Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

In the days that followed, the disciples came to understand all too well what it meant to have a love-hate relationship with Li Guanqi.

His lectures were always packed. Before long, even some of the sect’s elders humbled themselves to sit among the crowd.

And it wasn’t just that. Li Guanqi occasionally attended their lectures as well. The moment he decided an elder wasn’t teaching properly, he would bluntly order them to pack up and leave.

The disciples of the Phoenix Lightning Sect couldn’t have become so lazy without the elders’ influence. They had been teaching in the most rigid, lifeless way, never bothering to adjust their methods to suit their students.

Because of Li Guanqi’s interference, both elders and ceremonial elders suddenly found themselves under pressure. They worked harder, taught more earnestly, and no longer viewed lectures as merely a source of income.

During this time, Li Guanqi also noticed a group of ceremonial elders who had long been ostracized. They were relatively younger and stronger, so he doubled their pay and put them in the spotlight.

So long as Li Guanqi openly vouched for them, their classes filled to capacity as well. Many ceremonial elders who had once felt utterly dejected were deeply moved.

Meanwhile, Li Guanqi imposed one small test every three days and a major examination every five days. Anyone who failed faced harsh punishments, and sometimes even expulsion from the sect.

The disciples quickly realized he wasn’t joking. They began to cultivate with everything they had. In just half a month, many of them had broken through and advanced by a minor cultivation level.

One night, Li Guanqi sat deep in thought, rubbing his chin. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he left the Phoenix Lightning Sect.Two hours later, in a quiet mountain hollow where countless disciples sat cross-legged in meditation, a thunderous roar split the night.

Roar!

A raging, five-zhang-long Armored Iron Bull burst into view. Countless disciples were jolted awake in shock.

“What the fuck?! Does Elder Li ever have a normal idea?!”

“He’s trying to kill us!”

“Oh my goodness!”

“Devil! You’re the fucking devil!”

Ignoring their cries, Li Guanqi lit an incense stick and shouted, “Hurry up! You have until this burns out. If you can’t kill it before then, every last one of you will be whipped tomorrow.”

The disciples shuddered.

Before those on the other peaks could snicker, spatial rifts split open above their heads, and demonic beasts on par with Golden Core Realm cultivators came tumbling out. Each peak had been assigned one; theirs had simply been delayed.

The sky filled with curses hurled at Li Guanqi, but he merely smiled.

When the first light of dawn broke, he finally nodded in approval. The disciples had managed it just in time.

Looking at their weary faces, he laughed. “The demonic beast materials are yours. Consider it a reward for your hard work.”

The disciples cursed him all over again.

And then, one after another, masses of tribulation clouds began gathering above the Phoenix Lightning Sect.

Li Guanqi smiled, then turned and headed to Chu Xingxian’s study.

In the past two days, Chu Xingxian had been grinning so much that his wrinkles stood out more than ever. He was delighted with the results.

As he watched the sect’s morale steadily rise, his admiration for Li Guanqi grew. How had Lu Kangnian been so lucky as to take on such a disciple? It wasn’t the kind of blessing one could simply pray for and expect to be granted.

He had summoned Li Guanqi because he had prepared everything Li Guanqi had asked for.

The moment Li Guanqi sat down, Chu Xingxian leaned forward.

“Don’t you think your one-month declaration was a bit too much? Half a month has gone by, and it doesn’t look possible. You can’t seriously expel everyone who hasn’t broken through.”

Li Guanqi pursed his lips.

“Old Chu, I said we’d handle it case by case. Some people may lack talent, but they’re diligent. They don’t need to be cast out. It’s the talented but lazy ones we have to remove. You must understand… diligence spreads, but so does laziness.”

Chu Xingxian nodded. He understood, though he wasn’t as ruthless as Li Guanqi. Still, since he’d chosen to let Li Guanqi take charge, he wouldn’t interfere just because their views differed.

With a sigh, he handed over a storage pouch. “I’ve gathered everything you wanted. What do you need them for anyway? This kind of demonic beast blood is usually used for strength talismans.”

Li Guanqi quickly opened it and checked the contents. Everything he’d requested was there, though as Sword Spirit would say, the items were a bit mediocre and not of the best quality.

Still, he was thrilled. Clutching the pouch, he leaned toward Chu Xingxian. “Senior Chu, I actually have one more request…”

Chu Xingxian stiffened, already suspecting trouble. He brushed Li Guanqi’s hand away and huffed, saying, “You’re always calling me Old Chu. Now that you’re saying Senior Chu, I know you’re setting me up. Out with it.”

Li Guanqi grinned. “The Phoenix Lightning Sect has a celestial pool and a lightning pool, doesn’t it?”

Chu Xingxian shot him a glare and pursed his lips. “You seem very familiar with what I have. You want to enter the pools?”

Li Guanqi nodded. “Yes. I would like to enter the lightning pool.”

“To do what? Cultivate? That pool has been accumulating power for nearly a thousand years. Every time someone in the sect breaks through, they leave behind a wisp of lightning. The pool is extremely dangerous now.”

He paused. A brat like him wouldn’t care about the danger anyway.

After a moment’s thought, Chu Xingxian asked, “When do you want to enter?”

“The sooner the better,” Li Guanqi replied without hesitation.

Chu Xingxian rose to his feet. “Then let’s go now. I’ll take you there.”

Whoosh! Whoosh!

In a flash, they covered dozens of li and arrived at a towering peak behind the sect, its summit piercing the clouds.

The peak was made of pitch-black rock, and the dark clouds swirling around it flashed constantly with lightning.

“This is the Lightning Pool Peak,” Chu Xingxian said. “I’ll take you to the pool.”

Whoosh!

He reached out and tapped the air, a spark of spirit light appearing on his finger. With that, the barrier around the peak tore open.

He smiled. “You may enter on your own. Training your body in the lightning pool will do you a lot of good.”

Li Guanqi smiled back but didn’t reveal what he really intended.

Once Chu Xingxian departed, the purple barrier slowly sealed behind him, leaving Li Guanqi alone atop the mountain.