Su Xuan's Strength?

Li Guanqi would never simply leave a prodigy harboring such deep hatred to his own devices. At the same time, the Guanyin Pavilion began investigating the movements and whereabouts of the youth named Li Si'ang. Li Guanqi was far more accustomed to nipping any unpredictable dangers in the bud. Suddenly, Li Guanqi felt the urge to be alone for a while. With a flash of lightning beneath his feet, he appeared alone atop a deserted peak within the borders of the Great Xia Sword Sect. Sitting upon a flat boulder, he looked up at the moonlit sky with its sparse stars, enjoying a rare moment of peace. Years slipped away in the snap of a finger. Was Ye Feng truly the only one weighed down by heavy snow? Li Guanqi drank his wine, suddenly feeling that the strong brew in his hand had grown far gentler. Exhaling a breath of turbid air, Li Guanqi smiled faintly when he saw the inscription on his wine gourd: "A cicada lives eight days, born toward death." Li Guanqi knew that he finally possessed a shred of confidence to confront formidable foes. Yet it was still not enough... Far from enough! Grow stronger! Keep growing stronger! Become the strongest of them all! Regarding the Seventh Domain, Li Guanqi had already formed faint conjectures. If it was truly as he suspected, then his grandfather's neglect and hands-off approach toward him all these years had actually been the greatest protection. Not only that... His grandfather, Su Xuan, had suppressed the Human Spirit Realm alone for ten thousand years—ten thousand years without an immortal!! Li Guanqi did not know how heavy a price that demanded. All he knew was that his grandfather must have carried an immense burden. And as for his enemies, perhaps they too would make major moves next. Or perhaps... burn their boats and make a desperate gamble! The sword spirit had not intervened earlier undoubtedly because she had sensed the aura of Qinglong, Wen Guyan. Just then, however, the figure of the sword spirit quietly materialized beside Li Guanqi. Clad in a crimson dress, her back was turned to Li Guanqi as she tilted her head back toward the bright moon in the sky and gently closed her eyes. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, as if dusted with a layer of silvery-white radiance. Though the sword spirit now appeared no different from a flesh-and-blood person, her slightly ethereal form still could not become fully solid. Looking at her back, Li Guanqi suddenly murmured, "Sword spirit." "Hmm?" "When will I be able to draw your true form?" As if she had heard something amusing, the corners of the sword spirit's lips curved slightly upward. After a long pause, she murmured, "It's very difficult." "Not in the Human Spirit Realm." "Why?" Li Guanqi frowned and asked. He had thought the sword spirit would say his cultivation realm and strength were not enough. He had never expected her answer to be that the Human Spirit Realm could not allow it. The sword spirit turned to look back at Li Guanqi. Showing neither joy nor sorrow, she surveyed their surroundings with calm eyes and spoke in a soft voice: "This world... cannot bear my power." "If my true form were to appear in the Human Spirit Realm..." "I'm afraid the entire world would shatter in an instant." Hearing this, Li Guanqi froze on the spot, his throat working with difficulty. If her true form appeared in the Human Spirit Realm, the realm would instantly shatter!! Just a single sword was enough to destroy an entire world! Li Guanqi shook his head with a bitter smile. It seemed that actually wielding the sword spirit's true form would indeed be quite difficult. Seeing Li Guanqi shake his head with a wry smile, an amused look crossed the sword spirit's face. "Why do you want to see me?" Li Guanqi shrugged, propping himself up with his hands behind him as he looked up toward the heavens. "I've carried this sword coffin for so many years." "Yet I've never seen your true form. Naturally, I've imagined what it would be like if the sword in my hand were you." As he spoke, Li Guanqi couldn't help letting the corners of his mouth turn upward. There were three swords inside the sword coffin: one was Red Lotus, one was Yanluo, and the third was, of course, the sword spirit's true form. After so many years, as his strength grew ever greater, how could he have never imagined swapping the sword in his hand for the sword spirit? The sword spirit looked intently at Li Guanqi, and with a calm yet resolute voice, uttered four words: "All-conquering and peerless!" Li Guanqi was taken aback. "What do you mean, 'all-conquering and peerless'?" The sword spirit turned her back to him once more and said softly, "Didn't you ask what it would be like if the sword in your hand were me?" Li Guanqi had an epiphany, only then grasping what she meant. "'All-conquering and peerless'... I see." The sword spirit stretched lazily, and then her figure gradually faded, sinking back into the sword coffin. Her voice resonated slowly in Li Guanqi's mind. "Work hard. If you can ascend to the Immortal Realm with a cultivation at the Ascension Realm, you will at least have some power to protect yourself." Clutching his forehead, Li Guanqi suddenly felt a headache coming on. He was only at the mid Mahayana realm right now, yet the sword spirit wanted him to break through to the Ascension Realm before ascending to the Immortal Realm. Even to him, achieving such a feat would likely take many long years. The Ascension Realm... that was a realm capable of crushing even the Four Kings. Li Guanqi suddenly seemed to think of something and asked quietly in his thoughts, "Is my grandfather at the Ascension Realm?" Hearing this, the sword spirit could not help curling her lips. After a moment's thought, she murmured softly, "Just how little do you think of your grandfather?" "The Ascension Realm?" "If he were merely an Ascension Realm mighty figure, he wouldn't have the power to suppress an entire realm for ten thousand years." Li Guanqi's heart shuddered. Swallowing hard, he stammered, "Then could he be... a-above Ascension?!!" The sword spirit's voice echoed slowly in his mind. "Su Xuan—Lord of a realm!" "A monster... who exists outside the rules." "The Human Spirit Immortal!" The moment Li Guanqi heard those words, it felt as though an invisible giant hand had gripped his heart tight. "Human Spirit Immortal!! An immortal of the Human Spirit Realm?" The sword spirit offered no further explanation, leaving Li Guanqi even more bewildered. Sitting cross-legged atop the mountain peak with knitted brows, he pondered countless possibilities. If that was truly the case... then why... had Grandfather taken him in as his grandson? Could it truly be just because of fate? Recalling every moment he had spent with the sword spirit, he didn't believe that no one else could ever win her approval! The Ethereal Dao Body! "Could it be because of my unique physique, that I can withstand the sword spirit's power?" "No, that's not right either... When my cultivation was still low, I was nearly sucked dry and killed when the sword spirit made a move..." Li Guanqi took a deep breath, his brow furrowed. He couldn't shake the feeling that this matter was nowhere near as simple as he had imagined. It seemed that once he went to the Seventh Domain later on, they would need to have a proper conversation. Buzz! "Boss! Everyone's waiting for you to drink!" "Yeah, why'd you run off on your own?" "Then let's just change spots!" "Hey, bring the roast meat along!" "You damn radish, who knew? You actually look pretty handsome in human form!" A clamorous crowd came flying toward the mountain peak. Pengluo had somehow been plied with drink until he was thoroughly tipsy; having taken human form, he was carrying a wine flagon and drinking away on his own. Li Guanqi smiled as he watched them approach. With a wave of his hand, sword qi flashed out, leveling the peak into a flat terrace dozens of zhang across. Mats were spread out, and tables and fine wine were brought forth. Inside the Great Xia Sword Sect, music and dance filled the air in celebration, while numerous factions throughout the world now had their eyes fixed on the sect. The cloud boats arriving to offer congratulations were already backed up for a hundred li. Yet without the nod of the Great Xia Sword Sect, not a single one of these clans and sects dared approach within its borders.