Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Li Guanqi gazed at Sword Spirit with a mix of emotions. Clearly, she had scores to settle in the heavens above.

His first encounter with Sword Spirit had not been pleasant since they were both stubborn to the bone. However, he never saw her as a mere spirit—she was both friend and teacher to him. Gradually, they had grown much closer.

Initially, Sword Spirit thought Li Guanqi was just like the previous youths who had inherited the sword coffin. Those people had been young and arrogant. The moment they learned some of the sword coffin’s functions, it went to their heads.

Li Guanqi, on the other hand, was the first to awaken the Red Lotus Sword’s Heaven-Opening Tier.

The previous inheritors had only unlocked the Soul Dissolution ability at most, and none wielded the sword as masterfully as Li Guanqi, who moved it as if it were an extension of himself. In other words, Li Guanqi was the Red Lotus Sword’s favorite master. She saw infinite possibilities in him, and he was the most likely of all its inheritors to reach the heights she envisioned.

None of this was relevant to Su Xuan. Sword Spirit did not need to fear anyone, not even him.

Sword Spirit suddenly turned to look at Li Guanqi, the golden sunlight shining behind her, hope and reliance in her eyes. Li Guanqi’s heart skipped a beat. Such ordinary emotions in her gaze were unbelievable.

Li Guanqi was stunned. He suddenly found that Sword Spirit seemed several times more beautiful than before.

He took a deep breath, passion burning in his eyes. “Believe me. One day, I will be good enough for you to tell me your real name. Then I’ll meet those people and teach them a lesson.”

Sword Spirit smiled. Her eyes, beautiful as the moon and stars, curved into crescents. Her red lips parted gently.“I shall await that day—the day when I’m willing to tell you my real name. Before that… Li Guanqi, you must become stronger.”

Li Guanqi grinned. “Sister Sword Spirit, will you actually gain a physical body one day?”

Sword Spirit turned her head. Her red dress looked like fire in the sunlight. With her hands behind her back, she tapped the air with her foot, which looked like white jade, and spun around, her dress fluttering like burning flames. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes, her lashes fluttering as she basked in the warmth and peace of the sun.

The scene etched itself into Li Guanqi’s heart. He couldn’t shake the image for a long time.

Sword Spirit stood in her spot, her voice tinged with many emotions. “I’ll never be able to have a real body, because… I am a spirit.”

Although she was calm, other emotions came through in her voice. Unwillingness and frustration. Regret and curiosity.

Li Guanqi did not know why, but he quietly committed her words to memory.

They walked on in silence.

Suddenly, Sword Spirit remarked with amusement, “That Peng Luo… there’s more to him than meets the eye. You should pay more attention to him. As for Nine Heavens, you’ll need to frequently take it out to hunt demonic beasts to preserve its instincts. Most importantly, you need to focus on the sword Dao. I noticed you’ve consciously started cutting away everything irrelevant to it. That’s very good.”

Li Guanqi nodded. “Yeah. Those other sources of power were useful for short-term growth, but I still want to be just a sword cultivator.”

Sword Spirit smiled and nodded. “That’s right. You can only truly comprehend sword techniques when you pursue perfection in the sword Dao.”

As she spoke, she demonstrated all her sword techniques, helping him identify weaknesses and offering advice. A sword made of lightning materialized in his hand, and he began practicing in the sky.

He practiced for three days straight.

Countless powerful cultivators were attracted by his activities. They all watched from a thousand zhang away, not daring to come any closer. Li Guanqi, deeply immersed in the sword Dao, did not even notice them.

When he woke from his deep state of comprehension, he finally noticed the surrounding people.

“Ahhh! Senior is awake!”

“Hoo… Two days of observation actually loosened my bottleneck.”

“What a terrifying sword cultivator! Just observing his sword force was enough for me to achieve a breakthrough!”

He shook his head in resignation. He hadn’t expected his practice and experimentation to draw such a crowd.

Suddenly, the dense crowd bowed toward him in unison, but no one spoke. They had been observing him without his consent, after all, and that was inappropriate. Li Guanqi’s lack of reprimand showed the generosity of a true master.

Li Guanqi froze. It was strange to be respected like that. He gave a fist salute in four directions.

The crowd sighed in relief.

“Thank you for your generosity, Senior!”

“Thank you for helping me learn, Senior! My name is Wu Tian of the Dongzhou Valley. If you ever need help in the future, just let me know.”

The moment Wu Tian spoke, the others introduced themselves as well, trying to curry favor with Li Guanqi. Li Guanqi’s expression turned odd. He pursed his lips, then disappeared in a flash.

He exhaled slowly and said, “I’ve finally settled everything. Now it’s finally time to settle some debts. That bastard Cang Lu!”

Whoosh!

A jade pendant with the Gu (谷) character appeared. Li Guanqi said coldly, “Check where Cang Lu is for me!”

In less than a breath, the jade pendant responded.

Taiqing Territory, Floating Wood Valley.

Li Guanqi’s eyes flashed as he murmured, “Taiqing Territory? Hmph. I’ll kill you even if you flee to the ends of the world.”

Everything that had happened recently had started because of Cang Lu.

Li Guanqi paused. “Taiqing Territory? Isn’t Brother Ye in the Taiqing Territory?”

He asked the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion for directions to the Taiqing Territory.

Buzz!

He quickly received a map with directions. He carefully put the jade slip back in his storage ring, then muttered happily, “This is incredible! I can ask for anything for free!”

Looking at the map, ripped a spatial tear open.

Along the way, Li Guanqi continued to study the sword Dao with the Red Lotus Sword in hand. He also slowly digested the Heavenly Fire Orb, which stabilized his aura. It no longer fluctuated as much as when he first broke through. He gained a deeper understanding of his own strength at the Divine Transformation Realm.

With Sword Spirit present, all his questions regarding cultivation were answered.