A clear sky. Warm sunshine bathed the ground.

On an ordinary day, Lu Yuan would have welcomed such clear weather. In late spring, it wasn't hot, and a little sun made it perfect for lying on the grass for a nap.

A bottle of wine beside him would be even better; he could take a sip after waking up, utterly content. However, Lu Yuan hadn't been fond of clear skies lately.

Let it rain soon; even one downpour would suffice. Lu Yuan now looked forward to the rain.

It wasn't that he loved the rain itself—or any wind or fog, for that matter. In his view, they were far less satisfying than chewing on a pig's trotter.

He couldn't help it; he was a common man, a vulgar fellow who loved good food and fine wine, incapable of being refined. To return to the point, he had unearthed a manual called Torrential Rain Sword Art from his master's library, and to practice the Torrential Rain Sword Art, naturally, he needed rain.

For a typical cultivator, practicing a sword technique required no such weather cues. If practicing a rain-themed sword art needed rain, did practicing a snow-themed one require snow?

It was far more complicated than that for most. Normal cultivators simply followed the routines, practicing move by move according to the prescribed forms.

However, practicing a sword art that way only allowed one to master the moves, perhaps reaching the second level of swordsmanship where the wielder was not constrained by the forms, but crucially, failing to grasp the underlying intent. Reaching the third level, the Sword Intent, was impossible.

For someone like Lu Yuan, who had already grasped Sword Intent, lacking the corresponding intent for a new technique meant it was all for naught. Therefore, to practice the Torrential Rain Sword Art now, he needed to witness the torrential rain of the heavens and use it to comprehend the sword intent of the downpour, thus truly mastering the technique.

Strangely, however, the weather had been relentlessly clear lately—not a single drop of rain, let alone a heavy shower. And so, he was miserable; he couldn't practice the Torrential Rain Sword Art at all.

Practicing the sword by observing the intent—his method of swordsmanship differed greatly from other disciples of the tenth generation. In fact, it mirrored the practice of the famous Sword Immortals of the ninth generation.

It seemed he couldn't practice the Torrential Rain Sword Art for the time being. After several rainless days, Lu Yuan was helpless and had to shelve the technique temporarily.

Though the Torrential Rain Sword Art was on hold, he needed a way to improve his sword speed. Sword speed.

The thought flashed rapidly through his mind, sparking an idea. On North Peak, there were numerous waterfalls.

Some cascaded down deep ravines, plunging dozens of zhang from sheer cliffs. The roaring descent of the water carried immense impact force.

Perhaps that location would be excellent for sword practice; he should be able to use the waterfalls to train his own sword speed. —————— North Peak boasted quite a few waterfalls.

The most famous was undoubtedly the Triple Tier Waterfall. It descended over a cliff face divided into three sections, causing the water to break into three distinct drops, creating a unique scenic view.

At the moment, the area around the Triple Tier Waterfall was packed with people. Since Venerable Yuanyuan’s five-hundredth birthday was approaching, many guests had arrived at North Peak.

These visitors naturally took time for sightseeing, visiting the famous spots on North Peak, such as the Jiao Gong Stone Chamber, the Everlasting Spring Stone Chamber, the Temptress Window, the Immortal Oil Tribute site, the Divine Earth Cliff, the Cloud-Leaning Pavilion, Lao Jun’s Plow Hanging Place, the Iron Ox Platform, and the White Cloud Immortal Realm Archway. The Triple Tier Waterfall was certainly a frequent stop.

Yet, there were also some lesser-known waterfalls on North Peak. Less than a hundred li from the Triple Tier Waterfall was another one.

This waterfall, however, was utterly obscure, incomparable to the famous landmark. Surrounded by muddy terrain, very few people ever came here.

This nameless waterfall was over thirty zhang high, plunging with a deafening roar into a pool below, kicking up massive plumes of white spray. And within that pool stood a youth.

The youth appeared to be seventeen or eighteen years old, carrying a sheathed flying sword on his back. His gaze was intensely focused.

Lu Yuan took a deep breath. Looking at the waterfall before him, yes, this was where he would practice his sword.

The seriousness in Lu Yuan’s eyes now was a stark contrast to his usual indolence. That was his temperament: lazy when idle, but when he became serious, he poured several times the effort of others into the task.

Practicing under a waterfall meant battling the tremendous force of the rushing water—it was akin to rowing upstream. Under these conditions, if he could manage to execute a draw stroke within the torrent as quickly as he usually did in open air, his speed upon exiting the waterfall would far surpass his normal draw speed.

That was his plan. One's thinking must not be confined to a single track.

Not only could grasping the intent of the Torrential Rain Sword Art increase sword speed, but other methods could also accelerate it. Boom The closer he got to the waterfall, the more he felt the colossal force of the cascade.

The nearer he approached, the more it felt as if the entire world was crashing down before him—such terrifying power. Huge splashes of white water peppered his face, causing a faint stinging sensation.

Without further ado, he slapped the scabbard, and a streak of red light flowed across the body of his sword, the Changhong (Long Rainbow), as it left its sheath. He grasped the hilt.

This time, he was using the Changhong. His Yangwu (Nourishing Self) sword was for combat.

He would use the Changhong for daily practice. Even a flying sword needed maintenance; using one continuously without time for recuperation would likely cause it to fail under such strain.

He lowered the Changhong beneath the waterfall. The moment it entered the deluge, he felt an overwhelming force bombarding the blade, driving it relentlessly downward.

He immediately circulated his spiritual power across the sword's body just to keep it from sinking further. Even so, lifting the sword upward proved incredibly difficult.

He forced the Changhong upward. Its ascent was agonizingly slow, bearing no resemblance to the light and agile quality the sword usually possessed.

The speed was comparable to an old ox pulling a cart. Yet, even at this strenuous pace, after only a short period of training, he felt his spiritual power nearly depleted.

A thirty-plus zhang waterfall crashing down exerted such force that his sword speed had slowed to its absolute limit, like a snail. The body of the Changhong even seemed slightly bowed under the pressure.

Honestly, he never realized how immense the power of a thirty-plus zhang waterfall was until he tried practicing his sword beneath it. After exhausting his spiritual power, he retreated to a large rock by the pool, ate a little something, and let the seven Cloud-element spiritual creatures—Cloud Cats and Cloud Rabbits—within his Spirit Sealing Tablet recover his cultivation.

Once his spiritual energy began to flow ceaselessly again, he plunged back beneath the waterfall to resume his practice. In fact, Lu Yuan realized now that practicing under such a waterfall was doubly beneficial: it trained his sword speed while simultaneously exercising his spiritual power.

It was a perfect combination. (Wrote too late, so posting late.

Miserable.)