Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Li Guanqi smiled faintly. He’d never imagined a day would come when he would have no sword to use.

Yet he did not mind. With his current strength, even without a sword, few could stand against him.

Still, a flicker of listlessness passed through him. His gaze soon grew firm, dispelling the thought. Now, he only sought to grow stronger.

He had abandoned his heavenly flames to perfect his swordsmanship. After the Liu family incident, he had broken free from the shackles of worldly opinion. From now on, he would follow only his heart.

A carefree smile crossed his face, and the blood-red hue of his robe faded, returning to its original white.

Inside the pagoda he was fiddling with, a powerful surge of vital energy and endless lightning erupted.

He rested one hand behind his back and turned into a gust of wind, crossing thousands of zhang in a single step.

The Falling Sunset Territory teemed with life, lush mountains stretching in every direction. Below, mortal dynasties flourished, and sects stood tall. Spirit qi hung thick in the air, even denser than in the Divine Treasure Territory, with water qi especially active.

Li Guanqi flew through the skies, feeling the abundant spirit qi. His body drew it in on its own, the Ancient Illusory Refinement Technique already at work. As he refined the dense spirit qi, his brows lifted. The spirit qi here is really pure…

The Falling Sunset Territory lay far from the Daxia Territory. He had heard little of it. The territory kept a low profile, and few paid it any attention.Suddenly, waves of vital force rippled from the mountains below. Curious, Li Guanqi vanished.

A ginseng-shaped spirit darted about, its legs a blur that left afterimages. It was about as big as a forearm. Several youths in purple robes gave chase, skillfully working together to cut off its escape. All were at the Golden Core Realm, clearly from the same sect.

Li Guanqi watched with interest as jade rulers shot forth, forming walls that trapped the five-hundred-year violet ginseng.

The three cultivators closed in, their palms glowing as they formed a small confinement array.

The trick caught Li Guanqi’s eye. Perhaps he had underestimated the power of arrays. He recalled how an array had forced the Liu family realm’s barrier open from the outside.

“We finally caught it! Senior Brother Zheng will be saved!” a girl cried out, her eyes reddening. Her clothes were caked in mud; she had clearly been through a lot to capture the violet ginseng.

“Do not celebrate yet. Seal it in the ice spirit treasure box before it escapes,” another youth said. He seemed more mature.

Another pulled out an ice-blue jade box. The girl carefully reached for the jade ruler. The youth who’d spoken spotted Li Guanqi sitting on a branch, watching them.

Clang!

“There’s an enemy!”

The girl pressed the jade ruler back, drew her sword, and faced him. All three were on edge. He was visible, yet their divine consciousness couldn’t detect him.

The sweet-faced girl trembled. “Senior Brother Sun… is he a ghost? I can’t sense him at all!”

Li Guanqi smiled. “Kids, shall we make a trade?”

Sun Zhen’s palms sweated. He gulped. Sweat beaded on his forehead, eyes locked on Li Guanqi. A few words alone had shaken him to the core.

“Senior, we’re inner sect disciples of the Baizhang Sect. We need this violet ginseng to save someone’s life. But if you need it, take it.”

Li Guanqi rubbed his nose. This kid is smart, but do I really look that much like a villain?

Li Guanqi tapped the air with his finger, and the violet ginseng appeared in his palm.

The girl panicked and opened her mouth to protest, but Sun Zhen stopped her, transmitting, “If you want to live, keep quiet!”

The violet ginseng had only just become sentient. It fell to its knees when it realized someone was saving it. It was five hundred years old, so it only had four hundred years to go before it could take human form.

The sight reminded Li Guanqi of Peng Luo. Still, he was only curious. Whether the ginseng lived or died didn’t matter to him.

“You said you needed the ginseng to save a life. Was that person poisoned?”

Sun Zhen gritted his teeth. “A senior in our sect was bitten by a seven-ringed snake a few days ago. Only this violet ginseng can cure him…”

He merely stated the facts, making no requests.

Li Guanqi chuckled. “You’re a good senior.”

As they puzzled over his words, he tossed them a radish piece the size of a fingernail. “Take this instead. It’ll be more effective than the violet ginseng.”

They stared at the offering, perplexed. But Sun Zhen could feel the immense power radiating from the radish piece.

The girl grew anxious. Her violet ginseng had been swapped for a crumb she couldn’t even identify. “Senior, this is unfair! The violet ginseng is needed to save his life! We’ve been chasing it for three days and nights!”

Li Guanqi only smiled. Sun Zhen quickly scolded her. “Gu Si! Don’t utter such nonsense!”

His hands trembled as he held the radish piece. He gave a fist salute and bowed. “Senior… may I ask what tier this spirit plant is?”

Li Guanqi rose, still holding the violet ginseng. “Tier six.”

The girl’s mouth fell open. The violet ginseng, though old, was at best tier four, perhaps even lower. And he had just given them a tier-six spirit plant.

“Quickly, return to the sect!”

After they left, Li Guanqi arrived at a stream. The land was abundant with spirit qi. He placed the violet ginseng down and gave it a thumb-sized piece of Peng Luo. Its eyes shone. It knelt and raised its hands above its head, accepting the piece reverently. Though it had only newly awakened, it could distinguish good from bad, even if it could not express it.

Li Guanqi smiled. “Grow up strong. I’ll introduce you to an older brother later.”

He left, rubbing his chin and murmuring, “Perhaps it will surpass Peng Luo one day?”

He had left a wisp of spirit light within the violet ginseng’s body. The violet ginseng burrowed underground, absorbing the jade-like radish piece.

Far away at the Daxia Sword Sect, Peng Luo jolted in terror. His eyes widened. “Ah! I’ve become a father! How can a ginseng spirit absorb my power?! I’m finished… finished…”