On the next morning, when Li Guanqi dragged his “severely injured” body to Heavenly Tiger Mountain, the crowd looked at him with great admiration.
A tense, solemn air blanketed the arena. The number of spectators had swelled to nearly fifty thousand—a historical turnout. Everyone was there for one reason: to see whether Li Guanqi could pull off another miracle.
Before the tournament began, Ge Qing stepped forward to announce an oral decree from the Northern Territory’s Heavenly King, Long Qu.
“By decree of the Northern Territory Heavenly King! Should the Daxia Sword Sect’s disciple Li Guanqi complete the Hell Challenge and lead his sect to first place, the Daxia Sword Sect shall be granted a high-grade spirit vein and three Earth-tier cultivation techniques!”
Gasps echoed through the spectator stands.
A high-grade spirit vein!
Any place recognized as a spirit vein had to contain at least ten thousand spirit stones. That alone could elevate a sect’s standing overnight and shake up the entire region’s power structure. And that was in addition to three more Earth-tier techniques. Their combined value rivaled that of a high-grade spirit vein.
But the condition was brutally difficult. He had to win first place.
That meant the Daxia Sword Sect would need to reach the finals, with only one other sect remaining, and then Li Guanqi would have to defeat ten late-stage Foundation Building Realm disciples to claim the title.
No one dared imagine how he could possibly manage that.
Qin Xian and the others remained composed. Bowing slightly, they said, “The Daxia Sword Sect thanks His Majesty for this generous offer. We’re already grateful that our disciple has made it this far. As for how much further he’ll go... that’s up to the heavens.”
Ge Qing gave a faint smile but said nothing. He, too, doubted the bloodied Li Guanqi could work another miracle. He looked at Li Guanqi, who was wrapped head to toe in blood-soaked bandages. To him, the odds seemed incredibly slim.
And he wasn’t the only one. Every cultivator who had witnessed the previous day’s brutal fight had thought Li Guanqi wouldn’t even show up again, let alone fight. He’d suffered over twenty sword wounds, many so deep that bone had been visible. Some people were even betting on whether he’d wake up today.
Ge Qing looked down at the pale-faced youth. “Li Guanqi, are you sure you want to continue the Hell Challenge?”
Hunched over at first, Li Guanqi straightened slowly and nodded weakly toward Ge Qing in the sky.
“Yes,” he said weakly.
Zhao Beichen, who hadn’t paid much attention to the tournament until now, had shown up early that morning. Seeing Li Guanqi’s ghostly pallor, he let out a sharp laugh. “What a stubborn guy! Isn’t he afraid of dying on that stage?”
The people around him mocked Li Guanqi. “Hehe. He’s one of those people with rotten fate. I heard he used to be a beggar and almost starved to death in a blizzard.”
Someone else said, “I advise you all not to let your guards down. Even Guan Qingyun from Profound Gate Pavilion fell to him. He may have a rotten fate, but his sword technique is far from rotten.”
Before he could finish, a group from the Purple Sun Pavilion turned and shot irritated glances at the chubby guy behind them. They laughed and said, “Tang Ru, mind your own fucking business! You ruined our fun yesterday too. What the hell was that about?”
The chubby guy’s fat cheeks trembled. There was a flash of irritation in his narrow eyes.
“Don’t try to act tough in front of me. If you’re so good, why don’t you go up there and beat Li Guanqi? I’ll gladly hand over ten thousand spirit stones if you win. And that was a young girl, for heaven’s sake. After that incident, I lost every shred of respect I had for you and your rotten morals.”
Zhao Beichen glanced sideways, then said lightly, “Watch the pairing.”
The others gave Zhao Beichen fawning smiles, but he didn’t bother with them. His gaze lingered on the plump Tang Ru, who turned to look at the stage.
When he saw the girl in the flower coat from the Daxia Sword Sect, he could not help but smile, murmuring, “She’s a really mischievous girl.”
Ge Qing shot a ray of spirit light at the stone stele. Only twelve sect names remained. Their names began to shuffle rapidly.
The moment the other participants saw Li Guanqi’s condition, they all started praying to be matched with him. Although Ge Qing had only announced the reward if Li Guanqi won, word had spread that whoever defeated him would be awarded thirty points—enough to potentially reach the top.
Suddenly, sects that previously had no hope of ranking in the top three began to eye Li Guanqi like starving wolves. Defeat him, and their sects might seize first place overnight.
A mysterious ripple of energy flashed. The shuffling characters on the stele came to a halt.
Everyone held their breath.
Suddenly, a disciple in blue and white striped robes yelled excitedly, “We got him! We got him! Hahahahaha!”
Their boisterous laughter echoed, drawing envious stares. What had once been mocked as a beggar challenging nobility—an embarrassment to be avoided at all costs—was now surprisingly desirable.
The Seven Strings Sect and Myriad Immortal Sword Sect watched quietly from another spectator platform. Though both sects had already been eliminated, they had stayed behind. In fact, every sect that had a history with the Daxia Sword Sect had done the same. They had left after the first round, but when the news of Li Guanqi’s Hell Challenge reached them, they turned right back.
They’d come to see the Daxia Sword Sect fall.
However, they hadn’t expected Li Guanqi to be so tough.
Daxia Sword Sect vs. Supreme Sword Sect.
The Supreme Sword Sect was currently ranked seventh.
Li Guanqi took a deep breath and leaped onto the stage. Just like before, he looked utterly calm, as if it did not matter who his opponent was.
Watching closely, Zhao Beichen murmured, “In that state... can you still defeat the Supreme Sword Sect?”
It was a question everyone had.
Only Li Guanqi could answer it.
The battles that followed left the crowd on the edge of their seats. Though his speed and strength had clearly diminished, Li Guanqi’s sword techniques were just as ferocious as ever.
None of the fights lasted more than half an hour. And this time, he barely sustained any injuries. He held an absolute advantage over every opponent.
Zhao Beichen gave a small smile. “Just as I thought. Without someone like Guan Qingyun on the field, not even ten late Foundation Building Realm disciples can stop him.”
He slowly rose to his feet and glanced toward the Soaring Heavens Sect. “Let’s go. It looks like the final match will be between him and me. What a drag...”
The Daxia Sword Sect earned enough points to rise to sixth place. If everything went as expected and Zhao Beichen defeated Ji Linglan, the final fight for first place would be between the Purple Sun Pavilion and the Daxia Sword Sect.
After all, no one else had a prodigy who could match Li Guanqi.