Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Li Guanqi raised his hand, and the violent flames became gentle.

The alchemists were seasoned and experienced, yet none of them had ever stood so close to heavenly fire. Its earlier outburst had stunned them, and some even felt a stab of envy. Luckily, they kept their heads, and none showed a hint of greed. Had anyone done so, Li Guanqi wouldn’t have hesitated to end their lives, alchemists or not.

Under his control, the flames became tamer, though only in a relative sense.

The alchemists brought out their finest cauldrons, but within a single breath, two more exploded from the heat.

With no choice, Sun Miao took out his precious cauldron. After a long stretch of adjusting to the fire, they steadied their minds and began refining pills.

Alchemists were rare, yet twelve of them were now working side by side. Even Lu Kangnian couldn’t help but be in awe.

“What a sight… If only they were our sect’s alchemists.”

Li Guanqi shrugged. “Pick a peak, and I’ll leave a fire seed. You can keep it alive with spirit qi. A single heavenly fire pit will draw in alchemists like bees to nectar. You could build pill workshops around it and charge people for using them.”

Lu Kangnian shook his head. “No.”

“Worried you’ll expose my abilities?” Li Guanqi asked.“Yes. It wouldn’t be worth the risk.”

“Sect Master, you don’t need to worry about that. The fact that I have a heavenly flame will never remain a secret. Anyone with sharp eyes will figure it out,” Li Guanqi said.

He shrugged, and his gaze sharpened. “Besides, I have no intention of hiding it.”

Lu Kangnian’s eyes widened. He sent a voice transmission. “Are you… planning to go to the Pure Immortal Mountain Sect?”

Li Guanqi chuckled coldly. “Most of the people on Azure Cloud Continent have already been beaten into submission, but there are still some idiots trying to test us. I’m sure the matter of the eleventh stage of the Qi Refinement Realm won’t remain secret for long either. The only way to make these people give up is through overwhelming strength.

“We still lack a strong Illusory Refinement cultivator to scare these petty thieves off. Until we have one, we have to be careful about many things. However, the sect worked hard to build its name. We can’t afford to tarnish it.”

Lu Kangnian’s eyes flashed, and he nodded. “Right. It doesn’t matter who it is. We’ll chop every hand that reaches for us!”

The two exchanged a glance and smiled.

The refinement took three days and two nights without pause. The antidote pill wasn’t a high-tier medicine, but very few knew the recipe, and each pill required at least three Demon-Slaying Flowers, which was a very substantial amount.

Fortunately, Sun Miao was one of the few who knew the recipe.

Lu Kangnian had already prepared generous gifts for the alchemists.

Once the pills were done, they were handed out to the disciples, who swallowed them and cultivated through the night. By dawn, the poison had been completely neutralized.

When Lu Kangnian went to thank the alchemists with his gifts, he stopped short. The alchemists had crowded around Li Guanqi, shouting over each other.

“I’m begging you, let me join the sect! I could do odd jobs if you want me to!”

“Me me me! Me too! You don’t even need to let me stay on the peaks. I’ll take a spot halfway up the mountain!”

“After using the heavenly fire, I can’t even look at my demonic flame. It’s garbage!”

“Master! Master! Please say something! We really want to stay!”

To outsiders, these fourth-tier alchemists were cold and aloof. Now, they were acting like children clamoring for sweets. Even Sun Miao looked exasperated; after using Li Guanqi’s Lightning Dragon Flame, his companion flame felt like trash too.

Yet that companion flame was far stronger than earthly fire and several times more powerful than his own. It could even devour his flame outright.

Lu Kangnian’s eyes shone with greed.

Li Guanqi could only give in. Exasperated, he agreed to take them in and arranged their positions. Their monthly stipends were modest, but once Pill Peak was built, they’d receive scheduled hours in the pill workshops. After that, he recited the Daxia Sword Sect’s rules with full solemnity.

The alchemists, obsessed with pill refining, had no complaints. They nodded vigorously.

Li Guanqi shrugged and turned to Lu Kangnian. “Looks like we’ll have an eighth peak. Pill Peak.”

Lu Kangnian grinned and agreed, promising to finalize it soon. Sun Miao would serve as the peak master.

As for Gu Yan… With a powerful family behind him, he had no intention of joining the Daxia Sword Sect.

Qian Xian sighed. “I guess this is the silver lining of the disaster. We didn’t just survive. We gained eleven alchemists.”

He turned to look at Li Guanqi with a bright smile. Everything that happened, happened because of him…

With the crisis resolved, the weight on Lu Kangnian’s shoulders finally eased.

Over the past two days, without anyone noticing, he had destroyed and seized the resources of the two sects that had caused the disaster. Like Li Guanqi, he offered no explanation to the outside world.

However, everyone in the Northern Territory assumed the two sects had provoked the Daxia Sword Sect. Ever since the sect’s rise, it had never struck without reason.

The next morning, Li Guanqi stepped out of Lu Kangnian’s study.

“Be careful out there,” Lu Kangnian said, his voice mixed with pride and concern. “If you get homesick, just come back.”

Li Guanqi nodded with a smile and joked, “Alright. I’ll trick more people into joining the sect.”

Lu Kangnian burst out laughing. “Hahahaha! Good. I’ll be waiting. And remember what I told you. Before you reach the Illusory Refinement Realm, come back and see whether you can invoke the immortals.”

Li Guanqi nodded, then went to Heavenly Lightning Peak to bid Li Nanting farewell.

Yu Sui’an peeked around the door, munching on a bun. She waved with a grin, her eyes squinting. “Guanqi! Don’t forget my buns.”

Li Guanqi smiled and ruffled her hair. “Don’t worry. I won’t.”

A small jade slip hung from her neck.

Then he bowed to Li Nanting. “Master, I’m heading out.”

“Mm. Be careful.”

Whoosh!

Li Guanqi turned around, resting a hand on his back. He took one step, reappearing a thousand zhang away. The bustling eight peaks of the Daxia Sword Sect receded into the distance.

Countless disciples rose into the air, shouting, “Farewell, Elder Li!”