Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Gao Qiwen’s hand froze mid-air. Then he tipped his head back and took a long swig of wine. Eyes fixed on the distant screen, he said, “Yeah.”

“Why?”

“No reason. I just think you’re trash.”

“Let’s fight.”

“No. Can’t you see I’m a cripple?”

“I’m blind, so no, I can’t see.”

“Hahahahaha.”

When Li Guanqi realized Gao Qiwen was unwilling to elaborate, he turned and flew off on his sword.

Gao Qiwen watched him go, then murmured under his breath, “It’s because... you’re not strong enough...”

Then, shoulders slumped, he left Heavenly Sword Mountain. He leaped from the ground, then turned into a ray of light that shot toward Millennium Waterfall.***.

Li Guanqi landed on a mountain peak next to Millennium Waterfall.

Sword Spirit had finished recreating the eighteen sword moves within the Purple Ripple Demon Sword Technique. He sat down cross-legged, contemplating the profound sutra that accompanied the technique. He could see a hologram of the entire routine within his sea of consciousness.

Li Guanqi entered a meditative state so deep that even the roaring waterfall slowly grew quiet. On a peak far across, Gao Qiwen watched him silently, eyes gleaming.

His comprehension skills are... very rare!

At dawn, as the sun broke over the horizon, Li Guanqi suddenly sprang to his feet. With his eyes firmly closed and his right fist clenched as if gripping an invisible sword, he began to move around.

The moment he took the first step of the Purple Ripple Demon Sword Technique, the wind howled across the peak. He flowed through the motions, his right hand slashing in swift arcs. Purple streaks lit the sky, and bolts of lightning tore through the air. In just two breaths, he completed sixteen strikes.

Crack!

The boulder three zhang in front of him suddenly cracked.

Gao Qiwen, who had been lying on the ground, shot to his feet. His disheveled black hair couldn’t hide the shock in his eyes.

However, Li Guanqi shook his head slightly, falling into deep thought as he stared at his right hand. He sat down cross-legged once more, facing the rising sun. Then, he slipped once more into a meditative state.

Half an hour later, he rose again. Like before, his eyes stayed shut, and his right hand curled into a fist as if holding a sword. This time, he moved through the entire routine in three breaths instead of two—and performed the seventeenth step.

Boom!

A dull boom echoed through the air, and a sword cut as deep as a palm’s width appeared on the boulder.

Pfft!

With his eyes still shut, Li Guanqi suddenly coughed up blood. His right hand trembled slightly. He sat down again, and he sat down once more.

Gao Qiwen’s eyes shone bright. He clenched his fists. “Just a little bit more... he’s so close! Will he pull it off?”

Experience told him Li Guanqi’s technique hadn’t reached its peak yet. The routine was layered, still climbing toward its climax. One more step remained.

Sometime later, once Li Guanqi had left, the disheveled-looking Gao Qiwen stood in front of the pile of shattered rocks. At last, a smile crept up his face.

***

The people participating in the Tournament of a Hundred Sects were soon confirmed. A group of disciples standing on Jade Teapot Peak was laughing happily.

“Hahahaha! Thank goodness for Brother Li’s advice! The defensive techniques baffled my opponent.” Ye Feng laughed as he recounted his glory from earlier that day.

Zhong Lin and Lin Dong were all smiles too. After combining Li Guanqi’s guidance with their own training beneath the waterfall, they’d each reached a breakthrough in understanding their strengths, allowing them to seize victory in their own matches.

Li Guanqi said solemnly, “You’ve all earned your spots, but don’t let your guards down! Countless prodigies will be at the tournament, so we must continue to work hard on our cultivation.”

The others nodded.

In the days that followed, they spent their time cultivating and stabilizing their foundations. They also practiced the sword and sprint techniques they’d recently learned. Li Guanqi trained too, but curiously, never with a weapon. Stranger still, he moved as slowly as an old woman. The others just couldn’t understand what he was thinking.

During that time, one man became the group’s common enemy—Gao Qiwen, who was always sweeping the floor near them.

“Hey! You’re telegraphing every move! You’re terrible at this! And you! You keep charging around like a bull! Do you think your opponent is blind? Do you think they can’t dodge? Tsk tsk! You have an excellent artifact in your spirit void, but it’s wasted on trash like you! Have you ever used your brain? Or is it just full of shit?”

No matter where the four of them went, the broom-wielding Gao Qiwen followed, flinging insults nonstop. The worst thing was that his insults were all logical and correct! That was what frustrated them most!

Even Li Guanqi had to admit that Gao Qiwen’s battle insights were very practical.

Kick the crotch. Stab the eyes. Hit the throat. Strike the temple.

Although the moves he suggested were brutal and anything but elegant, they were undeniably effective.

Under the barrage of mockery, their fighting styles evolved. They became simpler, deadlier.

During this time, the disciples of Daxia Sword Sect often saw a strange sight: four sword-riding cultivators chasing after a disheveled man riding a broom, cursing the man out as they flew.

In time, their cultivation stabilized at their respective levels. Ye Feng was at the peak of the mid Foundation Building Realm. True to his King Spirit Root, his progress was swift. Meanwhile, Zhong Lin and Lin Dong were in the early Foundation Building Realm.

Li Guanqi, however, had hit the limit of the Foundation Building Realm—his dantian’s vital force had reached maximum concentration. With some preparation and good timing, he could break into the Golden Core Realm whenever he wanted. Just the thought thrilled him.

One morning, their jade slips lit up softly. Roused from their spirit gathering arrays, they looked around. Li Guanqi’s eyes shone.

“Let’s go, brothers!”

Whoosh!

He launched into the air with the Swimming in the Clouds sprint technique, weaving through the sky at a speed thirty percent faster than when he flew with a sword. The others grinned and rushed toward Heavenly Sword Mountain.

The others were already waiting when they arrived. This time, Qin Xian, the sect disciplinarian, would lead the Daxia Sword Sect’s team. He was accompanied by Tu Kui, who was an elder from Heavenly Metal Peak, and Li Nanting, who was Li Guanqi’s master.

Besides the ten tournament participants, another twenty people would accompany them to the competition. Among them was Yu Sui’an, currently on Li Nanting’s back.

She made a face at Li Guanqi, then turned away. She was upset he hadn’t come to see her in a whole month.

A muscular youth also attracted Li Guanqi’s attention. Eldest Senior Brother Wu Bing?

Wu Bing noticed the glance, turned, and gave a nod with a faint smile. Li Guanqi blinked in surprise, then quickly returned the gesture with a fist salute.

A grand cloud boat was docked next to the plaza.

Qin Xian waved and called out, “Let’s go!”