In the time that followed, Ye Luqing planned to continue cultivating the Yiqi Sword Formula.
She didn’t go to the Baiyu Platform but returned to her own courtyard instead.
The Yiqi Sword Formula was one of her few offensive techniques; whether in solo matches or doubles matches, it could be considered her trump card.
Her identity as a Formation Cultivator was more of a disguise—who would expect a formation cultivator’s ultimate move to be a sword technique?
And now, with so many eyes and people on the Baiyu Platform, including those specifically gathering intelligence, it would be meaningless if anyone saw it.
Half an hour later, she noticed a pink-haired dumpling sneaking into her courtyard.
“Little Sakura? What are you doing here?”
Seeing Ying Qianqian enter her courtyard as if it were her own home, Ye Luqing suddenly realized that none of the formations had been triggered.
Most of these formations were set up by Ying Qianqian before Ye Luqing woke up, so naturally, she could come and go freely.
“I need to find time to modify the formation’s access permissions…” Ye Luqing thought to herself.
Otherwise, one day she might not even realize if she was robbed in her sleep.
“Senior Sister Ye, I-I came to borrow the Emotion Branch,” Ying Qianqian said softly, her eyes glancing to the right, looking a bit guilty.
This little move naturally didn’t escape Ye Luqing’s eyes.
This little junior sister, who wasn’t one to lie, was probably just looking for an excuse to come over and cling to her.
“Little Sakura, lying isn’t good behavior, you know.”
She pinched Ying Qianqian’s delicate face, wearing an expression that scolded her for not practicing properly.
She had to control this pink-haired dumpling well.
If she didn’t establish her authority now, it would be too late when the junior overthrows the senior.
However, in the next moment, Ying Qianqian followed the force of the pinch and threw herself into Ye Luqing’s arms.
“Wuu… Senior Sister Ye, I was wrong.”
“I want to stay with Senior Sister Ye.”
Ye Luqing was momentarily stunned by her words.
Looking at the pink-haired dumpling acting spoiled and soft in her arms, the scolding she had on her lips suddenly felt hard to say.
In fact, a warm feeling welled up in her heart.
Unlike her concern for Xiao Qingxuan, Ying Qianqian had little interaction with the original owner in the original storyline.
In other words, Little Sakura’s affection for her had arisen only after crossing over—it was unique to her as a “replacement.”
“Sigh…”
“Don’t do that again next time.”
She couldn’t help but soften.
Then she took out the Emotion Branch and handed it to Ying Qianqian.
“Hehe.”
Ying Qianqian stuck out her cherry-colored little tongue, looking like she dared to do it again next time.
“You stay here and study it carefully. I’m going to practice the trump card for the doubles match first.”
Ye Luqing resumed her sword stance.
“Trump card?” Ying Qianqian blinked.
“Mm, it’s a sword technique Senior Sister Xiao taught me. It might have a miraculous effect when the time comes.”
Although she had heard that Little Sakura’s talent in Sword Dao was high, without Xiao Qingxuan’s permission, she couldn’t teach her this sword formula.
As for Little Sakura secretly learning it?
Ye Luqing’s Yiqi Sword Formula was still half-baked; if she managed to steal it, that would be strange.
With that, Ye Luqing drew out the Bi Ling Sword, held her breath, and silently began cultivating the Yiqi Sword Formula.
Her talent in Sword Dao wasn’t as exceptional as in formation, even mediocre at best.
Without Xiao Qingxuan’s guidance, she wouldn’t have been able to grasp this top-grade Grandmaster Formation for ten or fifteen days on her own.
But even so, slow learners have their own methods.
Xiao Qingxuan had analyzed it thoroughly.
The slow condensation speed was mainly because Ye Luqing’s understanding of the Yiqi Sword Formula was insufficient, or rather, her grasp of her own “sword intent” was lacking.
The sword intent she used to condense sword qi wasn’t her own—it was borrowed from novels, anime, and games from her previous life.
If she wanted to advance this cultivation method to a higher level and speed up the condensation of sword qi, she had to transform this borrowed sword intent into her own.
Ye Luqing closed her eyes and concentrated, focusing her consciousness on the sword diagram in her Soul Palace.
Since she had entered the initial stage of the Yiqi Sword Formula, the sword diagram had remained in her Soul Palace.
She activated the sword qi in the Bi Ling Sword and immediately poured all her awareness into the center of the sword diagram, onto the little white figure that resembled her by about seventy or eighty percent.
Still moving in rigid and precise motions, but Ye Luqing memorized all these movements completely.
In the next moment, her body suddenly moved, synchronized with the white figure on the sword diagram.
Since the sword intent she imitated was learned by watching, mastering it should be no problem.
First, construct sword intent using Earth memories; sword intent then transforms into physical sword techniques through sword qi.
As long as she mastered these sword techniques, this sword intent would fully belong to her.
Throughout history, sword cultivators always practiced sword techniques first, then condensed sword intent from them.
Ye Luqing’s approach—reversing sword intent to derive sword techniques—was exceedingly rare.
Her speed in performing sword techniques grew faster and faster, and the connections between moves became increasingly smooth, gradually shedding the awkwardness and stiffness from before.
Ying Qianqian, standing aside, was immediately captivated, her eyes wide and fixed, her cherry-colored mouth slightly open, almost drooling.
Sword cultivators were always graceful and elegant, and with Ye Luqing’s unique heroic aura, she looked every bit the righteous heroine.
The thought of this valiant Senior Sister Ye being pinned beneath her, peeling away layer after layer of resilient righteousness to reveal the soft and shy side unseen by others, made Ying Qianqian’s lower abdomen heat up and her legs go weak.
Yet in the next moment, the Emotion Branch in her hand emitted a flash of crimson light, instantly enveloping her entire body.
Ying Qianqian suddenly felt a wave of blandness; the desire that had just been aroused was completely sucked away, as if entering some kind of cooldown period.
Ying Qianqian: …
You fiend!
She snorted lightly and tossed the Emotion Branch onto the ground, completely ignoring that it was a treasure granted by their master.
Looking back up, the desire to push Ye Luqing down that had been stirring in her vanished completely.
Instead, her eyes now only contained the exquisite sword techniques and the gradually perfected “sword intent.”
“What is this…”
Ying Qianqian’s talent in Sword Dao told her that what Ye Luqing was performing wasn’t just ordinary sword moves but something more advanced.
She quickly realized that this was a high-grade cultivation sword formula.
As a cultivation method, beyond sword qi and sword intent, it required a unique energy circulation path.
Her eyes fixed intently on Ye Luqing’s movements.
As Ye Luqing weaved and twirled with the sword, Ying Qianqian seemed to see silver starlight flickering through her meridians.
She saw it!
In the next moment, jade-like sword qi swirled around Ying Qianqian, her blue eyes flashing sword light, her entire sword stance seamless and natural, like a Golden Core Realm Sword Cultivator.
She used her finger as a sword, imitating Ye Luqing’s energy circulation path to begin activating the sword formula.
“I have to share the burden with Senior Sister Ye, I can’t let her attack alone,” she thought inwardly.
Ye Luqing’s talent in Sword Dao was limited. Even if she cleverly mimicked sword intent, she couldn’t unleash the full power of this sword formula.
But with her Sword Dao talent, Ying Qianqian could bring this sword formula to its peak.
After running through it three to five more times to achieve a perfect fusion of sword qi and sword intent, Ying Qianqian would be able to cultivate this sword formula to a minor success.
“This cultivation method was passed down from Chief Xiao to Senior Sister Ye. I’m stealing the secret art…”
A Grandmaster Formation top-grade cultivation method was the strongest technique accessible only to Inner Sect disciples and Personal Disciples in the Golden Core Realm.
Only because of Ye Luqing’s relationship with Xiao Qingxuan could anyone learn such a top-grade cultivation method across peaks.
So she must keep it hidden; no one can find out she’s secretly learning it.
Unless in desperate situations, she absolutely cannot use this sword formula.
With a firm plan in mind, Ying Qianqian withdrew her aura, and the surging sword qi instantly vanished.
She became once again the Formation Cultivator Ying Qianqian of Biluofeng.
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