Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

“Are you provoking me?”

Zhao Bin showed no fear. He wrenched free of Zheng Qingyan’s grip and stepped right in front of Li Guanqi. The two stood face to face, close enough to feel each other’s breath.

Zhao Bin stared at Li Guanqi and sneered. “Provoking you? Are you even worth provoking? So what if you killed some member of the Lu clan’s direct line? You think that makes everyone afraid of you?”

A terrifying pressure erupted from Zhao Bin, but Li Guanqi refused to yield, unleashing an even more violent aura. The air in the room turned suffocating, and the disturbance even drew the attention of those outside.

A deep male voice came from behind them. “Heh. Planning to fight in Qin King City?”

Li Guanqi shrugged. He had no idea where their arrogance came from. He turned to the black-armored man beside Meng Jiangchu and said calmly, “Senior, is there a death arena in this city?”

A sharp glint flashed in the man’s eyes, the wrinkles at their corners deepening as he tossed a contract to Li Guanqi. Li Guanqi signed without even looking at it, cutting his finger and pressing his blood onto the page. Then he looked up at the three of them, casually tossed the contract toward Zhao Bin, and said lightly, “I’ll give you a chance to fight me in a death duel. All of you together.”

Not one of them reached out to catch the contract. It fell to the ground, looking utterly mocking.

Gu Li doubled over, laughing so hard he was in tears.

Zhao Bin and Wu Yong exchanged grim glances. They stared at the contract on the ground, unsure whether to pick it up. “Why so quiet now?” Li Guanqi asked with a playful smile. “Cat got your tongue? Weren’t you just calling me trash? Come on. Pick it up, sign it, and beat me in front of everyone. Kill me in the arena. Show everyone you’re stronger than me.”

Zhao Bin clenched his teeth but said nothing, simply glaring at Li Guanqi without blinking. Wu Yong’s eyes flickered. He seemed to be weighing something in his mind.

Zheng Qingyan, in a purple dress, frowned and said in a chilling voice, “Li Guanqi, isn’t this going too far?”

Li Guanqi’s expression turned cold, and he replied sharply, “Aren’t you the ones who want to act like trash and still get treated like saints?”

Her brows furrowed deeper. “Li Guanqi, don’t go too far!”

The next instant, Li Guanqi vanished from where he stood.

Boom!

The ground exploded violently.

Zheng Qingyan frowned and struck out with her palm. Li Guanqi appeared before her like a ghost and twisted aside to evade the blow, his eyes glinting fiercely. His hands whirled in a grinding motion before slamming down.

Crack!

He broke her arm, white bone piercing through flesh as his left hand seized her sword arm and crushed it outright. His right hand shot out, closed around her throat, and lifted her off the ground. Against Li Guanqi, her cultivation counted for nothing; she was a child with no strength to defend herself.

Holding her by the throat, he sneered. “From the moment I arrived, you’ve all acted so high and mighty, throwing your weight around. What if I push back? So what? You’ve all been in the Combined Body Realm for decades. What, scared now? I preferred you when you were acting arrogantly. Come on. Pick it up. Sign your names.”

Wu Yong’s eyelids trembled. He had never imagined Zheng Qingyan would be so helpless against someone at the same cultivation realm. Although they had rarely fought in the outside world, they had never imagined the gap could be this wide.

They had all heard Li Guanqi’s name. Over the years, as his strength grew, word of his deeds had spread among the ancient clans. At first, they dismissed him as nothing more than a talented but arrogant genius. Gradually, they realized he was different. He had broken through from the Divine Transformation Realm to the Illusory Refinement Realm at a terrifying pace, and he had remained in the Illusory Refinement Realm for only three years.

Three years.

The nobody they had once looked down on now stood before them as their equal. Of course they resented him.

However, Li Guanqi never held back his punches. Once the contract was signed, at least one of the three would die.

Zheng Qingyan’s face had turned a deep purplish-red. Li Guanqi’s lightning energy had completely paralyzed her body, leaving her unable to move. Terror filled her eyes—she could clearly see the killing intent in his gaze. The grip on her throat tightened, and she felt her throat on the verge of being crushed. The fear of death swallowed her whole. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out.

Li Guanqi turned his head to look at Zhao Bin and Wu Yong behind him and sneered, “So you’re not signing?”

Zhao Bin and Wu Yong both had grim expressions.

With a mocking laugh, Li Guanqi raised his hand and flung Zheng Qingyan over ten zhang away. Then he walked over, bent down, picked up the contract, and shoved it against Zhao Bin’s chest. “If you don’t have the guts, don’t act tough.”

After that, he turned to Gu Li, who was still drawing talismans nearby, and smiled faintly. “Daxia Sword Sect, Li Guanqi.”

Gu Li set down his brush, wiped his hands on his clothes, and grinned. “Gu clan, Gu Li.”

The armored man didn’t even glance at Zheng Qingyan, who was on the ground. “Let’s go. Follow me to register your identity.”

Li Guanqi followed behind him.

Gu Li quickly caught up and gave Li Guanqi a thumbs-up. “As expected of you. Exactly what I imagined.”

“Why are you helping me?” Li Guanqi asked. “Or rather… why are you on my side?”

Gu Li mysteriously sent him a voice transmission. “I have a sworn brother. His name is… Coward Li.”

Li Guanqi paused, looking at Gu Li in disbelief.

Gu Li draped an arm over Li Guanqi’s shoulder and laughed. “I can feel it. You didn’t kill him.”

Gu Li’s smile was bright, but to Li Guanqi, it carried a deeper meaning. He had a feeling that if he had killed Coward Li back then, Gu Li would have faced him in the death arena today.

Li Guanqi shook his head with a wry smile and said softly, “I guess my illusory spirit really did make quite a few brothers and friends.”

Gu Li laughed proudly. “Of course. My brother’s basically friends with people all across the Six Territories, hahaha.”

Soon, they all finished registering. Li Guanqi glanced at the special storage ring in his hand but paid it little mind.

Gu Li, Zhao Bin, and the rest of their group had all come with their elders for the auction, so they’d simply been brought along together as well.

“Brother Gu,” Li Guanqi asked, “is your Gu clan much stronger than the clans behind Zhao Bin and the others?”

Gu Li looked incredulous. “Huh? How could you tell? Our Gu clan has always kept a low profile.”

The corner of Li Guanqi’s mouth twitched. After watching Gu Li slap them around without anyone daring to make a sound, even a fool could tell.

Gu Li’s lips curled, and his tone turned mysterious. “Well, it’s because I’m pretty strong. That’s why none of them dare fight back.”

Meng Jiangchu looked at Gu Li with a subtle, unreadable smile. He made no move to stop Li Guanqi from interacting with Gu Li.

Gu Li quickly bowed when he saw Meng Jiangchu. “Uncle Meng, long time no see.”

Meng Jiangchu kept one hand behind his back and smiled. “It has been a long time. Brat, you’re still the same as ever.”

As he spoke, his gaze drifted briefly toward Gu Li’s hand, still drawing talismans.