A rough plan for revamping the Hundred Champions Illusionary Realm began to take shape in Li Guanqi's mind.
Lately, not only he but also Ye Feng and the others had grown significantly stronger through constant challenges.
Combat remained forever the most effective path to advancement.
Dancing on the edge of a blade, walking between life and death—under such immense peril, the potential an individual could unleash was limitless.
Yet Meng Wanshu's words had served as a timely reminder.
He could not turn down the flood of challengers, but he also needed time for himself.
In that case...
Rebuilding the Hundred Champions Illusionary Realm might just be the solution.
Moreover, everyone could enter it.
Depending on their cultivation and combat prowess, various cultivators could serve as Heroic Spirit arena guardians.
They could even include Heroic Spirit fighters who wielded different types of weapons.
After pondering a moment, Li Guanqi rose to his feet.
"I'm going to discuss something with Grandfather."
Meng Wanshu nodded, then resumed bustling about to look after the wounded.
There was no helping it; four men were currently laid out behind the White Jade Tower alone.
Add Ye Feng and the rest to the mix, and it was truly a handful.
Returning to his study, Li Guanqi relayed his idea to Su Xuan.
"The Hundred Champions Illusionary Realm? Heh, isn't that the contraption she came up with?"
"Yes. Back when I was still at the Great Xia Sword Sect, it put me through no small amount of misery."
"Still, I don't know if this is feasible."
"After all, creating impressions of these Heroic Spirits will inevitably expose some of the cultivators' personal techniques and secrets."
Su Xuan's voice drifted slowly from the jade slip.
"You're overthinking it."
"The cultivators of the Seventh Domain... are far more selfless than you imagine."
Li Guanqi considered it; that was indeed true.
However, he did not know whether doing this would consume an enormous amount of resources...
Li Guanqi voiced his concerns.
After all, he did not have the time to constantly accept sparring requests from others.
Furthermore, opponents weaker than him offered him no benefit whatsoever.
Only those stronger than him could spur fresh enlightenment.
Su Xuan waved the thought aside, making the call on the spot.
"You don't need to fret over this. It'll be handled just like the Time Pagoda."
"Carving the core array will still require troubling her to do it in person."
"Leave the rest to us."
"Compared to the Time Pagoda, this Hundred Champions Illusionary Realm is far simpler."
"Later, I'll have the Artifact Pagoda forge it into a Dharma artifact. You'll just need to lend them the Devouring Void Sacred Flame's help."
Li Guanqi nodded slightly. A minor matter like that hardly mattered.
Then he chuckled slyly.
"In that case, could you have the Tiger King beat me black and blue for three days sometime soon?"
"Hahahahaha! If you're begging for a thrashing, that's no problem at all."
"Go find him up there tomorrow."
Li Guanqi set down the jade slip, breathing a quiet sigh of relief.
The Sword Spirit's cool voice drifted into his ear.
"Have any other bright ideas? Lay them all out at once."
Li Guanqi looked somewhat embarrassed; her tone dripped with impatience.
Curling his lip, he suddenly spoke up.
"Well... how about I head over to the Immortal Burial Pavilion and exchange for a few sentient immortal swords for you?"
The Sword Spirit paused, then replied in her usual aloof tone.
"That isn't entirely out of the question."
"Go on, then. If you have plenty of contribution points, remember to pick ones of higher quality."
Li Guanqi chuckled inwardly, then blurred out of sight toward the Immortal Burial Pavilion.
He did not even know how many points he had accumulated, but it was certainly a vast sum...
Even so, looking at the higher-grade immortal swords made him grimace at the cost.
In the end, he spent half his points to trade for three immortal swords of respectable caliber.
The sword coffin sprang open, instantly swallowing the three dazzling blades.
The Sword Spirit closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling faintly.
With a flick of her finger, she drew out the sword spirits dwelling within the blades.
Her lips parted slightly as she inhaled, drawing the three spirits into her mouth as wisps of flowing light.
A look of pure intoxication washed over her face, signaling utter delight.
A hazy glow rippled across her form, bringing a rosy flush to her cheeks.
Even her translucent figure seemed to grow somewhat more solid.
Having absorbed the spirits of the three swords, an air of languor settled over her.
Evidently, the spiritual energy contained in these immortal swords was formidable enough that she would need time to refine it.
"Very well. I will enter deep slumber for a few days. Call me when you need me to carve the array."
Li Guanqi acknowledged her words and shot off through the air, heading back toward the White Jade Tower.
It seemed this matter was well in hand.
Pausing to think, he produced a jade slip and spoke in a low voice.
"Father-in-law, there is something I'd like to mention to you in advance..."
Meng Jiangchu roused from his cultivation. Hearing Li Guanqi's explanation, he sprang to his feet.
"Are you serious?!"
"If this is true... then for the entire Seven Domains, it is a tremendous boon second only to the Time Pagoda!"
"No... I will forge this artifact myself! Be sure to let me control the Devouring Void Sacred Flame!"
Li Guanqi smiled and gave his consent.
When he returned to the White Jade Tower, he happened upon four heads leaning against the window sill, drinking wine together.
Li Guanqi looked at them and laughed.
"You bunch can't stay still even after waking up? Why wait around for me instead of tending to your injuries?"
Qin Wushang took a swig of wine and muttered, "You bastard hit so damn hard. Healing will take two or three days anyway—missing a bit of time now won't make a difference."
"Still... how come we haven't seen Old Second Ye and the rest?"
Li Guanqi shrugged, choosing not to explain too much.
The Time Pagoda's fivefold time dilation had already sent shockwaves through the Seven Domains.
If they learned that he possessed a Nirvana Pagoda with a fifteenfold time dilation, things would not be quite so simple.
For the fivefold Time Pagoda, people felt boundless gratitude.
Yet if the Nirvana Pagoda were exposed and he did not make it available to everyone, he would instantly become the villain.
He understood human nature all too well.
Thus, all he could do was reserve the very best for his brothers.
As for how much he could help the cultivators of the Seven Domains, that depended on his capacity.
He would not force himself to do what lay beyond his boundaries.
"They're recuperating inside a domain realm."
Ye Mohan gave Li Guanqi a knowing look, and the group tacitly dropped the subject without prying.
Between friends, a sense of boundaries was a good thing.
All of them handled that balance admirably.
Li Guanqi watched them, his eyes gleaming with unvoiced thoughts.
Qin Wushang and Xu Junlin were both fearless troublemakers who loved nothing more than pouring oil on a fire.
Ye Mohan had once been intensely aloof, disdaining contact with others.
Toward anyone who rubbed him the wrong way, he would never utter a single word.
Yet now... after enduring so much, he had softened somewhat.
Though he remained quiet, he clearly preferred keeping company with Qin Wushang and the others.
And then there was Zhou Shiyu—a stubborn mule who would not fart even if beaten three times with a stick—yet he surprisingly got along with this crowd.
In just a few short days, Zhou Shiyu's temperament had shifted noticeably.
He had previously drawn a circle around himself, trapping his world within his sect.
Little did he expect that stepping outside would finally reveal heaven and earth to him, allowing him to truly find himself.
Chapter 1457