Lu Li possessed the Sword Spiritual Root, but that was more about his mastery over the sword.
As for actual sword techniques, he had only learned a few moves from escorting convoys in his youth.
Against bandits who tried to rob the convoy, he would shout, “Sword, come!”
Though he couldn’t fully control the long sword, he could at least distract the bandits or make their swords fall to the ground.
However, when facing true cultivators, he felt somewhat intimidated.
“Senior Brother Lu, this is the Entanglement Technique.”
Qing Luo flipped her delicate hand, and each time Lu Li struck with his sword, she would entangle it, preventing his attack.
“And this is the Sticky Technique.”
The light gauze wrapped lightly, sticking directly to Lu Li’s long sword like clouds and mist.
No matter how he moved his sword, he couldn’t shake it off.
Even when he let go and the sword shot toward Qing Luo, the gauze would coil around it, leaving him weaponless.
“In that case, how does one normally counter this?” Lu Li watched as Qing Luo returned his sword. “Is there a way to break it?”
“Of course there is, but for Junior Brother Lu, there may not be enough time.”
Just as Qing Luo was about to explain, a man’s voice rang out from outside the courtyard.
This sudden change made Lu Li and Qing Luo turn around.
They saw a man dressed in green robes, with a sword at his waist and light gauze wrapped around his hands—clearly also a disciple of the Yin Yang Sect.
“You are… Senior Brother Jiang?” Qing Luo thought for a moment and asked.
“Yes. I heard that Junior Brother Lu has now transformed into a male, and that he made a pact to duel with Shen Zhaoxue to assist me.” Jiang Yuebai stepped into the courtyard. “So I naturally had to come and help.”
“Many thanks.”
“Ah, Junior Brother Lu, you’re too kind. I should be the one thanking you.” Jiang Yuebai gave a hearty laugh.
With his sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, and his handsome features, he truly had the bearing of a chivalrous hero.
“Look at Senior Brother Jiang—he looks good in both male and female forms.” Qing Luo lightly elbowed Lu Li.
“Why is it that when you’re in male form, you’re so ordinary, but in female form, you’re beautiful?”
“I don’t know either.” Lu Li shrugged.
“Perhaps it’s the balance of heaven and earth.” Jiang Yuebai took six bottles of pills from his storage ring and placed them on the table.
“Junior Sister Qing Luo, I’ll trouble you to spar with me so that Junior Brother Lu can learn faster. Among these, three bottles are Nourishing Qi Pills, which can help you progress faster.”
“And the other three are Yin-Yang Dual Qi Pills, which can help Junior Brother Lu balance the power within his body regardless of his form.” Jiang Yuebai looked at Qing Luo.
“What do you think?”
“Since Senior Brother Jiang has given so much…” Qing Luo glanced at the pills and rolled up her light gauze.
“Senior Brother Lu, you’d better watch carefully.”
“Absolutely.” Lu Li stepped back and sat on a stone stool, focusing intently on the two of them.
“Then, Senior Brother Jiang, forgive my offense.” Qing Luo danced her gauze, stepping softly, and the gauze drifted toward Jiang Yuebai without any wind.
“Lu Li, this is the first form of Silk of a Hundred Turns: the Attraction Technique.” Jiang Yuebai flipped his left wrist, sending out his own gauze with a hint of masculine force.
“It is used in conjunction with Charm Art to shake the opponent’s mind. But since you have a High-Grade Spirit Root, you don’t need to worry.”
“To break this move with a sword, just strike straight at the center.” Jiang Yuebai thrust his right sword forward, directly lifting the gauze.
“Senior Brother Lu, and this is the second form: the Caressing Technique.” Qing Luo crossed her arms, and her gauze moved as nimbly as a rabbit, leaping around Jiang Yuebai.
“Use True Yuan to penetrate the opponent’s acupoints, making their body numb and weak.”
“This move is hard to break, but you only need to watch the movement of the opponent’s gauze and dodge it.” Jiang Yuebai stepped back, leaped several zhang into the air, and casually sent out a few sword Qis.
“And then…”
After a full hour of explanation, Lu Li finally witnessed the intricacies of the “Silk of a Hundred Turns” technique and how to counter it.
Both Qing Luo and Jiang Yuebai, who had been practicing, had sweat on their foreheads and were breathing lightly.
“Hmm…” This change made Lu Li have a realization.
“That’s it.” Jiang Yuebai, who had been using both gauze and sword while giving repeated explanations, had his clothes soaked through.
“Junior Sister Qing Luo, Junior Brother Lu, may I borrow a room to change clothes quickly?”
“That’s no problem.” Qing Luo nodded; she only had a fine sheen of sweat on her forehead. “Lu Li, have you learned?”
“I can only say I understand it.” Lu Li watched Qing Luo walk to the pond, scoop up a handful of water, and splash it on her face.
“But it will take a long time to practice.”
“Of course it will. I’ve been a disciple for a few years, and Senior Brother Jiang has been here for nearly a decade.” Qing Luo wiped the water droplets from her face.
“No matter how talented you are, Lu Li, it’s hard to learn quickly.”
“Yeah…” As Lu Li sighed, he saw a woman dressed in green robes emerge from the house and couldn’t help but freeze.
“Junior Brother Lu, why are you looking at me like that?” Jiang Yuebai gently touched the stray hair at her temples.
“Is something not properly made up?”
“Uh… Although I’ve had similar experiences, seeing a man leave and a woman come is always a bit surprising.” Lu Li smiled wryly, then suddenly remembered what Qing Luo had explained earlier.
“Senior Brother Jiang, no, Senior Sister Jiang. Did you consume too much Primordial Yang Power just now, allowing Primordial Yin to enter your body?”
“Yes. Even though I’m at Qi Refinement Layer 12, an hour of practice exhausted all my Primordial Yang Power.” Jiang Yuebai nodded and tidied her hair bun in front of the pond.
“Do you want to use this method to turn into a male, Junior Brother Lu? I don’t recommend it. Although it’s harmless to the body, you’ll still feel tired for the next three or four days.”
“With normal circulation of the technique, it takes three days to switch.” Qing Luo looked at the contemplative Lu Li.
“Forcibly consuming the Yin and Yang Qi in your body can speed it up, but it’s not advisable, as it will cause a Yin-Yang Imbalance.”
“That solves one of my confusions, but I actually thought of a way to defeat Shen Zhaoxue.” Lu Li looked at Jiang Yuebai, who now seemed frail.
“How about we go check out the Battle Arena this afternoon?”
“It’s good to have a winning method.” Jiang Yuebai straightened up and looked at Lu Li with a confused expression.
“But the Battle Arena prohibits the use of pills; you can only rely on your own skills and weapons.”
“I understand, so I need to go take a look.” A vague idea was forming in Lu Li’s mind.
“But before that, let’s have breakfast first.”
“Lu Li, don’t do anything foolish. The sect rules only allow fighting on the Battle Arena.” Qing Luo said worriedly.
“Also, sparring is prohibited a few days before the duel, to prevent being worn down by a wheel battle and affecting the Grand Tournament.”
“Understood. I won’t break any rules.” Lu Li smiled. “But today, we might be quite busy.”
“Besides the Battle Arena, is there any other place Junior Brother Lu wants to go?” Jiang Yuebai asked.
“I can accompany you.”
“The Library Pavilion—I need to look up the rules related to past tournaments.” Lu Li turned to Qing Luo.
“Also, I want to visit the Alchemy Room.”