After agreeing to the matter, Li Guanqi spoke frankly.
"Seniors, I may be leaving the Seven Domains for a period of time. When the time comes, I'll have those brothers of mine visit you often."
Yu Shan nodded slightly. "That kid Tang Ru really ought to come see me."
His expression turned somewhat solemn. "Actually, the cultivation technique I passed on to Gu Li was something I had always intended for Tang Ru. Because of the nature of the Dao arts we cultivate... that is why I left behind so many avatars!"
Li Guanqi's brow furrowed, his expression grave.
Back when the senior from the Pill King Pagoda had treated Tang Ru's injuries, he had mentioned this very issue.
Tang Ru's cultivation technique still had flaws. Once his essence was depleted in battle, it would eventually begin to drain his lifespan. For now, he had not been cultivating for very long, nor had he undergone too many battles, so he could still bear the cost. But what about after he ascended to the Immortal Realm in the future?
Li Guanqi asked in a deep voice, "Can avatars fundamentally solve the problem?"
Li Guanqi and Gu Li had previously held private, secret discussions regarding avatar techniques. In Gu Li's view, he did not hold avatar techniques in very high regard either. Simply put, what was divided into those avatars was still the soul origin and essence of the original body. Using avatars as scapegoats to absorb the lifespan drain could never solve the problem at its root.
Sure enough, beneath the puzzled gazes of the onlookers, Yu Shan fell silent.
His face grew somewhat grim. Li Guanqi had hit the nail right on the head. Yet the reality was that he could only do his best to mitigate it, or reduce his own damage to the bare minimum; he could not eliminate it entirely.
In the end, Li Guanqi exchanged some insights on cultivation with Long Hou and the others before leaving the Fourth Domain.
Upon returning to the White Jade Tower, Li Guanqi discovered that not a single soul was inside. Closing his eyes, he concentrated and sent out a pulse of divine sense, then turned his gaze toward the Mortal Sojourner tavern. His mouth twitched. With a flash of lightning beneath his feet, he vanished on the spot.
*Buzz!*
"Eldest Brother is back? Come, have a drink!"
"Heh heh, Eldest Brother."
Everyone chimed in over one another, mostly asking what he had been up to.
The fivefold temporal acceleration formation of the Time Pagoda had drawn almost all the cultivators of the Seventh Domain. In the entire Mortal Sojourner tavern, Li Guanqi's circle of brothers were likely the only ones who didn't care about a fivefold time flow. After all, the time flow difference inside the Nirvana Pagoda was fifteenfold!
Li Guanqi smiled as he took the wine and chatted with everyone for a while. Eventually, he cast a concerned glance toward Cao Yan and Xiao Chen, who had remained quiet the entire time.
The two sitting across from Li Guanqi looked as though their muteness acupoints had been struck.
Looking at their wooden expressions, Li Guanqi couldn't help but chuckle. "Are you two lovesick or something? Third Brother is understandable, but Fourth Brother, why are you like this too?"
Xiao Chen pouted and couldn't resist saying, "I miss Qing'er."
As he spoke, Xiao Chen cast a resentful glance at Ye Feng, who was chatting and laughing with Li Qingchan.
Cao Yan, for his part, gave an indifferent shrug. "Women will only slow down the speed of my punches."
At that moment, Gu Li couldn't resist taking a jab at him. "Third Brother, cut the crap... You don't have a woman, so just admit it. No need to act all deep and brooding."
Cao Yan's mouth twitched. Glaring at Gu Li with an unfriendly look, he said with a forced smile, "Heh heh, Old Sixth... I see your skin's itching for a beating lately, isn't it?"
Under the pressure of Cao Yan's aura, Gu Li could only mutter under his breath, "If you're not convinced, let's take it outside."
Hearing this, Cao Yan instantly flared up and jumped to his feet, rolling up his sleeves and crooking his finger. "Come on, let's trade a few blows. Let's see what you've got!"
Gu Li didn't back down either. He stood up, rolled up his sleeves to reveal arms lined with arm rings, and laughed. "Bring it on! Whoever chickens out is a grandson!"
Li Guanqi, never one to pass up a good spectacle, raised a hand and conjured a massive lightning domain. "Go ahead. Once you're done, I'll see if our rankings need reshuffling."
Neither was willing to yield, and both plunged straight into the domain to trade blows.
Seeing this, Tang Ru took a sip of wine and laughed. "Boss, you really love watching the world burn. Why are you fanning the flames?"
Li Guanqi smiled. "They can't sit still anyway, so they might as well test each other's mettle. By the way, if you have nothing to do lately, you should go to the Fourth Domain and talk more with Senior Yu Shan."
Tang Ru was taken aback. He hadn't expected that Li Guanqi's discussions in the Fourth Domain had anything to do with him.
Li Guanqi's voice sounded in his ear. "It won't do for your cultivation technique to keep burning through your lifespan. Talk more with Senior Yu Shan and see how to minimize the harm. As for the rest, I'll try to find a way—and if not, we'll figure something out once we ascend."
Hearing Li Guanqi's caring words, Tang Ru felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
Li Guanqi continued, "By the way, I might be heading out soon. Is there anything you want me to pass along to Uncle Tang?"
Tang Ru scratched his head in mild embarrassment and gave a foolish grin. "Nothing much to tell my father. Just let him know I'm doing great here and he doesn't need to worry."
Tang Ru also knew that the ties between the Baibao Pavilion and the Guanyun Pavilion were extraordinarily close now. It was precisely because of his bond with Li Guanqi that the Baibao Pavilion was currently flourishing like the sun at high noon.
Seeing Li Qingchan gazing gently at Ye Feng, Li Guanqi felt somewhat relieved. Whenever Ye Feng looked back at Li Qingchan, his eyes were likewise filled with gentleness.
In the spacious Mortal Sojourner tavern, only the few of them were present. Li Guanqi sat quietly by the window, drinking wine, his thoughts already drifting far into the clouds.
This time, Xiao Chen had not asked to accompany Li Guanqi outside. Rather than insisting on seeing Ye Qing'er, he, Cao Yan, and the others were holding a fierce drive inside their hearts. All of them wanted to break through to the Tribulation Transcendence realm as soon as possible. After all, both Li Guanqi and Meng Wanshu had already reached the Tribulation Transcendence realm, and they didn't want to fall too far behind.
Ye Feng was now only a single step away, while Cao Yan, Xiao Chen, and Gu Li still had quite a ways to go. That was also why Cao Yan and Gu Li were eager to fight; only through sparring could they make faster progress. Just like when Li Guanqi had challenged the Eight Generals back then, their strength would surge rapidly through combat.
Li Guanqi rested one foot on the bench. Such a posture was somewhat uncharacteristic of his usual mature and steady demeanor, yet at this moment, it brought him immense peace of mind. Having his thigh pressed against his chest gave him a subtle sense of security.
His mind kept conjuring scenarios of what it would be like when he returned to Beiliang City. The more he thought, the more restless he became. Tilting his head back, Li Guanqi drained the wine in the jar in a single draught!
Both Ye Feng and Tang Ru noticed that something was off with Li Guanqi's mood.
Setting down the wine jar, Li Guanqi stood up and sighed. He then looked at Ye Feng and said softly, "I'll leave the Nirvana Pagoda in the White Jade Tower. During this time, you can go to the Fourth Domain to spar with Senior Long Hou and the others. When it comes to advancing your realm, just let nature take its course. Don't put too much pressure on yourselves. I... need to go out and handle a few things. I'll return as soon as I'm done."
Ye Feng rose, looked at Li Guanqi, and asked softly, "Do you need me to go back with you?"
Li Guanqi shook his head, gazing gently at them. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Sometimes... there are things a man has to face on his own."
Chapter 1375