Time: Xu hour, third quarter (approximately 7:45 PM).
On the Flying Boat returning to the Profound Firmament Upper Sect, Xiao Qingxuan sat in a closed-eye meditation inside the empty training chamber.
Fine yet sharp Sword Qi continuously formed and dissipated around her, hinting at the Dao of Creation and Destruction.
Yesterday, when she traveled, she took a high-speed flying boat, whose full-speed flight capability rivaled that of a Void Comprehension Stage grand cultivator, all to retrieve the treasure for restoring Ye Luqing’s memory as fast as possible.
Exceeding the flight speed limit would cause a cultivator’s True Qi to become disordered, making it impossible to cultivate or recover.
And last night, to refine the Sword Qi Seeds, she had depleted far too much True Qi, even damaging her Dao Foundation. She urgently needed rest to heal her body. Unable to take the high-speed flying boat again, she could only choose a civilian slow-speed flying boat.
Although still worried about A-Qing’s situation, now that the Dream-Building Lotus was in her hands, half of the weight hanging in her heart had settled.
Just at this moment, a violent tremor suddenly came from the slow-speed flying boat.
Such shaking was nothing for Xiao Qingxuan, who was at the Half-Step Spirit Transformation Stage, but she instinctively sensed a trace of danger.
Her protective Sword Qi instantly flared open. In the next instant, a streak of Sword Qi, like a crimson dragon, roared towards her.
Boom!
More than half of the training chamber was instantly reduced to ruins, the air saturated with killing intent.
It was fortunate that Xiao Qingxuan dodged in time, yet even so, half of her protective Sword Qi was torn away.
With a thought, her Divine Sense, transformed after breaking through to Half-Step Spirit Transformation, swept across the entire flying boat.
Nascent Soul Stage aura, Sword Cultivator, specializing in Sword Qi…
The attacker was coming for her.
Xiao Qingxuan frowned slightly. Such a powerful Nascent Soul Stage Sword Cultivator—this was the first she’d encountered.
She had entered the Profound Firmament Upper Sect six years ago. Within the same realm, she rarely met her match, and cross-realm battles were commonplace for her. This was the first time she sensed danger from a mere Nascent Soul.
With a mere thought, Xiao Qingxuan’s figure materialized on the flying boat’s broad deck in the next moment.
The passengers on the slow-speed flying boat were all cultivators of the Lower Four Realms. The aftershocks of a battle at her level were devastating for low-tier cultivators. The training chamber was near the residential area, and bystanders could easily be harmed.
In an instant, as if sensing something, she spun around to look behind her.
Dozens of yards away stood a crimson figure. Rushing towards the heavens from her hand was a Sword Qi, sinuous and coiling like a dragon.
Though her True Qi fluctuation was only at the Nascent Soul Stage, that Sword Intent gave off an imposing aura that rivaled even the Spirit Transformation Stage.
Xiao Qingxuan retrieved her Lifebound Spirit Sword from her Heart Aperture. Even if the opponent were truly at Spirit Transformation, she would not retreat.
Before she reached the Profound Firmament Upper Sect and delivered the Dream-Building Lotus into Ye Luqing’s hands, she would not die.
……
Meanwhile, at the Profound Firmament Upper Sect.
“The formation symbols on the left are constructed with flaws!”
“Pay attention to the synchronization timing of the formation!”
“Don’t rush to activate the Array Eye; first ensure the operational efficiency of the Array Runes.”
Watching Ying Qianqian, whose forehead was densely beaded with sweat, Ye Luqing sighed.
Still too slow.
This Yin-Yang Meridian Array required an extremely high degree of tacit cooperation to achieve the effect of pooling two people’s True Qi and Spiritual Power into one person, creating a localized two-versus-one advantage.
Ying Qianqian currently had no problem executing the formation itself; she could already run the Array Diagram completely.
But as soon as the speed increased, she would become flustered and unable to keep up.
The arena was ever-changing. A single momentary error could mean losing the match.
“Should I slow down to match Little Ying’s speed?” Ye Luqing thought to herself.
Her speed in opening and activating formations was nearly twice as fast as Ying Qianqian’s. If she forced Ying Qianqian to match her pace, they would likely end up with a case of one plus one being less than one.
She would try to mobilize her True Qi from her side, but the half-beat-slower Ying Qianqian would pull it back.
There would be no need for the enemy to attack; the internal injuries caused by the chaotic True Qi alone would be enough to force them to withdraw from the tournament.
Thinking this, Ye Luqing shook her head slightly.
“No… slowing down would be worse than abandoning this formation altogether.”
Although both her and Ying Qianqian’s cultivation was at the Golden Core Peak Stage, she had, after all, fallen from the Nascent Soul Stage. Her actual strength far exceeded that of an ordinary Golden Core cultivator.
If they wanted to reach the Top Four or even win the championship, they absolutely had to center their strategy around her point and try to accomplish certain things.
The generous system rewards and two pieces of Earth-Tier items were at stake; she had to give it her all.
She needed to think of a solution…
A long while later, Ying Qianqian stepped down from the jade platform, a look of dejection on her face.
“Sorry, Senior Sister Ye. I held you back.”
She panted slightly. Even after using all her strength, she still couldn’t keep up with Ye Luqing’s speed.
Watching Ye Luqing cast spells and set up formations from afar was not direct enough. It was only through this coordination today that she realized the gap between herself and her senior sister.
Unbidden, she thought of Xiao Qingxuan. That Head Disciple of Heavenly Sword Peak, assisted by Senior Sister Ye, could surely match Senior Sister Ye’s speed.
The cooperation between those two was truly the best.
If only I were that strong, I wouldn’t be dragging my senior sister down…
Thinking this, she subconsciously bit her lip, a surge of frustration and inferiority welling up within her.
“It’s fine, Little Ying. You’ve already done very well.” Ye Luqing patted Ying Qianqian’s head.
This Dual Formation Array was originally something only a Nascent Soul Stage Array Cultivator could learn. Ying Qianqian mastering the complete Array Diagram in just half a day already made her stand out among Golden Core cultivators.
However, although she said this verbally, Ye Luqing’s heart remained somewhat heavy.
Given a few more months, they could likely coordinate better, but with only a few days left before the Sect Grand Tournament, mastering it through normal methods was nearly impossible.
“Five more days, huh…”
The Sect Grand Tournament was three days away, but as Direct Disciples, they didn’t need to participate in the preliminaries and were directly seeded into the Top 64. This gave them two extra days of preparation time.
But even with those two extra days, it was a drop in the bucket for their current situation.
If it truly came down to it…
“Little Ying, could you let me be the main controller of this Duo Formation?” Ye Luqing suddenly asked.
With her taking the lead, Ying Qianqian would only need to complete the auxiliary circuits in the Array Diagram and follow her commands.
This could even free up Ying Qianqian’s energy from the Duo Formation, allowing her to cast other formations.
“But… that would put too much of a burden on you, Senior Sister.”
Ying Qianqian lowered her head, ashamed of her own weakness.
The original intention of partnering with Senior Sister Ye was to support her from behind and let everyone see her senior sister’s strength.
Now, not only was she unable to help Senior Sister Ye, but she was forcing her to manage two formations simultaneously, draining her energy.
As if seeing through Ying Qianqian’s thoughts, Ye Luqing gave a faint smile. She then lifted Ying Qianqian’s chin, forcing the other to look into her eyes.
“Little Ying, the so-called Duo Tournament is about mutual support, supporting each other.”
“I understand your intentions, but wanting to shoulder everything alone will actually drag the whole team down.”
“I hope you won’t force yourself. By dividing the work according to each of our abilities, we can bring out the strongest combined strength.”
“Even if we lose, we’ll have no regrets. And we still have next year, and the year after that…”
Ye Luqing’s gentle yet firm words flowed into Ying Qianqian’s heart like a warm current.
She stared dazedly at Senior Sister Ye, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on those amber pupils, as if about to sink deep into Ye Luqing’s eyes.
“Ah…”
“So confident, so strong, so reliable…” Ying Qianqian thought to herself.
Originally, she only admired Ye Luqing’s talent and her image of silently supporting others from behind. But the amnesiac Senior Sister Ye had conquered her with this unparalleled personal charm.
She threw herself into Ye Luqing’s arms, tightly embracing her, letting the scent of the Verdant Wood Flowers fill her nostrils.
“Mm! I understand!”
“As long as it helps Senior Sister Ye, Little Ying will do anything!”
