Chapter 101: Jiang Ce’s Joy Formation
True Person Qin seemed to have anticipated this long ago and calmly replied: “Of course I know you don’t have Sword Intent. The Sword Formation can be quickly mastered, but Sword Intent cannot.”
Jiang Ce was dumbfounded: “Then I can’t practice it. Can I switch to the Art of Holding the Sword?”
True Person Qin shook his head: “The Art of Holding the Sword is the same. You can practice the Sword Moves, but you can’t cultivate Sword Qi in a short time.”
“True Person Qin,” Jiang Ce was somewhat angry, feeling like he had been toyed with: “Do you think you’re quite humorous? If it can’t be quickly mastered in the short term, what capital do I have to participate in the Daoist Grand Ceremony?”
“It’s not solely for the Grand Ceremony anyway. Besides, if it could be quickly mastered, how could it be considered an ultimate technique, or profound mystery?”
True Person Qin glanced at him.
“I understand, thank you True Person Qin.” Jiang Ce stood up to take his leave: “Then I’ll practice after the Grand Ceremony. For now, I’ll go to the Pill Room in the Celestial Master’s Mansion to steal some Pills and see if they can make up for it.”
“Hey! Wait a minute, you’re not really planning to steal Pills, are you?”
Hearing Jiang Ce’s bold statement, even True Person Qin, who was always stern, couldn’t keep a straight face and hurriedly stopped him.
Jiang Ce sighed: “Cultivating Sword Intent is impossible, so I can only steal some Pills to sustain my life like this.”
Seeing that Jiang Ce wasn’t joking, True Person Qin lightly pursed his lips, as if thinking about how to dissuade him.
Finally, he chose to compromise: “Actually, even just Formation Techniques would be enough for you. It’s just that compared to a truly minor accomplishment of the Seven Star Sword Formation, without Sword Intent the power will be greatly reduced, and this is actually something that can be cycled.”
“Cycled? You’re quite particular with your words. Alright, how to cycle it? This junior is all ears.”
True Person Qin pondered and said: “Since it’s called an ultimate technique, it naturally has unique aspects. Actually, you can dismantle the Sword Formation and Sword Intent into two parts.
This Sword Formation is the carrier of Sword Intent, while also amplifying it. The two are like the relationship between bow and arrow.
This bow is undoubtedly top-quality. Your current problem is lacking arrows, so before cultivating top-quality arrows, using slightly inferior arrows as substitutes is fine.
Other intents, or Sorcery, as long as it’s something you have mastered, can temporarily be used as substitutes.
But before fusing, you need to separate them with Daoist Qi, so that after you gain Sword Intent, you can discard and retrain it. Otherwise, once they fuse into one, it will be hard to handle.
So the Seven Star Sword Formation can grow infinitely in a strict sense. The precision of your Formation Techniques and the profundity of your Sword Intent will both affect the power of the Sword Formation.”
Pausing, he reminded again: “This method is not recorded in the book. Strictly speaking, it’s considered unorthodox, but if you insist on quick mastery, you can give it a try.”
Jiang Ce’s eyes lit up, as if he had discovered a new continent.
He subconsciously asked: “Can multiple Sorceries be added?”
True Person Qin frowned, and only after a moment shook his head: “I don’t know about that. It’s best not to attempt it.”
“I understand.” Jiang Ce sat down again, excitedly planning to try combinations.
But at that moment, dawn broke in the east, and a streak of fish-belly white appeared in the sky.
True Person Qin narrowed his eyes: “The Grand Ceremony is in two days. Practice diligently. It’s not early today, so you should go back first. If you have questions, you can come find me anytime. If not, no need to act overly familiar.”
Jiang Ce understood in his heart that True Person Qin still wanted to keep distance from the Gatekeeper, so he stood up and saluted: “Then this junior will take his leave. Thank you True Person Qin for imparting the Sorcery.”
“No need for thanks. Just remember my words.” True Person Qin said no more and turned back into the house.
Jiang Ce didn’t mind and trotted all the way back to his lodgings, eagerly practicing the Seven Star Sword Formation.
Having cultivated Daoist Qi, and having come into contact with the Golden Liquid Divine Elixir Compendium which could also be called an ultimate technique, plus his past experience studying the Soul Soothing Technique array, controlling Daoist Qi to engrave the Sword Formation in his dantian was as effortless as water finding its course for him.
In just a few hours, before lunchtime, Jiang Ce had created a decent-looking Seven Star Sword Formation.
But he didn’t relax, because the truly difficult part hadn’t arrived yet.
He carefully wrapped a strand of the Golden Bell Shield’s Sorcery essence with Daoist Qi and attempted to fuse it into the Sword Formation. Throughout the process, he was as serious and tense as if he were creating an artificial embryo.
When he saw the Golden Bell Shield’s Sorcery essence actually fuse with the Sword Formation, his joy and irrepressible upward curl of his lips were probably the same as that of the scientist who cloned Dolly the sheep.
Silently reciting the Chu Sang San Zi Jing to activate Spiritual Energy, Jiang Ce used the Seven Star Sword Formation for the first time.
But
“Yay? This isn’t right, is it?”
Jiang Ce looked at the seven Great Cauldrons floating beside him, each carrying seven different auras, and fell into contemplation, wondering if he had missed something from True Person Qin.
Trying to drive them with his thoughts, Jiang Ce did find that these Great Cauldrons were like part of his body, responding to his command as easily as his own arms.
But it just felt off everywhere.
Where are the swords? Seven Star Sword Formation—where are the swords?!
Though the seven Great Cauldrons, purely in terms of aura, none were inferior to the original Golden Bell Shield, and when amplified by the Seven Star Sword Formation and unleashed, their might was indeed astonishing.
But if True Person Qin saw this thing… he would probably feel a sense of cuckoldry.
Moreover, Jiang Ce suddenly remembered something. He had previously used the full-power Golden Bell Shield in front of the Lu Shan Sect while disguised as the Gluttonous Ghost. If he used it at the Grand Ceremony, it was highly likely the Lu Shan Sect people would recognize it, and then he definitely wouldn’t be able to get off stage—trouble galore.
Jiang Ce hesitated briefly, removed the strand of Golden Bell Shield essence wrapped in Daoist Qi, set it aside on standby, then fetched a strand of mental energy empowered by the Golden Liquid Divine Elixir Compendium and embedded it into the Sword Formation.
Activating it again, seven mental clusters, visible only to Jiang Ce and emanating different auras, floated beside him.
Similarly precise in control, similarly powerful mental attacks not inferior to the original.
Jiang Ce took a deep breath and suddenly understood.
“Damn, with this thing, why bother practicing that crappy Sword Intent? Oil Pot-like Golden Bell Shield, Righteous Qi that spews black fire and is poisonous, mental energy like Mental Pollution—which one isn’t better than Sword Intent?”
This was sevenfold amplification with enchantments. Without exaggeration, if he had learned it earlier, yesterday at the Celestial Master’s Hall he would have charged to death that despicable villain with mental energy as blank as white paper who loved sneak attacks!
Jiang Ce suddenly felt unstoppable, immensely inflated for a moment.
“Sew! They can all be sewn!”
He exclaimed:
“Those stubborn fools from the Quanzhen Sect, squeezing every last bit from one sheep—what unorthodox path? This is clearly the correct way.
Seven Star Sword Formation, I’ve truly wronged you before. From now on, brother will take good care of you~”
The seven-pointed star diagram in his dantian flickered slightly, as if responding to Jiang Ce’s enthusiasm.
However, Jiang Ce in his excitement didn’t notice that the seven-pointed star diagram he had drawn had its seven corners slowly changing in a barely perceptible way, as if reversing…
Continue with a big chapter tomorrow, good night~
