Heaven and Earth Six Directions Sword Formation

This was the first time Li Yu had ever wanted class to end so badly.

The moment the bell rang, he did not even raise his hand to ask a question.

In the Arena, Su Wen opened a custom room and warned Li Yu solemnly, "This half-strand of Sword Intent did not come from your own painstaking cultivation and comprehension. If you use it to condense a sword heart and reach Foundation Establishment, your foundation will be unstable, and it may even hinder your progress toward higher realms."

At this, hesitation appeared on Li Yu's face.

Although he dreamed of reaching Foundation Establishment, he still felt it would not be worth it if he really had to mortgage his future.

But he soon thought of a solution. "Teacher, couldn't I just condense that half-strand of Sword Intent into my own sword heart without advancing to Foundation Establishment?"

Su Wen was taken aback. After thinking it over, he realized that did indeed seem to be the case.

Without advancing to Foundation Establishment, his foundation naturally would not be affected.

Moreover, after forging a sword heart, his cultivation of the sword would advance by leaps and bounds for a time, and his strength would grow rapidly.

Given Li Yu's circumstances, the benefits would certainly outweigh the drawbacks.

Su Wen said, "Then listen carefully. To refine Sword Intent that does not belong to you into a sword heart, you must first find what it has in common with your fundamental cultivation method. Then, following that point of commonality, slowly integrate the Sword Intent into your cultivation method. It is like implanting spirit roots or Dao bones into your body through an external force, except you are implanting a heart."

Knowing Li Yu certainly would not understand that explanation, Su Wen proceeded straight to a demonstration.

He changed his defensive avatar in the Arena from the Innate Limitless Grand Formation to the Heaven and Earth Six Directions Sword Formation.

The Heaven and Earth Six Directions Sword Formation was also a primordial spirit formation, and it was highly compatible with the Taiqing Mystic Sect’s Formless Sword Qi, almost like a simplified version of the latter.

Once this avatar of Su Wen had arranged the sword formation, another Su Wen avatar flew out and demonstrated the Taiqing Mystic Sect’s Formless Sword Qi anew. Then twelve strands of Sword Intent—Life, Death, Obscurity, Clarity, Illusion, and Annihilation, each divided into yin and yang, possessing form but no substance—lit up one after another and simultaneously merged into the first avatar’s sword formation along the six directions of heaven and earth.

"Watch closely!" As Su Wen spoke beside Li Yu, he extended his right hand and grasped toward the first avatar.

Amid flickering spiritual light, Su Wen condensed the avatar integrated with the sword formation into a colorful, exquisite sword heart, then opened his mouth and swallowed it.

To let Li Yu see clearly, Su Wen made his entire body transparent.

The exquisite sword heart seemed to become a second heart, embedded atop his original heart and shimmering with brilliant, mysterious radiance.

Su Wen said, "This Heaven and Earth Six Directions Sword Formation is one of the four hundred and eighty million formations in Thousand Mechanisms Evolution. Its attributes are highly compatible with the Taiqing Mystic Sect’s Formless Sword Qi. By using this sword formation to contain it, then drawing the formation back in, I can forge a sword heart and master this Sword Art. But this is only an example, not proof that the idea actually works. You saw earlier that this was what I tried in the classroom. Who knew that when the Sword Intent finally merged with the sword formation, it would explode outright? That means there are still a few problems with this concept. But the approach is definitely feasible. I probably rushed things. I should slowly condense and master all the Sword Intent myself before trying to merge it with the formation..."

This demonstration finally helped Li Yu understand.

The half-strand of Taiqing Sword Intent was like an extremely sharp blade without a handle. He therefore needed to wrap one end of the Sword Intent into a handle he could hold without hurting himself.

The method of making that handle differed from person to person.

Su Wen used the Heaven and Earth Six Directions Sword Formation because of the characteristics of Thousand Mechanisms Evolution, while Li Yu could only seek a solution within the Taiyi True Explanation.

But Li Yu truly had no idea how to use the Taiyi True Explanation to incorporate the Taiqing Sword Intent into his own framework, so he asked for help outright. "Teacher, please teach me."

Since Su Wen had already started teaching him, he did not mind continuing.

He spread his right hand, and colorful radiance flashed across his body. Centered on him, the Heaven and Earth Six Directions Sword Formation integrated with the Taiqing Mystic Sect’s Formless Sword Qi expanded outward, enveloping Li Yu.

Then Su Wen pointed at Li Yu again, drawing a pale white stream of air from his lungs and condensing it into a strand of Sword Qi.

This was Yi Light Condensing Edge.

"Record the demonstration I'm about to give you, then study it yourself after you go back. This is somewhat difficult, and I don't expect you to finish it in a short time, but you must at least make progress every day."

As Su Wen spoke, the sword formation surrounding them began turning into wisps of colorful light, which flowed into Yi Light Condensing Edge like ribbons.

Very soon, the pale white Sword Qi was dyed in a riot of colors. Once the entire integrated sword formation had been packed inside, it turned into a pitch-black wisp.

Su Wen placed the pitch-black wisp in his palm back into Li Yu's defensive avatar. Deep within its lungs, this shadowy wisp suddenly appeared.

At the same time, Li Yu's character panel in the room changed as well.

In the upper-right corner of the character display, there had originally been skill icons representing every spell in the Taiyi True Explanation. Now the icon representing Yi Light Condensing Edge had updated, and its description had updated as well. What had originally been a pale white stream of air had become a pitch-black wisp.

Heaven and Earth Yi Light Six Directions Sword Formation (you may rename it yourself)!

Li Yu, his face full of excitement, immediately tried to demonstrate it in the custom room, but a prompt popped up: [Insufficient spiritual sense and true essence. Cannot cast.]

Su Wen reached out and touched a finger to Li Yu's forehead. A stream of pure primal energy descended and merged into this avatar of Li Yu, instantly increasing his spiritual sense and true essence fivefold.

"Try it now."

Hearing this, Li Yu immediately activated the new Yi Light Condensing Edge.

In that instant, streaks of colorful light erupted from his lungs and spread outward, forming a spherical sword formation that encompassed all six directions-above, below, left, right, front, and back-before abruptly contracting to an infinitesimal point in the blink of an eye.

Amid indescribable pressure and pain, Li Yu felt as though his entire body had been ground into powder from head to toe, then condensed into a single point. He was ejected from the custom room and returned to the platform outside in the Arena.

A flash of cloud-light brought Su Wen before Li Yu. He reached out again and touched Li Yu's brow, helping soothe the agonizing sensation of having died.

After roughly a quarter of an hour, Li Yu finally recovered. His whole body trembled as the delayed reaction set in, and with a stiff, bitter smile, he made a small request of Su Wen. "Teacher, if I'm going to die next time, please tell me beforehand."

Su Wen nodded, feeling that he had been a little careless himself and had forgotten that this student came from a frontier star region. "Actually, this is the Arena's greatest purpose. Dying here is better than dying out in reality. Besides, some knowledge can only be etched deep into your mind at the boundary between life and death, so you will never

forget it."