Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

“Junior Brother, try to pick something from the top shelves,” Gu Ran said from behind just as he picked up the old book. “Most of the sword techniques down there are low-tier. It’d be a waste of this opportunity to choose one of those.”

Li Guanqi paused. He could not tell Gu Ran that Sword Spirit knew how to complete the missing portions of the book, so he shrugged. “Senior Sister, this technique suits me well. Some of the sword techniques here may have high tiers, but that doesn’t mean they’re the right fit.”

Gu Ran frowned. “Junior Brother, I know you’re gifted, but that’s no reason to squander your talent. Suitability matters, yes, but so does the technique’s tier. Even if a Yellow-tier technique suits you, it’ll still fall short of a Black-tier one on a fundamental level.

“This kind of opportunity doesn’t come around often. Besides, you chose this book the moment you walked in. Why not look around a bit more? You might find something else that suits you just as well.”

Li Guanqi shook his head. “I appreciate the advice, Senior Sister. I understand what you’re saying, but I’ll take this sword technique.”

Gu Ran rolled her eyes without reply and turned to choose her sword technique. Sword Spirit’s voice rang out in Li Guanqi’s mind. “This girl will probably be successful in the future if she specializes in spells.”

Li Guanqi was surprised because Sword Spirit rarely praised anyone.

“Oh, why?”

Sword Spirit continued, “This girl has a special physique. While not especially strong physically, her empathy and understanding are remarkable. Her spirit is more resilient than most. Such qualities make her very well-suited for the study of spells.”

Li Guanqi did not pay much attention to her reply. “Hehe, Sword Spirit, do you know any powerful spells? Could you teach them to me?”Sword Spirit returned to her usual haughty self and smirked. “Spells? For you? A sword is enough to break ten thousand spells. What’s the use of learning them?”

Li Guanqi felt a jolt in his soul. He could practically hear her pride radiating through her words.

“Uh... I’m impressed! I can feel the passion! That said... I’m guessing you don’t actually know any spells, huh? But hey, no one knows everything. If you told me the truth, I wouldn’t laugh.”

Sword Spirit huffed coldly and gave no reply. Li Guanqi scratched his nose in mild embarrassment, then turned to the shelves to search for a new sprint technique. His current one was too low-tier; the speed boost couldn’t keep up with his physical strength.

Eventually, he found a sprint technique titled Swimming in the Clouds. One line caught his attention: Upon mastering this sprint technique, even early Golden Core Realm opponents will pose no threat!

Delighted, Li Guanqi stored the book in his storage ring.

Outside the door, Ling Daoyan opened one eye with a faint smile. He raised his gourd, took a swig of wine, then leaned back and shut his eyes again. He rocked his chair, rhythmically tapping the chair beside him.

You’ve got a good eye, kid. I didn’t expect you to pick one of my treasured sprint techniques.

Still... the Purple Ripple Demon Sword Technique you chose is incomplete and only has two moves. They’re excellent, but...

Hmm. Should I talk to Lu Kangnian about this?

Then Ling Daoyan recalled something and let the matter go. He doesn’t seem like an idiot. Perhaps he has his reasons.

His squinting eyes lit up, and he rapped his fingers against the chair threateningly. It was hard to tell what he was thinking.

Gu Ran soon made her selections, and the two left the pavilion together. They exchanged farewells, and Li Guanqi flew toward Jade Teapot Peak.

A crushing pressure suddenly descended over the entire Daxia Sword Sect, like the heavens themselves were collapsing. A suffocating aura swept across the land, and three figures in purple robes appeared high above Heavenly Sword Peak.

The leader was an old man with a youthful face but white hair, a hooked nose, and triangular, drooping eyes. His face trembled as he pulled out a golden spirit sword a dozen zhang in length. Then, he pointed at Heavenly Sword Peak with his sword.

“Lu Kangnian, show yourself!”

Boom!

Massive power gathered in the sky. The weather changed instantly, with thick, gray clouds gathering and blocking the sun. The metallic vital force emanating from his sword intent caused every Daxia Sword Sect disciple to feel a sharp, prickling sensation across their skin, even a thousand zhang away.

Li Guanqi could see the gigantic sword in the sky despite being more than a thousand zhang away.

With a thunderous boom, the sword came crashing down. A massive azure barrier shimmered into view and blocked the strike. Sparks exploded outward as the barrier rippled like a still lake struck by a falling boulder.

Everyone in the sect sensed something was wrong. Elders and disciples alike took to the skies on their swords.

The white-haired man’s glare was as sharp as a knife. He huffed coldly, then struck his spirit sword down thirty percent harder than before.

Boom!

The light barrier shattered. The spirit sword was about to land on the main pavilion of Heavenly Sword Peak when suddenly, a figure appeared above the roof.

It was Lu Kangnian, wearing azure-colored robes.

The old man snickered. “You’re brave! I thought you would be a coward and hide inside the barrier!”

Lu Kangnian’s expression turned cold. Nine spirit swords orbited around him, each one shining with spirit light. He pointed a finger, and one by one, they shot upward like needles defying a knife.

The small spirit swords slammed against the blade of the golden spirit sword.

Dong! Dong! Dong!

Each impact echoed through the sky. The ten peaks of the sect shook slightly with every strike. By the time the fourth sword hit, the golden spirit sword shattered.

Qin Xian appeared behind Lu Kangnian, accompanied by another old man who was rarely seen in public.

The three purple-robed cultivators flared with powerful vital force. The leader huffed coldly, and a wave of crushing pressure erupted from his body.

Daxia Sword Sect disciples were thrown off balance all across the sky, including Li Guanqi. They began falling to the ground, scrambling mid-fall to regain control.

Li Guanqi crashed into one of the peaks.

Lu Kangnian’s voice rang out, cold and sharp as ice. “The Purple Sun Pavilion sends three elders to my doorstep and tries to shatter my sect’s barriers? Unacceptable! If you can’t give me a proper explanation right now, don’t expect this to end well!”