Everyone had awoken from their closed-door cultivation.
Not one of them was idle; nearly all of their time was poured into cultivation.
They did not need to fret over cultivation resources, as any one of them could earn their keep. Even so, none of them took their current wealth of resources for granted.
In his room, Li Guanqi passed everything from the storage ring to the sword spirit.
A sharp gleam flashed across the sword spirit's eyes the moment she opened it.
"Tsk, tsk. The old man truly spared no expense for you!"
Li Guanqi paused, unable to tell the difference between these materials. He had assumed his grandfather merely prepared what the sword spirit had requested.
"Is there a problem?"
The sword spirit smiled faintly and said softly, "No problem at all.
"At least sixty percent of the materials in here have been swapped out for ones of far higher grade!
"It seems he already deduced what I plan to do; otherwise, he wouldn't have dispatched Xiang Huaizhi to deliver them."
A warm current seemed to flow through Li Guanqi's heart. It turned out his grandfather truly cared for him deeply.
Any single one of these materials, pulled out at random, would easily fetch over a hundred million spirit stones.
Li Guanqi murmured, "Are these enough?"
The sword spirit looked at him, gave a slight nod, and then said softly, "Are you... prepared to tell them?"
Li Guanqi's expression turned solemn as he said in a low voice, "Do you think I should tell them?
"Of course, just as with Ye Feng and Xiao Chen, I'll conceal your presence.
"Or perhaps we should utilize the sealing power of Spirit Absolution, just so their memories and souls won't betray your existence in the future."
The sword spirit's jade-like hand tightened slightly around the storage ring.
She could feel the respect in Li Guanqi's words.
A smile graced her lips, radiant and enchanting.
Li Guanqi had never treated her as an inferior.
He had never regarded her as merely a 'sword spirit'—
a sword spirit suppressed by his grandfather's might,
a mere tool or power at his disposal.
That was precisely one of the reasons she had chosen Li Guanqi.
Proud as she was, she could never bear to be held in thrall by someone who looked down on her from on high.
Among all those who had previously wielded the sword coffin, not a single one had ever laid eyes on the sword spirit.
At most, they had merely wielded Red Lotus.
The corners of her mouth curved upward. Her breathtaking beauty paired with such a tender smile momentarily dazed even Li Guanqi.
In a gentle voice, she said, "Just proceed as you said.
"I will control the power of Spirit Absolution.
"It's not that I distrust them, but that I cannot trust those who harbor hidden motives.
"Don't let this weigh too heavily on your conscience; it is for their own good.
"If my existence were ever discovered... it would mean utter devastation for any of them!"
Li Guanqi smiled softly. "I know.
"Then I'll go see them."
The sword spirit nodded, and her figure faded away.
When Li Guanqi arrived at the private cultivation chamber, all five of his brothers were already gathered.
Every pair of eyes turned toward him.
Li Guanqi said solemnly, "Brothers, today we have a matter of great importance that must remain an absolute secret!
"So before that..."
Ye Feng shrugged. "Why don't we... swear an oath to the Heavenly Dao?"
The moment the words left his mouth, the others instinctively raised their hands as well.
They had not even asked what this matter was before preparing to swear a Dao oath.
Li Guanqi was momentarily at a loss for words. Just how blind was their trust in him?
Yet the thought filled him with immense pride.
He was blessed with a band of brothers who trusted him without question!
Li Guanqi waved a hand. "Before we discuss that, there is one more thing we must do!"
With a flick of his wrist, spiritual light flashed from his storage ring, producing six meditation cushions.
Sticks of sandalwood incense then appeared in everyone's hands.
Gu Li and Tang Ru's expressions instantly shifted, filled with complex emotions!
Li Guanqi's gaze swept over their faces, his voice calm and steady as he spoke.
"The six of us have braved countless mortal trials together, supporting and holding each other up every step of the way to reach where we are today!
"Cao Yan, Xiao Chen, and I have long accepted Gu Li and Tang Ru. While our Second Brother was away, we already addressed Gu Li and Tang Ru as our brothers in word."
At these words, Ye Feng froze in place.
Taking in the scene before him, he murmured in a voice tangled with emotion, "Could it be... you never held a formal ceremony to swear brotherhood before this?"
Cao Yan grinned and looked toward Ye Feng, speaking softly. "Big Brother said there was no ceremony back then because you weren't here!"
Ye Feng looked up at Li Guanqi, his throat tightening until he choked up slightly.
The last time he had spoken to Gu Li about this, he had assumed they had already sworn their oaths long ago.
It was only because he hadn't been present that he had told Gu Li they would swear brotherhood once they found the time.
Staring intently at Li Guanqi, Ye Feng murmured silently to himself,
*So... Big Brother has been waiting for me all along.*
Seeing Ye Feng like this, Li Guanqi punched him lightly on the shoulder and teased, "A grown man tearing up at the drop of a hat—where's your dignity?"
Ye Feng pressed his lips together and wiped the corner of his eye.
"I thought... you had all sworn brotherhood already, and I'd just have to join in after the fact..."
The others watched with beaming smiles as Ye Feng displayed such a sentimental side.
Looking at him, Li Guanqi said gently, "How could we?
"For something like this, it had to wait until you returned so we could all do it together!"
Ye Feng closed his eyes and drew a deep breath, his heart surging with the overwhelming warmth of their brotherhood.
It turned out...
Every single one of them had firmly believed he would return!
Through their time together, Ye Feng had also come to accept Tang Ru and Gu Li from the bottom of his heart.
In that case...
The group rose to their feet. A jar of wine was placed before them.
Li Guanqi took a deep breath, stepped forward, and lit the sandalwood incense.
Behind him stood Ye Feng, Cao Yan, and the others, lined up in order of their seniority among the sworn brothers.
Their expressions were solemn. Li Guanqi turned his resolute gaze across each of their faces and began to speak.
His voice was resonant and profoundly moving.
"Brothers, today the six of us gather in the White Jade Tower.
"Though we were not born of the same father and mother, we have stood shoulder to shoulder to overcome countless tribulations and braved life and death together!
"I, Li Guanqi, stand as your eldest brother not because of my age, nor because of my strength.
"It is because of how deeply I cherish and uphold this rare brotherhood, and because I bear the responsibility of an eldest brother!"
Excitement burned in the eyes of everyone looking at Li Guanqi. Not one spoke; they simply fixed their gazes upon him.
Li Guanqi's own chest swelled with emotion. Pausing briefly, he drew a deep breath to steady himself.
"I, Li Guanqi, hereby swear an oath! In wealth or poverty, in triumph or adversity, I will fight alongside you to defend our vows and our honor!
"I, Li Guanqi, from this day forth, willingly become sworn brothers with you all!"
"I, Ye Feng!"
"Third Brother, Cao Yan!"
"Fourth Brother, Xiao Chen!"
"Fifth Brother, Tang Ru!"
"Sixth Brother, Gu Li!"
"We swear to share life and death, support each other through hardship, never abandon one another, and share every honor and disgrace!"
Burning incense to revere the heavens, they knelt upon their meditation cushions and spoke their solemn oaths in ringing voices.
Each of them sliced a fingertip, letting drops of blood fall into the wine.
In the bowl, their blood mingled into one. Raising the blood wine, they drained it in a single draught!
As their gazes met, an inexplicable sensation took hold—as though their very hearts were knit together as one!
In that instant, the skies above the first floor of the Immortal Spirit Realm were bathed in radiant, multicolored clouds.
The earth veins trembled, and golden lotuses blossomed from the floor beneath their feet in the White Jade Tower!
Staring at the unfolding heavenly phenomena, everyone was struck with profound shock.
The sword spirit's slightly astonished voice echoed softly beside Li Guanqi's ear.
"The six of you hold no stray thoughts, no selfish desires, and no worldly demands.
"The shaking of the earth veins and the blossoming of golden lotuses... such phenomena mean that the purity of your brotherhood has earned the acknowledgment of Heaven and Earth! Truly a rare marvel..."
Chapter 1223