Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

When Li Guanqi opened his eyes, he found Lan He and the other disciples in the hall staring at him. Their gazes carried an unmistakable sense of shock—almost as if they were looking at a monster.

He knew exactly why, so he remained calm.

Li Guanqi had just successfully absorbed some qi and broken through to the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm. It was nothing worth making a fuss over.

He had simply followed the Qi Absorption Sutra. Soon after, he entered a profound and mysterious state. He felt as if he were standing between the heavens and the earth, surrounded by many colorful lights. Only the purple lights were drawn toward him, and they merged into his body.

He felt quite comfortable. However, there were unbearably sticky impurities on his skin, which also emitted an extremely foul stench.

Lan He smiled slightly and said softly, “These are just impurities. As you continue on the path of cultivation, you will gradually expel them.

“You should go clean up. Meanwhile, the others can take a look at the Body Tempering and the Qi Absorption Sutras.

“If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.”

Initially, Li Guanqi felt it was inappropriate to leave in the middle of his very first lesson, but the stench was rather unbearable.

He apologized to Lan He, then headed towards the Heavenly Lightning Peak.At the foot of the peak, he spotted an old man sitting cross-legged in meditation.

Li Nanting sensed his arrival and opened his eyes with shock. “You little rascal, did you just break through to the Qi Refinement Realm?! Weren’t you in class? How did you break through so suddenly?”

Li Guanqi scratched his head in embarrassment. “I broke through during the lesson... and ended up like this.”

Li Nanting burst into laughter as he looked at the dirtied Li Guanqi. “Hahaha! As expected of my disciple! That’s amazing!

“In the entire history of the Daxia Sword Sect, no one had ever broken through during their very first lesson!

“Come, I’ll take you back.”

With that, Li Nanting grabbed Li Guanqi and soared into the sky. Along the way, they passed by many disciples of Heavenly Lightning Peak who were in the midst of training.

They paused momentarily in surprise when they saw Li Guanqi covered in black filth.

Gu Ran lowered her sword and nudged the tall disciple beside her. She whispered, “Am I seeing things? Didn’t Junior Brother Li attend his first Heavenly Water Peak lesson today? How did he... break through already?”

The tall disciple was just as baffled. He muttered, “Junior Brother Li’s talent is simply too monstrous.”

“Isn’t the first lesson just Elder Lan explaining the basics of cultivation?”

Before long, the news spread like wildfire. Li Guanqi, the new disciple of Heavenly Lightning Peak, had broken through to the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm during his very first class.

At this point, calling him a genius was no longer enough. This was a true prodigy.

Meanwhile, the other newly admitted disciples struggled at the Body Tempering Realm, striving to lift a hundred-jin stone mill with one hand.

After bathing, Li Guanqi headed back to his room, finally feeling refreshed.

During his bath, he had to change the water three times and scrub his skin until it turned red.

He stepped out of his room and noticed his master had not left. There were several jade bottles and spirit stones on the table.

Li Nanting’s eyes showed a hint of pride as he gestured for Li Guanqi to sit beside him. Without hesitation, Li Guanqi walked over and took a seat.

Li Nanting looked at him with satisfaction and asked, “Did Lan He explain what spirit voids and Fate Marks were?”

Li Guanqi nodded.

Li Nanting looked up at the sky and said softly, “The spirit void is determined at birth. Whether one has it or not makes no difference—it won’t affect your path of cultivation.

“Since you’ve already taken your first step, I will explain the next stages of cultivation to you.”

Li Guanqi’s expression turned serious, and he unconsciously straightened his back.

“The Qi Refinement Realm consists of ten levels. The first three temper the internal organs, the middle three refine the meridians, and the last three cultivate the spirit before finishing with the peak level.

“The goal is to allow your body to adapt to spirit power and to prepare for the initial emergence of divine consciousness.

“Right now, do you feel some swelling in your Spirit Platform?”

Li Guanqi nodded. Ever since his breakthrough at Heavenly Water Peak, he had felt an unusual sensation between his brows, as if something had taken shape there.

Li Nanting chuckled. “Don’t worry. That is an early sign of your sea of consciousness, similar to your dantian.

“At this stage, your dantian is still unstable. You must not rush recklessly into things. Think of it like a newborn baby—extremely fragile. When cultivating, you must clear your mind completely and focus on meditation.”

Li Guanqi nodded solemnly, taking the lesson to heart.

“Once you reach the ninth level, you can attempt to break through to the Foundation Building Realm. Given your exceptional talent, it would be best to cultivate until you reach the tenth level, the level of perfection, before attempting the breakthrough.

“With your talent and the assistance of a Foundation Building Pill, I have no qualms about your success.

“You now have five hundred contribution points. You should go to Heavenly Sword Peak’s Scripture Pavilion as soon as possible to find a suitable cultivation technique.”

He handed Li Guanqi a cloth pouch. “Take this storage bag.”.

Li Guanqi examined it curiously. “What does a storage bag do? It’s so small. It doesn’t look like it can hold much.”

“Hahahaha. Try using your divine consciousness within your Spirit Platform to interact with it. Focus your mind and imagine your divine consciousness as a silver thread.”

Li Guanqi stopped using his heart’s eye and instantly felt the presence of his divine consciousness in his sea of consciousness.

It was faint, like mist, barely filling the bottom of a large water jar. He concentrated on nudging his divine consciousness and managed to move it successfully!

This divine consciousness was like a pair of eyes, allowing him to perceive the outside world with startling clarity.

“It’s not just black and white...” Li Guanqi said. His eyes turned moist, and tears streamed down his face uncontrollably. His lips trembled as he choked out, “I... I can see colors!”

Li Nanting patted his back reassuringly, helping him calm down.

His divine consciousness touched the storage bag, revealing a space as vast as ten zhang!

The elder chuckled. “Try storing the items on the table inside the storage bag.”

Whoosh!

With a single thought, Li Guanqi watched as everything on the table vanished into the bag. Grinning, he put the storage bag away.

Then, Li Nanting shared many things about the cultivation world with Li Guanqi. Each revelation was fascinating, broadening Li Guanqi’s horizons.

For instance, ghosts truly existed. Some lacked three souls and seven spirits[1], while others were filled with deep resentment and unable to enter reincarnation.

Additionally, many plants and minerals in the world could become supernatural beings upon gaining sentience. Humans pursued immortality through cultivation, while these plant beings yearned to take human form through cultivation.

Li Guanqi hadn’t expected he would soon witness such things with his own eyes.

That day, the two of them sat in the courtyard and talked for a long time. Li Nanting patiently explained the various obstacles one might encounter in cultivation. He also advised Li Guanqi to continue practicing his martial arts twice daily and not neglect them because of his cultivation.

Upon further contemplation, Li Nanting realized that Li Guanqi’s martial techniques were more than simple punches and kicks. Every movement carried profound intricacies, allowing for precise control over the body.

He even considered asking Li Guanqi for permission to teach his martial arts techniques to all the disciples of Heavenly Lightning Peak.

1. The three souls and seven spirits is a Chinese concept that describes the multiple aspects of the human soul. The three heavenly souls are more spiritual and leave the body after death. The three souls are also linked to higher consciousness and reincarnation. The seven earthly spirits are more material and remain with the body after death. They are also linked to the seven emotions: joy, anger, grief, fear, love, hatred, and desire.