Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Li Guanqi had nothing pressing to do and spent his days stabilizing his cultivation base. Out of boredom, he summoned a holographic map of the Eastern Territory to check his location.

The map from the jade pendant wasn’t detailed enough to show which territory he was in. It didn’t match the Eastern Territory’s map, and he knew it wasn’t the Northern Territory either. As such, he decided to head to the Southern Territory.

Whoosh!

He stretched out a hand and tore open a spatial rift, heading toward the Southern Territory. As he traveled, he spent every moment refining his swordsmanship and strengthening his body.

His strategy to improve his physical strength was simple—he activated the Dragon-Elephant Subduing Sutra, then walked through the great nothingness.

The powerful spatial currents and chaotic pulling forces within the void constantly tugged at his body, forcing him to resist with sheer strength. Without spatial manipulation, he had to rely entirely on his physical endurance to keep himself intact.

At first, Li Guanqi could only last a few seconds in the nothingness before he had to retreat and recover.

Three days later, he could stay in the great nothingness for half an hour by relying on pure physical strength. At the fourth level of the Dragon-Elephant Subduing Sutra, he could produce the force of a hundred thousand jun[1] with each strike.

A single punch from him could split a mountain.

Sword Spirit told him that to continue strengthening his body, he would need more than just physical conditioning. He also had to absorb the violent energy from demonic beast cores and the power contained in the blood of dragon-elephant demonic beasts.His meridians had grown thick, resilient, and exceptionally tough. Vital force circulated rapidly within his body, rushing through his meridians like a roaring lightning dragon.

During this period, Sword Spirit only guided him through his current sword techniques. She didn’t teach him anything new, insisting that he first learn to fully control the power he already wielded. Only once he achieved complete mastery would she consider passing on new moves.

His sprint technique had also improved immensely. Now, when he moved, he was as fast as a flash of lightning.

Despite the monotony, Li Guanqi enjoyed these days. Every day, he would step out of the nothingness with a blood-soaked body, and as he recovered from his injuries, he sensed his power growing. However, his strength wasn’t actually increasing. He was simply gaining better control over his own power.

Sword Spirit looked at his bloodstained figure and nodded silently before disappearing. Within the realm of the sword coffin, she lay on her stomach mid-air, clutching her head with worry. She muttered, “With a physique like that, he needs a proper fist technique… I’ll have to come up with one.”

Li Guanqi had no idea what she was doing. Immersed in cultivation, he felt as if he never had enough time or energy to do all he wanted.

Fortunately, Chu Xingxian had been very generous before Li Guanqi’s departure, leaving him with ample cultivation resources. The female cultivator from the Divine Transformation Realm had also carried many high-grade spirit stones, so he wouldn’t be short on supplies anytime soon.

Time slipped by quickly. Two months had passed since he left the Phoenix Lightning Sect. At last, he was approaching the Southern Territory.

The climate was warm, much better than the icy Northern Territory. After journeying alone for so long, Li Guanqi found himself craving conversation. He would gladly strike up a conversation with anyone he met, even a beggar, perhaps even talking for hours.

Sensing a region with denser spirit qi, he rushed in that direction.

Whoosh!

The cloud layer above split in two, unnoticed by the people walking below.

Before long, several gigantic mountain peaks came into view. They weren’t particularly tall, but five of them were joined together at the slopes, forming one massive, continuous range.

Buildings of all sizes sprawled across the peaks, some rising as tall towers or large buildings. Li Guanqi could sense countless people across the mountains—perhaps even millions.

It didn’t seem to be a single city, but a cluster of interconnected cities.

He raised his brows. “Now this is a lively place.”

After two months of silence, he missed being around people.

Whoosh!

He changed into plain white robes and appeared on the bustling street below.

The locals favored thin, breezy clothing. The women mostly wore long, sleeveless dresses with low necklines. Li Guanqi almost fainted at the sight of so much skin.

Nearby, he overheard a pair of cultivators talking.

“Whoa! Guess who just arrived in Wuzi City?”

“Who? You could toss a brick here and hit three Golden Core Realm cultivators. How special could this person be?” a youth said.

The other person leaned in closer and whispered, “Maybe not most people… but what about Xue Yan, ranked thirty-ninth on the Nascent Soul Leaderboard?”

“What?! Xue Yan? Since when? I heard he’s a rogue cultivator. What’s he doing in Wuzi City?”

Li Guanqi’s eyes lit up. He had always been curious about the leaderboards, and the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion that compiled them was a mystery in itself. Almost no one knew who its members were. They could be beggars, rich businessmen, or famed prodigies.

However, he didn’t linger on the thought and instead made his way toward the most luxurious hotel in the city center. A single night’s stay cost just one low-grade spirit stone, and each room came with its own spirit-gathering array. The place offered every imaginable luxury—for a price.

Li Guanqi wasn’t after extravagance. All he wanted was a good bath, a meal, and then a leisurely walk through Wuzi City at night.

After bathing, he was about to head downstairs for food when a muscular youth walked past him. The man had black cropped hair, sharp features, and straight, sword-like eyebrows. He wore black martial robes and was heading up the stairs.

As Li Guanqi descended, the youth suddenly paused and turned to look back at him. His eyes gleamed as he muttered in surprise, “He’s very strong! Who is he?”

1. One jun (钧) is equivalent to thirty jin, and one jin is half a kilogram or 1.1 pounds. ☜