That night, Li Guanqi sat in the cultivation room and placed the last ten lower-tier spirit stones into the Soul-Gathering Array. He muttered in a low voice, “I can attempt breaking through to the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm today.”
His body had undergone a drastic transformation over the past month, and his sensitivity to the Spirit Qi of Heaven and Earth had also sharpened significantly.
He sat cross-legged and entered a deep cultivation state. The qi within him circulated faster and faster, while the spirit qi in the cultivation room turned into a long ribbon. It flowed into his body and was quickly converted into vital qi. He could feel it—his breakthrough was close.
The sword box at his feet suddenly roared to life, unleashing a terrifying suction force.
Li Guanqi, eyes shut tightly, furrowed his brows. His vital qi was starting to flow out of his body uncontrollably. In just a few breaths’ time, his cultivation level had plummeted to the fourth level of Qi Refinement.
Li Guanqi suppressed the panic in his heart and did his best to quicken his qi circulation to stop the strange depletion.
However, no matter what he did, the vital qi in his dantian’s whirlpool continued to flow outward like a river.
Li Guanqi’s face turned ashen. He was powerless. He could only watch, helpless, as his cultivation collapsed back to the first level.
His face was pale and his forehead was covered in sweat. His milky-white eyes were filled with despair.
Scanning the empty cultivation room, he confirmed that no one was around and the door was still tightly shut.
Swaying a little, he walked up to the sword box. With a stony face, he said in a low voice, “I can feel you sucking the vital qi from my body. If there’s a spirit in there, I hope we can talk!”
Other than his own breathing, the room was utterly silent.
Li Guanqi fixed his eyes on the sword box, which lay on the ground like a lifeless object.
He stepped forward, picked up the sword box, then went outside.
Gu Ran, who was just returning from cultivation, spotted Li Guanqi from afar.
Before she could greet him, he rushed to the back of the mountain with the sword box in hand. Seeing his dark expression, she chose not to speak.
However, she sensed that his vitality was very weak. Thinking that he had just finished cultivating, she did not dwell on the matter.
Li Guanqi ran to a cliff behind the mountain. Standing on the edge of the thousand-zhang cliff, he held the sword box out over the edge. He issued one final warning with an icy voice.
“For the last time—are you going to talk or not?”
The sword box remained unresponsive.
Li Guanqi huffed coldly. Then, he turned at his waist and dropped the sword box down the cliff.
“I gave you face, but you refused to take it!”
Without looking back, he turned and left. He didn’t feel like he had lost anything—everything he had now, he had earned with his own hands. Even if his cultivation had regressed, he could regain it through hard work.
Despite having carried this sword box around for some time, he still could not figure it out. It had been a thorn in his side.
Li Guanqi’s logic was simple—no matter how powerful the sword box was, it was nothing more than trash to him if he couldn’t use it.
He had earned everything he had now through his own efforts. The sword box had not given him anything.
Back at his quarters, Li Guanqi halted in his tracks.
Hovering in midair within his courtyard was the sword box.
He wasn’t the least bit shocked by the strange sight. Instead, he cursed, “Fuck off.”
The sword box trembled. Then, countless rays of spirit light burst from within, converging into the form of a beautiful woman in a red dress.
She was exceptionally tall—at least a head and a half taller than Li Guanqi. Her nose was high and straight, with delicate features, and her skin was as fair and lustrous as jade.
Her red dress showed off her curvy figure, tied tightly around her body.
Her gaze was as cold as ice and filled with arrogance, like a god looking down at mortals. When paired with her cold aura, she seemed like an immortal from the immortal realm.
Even Li Guanqi, who always had a steady mind, was momentarily stunned by her ethereal beauty.
Before she opened her mouth to speak, he put on a stern expression and said, “D-d-don’t... Seduction tricks don’t work on me.”
The woman hadn’t even spoken yet, but her brows knitted together at his words, and a flicker of anger flashed through her eyes.
She flew and sat on the floating sword box. Her hand grazed the sword box, and the hem of her clothing fell slightly, revealing half of her shoulder. Despite that, she acted as if nothing happened.
She gazed at Li Guanqi with her long, phoenix-like eyes and spoke in a tone as cold as a spring on a winter day, “You do not have the right to own me.”
Her scornful words struck him like a dagger to the chest.
When he was young, he never had new clothes or shoes.
“You do not have the right to wear new clothes.”
That was what his uncle, Li Dashan, used to tell him.
Li Guanqi strode over to the girl.
One step. Two steps. Three steps.
When he arrived in front of the girl made of light, he stopped and looked up at her. She looked down at him arrogantly.
Li Guanqi grabbed the sword box with one hand and tugged.
He had used so much strength that the floating sword box crashed into the ground.
He stepped onto the sword box’s side and leaned in until his pale eyes were mere inches from hers.
He stared calmly at her, then asked equally coldly, “You’re a mere sword spirit that only managed to show itself after stealing my vital qi. What gives you the right to act so arrogantly? What do you have to back up your arrogance?”
The girl was surprised by Li Guanqi’s boldness, so she was too stunned to react. By the time she returned to her senses, he was so close that she could feel his burning hot breath.
She leaned back slightly, then a powerful force blasted Li Guanqi several zhang back.
There was a flash of anger in her eyes, then she said icily, “I have the right to act this way because I am...”
But the girl did not finish her sentence, swallowing her words.
Then, she burst into laughter and adjusted her clothing gently. She said self-chidingly, “I have slumbered for countless years... yet today, I find myself angered by a mere brat.”
Slowly, she rose. She cast Li Guanqi a lofty glance, then spoke as if bestowing him a great favor.
“From today onward, I want half of the vital force you acquire from cultivating. In exchange, once you reach the Foundation Building Realm, I will allow you to wield one of the swords inside.”
Li Guanqi chuckled coldly, then turned and left. “Goodbye. I don’t care for your sword.”
Privately, he thought to himself, What the hell? You’re just a sword spirit trying to steal my vital qi! I can see through your lies.
His attitude infuriated the girl. A flash of killing intent flickered in her eyes, and the sword box started to tremble, slowly opening.
Suddenly, a blade appeared and rested itself on her delicate neck, glinting coldly. The girl stiffened, and her eyes filled with rage once again. “You old fart! This is the second time you’ve threatened me!”
A magnificent voice boomed in her head.
—You bitch! I will only tolerate three instances of killing intent. After the third strike, I will kill you. My grandson does not respond well to force. If you wish to coexist with him, I suggest you learn a gentler approach.
Her expression shifted—disbelief, shock, then reluctant acceptance.
“Fine! I’ll return it to him.”
She remained atop the sword box, panting heavily. Then, taking a deep breath, she leaped off the sword box and strode toward Li Guanqi’s room.