Refined! Truly Refined!

Having departed the Great Xia Sword Sect, Li Guanqi did not set off immediately. Instead, he turned to look back at the sect, feeling a measure of comfort as his eyes rested on the colossal lightning sword suspended above the seven peaks. For some reason, he felt that this departure would last a very, very long time... Harboring that thought, he felt, for the very first time, a twinge of reluctance to leave the sect behind. Taking out his Guanyun Jade Pendant, he gave numerous instructions to Xi Yunhuai, as well as to Qianqiusui and Yu Hua; he could completely leave Guanyun Pavilion to them now. Qianqiusui needed to consolidate his cultivation realm, while Yu Hua... what she needed to do was train with all her might. No matter what, Li Guanqi did not want any of the people around him to fall behind on the path of cultivation. "Phew..." Li Guanqi drew a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his entire aura had completely transformed. Now, only a single thought occupied his mind. Within ten years, he had to break through to the Mahayana realm! Not only that, but immediately following his breakthrough, he had to hunt down the fellow who had taken his sword coffin. He had left a sliver of an imprint in the person's soul, yet from beginning to end, he had never sensed the slightest trace of the other's aura. Perhaps the person was intentionally concealing their tracks, but Li Guanqi believed it would not be long before they met! After pondering for a long while, Li Guanqi felt that the Six Domains offered very limited opportunities to elevate his strength now. Furthermore, among the younger generation in the Six Domains, none could make him feel any pressure. Save for people like Qin Wushang and Xu Junlin. And then there was Luo Changqing, the alternate for Hong Zhi. Li Guanqi could sense that Luo Changqing was still hiding something; at the very least, he had not displayed his full might. Li Guanqi drew a deep breath. The heroes of the world were not to be underestimated. Even when he had thought his strength was enough to crush anyone in the same realm, Xu Junlin had appeared. Though they had not clashed, he could sense that Xu Junlin's strength was bound to be terrifyingly immense. In their contest of physical strength, Li Guanqi had relied on his exceptionally high-grade technique—he even suspected that his Dragon Elephant Prison-Suppressing Art far surpassed the Heaven rank. Not to mention the cultivation method he had obtained in the Qilin Ruins, combined with the blood essence of the Jiuxiao True Dragon within him... Looked at from another perspective, Xu Junlin, relying purely on the physical might of a martial artist, had matched his dragon-elephant strength... Li Guanqi's eyelid twitched. It was hard to imagine what kind of monster that man truly was. The corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curved upward. He pulled out a jade slip and said softly, "Are you at home?" Qin Wushang's slightly excited voice drifted from the jade slip. "You're coming over? Hahaha! I'll come meet you." Li Guanqi replied mildly, "Just pick any restaurant in the Qin Imperial City." Qin Wushang vanished from his cultivation secret realm like a gust of wind, going so far as to book out the largest restaurant in the city. Rather than booking it out, it was more like clearing it out entirely. When the proprietor heard that Imperial Scion Qin Wushang was gracing them with his presence, he was terrified into hastily evicting everyone and having the entire establishment redecorated. Meanwhile, Qin Wushang sat alone in the top-floor private room, sipping tea as he waited for Li Guanqi's arrival. After an unknown span of time, Li Guanqi finally reached the entrance to the Misty Immortal Domain. Opening the domain boundary, he was immediately greeted by a dense wave of worldly spiritual energy rolling toward him. Li Guanqi surveyed the surroundings, then shot toward the shores of the Eastern Sea. Along the way, he encountered quite a few cultivators of the Misty Immortal Domain. Whenever they sensed the faint, lingering pressure radiating from him, even the hostility in their eyes subsided considerably. Occasionally, when their gazes met, some would even take the initiative to cup their hands in salute. Cloud boats raced through midair, while others rode atop great soaring beasts. Beneath Li Guanqi's feet, lightning flashed as he sped forward with incredible swiftness. The immaculate white clouds parted neatly as though cleaved by a sword. Many cultivators could only glimpse a blur of lightning flashing across the firmament before vanishing. His traveling speed was now in no way inferior to shuttling through folded void space. Yet the Misty Immortal Domain was vast indeed. Fortunately, the location where he arrived this time was situated in the east; otherwise, he would have wasted far more time. By the time night fell, Li Guanqi had finally reached the Qin Imperial City. Qin Wushang had long been waiting for him atop a mountain peak outside the walls. When he saw Li Guanqi, he was taken aback. Though they had parted only a short time ago, it felt as if Li Guanqi's presence had grown significantly more profound, like a bottomless, icy pool that defied fathoming. Rising to his feet, Qin Wushang furrowed his brow, looking at Li Guanqi and asking in a low voice, "Did you gain some new insight recently?" Li Guanqi shrugged, neither confirming nor denying it. "What's with the grand imperial scion of the Qin Clan waiting outside the city for me every time? Can't you be a little more reserved?" Qin Wushang lightly fanned his folding fan and curled his lip. "Reserved? Reserved, my ass! Even Xu Junlin dropped his stone-faced act around you—that was downright tsundere! I've never seen him show such an attitude to anyone else." At the thought of Xu Junlin, Li Guanqi broke into a knowing smile. Qin Wushang's word—tsundere—was truly apt. The man was undeniably powerful, with a personality just as proud and aloof. Yet back at Yunding Auction House, he had clearly wanted to drink with Li Guanqi. Terrified of being rejected, he had asked with utmost caution, his tone brimming with that awkward pride, pretending he wouldn't care in the slightest if Li Guanqi refused. Chuckling, Li Guanqi walked shoulder-to-shoulder with Qin Wushang into the city's grandest restaurant. Seeing the empty establishment, Li Guanqi curled his lip. "What did you do this for? It feels dead in here." Before his seat was even warm, Qin Wushang caught on immediately. He turned to stare at Li Guanqi's cheek with a faint, teasing smirk, prompting Li Guanqi to complain, "Don't. Don't look at me like that. I don't want to see a wretched expression like that radish of mine on your face." Qin Wushang's lips twitched slightly, and between his brows, he resumed his air of a noble young master and commanding superior. "How about this?" Li Guanqi nodded and said offhandedly, "Yeah, much easier on the eyes. At least you don't look like you're begging for a beating." Qin Wushang burst into hearty laughter. For some reason, being around Li Guanqi felt entirely natural and comfortable. Clap, clap! Qin Wushang clapped his hands. In the next breath, the partition walls of the private compartment slowly receded into the walls, opening up the space significantly. Gentle melodies from a zither and a vertical flute drifted into their ears. Slender women clad in gossamer gowns swayed as they filed into the room. Each woman was of similar height, boasting graceful figures. Veiled in white gauze, only pairs of alluring eyes were visible. Three women danced gracefully to the music, refined and free of the slightest vulgarity. Li Guanqi pursed his lips and remarked softly, "Tempering the heart in the mortal realm, eh... It's been years since I last did that." "Refined. Truly refined." Qin Wushang laughed heartily. He then brought out top-grade nectar and poured it into their cups, saying softly, "Out with it. What did you seek me out for?" Li Guanqi raised his cup, drained it in one gulp, smacked his lips, and took out his own wine gourd. "Just wanted to ask if there are any good places to visit here in the Misty Immortal Domain."