Li Guanqi remained immersed in the Hundred Prides Illusory Realm for the next few days, spending nearly all his time there. Sword Spirit often glanced at his pale, vomiting form and remarked, “You’re not dead yet, so we’ll keep going!”
Sword Spirit took on the role of a rigorous master. Even though Li Guanqi’s nerves were already stretched to the limit, she continued to hurl insults at him. Still, he made tremendous progress—he could now last half an hour and even injure the illusory sword cultivator, though killing him remained out of reach.
However, even Sword Spirit was shocked by Li Guanqi's comprehension abilities. His rate of improvement was terrifying and visible to the naked eye. He lasted a little longer with every attempt, and it never took him long to convert newfound insights into skill.
Seven days later, Ye Feng arrived at his door, shouted several times, and got no response. He muttered, “Don’t tell me he’s still cultivating... The secret realm opens in four hours.”
Inside the illusory realm, Li Guanqi now wielded the sword in his right hand with such speed that he could make four full strikes in a single breath. This had once been the limit of his left hand—his secret trump card.
The silhouettes of Li Guanqi and the sword cultivator blurred together as they traded blows atop the vast platform. Then, a cold glint flashed in Li Guanqi’s eyes. He twisted his blade past his opponent and drove it into his throat.
At that exact moment, the sword cultivator’s illusory sword pierced Li Guanqi’s chest.
Li Guanqi gritted his teeth and locked the blade in place with his ribs. A wicked smile crept across his face.
The illusory sword cultivator dispersed into dots of spirit light, then disappeared into nothingness. But those same spirit lights soon began to gather again. Li Guanqi frowned and kept his gaze locked on the space before him.
Gradually, a new figure emerged from the coalescing lights—one with a build nearly identical to his own. This time, though, the face was far clearer. He could almost make out the facial features.
Sword Spirit’s voice rang out. “Congratulations. You’ve killed the Hundred Prides Hero Soul. Your image will now become one of them. You only took three and a half days, which is quite the feat.”
She meant it. She hadn’t expected him to overcome the illusory sword cultivator in so little time.
Li Guanqi smiled. He could feel that he had become much stronger from training in the Hundred Prides Illusory Realm. If he met that late Foundation Building Realm intruder again, he was confident he could kill him in ten moves or less.
Li Guanqi exited the realm within the sword box. The sight of only five thousand spirit stones remaining made his heart ache.
But that pain vanished in an instant. Every spirit stone had been worth it.
When he sensed Ye Feng’s presence outside, he packed up and slowly opened the door. Ye Feng sat cross-legged outside, cultivating.
Ye Feng opened his eyes slowly. He was about to speak when he noticed how tired Li Guanqi was. He frowned and asked, “Why do I feel like... you’re a little different?”
Li Guanqi smiled. “Oh? What’s different about me?”
Ye Feng slowly stood and began to circle him, his expression unusually serious. Li Guanqi unconsciously tensed up.
After a moment, Ye Feng said, “I can’t quite put my finger on it. It’s just a feeling. Before, if you wanted to kill me, it would’ve taken quite a few moves. But now... it feels like you could take me out whenever you felt like it.”
Li Guanqi said in exasperation, “Why would I want to kill you? Didn’t you come here so we could head to the sect together? Let’s go. There’s still some time, so let me go back and change my robes.”
Ye Feng nodded and followed him back to his courtyard. After a bath, most of Li Guanqi’s exhaustion faded. Looking down at the blood-colored runes faintly etched on his skin, he frowned and muttered, “Why are they slowly fading away...?”
Sword Spirit knew it was because his Empty Spirit Body was slowly opening the seal. She just didn’t want to tell him.
She looked at him wistfully. Su Xuan knows how to draw the Mount Meru Immortal Runes. However, sealing the Empty Spirit Body isn’t their only use. Hehe... Su Xuan, if you understand how to draw them, I’m sure you also know what else they’re meant for.
The two soared through the skies on their swords, headed for Heavenly Sword Peak.
Along the way, Li Guanqi frowned. “You’ve improved quickly! Looks like you’ll reach mid Foundation Building Realm soon?”
He said this because Ye Feng’s aura was unstable.
Ye Feng nodded solemnly. “It’s all for training in the secret realm. We only need five hundred contribution points to enter, but the sect invested heavily in this. I wanted to improve as much as I could before entering. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to stabilize my foundation.”
When they reached the Heavenly Sword Peak plaza, they found over forty disciples already gathered there, most older than them. Li Guanqi took stock of his fellow new disciples—among them, only he, Ye Feng, Zhong Lin, and the absent Lin Dong had reached the Foundation Building Realm. Lin Dong, still recovering from his injuries, couldn’t attend.
Each peak had sent an elder to assist in the event. The main host presiding over the realm’s opening was Tu Kui, a cultivator of the Nascent Soul Realm.
Tu Kui gave Ye Feng a warm nod. But when his gaze fell on Li Guanqi, his eyes narrowed slightly. He sent a voice transmission to Li Nanting. “Your disciple... Has he been undergoing some intense training lately? He may be blind, but his gaze is sharper than before. Look at his stance... He’s ready to strike at any moment.”
Li Nanting maintained a calm, knowing expression, though his mind held questions. “What, jealous? Didn’t you shower your disciple with all sorts of spirit herbs and magical treasures? You’d better be careful, as his foundation might be shaky.”
Tu Kui smiled without a word. The things he gave Ye Feng all caused minimal side effects. He would never pull up a plant just to make it taller.[1]
A powerful aura erupted from Tu Kui, making his robes flap loudly. He looked down at the disciples. “We don’t know what trials await inside the secret realm. But remember this: opportunities usually come with danger.
“Death is always a possibility, but we are cultivators! If we lack the courage to fight the world, we’ll never give ourselves the chance to grow. If you dare not take a step forward, you will never become immortals!”
1. Idiom: attempting to improve something with a method that ultimately causes significant damage. ☜