Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

When Li Guanqi’s name appeared on the Nascent Soul Leaderboard, countless people were shaken.

In the Northern Territory, Lu Kangnian was in closed-door cultivation when the news reached him. He burst out of seclusion at once. Standing atop Heavenly Sword Peak, he threw back his head and laughed wildly as he stared at the glowing light screen before him.

“Hahahaha! Thirteenth on the Nascent Soul Leaderboard! It’s my Daxia Sword Sect’s disciple!”

All the disciples of the Daxia Sword Sect looked up at the sky, where a massive list of names was projected. Li Guanqi’s name shone brighter than ever, followed by three lines of tiny glowing characters.

Daxia Sword Sect, Li Guanqi. Seventeen years old. Mid Nascent Soul Realm. Dual cultivator of spiritual and martial arts.

Battle Record: Killed Lu Yi (ranked fortieth on the Nascent Soul Leaderboard) and Xue Yan (ranked 39th, one minor realm above) on the same day.

In the Golden Core Realm, he single-handedly killed 132 cultivators of the same realm.

The disciples stared at the three lines of text. The font was small, but the impact was huge. Their breath caught when they read Li Guanqi’s record, and their admiration for him reached a new high.

Li Nanting looked at the light screen, took out his jade slip, and spoke softly into it. “Are you hurt?”

After a moment of hesitation, he lowered it. The woman beside him said quietly, “He’s a soaring eagle. We shouldn’t hold him down.”Shen Lan gently squeezed Li Nanting’s hand.

Li Nanting glanced at her, then put the jade slip away. “You’re right… Still, that kid’s growing too fast. He’s already left this old man in the dust.”

Then he smiled. “Well, as they say, when the disciple prospers, so does the master.”

Shen Lan frowned and pinched him. “Dream on. I’m warning you—don’t go running around the sect drunk just to celebrate. I’ll teach you a lesson if you do.”

Li Nanting pursed his lips and muttered under his breath.

Meanwhile, at the Phoenix Lightning Sect in the Eastern Territory, the disciples were in an uproar. Liu Man covered her mouth, her eyes wide with disbelief.

“One hundred and thirty-two people… He wasn’t lying!”

“Shit! Elder Li’s too damn awesome!”

“He really killed over a hundred people on his own!”

Cries of surprise rang through the sect. They had all thought Li Guanqi was boasting.

Li Guanqi gained another group of fans in the Phoenix Lightning Sect, but he remained unaware of it.

When he returned to Wuzi City, Tang Ru immediately noticed the sorrow in his eyes.

Li Guanqi looked at him and said quietly, “You don’t need to find me a makeup artist anymore.”

Tang Ru blinked in confusion and whispered, “Why? Did Xue Yan refuse?”

Li Guanqi remained silent for a long moment. Eventually, he recounted the events to Tang Ru.

When Tang Ru finished listening, he fell silent. After a while, he looked up and said, “He was a true man. Don’t worry. I’ll have someone tend to his grave regularly.”

Li Guanqi shrugged and followed him back to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.

Tang Ru took out a milky-white jade pendant and handed it to him. Seeing Li Guanqi’s confusion, he explained, “This is a special pendant crafted by the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion. It’s very valuable, as you can use it to buy any information you want.”

He continued, “They’re also the ones who compile the Nascent Soul Leaderboard.”

Li Guanqi hadn’t been particularly interested, but the explanation caught his attention. He took the pendant and examined it. The material was unfamiliar, warm to the touch, and even calmed his mind—clearly beneficial for cultivation. As he infused it with vital force, a light screen appeared before him displaying the latest leaderboard.

He located his own ranking. When he read the lines beneath his name, his eyes widened. It mentioned his slaughter of over a hundred cultivators at the Hell Mountains.

Only Li Guanqi knew that there was even more to the story.

There had also been a fierce clash between two Divine Transformation Realm cultivators, an event that also shocked many people. After that battle, he had killed a woman named Cheng Yun, who had been fighting another cultivator called You Daozi. If anyone started investigating her death, the leaderboard could lead them straight to him.

Thinking of this, Li Guanqi smiled faintly, his expression unreadable. “I didn’t expect to become so famous.”

Tang Ru grinned. “Today’s battle wasn’t what made you famous. You’ve been famous for a while.”

Li Guanqi smiled and asked, “Does the Hundred Treasures Pavilion sell anything that can change someone’s face?”

Tang Ru’s eyes lit up, but he did not pry. “Do you want something single-use or reusable?”

Li Guanqi thought for a moment. “Neither a human skin mask nor an obfuscation technique. I want something that physically alters my features but keeps my real face intact underneath.”

Tang Ru nodded with a smile. He had expected Li Guanqi’s conditions.

He took out a small golden insect from his storage ring. It moved slowly, and Tang Ru quickly put a drop of golden, thick liquid on the ground. He then carefully picked up the insect and gave it to Li Guanqi.

“This is a Face-Changing Bug. If you place it between your skin and flesh, it’ll change your appearance according to your will. You can do whatever you want with it, but it only lasts seven days. When the time is up, you’ll have to feed it again and let it rest for several hours. It feeds on this golden liquid, which is a rare hundred-year-old nectar.”

Li Guanqi studied the insect, then looked up. “How much?”

Tang Ru laughed and waved his hand. “No need to pay me. And if you ever run short of money or cultivation materials, come to me. I’ll help you out.”

Li Guanqi did not agree straight away. He leaned back in his chair and played with the bug in his hand, smiling. “You son of a bitch. Are you trying to invest in me? Give me a reason to accept this offer.”

It would have been a ridiculous question coming from anyone else. But Tang Ru knew Li Guanqi was being sincere.

“I believe in you, so I’m betting on you. All you have to do is save me from this danger one time.”

Li Guanqi smirked, tapping his fingers on the table. “Deal.”

He stayed at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion for quite a while afterward. No one knew what he and Tang Ru talked about that day.

Then, Li Guanqi left Wuzi City quietly.

In a spot with beautiful scenery outside the city, three wisps of smoke appeared in the sky.

Shortly after Li Guanqi departed, someone dug out Xue Yan’s grave. After confirming the remains were Xue Yan’s, the grave was filled once more.