Lu Kangnian Returns to the Sect!

It was just that... In the days that followed, before his brilliance could truly blossom, he had been overshadowed by the likes of Li Guanqi and Ye Feng. Yet he had never harbored any complaints about this, nor did he have any ambition to vie for power or influence. He had always dedicated himself whole-heartedly to the sect. Li Guanqi knew that Wu Bing was an orphan... Ever since Lu Kangnian had taken him in, he had cherished the sect as his own home. Li Guanqi held only respect for Wu Bing. He felt not the slightest covetousness toward the position of sect master; on the contrary, he believed Wu Bing was the most suitable candidate. Having observed Wu Bing serving as acting sect master throughout this period, Li Guanqi also felt that Wu Bing was fully capable of taking on the mantle of sect master in the future! However, weighed down by the sect's affairs, his cultivation progress had been far too slow... Even after all this time, he had only reached the late Void Refining Realm. While such strength and cultivation were considered formidable among cultivators across heaven and earth, the overall strength of the current Great Xia Sword Sect was nothing like before, making such a realm somewhat inadequate. The Great Xia Sword Sect now possessed abundant resources, yet Wu Bing, occupied day in and day out with managing myriad affairs, had no time to enjoy them. He had not even found the time to use the sect's Dao comprehension stones and other treasures. Li Guanqi took a deep breath, produced a jade slip, and spoke into it in a low voice. "Uncle Gu, do you have any Body Integration Pills on hand?" Gu Changsheng was actually accompanying Meng Jiangchu at this moment. Now that the unrest across the Six Domains had just come to an end, they finally had a chance to catch their breath. Lately, Gu Changsheng had been staying within the Pill Pagoda of the four Heavenly King Pagodas. There, he had met many like-minded peers, and even grandmaster alchemists who had long vanished from the outside world! Gu Changsheng was taken aback. "I do. Are you planning to give it to someone by your side? "Wait, that's not right... Didn't I just hear Gu Li say that chubby kid broke through to the Mahayana realm?" Li Guanqi replied in a calm voice, "It's a gift for someone. Just tell me whether you have one or not. If you don't, I'll go ask Elder Han and Elder Jiang." Gu Changsheng squeezed the jade slip and grumbled exasperatedly, "You brat! You're asking a favor, yet you're threatening me instead! Yes, yes, I have them!" Li Guanqi lowered the jade slip with a faint smile, looked up at Wu Bing, and said in a solemn tone, "I've asked for a Body Integration Pill on your behalf. Aside from that... the Sect Master is on his way back!" Gong Ze and Qin Xian were stunned, and Wu Bing muttered in disbelief, "Master... is on his way back?" A rather mysterious smile appeared on Li Guanqi's face as he deliberately left them in suspense. "You'll know in just a moment." Wu Bing's face flushed with excitement. It was not merely because he could finally cultivate in peace once Lu Kangnian returned, nor was it because he would no longer have to shoulder the heavy burden of the sect master's seat. Looking at the youth whose eyes were welling with tears, Li Guanqi knew... It was purely out of worry for Lu Kangnian. After all, Lu Kangnian had been missing for over four years, with not a shred of news during that entire time. Had his natal soul lamp inside the sect not remained burning, Wu Bing would likely have set out to search for him long ago. Now that Lu Kangnian was suddenly returning, Wu Bing was the most overwhelmed with joy. The corner of Li Guanqi's mouth curved slightly. None of them knew yet that Lu Kangnian had already broken through to the Mahayana realm. Just then, the sky in midair suddenly distorted, and three figures stepped out from within. A faint, elusive aura of pressure instantly enveloped the entire area. In an instant, the gazes of everyone in the Great Xia Sword Sect converged upon the man in the center! Stubble covered Lu Kangnian's face, and he had hurried back so frantically that he hadn't even had time to change his clothes. Yet the aura he radiated was now unfathomably profound, and his entire presence had become even more transcendent. Though he clearly stood right there, he seemed merged into the sky itself, making him impossible to perceive. His eyes, as bright as stars, were exceedingly deep; with sword-like brows and starry eyes, his face bore a faint trace of worldly wear. No one knew what Lu Kangnian had endured over these past few years... Yet in Li Guanqi's eyes, Lu Kangnian hadn't actually experienced much out in the world, as he had spent several years trapped upon an altar within a secret realm space by Xun Tian's design... Had Li Guanqi not discovered it early, there was no telling what might have unfolded later. Li Guanqi looked at them with a smile. *Hum!* Wu Bing's eyes burned intently upon Lu Kangnian. Suddenly, countless streaks of light shot up from several peaks of the Great Xia Sword Sect. Not only that, every disciple of the Great Xia Sword Sect took to the air at that very moment! Filled with boundless excitement, Wu Bing led the crowd in bowing respectfully! "We respectfully welcome the Sect Master's return! We welcome Senior Gu and Domain Master Meng!" "We respectfully welcome the Sect Master's return! We welcome Senior Gu and Domain Master Meng!" "..." The thunderous shouts swept like a roaring tsunami, their soaring volume almost threatening to overturn the firmament! Li Guanqi likewise bowed in salute. Emotion welled across Lu Kangnian's face. Gazing upon the Great Xia Sword Sect's current state, his heart surged with overwhelming fervor! "I'm back... I'm finally back..." Lu Kangnian turned toward Li Guanqi, his eyes brimming with gratitude. Back when he had awakened, he hadn't seen Li Guanqi again. He knew nothing of the ensuing battle with Xun Tian; by the time he regained consciousness, he was already within the Immortal Burial Realm. Later, between healing his injuries and the eruption of power within his body, he had no choice but to push through to the Mahayana realm. Thanks to Li Guanqi, it had proved a blessing in disguise. Seeing the sect thriving so splendidly, he raised his arm in surging excitement and cried out, "I, Lu Kangnian, have returned!" Seeing him like this, Gu Changsheng rolled his eyes behind him. Meng Jiangchu's mouth twitched even more as he sent a low voice transmission to Gu Changsheng: "He was only gone for three to five years. Is all this really necessary?" "Right... and he was even locked onto an altar by someone for over three of those years." The two of them made no effort to hide their transmission from Lu Kangnian. Overhearing their words through his divine sense, Lu Kangnian felt an instant pang of awkwardness. "Ahem, well... prepare accommodations for Senior Gu and Senior Meng. The rest of the peak masters, elders, and others shall await in the Sect Main Hall!" Lu Kangnian still possessed the commanding presence of a leader, not to mention that his position as sect master inherently carried immense prestige within the sect. For a time, jubilant and excited emotions rippled through everyone's hearts. Lu Kangnian looked at Wu Bing, stepped forward slowly, and clapped a broad, powerful hand heavily onto his shoulder. "You've done well!" Wu Bing pressed his lips together. Perhaps only he truly knew how immense the pressure of sitting in that seat had been over the past few years! Li Guanqi walked up to Gu Changsheng and held out his hand. The man impatiently produced a jade box and handed it over. "You're acting as if I owe you a favor." Li Guanqi smiled. "I'll buy you drinks later, Uncle Gu." *Swish!* Li Guanqi walked up to Wu Bing, pressed the jade box into his hand, and handed him a storage ring as well. "Senior Brother, inside this is a Body Integration Pill for your breakthrough. There are also some cultivation resources in the storage ring, along with a few very special items for you." Li Guanqi smiled without explaining further, leaving him to discover them on his own. Within the storage ring, he had left quite a few Bone Spirit Beads and Ancient God Beads! On one hand, they could strengthen the origin power of the Body Integration Realm, while the Ancient God Beads were even more unique. The power within the Ancient God Beads resembled an array of legacies. Not only could they deepen Wu Bing's comprehension, but they could also raise his spirit comprehension rank for earth origin power! Both kinds of beads had already been refined by Li Guanqi; otherwise, Wu Bing would never have been able to refine them on his own. Wu Bing looked at Li Guanqi with deep gratitude in his eyes. He knew that now that Lu Kangnian had returned, his burden would be vastly lightened, and he would finally be able to dedicate more of his time and focus to cultivation!