A Blind Swordsman's Sword Coffin

Li Guanqi left the Phoenix Lightning Sect quietly. No one paid much attention to his departure.

Even so, the examination he had arranged went on as planned. Most of the disciples passed, and the majority of those who failed to break through simply lacked talent or resources. Since everyone had seen how hard they worked, they were allowed to stay. It was something Li Guanqi had specifically discussed with Chu Xingxian before leaving.

If some people stayed, it logically follows that others departed.

Tang Chuan, who called himself the number-one disciple of the inner sect, had treated the examination as a joke. His next step should have been a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Realm—a difficult task even if he had taken it seriously.

To his dismay, the moment Li Guanqi left, Chu Xingxian revoked his title as an inner sect direct disciple and demoted him to the outer sect.

The news shocked everyone. Soon after, more disciples were expelled. Only then did they realize how much the Phoenix Lightning Sect had changed. Now... they truly had nothing left.

By order of the sect master, Li Guanqi’s examination system was preserved. The rule of eliminating the bottom percentile of disciples remained in place.

From then on, no one dared slack off. Instead of sleeping or lazing around at night, every disciple cultivated diligently, knowing that failure in the monthly exams came with heavy punishment.

At the same time, the Phoenix Lightning Sect began offering generous rewards. With both the carrot and the stick, the sect’s morale improved significantly.

In appreciation of this progress, Chu Xingxian even sent a large amount of cultivation resources to the Daxia Sword Sect.

Lu Kangnian put down the jade slip in his hand and smiled, passing it around for the others to hear before chuckling. “That brat is making a name for himself. I can’t believe Guanqi’s already reached the mid Nascent Soul Realm. His cultivation speed is terrifying.”

Li Nanting lowered his own jade slip and grinned. Stroking his beard, he said, “A disciple of the Daxia Sword Sect should be this outstanding.”

Lu Kangnian smiled, then turned to the elders seated below. “Plenty of eyes are still on the Daxia Sword Sect, so you all need to be extra cautious in the coming years. When selecting disciples qualified for the eleventh level of the qi refinement technique, be very careful. If necessary, place a seal in their bodies to prevent leaks.”

He then turned toward another elder. “By the way, how’s the disciple that Li Guanqi brought in doing?”

The elder grinned. “That kid did well! I can’t believe Guanqi found me such a great disciple. Cang Lu is improving very quickly, and he’ll likely reach the Nascent Soul Realm within a few years. He has an excellent King Spirit Root, and he’s even more gifted in martial arts.”

The elder’s eyes lit up at the mention of Cang Lu, and he gave Li Nanting a friendly smile. Lu Kangnian nodded approvingly. “That’s good. But keep a close eye on his character. Guanqi might have an eye for talent, but he might not have had time to judge their temperament. The Daxia Sword Sect only accepts those with upright hearts, no matter how gifted they are.”

The other elders nodded.

The Daxia Sword Sect’s morale was excellent, all because they enforced the right principles, doling out both punishment and reward in a fair manner.

Li Nanting said, “Guanqi also sent a large batch of cultivation resources to the sect. I’ve stored them in the warehouse. Also... that girl, Song Zhi’ang, has been taken care of. She opened a tofu shop at the foot of the mountain. I didn’t arrange for her to live in the sect since she doesn’t have a spirit root, and her past identity could cause trouble.”

Lu Kangnian nodded. “Just make sure she’s safe. Don’t let anyone harass her.”

Li Nanting nodded with a bitter smile. “Sect Master, she saved Sui’an’s life. No one would be foolish enough to mess with her.”

Yu Sui’an had become the little tyrant of the Daxia Sword Sect. Since Li Guanqi’s departure, her cultivation had soared. In just a year, she had reached the peak of the Foundation Building Realm and seemed like she would enter the Golden Core Realm before long.

Her special physique seemed to give her extraordinary cultivation speed. Even Lu Kangnian couldn’t tell what kind of body she possessed. He only knew that she advanced smoothly, never hitting a single bottleneck.

She was the second disciple in the sect to have a Saint Spirit Root, and hers was a top-tier Metal Spirit Root.

Thinking of the little girl gave Lu Kangnian a headache. He stood up, coughing lightly, “Ahem... I’ve gained some insights recently. I’ll be in closed-door cultivation for a while. I’m leaving the sect’s daily affairs to all of you.”

Tension hung in the air. The Daxia Sword Sect couldn’t remain closed to the world forever. Over the past year, countless prodigies had emerged within the sect, reaching the Nascent Soul Realm and becoming a major source of power for the sect.

Both elders and disciples felt the pressure of the sect’s reopening in two years.

***

Hoo! Hoo!

The wind roared past Li Guanqi’s ears. He took a deep breath.

As expected, he still preferred freedom. Life in the Phoenix Lightning Sect had been good, but he had never felt at home there, only like a guest passing through.

He suddenly remembered the two halves of the jade pendant he carried. He had been so busy that he hadn’t even checked what was hidden inside.

The prospect of uncovering a mystery thrilled him. It was a strange feeling, knowing something was inside without knowing what it was. The anticipation left him both excited and curious.

He looked at the two halves, then slowly joined them together.

Buzz!

As the pieces met, countless red threads appeared along the seam, intertwining rapidly.

The two halves fused into one flawless pendant—warm to the touch, unmarred, with a rune carved into its surface that he couldn’t recognize.

Li Guanqi extended a wisp of divine consciousness toward it.

Then, a shining map appeared in his sea of consciousness. It was completely foreign, unlike anything in the Eastern Territory.

A fiery orb of spirit light blazed at a single point on the map.

He pursed his lips, wondering if it was a treasure map. Or perhaps it would lead him to some mysterious cultivation technique...