“Cough…” Lu Li spat out another mouthful of blood, but the congestion in his chest had indeed eased quite a bit.
“Such a terrifying Sword Intent…” Turning his head, Lu Li looked at where he had been standing.
The originally flat ground had been cut open with a gash a full three feet deep.
“Young master, this won’t do.” The red-clad girl floated down and came behind Lu Li, her slender fingers gently stroking his wrist.
“How about coming into my embrace?” As she spoke, her nine fox tails teased Lu Li’s back, and her cherry lips drew close to his earlobe.
“As long as Master accepts me, this insensitive old man can just…”
“I’m fine…” After this brief exchange, Lu Li had gained some understanding of Sword Zen.
Although he didn’t know why the world of Sword Zen was so vast, nor why this A Yi wanted to kill him instead of a friendly spar.
But in that one move, Lu Li had truly gained insight into the use of the sword.
And the red-clad woman’s arrival was closely tied to his own thoughts.
At the moment he spat blood, Lu Li instinctively wanted to transform into a woman, then use Charm Technique to immobilize the opponent, followed by a single strike to defeat them.
“Since Master says so.” The red-clad woman shot a glance at A Yi, who stood as still as a withered tree.
“Then Master, let me heal your injuries.”
“Sorry… I just rejected you.” Lu Li looked at the red-clad woman, whose appearance was almost identical to his own female form.
“What is your name?” “My name is Wan Wan.”
Upon hearing that, the woman smiled like a blooming peach, wrapping her arms around Lu Li.
“I’m so happy that Master is willing to ask my name!”
“Don’t waste time.” A Yi interrupted Wan Wan’s affectionate display.
“Sword Zen consumes True Qi and also Spirit Soul. Even though you have a Divine Charm Spirit Root, with Spirit Soul power far beyond others, if you want to enter Sword Zen again, you’ll need at least a few days of rest.”
“Yes…” As Lu Li stood up, Wan Wan beside him floated away, smoothing her skirt as she stood to the side.
“Come again.” That embrace just now—from the Charm Spirit Root, a strange power had seeped out, directly dissipating the pain in Lu Li’s chest.
“Dodge to attack.” A Yi again started a sword stance, then swept upward.
But this time, Lu Li activated Flowing Wind and Returning Snow, leaping upward along with the powerful sword qi, then descending with the momentum, his long sword thrusting straight at A Yi’s head.
“If your Sword Intent is strong enough, there’s no need to dodge.”
A Yi stood still, merely swinging his iron staff to the side.
With a majestic sword qi, Lu Li’s body was instantly thrown far away, but in the end, he was not injured.
“Sword has no fixed method; weapon has no fixed form.”
A Yi raised the iron staff levelly, then thrust it forward.
“As long as you can defeat the enemy, anything goes.”
“I agree with that.” Lu Li’s body floated backward.
A Yi’s sword qi was simply too fierce, too powerful; even with Flowing Wind and Returning Snow activated, he could only keep retreating.
He couldn’t get close at all. The sword technique he had learned earlier in the Sword Tower was One Sword into Three.
But at this moment, it was completely useless.
The three sword qi strands were like crashing into a violent storm, directly crushed.
It was also fortunate that A Yi didn’t move at all; otherwise, Lu Li would have been killed for sure.
‘Without using Charm Technique… there’s only this way.’
Lu Li took a deep breath, slowly channeling the True Qi in his body into the iron staff in his hand.
Then, as A Yi thrust out sword qi again, he imitated his first move.
Sweep upward with the momentum. Then descend. This was one move.
The sword wind surged; Lu Li felt as if he was trying to cut open the ocean.
But after all, he was a cultivator at the 13th Layer of Qi Refining. With the injection of True Yuan, the sword qi he unleashed indeed cut open that sea of sword qi.
Then, the parted sea of sword qi in front of him instead became a help, coming behind him and pushing Lu Li forward.
First sword, second sword… ninth sword. By the time Lu Li reached A Yi, the True Qi in his body was completely depleted.
“Good.” A Yi said, looking at Lu Li, now panting and drenched in sweat.
“Rest.”
Huff…
Lu Li let out a long breath.
His legs gave out, and his body collapsed like soft mud.
This was the first time he had consumed all the True Qi of the 13th Layer of Qi Refining.
“Ah… you hot-headed iron rod.” Wan Wan sighed softly, but caught Lu Li, letting him lean on her lap.
“How could you let him learn this the first time?”
“He wanted to learn, I taught.” A Yi glanced at Lu Li, then returned to the stone house, but this time he didn’t lift his hammer, just watched from afar.
“I do hope that Master will learn more about my everything.” Wan Wan brushed her fingers across Lu Li’s face, wiping away the sweat.
“Next time we meet, it’ll be a few days later.”
In the familiar sensation of being lifted, Lu Li opened his eyes again.
He was still in the small courtyard, his True Qi completely drained, and his Spirit Soul also extremely tired.
‘No wonder A Yi said that if I failed, I would die.’ Feeling his dry meridians, Lu Li quickly took out the Qi-Gathering Pill he had seldom used before and swallowed it.
‘But it’s true that I can learn a lot.’
‘However, to reach that level of Sword Zen like Liu Qingyun, where a long sword can be transformed into something else, it will probably take a while.’
Thinking this, Lu Li returned to his room, took out some pills he had prepared earlier, and swallowed them greedily.
‘Looks like during the days of sword practice, I’ll have to beg for some more Qi-Gathering Pills.’
‘In the meantime, I’ll practice the Yin and Yang Qi.’
Feeling the qi starting to fill his meridians, Lu Li sat cross-legged in the room, trying to sense the floating energy between heaven and earth.
However, this time, despite his efforts to absorb, only a few thin strands entered his body, and then they dissipated again when he tried to condense the Yin and Yang Qi.
‘Although training with a Superior-grade Sword Spirit Root is fast, compared to a Divine Charm Spirit Root, there is still a difference…’
After three or four failures, Lu Li let out a long sigh, then pondered.
If he transformed into his female form again, this time he would have to maintain it for twelve days.
And at the speed of his female form, he estimated he could reach Foundation Establishment soon.
As for drawbacks… hmm… it seemed there were none.
Lu Li thought for a long time. If he had to mention one, it would be that he would once again become the sect’s Saintess.
And in the Yin Yang Sect, one did not go down the mountain before Foundation Establishment, so everyone he met were familiar faces.
During the Enthronement Ceremony a month ago, disciples from other sects had also seen his female form.
‘But… ah… I’ll ask Grand Master.’
Lu Li stood up, glanced at Qing Luo still struggling to cultivate in the courtyard, stepped onto his flying sword, and went to Lin Yin’s residence.
Lin Yin’s residence was a communal area for the rotating Golden Core True Persons.
The huge platform, along with the carefree Foundation Establishment stage spirit beasts wandering around, casually nibbling on herbs with Foundation Establishment medicinal power, made Lu Li both distressed and fearful.
“Grand Master.” Lu Li stood outside the gate, grasped the door knocker, and tapped lightly.
“Disciple Lu Li pays respects.” “A rare male form.”
Lin Yin’s voice came into Lu Li’s mind. “Come to the Alchemy Hall to see me.”
“Yes.” Lu Li bowed to the door, then followed the route from memory to the Alchemy Hall.
As a Golden Core True Person, her courtyard was like a small sect, with many Miscellaneous Service Disciples bustling about, and even some cultivators at the seventh or eighth layer.
Entering the Alchemy Hall, Lu Li saw Lin Yin sitting at a table on which various bamboo slips and jade tokens were placed.
At the same time, many medicinal powders and liquids floated in transparent glass bottles in the air.
“What’s wrong? Having trouble condensing Yin and Yang Qi?” Lin Yin waved her hand to clear the table.
“Or have you decided on a trial magic tool or pill?”
“I did encounter some confusion in cultivation.” Lu Li sat before Lin Yin and briefly recounted his Sword Zen experience and the difference in condensing Yin and Yang Qi between his male and female forms.
After he finished, Lin Yin’s initial worry vanished instantly, and instead, a vein on her forehead began to twitch.
“What’s wrong, Grand Master?”
“I can now understand why Wan Qiu sometimes sighs.” Lin Yin casually cast a restriction, sealing the doors and windows.
“Do you know how many years an ordinary Qi Refining 13th Layer cultivator is stuck at this realm?”
“Hmm… about thirty or forty years?” Lu Li had heard Shen Zhaoxue say that if she cultivated normally, she would only reach Foundation Establishment in her sixties.
“Yes, even those with good talent need thirty or forty years. As for geniuses like you… a dozen years. However, Foundation Establishment extends lifespan to over two hundred years, so even if one establishes the foundation at sixty, they can rejuvenate.” Lin Yin said, pinching her fingers as faint Yin and Yang Qi swirled in her palm.
“The Ren and Du meridians take at least five or six years. Then condensing Yin and Yang Qi into four hundred and eight acupoints requires thirty years.”
“But you… Lu Li.” Lin Yin waved her hand to disperse the Yin and Yang Qi.
“In your female form, you can condense over a dozen Yin and Yang Qi in a day? That means you can achieve Foundation Establishment in a month and a half, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, but in my male form, I can only condense three or four strands a day, and not guaranteed.” Lu Li said.
“So I am thinking…”
“Definitely choose the female form. Your male form’s Superior-grade Spirit Root is not bad… ah, it’s not just not bad, it’s heaven-defying.” Lin Yin waved her hand.
“Others need twenty or thirty years to establish foundation. In your male form, you can do it in a year; in your female form, a month and a half. No need for me to say which to choose.”
“Moreover, once you establish foundation, your lifespan doubles, your cultivation explodes. Except for the need to go down the mountain for trials and some hassle, everything is good.” Lin Yin waved her hand, then took out two pill bottles.
“These are Yin-Yang Dual Qi Pills. Take them.”
“Thank you, Master.” Lu Li bowed as he took the pills, then walked out of the Alchemy Hall, stepping onto his flying sword with a sigh.
‘So in the end… I still have to cultivate in my female form.’
After returning to the courtyard, Lu Li looked at Qing Luo, who was still with eyes closed and brows furrowed, struggling with heaven and earth spiritual qi.
‘It’s just for cultivation… yeah, for cultivation.’
For the fourth time, activating the Yin-Yang Reversal Art, Lu Li was already familiar.
The Yin and Yang Qi in his body changed, and then, feeling his body become light, he subconsciously sat down at the vanity table and opened those jars and bottles.
‘No, no, no. Cultivation, cultivation…’
Lu Li hurriedly put those things away, simply took out a dress and put it on.
Sitting down again, he looked at the woman in the mirror and couldn’t help sighing.
She was indeed extremely similar to the appearance of the Charm Spirit Root.