Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Li Guanqi smiled at Yu Sui’an’s voice and walked to her bedside. She was struggling to open her eyes, so he gently brought the steaming buns to her lips.

She was still too injured to eat anything but the tiniest bites.

Fortunately, her strong constitution gave her a solid foundation. With the help of pills, her wounds began healing swiftly. The weight on Li Guanqi’s shoulders finally eased.

Seven days later, they sat on the top of Jade Teapot Peak, with Yu Sui’an now swathed from head to toe in bandages.

Neither of them spoke for a long time, until Yu Sui’an turned to him and asked with utmost seriousness, “Do you really have to go?”

Li Guanqi reached over and stroked her hair. “Mm. I’ve made up my mind.”

Suddenly, heavenly tribulation lightning clouds gathered above the Daxia Sword Sect. Li Guanqi rose to his feet and looked at the mass of clouds, which stretched a hundred and fifty zhang across.

“Is he finally going to break through?” Li Guanqi murmured.

Whoosh!

Disciples all over the sect dropped what they were doing and looked at the sky. A figure soared through the air on his sword, heading toward the Ascension Platform atop Heavenly Sword Peak. Theis platform was —a black slab a hundred zhang wide, made of some unknown material. It— served only one purpose: to withstand the wrath of heavenly tribulations. Its sole virtue lay in its unparalleled toughness.

Sword in hand, Ye Feng stood tall and proud on the Ascension Platform.

Li Guanqi turned to Yu Sui’an. “Let’s go. I want to see this.”

In recent days, more and more disciples had begun undergoing tribulations. Many had gained insights during the bloody battle against the Purple Sun Pavilion, and with the spirit stone rewards granted by Lu Kangnian, a wave of breakthroughs had begun. Many disciples once stuck at the peak of the Foundation Building Realm were now advancing.

Li Guanqi had been waiting for one person—Ye Feng.

The day before, Lu Kangnian had announced that any disciples from their cohort who wished to leave the sect for independent training would depart together on a set date, which was half a month away.

Ye Feng’s timing couldn’t have been better. If he broke through now, his cultivation would stabilize before leaving.

Li Guanqi also learned a great deal while teaching the new disciples as a senior brother in the Golden Core Realm.

Rumble!

This tribulation was far stronger than the ones the others had faced. But the moment he saw Ye Feng’s confident smile, Li Guanqi relaxed. For all his joking, Ye Feng was always reliable when it truly mattered.

Rumble! Boom!

A bolt of lightning as thick as three fingers struck down. Ye Feng raised his sword and leaped toward it.

In recent days, this had become a familiar sight—. Dduring the first three bolts of lightning, every disciple would raise their sword to the heavens. Not doing so felt almost shameful.

That gesture of —pointing their blades skyward —taught every new disciple one thing—: to cultivate power and seek immortality was to defy the heavens themselves. And those who chose this path would walk through many thorns.

Boom!

The lightning exploded on impact, but its energy surged into Ye Feng’s body. His gaze remained calm, sharp as blades, even as his vital essence churned wildly.

Li Guanqi’s eyes narrowed, and he murmured, “His dantian’s platform has shattered. Now, he needs to condense his golden core.”

Buzz!

Ye Feng’s aura grew stronger and stronger as the bolts of lightning struck again and again. Despite his robes being torn and his flesh marked with cuts and burns, his resolve only deepened. He ignored all his wounds, and all that remained in his world was the bolt of lightning above him.

Eyes blazing with battle spirit, Ye Feng tore off the last shreds of his tattered white robes, pointed his sword at the sky, and roared, “Come on!”

Rumble!

The heavenly tribulation reacted, seemingly enraged by his defiance. The skies dimmed, and the land darkened. Six bolts of lightning came crashing down at once, as if determined to put an end to his stubbornness.

Ye Feng laughed and glanced wistfully at the sect graveyard. He leaped up into the sky, turning into a golden streak of light. The crowd saw six flashes of golden sword light.

The heavenly tribulation clouds dispersed, and the sky was clear once more.

Drip! Drip!

Blood dripped down onto the Ascension Platform. Ye Feng stood in midair, hair disheveled, skin scorched and charred black. Electric arcs danced across his body. He trembled uncontrollably.

He threw his arms wide open with his eyes tightly shut. A powerful aura burst forth.

Then, slowly, he opened his clenched fists. Li Guanqi let out a quiet breath.

The crowd below erupted into cheers.

Crack… Crack…

His burnt skin began to fall away in brittle flakes, like shattered eggshells. Beneath it was soft, radiant skin, as smooth and pale as a newborn’s. Ye Feng glanced down and quickly put on a fresh set of sect robes.

Tu Kui gradually descended from the sky above. He smiled at Ye Feng. “Not bad, not bad.”

Everyone quickly bowed. “Greetings, Peak Master Tu.”

Ye Feng quickly bowed too. A flash of light bloomed in Tu Kui’s palm, revealing a set of white robes with flowing light—magical treasures robes.

It might not beNot a top-tier item, perhaps, but it was far superior to ordinary gear. The robes repelled water and fire alike, and stayed spotless no matter what. Robes of this quality would fetch at least five thousand low-grade spirit stones.

Tu Kui smiled, waving and gesturing for Ye Feng to catch the robes.

“Here. I don’t have much else to give you. Consider this a parting gift before you leave the sect. I was going to commission a soul artifact, but… tsk, never mind. You want it or not? If not, I’ll give it to someone else. Also—”

Before he could finish, the initially hesitant Ye Feng snatched the robes and grinned. “I do, I do! I wouldn’t dare refuse a gift from my master.”

Tu Kui burst into laughter. “Don’t you sweet-talk me. Alright, you should hurry and stabilize your cultivation.”

Ye Feng nodded with a grin, then flew over to Li Guanqi. “How’s Little Bun doing?”

Li Guanqi smiled. “She’s recovering well. Don’t worry.”

The moment Ye Feng heard the news, his entire face lit up. He’d been anxious about her recovery.

“Boss,” Ye Feng whispered, “my golden core is green.”

Li Guanqi grinned back and transmitted, “That’s nothing to be surprised about. Mine is purple.”

“Purple? Hmm… I shouldn’t have asked…”

Without another word, Ye Feng turned and sped off toward Heavenly Metal Peak for closed-door cultivation. As soon as he left, thick clouds began to gather again above the Ascension Platform.

Someone else was breaking through.

After he heard the thunder rumbling, Li Guanqi flew to Heavenly Pillar Peak. He wanted to pick a technique that suited himself.

Li Guanqi, hearing the distant thunder, turned and flew toward Heavenly Pillar Peak. It was time to find a technique better suited to his needs.