Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

The nearest peak to Jade Teapot Peak stood at least three hundred zhang away. From there, Li Guanqi spotted a half-naked figure climbing the almost vertical wall of the other mountain, two black boulders tied to his waist. His muscles were taut and swollen, his veins throbbing with exertion. Blood streaked his skin from countless cuts, yet his eyes burned with quiet resolve as he inched his way toward the summit.

The sight shook Li Guanqi. It looked like the daily cultivation of Daxia Sword Sect disciples who had already stepped into the Foundation Building Realm—it was far more grueling than he’d imagined.

Li Guanqi took a deep breath and calmed his mind. Then, he sat cross-legged and took out the jade bottle Ye Feng had given him. When he opened its jade cover, he found milky-white jadeite essence inside. Thick and pure spirit qi wafted out of the bottle.

Li Guanqi was shocked to find so much spirit qi contained in the jadeite essence. He tipped his head back, drank it all, and quickly began cultivating.

Buzz!

A dozen-zhang-wide space opened amidst the mist at the top of Jade Teapot Peak, swirling into a series of small whirlpools. Li Guanqi’s dantian had turned into a roaring river. As he cultivated, pure spirit qi refined into vital energy flowed steadily into his dantian.

Two hours later, Li Guanqi’s powerful aura forced all the mist and clouds within fifty zhang of him back. His eyes sprang open, and he gently expelled impure air from his lungs.

He clenched his fists and smiled as he savored the surging power in his body. He had reached the middle of the Foundation Building Realm.

His dantian was very full now, so he channeled the remaining energy of the jadeite essence into his sword coffin. Without this thousand-year-old jadeite essence, it would’ve taken him at least half a month to make the breakthrough.

He focused on stabilizing his new cultivation level until late into the night. When he opened his eyes again, darkness blanketed the world, save for the faint moonlight shining on the jagged outlines of the many mountain peaks.Li Guanqi noticed bright lights on countless peaks from simple cultivation rooms built on them. Drawing a deep breath, he felt a newfound appreciation for the vastness of the Daxia Sword Sect. He resolved to regularly return to Jade Teapot Peak for cultivation, with occasional visits to the sect’s spirit ascension platforms to supplement his training.

He rose into the sky on his sword, heading toward Heavenly Lightning Peak. With his new breakthrough, his five senses had become much sharper. His hearing, already keener than most, had reached new heights—even without activating divine consciousness, he could now catch conversations from fifty zhang away. His skin was much more sensitive to touch, and he could sense others’ motions through the faintest disturbances in the air.

Sword Spirit explained this was the result of having reached the thirteenth level of the Qi Refinement Realm before stepping into the Foundation Building Realm.

Li Guanqi went to Treasure Pavilion on Heavenly Pillar Peak to purchase a ready-made spirit gathering array tray, but when he exited the shop, he felt like he had been robbed. An array tray for the spirit gathering array cost him two hundred contribution points.

He also learned that he could have a luxurious mansion on the mountain peak for an additional sixty points, but he quickly refused and ran away.

Li Guanqi returned to Jade Teapot Peak, tossed the array tray on the ground, and injected vital force into it. The bronze, palm-sized device split into eight pieces, each representing a cardinal direction. A ten-zhang-wide array gradually took shape on the ground.

All he needed to do was place spirit stones in the main array tray, and the spirit qi in the area would become much thicker, preventing it from dispersing prematurely.

After all this, Li Guanqi rubbed his chin and recalled the time-dilated space in the sword coffin. I still need to build a cultivation room.

Suddenly, a whooshing sound caught his attention. It was Lin Dong flying over on his sword. Lin Dong, being larger and more muscular than him, struggled to maintain his balance with outstretched arms, making his flying stance look very awkward.

Lin Dong leaped off his sword with a laugh. “Guanqi, I can’t believe you picked a mountain peak here!”

Li Guanqi smiled. “You’ve reached the Foundation Building Realm too?”

Lin Dong scratched his head sheepishly. “I’m not like you guys. I only broke through after reaching the ninth level of the Qi Refinement Realm. I was lucky enough to buy a Foundation Building Pill, though I had to use all my points.”

Li Guanqi nodded but said nothing. Everyone had their own pace. Talent dictated gaps, but fortune could always shift in the long path of cultivation. It was normal for Lin Dong to choose to break through at the ninth level.

“So what brings you here? You’re not just dropping by to say hello, are you?”

Lin Dong grinned. “Do you remember the two secret realms our sect received? The minimum number of contribution points required to qualify for entry was quite high. I took on a border patrolling job from the Mission Pavilion to earn more points. Fifty points a day!”

Li Guanqi frowned. His last mission—the one involving the female ghost at Cloud Town—had only been worth fifty points, and that was after an upward adjustment due to previous failures.

Yet this was just a patrolling mission?

Li Guanqi advised against it. “If they’re giving you fifty points per day, I’m afraid it won’t be simple. Be very careful. Send a signal immediately if you see anything strange.”

Lin Dong nodded solemnly. “Don’t worry. I won’t be the only one patrolling. I’ll leave you to your cultivation. Goodbye!”

Whoosh! With that, Lin Dong vanished from sight.

The land of the Daxia Sword Sect has a fifty-li radius. He should be fine.

Afterward, Li Guanqi descended the mountain to collect wood, hauling it back up to the peak.

There were numerous waterfalls and streams at the base of the group of mountains where many Daxia Sword Sect disciples gathered. They offered him a warm greeting when they saw him.

“Hey~ Junior Brother Li! Picking a mountain from here today?”

“Which did you pick?”

Li Guanqi smiled and nodded. “Senior Brothers, I will be at Jade Teapot Peak. Come visit if you’re free.”

Along the way, he encountered many inner sect disciples at the Foundation Building Realm, all engaged in their own grueling cultivation.

One stood firm beneath a hundred-zhang waterfall, letting the torrent slam against his body without budging. Another sat topless on a boulder, eyes closed while basking in the scorching sun. One disciple scaled the cliffs with his bare hands, leaping like a monkey from rock to rock. Yet another flipped through the trees jutting from the mountainside while practicing fierce sword strikes.

When Li Guanqi finally returned to Jade Teapot Peak, he cut up all the wood and began constructing a wooden house. By the time he was done, it was already midnight.

Suddenly, Li Guanqi turned to look toward the west. Tens of li away, a red ball of fire exploded.

Countless people flew from the mountains into the sky on their swords immediately, shouting, “Enemy attack!”

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

A multitude of rays of light illuminated the night sky. Numerous disciples ascended into the sky without even putting on their outer robes.

Without hesitation, Li Guanqi tossed his sword forward and jumped onto it. As he shot into the sky, he pulled out his jade slip and shouted anxiously, “Lin Dong! Lin Dong!”