Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

“Marry me!”

“Senior Brother Li, if you like men, just say the word! I’ll do it!”

Li Guanqi smiled down at the cheering crowd, letting them joke as they pleased. Watching the young disciples below, he couldn’t help but feel moved. He had once been like them, brimming with passion and anticipation when he first joined the sect and set foot on the path to immortality.

To them, Lu Kangnian had already become a side character.

Li Guanqi stood tall on the platform and bowed toward the elders.

“Greetings, Sect Master, Elder Qin, and Elder Ling. Li Guanqi of Heavenly Lightning Peak wishes you well.”

Not only Qin Xian, but even Ling Daoyan of Heavenly Pillar Peak had come. They all smiled and nodded, proud of Li Guanqi, and even more so of the character he had shown.

Lu Kangnian raised a hand lightly. “Go ahead. You can say whatever you want to say.”

Li Guanqi smiled. After a moment’s thought, he lifted his hand. A surge of spatial power swept through the plaza, raising every disciple into the air.

Then, with a downward press of his palm, over a thousand seats of lightning appeared midair. Purple arcs flickered around them, brilliant but harmless. All the disciples calmed down in unison, becoming much quieter. Similarly, the elders and seven peak masters found lightning thrones forming beneath them.

Li Guanqi’s expression didn’t waver, as if his actions had required no effort. Many elders exchanged glances in secret. This brat really has grown stronger...

Cang Lu watched wistfully, sitting on his own lightning chair. He could feel the immense power Li Guanqi now wielded. He seemed to be deep in thought.

Cang Lu had already reached mid Nascent Soul Realm, a feat few across the entire Northern Territory could match. While the Daxia Sword Sect provided ample resources, his remarkable progress was largely due to his own talent and ambition.

Li Guanqi smiled, and light flared in the sky.

Three spirit veins appeared above the plaza, each stretching one hundred zhang long and radiating dense spirit qi.

Everyone stared in astonishment. Even Ling Daoyan’s eyes widened in surprise.

Li Guanqi turned and bowed to Lu Kangnian. “The spirit veins are too large to carry around. I’ll leave them with the sect.”

Laughter rippled through the crowd. They all knew he was donating them. Who would complain about having spirit veins?

Lu Kangnian chuckled and waved his hand, fixing the three spirit veins atop the peaks that lacked them.

But Li Guanqi wasn’t done. He flicked his wrist, and nearly a million mid-grade spirit stones appeared in the air, forming a glittering sea that blanketed half the sky.

The disciples were stunned. They’d never have guessed Li Guanqi would produce so many spirit stones.

Tu Kui and the other peak masters could not help but gulp.

“That’s… that’s too generous!”

“I’ve never even seen so many spirit stones in my life…”

“Old Li really has an eye for talent. Just look at this kid! I’m so jealous.”

“Tsk, Heavenly Water Peak disciples should mingle more with the Heavenly Lightning Peak.”

Shen Lan’s remark upset many people.

“If Li Guanqi’s giving so much to the sect, Old Li is bound to benefit too! Don’t think we don’t know about you two! As his woman, you’ll definitely get your share!”

Shen Lan didn’t bother replying. She crossed her arms, smiling faintly as she watched Li Guanqi. That boy from two years ago has become a powerhouse in his own right...

Tu Kui pressed his lips together, lost in thought.

He knew Ye Feng had left with Li Guanqi, yet there’d been no word of him since. And now, had Li Guanqi had returned alone.

When this is over, I need to have a talk with this brat and ask him where the hell my disciple went.

After gathering the floating spirit stones into a storage ring, Li Guanqi handed it to Lu Kangnian

Lu Kangnian whispered, “You brat! That’s a fortune! Remember to save some for yourself.”

Li Guanqi chuckled and replied via voice transmission. “Don’t worry, Sect Master. I’ve got more than enough. I killed too many people… I couldn’t spend it all even if I tried.”

Lu Kangnian hesitated, then decided to take full advantage. “In that case, hand over everything you’ve got. The sect is broke...”

By the end of his sentence, even he sounded embarrassed. The Daxia Sword Sect’s coffers were indeed running dry.

Li Guanqi smiled and waved his hand again. Brilliant, multicolored light filled the sky.

A vast collection of jade slips, magical items, and spirit weapons materialized overhead. Even Li Guanqi couldn’t make use of some of the magical items.

The jade slips contained various techniques—the true foundation of any sect, defining both its diversity and its future potential.

Lu Kangnian muttered, “How many people did you kill, brat?”

Li Guanqi rubbed his head awkwardly. His eyes flicked to the silent crowd as he replied through voice transmission, “Not that many...”

“How many is that?” Lu Kangnian asked, his eyes narrowed.

Li Guanqi responded with a hint of guilt, “Probably a few hundred Nascent Soul Realm cultivators...”

Before Lu Kangnian could erupt with anger, Li Guanqi quickly added, “I didn’t have a choice! The Mo Family sent too many people. I could barely keep up…”

Lu Kangnian fell silent for a long moment, then looked at the mountain of treasures and jade slips, his grin stretching nearly ear to ear.

Gulp…

All around, people swallowed hard.

Li Guanqi’s storage ring also contained an assortment of pills, talismans, scrolls, and so on. He placed everything into another ring and handed it to Lu Kangnian, who accepted it with both hands, his expression solemn.

Then, to the disciples’ astonishment, Lu Kangnian rose to his feet—followed by Qin Xian, Ling Daoyan, the seven peak masters, and all the elders, including Li Nanting, now the peak master of Heavenly Lightning Peak.

Lu Kangnian led everyone to stand before Li Guanqi with a solemn expression and gave him a fist salute, then bowed along with the elders and peak masters.

“The sect thanks you for your generosity! These things are precious not only to the sect, but to you as well. To give them up so selflessly… Your kindness will not be forgotten.”

Whoosh!

Li Guanqi quickly stepped aside and returned their bow. “I can’t accept such courtesy! I don’t deserve it!”

Everyone stood up and stared at him, some of them confused by his words.

Li Guanqi’s eyes reddened. His breath came heavier. After a pause, he looked toward the rear of Heavenly Sword Peak and said, voice trembling slightly, “Everything I have today is because the sect protected me when I was weak. Without that protection, I wouldn’t be here—I wouldn’t have made it this far. I’ll never forget that kindness. These resources are nothing. They don’t even begin to repay what I owe.”

The disciples below were deeply moved.

Seeing this bond between disciple and sect, they felt certain they had chosen the right sect.