Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Lu Kangnian had noticed the problem too. No one knew what the poison was.

The sect alchemist, an elder surnamed Yu, was only a tier-three alchemist, and when Li Guanqi showed them the recording, none of them could identify the poison.

Li Guanqi drew a steady breath. “Old Gu, I’m at the Daxia Sword Sect. Would it be alright for me to invite you over?”

Soon, Gu Yan’s sonorous voice echoed through. “Hahaha! Are you inviting me to your sect? I happen to be in the Northern Territory right now. I’ll head over in two days.”

Li Guanqi thought for a moment and said, “There’s something I need your help with. It’s very serious.”

In a lavish building elsewhere, Gu Yan blanched. He pushed away the mischievous kid at his side and frowned. “Alright, I’ll go now.”

People around him looked at him. “Old Gu, what’s gotten into you?”

Before he could speak, Li Guanqi’s voice sounded again. “Thank you. Could you bring a tier-five alchemist with you as well? We’ll discuss payment later. But you must travel in secret.”

Gu Yan’s eyes narrowed. He subconsciously clenched his fist under his sleeve, then turned to a stout old man with long eyebrows in fire-red robes.

“Old Sun, come with me.”Sun Miao frowned. He had already heard the message transmitted through the jade slip. He glanced at Gu Yan and sent a voice transmission. “Who was that? Who could make you drop everything and drag me along too?”

Sun Miao was one of the few tier-five alchemists in the Azure Cloud Continent. He was very good friends with Gu Yan, so he didn’t mind asking directly.

Gu Yan smiled and maintained a normal expression. “Just follow along. No need for chatter.”

A dozen people sat in the room, all tier-four or above. It was a small gathering of experts. The guesthouse had halted every other service just to host them, terrified of offending them in any way.

Sun Miao pursed his lips and stood up with a smile. “Alright, that’s enough for today. We can chat more next time.”

Everyone nodded, understanding they had urgent matters. No one pressed further.

When Li Guanqi set the jade slip down, Lu Kangnian couldn’t hold back. “Guanqi, who did you contact?”

Li Guanqi shrugged. “A tier-four alchemist. He saved my life in Nanze City.”

Lu Kangnian was shocked. “What? Was he willing to come? If he saved your life, we have to treat him well. Old Qin, prepare a generous gift for him. Whether he can help or not doesn’t matter.”

Li Guanqi noted Lu Kangnian’s response. The Daxia Sword Sect impressed him more and more, with a sect master like Lu Kangnian. He hadn’t inquired about potential benefits from the alchemist; his only concern was that the man had once saved Li Guanqi’s life.

Li Guanqi said, “Old Gu may also bring a tier-five alchemist with him.”

“What?? Tier five?!”

“Good heavens… Elder Li met people like that during his two years outside?”

“A tier-five alchemist! They’ll solve this for sure. I just wonder what the price will be.”

“There are only a handful on the entire continent. Who could it be?”

“Tier five… the price will be brutal…”

The elders erupted in chatter, many worried about the cost.

Lu Kangnian’s face darkened. “Enough. The price doesn’t matter. Even if we have to empty the sect’s spirit veins, the lives of our disciples come first. If we run out of resources, we’ll earn more. I can hunt every day if needed. Go. Reassure the disciples.”

Everyone bowed and left the main pavilion. Li Guanqi asked, “Sect Master, have any abnormalities been found in the disciples yet?”

Qin Xian sighed. “Once we heard the news, we gathered everyone and inspected them. The ones who took the most pills do have traces of poison, but nothing else.”

Li Guanqi was silent for a long time.

“Bring in a few disciples who’ve taken a lot of pills recently. I want to examine them. I carry a heavenly fire, the Lightning Dragon Flame. Maybe I can detect something.”

Qin Xian stumbled over his words. “Heavenly fire… what? Heavenly fire?!”

Even Lu Kangnian, still seated on the dais, stared wide-eyed. “Heavenly fire? You have heavenly fire?”

Li Guanqi lifted a shoulder and released a dragon-shaped flame into the air. The heat forced everyone to summon vital force shields.

Lu Kangnian’s eyes flashed. The others understood and didn’t pry. Whatever fortune Li Guanqi had, it belonged to him alone. Why someone with a Lightning Spirit Root could host heavenly fire was none of their business.

Before long, three disciples were brought in.

At the sight of Li Guanqi, their eyes lit up.

He smiled warmly. “I’ll help rearrange your meridians. When I begin, stay calm. No matter what you feel, don’t resist.”

They nodded hard. On any other day, they’d never get such a chance.

They sat cross-legged on the floor.

Li Guanqi closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and raised his hand. Three flames sank into their bodies. The heat made them shake, sweat dripping down their foreheads.

Li Guanqi cried, “Guard your Tianling![1] Relax your mind and do not resist!”

Little by little, their trembling eased. Li Guanqi’s divine consciousness surged, his flames coursing through their meridians like a fiery dragon.

As he examined them, his frown deepened.

The crowd exchanged worried looks.

Wherever his fiery dragon passed, a strange green gas surfaced. When the flames reached their dantians, he saw even more. Their dantians were filled with the green gas, and the dantians themselves were already withering.

It was as if some unseen force was draining their life force away. His heavenly flame could reveal the gas, but not destroy it.

He retracted his flames, and the three disciples fainted.

Li Guanqi turned to Lu Kangnian and Qin Xian. “This poison… will probably destroy the disciples’ dantians.”

“What? Destroy their dantians?!” Qin Xian shouted.

Lu Kangnian took a deep breath, his face turning icy. “Once this is settled, I’m taking my sword to Pure Immortal Mountain.”

Their hearts sank. All they could do was wait for Gu Yan and his colleague to arrive.

1. The Tianling (天灵) is located on the crown of the head, considered a spiritually significant point. In this case, it may be a warning for the disciples to protect their souls. ☜