A Blind Swordsman's Sword Coffin

Li Guanqi’s icy voice echoed through the crowd. His tone was devoid of emotion, yet its calmness sent chills down everyone’s spines.

Pang Li was also a cultivator who had recently reached the Foundation Building Realm, but his cultivation had not yet stabilized.

He rose to his feet, noticing the strange looks of his fellow sect members. His expression turned into an ugly grimace. “You think you’re strong enough? A death duel?”

Li Guanqi frowned impatiently. “Yes! I’m asking you for a death duel! Do you accept or not?”

A disciple from the Purple Sun Pavilion said, “Brother, there’s no need to escalate this, right? Pang Li did not even hit the girl. I know you’re here to open your spirit void. Is this really necessary?”

Li Guanqi turned, staring at him with his pure white eyes as he laughed. “Oh, you sure have a lot to say! Where were you just now? Keep your mouth shut unless you want to take his place!”

The youth opened his mouth, then glanced at the quiet Pang Li and shut his mouth.

Li Guanqi sneered. “That’s right. You’re a bitch, so act like it. If you wanted to play the hero, where were you earlier?”

Then, Li Guanqi turned to look at Pang Li and shouted, “Do the disciples of Purple Sun Pavilion have no balls?!”

Pang Li could no longer take the strange looks from his sect’s members, so he roared, “I accept! Azure Cloud Martial Arena! I’ll be there in two hours! If you don’t show up, you’re the coward!”

Li Guanqi grinned, then tossed out his sword and stepped onto it, bringing Yu Sui’an with him.

Li Guanqi rose into the sky, casting a murderous glare down at Pang Li. “You’d better not chicken out.”

Whoosh!

He brought Yu Sui’an into the clouds, circling the area many times until she smiled. Only then did he finally take her back to her quarters.

The moment they landed, they found Li Nanting, who had been waiting for them for a long time.

Li Guanqi noticed him and gently turned to Yu Sui’an. “Alright, go back and rest.”

Yu Sui’an saw the dark expression on Li Nanting’s face and looked at Li Guanqi worriedly. She hurried over to Li Nanting and tugged on his hand. She said in a small voice, “Grandfather Li... Don’t blame the blind boy... I was the one who got into trouble.”

Li Nanting crouched down, gently pulling back her sleeve to reveal her bruised wrist. His expression softened. “It’s alright. Go take a nap. I won’t blame him.”

Yu Sui’an reluctantly complied, glancing back repeatedly as she returned to her room.

By now, the disciples of the Daxia Sword Sect had gathered outside the door. They’d heard Li Guanqi had challenged a Purple Sun Pavilion disciple to a death duel.

Li Guanqi took a deep breath and bowed to Li Nanting. “I’m sorry, Master. I couldn’t hold my temper back.”

He knew they had come to the Purple Sun Pavilion seeking permission to test their spirit voids. But now, he had caused a scene. If Li Nanting asked him to apologize for the sake of the sect, he would comply.

To his surprise, Li Nanting’s eyes narrowed, filled with killing intent. “A bunch of idiots! How did you let the Purple Sun Pavilion’s disciples bully Yu Sui’an?!”

He turned to Li Guanqi. “Li Guanqi!”

Li Guanqi froze and said, “Here!”

Li Nanting’s vital force surged, filling the space with suffocating pressure.

“Challenging them was the right thing to do! It’s just the Purple Sun Pavilion! If you fight them on a proper stage, no one can argue. You’d better beat him to a pulp! If he dies, I’ll handle it!

“It’s just the spirit void! If the Purple Sun Pavilion refuses to let us test yours, I’ll take you to the Spirit Insight Pavilion! You must win this duel!”

Li Guanqi grinned. “Don’t worry, Master.”

Just then, the elder who had greeted them earlier arrived at the courtyard.

Whoosh!

Song Ru arrived anxiously, glanced at Li Guanqi, and said, “Fellow Daoist Li, how could your disciple challenge Pang Li to a death duel?!”

Li Nanting’s face darkened, dropping his courteous façade. He shrugged with his sleeve, his tone turning icy. “Oh? And why not? A disciple of the Purple Sun Pavillion hurt my granddaughter, so my disciple challenged him to a duel. What’s wrong with that?”

Song Ru froze. He had not expected Li Nanting to be stubborn enough to disregard diplomacy. Pang Li’s master had asked Song Ru to come here and defuse the tension, but now...

Li Nanting said in a low voice, “It’s just a small conflict between the younger generation. Does the Purple Sun Pavilion forbid its disciples from accepting challenges? If he’s afraid of death, he shouldn’t have accepted the duel.”

Song Ru saw the resolute look in Li Nanting’s eyes and sighed. “Since they’re both disciples, why don’t we turn the death duel into a sparring match? It’s just a small fight, not some deep-seated grudge.”

Li Guanqi’s eyes flashed coldly, but he hid it.

Li Nanting looked at him, and Li Guanqi nodded, his voice soft. “I’ll leave the decision to you, Master.”

Li Nanting gave a slight nod, and his gaze sharpened. “I don’t care whose disciple he is. Go back and tell his master that the death duel stands. If he’s upset, he can come to me after the duel.”

Song Ru’s eyes widened. He had assumed Li Nanting would back down for the sake of keeping the peace.

The corners of Li Guanqi’s mouth curled up. It looks like Master is furious this time.

Li Nanting saw Yu Sui’an as his granddaughter, and she always called him “Grandfather Li.”

Knowing his master, Li Guanqi imagined he was far angrier than him.

“Alright, I’ll head back and relay the message.” Song Ru smiled bitterly. “Sigh... Is this really necessary...”

After Song Ru left, Li Nanting looked at his group of disciples.

“I want you all to remember this—choosing the path of a sword cultivator means having the courage to wield your sword. So what if the Purple Sun Pavilion is the strongest faction in the Northern Territory? Li Guanqi had the guts to challenge them to a death duel, proving he has the courage to wield his sword.

“We do not grovel and bootlick before power. We do not abandon our blades in the face of injustice!”

A fire lit in the disciples’ eyes, and they clenched their fists. This lesson struck deeper than a thousand lectures.

Especially when Li Nanting declared that Pang Li’s master could come to him if he was upset.

Li Nanting wasn’t just Li Guanqi’s master—he was the face of the Daxia Sword Sect. If he backed down, it would mean the entire sect had backed down. It would mean that the sect was weak.

Soon, the news spread like wildfire.

A disciple from the Daxia Sword Sect had challenged Pang Li, the disciple of Elder Zheng Hao from the Azure Cloud Pavilion, to a death duel. The whole Purple Sun Pavilion erupted in shock.