Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

The disciples clenched their fists, hearts swelling with pride. Their eyes shone as they looked at Li Guanqi, as if their hearts beat as one.

Sensing that unique energy in the air, Lu Kangnian couldn’t help but murmur, “That’s the power of a role model.”

Qian Xian watched in awe. “Indeed. Li Guanqi has become an emotional anchor for our disciples. They’ll keep pushing themselves to catch up to him. Because of him, no one dares grow arrogant or think they’re better than others.”

Lu Kangnian smiled. “That’s because above them, there’s already a gigantic mountain pressing down!”

Li Nanting looked at the white-robed Li Guanqi hovering in the air, pride straightening his back. So what if the other six peaks had many at the Divine Transformation Realm? His disciple had reached it too, and he could crush a group of them by himself.

Seeing Li Nanting grinning ear to ear, Shen Lan pinched his waist. “Don’t lose yourself now.”

He gritted his teeth as her fingers dug in. Stiff-necked, he muttered, “Why can’t I be happy? If the others were capable enough, they could’ve found a disciple as outstanding as mine!”

Meanwhile, Li Guanqi pressed his palms down gently. “I don’t have much else to say. Let’s just have a casual chat between seniors and juniors.”

Everyone took their seats, and the mood lightened. Before long, a disciple stood and asked, “Senior Brother Li, may I ask what went through your mind when you abandoned the tournament to fight the Purple Sun Pavilion?”

The youth’s gaze burned with curiosity.Li Guanqi turned to glance at Lu Kangnian and the elders, then replied, “Normally, I don’t bother those who leave me alone. But if they cross me… I kill them. It had been a long time since our sect achieved a decent result in the Tournament of a Hundred Sects. That year, we ranked second, qualified for a generous reward. But… you all know what happened next.”

Yu Sui’an lowered her head, her eyes dim.

Li Guanqi paused, then gave a wry snort and shook his head. “I’m not as righteous or selfless as you think. The Daxia Sword Sect ranked fairly high, but even if we hadn’t, I still would’ve fought. After what happened, I knew that no matter our standing, I couldn’t just let it go.”

At first, many had thought he’d attacked only after securing the sect’s ranking, seeing it as a strategic move.

He shrugged. “When I heard Little Bao had been hurt, I just snapped. I attacked that night for a simple reason…”

The disciples leaned in, holding their breath.

“Because I knew that after that night, some of the Purple Sun Pavilion disciples would leave. And if they did, I’d never have the chance to kill them all.”

Sssss!

The crowd gasped. No one had expected that to be his reason.

Li Guanqi rubbed his nose, uncertain if that truth would change their impression of him. Then a disciple said, “Don’t forget, Senior Brother took off his sect robes and shattered his jade slip before attacking…”

Realization spread through the crowd. Even in that moment, Li Guanqi had refused to drag the sect into trouble. Some felt they would’ve done the same; others knew they wouldn’t have had the courage. After all, the Purple Sun Pavilion was a powerful force in the Northern Territory.

The questions kept coming, covering all sorts of topics, but Li Guanqi answered each one patiently.

He guided them through Dao concepts suited to their levels before finally taking them to a mountain range teeming with demonic beasts—the same way he had trained the Phoenix Lightning Sect disciples. It was a love-hate ordeal for them all.

By dawn, he led the exhausted disciples back to the sect.

When Lu Kangnian saw the exhausted disciples, he could not help but smile. The disciples had lacked ferocity and real battle experience. He knew everything that Li Guanqi had done with the Phoenix Lightning Sect, as Chu Xingxian had talked a lot with him.

Lu Kangnian couldn’t help but smile when he saw them. They’d always lacked true ferocity and combat experience. He already knew everything Li Guanqi had done at the Phoenix Lightning Sect, as Chu Xingxian had talked a lot about it.

Ever since Li Guanqi left that sect, the female disciples there missed him dearly. Old Chu even joked that Li Guanqi needed to return to “heal their wounded hearts.”

When Lu Kangnian heard that, he only pursed his lips and didn’t bother replying. If Li Guanqi really went back, that old fox might even send a few of his female disciples straight into the boy’s bed.

Thinking of that, Lu Kangnian rubbed his chin and murmured, “He’s almost eighteen now… an energetic age. Maybe I should find him a suitable girl.”

Lu Kangnian smiled. “Come with me. Let’s talk in my study.”

Light flashed under their feet, and they vanished, reappearing moments later in Lu Kangnian’s study. The sect master gestured to a seat with a smile. “Sit.”

He sat opposite Li Guanqi and even poured him a cup of tea himself. Startled, Li Guanqi stood up quickly[1] to accept it.

“Sect Master, you’re too kind… I can’t accept this.”

Lu Kangnian looked at the young man’s sheepish grin and laughed. “You will.”

He took a sip of the spirit tea, savoring its sweet aftertaste.

Then he got to the point. “We’ve all agreed to grant you a lifetime elder position in the Daxia Sword Sect.”

Pffft!

Li Guanqi spat out his tea. “What?! An elder?!”

Lu Kangnian chuckled. “Not satisfied? Then why not be the sect master instead? I’m serious.”

He looked at Li Guanqi with a smile that lingered.

1. In traditional Chinese etiquette, the lower-ranked person serves the tea, such as a disciple for a master or the youngest at the table for their elders. That’s why Li Guanqi panicked when Lu Kangnian himself poured the tea. ☜