On the way back to the sect, Li Guanqi sat alone in the cultivation room of the cloud boat. Immersed in cultivation, he felt the flow of vital force coursing through his body.
I’ll need some time before I reach the mid Foundation Building Realm.
Though he could absorb spirit qi at an astonishing rate, his dantian demanded far too much of it. After a long silence, he tried calling out to Sword Spirit. “Sword Spirit, are you there?”
Her voice came softly, as if she had something on her mind. “What is it?”
Li Guanqi was caught off guard. Her voice, typically laced with icy arrogance, had softened to an unexpected gentleness. Not knowing how to respond to the sudden change, he scratched his head and asked, “That sword earlier... was that you?”
There was a trace of sadness in her tone. “Yeah. I didn’t expect you to be able to withstand a projection of me.”
Li Guanqi didn’t quite understand. “So... why was the tip of the sword broken?”
Sword Spirit fell silent for a long time. “I once tried to cut something. Both sides suffered heavy damage in the process.”
Li Guanqi had no idea how her weapon form worked, so he simply said, “That must’ve been something really powerful.”
“Why?” Sword Spirit asked curiously.
He grinned. “Because I think you’re powerful.”
Inside the sword box, Sword Spirit smiled. Her eyes curved beautifully when she did.
After a round of seemingly meaningless questions, Li Guanqi returned to the main topic. “Uh... I wanted to ask what kind of powers you can grant me.”
Sword Spirit smiled. “Me? You’ll need to forge a soul artifact before you can experience them. Essentially, I can provide different special powers based on different soul artifacts.”
Li Guanqi was stunned. “Special powers?!”
Sword Spirit laughed. “Patience. We don’t even know if you’ll be able to find a skilled soul artifact blacksmith. And even if you do, the artifact they forge might not be able to withstand my power.”
Li Guanqi nodded and decided to give her more vital qi than usual. When she sensed the surge, she mused, “Why so generous today?”
Li Guanqi smiled and opened his eyes. “You seem different. It feels like... you trust me more now.”
Sword Spirit shook her head with resignation. “After yesterday, our fates are even more entwined. We will share every moment of glory and shame. But tell me—do you know what the blood-colored patterns on your body are?”
Li Guanqi frowned. “I don’t. My grandfather drew them. Ever since I was six, he’d add a new section every year. It was agonizing. I don’t think I’d ever willingly go through that again. Do you know what those patterns are?”
To his surprise, Sword Spirit gradually materialized. She looked at him wistfully and said with utmost seriousness, “I am very curious about your grandfather’s true identity.”
Then, she slid the tip of her finger across Li Guanqi’s neck. She pulled his collar aside to reveal a blood pattern. “The Mount Meru Immortal Rune... Even I thought the method of drawing this blood rune had long been lost to time.”
Li Guanqi could hear her disbelief, so he asked, “What is it for?”
She smiled as she rose to her feet. “It conceals your Empty Spirit Body, keeping you hidden from the Upper World’s immortals for as long as possible to avoid unnecessary trouble. I have to say—your grandfather is... quite capable.”
“Alright, I need some rest,” Sword Spirit said and disappeared, leaving Li Guanqi with a smile.
It looks like I can share more vital force with her in the future.
The return journey passed quickly. By the time the cloud boat docked at the Daxia Sword Sect’s plaza, Lu Kangnian and the others had already been waiting for a long time.
Li Nanting flew to them and bowed with a smile. “Sect Master, you should reward Guanqi and Ye Feng well.”
Lu Kangnian laughed and said, “They deserve it!”
“Li Guanqi of the Heavenly Lightning Peak... Step forward to receive your reward!”
His voice, amplified with vital force, rang across the sect.
“Li Guanqi has awakened a level nine sword-type artifact soul, securing the sect two secret realms for training! As a reward, he shall receive ten bottles of Vitality Boosting Pills, three thousand contribution points, five thousand low-grade spirit stones, a one-month pass to the Earth-tier spirit ascension platform, and a one-time pass to the Scripture Pavilion, where he may choose any two scriptures!
“As for Ye Feng... Cough cough. Three bottles of Vitality Boosting Pills, one thousand contribution points, one thousand low-grade spirit stones and a one-month pass to use the Black-tier spirit ascension platform.”
Then, Lu Kangnian added awkwardly, “The sect is poor. Hope you understand. “
Ye Feng’s eyes welled up with tears. In a low voice, he pleaded, “Sect Master, your favoritism is painfully obvious. If we’re poor, let’s all be poor together! Why does Li Guanqi get to live in luxury while I suffer alone? Are you trying to sacrifice us for his benefit...?”
Lu Kangnian quickly turned his head and coughed twice. “Uh... anyway, all of you new disciples have been here for six months now. The sect shall permit you all to go home and visit family for half a month. Pack up tomorrow and go down the mountain to see your family.”
Ye Feng’s enthusiasm waned, as going home wasn’t much of a celebration to him. The other disciples, however, burst into cheers. Most were young and felt homesick after traveling far to join the sect.
Even Li Guanqi considered flying back to Prosperity Village. He muttered, “I miss Wanshu. I’d love to see the look on her face if she saw me flying.”
The crowd dispersed, and Li Guanqi carried Yu Sui’an back to his courtyard on his shoulders. She ran off like the wind when he put her on the ground, calling out anxiously, “It’s time to eat! It’s time to eat!”
Suddenly, she stopped and turned to ask him, “Li Guanqi, what do you want to eat?”
Sitting in the courtyard, Li Guanqi froze and smiled. “Two meat baos.”
Yu Sui’an broke into a grin. She skipped, her two braids shaking behind her head. “Alright! I’ll be back!”
Ye Feng flew over after she left. When he entered the yard, he saw Li Guanqi wiping his sword and could not help but laugh. “Why are you still here? Don’t you want to go home?”
Li Guanqi shook his head. “I’m not going back. My grandfather isn’t home, so it’s meaningless for me to return. What about you?”
“I don’t want to go home either. It’ll be boring. My father doesn’t really like me, so going back would just annoy him.”