A Blind Swordsman's Sword Coffin

The disciples of the Purple Cloud Sword Sect stared in disbelief. Their Adam’s apples trembled as they stuttered, “Level... nine... artifact soul!

“If someone like that survives, he’ll become a legend across the entire Daxia Territory within a hundred years!”

The disciples of the Myriad Immortal Sword Sect were just as shaken, rendered speechless for a long time.

They had no idea why the nine stone pillars had turned from white to red, but they knew it signified something extraordinary. Once so proud of their own talents, they now felt like wilted vegetables, unworthy even in the eyes of a stray dog.

They had overheard the earlier conversation between Li Guanqi and the Seven Strings Sect. He possessed a spirit root of the thunder lineage, which was the most destructive of all elements, and a Saint Spirit Root. A Saint Spirit Root.

An Azure Dragon Island Sect disciple muttered, “How... how long has he been cultivating...”

Ye Feng glanced at him and quipped mockingly, “It was still too slow! He only reached the Foundation Building Realm after five months! Cough cough... It was the same for me.”

The other person rolled his eyes hard.

Li Nanting breathed heavily as he stared at Li Guanqi intensely, as if the Daxia Sword Sect’s future rested in Li Guanqi’s hands.

The commotion had already drawn the attention of the highest echelons of the Purple Sun Pavilion. A dozen elders soared into view, led by an elderly man—Gu Xiong, the deputy pavilion master of the Purple Sun Pavilion.

Vital force surged through Gu Xiong’s body, his presence exuding an air of quiet authority. He wore long purple robes embroidered with gold, and his face was sharp and hawkish, with protruding cheekbones, a curved nose, drooping triangular eyes, and thin lips.

Although his hair was entirely white, his back was as straight as a sword, and his gaze was razor-sharp.

As Gu Xiong arrived, the crowd bowed and greeted him. “Greetings, Deputy Pavilion Master!”

The elders and disciples of the other sects also bowed. “Greetings, Senior Gu.”

Gu Xiong’s voice was deep and powerful. “What happened just now? Why was there a spirit qi fluctuation?”

His tone carried a sharp edge. Just as he had begun a closed-door retreat, all the spirit qi within a hundred-li radius of the Purple Sun Pavilion’s territory was drained.

Song Ru quickly explained the situation.

To everyone’s surprise, Gu Xiong, a distinguished cultivator who had just reached the Divine Transformation Realm, turned to Li Guanqi and said, “Oh? You have impressive talent! Do you want to be my closed-door disciple? You and I both have spirit roots of the thunder lineage.”

Everyone’s eyes widened. Gu Xiong had directly asked Li Guanqi to be his closed-door disciple. If Li Guanqi accepted, he’d have a master at the Divine Transformation Realm and the whole Purple Sun Pavilion supporting him. His status would skyrocket as Gu Xiong’s disciple, and he’d be one the most influential people in the sect.

Li Nanting clenched his teeth, his head bowed in silence.

The disciples of the five sects looked at Li Guanqi with admiration.

Behind Gu Xiong, Old Miao frowned slightly. His lips moved as he transmitted a silent message to Gu Xiong.

Gu Xiong turned and glanced at Li Nanting, whose face was still bowed. Gu Xiong chuckled. “So what if he already has a master? If he becomes my disciple, his talent won’t go to waste. The Purple Sun Pavilion has the resources to support him.”

Gu Xiong showed no regard for courtesy, openly undermining Li Nanting without hesitation.

Li Guanqi remained as calm as still water, taking two steps forward and bowed to Gu Xiong. Slowly lifting his head, he sincerely said, “Greetings, Pavilion Master Gu. My name is Li Guanqi.”

Everyone froze for a second. Gu Xiong was only the deputy pavilion master, but Li Guanqi had addressed him as the pavilion master.

Gu Xiong smiled faintly. “What do you think? You needn’t worry about already having a master. Even intelligent birds choose strong trees for shelter. In the world of cultivation, changing sects is nothing unusual.”

Li Nanting’s fists clenched tightly inside his sleeves. He bit down so hard he tasted blood. Gu Xiong was blatantly trying to steal his disciple, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Li Guanqi took a deep breath and spoke steadily.

“I come from humble beginnings. I was once a beggar, but the Daxia Sword Sect did not look down on me. Like the Purple Sun Pavilion, they were generous enough to accept me as a disciple.

“If I were to leave such a generous sect for another, what would happen if an even stronger sect sought to recruit me in the future? Should I follow them as well? If I did, you would lose a disciple, and all the resources you invested in me would be wasted. Wouldn’t that be a shame?”

He bowed deeply. “So while I sincerely appreciate your kindness, I must decline. I hope you understand—this was not an easy decision.”

Gu Xiong’s expression softened, and he nodded approvingly.

Li Nanting’s furrowed brow relaxed, replaced by a look of pride.

Gu Xiong could not help but offer words of praise. “The Daxia Sword Sect is tremendously lucky to have you! When you put it like that, I’m even slightly embarrassed. Haha. In that case, I wish you a smooth journey to immortality. May you reach even greater heights in the future.”

With that, he led the Purple Sun Pavilion’s elders away.

Li Guanqi’s nerves finally settled. Though his words had been brief, they required careful thought and calculation. A single misstep could have placed Li Nanting in a difficult position.

Li Nanting turned to look at Li Guanqi, who greeted him obediently, “Master.”

“Hahaha! You brat! I thought you were the impulsive type! I didn’t know you could handle these situations like an old fox! If you hadn’t worded that so well, I might’ve had to grab you and run for it.”

Li Guanqi smiled faintly. Song Ru approached Li Nanting and gave him a thumbs-up. He looked at Li Guanqi and said, “Even I was drenched in cold sweat. Pavilion Master Gu is known for his temper. Alright, let’s continue with the spirit void tests. I’ll replace the stone pillars.”

The disciples of the Seven Strings Sect exchanged stunned glances. “Did he just reject a Divine Transformation cultivator? And live to tell the tale?”

The leader of the Myriad Immortal Sword Sect narrowed his eyes. “We’d better avoid provoking people like him in the future.”

The mood during the remaining tests was grim. One after another, eight Daxia Sword Sect disciples stepped forward, only to leave empty-handed. Then it was Ye Feng’s turn. Like Li Guanqi, he awakened a sword-type artifact soul—though his was only level seven.

Next came the Seven Strings Sect, Myriad Immortal Sword Sect, Purple Cloud Sword Sect, and Azure Dragon Island Sect. None of their disciples awakened an artifact soul, leaving them utterly humiliated.

When the Zhenyue Mountain Sect stepped up, Shen Qi was the first to be tested. He managed to awaken a shield-type artifact soul. Though only level five, it was still enough to excite him.

Once the spirit void tests concluded, the other four sects left in disgrace, even skipping the feast prepared by the Purple Sun Pavilion.

Following the feast, the Purple Sun Pavilion presented Li Nanting with two balls of spirit light, reminding him that their usage rights lasted only ten years.

Thanks to Shen Qi’s artifact soul, the Zhenyue Mountain Sect also received one ball of spirit light with a five-year usage period.

The next morning, Li Nanting led his team of disciples away from the Purple Sun Pavilion, his face glowing with pride as they returned to their sect.