Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

“Well, looks like I’m jumping from one fire pit to another,” Tang Ru said, resigned.

He shrugged it off quickly, his tone turning casual. “Still… building a massive business empire from scratch is tempting.”

Li Guanqi shook his head. “You only need to manage the initial setup and oversee the overall operations.”

Tang Ru froze, then frowned at him. “What do you mean by that? You don’t trust me?”

Li Guanqi smiled gently and tapped Tang Ru’s forehead. Under Li Guanqi’s power, Tang Ru’s spirit void manifested at his brow.

The golden abacus still radiated a soft glow. Li Guanqi looked at it and spoke quietly, “Have you ever felt what Soul Dissolution is like?”

As he spoke, the sword coffin appeared behind him, and the Red Lotus Sword flew into his hand. Li Guanqi’s spirit void vibrated, and the sword blazed with crimson light.

Tang Ru’s emotions stirred, and a faint glimmer appeared in his eyes.

As the Red Lotus Sword bloomed, Li Guanqi said softly, “Do you know just how powerful the Heaven-Opening Tier is?”

Under the pressure of Li Guanqi’s sword, Tang Ru slowly lowered his head. Even relying on pills, he had barely reached the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm, with the Divine Transformation Realm still far out of reach. Li Guanqi, by contrast, had begun cultivating at the same time yet already stood at the late stage of the Illusory Refinement Realm. He was on the very verge of the Combined Body Realm, a feat akin to ascending to the heavens. This stark contrast made Tang Ru fall back on his commercial talents whenever he faced Li Guanqi. Only by mastering some skill he could truly rely on would he be able to stand beside Li Guanqi without feeling inferior.

Li Guanqi looked at Tang Ru. “Your talent isn’t bad. It shouldn’t be wasted on the merchant’s path. I want you to walk across the Six Territories and make a name for yourself. I want the world to remember you as a mighty cultivator, not just as a powerful merchant.”

Tang Ru raised his head and looked at Li Guanqi with a solemn expression. “Understood!”

Li Guanqi laughed, genuinely happy. He gave Tang Ru three days to hand over his pending affairs, then left the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.

Ji Yuchuan put down the jade slip, turned to Su You, and smiled. “Pavilion Master Li really keeps himself busy. First, he squeezed spirit stones out of the Five Yang Ghost Emperor, and now he’s gone to the Tang family to ‘borrow’ Tang Ru, whose talent for business is extraordinary.”

Su You smiled wryly. Even he hadn’t expected Li Guanqi’s abilities and connections to be so incredible. He’d come to Guanyun Pavilion thinking it would just be for fun, to keep Li Guanqi company. But now, Li Guanqi had the backing of the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, the Six Gates Holy Sect, the Daxia Sword Sect, and more. Even other hidden factions and powerful forces were quietly supporting him from the shadows.

Given a little more time, Guanyun Pavilion might genuinely rival the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion. It might even surpass it.

Ji Yuchuan, now serving as deputy Pavilion Master, brimmed with hope and energy for the Guanyun Pavilion’s future. Thinking of the Daxia Sword Sect’s recall ceremony, he immediately issued several orders.

By the time Li Guanqi returned to the sect, it was already midnight, yet the main hall was still brightly lit.

Li Guanqi flew into the hall. Seeing him return, everyone there exhaled in relief.

Lu Kangnian smiled. “You’re back? Sit down.”

Li Guanqi took the lower seat and looked at Lu Kangnian with a smile. “Sect Master, you seem a little nervous?”

Lu Kangnian took a sip of tea, a frown creasing his brow. “How could I not be nervous? No other sect master has ever dared to do something like this.”

The other elders and peak masters sitting below nodded, worry showing on their faces.

Only Ling Daoyan, sitting to the side and drinking, let out a cold snort. “What’s there to fear? Once the sect disciples are back, the Daxia Sword Sect will be the strongest sect in the Daxia Territory!”

Li Guanqi nodded silently. That was inevitable. “Still, it also brings all sorts of problems. I’ve already contacted the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, and the Six Gates Holy Sect. These three powers can ensure the sect has enough resources during this period of rapid expansion. However, there will inevitably be resource exchanges, which will need discussion.”

The hall went silent. None of them had expected that during Li Guanqi’s absence, he had already prepared so many contingency plans for the sect.

Li Nanting looked at Li Guanqi with a pleased expression. “Kid, I have to admit, you’ve at least got a conscience. I thought you’d just run off to enjoy yourself.”

Shen Lan, sitting nearby, rolled her eyes at the old man. “Do you think Guanqi is like you?”

Li Guanqi sensed the subtle changes in their auras and smiled with satisfaction. It wouldn’t be long before both of them went into seclusion.

The other peak masters and elders swelled with pride. Li Guanqi had single-handedly solved a problem they’d been discussing for days.

Li Guanqi continued, “These are all minor details. Anything can be solved with enough effort. The most important thing in calling back the sect disciples, former elders, and former peak masters… is winning their hearts!”

He didn’t plan to let too many people know about the Guanyun Pavilion; it was enough that the sect master knew.

Qin Xian frowned and spoke solemnly. “Exactly. That’s what worries me. Setting everything else aside, the sect is thriving, and Guanqi has brought in countless allies. With so many resources gathered in one place, who’s to say some former sect masters or other ambitious people will not try to seize power?”

Before he finished, the atmosphere in the main hall had turned tense.

In the deathly silent hall, Li Guanqi’s voice rang out, thick with disdain, “I don’t care who comes. The Daxia Sword Sect belongs to Sect Master Lu, and only Sect Master Lu!!”

The resolute, thunderous declaration echoed through the main hall, stirring excitement in every listener.

Lu Kangnian’s eyes brightened, glistening as if with tears. With a heavy sweep of his hand, he said in a deep voice, “Tomorrow, the grand recall ceremony begins! Prepare for whatever comes. If they attack, we defend; if floods rise, we hold firm. The Daxia Sword Sect… will surely rise!”

He stood and raised his arms in a triumphant shout, and everyone present rose with him to echo the cry.

“The Daxia Sword Sect will surely rise!”

That night, many in the Daxia Sword Sect didn’t sleep. Through the long, busy hours, an undercurrent of excitement pulsed through the sect.

Li Guanqi spoke softly, “You should all be back by now, right?”

Several spatial ripples vanished without a trace.

Li Guanqi sat atop Jade Teapot Peak, sipping wine as he gazed at the bright moon overhead. After a moment, he turned to look back at the sect’s ancestral tombs behind him.

Beneath the cool and quiet moonlight, Li Guanqi raised his wine gourd with a smile. Don’t worry, senior brothers and sisters. I, Li Guanqi, will protect the Daxia Sword Sect!”