Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Li Guanqi forced down his discomfort and gradually accepted it as his reality. He had steeled himself the moment Sword Spirit warned him that there would be a heavy price to pay.

Now that it was done, all that remained was to accept it. Regret would change nothing. As his grandfather had taught him, regret was meaningless.

In the past, shaped by his traumatic childhood, Li Guanqi had been a vengeful, angry person. But after one or two years under Su Xuan’s guidance, he had grown more open-minded and carefree.

He opened the storage ring. Inside was a vast assortment of items, yet nothing he wanted. He shook his head in disappointment and muttered, “Looks like Longevity Pills really are rare…”

Then he felt foolish. Longevity Pills could extend a Golden Core Realm cultivator’s lifespan by a full century. Why would they be lying around in the Great Wind Mountain Residence?

But he did find a bottle of very special pills: Beast Nutritional Pills.

They were likely ancient, perhaps even dating back to the early Recent Era. They were meant for domesticated beasts and were potent in medicinal strength, making them unsuitable for humans. Only powerful demonic beasts could withstand them and benefit from their effects.

After stowing the pills away, he picked a direction and shot off into the distance.

Along the way, he took the chance to study and fine-tune his sprint technique. Yet, he constantly pondered when he would truly master his own sword Dao, paving an unwavering path forward.

He already possessed sword force, but it came only from his physical strength, lacking a clear purpose. Sword force was merely the first step toward forging his own sword Dao. He could not see the path forward clearly, which frustrated him greatly. He swung his sword through the air like a madman. His sword techniques flowed as smoothly as water, and he continued waving his sword however his heart wanted.

Gradually, the Red Lotus Sword seemed to merge with him, as if it were an extension of his arm. His mind began to settle.

When he stopped, a sudden flash of clarity struck. Just as he had suspected, he still lacked something—a powerful resolve, or perhaps more precisely, faith.

Whether he could find his unique sword Dao was now up to the heavens.

The horizon was starting to darken. He glanced at his map, then set off again.

Before long, a massive city rose in the distance. The looming city gates alone stood more than twenty zhang high.

A plaque above the city gates identified the name of the city. Flying Cloud City.

The bold characters carried a faint trace of sword Dao, a sign that whoever carved them had a formidable cultivation.

Li Guanqi had picked this city because, according to the latest map update, a grand auction was scheduled to occur there in two days.

He counted his spirit stones and found that he had almost five hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones. Most of them were from the Great Wind Mountain Residence.

He did not mind spending them on something that could help him become stronger. Spirit stones were great for cultivation, but they were useless for quick recovery in a real fight.

Whoosh!

Ye Feng and Cao Yan appeared in the room at the same moment, both pale, trembling, and visibly shaken. Their pupils quivered as they leaned on the bed for support, panting heavily.

After a long silence, Cao Yan looked at Ye Feng and asked, “How many times?”

Ye Feng’s eyes were bloodshot. “How many for you?”

“Six,” Cao Yan said. “I couldn’t take it anymore… What about you?”

Ye Feng clenched his teeth. “One more and I’ll probably pass out in there.”

Cao Yan’s eyes went wide. His tone becoming high-pitched, he shouted, “Eight?! Are you insane? But… Second Brother, if you keep this up, aren’t you afraid you’ll end up terrified of fighting for real?”

Ye Feng just grinned without answering. Out of the three of them, he knew he was the least talented, perhaps even weaker than Cao Yan’s fists. Also, it was an illusory realm, so death was not real anyway. As long as his mind could endure, he would push himself as far as possible so he wouldn’t lag behind the others.

Li Guanqi had noticed this but said nothing. After all, he had died in there much more frequently than Ye Feng. He wouldn’t ever admit it because he didn’t want to discourage or hurt them, though.

He understood Ye Feng’s mindset and approved of it.

“Rest for now,” Li Guanqi said. “We’ll head out later.”

“Yes, Boss.”

“Yes, Brother Li.”

An hour later, the three slipped out of the hostel unnoticed and joined the crowd heading toward the city center.

There was an auction house in the city center. Instead of the expected Hundred Treasures Pavilion, it was a place called the Yunding Auction House.

When they reached the gates, they stopped, staring like country bumpkins at the gigantic floating structure. It was an opulent, snow-white building adorned with intricate murals and carvings. Gemstones of various colors and luminous pearls embellished its walls, lending it a lavish yet refined beauty.

“Boss,” Ye Feng asked, “you think they’ll have Longevity Pills here?”

He had instantly guessed Li Guanqi’s purpose in coming.

Cao Yan paused, then said, “If we can get a Longevity Fruit, I can make you the pills.”

Ye Feng rolled his eyes and said teasingly, “Quit bragging. You still haven’t shown us you can do alchemy at all.”

Cao Yan blushed but said nothing, silently vowing to prove himself soon.

Li Guanqi ignored them and flew up to the platform in front of the auction house.

The instant his feet touched down, he realized it had been carved from a colossal slab of low-grade spirit stone. It explained the incredibly rich spirit qi.

Just then, a mocking voice rang out behind Ye Feng.

”Where did this country bumpkin come from? Get out of the way and make room for this young master!

“Keep staring and I’ll gouge your eyes out!”