, but it cannot be used to protect your own body. Yet if you can master this divine ability, you will have a protective dragon barrier. What gets enhanced is not merely your physical strength alone."

Her words struck like a clap of thunder, jolting Shen Chang'an out of his preconceived notions.

That was right! The Coiling Dragon Bind enhanced his speed, defense, and strength all at once. Through the practice of this body-tempering method, his entire physical conditioning could be massively upgraded.

Looked at this way, practicing this nameless mental manual would instead allow Shen Chang'an to drastically elevate his close-quarters combat capability in the shortest possible time.

Once he mastered it, ordinary blades and weapons would be unable to draw near. When charging into battle, he would be able to sweep through the ranks with unstoppable might, just like the Jade-Pure Immortal clad in brilliant armor, entirely invincible!