Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Cang Lu hadn’t cultivated for long. His early years were happy enough, but by six or seven, his family had fallen into ruin. Everything after that flashed past in a blur. Nothing in his memories stood out, and his meeting with Li Guanqi revealed no problems either. All of it had been a coincidence.

Li Guanqi lifted his hand and sent Cang Lu’s soul back into his body. He moved to the side, drank two mouthfuls of wine, and watched the unconscious figure floating before him, eyes glinting.

He flicked his finger, and an inconspicuous thread of lightning darted into Cang Lu’s sea of consciousness. Having done all this, Li Guanqi shrugged, muttering under his breath, “What am I supposed to do with him? When he wakes up, what do I even say?”

He drank again, a faint gloom settling in his chest.

A long time passed before Cang Lu pushed himself up from the ground, clutching his head in pain.

Fury flashed in his eyes. “Happy now? Did you find what you wanted?”

Li Guanqi felt a stab of embarrassment but still offered him a pill. It could stabilize the soul and nudge cultivation along.

“I just don’t want the sect falling into any potential danger. Now, one last question.”

Cang Lu took the pill, steadied his breath, and answered solemnly, “Ask.”

Li Guanqi’s face was unreadable. His pure white eyes, though unfocused, held a coldness that made Cang Lu feel stripped bare.Li Guanqi’s voice sounded calmly in his ear. “Tell me. Why did you abandon the zither for the sword?”

Cang Lu’s shoulders eased. Not a difficult question. He answered softly, “The zither’s killing power is limited. I was born with six fingers, so I have a good grip on the sword. That’s all. I chose the path that suited me.”

Li Guanqi gave a small nod. It checked out. At higher realms, the zither did fall short in offensive power.

He rose and said, “Don’t blame me. Anyone else in my place would have done the same.”

Cang Lu remained silent.

“All right. That’s enough. Go back.”

Cang Lu nodded and bowed before leaving.

Li Guanqi watched his figure fade into the distance, then stood alone for a long while. He sighed and shook his head.

Am I just being too suspicious?

Despite everything, he still kept Cang Lu in his thoughts. Li Guanqi would be in the sect for a while, so it wouldn’t hurt to keep an eye on him.

Before he returned to Jade Teapot Peak, Li Nanting’s voice came in through his jade slip.

—Guanqi, what did you mean by warning me to be cautious of Cang Lu?

Li Guanqi lowered the jade slip, thought briefly, and said, “It’s nothing, Master. I’m probably too sensitive. Regardless, keep what I gave you with you at all times.”

—Very well. Do what you think is best. Whatever it is, I will stand with you.

That steady warmth in his master’s tone eased something inside Li Guanqi. His thoughts drifted to Prosperity Village, where he had lived for many years.

Tsk. I should go back one of these days. I miss those people. I wonder how Wanshu’s doing. She really is the type to marry and bring home. I have no idea if Uncle Meng would approve, though.

Hands clasped behind his back, he sighed up at the sky, a quiet longing for home stirring in him.

With a flash of light beneath his feet, he returned to Jade Teapot Peak. The sky was only just beginning to brighten.

His face was pale. The divine consciousness attack he had endured earlier was no trivial matter. His sea of consciousness was injured, and it would take time for him to recover.

At least his cultivation had settled firmly at the early Divine Transformation Realm. Reaching the peak would demand terrifying amounts of resources, but he had enough wealth to advance normally.

He stood at the summit and looked toward the distant sunrise. Sword Spirit has been asleep for nearly a month now. Longer than usual this time.

Buzz!

Suddenly, he sensed a spatial fluctuation before him. Lu Kangnian’s voice echoed in his ears. “Guanqi, the Spiritfish Clan has arrived.”

Li Guanqi’s brows furrowed at once, his lips curling into a cold smile. Old Foxes. They only came after the battle with the Mo Family ended.

Light flared beneath his feet, and he vanished, reappearing in the Grand Hall of the Daxia Sword Sect.

The seven peak masters stood beneath the high platform. They didn’t know about the Spiritfish Clan’s arrival yet. Only Li Nanting knew a little, and even he lacked the full picture.

Lu Kangnian turned toward Li Guanqi, smiling faintly. “All taken care of?”

Li Guanqi gave a slight nod and cupped his hands. “Yes. For now, I found no problems.”

A sharp gleam flickered through Lu Kangnian’s eyes. He caught the nuance. Li Guanqi had said “for now” and hadn’t claimed the matter was resolved. Cang Lu’s innocence still wasn’t certain.

Lu Kangnian gave a subtle nod to Qin Xian. Qin Xian’s eyelids twitched as he stepped forward.

He bowed and announced, “Yu Bo, leader of the Spiritfish Clan, a demonic cultivator at the Divine Transformation Realm, has arrived outside our domain with eighty-seven clansmen. They seek an audience.”

The hall erupted in shock. Why would a demon clan come to the Daxia Sword Sect?

Li Guanqi gave a brief recount of earlier events, and the crowd finally understood. The Spiritfish Clan was planning to pledge allegiance to the sect.

Lu Kangnian stayed calm. “What is their cultivation?”

Qin Xian answered, “Three at the Divine Transformation Realm, fifteen at the Nascent Soul Realm, over forty at the Golden Core Realm, and the rest at the Foundation Building Realm.”

Hiss!

The crowd gasped. The Spiritfish Clan’s strength could not be overlooked, especially in a region like the Azure Cloud Continent, which wasn’t the strongest in the Daxia Territory. And even then, they could dominate most of the Northern Territory. Most clan leaders were only at the Nascent Soul Realm.

At once, murmurs of excitement spread through the hall. “If they join us, won’t our sect have a full ten Divine Transformation Realm cultivators?”

“Exactly! With three more at the Divine Transformation Realm, our Daxia Sword Sect could claim the title of number one sect in the north!”

“They’ve already come to our gates. Shouldn’t we show some courtesy and welcome them?”

“Right, otherwise we’ll look negligent!”

Before Lu Kangnian could speak, Li Guanqi suddenly turned.

His gaze swept the hall like a drawn blade. His voice cut through the noise, cold and firm. “Greet them? Heh. They’re the ones who need us. Send an ordinary disciple. That’s enough. If they want to pledge themselves, it’s for us to decide whether we accept.”

Standing tall and straight, hands clasped behind his back, Li Guanqi exuded a confidence as vast and unshakable as a mountain.