Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

When Li Guanqi left Wuzi City, his storage ring held a thousand more high-grade spirit stones and a much better supply of cultivation pills. Tang Ru wanted him to get a defensive treasure as well, but he declined. Li Guanqi felt like defense didn’t suit his fighting style.

Instead of focusing on defense, he typically strategized on how to attack and win. Protective gear would only hinder him.

He regarded his deal with Tang Ru as perfectly fair, something both sides had fully agreed on. That was what Li Guanqi liked about him. Since it was a deal, it should benefit them both.

Tang Ru had also made it clear that he wouldn’t try to restrict him or contact him for trivial matters.

Whoosh!

He held the Face-Changing Bug close to his face. The golden insect hesitated briefly before clinging to his cheek. A faint surge of energy rippled from its body as it pierced his flesh and burrowed inside.

Li Guanqi pictured the face of an ordinary young man. His facial features started to shift at once. His tall nose flattened slightly, and his nose widened.

In a matter of seconds, he had turned into an average-looking youth. If he returned to his sect, no one would recognize him as Li Guanqi. He touched his face in disbelief.

The bug was gone. It had liquefied beneath his skin, forming a thin layer that responded to his will, reshaping his features as he wished. And he could sense that this wasn’t all it could do. If the bug grew stronger, it could even alter his height or build.

After changing his face, he put away the sword coffin to avoid drawing attention, then donned a bamboo hat. With that done, he took out the heavenly intelligence jade pendant.When he got the pendant, he realized it was no ordinary trinket. Besides letting him check all sorts of leaderboards, it also allowed him to purchase all types of information from the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion.

As long as one had enough spirit stones, almost anything could be purchased through it.

He sent a wisp of vital force into the pendant, and it glowed warmly.

“Please help me check Cheng Yun’s identity.”

A moment later, glowing words appeared before him.

Five hundred low-grade spirit stones.

Li Guanqi paused. He had not expected this information to be so cheap, so he asked, “Will my identity be exposed when I search for information?”

Another line of text appeared.

The Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion keeps user identities completely private.

That reassured him. He took out the required spirit stones, which were instantly absorbed by the pendant.

He stared, shocked that a miniature transport array had been carved within the pendant. He sensed that it could only transfer spirit stones, but even that was impressive.

Soon, Cheng Yun’s personal details appeared in front of him.

Cheng Yun. Female. Famous for her Blizzard Slash. Age: 1912 years.

Li Guanqi froze at her age. She was practically an ancient monster. She must have taken Youth Preservation Pills to maintain her looks.

The first line of text was only a brief introduction. Information on her background came next, which was what he truly cared about.

Third Elder of the Sun Moon Sect in the Eastern Territory. She had a feud with You Daozi in her youth, turning them into archnemeses. Cheng Yun went missing in the Hell Mountains after a battle with him. Her current whereabouts are unknown.

He studied the glowing text in silence. He felt that the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion had to know much more than that. He asked hurriedly, “Do you know who killed Cheng Yun?”

The pendant stayed silent for a long time.

Li Guanqi waited patiently. He wanted to see whether the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion held any hostility toward him.

Buzz!

A line of huge characters appeared before his eyes.

This cannot be revealed.

His chest tightened. As expected, the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion knew everything. But if they’re unwilling to tell the full story, why mention the Hell Mountains at all?

My appearance on the new leaderboard will definitely draw attention. If I managed to kill Xue Yan, who was one minor realm above me, then Cheng Yun’s death…

He forced the thought aside and asked, “What is Cao Yan’s true identity?”

The pendant buzzed, and a line of text appeared.

Please pay ten thousand high-grade spirit stones.

Li Guanqi’s mouth twitched. He hadn’t expected such a steep price for an offhanded question.

A mischievous thought crossed his mind.

“What’s the color of the Daxia Territory head monk’s… Cough cough?”

Eight thousand high-grade spirit stones.

He put the jade pendant away solemnly. That alone confirmed how terrifying Cao Yan’s true identity was. He had suspected Cao Yan belonged to a powerful clan, but now he realized even that might be an understatement.

After a moment, he amusedly took out the jade pendant again. It vibrated lightly, releasing a ripple of energy that turned into a spirit voice in his mind.

“Would you like to bind your identity to this pendant? Doing so will grant access to more in-depth information at lower prices. Your identity will remain hidden.”

Li Guanqi smirked. “No.”

The glow faded, and the pendant fell quiet.

Countless thoughts ran through his mind. The Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion fascinated him.

Even Tang Ru knew little about them. They were, without exaggeration, the most secretive and powerful organization on the continent.

He pushed his thoughts aside and produced two green jade slips, each bearing a simple, classic design. He channeled his vital force into them.

Boom!

Two enormous maps appeared in his mind, along with endless details of the factions across the territory. He overlaid the broken pendant’s map atop them and scanned the surroundings.

Indeed, this isn’t a map of anywhere in the Eastern Territory!