Feiyun City, Yunding Auction House

Li Guanqi took a deep breath and cupped his fists to the group in salute. "Thank you all for your trust. "For all these years, handling affairs of every scale throughout the pavilion, you have worked hard. "That I could be such a comfortable, hands-off master is entirely thanks to you." Warmth rose in everyone's hearts at his words. After laboring hard for so many years, hearing Li Guanqi speak such words made it all worthwhile. Besides, Li Guanqi truly had been generous to them; whatever pavilion resources they asked for, he gave. Li Guanqi glanced at their cultivation realms, then parted his lips without letting out a sound. A moment later, Pengluo came trotting out of the void. It opened its palms, revealing two fingers for each person! Pengluo looked at Li Guanqi, somewhat puzzled. "Just two each? How about giving them a few more?" Li Guanqi patted its head and said exasperatedly, "You are a rank-nine spirit now. Rank nine! They are all in the Body Integration Realm... "If they eat too much, do you want to blow them to pieces?" With that, Li Guanqi kicked Pengluo in the backside. "Go, go, go—run off to Li Zixuan. I'll let you know when it's time to leave." Pengluo clutched its rear and scampered off. "Heh, alright, alright!" Li Guanqi pondered for a moment and decided to send Jiuxiao along with Pengluo as well. For now... once he finished handling Guanyun Pavilion's affairs, he intended to head back to Beiliang City alone. "Shiwu, head to Dan Peak and look for an old man named Sun Miao. "Leave an alchemy flame seed for the sect. No need to strain yourself; just something usable will do." Buzz! Clad in armor of blazing flames, Shiwu slowly manifested and bowed to Li Guanqi. Everyone was stunned by the sight of such a majestic flame spirit. Only after Shiwu departed did the three dare to breathe freely again. Ji Yuchuan pointed in that direction and could not resist asking in a low voice, "A heavenly flame? Which rank?" Li Guanqi offered a mysterious smile, leaned forward, and raised his index finger. The three sucked in a sharp breath at once! Ji Yuchuan sprang to his feet. "No way, you have to leave a flame seed pit for me too! I'll pay for the resources myself!" "Uh... Old Ji, the pavilion has nowhere to refine pills." "Bullshit! It can have one! It didn't before, but it can now!" With that, Ji Yuchuan pulled out a jade slip and barked, "Select a location rich in spiritual energy as fast as possible and construct a Pill Pagoda! Fast! Now! Immediately! Right away!" Li Guanqi's mouth twitched, but after thinking it over, he agreed. He pulled out Lu Kangnian's jade slip and explained Shiwu's mission, sending Lu Kangnian sprinting toward Dan Peak in sheer shock! After taking up his identity jade slip, Li Guanqi rose with a smile. "Two fingers each. Refine one over three months, and it should bring you to the half-step Mahayana Realm. "Save the other... for when you can't endure the heavenly tribulation." They nodded repeatedly, carefully placing the fingers into purple-gold jade boxes. This was an enormous fortune... Only Li Guanqi, with a completely devoted spirit like Pengluo, could ever pull off such a feat. *** On the winding trail leading to Tianzhu Peak, a youth in green robes walked with a large white radish perched on his head. The radish heaved a long sigh toward the heavens, crossing its arms over its chest with deep sentimentality. "Son, you have no idea how it was back then. Your... what should I even call him? I'm your dad, and he's my master... Dad-master? Master-dad? Dad... ah, forget it... That battle shook heaven and earth." Li Zixuan listened attentively, a smile lingering on his face. As they neared the mountain summit, he suddenly asked, "Dad, do you regret following him?" Pengluo leaped onto Li Zixuan's shoulder, eyes shining bright. "Regret? Regret what?" "Not a single bit... "He's even going to take me to storm the Immortal Realm and flatten the Seven Treasures Pavilion!" Pengluo narrowed its eyes, gaze brimmed with hatred! In its heart, it muttered, *Han Cizhi, just you wait... Your good days are almost over.* Li Zixuan smiled warmly. Seeing his silly grin, Pengluo pulled a stern face and smacked him on the head. "What are you smiling at? You'd better watch yourself, boy. "With backgrounds like ours, if people catch us, the outcome... is miserable beyond belief. "Don't take it lightly, hear me?" Li Zixuan nodded and said softly, "Yes, I understand. "Big Brother Li warned me as well that people's hearts are vicious, and one must never let kindness overflow blindly." Only then did Pengluo nod in satisfaction, saying with nostalgic emotion, "Don't blame me. It's my first time being a father too, so don't hold a grudge if I haven't shown you enough care." Li Zixuan stopped in his tracks and said with utter solemnity, "I have never held even half a grudge. "If not for Big Brother Li and you, Dad, I would have been beaten half to death and used as medicinal primer long ago. "The Li Zixuan of today is very content!" Pengluo chuckled, hauling out a bundle larger than itself from the void. With a shifty look, it shoved the bundle into his arms and sent a hushed voice transmission: "Hide it well. These are all dried radish slices Dad made for you. "Eat one when you have nothing to do, or have one if your cultivation falls behind." As it spoke, tears welled in Pengluo's eyes. With a trembling pout, it transmitted, "Dad feels like he won't be staying down here much longer. "Nothing can be done about it; who told him to break through so fast? "There's nothing else I can leave you, but leaving you more dried radish will at least push you to rank eight. "As for rank nine... you'll have to figure that out yourself." Li Zixuan was entirely stunned. He had never imagined Pengluo would stockpile so much for him! "Dad... isn't this... a bit unfilial?" Pengluo tilted its head and thought for a moment. "It's fine. Eat mine first... If you ascend to the Immortal Realm later on and reach a higher realm than me, I'll just eat some of yours. "We're father and son, who's counting? No problem." Li Zixuan's mouth twitched, yet he took it nonetheless. With an air of secrecy, Pengluo produced a jade bottle and thrust it into Li Zixuan's hands. "Inside here... is pure dragon blood!! "You have no idea how much effort your dad spent to get this dragon blood." Hiding in the shadows, Li Guanqi's cheek twitched. No wonder Jiuxiao had returned covered in wounds after several battles, yet not a single drop of blood could be seen. Li Guanqi chuckled softly, then shifted his form and departed Great Xia Sword Sect. *** Feiyun City, Yunding Auction House. This had once been Qianqiusui's auction house, and it was now the largest among all the auction houses of Guanyun Pavilion. When Li Guanqi arrived at Feiyun City, his brow furrowed slightly. At present, Feiyun City spanned far more than a hundred li across! Its scale was over twice the size of when he had last visited during his contest against Tianji Pavilion! Back then, Feiyun City had covered a mere twenty li. Now, its towering city walls stood nearly thirty zhang tall! Four city gates stood on each side—east, west, south, and north—sixteen in all. Nascent Soul realm cultivators guarded the gates, and the entrance toll was an astonishing five medium-grade spirit stones, with merchant caravans charged even more based on their cargo. Li Guanqi watched from outside the city for a long time, the fury in his chest flaring higher and higher! Qianqiusui had once stated that all of Feiyun City lay under Guanyun Pavilion's control. He refused to believe that behind such an exorbitant toll, Qianqiusui knew nothing!! Li Guanqi waved his hand, altering his appearance to mirror an operative of the Cloud Oversight Office. Shrouded in black robes, he vanished from where he stood!