Opening his eyes, a sharp glint flashed in the depths of Li Guanqi's gaze.
He had not expected Ziyang Palace's power to be so immense, leagues beyond that of the Great Xia Sword Sect.
Ziyang Palace was renowned throughout the entire Great Xia Domain.
It seemed that their most formidable competitors this time would be the disciples of Ziyang Palace.
Tucking these thoughts away in his heart, he did not dwell on the matter.
To his mind, being able to cross swords with the favored darlings of other sects was exciting enough in itself.
As for what rank they could achieve, that depended on the overall strength of their sect.
Early the next morning, Li Guanqi woke from his cultivation feeling refreshed and exhaled a breath of turbid air.
As the origin energy within him grew purer, his mental state improved considerably.
Directing his spiritual energy had become as effortless as moving his own limbs, without the slightest sluggishness.
With eyes closed, Li Guanqi rode his sword through the air, feeling the breeze against him and hearing the cries of cranes in his ears.
His mind was exceptionally peaceful, even though he had been slain three times in the Hundred Champions Illusion just the night before.
Still, he had grown somewhat accustomed to such things. Dislike it though he did, there was nothing he could do to change it.
All he could do was strive with all his might to elevate his strength. The longer he held out, the less frequently he would die within the illusion.
However, the sword spirit often appeared to remind him not to open the Hundred Champions Illusion too frequently.
Opening it was not only a heavy drain on both of their minds,
but more importantly, the sword spirit worried that if Li Guanqi stayed inside the illusion for too long,
as the deaths piled up, that unreal sensation of dying
would diminish his inner reverence for death when fighting for his life against others.
Yet to the sword spirit's relief, Li Guanqi had noticed this issue himself.
During yesterday's three bouts in the illusion, he had felt the urge several times to risk his life recklessly just to win.
That was the main reason why he had refrained from entering the illusion again afterward, choosing instead to cultivate in peace.
When Li Guanqi reached the summit of Tianzhu Peak, Gu Ran was already waiting there.
Yet before the two could even exchange greetings, a rustling sound reached their ears.
"Move aside. Can't you see where you're standing, you blind fool?"
"Can't you see I'm sweeping here?"
Li Guanqi turned around to face a man in grey robes with disheveled hair.
The man was unkempt, his hair wild and tangled, and a faint sour stench drifted from him.
Through the stray strands of messy hair, Li Guanqi could faintly make out his features.
It was a weather-beaten face, slightly dark and covered in scruffy stubble.
Yet it had to be said that Gao Qiwen was truly handsome—the kind of rugged, deeply masculine face.
His eyes, however, were somewhat hollow and bloodshot at the corners, and he reeked of alcohol.
*Swish, swish!*
The tattered broom swept repeatedly toward Li Guanqi's feet.
Gu Ran pulled him aside and whispered, "Don't mess with Old Gao... He has an awful temper. Let's head to the pavilion."
Li Guanqi, however, smiled, bowed to the man, and said, "Drink a little less wine. It's bad for your health."
As he turned to leave, Gao Qiwen, who had remained silent, spoke quietly.
"Someone like you going to the Hundred Sects Tournament? You won't even know how you died."
Li Guanqi paused for a moment, yet still walked on toward the back mountain.
Though he did not know what the man had gone through, he had no intention of missing this tournament.
He wanted to see a broader sky and encounter stronger opponents.
Since the opportunity was before him, he would not give it up under any circumstances.
Gao Qiwen lowered his head, watching Li Guanqi's retreating figure without saying another word.
He merely leaned on his crutch, silently sweeping the dust from the ground.
*Rustle, rustle...*
The broom in his hand moved slower and slower.
He murmured under his breath, "Ling Daoyan, are you really at ease letting him participate?"
"You know as well as I do that quite a few sects bear grudges against the Great Xia Sword Sect. If he, too..."
An aged voice sounded gently beside his ear.
"Qiwen, once one steps onto the immortal path, some things cannot be dissuaded."
"If I dissuaded him this time, perhaps the drive in this child's heart would be broken."
*Swish, swish~*
Gao Qiwen leaned on his crutch, shuffling forward step by step.
Beneath the hair covering his face was a look of deep unwilling resentment, his eyes flickering with inscrutable thoughts.
Before long, the two arrived at the Scripture Pavilion on the back mountain. This pavilion was considered a forbidden ground of the sect.
Before entering, one had to pass through a bamboo grove. The stalks here were emerald-green throughout, resembling jasper.
Sect Master Lu Kangnian had planted them with his own hands in his earlier years.
Li Guanqi stood before the grove, took out his identity jade slip, and tossed it into the air.
Instantly, the jade slip gave off a faint glimmer, and the bamboo parted on its own to reveal a passage.
Li Guanqi said softly, "Let's go."
Before long, they arrived before a massive pavilion.
This Scripture Pavilion was the sect's true core; usually, even inner sect disciples were not permitted here.
Sure enough, Li Guanqi saw the old man from before once again.
Li Guanqi walked up to the elder, bowed with a smile, and said, "Disciple Li Guanqi pays respects to Elder Ling."
With glazed eyes and reeking of alcohol, the old man looked at Li Guanqi and chuckled. "You brat again. Fine, go on in."
As he spoke, the old man waved his hand slightly, and the heavy doors behind him slowly swung open.
An ancient scent of parchment and ink rushed out, accompanied by rich spiritual energy.
Reclining in his rocking chair with eyes closed, the old man murmured, "Everything inside is an ancient text. Be sure to handle them with care."
"Each of you may choose one movement technique and one sword technique."
The two bowed respectfully to the elder and stepped inside the pavilion.
The shelves holding cultivation manuals stood a full ten zhang tall!
And there were several dozen such towering shelves packed together.
Even though Li Guanqi had prepared himself, such an astounding volume of texts still left him stunned for a long while.
Gu Ran, who was also entering for the first time, stood frozen on the spot, completely at a loss.
Li Guanqi, on the other hand, walked purposefully toward the shelves labeled for sword techniques.
He knew very well that having a more profound sword technique would serve no purpose at his current level.
Thus, his goal was not to pick an art of the highest possible grade, but one that suited him best.
Li Guanqi called out in his mind, "Sword spirit, I want to choose a sword technique that will allow me to bring out my greatest strength. Is there anything suitable?"
The sword spirit merely glanced across the ancient tomes on the shelves, then pointed toward a tattered ancient book at the very bottom.
Li Guanqi furrowed his brows, wondering why a sword technique relegated to the bottom shelf would catch the sword spirit's attention.
Climbing down the ladder, Li Guanqi reached out and picked up the battered volume.
Inscribed upon the cover were the words: *Ziwei Demon-Cleansing Sword!*
Yet when he flipped it open, he discovered that it contained only the first two forms of the sword technique.
Looking at it from another angle, Li Guanqi could not help murmuring, "To be kept in this pavilion with only two forms...!"
A faint smile curled onto his lips, and he sent a mental voice transmission: "Sword spirit, can you fill in the missing forms and mental chant?"
The sword spirit's distinctly haughty voice replied slowly.
"It's merely an Earth-grade sword art, barely scraping into the rank. What is there that I cannot complete? Choose it."
"This sword art can push your current sword speed to its peak. Paired with your lightning-attributed spiritual energy, its killing power won't be half bad either."
Chapter 108