A Blind Swordsman's Sword Coffin

The Purple Sun Pavilion was anything but quiet that night. Word spread that Pavilion Master Zheng Hao had flown into a rage upon returning to his quarters. However, he could not vent his anger in public—Old Miao had silently permitted the battle.

As night fell, the cloud boats from the other five sects arrived and docked at Purple Sun Pavilion. The Seven Strings Sect, Myriad Immortal Sword Sect, Azure Dragon Island Sect, Zhenyue Mountain Sect, and Purple Cloud Sword Sect had each brought ten disciples, who were promptly assigned accommodations.

When the Seven Strings Sect’s disciples arrived, they asked if the disciples from the Daxia Sword Sect had arrived.

The Purple Sun Pavilion disciple guiding them to their rooms gave them a strange look. “The Daxia Sword Sect? They arrived yesterday.”

The group exchanged glances, and their leader asked, “Hmph! Was there a blind guy among them?”

Before the disciple could reply, another Seven Strings Sect disciple snickered. “Heh. It’s only been a short while since the Cloud Dream Immortal Palace incident. No way that brat’s reached the Foundation Building Realm already.”

The Purple Sun Pavilion disciple found their conversation amusing and couldn’t resist asking, ”Do you guys know him?”

The leader of the team huffed. “Know him? He killed five of our sect’s Qi Refinement Realm disciples! I will make him pay for what he did!”

The Purple Sun Pavilion disciple nodded, gradually forming a rough understanding of the story. But as he studied their auras, he pursed his lips. He glanced at their fervent expressions, recalled the day’s events, and shuddered.

Reluctant to see them walk into danger, he said, “He’s here. However... I’d advise against seeking revenge. You all aren’t enough to take him down.”

With that, he pointed them to their rooms and left, paying no mind to the fury in their eyes.

Was Pang Li weak? If he were, Pavilion Master Zheng Hao would not have taken him as a disciple. The Blind Swordsman was simply too powerful—so much so that everyone felt he was in a league far beyond Pang Li.

The disciple had offered his advice out of kindness. Whether the Seven Strings Sect disciples heeded it was none of his concern.

The other sects also inquired about the Daxia Sword Sect, and it wasn’t long before they learned of the day’s events. Those who had initially sought revenge soon found themselves disheartened.

A recording crystal from Tang Ru, who had recorded the fight to prevent potential disagreements, began circulating within the sect. To his surprise, disciples were eager to buy the recordings, and he sold hundreds of them in a single night.

The furious disciples from the other sects fell silent after watching the recordings. Li Guanqi’s sword performance put him far beyond their reach. It wasn’t just his technique—his sheer strength and speed were above and beyond theirs.

On the second morning, Li Nanting sent a voice transmission to his team. “Prepare to leave for the Spirit Testing Pavilion.”

Li Guanqi had already bathed and packed up for the event. He had spent the whole night cultivating, and though he could absorb spirit qi at high speeds, half of it had to go to Sword Spirit.

The anxiety he had felt earlier had dissipated. That morning, he even practiced his punching routine dozens of times.

Very soon, the group of ten disciples flew with Li Nanting to the Spirit Testing Pavilion. Along the way, Li Guanqi realized that the Purple Sun Pavilion had a lot of disciples. He estimated that there were almost ten thousand disciples there.

I can’t even imagine the amount of resources a gigantic faction like this requires every day.

The air was thick with spirit qi, making him feel the gap between the Purple Sun Pavilion and the Daxia Sword Sect.

Nevertheless, he had no regrets. Li Nanting, Shen Lan, the sect master... all of them had shown that they were fiercely protective of their disciples.

Their group flew past many buildings and soared over numerous tall mountains. Eventually, they arrived at a mountain at the back of the Purple Sun Pavilion’s land.

There stood a large, ancient-looking pavilion with a weathered, pitch-black appearance. It was a dozen zhang high and built with carved pitch-black stones.

By the time they landed, the five other sects had already arrived.

“Hahaha, Old Li, can’t believe you’re leading the group this time.”

The voice belonged to the elder who had previously greeted Shen Lan at Zhenyue Mountain. Li Nanting smiled faintly. He had known this elder for years.

The two exchanged pleasantries, though the old man’s eyes occasionally darted toward Li Guanqi.

Shen Qi strode up to Li Guanqi’s side and laughed. “Hahaha! Brother Li! Brother Ye! Good to see you two here.”

Ye Feng gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. “Looks like you’ve fully recovered?”

Shen Qi thumped his chest proudly. “I’ve been fine for a while now. I heard about what happened yesterday. Brother Li, you were incredible!”

Li Guanqi smiled. “Did the other sects give you trouble after that day?”

Shen Qi’s expression darkened. “They wouldn’t dare. They’re lucky the Zhenyue Mountain Sect hasn’t pursued the matter. I just hope our spirit voids have artifact souls, haha.”

Shortly after, Elder Song Ru arrived to oversee the ceremony.

The disciples returned to stand behind their respective elders, quietly awaiting the opening of the Spirit Testing Pavilion.

Song Ru briefly nodded before taking out a black, diamond-shaped jade pendant and placing it in an indent above the door.

Buzz!

A mysterious ripple of energy spread through the pavilion, enveloping it in black light that twisted and danced like flickering flames.

Boom!

The massive stone doors slowly creaked open, and Song Ru announced, “You may now enter.”

The six sects were not the only ones undergoing spirit void testing that day—nearly twenty Purple Sun Pavilion disciples were also participating.

As they stepped into the main hall, Li Guanqi immediately felt a shift in the air. A chill wrapped around his body, and the temperature seemed to plummet.

A black altar stood at the hall’s center, one zhang wide and three chi high. Nine stone pillars encircled it, each topped with a hollowed-out indentation. A pond of inky-black water surrounded the altar.

Song Ru took out nine shining spirit stones and placed them into the indentations.

Buzz!

A mysterious ripple of energy radiated from the nine pillars, and a gray, blurry barrier appeared between them and the altar.

Song Ru turned to the disciples. “You must pass through the purifying pond before stepping onto the altar. Stand in the water for three breaths, then proceed to the center of the altar. Don’t worry, spirit void testing is not dangerous. No matter what happens, stay calm.”

With that, he gestured for the waiting Purple Sun Pavilion disciples to go first.