Liu Qingyun formed a sword seal, transformed into a beam of green light, and entered the snail’s shell.
Lu Li, meanwhile, used the Charm Technique to temporarily halt the snail.
For safety, the two from Beast Gate released their spirit beasts to probe the surroundings for other cultivators.
They also searched for any scattered Mind-Clearing Tea leaves.
“The Charm Technique is really handy.” Yuan He sighed in admiration as he took out an alms bowl and placed the snail inside.
“My Heavenly Eye consumes a lot of True Yuan, but Benefactor Lu, you seem to be able to confuse enemies without using much True Yuan at all.”
“Well… it has something to do with my Spiritual Root.” Lu Li shook her head.
“By the way, from the way you and Liu Qingyun talk, you two know each other?”
“Yeah, we grew up in the same small town. We both said we wanted to become sword cultivators. But he entered the Imperial Sword Sect, and I entered the Buddhist Light Sect.” Yuan He rubbed his bald head and sighed again. “But Spiritual Roots are innate—you really can’t choose them.”
“Yeah…” Hearing this, Lu Li felt a bit dejected.
“Forget the depressing stuff. Let’s meditate.” Yuan He waved his hand, and the next second after closing his eyes, a faint Buddhist light appeared behind his head.
Lu Li smiled at the sight.
Such a dignified appearance was like a completely different person from the usual carefree Yuan He.
‘Should I cultivate or not…’ Lu Li’s mind was full of thoughts.
Sword practice wasn’t suitable here; the power it unleashed would attract other cultivators.
Cultivating the sect’s techniques, on the other hand, was the most convenient. Now she had inherited memories as well.
But the techniques in those memories all seemed a bit strange.
Twin Allure—using illusions to bewitch enemies into traps… no.
Peach Blossom Miasma—though a defensive technique, it left one with a strange fragrance after cultivation… hmm, better not for now. Flowing Wind and Returning Snow, a movement technique—this one works.
Normally, cultivators all had their own magical artifacts: flying swords, light gauze, or Buddhist beads.
But the world had thousands of secret realms, and places with peculiar restrictions were always encountered.
At times like this, a unique footwork could come in handy.
‘Flowing, Wind, Returning, Snow.’ Lu Li closed her eyes and carefully comprehended the technique’s effects.
It was a set of techniques meant for Qi Refining disciples, requiring no condensation of spirit patterns in the dantian.
But it needed long-term practice.
For Lu Li, who had a foundation in Lightness Skill, it was far too simple.
‘Like water flow to deflect force, like willow catkins drifting in the wind, looping back and forth, finally treading snow to create a domain.’
Lost in thought, Lu Li quietly stood up and began practicing the footwork within a few zhang.
She had to admit, True Yuan was far more efficient than mortal energy. With a light tap of her toes, she soared into the air.
Twisting her waist, her skirt bloomed like a green lotus.
Before she could land, a gentle breeze swept in. Lu Li rode the wind, moving even faster than the wind itself.
“Hoo…”
With a crisp sound, Lu Li crushed a few fallen leaves and landed steadily on the ground.
“Sister Lu, this martial art looks beautiful and feels great too.” Meng Fang, who was patrolling in the distance, clapped softly. “Is it mortal Lightness Skill?”
“Something close.” Due to the special circumstances, Lu Li did not demonstrate the “Returning” and “Snow” techniques.
As she chatted briefly with Meng Fang, Lu Li patted the broken grass off her skirt and smoothed her wind-tangled hair.
“Sister Lu, you’re really…” Meng Fang stared at Lu Li, her voice trembling slightly.
Then a flash of green light appeared—Liu Qingyun exhaled a mouthful of turbid Qi and reappeared before them.
“Finished cultivating?” Yuan He opened his eyes as well.
“Yes, I gained a lot. It was more thrilling than inside the sect.” Liu Qingyun looked at Lu Li, then at Meng Fang, who lowered her head and stepped back. “Miss Lu, I know you have a Sword Spiritual Root, but in any case, be careful.”
“The Sword Tower has ninety-nine floors, and every eleven floors represents a stage of cultivation.” Liu Qingyun explained. “If someone could reach the top of the ninety-ninth floor, they could ascend to immortality in broad daylight.”
“But wasn’t this treasure forged by a Nascent Soul cultivator?” Lu Li asked.
“That’s true, so only about forty-four floors of the Sword Tower are actually usable.” Liu Qingyun sat cross-legged and began absorbing the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.
“The sect elders replicated it based on the artifact blueprints left from before. The real one was completely lost during the ancient Celestial Demon War.”
“But for us, it’s enough.” Lu Li looked at the shell atop the snail.
“I just need to enter using True Yuan infused with the Sword Spiritual Root, right?”
“Exactly. I made it to the twelfth floor, which is roughly the Foundation Establishment level.” Liu Qingyun tossed a pill into his mouth.
“May Miss Lu’s cultivation go smoothly. We’ll guard you.”
“Then thank you very much.”
With a thought from Lu Li, she transformed into a pink mist and drifted toward the Sword Tower.
The shell, originally the size of a finger, grew larger and larger until it became a sword tower that almost pierced the sky. When her body steadied, Lu Li found that she had passed through the gate and was already standing on the first floor.
“Oh? The Charm Spiritual Root has been temporarily sealed, but the Sword Spiritual Root has been activated.” Lu Li drew the Yin Yang Sword from her storage bracelet and walked to the center of the platform.
“It’s a pity I’m still in a female body; otherwise I could activate the Sword Spiritual Root more… but for now, this is much more comfortable.”
For the past month, Lu Li had to dress up, put on skirts and hairpins in front of others.
Now that she finally had half a day of freedom, she had to return to a female form again.
As she pondered, a sharp sword qi broke through the air, stabbing straight at Lu Li’s heart.
“As expected, only the strength of Qi Refining first or second layer.” Lu Li gave a light flick of her wrist, and the Yin Yang Sword easily shattered the sword qi.
Just as she was about to head upstairs, the dissipated flow instead entered her dantian, slowly nourishing her body.
“Truly a fine treasure.” With a sigh of admiration, Lu Li immediately headed to the second floor. This time, two more powerful sword qi attacked, but she still easily defeated them.
“Alright, one go—let’s see if I can reach the twelfth floor!”
But the smooth battles changed by the seventh floor.
“Is this… a Sword Golem?” Lu Li pushed open the door and found a humanoid puppet standing inside, exuding a chilling sword intent. “Indeed, I need to be careful.”
She walked slowly onto the stage. The Sword Golem gave Lu Li a slight nod, then thrust its sword out, followed by three flashes of cold light.
One sword transformed into three.
“Wh—” In panic, Lu Li held her long sword horizontally across her chest.
“Clang! Clang!”
Amid two piercing sounds, the third sword slid downward, cutting through the fabric at her waist.
Lu Li felt a chill at her waist and a burning pain on her thigh—the sword qi had left a bloody gash, and the torn skirt fluttered in the wind.
“Bewitch Heart… tch, no good.” Lu Li frowned as she retreated. The nine fox tails that should have appeared only trembled inside her dantian, then were suppressed.
“I’ll have to rely on swordsmanship.” Lu Li casually tied the torn skirt together with a slipknot at her waist and looked back at the Sword Golem. “…Good, I can still use the footwork.”
Taking a deep breath, True Yuan flowed over the wound on her thigh, and she charged at the Sword Golem with her footwork.
“Flowing Wind!” Lu Li flicked her sword upward, stabbing straight at the Sword Golem’s chest.
“Pfft!”
The long sword did pierce the Sword Golem, but as a wooden puppet without a heart, it pressed down instead, spinning in the air. Its sword swept toward Lu Li’s head like a revolving blade.
“Returning Snow!” Lu Li thrust her sword forward, sending waves of cold air from the blade tip. Her body leaned down, and she sliced off the Sword Golem’s lower half.
But the Sword Golem’s sharp sword qi cut the hairpin from her head, and her thousand strands of sorrow poured down.
“Ten Thousand Swords.” Lu Li, after all, had a Sword Spiritual Root. With her left hand, she gathered the severed hair into a jet-black long sword, then hurled it fiercely at the airborne Sword Golem.
“Boom!”
The wooden blocks exploded under the attack of the sword, and the sword intent contained within transformed into a stream of light, entering Lu Li’s dantian.
“So this is a high-level Qi Refining sword cultivator. Truly extraordinary.” Lu Li breathed heavily, pulled a plain white ribbon from her storage bracelet, and casually tied her messy black hair behind her head. “I’ll rest a bit, then continue upward.”