Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

As he watched the girl walk away, Li Guanqi couldn’t help but think about Yu Sui’an from Heavenly Lightning Peak. “I wonder how little Sui’an is doing… I wonder if she’s eating well.”

He was starting to miss his sect.

He tossed the jade slip into his storage ring, downed a mouthful of wine, then got to his feet and muttered, “It’s boring… So boring.”

Whoosh!

After teleporting a few times, he returned to his inn. He was about to continue practicing his warp technique when he mentally called out, “Sister Sword Spirit, are you there?”

Sword Spirit stiffened, then appeared before him, hovering in mid-air with an awkward expression. She glared at him. “What is it?”

Li Guanqi rubbed his nose, sensing the hostility in her tone. But he was shameless, so he pressed on. “Didn’t you say you’d give me a body-tempering technique? Without one, I can’t keep cultivating the warp technique… My body just can’t keep up!”

Sword Spirit hesitated. She hadn’t decided on a suitable technique yet. She had a few in mind, but none seemed like a good fit.

Seeing her hesitate, Li Guanqi spread his arms and said, “Don’t worry about me! I don’t have many strengths, but at least I can take hardships. Just give it to me and I’ll practice it!”

Sword Spirit pursed her lips, which only made her look more alluring. She asked solemnly, “Are you truly serious about this?”Li Guanqi said confidently, “Yes! As long as you—”

Before he could finish, Sword Spirit tapped the air. A point of glowing spirit light appeared, floating before him. She explained calmly, “This sutra is called the Dragon-Elephant[1] Subduing Sutra. It’s a powerful body-tempering technique, divided into ten levels.

“Each level makes you several times stronger than the last. If you master it to the peak, your fist will be able to shatter the heavens, and your physical strength will soar.”

Li Guanqi froze, then gulped. “Shatter the heavens with my fist… and my strength will skyrocket!”

It sounded incredible.

She looked at him wistfully. “Once you begin cultivating this sutra, you won’t be able to practice any other body-tempering technique until you ascend to the immortal realm. It is very difficult to cultivate, and the process is very painful. So… have you truly decided?”

Li Guanqi licked his dry lips, thought briefly, then looked up at her with unshakable confidence. “I want it.”

Sword Spirit looked at him with disbelief. She had expected hesitation.

Even Sword Spirit thought it was one of the greatest techniques of the Lower World, but it was very painful and difficult to practice. She figured that Li Guanqi might pick up the technique and abandon it when it became too painful.

But then she heard the unwavering confidence in his voice.

Gently, she asked, “Why?”

He grinned, then nonchalantly said, “There is no why. I just don’t want to disappoint you.”

Her eyes lit up. She pressed her lips together, then flicked the glowing dot into his brow.

Instantly, a foreign and complicated sutra entered his mind.

After what felt like ages, when his skull throbbed as if it would split, the sutra finally faded.

He felt like his head had swollen up, yet it was only the first level of the sutra.

Then Sword Spirit said, “From now on, you must carry five thousand jin every day. And you’ll need to collect the blood of nine great demons with dragon-elephant bloodlines. They must be at least tier three, though tier four would be preferable.”

Li Guanqi’s eyes widened. “Why demon blood?”

“Blood refinement!”

Sword Spirit’s answer was curt. Li Guanqi muttered under his breath but did not reply.

He spent the whole night studying the Dragon-Elephant Subduing Sutra. Even with Sword Spirit’s guidance, it was maddeningly abstract. In the end, she sighed in resignation. “For now, you need to grasp dragon power on your own. Go find demons with dragon blood.”

Li Guanqi was starting to feel defeated too.

But he soon realized the blood patterns on his body were fading, and his mind was becoming clearer. Sword Spirit explained that the patterns were seals on his Empty Spirit Body. As they dissolved, his Dao comprehension abilities would sharpen.

He cultivated through the night and deepened his understanding of the warp technique.

The next morning, he stretched and left his room to wander the streets. Dongxiao City’s food was fiercely spicy, and the steaming hotpots made his mouth water.

He found the city’s largest restaurant, sat by the window, and ordered a hotpot set.

Not long after, he noticed two familiar figures. Just two tables away sat the man who had once taken Youth Preservation Pills. This time, however, there was another man with him.

Li Guanqi swirled his wine cup, eyeing the black-cloaked figure with him.

Six fingers…

Li Guanqi’s eyes narrowed. The black-cloaked figure was the same six-fingered youth at the mid Golden Core Realm he’d encountered before. The last time they met was in Nanze City at the Fragrance Motel.

When Li Guanqi left, he had asked Gu Yan to send the unconscious Song Zhi’ang to the Daxia Sword Sect’s territory in the Northern Territory.

While waiting for his food, Li Guanqi used his heart’s eye to observe them. The six-fingered youth seemed insecure, constantly hiding his right hand in his sleeve.

The other youth said coldly, “Hmmph! I’m telling you, Cang Lu, I came here for important business! I won’t let you leave at such a critical time!”

So his name was Cang Lu.

Li Guanqi finally saw the youth’s face beneath his black cloak. He was thin and slightly pale, with faintly sunken cheeks. Even so, his features were sharp and handsome.

Cang Lu pursed his lips, his messy hair hanging across his face. He opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated.

After a moment, he said softly, “Brother Wu Kun, I came here for something important. I—”

Wu Kun frowned and cut him off impatiently. “How important could it be? Go out and get me some Strength Pills. I’ve felt a little drained the past two days.”

Cang Lu opened his mouth to protest, then decided against it. He turned and headed downstairs to get some pills for Wu Kun.

Li Guanqi almost laughed out loud. How could you not be fatigued when you’re living such an active lifestyle?

When Wu Kun heard the snicker, he looked up and spotted Li Guanqi.

He frowned. He hadn’t expected to run into him again.

Li Guanqi thought he’d explode in fury, but Wu Kan merely glared at him. Maybe out of guilt, he said nothing.

Li Guanqi sneered inwardly. Coward.

1. The dragon and elephant are often used together in xianxia contexts to symbolise immense strength ☜