"Tianshui Peak hasn't taken in many new disciples over the past few years, so I might be the only one representing us in the Hundred Sects Tournament this year,"
"That's why I want to train and spar with you all. At least that way, I won't be working in isolation behind closed doors."
Without a second thought, Li Guanqi nodded and said, "Of course!"
Hearing this, a faint smile curved at the corners of the young woman's lips.
Only now did Li Guanqi notice the shallow dimples on her cheeks.
*With such an eye-catching beauty training alongside me every day, it'll be impossible not to stay energized!*
Glancing sideways at the few guys sprawled on the ground, he saw Ye Feng and Zhong Lin secretly giving him a thumbs-up.
Li Guanqi cleared his throat and said softly, "Then, Senior Sister, I'll see you the day after tomorrow at the martial arts arena on Tianzhu Peak. Tomorrow is the selection for the tournament spots, after all, and I haven't even confirmed if I'll be participating yet."
"Pfft—"
Lin Qingyu covered her mouth, stifling a laugh. "Junior Brother Li, don't be so modest. Who in the entire sect doesn't know by now that Elder Xu Zhengjie and Elder Li suppressed their cultivation and still couldn't beat you?"
Li Guanqi was genuinely stunned, asking somewhat incredulously, "The whole sect knows about that??"
Lin Qingyu glanced around and chuckled. "Otherwise, why do you think so many people showed up here at Daqian Waterfall?"
Li Guanqi scratched his head in embarrassment, at a loss for words.
The young woman smiled gently. "As far as I know, only three spots are already set in stone: you, me, and Senior Sister Gu. The remaining seven spots will be selected tomorrow."
Lin Qingyu took out her identity jade slip and raised her brows at Li Guanqi. "Take yours out too. I'll mark my location on Qianshan Peak for you. Come find me tomorrow morning, and we'll head to the martial arts arena together."
Li Guanqi finally snapped back to his senses, and the two marked their respective cultivation peaks on each other's slips.
The young woman turned, tossed out her sword, and took off riding the blade.
"Ooh~ Remember to come find me tomorrow morning~"
"Junior Brother Li, let's head over together later, okay~?"
"..."
A chorus of playful teasing immediately echoed around the canyon waterfall.
Li Guanqi remained completely unruffled. With a smug grin, he laughed and said, "Sigh, what can I do? Personal charisma is just too overwhelming. My goodness, don't tell me none of you senior brothers have anyone who fancies you yet?"
The moment those words left his mouth, a crowd of fellow disciples flew into a rage and showered him with curses.
"Bah! Li Guanqi, that's just rubbing salt in the wound! You're completely inhuman!"
"Exactly! Inhuman, that Li Guanqi! Right through the heart!!"
"Boo-hoo, what's with this sudden wave of sorrow? Look at me—a dashing young gentleman who has cultivated the Dao for over six years, yet I haven't even glimpsed the shadow of a Dao companion!"
"Hmph, I, the heartthrob of Honghua Village, came all the way here only for no one to recognize my dashing good looks. What a tragedy..."
Li Guanqi smiled faintly. He didn't know if other sects had an atmosphere like this, but it made him feel remarkably at ease.
"This junior brother thanks all you senior brothers for the spirit stones! Come find me next time for more bets! An honest merchant who never swindles old or young, upright to the core—that's me."
Amid a wave of laughing curses, Li Guanqi led Ye Feng and the others back to Yuhu Peak.
Looking at the exhausted group, Li Guanqi grinned. "Are you all dead broke now?"
Seeing them remain silent, Li Guanqi burst into hearty laughter. He retrieved several spirit stones and embedded them into the spirit-gathering array.
"You guys don't need to head back tonight. The spirit stones for the array are on me, so hurry up and recover. But as for the spirit stones you little brats lost to me, don't even dream of getting them back. You bastards didn't believe in me!"
With a sullen face, Zhong Lin muttered, "I shouldn't have listened to Ye Feng's nonsense! 'King of Gamblers,' my ass!"
Ye Feng remained unfazed despite the scolding, merely remarking in a low voice, "Gambling is always fifty-fifty. It was just bad luck."
Soon after, they all sat down cross-legged inside the spirit-gathering array.
Dense worldly spiritual energy enveloped the group, and Li Guanqi stepped inside as well.
The others looked at him without speaking. Li Guanqi began in a quiet voice:
"The reason you saw me drifting and floating like that earlier was that beneath the waterfall, I felt a grand momentum inherent to water! That experience shifted some of my views regarding the five elemental spiritual roots and others as well!"
Hearing this, everyone perked up, especially Lin Dong.
Even Ye Feng listened with rapt attention.
Li Guanqi sorted through his thoughts, recalling the sensations he had felt under the pounding waterfall.
"In our conventional understanding, water spiritual roots are perhaps relatively gentle and cold. Water-affinity cultivators have an advantage in everyday healing, much like those with wood spiritual roots. But today, after feeling the sheer force of the waterfall's torrent, I suddenly realized that water's power is, in a certain sense, not in the least inferior to lightning!
"Everyone knows that lightning, metal, and fire are primarily offensive! But to some extent, that only reflects how narrow our application of origin energy has been. If water origin energy can be layered upon itself, the explosive force it unleashes can rival today's waterfall, or even towering, apocalyptic waves!
"Lin Dong, if you don't deliberately focus on defense with your earth origin energy, but instead transform it into a massive, heavy mountain crashing down upon your opponent, its power will be just as terrifying!"
None of them were fools; after hearing this, they instantly grasped what Li Guanqi meant.
It was as though a brand-new door had opened before them.
All three sank into deep contemplation.
Ye Feng's fighting style had always leaned heavily toward relentless offense, leaving his defensive awareness exceptionally weak. Yet after hearing Li Guanqi's words, his thoughts began racing.
*If I use the power of Geng Gold for defense... heh.*
Zhong Lin was even bolder. Recalling what Li Guanqi had said about layering the momentum of water, he began considering whether he could do something similar.
That night, the four of them sat within the spirit-gathering array, each gaining their own insights.
Meanwhile, though Li Guanqi appeared to be meditating, his consciousness had already sunk into the sword casket.
"Uh... time is tight. Could you help me complete the missing stances of that remnant sword technique?"
With a haughty air, the sword spirit cast a sideways glance at the sword manual and said offhandedly, "It's only sixteen stances in total. I'll deduce eighteen stances for you! But you must give me some of your origin energy!"
Hearing that, Li Guanqi was overjoyed. Beaming, he said, "No problem, no problem! It's a small matter. I'm counting on you!"
Early the next morning, Li Guanqi opened his eyes in high spirits—only to find three large faces hovering right in front of him!
Squeezed in the middle, Ye Feng wore a grave expression and said in a heavy voice, "Old Li, are you alright? How come after cultivating all night, your aura actually got weaker??"
Naturally, Li Guanqi couldn't tell them the truth, so he could only equivocate, "Well... I was worried I'd cultivate too fast and break straight into the Core Formation realm. To wait for you guys, I've just been refining and condensing the origin energy in my body."
The others rolled their eyes in unison, wanting to refute him yet finding themselves unable to say a single word.
Chapter 114