In the battle that followed, Li Congxin felt an unprecedented sense of pressure.
This pressure differed from that of high-realm powerhouses—that insurmountable chasm between cultivation realms.
Instead, the pressure Li Guanqi exerted on him was an all-around crushing defeat in every single aspect!
Whether it was sword arts, reaction time, combat awareness, or tactical battlefield planning...
For the first time, he directly felt the vast gulf between himself and a peak powerhouse.
Without a doubt, Li Congxin lost, and he lost utterly.
Yet at the same time, Li Congxin noticed something else.
It seemed this battle was not meant as a scolding from Li Guanqi, nor simply to demonstrate how massive the disparity in their strength was.
Rather... there was something subtle and inexplicable beneath it.
Li Congxin stood where he was, panting heavily.
From Li Guanqi, he felt an unprecedented heart and will of the strong!
Looking at Li Guanqi's calm expression, he asked in a low voice, "Is this your true sword intent?"
Li Guanqi looked at Li Congxin and said slowly, "There is nothing wrong with being carefree... But only when you reach my realm and level will you truly understand. True freedom, absolute detachment—above all else, it requires strength. Only when your strength is enough to break free from mundane shackles can you truly take control of your own destiny. Only then will you have the right to face any powerhouse while keeping a carefree, unburdened heart. Everything—every last bit of it—requires strength!"
A dazed, vacant expression settled across Li Congxin's eyes as he muttered under his breath, "Could it be... that I was wrong?"
Li Guanqi shook his head with a smile. Looking at him as if looking at his own younger brother, he spoke gently, "You are not wrong. It is just that you cannot carry carefree detachment to an extreme. Letting nothing matter to you is not being carefree; it is squandering your life."
Yet Li Congxin muttered softly, "But... sometimes life is meant to be squandered..."
Li Guanqi did not refute this, because in his eyes, some time was indeed meant to be spent in idle wanderings. Without such squandered hours, how could one truly experience life?
Li Guanqi said softly, "I do not need you to become like me. You are you; there is no need to walk my path. But I want you to understand that in the future... if your path comes from a sincere desire for true freedom, it must be backed by formidable strength! Only strength gives you the confidence and capital to pursue a carefree life!"
Li Congxin nodded with partial comprehension, finding sense in Li Guanqi's words.
Li Guanqi's heart sought the peak of the Great Dao, to become a supreme powerhouse among the very pinnacle of the path to immortality. Was such a heart of the strong not also a pursuit of the freedom within his soul?
Li Guanqi was in no rush to force deep comprehension upon him right away. Instead, he began patiently instructing Li Congxin—whether in the path of the sword, the realm of sword intent, or even the origin of lightning.
The spirit comprehension of origins, which Li Congxin normally would not contemplate until the Body Integration Realm, was brought forward ahead of time by Li Guanqi.
Moreover, Li Guanqi let Li Congxin experience firsthand what peak Sword Soul realm sword intent truly felt like. He even generously displayed the sliver of Sword Po realm sword intent he had recently touched.
Over the next few days, the crowd departed one after another. This reunion had deepened all their bonds. Only Li Guanqi remained, continuously guiding Li Congxin.
Li Congxin's strength progressed by leaps and bounds in just a few short days.
Until seven days later, Li Congxin sat cross-legged within the thunder pool, sensing the shifting currents of lightning.
The primal energy around him surged violently, his aura rising and falling in clear signs of an impending breakthrough.
Seated atop the mountain peak sipping wine, Li Guanqi looked at the young man shrouded in the dense mist of spiritual energy at the center of the thunder pool, a faint smile curling on his lips. It had to be said that Li Congxin's talent was equally monstrous, and over the years, he had encountered many miraculous fortunes of his own.
Moments later, clouds churned across the horizon as thunder roared.
Li Congxin swiftly absorbed the thick spiritual mist condensed from shattered spirit stones around him.
Suddenly!
A powerful pressure erupted instantly as shockwaves of lightning rippled outward in all directions.
Yet the shockwave dissolved into nothingness a hundred zhang before Li Guanqi.
With a smile on his face, Li Guanqi murmured softly, "Late Void Refining Realm. Not bad."
Li Congxin floated in midair, his white hair dancing wildly in the wind and his red robe snapping loudly. Lightning coiled around him, his affinity with the power of lightning visibly deepened.
This time, Li Guanqi had essentially paved Li Congxin's entire path leading up to the Mahayana realm.
Li Congxin opened his eyes and grinned at Li Guanqi on the nearby mountain peak. Slowly refining and steadying his aura, he arrived beside Li Guanqi with bright eyes and scratched his head. "Brother, thanks."
Li Guanqi stood up, cuffed him over the head, and scolded with a laugh, "Thanks my ass. Do you see it clearly now?"
At those words, Li Congxin's eyes flashed with sharp brilliance, and he answered in a deep voice, "The path—I see it clearly!"
Li Guanqi breathed a sigh of relief and nodded with a smile. "Good, as long as you see it clearly..."
Hearing that, Li Congxin chuckled, then looked at Li Guanqi and asked softly, "Brother, are you leaving?"
Li Guanqi nodded and said gently, "Yeah, I'm off. I came this time specifically to find you."
Noticing Li Congxin's slightly subdued mood, Li Guanqi slung an arm around his shoulder and smiled. "Don't overthink it. I'll be waiting for you in the Seventh Domain! Get there soon!"
Li Congxin's eyes flickered. Looking into Li Guanqi's pure white eyes, his heart stirred deeply. The Li Guanqi of the past had never seen light, yet he had reserved all of his gentleness for him. Li Congxin did not know why, but a sudden sting rose in his nose.
Li Guanqi was a little surprised, not knowing what had brought on such a wave of emotion. Even so, he merely patted Li Congxin on the shoulder and said nothing more.
"Alright, I'm off."
"Yeah... I'll come find you soon!"
"Haha, good!"
With those words, Li Guanqi took a single step that spanned ten thousand zhang.
Yet Li Congxin stood on the mountain peak, watching his retreating silhouette for a long time without moving.
At that moment, Li Congxin's transmission jade slip flashed frantically, but he ignored it. To his surprise, members of the Ling family had somehow tracked him down.
He did not bother with them; right now, he had far too much to do. After a moment's thought, Li Congxin headed straight for Bishui Hall. At this moment, he urgently needed a secure place for secluded cultivation. The guidance Li Guanqi had given him over the past few days was nothing short of a tremendous legacy of fortune!
Lu Yong set down the jade slip and immediately began arranging a secluded cultivation chamber brimming with spiritual energy in the hall for Li Congxin.
As for himself, holding the inscribed talisman Li Guanqi had given him, his heart surged with boundless excitement. Because this talisman was the key to his breakthrough to the Mahayana realm!
Had it not been for his bond with Li Congxin, an inscribed talisman that Li Guanqi tossed out so casually would have been something he could never afford, even if he bankrupted his entire household...
Chapter 1272