Outside the Mysterious Heaven Hall
Before entering the hall, Ye Luqing glanced at her Technique Chain Diagram table.
Besides the three chain diagrams already maxed out, there were two others close to completion.
[Boundless Sea of Consciousness – Primary (4/5), Effect: Slightly increases Spiritual Power capacity within the Spirit Palace and reduces Spiritual Power consumption when using Formation Arts and Formation Spells (Inactive)]
[Spirit Platform Unstained – Primary (4/5), Effect: While standing inside one’s own formation, increases resistance to enemy Spiritual Power attacks (Inactive)]
Although both chain diagrams were only at the Primary level, they could enhance the Spiritual Power capacity and resistance she urgently needed now.
After all, she was merely at the Golden Core Peak Stage. If she ran into a Late Nascent Soul or even Peak Nascent Soul opponent capable of manipulating the Primordial Spirit, spiritual attacks would be enough to overwhelm her.
The formations composing [Boundless Sea of Consciousness] included the Tide Surging Spirit Nourishing Formation, the Soul Restoring Brightness Art, the Lesser Spirit Gathering Formation, the Purifying Thought Vortex Formula, and the Clear Mind Convergence Formation. Currently, Ye Luqing had mastered only the first four; she still needed to learn the Clear Mind Convergence Formation.
It was the same for [Spirit Platform Unstained]; she still lacked one “Spirit Shrine Guarding Art” to complete the full chain diagram.
Ye Luqing entered the hall and saw Azure Sky Peak’s Senior Sister, or rather, the newly promoted Elder of Azure Sky Peak, Bai He, cultivating within.
Profound light swirled around this Senior Sister. Under the support of the Power of Heaven and Earth, the Metal Qi was practically solidifying into substance.
Merely directing her gaze straight at her, Ye Luqing felt a stinging pain in her eyes.
In the original story, this Senior Sister Bai He cultivated the Five Elements Dharma Body, whose power drastically increased when combined with five-element formations.
In the previous timeline, Senior Sister Bai, who had yet to gather all five elements, had been severely injured by Xiao Qingxuan—who was attempting to use a heretical art to resurrect Ye Luqing—while trying to stop her. Her Dao Foundation was affected, ultimately stopping her cultivation at the Peak Spirit Transformation Stage, with no further progress possible.
But in this life, with her intervention, such events would not occur again.
Sensing Ye Luqing’s presence, Bai He slightly opened her eyes.
“Junior Sister Ye?”
Although only two days had passed, she felt that Ye Luqing had gained an air of righteousness. It gave her the impression that even if she were no longer the Senior Sister of Azure Sky Peak, Ye Luqing could fill that position.
For a moment, her impression of Ye Luqing was refreshed, and her favorability rose a few points.
Ye Luqing saluted Bai He and then got straight to the point:
“Senior Sister Bai, I need to engrave Array Runes onto this spirit sword and would like to ask for your help.” She took out the Jade Spirit Sword.
As a Formation Cultivator at the Spirit Transformation Stage, Senior Sister Bai He was certainly capable of engraving the Profound-Tier Superior Yin-Yang Meridian Array.
Bai He was briefly surprised, then looked at Ye Luqing with sudden understanding.
“This is preparation for the Grand Tournament?”
She had heard that Ye Luqing and Ying Qianqian would be participating in the Duo Tournament. But Formation Cultivators usually lacked offensive means before the Spirit Transformation Stage. Moreover, neither Ying Qianqian nor Ye Luqing had even reached the Nascent Soul Stage. To win, they’d have to find an unconventional path.
Ye Luqing nodded and handed the Jade Spirit Sword and the formation diagram for the Yin-Yang Meridian Array to Bai He.
Bai He received the sword and the diagram, nodding slightly:
“Using a sword is a good idea. You have Xiao Qingxuan’s guidance, and Little Ying’s Sword Dao talent far surpasses ordinary people.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Luqing was taken aback.
“Little Ying’s Sword Dao talent is very strong?”
This was information she didn’t know. The original story hadn’t mentioned this part.
Bai He was also taken aback, then remembered that Ye Luqing had lost her memory. She explained:
“Little Ying originally went to Heavenly Sword Peak first. She ranked first in the talent test back then, you know.”
“That impressive?” Ye Luqing blinked. That was no small achievement.
The Profound Firmament Upper Sect was a Transcendent-Rank Power overseen by a Dao Integration Stage Dao Venerable. Everyone who could enter was either a prodigy or had deep roots. And Heavenly Sword Peak was the elite of the Profound Firmament Upper Sect, the prodigies among prodigies.
Winning the championship in such fierce competition meant her Sword Dao talent could be described as one in a million.
At the same time, a question rose in her heart.
In that case, why had Little Ying come to Azure Sky Peak?
As if sensing Ye Luqing’s thoughts, Bai He gave a mysterious smile.
“She came to Azure Sky Peak because she admired one person.”
“Admired someone? Who?” Ye Luqing asked curiously.
Peak Lord Bai Yuhan? Or Senior Sister Bai He?
Bai He didn’t answer her question but simply looked at Ye Luqing with a smile:
“For that, you’ll have to ask her personally.”
Ye Luqing: …
Naughty Senior Sister, talking in riddles now.
When her Dual Cultivation Sacred Body reached Great Achievement, she would make sure to stuff a Dual Cultivation Seed into each of the naughty senior sisters and junior sisters to control them all.
Bai He gently brushed her hand over the Jade Spirit Sword. Metal Qi carved the Array Runes into the blade without damaging the Sword Veins.
As a Formationist who controlled “Metal,” her skill at inscribing formations on metal far exceeded that of her peers.
“Done.”
She returned the Jade Spirit Sword to Ye Luqing.
“Thank you, Senior Sister.”
Ye Luqing touched the Jade Spirit Sword with satisfaction, then continued:
“Senior Sister Bai, there are two formations I want to learn.”
“One is the Clear Mind Convergence Formation, the other is the Spirit Shrine Guarding Art. Do you know which Elder on Azure Sky Peak could teach me?”
Arts could not be lightly transmitted. Apart from some basic techniques on Scripture Peak, other techniques either required exchange points earned through missions, or waiting for an Elder to transmit them.
Even Elder transmission had restrictions. Ordinary Outer Sect Disciples only had three chances for group teaching per year. Inner Sect Disciples had six, plus one chance to designate a desired technique and ask an Elder for private instruction.
But for Direct Disciples, as long as their Shizun had time and was willing to teach, they could learn as much as they wanted.
Conversely, secretly learning techniques without permission invited punishment.
A stealthy learner was not righteous and open; they harbored ulterior motives, potentially disrupting an entire lineage’s transmission.
Once discovered, the Teaching Elder would punish the offender.
“The Clear Mind Convergence Formation and the Spirit Shrine Guarding Art…”
“I can teach you the Spirit Shrine Guarding Art, but for the Clear Mind Convergence Formation… only the Peak Lord on this peak knows it.”
Although it was merely a Profound-Tier Superior formation, its effects were rather niche. Very few people cultivated it. Only someone as knowledgeable and experienced as a Dao Venerable would have dabbled in it.
Saying this, Bai He furrowed her brow slightly.
“The Peak Lord is currently not on the peak. You’ll have to wait for her return.”
Since last night, Bai Yuhan’s aura had vanished.
Not just on Azure Sky Peak; she couldn’t sense Bai Yuhan’s aura anywhere in the entire sect.
Even though they had met just yesterday afternoon. Furthermore, every time Bai Yuhan left before, she would always inform her.
Even an Immortal Venerable at the Tribulation Transcendence Stage couldn’t make Bai Yuhan, at the Dao Integration Stage, vanish so silently.
Damn it, where exactly did she go…
…
Descending from the Mysterious Heaven Hall, Ye Luqing returned to her courtyard by Emerald Water Lake.
According to the original plotline, her Shizun Bai normally spent her days either overseeing Azure Sky Peak, or getting her cultivation heavily probed by Feng Linyi’s Sword Qi.
The news that Feng Linyi had emerged from closed cultivation last night had already spread throughout the Profound Firmament Upper Sect. So Bai Yuhan’s whereabouts were already an open secret.
She could only pray that the Sect Master’s investigation into her Shizun’s Sword Qi would conclude after the Sect Grand Tournament. That way, she could still max out one more Technique Chain Diagram.
Back in her courtyard, she began practicing the Spirit Shrine Guarding Art that Senior Sister Bai He had taught her.
This formation was of the same grade as the One Qi Sword Art, both being Profound-Tier Superior techniques.
But she had already grasped the basics during the teaching session. Upon returning, after less than an hour of cultivation, the Spirit Shrine Guarding Art had reached Major Achievement.
Seeing the [Spirit Platform Unstained – Primary (5/5)] chain diagram fill up, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Now, she finally had some confidence when facing Late Nascent Soul cultivators.
