3:30 PM
On the Flying Boat returning to the Xuanxiao Supreme Sect, Xiao Qingxuan closed her eyes and settled her breath in the empty training room.
Delicate and sharp Sword Qi continuously formed around her body, only to dissipate again, subtly embodying the Dao of birth and death.
When she arrived yesterday, she had ridden a high-speed Flying Boat, its full-speed flight comparable to a major cultivator of the Void Realm, in order to acquire the treasure that would help Ye Luqing recover her memories as quickly as possible.
Exceeding the flight speed limit disrupts the cultivator’s true Qi, preventing cultivation or breath recovery.
Last night, she had spent too much true Qi refining the Sword Qi Seed, even injuring her Dao Foundation, so she urgently needed rest to recuperate and could not take the fast Flying Boat again.
She had to choose an ordinary civilian slow Flying Boat instead.
Although still worried about Ah Qing’s situation, now that the Dreamforging Lotus was in hand, half of her anxiety had eased.
At that moment, the slow Flying Boat suddenly rocked violently.
Such shaking was nothing to Xiao Qingxuan at her Half-Step Transformation God Realm, yet she instinctively sensed a hint of danger.
Her protective Sword Qi instantly flared out. The next moment, a sword qi roaring like a crimson dragon shot toward her.
Boom!
More than half of the training room instantly collapsed into ruins, and the air was thick with murderous intent.
Luckily, Xiao Qingxuan dodged just in time, but even so, half of her protective Sword Qi was shattered.
Her Divine Sense, transformed by breaking through the Half-Step Transformation God Realm, swept across the entire Flying Boat.
A Nascent Soul Realm aura, sword cultivator, specializing in Sword Qi…
The opponent was here for her.
Xiao Qingxuan frowned slightly. She had never seen such a powerful Nascent Soul sword cultivator before.
She had been apprenticed to the Xuanxiao Supreme Sect for six years.
There were few rivals at her realm level, and cross-realm battles were common, but this was the first time she felt threatened by a mere Nascent Soul.
With a thought, she appeared on the wide deck of the Flying Boat.
The slow Flying Boat’s passengers were cultivators from the lower four realms.
The battle’s aftermath at her realm level would be devastating to lower-level cultivators.
The living quarters were near the training room, and innocent people could be accidentally harmed.
In that instant, she seemed to sense something and swiftly turned to look back.
Several dozen zhang away stood a crimson shadow, sword qi soaring to the sky, lithe and dragon-like.
Though the true Qi fluctuation was only Nascent Soul level, the Sword Intent gave her a momentum rivaling a Transformation God Realm cultivator.
Xiao Qingxuan drew out her Life-Bound Spirit Sword from her mind.
Even if her opponent was truly of the Transformation God Realm, she would not back down.
Before she could deliver the Dreamforging Lotus to Ye Luqing at the Xuanxiao Supreme Sect, she would not die.
***
At the same time, Xuanxiao Supreme Sect
“Left formation talisman construction is incomplete!”
“Pay attention to the synchronization timing of the array!”
“Don’t rush to activate the Formation Core; first ensure the formation lines run efficiently.”
Looking at Ying Qianqian, sweat beading on her forehead, Ye Luqing sighed.
Still too slow.
This Dual Formation: Yin-Yang Meridian Array required very tacit cooperation to converge two people’s true Qi and spiritual power onto one person, creating a localized two-against-one advantage.
Ying Qianqian was fine performing the formation now, able to fully run the array diagram.
But whenever the speed increased, she would panic and fail to keep up.
The arena shifted in a flash; a moment’s mistake could cost the match.
“Should I slow down to match Junior Sister Sakura’s pace…”
Ye Luqing thought.
Her speed of initiating and guiding the formation was nearly double Ying Qianqian’s.
Forcing Ying Qianqian to keep up might result in less than the sum of their parts.
Just as Ye Luqing planned to deploy true Qi, Ying Qianqian would pull it back a moment too late.
Without the enemy even acting, the chaos in true Qi alone could force them to withdraw.
Thinking this, Ye Luqing shook her head slightly.
“No… better to give up this formation than slow down.”
Though both she and Ying Qianqian were at the Nascent Soul Peak, Ye Luqing had descended from that realm, making her considerably stronger than an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator.
To enter the top four or even win, they had to focus on her as the center and try something else.
After all, the System rewards were rich and there were two Earth-Grade items at stake, so they had to go all out.
She had to find a solution…
After a moment, Ying Qianqian walked off the Jade Platform, her expression filled with disappointment.
“Sorry, Senior Sister Ye, I’ve held you back.”
She panted softly, unable to keep up with Ye Luqing’s speed no matter how hard she tried.
Watching Ye Luqing perform the formation from a distance had not been intuitive enough, but now that they cooperated, she truly realized the gap between her and her senior sister.
Without reason, she thought of Xiao Qingxuan, the Chief of Heavenly Sword Peak aided by Ye Luqing, who surely could keep pace with her.
Their cooperation was the best.
If only I were this strong too, I wouldn’t be a burden to Senior Sister…
With that thought, she bit her lip subconsciously as an unwillingness and sense of inferiority welled up.
“It’s alright, Junior Sister Sakura. You’ve done very well.”
Ye Luqing ruffled Ying Qianqian’s hair.
This dual formation was originally meant for Nascent Soul Realm Formation Cultivators.
Ying Qianqian learning the array diagram in just half a day and running it completely was already outstanding among Nascent Soul cultivators.
Though she said this, Ye Luqing still felt heavy inside.
With a few more months, they could coordinate better, but with only a few days left before the Sect-wide Tournament, mastering it by ordinary means was difficult.
“Only five days left…”
The Sect-wide Tournament would be held in three days, but as personal disciples, they did not need to participate in preliminaries and would be directly admitted to the top sixty-four, giving them two more days of preparation.
Still, even with those two days, it was like a drop in the ocean for them now.
If it really came to it…
“Junior Sister Sakura, can I take the lead on this dual formation?”
Ye Luqing suddenly asked.
If she led the formation, Ying Qianqian would only need to complete the auxiliary circuits in the diagram and obey her commands.
This would even free Ying Qianqian’s energy from the dual formation, allowing her to use it on other formations.
“But… that would be too much burden for Senior Sister.”
Ying Qianqian lowered her head, ashamed of her weakness.
Their intention in teaming up had been to support Senior Sister Ye from behind and showcase her strength.
But now, not only could she not help, she would make Ye Luqing lead two formations, dragging down her energy.
Seeming to read Ying Qianqian’s thoughts, Ye Luqing smiled faintly, then gently lifted Ying Qianqian’s chin, forcing her to meet her eyes.
“Junior Sister Sakura, a dual match means supporting and helping each other.”
“I understand your feelings, but trying to carry everything alone will only hold back the whole team.”
“I hope you won’t force yourself. We each perform the parts suited to our abilities, so we can unleash our combined strength.”
“Even if we lose, we will have no regrets. Besides, there’s always next year, and the year after…”
Ye Luqing’s gentle yet resolute words flowed like warm water into Ying Qianqian’s heart.
She stared dumbly at Senior Sister Ye, her gaze fixed on those amber eyes, as if wanting to fall into them.
“Ah…”
“So confident, so strong, so reliable…”
Ying Qianqian thought silently.
At first, she had only admired Ye Luqing’s talent and her quiet support behind the scenes, but after Ye Luqing’s amnesia, her unparalleled charisma won her over completely.
She threw herself into Ye Luqing’s arms, hugging her tightly, letting the scent of Qingmuhua fill her nose.
“Mm… I understand now!”
“As long as I can help Senior Sister Ye, Junior Sister Sakura will do anything!”
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