Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Silence fell as Li Guanqi picked his spirit root. Lu Kangnian had used an impressive technique to shroud him with an earth-yellow shield made of vital force.

The shield shut out the noisy surroundings and concealed him from the people outside.

Everyone was curious about which spirit root this inhuman prodigy would select.

The Heavenly Metal Peak’s elder, Meng Linhai, coughed and laughed. “Sect Leader, doesn’t the thing strapped to his back look like a large sword box? We are the Daxia Sword Sect, after all. In my opinion, the boy will surely choose the Metal Spirit Root.”

The other peak masters and elders exchanged glances but held their tongues. They couldn’t rebuke him even if they wanted to.

Lu Kangnian replied with an insincere smile, “You’re speaking like you can see what he’s doing now.”

“What if... Cough cough. What if he picks Earth?”

The Heavenly Lightning Peak’s second elder, Xu Zhengjie, pursed his lips and muttered, “Aiya~ There’s no way he’s going to pick Earth... If he picks Earth, I’m eating three jin of Renzhong Huang.[1]”

Lu Kangnian had sharp senses, so he heard Xu Zhengjie’s muttering. Staring directly at Xu Zhengjie with gritted teeth, he used voice transmission and said, “Good! Very good! You shall be responsible for finishing up all the Renzhong Huang in Heavenly Pillar Peak this month!”

Xu Zhengjie’s face fell in utter horror.Suddenly, the wind howled and the clouds whirled. Thick storm clouds now obscured the once-colorful sky, and soon after, rain began to fall.

Lan He stepped forward and waved gently, instantly blocking the rainwater out of the space they were in.

“What’s going on?!”

Rumble!

As the sky darkened, a bolt of pitch-black lightning flashed across the sky.

Xu Zhengjie burst into triumphant laughter. “To hell with Metal! The Heavenly Lightning Peak’s Lightning Spirit Root is the true master!”

The shield disappeared. Li Guanqi looked at the exasperated Lu Kangnian and calmly bowed. “I have chosen the Lightning Lineage!”

Lu Kangnian wiped the disappointment off his face and smiled. He patted Li Guanqi’s shoulder. “Haha, it’s alright, as long as you follow your heart. I thought I would be gaining a disciple today.”

Lu Kangnian glared at Xu Zhengjie, who was so happy he was dancing. He sighed. “It looks like we’ll need to allocate more resources to the Heavenly Lightning Peak in the future.

“Disciple Li Guanqi shall enter Heavenly Lightning Peak! He has awakened his Saint Lightning Spirit Root. The peak shall be awarded three Qi Refining Pills, three hundred spirit stones, five hundred Sect Contribution Points, and a new courtyard!

“Furthermore, the disciples of Heavenly Lightning Peak are now permitted to use the Spirit Ascension Platform three times without needing to spend contribution points.”

Li Guanqi quickly straightened his posture and replied respectfully, “Thank you for the generosity, Sect Master.”

Xu Zhengjie was even happier. He bowed and said, “Thank you for being so generous, Sect Master! I’ll handle everything related to the Heavenly Pillar Peak!”

Some elders were still trying to persuade Li Guanqi, but Xu Zhengjie promptly approached him and whisked him away, soaring through the clouds toward Heavenly Lightning Peak.

“Wow...”

Li Guanqi could not help but cry out in surprise. This was his first time flying, and the experience was seared into his memory.

He looked down without a word and clenched his fists. He swore to continue cultivating so that one day, he would also soar into the sky, flying freely with a sword at his side.

Xu Zhengjie watched Li Guanqi with a knowing smile, reminiscing about himself one century ago. Back then, he’d been terrified of the height—nothing like this fearless youth beside him!

Feeling Xu Zhengjie’s gaze upon him, Li Guanqi asked, “May I know your name?”

Xu Zhengjie laughed and said warmly, “I am the Second Elder of Heavenly Lightning Peak, Xu Zhengjie. You can call me Elder Xu, Old Xu, or Old Drunkard.”

Li Guanqi smiled. “I’ll just call you Elder Xu then. The others are a little too... inappropriate.”

Xu Zhengjie did not respond, but he appreciated Li Guanqi’s respect for his elders.

Li Guanqi asked, “Elder Xu, why does the Daxia Sword Sect want a blind person like me?”

“Hahahahaha! Your eyes may be blind, but your heart isn’t! Whoever your grandfather is, he’s raised quite a remarkable child. That thing on your back must be two hundred jin!”

Li Guanqi smiled shyly. “Five hundred jin.”

“Ah... Forget what I said...” Xu Zhengjie cleared his throat. “But the Daxia Sword Sect...”

Xu Zhengjie’s tone grew gentle. “This is a sect worth sacrificing my life for. So what if you’re blind? So what if you’re a cripple? If you hold the Dao in your heart, you will overcome any shortcomings!”

His words struck Li Guanqi like lightning. As long as I hold the Dao in my heart, I can overcome anything...

Amazing! Daxia Sword Sect! So this is why Grandfather insisted on this specific sect.

Xu Zhengjie smiled and said, “Let’s go. I’ll take you to the quarters to settle down. I still need to go back and see if I can recruit more disciples. The Heavenly Lightning Peak may have few people, but we are very united.”

Whoosh!

Li Guanqi quietly savored everything at that moment. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the wind roaring in his ear. Both of them swept past a flock of geese, and Li Guanqi reached out to touch a geese’s feathers. The goose honked with annoyance and flew further away from them.

The corners of Li Guanqi’s lips curved up into a gentle smile.

Soon after, they approached a mountain so massive its peak pierced through the clouds. Along the way, they had already passed many other tall mountain peaks

No wonder people spoke of the Daxia Sword Sect’s “three thousand strange peaks and eight hundred rivers.”.

Crack!

A barrier containing the power of lightning appeared in front of them. Xu Zhengjie took out a jade slip, opening a gap in the boundary.

“The boundary detected an unfamiliar presence—you. That’s why it appeared,” Xu Zhengie explained. “After tomorrow’s disciple initiation ceremony, you’ll receive your own identity jade slip. Then you’ll be able to enter Heavenly Lightning Peak without triggering the boundary.”

As they went up the mountain, countless large pavilions, pagodas, and buildings could be seen. Xu Zhengjie smiled and said, “Your courtyard is halfway up the mountain. It’s a convenient location, and it’s easy to go anywhere from there. Your courtyard even has a small spirit field. The sect master has high hopes for you.”

Li Guanqi was puzzled. “Why would he give me so many things? Isn’t it too...”

Xu Zhengjie smiled. “Too much?”

“It is a bit much. I am both surprised and flattered.”

Xu Zhengjie rested both hands on his back. “It’s not too much... The Daxia Sword Sect hasn’t been prosperous in recent years. We’re not particularly wealthy.

“If this were another sect, you would have received even more. Other major sects would shower you with spirit stones, magical treasures, techniques, and scriptures. They’d even let you marry a clan leader’s eldest daughter if you wanted!”

Despite the disbelief written on Li Guanqi’s face, Xu Zhengjie continued, “But... this is the Daxia Sword Sect. If you want something, you must rely on your efforts to get it!

“Alright, here’s your courtyard. I’ll be returning to the plaza. I’ll explain everything about the sect later. You should get some rest today. Oh, and goodbye, Little Bao~”

Before Li Guanqi could process Xu Zhengjie’s words, he had vanished into thin air.

Li Guanqi turned around and saw a little girl about six or seven years old squatting at the entrance of his courtyard. Her hair was styled in two braided pigtails, complemented by a brightly patterned coat.

Her large round eyes and rosy cheeks made her quite the adorable sight. She held onto a white bao[2] with both hands while staring at him intently.

Li Guanqi scratched his head. He didn’t know whose child this was.

He approached and squatted next to her. Before he could speak, the little girl stuffed the bao into her pocket and shot off, glaring at him as if afraid he would take her bao away.

1. Renzhong Huang () is a traditional Chinese medicine made of licorice and human feces. An empty bamboo segment is filled with licorice and sealed with wood, then placed in a squat toilet, which is a hole in the ground, so that human feces seep into it. It’s used to treat inflammatory conditions.

2. Steamed bun.