Chapter Forty-Eight: The Final Six Forms

Li Sibai and He Tianshu were once again locked in combat, the sound of clashing metal echoing through the air. In the blink of an eye, they had already exchanged dozens of blows, yet neither emerged victorious.

Though Li Sibai's cultivation was far beneath He Tianshu's, He Tianshu had refrained from using any magic in this match, nor did he activate his inner energy shield. The two of them relied solely on their swordsmanship and strength, a pure contest of physical prowess.

Li Sibai had begun his training at the age of four. Despite his modest cultivation, he had forged a strong, resilient body. Now, wielding the weighty Xuantian Sword, he held his own in the duel, showing no sign of weakness.

He Tianshu, for his part, was inwardly astonished. While they were not competing with magic today, his young junior brother's agility, swordsmanship, and strength were all first-rate. Were it not for his own skill, anyone else would have been utterly overwhelmed. He could not help but secretly admire Li Sibai.

Watching from the side, Yao Xueqing's heart surged with excitement. Having sparred with Li Sibai day after day, she was well aware of his abilities. Now, seeing He Tianshu also unable to gain the upper hand, she felt a surge of delight, thinking, "At last, someone else understands what it's like!"

As the two remained deadlocked, He Tianshu was the first to change tactics. He unleashed a series of strange sword techniques that Li Sibai had never seen before. Immediately thrown into confusion, Li Sibai was forced to retreat again and again, soon able only to parry and no longer attack.

Sweat poured down Li Sibai's brow as he desperately sought to turn the tide, but to no avail. In haste, he leaped back a full five meters and quickly raised his hand in surrender. "Senior Brother He, I yield!"

He Tianshu promptly sheathed his Carefree Sword and grinned at Li Sibai. "Junior Brother Li, thank you for the match."

Li Sibai wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Senior Brother He, may I ask what that last, peculiar sword technique was? It was astonishingly sharp." Though he had just been defeated, his interest in the sword art was undiminished. He could tell at once that it was a marvel unlike anything he had ever seen. If only he could learn it!

Before He Tianshu could reply, Yao Xueqing interjected, "Xiaobai, that's the latter six forms of the Xuantian Sword Technique. Only inner disciples are allowed to learn them. Haven't you studied them yet?" She chuckled, not expecting that He Tianshu would be forced to use the inner disciples' final six forms to deal with Li Sibai. This proved that even he was out of options. To push He Tianshu to this extent, Li Sibai's abilities were indeed extraordinary.

"Senior Sister Yao, the elders said I can't learn magic or formally take a master until I reach the Heart of the Zither realm, so I..."

Yao Xueqing cut him off, "But did they ever say you couldn't learn sword techniques?"

Li Sibai scratched his head, pondering carefully. "I don't think they ever said that," he replied, his eyes lighting up as he nodded thoughtfully.

Yao Xueqing glanced at Li Sibai, then at He Tianshu. He Tianshu nodded at her.

"Well, I suppose I have no choice but to teach you," Yao Xueqing said with a deliberately exasperated look.

Li Sibai was overjoyed and hurried to thank her. "Thank you, Senior Sister! If you ever need anything, just say the word and I'll do my utmost. I absolutely won't—"

He hadn't finished when Yao Xueqing interrupted, "Alright, alright, Xiaobai, when did you become so chatty? Pay attention!"

Without a further glance at the awkwardly standing Li Sibai, Yao Xueqing demonstrated the latter six forms of the Xuantian Sword Technique. Li Sibai watched, astonished. The variations were dazzling, and though it was called six forms, someone with sufficient insight could transform them into sixteen, or even twenty-six. It all depended on one's comprehension.

After finishing, Yao Xueqing sheathed her sword, her breath held as she looked at Li Sibai. "Did you memorize them?"

"A little..." Li Sibai was unsure how to answer. He was no fool, but though he'd seen six forms with his eyes, in his mind there seemed to be far more. Now, looking back, he couldn't recall exactly what the original six forms were.

"Did you memorize a little, or not at all?" Yao Xueqing frowned.

"Not at all..." Li Sibai's voice grew smaller and smaller.

Yao Xueqing apparently didn't catch it. Thinking he'd only missed a little, she prepared to demonstrate once more.

He Tianshu, watching carefully from the side, decided not to expose him. "Junior Sister Yao, Junior Brother Li, you two practice here. I have some matters to attend to, so I'll be off." With a polite gesture, he turned to leave. As he did, Yao Xueqing thought she saw him stifling a laugh, though she had no idea why. She was left utterly bewildered.

Li Sibai replied with an "Oh," and also noticed He Tianshu's suppressed laughter. He could only force a wry smile in response.

After He Tianshu left, Yao Xueqing wasted no time and demonstrated the forms once more, even slower this time. Li Sibai watched intently.

When she finished, Yao Xueqing's cheeks were flushed and her breathing a little hurried. "Well, Xiaobai, did you see clearly this time?"

Li Sibai nodded quickly. "This time I saw everything clearly. Thank you, Senior Sister."

"Good, then practice them once for me to see."

"Yes!"

Li Sibai picked up his Xuantian Sword and began to practice. At first, he managed well enough, but as he continued, the forms slipped from his memory, and what he performed became quite different from what Yao Xueqing had shown.

Li Sibai wore a look of distress, but Yao Xueqing only laughed happily beside him.

"Not bad, Xiaobai! You've already grasped the essence of the latter six forms so quickly—truly commendable!"

Li Sibai looked bewildered, suspecting she was making fun of him. "Senior Sister, I'm too dull. I can't seem to remember the six forms. Could you demonstrate them once more?"

Yao Xueqing burst into laughter. "Silly boy, you did just fine. Why would you need me to teach you again?"

Li Sibai chuckled sheepishly. He thought to himself that now was the time to be thick-skinned if he truly wanted to master this sword technique.

"Hehe, Senior Sister, please don’t tease me," he said, scratching his head in embarrassment.

Yao Xueqing, delighted by his manner, decided not to toy with him further. "Alright, Xiaobai, enough teasing. The latter six forms of the Xuantian Sword Technique have no fixed pattern. From them, you can derive countless variations—thousands upon thousands—depending entirely on your own insight and cultivation." She paused, then continued, "So it's normal if you can't memorize them each time. If you try to memorize them rigidly, you'll lose the essence of these six forms."

Li Sibai looked at Yao Xueqing, nodding thoughtfully, deeply moved by this revelation.