Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Lu Kangnian stood on the high platform with a solemn expression, his clear gaze sweeping the horizon.

Less than a stick of incense’s time had passed when countless void cracks split the sky beyond the sect’s territory. Lu Kangnian’s emotions surged at the sight, and the peak masters and elders behind him watched with growing excitement. Pride swelled in everyone present at the sheer strength of the sect.

Li Guanqi murmured, “They’ve returned.”

Buzz!

Intense spatial fluctuations rippled outward. Dark cracks tore open in the void, and one by one, unfamiliar figures appeared beyond the territory. Men and women, young and old. But the moment they saw the layout of the Daxia Sword Sect, every one of them froze momentarily.

“This… is this still the Daxia Sword Sect?”

“The seven-peak array… how has it changed so much? This grandeur… I don’t remember it like this.”

“Good grief! I’ve only been away for three hundred years, and there’s even a territory now? Is that… Lu Kangnian?”

The Daxia Sword Sect looked nothing like what they remembered. It was as if the sect had undergone a world-shaking transformation. If it weren’t for places like Tianmen Cave and Heavenly Sword Peak remaining unchanged, some might have thought they’d arrived at the wrong place.

Hovering in midair, they exchanged glances, then cautiously took out their identity jade slips and channeled a trace of vital force into them. As each slip lit up faintly, the thick green array curtain peeled open, one crack at a time, and the gathered cultivators exhaled in relief. The sect was still the same sect they had left behind. No matter how far they had traveled, no matter how many years had passed, as long as their identity jade slips remained, they were still members of the Daxia Sword Sect. Whoosh! Whoosh!

Dozens of figures arrived one after another, walking through the void toward the high platform. They glanced around as they came, exclaiming in awe again and again.

The first group was formidable. Even the weakest among the dozens of them had reached the Nascent Soul Realm. They stood shoulder to shoulder before Lu Kangnian, arranged by cultivation level, and bowed in unison.

“Hail Sect Master!”

“Hail Sect Master!”

The voices rang across the sky. Lu Kangnian raised his hand lightly, motioning for them to rise.

“No need for such formalities,” he said. “Today is busy enough. Go on into the territory and find a villa or pavilion to settle into.”

Among the group, Lu Kangnian noticed a few familiar faces. His gaze fell on one man, and he couldn’t help but smile. “Luo Zhengping, you’ve returned as well!”

The man smiled back, his features brimming with audacious pride. Eyeing Lu Kangnian in his refined robes, he teased, “I knew you’d make a fine sect master. Not bad. Not bad at all. Hahaha, I know you have a lot on your plate. Leave these people to me.”

Li Guanqi observed Luo Zhengping. His cultivation seemed to be at the peak of the early Divine Transformation Realm, which was surprising for someone of Lu Kangnian’s generation.

Luo Zhengping caught Li Guanqi’s gaze, and his expression shifted slightly. He reined in his smile and cupped his hands in salute.

Li Guanqi returned the gesture with a smile.

With that, the first group of returnees entered the territory, and Qin Xian arranged accommodations for them. Meanwhile, new spatial rifts continued to appear. Every figure stepping out possessed cultivation at least at the Nascent Soul Realm, leaving the watching cultivators from the various sects and clans staring in stunned silence.

“How long has the Daxia Sword Sect truly been around for?” the assembled onlookers wondered aloud.

Most of the returnees had been cultivating for around three hundred years, some even a millennium. Only the younger Golden Core Realm disciples were familiar faces.

Even the disciples who had taken part in the battle of Purple Sun Pavilion had all returned. When they saw Li Guanqi, they grinned widely, and Li Guanqi returned their greetings with a sincere bow.

More spatial rifts tore open across the vast sky outside the sect, one after another. Flying beasts, cloud ships, and countless other vessels crowded the skies.

Li Guanqi remained at Lu Kangnian’s side throughout. At one point, Lu Kangnian considered sending him ahead to avoid the crowd, but Li Guanqi refused, and Lu Kangnian did not press the matter.

The spectacle continued for a full three days.

Over those three days, the Daxia Sword Sect recalled its disciples and elders from past generations, totaling more than eight thousand. Golden Core Realm cultivators made up over ninety percent of them, with many having reached the peak Golden Core Realm.

More impressively, the number of Nascent Soul Realm cultivators within the Daxia Sword Sect had reached an astonishing level. There were more than four hundred, with close to a hundred Divine Transformation Realm cultivators on top of that.

The total number of high-level cultivators fell short of Li Guanqi’s initial expectations, but it was still staggering. Such strength was enough to instill fear in any opposing force. Even sects and clans with ten-thousand-year histories might not rival the Daxia Sword Sect’s current strength. After all, only so many cultivators survived across the millennia.

Lu Kangnian himself felt an unprecedented pressure. The sheer number of cultivators was a tremendous test for every aspect of the sect. Over those three days, almost none of the sect disciples rested. They felled trees and raised pavilions, and the recalled disciples lent a hand as well. Together, they raised more pavilions by the day.

Tang Ru left for the Guanyun Pavilion on the first day, but Li Guanqi stayed behind. To his surprise, even with so many returning disciples, not a single incident broke out across the three days. No one bullied the weak or picked fights. Everyone quietly practiced in their rooms, awaiting the conclusion of the grand recall ceremony.

As time passed, Lu Kangnian’s expression grew increasingly solemn.

Buzz!

An elder with graying hair slowly stepped out from the void. He took in the thriving sect, stroked his beard, and smiled.

Lu Kangnian frowned slightly, eyes flickering with thought, but then the elder cupped his hands and laughed. “Sect Master Lu, you probably don’t recognize me, do you?”

Qin Xian teleported into the territory. The moment he saw the elder, his expression flashed with shock, and he sent a voice transmission to Lu Kangnian. “Sect Master, this is the twenty-ninth generation disciplinarian, Gong Ze!”

The elder was humble and introduced himself without pretense. Lu Kangnian bowed respectfully. “Your return is a great blessing to the sect. Please, head inside and rest.”

The elder waved his hand, smiling. “No need.”

Gong Ze turned to Li Guanqi, who had stepped forward, and said with a smile, “Young friend, I imagine you’ve felt it too. The last few should have arrived by now.”