Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Li Guanqi froze. He hadn’t expected the sect to entrust him with such a momentous occasion. Shen Lan, sensing his hesitation, smiled and said, “You were the one who inspired everyone to stand tall. A lot of the people applying to the sect are here because of you. And among your peers, you’re the most exceptional disciple. That’s why we want you to lead the ceremony.”

A long silence followed before Li Guanqi finally nodded.

Shen Lan told him to head to the plaza in half an hour, then vanished from sight.

Li Guanqi rubbed his face and returned to his wooden house to fetch a brand new set of sect robes. Once he’d changed, he looked at himself in the mirror and noticed a faint shadow of stubble.

After freshening up, he shot toward Heavenly Sword Peak’s plaza in a streak of light.

The battle had left half the plaza in ruins. Only one section remained untouched, preserved by Ling Daoyan’s vital force barrier. That part still looked exactly as it had before.

When Li Guanqi arrived, ten spirit-testing platforms had already been arranged. This year’s recruitment standards were stricter. Now, only those with at least a Double Spirit Root could join the Daxia Sword Sect.

The talent pool far surpassed that of Li Guanqi’s cohort. In just fifteen minutes, several candidates with Heavenly Spirit Roots had already been found. Their bearing and clothing made it clear that they were from aristocratic families.

When Li Guanqi flew toward them, the dense crowd below started to simmer with excitement. They recognized him, though Li Guanqi didn’t understand why.

Shen Lan’s voice rang in his mind. “When you began the Hell Challenge at Heavenly Tiger Mountain, people recorded every one of your fights with recording crystals. And then there was the battle at the Ethereal Darkness Mountain Range. Everyone’s waiting to see where you’ll rank when the Intelligence Pavilion releases the Daxia Territory’s Golden Core Realm rankings in three months.”Li Guanqi shook his head. He did not care about such things.

The sect elders called for the crowd to continue testing. Before long, the results were in—over nine hundred candidates had qualified, even with the harsher requirements.

Li Guanqi was stunned. His own cohort had numbered barely over three hundred, and that was counting those with Triple Hybrid Spirit Roots.

Now, the incoming disciples matched the caliber of those in top-tier factions. And three of them had King Spirit Roots.

Before any of the elders could react, Li Guanqi darted toward the youth who possessed a Lightning King Spirit Root. The boy’s sharp features looked as if they’d been carved from jade. He stood tall and straight, looking at Li Guanqi with admiration.

Li Guanqi looked at him and asked, “Wei Li, would you like to join Heavenly Lightning Peak, where I cultivate?”

Wei Li’s face lit up. He nodded in response. “I came here to join the Heavenly Lightning Peak, Senior Brother Li!”

Li Guanqi nodded lightly, then flew back to the tall platform.

This year, Heavenly Lightning Peak had recruited more than eight disciples—an astonishing number, considering it often went years without a single newcomer. Clearly, many cultivators with Lightning Spirit Roots had come in order to join Heavenly Lightning Peak. It was likely the largest recruitment in the history of Heavenly Lightning Peak.

After the sect elders ushered their respective new disciples into groups, Shen Lan gently patted Li Guanqi’s shoulder, signaling that it was time for him to speak.

Li Guanqi remained silent for a long time before taking a step forward in the air, coming to a stop in front of one of the spirit-testing platforms.

Below, hundreds of young men and women looked up at him, eyes wide with awe and anticipation.

He looked at them wistfully. Just a little over a year ago, he had been one of them. His gaze swept across the crowd, and he realized that not a single person looked at him with contempt or disdain due to his blindness.

If I were still that blind kid from before… would they be looking at me like this?

His voice rose, clear and strong.

“A year and a half ago, I was as naïve as you are now, full of hope for the future. Just like you, I stood on the spirit-testing platforms—a test of the mind in itself.” Li Guanqi paused. “Perhaps the elders have already told you to safeguard your identity jade slip once you join the sect.”

Whoosh!

A purple, bloodstained jade slip appeared in his hand. He looked down at it.

“I never understood why they kept telling me that. It was just a jade slip, wasn’t it?”

He looked up. His pure white eyes swept across the silent plaza. Not a single sound rose from the crowd.

He pointed at the rubble on the plaza and raised his voice. “But when I fought in the brutal war against the Purple Sun Pavilion, I finally understood.

“When I first joined the sect, the Sect Master personally taught us the rules of the Daxia Sword Sect. Now, I’ll pass them on to you.”

Clang!

The Red Lotus Sword burst out of its box. Li Guanqi stepped onto it and soared into the sky.

Though his face still bore wounds, his eyes burned with resolve as he faced the shattered walls of the plaza. “After today, you will be a disciple of the Daxia Sword Sect for the rest of your life! You shall embark on the journey of cultivation, and as long as you uphold our values, the sect will stand behind you!”

His voice travelled thousands of zhang, amplified by vital force.

The young disciples below burned with passion

“Everyone!” Li Guanqi shouted. “Remember every word I’m about to say!

“These are the sect rules!

“The sword in your hand must never be raised against the weak. The sword in your heart must never falter before the strong!

“Restore fairness where there is none. Kill those who must be killed!

“If one day you meet a strong enemy while upholding our rules, the Daxia Sword Sect will use everything in its power to ensure your safety!” Li Guanqi said, raising his fist to the sky.

His voice rang so powerfully that it made their eardrums throb.

Perhaps everyone once dismissed the Daxia Sword Sect’s rules as a joke. However, their recent actions proved that the sect would do exactly as it promised.

Countless disciples below raised their hands passionately. They looked at the rubble on the plaza, shouting the sect rules at the top of their lungs.

“…to ensure your safety!!!”

The chant swept through the sect grounds like a tidal wave. Even the disciples not present in the plaza dropped what they were doing and joined the chorus, shouting the sect rules at the top of their lungs.

Shen Lan, the other elders, and the peak masters all felt their eyes grow wet as they watched this new generation take up the torch.

After witnessing Li Guanqi’s peers fight in the war, they finally understood what it meant to pass on a legacy.

Even if the Daxia Sword Sect were to fall one day, as long as one disciple remained, its rules, its spirit, and its fire would live on.

All it took was a single spark to set a whole field ablaze.