Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

“This turmoil came and went quickly, but its lingering effects persisted.”

“After the disciples dispersed, almost everyone began memorizing the sect’s rules without delay.”

As they journeyed back to Thunder Peak, Li Nanting inquired softly, “Why were you convinced that person had to be killed?”

“I noticed that many disciples found his repentance to be sincere.”

“Moreover, considering the old woman’s situation, following the disciple’s plan might not have been a bad idea.”

Li Guanqi shook his head, aware that many people couldn’t withstand the test of human nature without firm principles.

He had witnessed human nature’s ugliness from a young age.

Li Guanqi shared his perspective on the matter, speaking calmly, “For the disciple who made the mistake, he didn’t truly believe he was wrong.”

“He considered himself superior as a disciple of an Immortal Sect, holding a noble status.”

“He believed the woman down the mountain was trying to elevate herself, and he even left her a hundred taels of silver thread.”

“This amount of money would ensure a worry-free life for anyone from the mountain.”

“So, in his eyes, he didn’t see himself as wrong.”

Li Nanting became interested in the young man’s words and said softly, “Go on.”

The young man hesitated for a moment and continued, “For the girl from the mountain, she felt unwilling and even considered the disciple from the Great Xia Sword Sect as a ruthless bandit.”

“Her wedding was imminent, but because of this incident, she lost her purity. In her heart, the disciple was evil.”

“As for the girl’s relative, the old woman, she wouldn’t accept the disciple serving as a laborer, especially since he had indirectly caused the death of her granddaughter.”

“Moreover, with the disciple’s temperament, if he were released today, he might come down the mountain seeking revenge, bringing violence to the innocent!”

Li Nanting’s eyes flashed with a hint of understanding, and he said in a deep voice, “Exactly! If we let him go today, that old woman’s fate would likely be grim.”

“Even if we use a binding spell to make him unable to do harm and force him to serve the old woman, she probably wouldn’t be happy seeing her enemy every day.”

Li Guanqi continued, “That’s why I said he must be killed.”

“The reason is simple: to deter others!”

“The sect’s rules and discipline must remain unbreakable, and this incident serves as a warning to everyone.”

“Even the punishment of Heavenly Metal Peak’s Peak Master has had a profound impact on the disciples.”

Li Nanting, after hearing the young man’s words, smiled with satisfaction. It seemed that his closed-door disciple not only possessed extraordinary talent but also had a profound understanding of these types of matters. He had considered the perspectives and opinions of everyone involved in the entire incident.

From their conversation yesterday, Li Nanting had also learned some things about the young man’s childhood. So, the old man felt a deep affection for his closed-door disciple. He was just too sensible. But this kind of understanding made him even more distressed about this disciple because the more sensible a child, the more hardships they endured.

Li Nanting placed his hand on the young man’s wrist and exclaimed in surprise, “Your first layer Qi Refinement cultivation is already this stable?”

Li Guanqi scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and said, “Master, I was actually thinking of asking you about this.”

“Why is the vortex in my Dantian only the size of a thumb?”

Li Nanting was momentarily at a loss for words. Ordinary people were simply bringing qi into their bodies at the first layer, but Li Guanqi had progressed from absorbing qi to having a stable core in his Dantian within a day.

It seemed like he would soon fill his Dantian and break through to the second layer of Qi Refinement.

Li Nanting took a deep breath and said softly, “This is the foundation of your Dantian!”

“Don’t be fooled by its current small size; it’s the foundation you’ve laid for your cultivation.”

“When you fill your Dantian with Yuan force now, its size will expand accordingly.”

“Your Dantian… Dant… What is this?!”

Li Nanting was genuinely astonished this time. When he had checked the young man’s Dantian vortex earlier, he hadn’t noticed this water tank-sized Dantian. What was going on?

Li Guanqi initially believed he had made an error in his cultivation and quickly asked, “Master, what’s wrong? Did I make a mistake?”

Li Nanting took several deep breaths in succession, then slightly calmed his shocked emotions. He looked at Li Guanqi and said, “You didn’t feel any discomfort in your Dantian?”

Seeing the young man nod, he put his mind at ease. Perhaps this large Dantian was innate to his disciple.

In that case, not only was Li Guanqi cultivating at a remarkable speed, but the size of his Dantian was also beyond the ordinary. The old man looked at Li Guanqi and couldn’t help but make a silent decision. His disciple would undoubtedly have access to astronomical cultivation resources in the future. He would never let Li Guanqi worry about these trivial matters!

A gentle smile appeared on the old man’s face as he said softly, “No problem, this is excellent!”

“Now that you’ve successfully absorbed Qi and condensed the core of your Dantian, the next step is to go to the Heavenly Pillar Peak’s Great Library and choose a cultivation technique that suits you.”

“With a cultivation technique, you can actively absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, as well as the purer spiritual energy within spirit stones.”

“By doing so, you can convert the absorbed spiritual energy into usable elemental power.”

As the old man and the youth walked towards the mountain, the old man explained many important aspects of cultivation and the various changes that occur when progressing to the second and third layers of Qi Refinement.

With each breakthrough, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth would cleanse and refine the practitioner’s body, eliminating various impurities.

Upon returning to his courtyard, Li Guanqi quickly prepared to head to the Heavenly Pillar Peak. The Heavenly Pillar Peak was the highest mountain within a radius of ten miles of the Great Xia Sword Sect. Due to its unique shape, resembling a towering dragon, it stood over five hundred feet tall and was renowned as the Heavenly Pillar.

Li Guanqi had learned some information about the Heavenly Pillar Peak from the jade slip. Many important places within the sect, such as the Artifact Pavilion, Alchemy Tower, Great Library, and Mission Hall, were all located on the Heavenly Pillar Peak. Some of these places even extended from the foot of the mountain to its summit.

Traveling up and down this mountain every day would be enough to temper one’s physique. But after breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, he would be able to briefly control a flying sword and these issues would no longer be a problem.

On the way to the Heavenly Pillar Peak, Li Guanqi was lost in thought, pondering the questions about cultivation that his master had mentioned. Unconsciously, he arrived at the foot of the Heavenly Pillar Peak.

A fellow sect disciple blocked Li Guanqi’s path and smiled as he said softly, “Please show me your identity jade token.”

Li Guanqi smiled slightly and handed over his identity jade token, saying, “I am Li Guanqi, a disciple of Thunder Peak. Thanks, senior brother.”

As soon as he confirmed Li Guanqi’s identity, the other disciple’s attitude instantly changed.

With a very friendly tone, he said, “Haha, so you’re Junior Brother Li. You’ve really been pretty famous within the sect recently.”

“Where are you heading?”

Li Guanqi wasn’t quite used to this sudden enthusiasm but quickly returned the courtesy, saying, “Senior Brother, I’m going to the library. How do I get there?”

“Haha, you’re going to select a cultivation technique, right? The one suitable for Thunder attribute Spirit Roots is in the southernmost section of the first floor. You can go there.”

Li Guanqi expressed his gratitude and was about to walk towards the mountain when the other disciple unexpectedly called out from behind. Pointing to several platforms, he said, “Since you’re heading to the peak’s library, you can use the teleportation array.”

Li Guanqi was momentarily taken aback, thinking that there were indeed many strange things in the sect. Having never used a teleportation array before, Li Guanqi was curious and didn’t decline. He stood on the formation that led to the library.

At that moment, the older disciple extended his hand with a smile and said, “That’s going to be five merit points, please. Just use your jade token to pay.”

Li Guanqi’s expression turned somewhat unpleasant. He thought to himself that he couldn’t afford to pay for the teleportation array.

“Poor people have short ambitions,” he muttered to himself. “I can’t afford these five merit points right now. I’ll use it next time.”

He then left, leaving the older disciple with a bewildered expression. Exerting a bit of force under his feet, Li Guanqi, carrying his heavy sword coffin on his back, rushed towards the peak like the wind.

At the peak, an old man lay on a rocking chair, took a sip of wine, and chuckled, “What an interesting little fellow, hahaha.”