Chapter 1369: Refining the Sword Technique

Lying on the soft grass, Zhou Yiqiao took a deep breath, feeling the fragrance of spiritual herbs in the air, and his heart was filled with tranquility and satisfaction.

The spiritual plants of various grades harvested from the black spiritual soil have piled up into three small hills on his side. The gathered spiritual energy has even condensed into a colorful cloud above his head.

He saw all of this and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

Although he made many enemies while accompanying Luo Lishang on this trip, he also gained a lot, so he did not suffer any loss.

Thinking of Luo Lishang, Zhou Yiqiao immediately sat up, raised his hand to summon three storage bags, and began to put the harvested spiritual herbs into them according to categories.

Since the number of spiritual herbs harvested this time is so huge, Zhou Yiqiao plans to first make a simple classification according to the final destination of these spiritual herbs. When he has free time, he will make a detailed classification based on the properties of the spiritual herbs or the requirements of the pill recipes.

Among these three storage bags, one represents the Seven Swordsmen and others, which are rewards and training resources specially prepared by him for his subordinates;

The other one belonged to Luo Lishang and Li Mubai. The things inside were all rare spiritual plants that Zhou Yiqiao had selected according to their conditions, as a way to win them over.

As for the last one, it was reserved by Zhou Yiqiao for himself. Not only was the quantity the largest, but the quality was also the highest. Taking out any one of them would be enough to make the casual cultivators of the Tianchen Realm fight over it.

After finishing the sorting, Zhou Yiqiao put the three storage bags on his waist, and with a thought, he took them back to reality.

Outside the attic, three subordinates were guarding the door with alert looks on their faces. When they saw Zhou Yiqiao come and go so quickly, they were all stunned.

Zhou Yiqiao did not explain anything to them, but threw the storage bag specially reserved for the three of them into the hands of Qi Jian and gave orders in a deep voice.

"It contains your rewards for this period of time, as well as some spiritual herbs that will be helpful to your cultivation."

"Take them each, practice well, and don't let me down."

Upon hearing this, Qijian, Tianlei and Xueran showed surprise on their faces, and hurriedly took the storage bag and bowed deeply to Zhou Yiqiao.

"Thank you for the reward, Master. We will do our best to serve you!"

Zhou Yiqiao nodded slightly, with a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

To be able to become Zhou Yiqiao's subordinate, even if his strength is not top-notch, his loyalty is absolutely unquestionable.

As long as they are given enough resources and trust, they can solve many daily chores for Zhou Yiqiao, allowing him to focus more on cultivation and improving his own strength.

After patiently waiting for the three people to finish allocating resources, Zhou Yiqiao continued.

"I have an appointment with the Second Princess of Daxuantian to discuss Dao, and I need to stay at her residence for a while. If anyone comes to visit during this time, Qijian, you will handle it on my behalf."

"Of course, if there is something you can't solve, don't try to handle it alone. Ask Tianlei and Xueran for help, or come to me directly."

Upon hearing this, Qi Jian's expression froze, and then he answered respectfully.

"Yes, Master. I will do my best to handle all matters and not distract you."

Seeing the Seven Swordsmen so serious, Zhou Yiqiao couldn't help but laugh.

"The Tijian Sect has the protection of the seniors, so even if something happens, it won't be too troublesome. There's no need to be so nervous."

"Okay, I'm going to Luo Lishang's cave now, you guys can go about your business."

After saying that, Zhou Yiqiao's figure flashed and turned into a stream of light, rushing away into the distance.

In Luo Lishang's residence, Ling'er was standing beside Luo Lishang, holding a small teapot, and carefully pouring tea for her.

Luo Lishang sat beside a coffee table made of rare spiritual wood, closing his eyes and concentrating, as if sensing something.

Zhou Yiqiao's arrival did not cause much commotion, but Luo Lishang still opened his eyes at the first moment, with a hint of joy in his eyes.

"You are so trustworthy that you come back so soon."

Luo Lishang's voice was cold and clear but carried a barely perceptible softness.

Zhou Yiqiao smiled and nodded, walked lightly to the seat opposite Luo Lishang, took the teacup handed to him by Ling'er, took a sip, the fragrance of tea filled the air, refreshing him.

"The Netherworld Demon Sect's mansion happened to send me some spiritual plants, and I selected some from them and sent them to you and Brother Li."

As Zhou Yiqiao spoke, he took off a storage bag from his waist and gently placed it on the coffee table. The mouth of the bag opened slightly, revealing the dazzling array of spiritual plants inside.

Luo Lishang glanced at the spiritual plants in the storage bag, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"You are very generous. These spiritual plants are very valuable. Even in the Great Xuantian, they are considered top-grade goods. They cannot be used frequently in the palace."

"Her Royal Highness the Princess said that Zhou's alchemy skills far surpass those of his peers. In fact, it is also due to the quality of these spiritual herbs."

"These spiritual herbs were cultivated by my second senior sister using secret methods. Even my junior brother doesn't know the specific process."

Zhou Yiqiao naturally did not want to reveal the fact that he had a Moonstone Space, so he pushed all the credit for planting these spiritual herbs to his second senior sister Mu Huairou who was far away in the Netherworld Demon Realm.

After saying this, he changed the subject elsewhere.

"Why hasn't Brother Li arrived yet? Some of these spiritual herbs are still his."

Luo Lishang smiled gently, picked up the teacup, touched the warm porcelain wall with his fingertips, seemed to be thinking about something, and spoke slowly after a moment.

"Li Mubai has been practicing in seclusion these days and is about to make a breakthrough, so he was unable to come in person."

"He has sent me a message saying that he can no longer participate in our discussion this time."

Zhou Yiqiao was stunned for a moment, then said with some envy.

"Brother Li is truly extremely talented. After this retreat, I'm sure he will be not far from reaching the fusion realm."

Luo Lishang's face also showed approval, which was rare.

"Yes, Li Mubai's talent for cultivation is first-rate, even in the Great Xuantian."

"If he could participate in the Great Xuantian Martial Arts Examination, it would be no problem for him to win the title of Martial Arts Champion."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yiqiao nodded in agreement.

"That's right. After all, Brother Li is a swordsman that the senior personally valued and brought back to the sect. His talent in swordsmanship can be said to be unique in the Tianchen Realm."

"It's a pity that this discussion is a little incomplete without Brother Li's insights on the way of the sword."

Luo Lishang shook his head, put down the teacup, and stared into Zhou Yiqiao's eyes without any hesitation.

“That being the case, it may not be a bad thing.”

"Brother Li's talent in swordsmanship far exceeds ours. When we discuss the Dao, we can't help but blindly follow his ideas, and it's difficult for us to show our true understanding."

"In my opinion, if we discuss the Dao behind closed doors, and then seek advice from Brother Li or even the seniors of the Sword Sect afterwards, we can spark more different ideas."

"This time, during my fight with Ji Ruxue, I have gained some insights into the way of the sword. How about we start from here?"

There was a gleam of anticipation in Luo Lishang's eyes and a hint of eagerness in her tone, and one could clearly feel her passion for kendo.

Zhou Yiqiao perked up and responded quickly.

"That's exactly what I meant. I also have some new ideas about kendo, and I hope to learn from you, Princess, and make progress together."

The two smiled at each other and came to a courtyard outside Luo Lishang's cave.

Ling'er trotted forward and handed the two swords for practitioners equipped by Luo Lishang to each of the two men.

In the center of the courtyard, the open space paved with bluestone appeared particularly spacious, surrounded by lush sacred trees. The breeze blew, and the leaves rustled, adding a bit of poetic atmosphere to the upcoming discussion.

Luo Lishang held a long sword that was completely ice blue with simple runes engraved on the blade. The tip of the sword lightly touched the ground, and a faint chill emanated from it, which complemented her cold temperament.

Zhou Yiqiao took over a sword with a faint green glow on the blade. The hilt was engraved with auspicious patterns of dragons and phoenixes. Although the grade of the sword was not high, its majesty was undiminished.

"Master Zhou, this is the sword intent that I learned and refined when fighting with Ji Ruxue. It is called 'Flowing Light Sword Intention'."

"This sword intent has the characteristics of being unpredictable and powerful. It can transform into thousands of sword shadows to harass the opponent, and it can also be condensed into a single strike to break through the clouds and the air."

"As for the specific effectiveness, I'm sure Master Zhou also observed a lot when I was fighting with Ji Ruxue."

"Now, please give me some advice, Master Zhou."

After Luo Lishang finished speaking, his figure suddenly became erratic, and he shuttled through the courtyard like a ghost, waving the ice-blue sword in his hand. In an instant, countless sword shadows spread out like colorful lights, covering the entire courtyard.

Feeling the pressure from the Liuguang sword intent, Zhou Yiqiao raised his eyebrows and felt a little surprised.

"Interesting, the Flowing Light Sword Intention of Her Royal Highness the Princess is similar to the Hundred Changes Sword Intention that Senior from the Sword Sect taught me."

After saying that, the sword in Zhou Yiqiao's hand also swept up a large amount of spiritual energy. As the sword light flashed, his body also danced along with it. Every step seemed to be based on some mysterious rhythm, which complemented Luo Lishang's flowing sword shadow, yet formed an organic whole.

"My Hundred-Change Sword Intentions are the result of joint efforts by all the seniors of the Sword Sect. It emphasizes the myriad sword moves that can be used at will without any restrictions. Even Zhou has not yet fully comprehended it. Your Highness, please be careful."

As Zhou Yiqiao finished his words, his sword moves became more unpredictable. Each sword move contained different changes, sometimes as fierce as a storm, and sometimes as gentle as a breeze.

The environment in the courtyard was cut into pieces by the sword energy of the two men. Every collision of the swords caused circles of ripples visible to the naked eye, spreading out in all directions.

Luo Lishang's sword intent is flexible and changeable, and the sword shadows are like weaving. Each sword light is like a meteor across the night sky, both beautiful and deadly.

Zhou Yiqiao's ever-changing sword skills focus more on the adaptability and inner rhythm of sword moves. His sword skills are sometimes open and closed, like a dragon emerging from the sea, and sometimes delicate and subtle, like a spring breeze blowing on willows, showing a very high level of attainment in swordsmanship.