Can You Take a Beating?

The tremendous crash resonated across the entire Castellan Manor, drawing many experts flying through the air. From within the billowing dust, a slender young man dressed in opulent robes stepped out at an unhurried pace. He had fair skin and sharply defined features, with a faint air of demonic charm between his brows—wickedly alluring, yet without a shred of effeminacy. In his hand he held a cyan-edged sword, and five ancient rings adorned the fingers of his right hand. Li Guanqi frowned slightly. This fellow was... Lin Wujiu. The very man seated inside that magnificent carriage when Li Guanqi had first entered the city. Lin Wujiu cast an indifferent glance at Li Guanqi, though a glint of surprise flitted across the depths of his eyes. *Who is this fellow? To think he actually parried that strike of mine?* In contrast to Lin Wujiu's calm detachment, Li Guanqi was inwardly shaken. The other man had merely been practicing his swordplay, his immortal primal energy held in reserve, yet he commanded such terrifying power! Moreover, Li Guanqi keenly sensed an immensely powerful Po realm sword intent radiating from him. The faint aura of razor sharpness lingering around the youth was the mark of a born sword embryo. *What a monstrous fellow...* Judging by his bone age, Lin Wujiu was under fifty! Which meant... The young man before him was likely of an actual age comparable to his own. "Young Master Lin! Young Master Lin!" Qian Ronghe came speeding through the air, shouting in haste. Moments later, the old man landed between the two. At a glance, he saw the shattered earth, the violent sword gouges, and Li Guanqi's bleeding palm. He was terrified that Li Guanqi might strike back right then and there. After all, this ascended cultivator had slain Zhao He the moment he arrived; in the lower realm, he must have been far from someone to be trifled with. Qian Ronghe dreaded any friction arising between the two. "Young Master Lin, this gentleman is Lord Castellan's guest." Lin Wujiu gave a slight nod, then turned his calm gaze to Li Guanqi and inclined his head in a quiet gesture of apology. Li Guanqi was somewhat surprised. He had assumed someone so haughty would not display the slightest contrition. "I did not know someone was staying in the adjacent courtyard," Lin Wujiu said. "And... you concealed your aura very well." Li Guanqi put Red Lotus away, stopped the bleeding, and said nothing more. Lin Wujiu raised a hand and tossed over a bottle of pills. "For you." Li Guanqi shrugged and accepted it without hesitation. When someone was wealthy and generous, he certainly wasn't going to turn it down. Seeing that no conflict had erupted between them, Qian Ronghe also breathed a sigh of relief. Just as Li Guanqi was examining the bottle in his hand, Lin Wujiu suddenly turned back to him. "Would you care to spar with me?" Li Guanqi refused without a second thought. "No. I can't beat you." The corner of Lin Wujiu's mouth twitched. He had recently gained some insights and merely wanted someone to spar with. To think this fellow would outright say he couldn't beat him. Did he actually expect to be able to beat him? Looking at Li Guanqi happily stowing the pills away, Lin Wujiu's lips curved slightly. "Accompany me for a day, and I'll give you another bottle of those pills." Li Guanqi's eyes brightened, and he muttered inwardly, *There's such a good deal?* Considering it, Lin Chuanqing's round trip would take at least seven days, during which he had nothing else to do. Furthermore, the fellow before him was genuinely formidable! In both strength and talent, he was an absolute first-rate sword cultivator! Li Guanqi also wished to exchange moves with someone like that. Even if he couldn't win right now, he could learn a great deal. After a brief silence, Li Guanqi nodded and replied, "I can. But you have to add more." At the side, Qian Ronghe was left entirely speechless. Lin Wujiu's smile deepened, a teasing glint in his eyes. "Though my family is well-off, these Xuanyuan Pills are not something I hand out carelessly. What gives you the right to ask for more?" Li Guanqi smiled faintly. With a flick of his hand, his longsword appeared in his grasp. *Boom! Boom! Boom!* A terrifyingly immense sword intent shot straight into the clouds, churning the wind and skies! In an instant, gale-force winds erupted around them, and sword qi crisscrossed in all directions. Li Guanqi's eyes shone like lightning. Watching Lin Wujiu, whose own sword intent was surging automatically in response, he asked softly, "Is that enough?" Lin Wujiu's eyes shone bright as the full moon, fixing intently on Li Guanqi. His voice trembled with excitement. "More it is! Three bottles! Three bottles a day!" With that, Lin Wujiu raised a hand and tossed out a dark-gold treasure palace. Holding his sword, he bowed and declared solemnly, "Lin Wujiu." Li Guanqi reversed his grip on his sword and replied softly, "Ascended cultivator, Li Congxin." Without another word, both flashed simultaneously into the treasure palace. The surrounding onlookers exchanged bewildered glances. Soon, many crowded around Qian Ronghe to inquire about Li Guanqi's identity. "Elder Qian! Where... where did you find such a monstrous sword cultivator?" "Indeed! Sword Po realm sword intent, and he doesn't look like a novice to it either!" "An ascended cultivator? He ascended from below? Judging by his aura, he doesn't look like a newcomer at all!" Several cultivators surrounded Qian Ronghe, but the old man could only shake his head with a bitter smile. Never mind them—even he did not know Li Guanqi's true background. He had only felt the aura Li Guanqi unleashed in the private room of Linlang Pavilion. Back then, Li Guanqi had displayed his strength to keep the old man from acting rashly. That very moment had shown him that Li Guanqi's power was not to be underestimated. Yet... this was Sword Po realm sword intent! Many sword cultivators never even had the right to touch the Sword Soul realm! Many remained stalled at the Sword Gall Realm or Sword Heart Realm. The hardships of condensing one's own sword will were something perhaps only sword cultivators truly understood. In just one short month, he had broken through to Mystic Immortal and was already touching the shackles of the second layer of Mystic Immortal. Qian Ronghe suddenly felt that he had still underestimated the youth... Inside the dharma artifact palace, Li Guanqi and Lin Wujiu stood atop a massive Dao platform, separated by less than thirty feet. Lin Wujiu looked at Li Guanqi with keen interest. "Did you truly ascend only recently?" Li Guanqi nodded. That was hardly a secret to him. Lin Wujiu asked, "How long has it been since you ascended?" Li Guanqi tilted his head and calculated briefly. "...Probably around twenty days?" The young man's pupils constricted abruptly. His eyes narrowed as he appraised Li Guanqi up and down. "You're saying... you ascended less than a month ago, broke through to Mystic Immortal, and are already on the verge of the second layer of Mystic Immortal?" Li Guanqi frowned slightly. "Is there a problem?" Lin Wujiu swallowed hard, losing his composure for the first time. He looked at Li Guanqi as though looking at a monster. "A problem? Of course there's a problem..." "A breakthrough speed like that—even across the entirety of Fuyu Land—would have to be called monstrous." Yet Lin Wujiu did not dwell on it. There were still unresolved aspects in the sword mantra and mental cultivation method he was currently practicing. *Clang!*── Flicking his wrist into a flourish of sword flowers, he said softly, "Then... please enlighten me!" As the words fell, Lin Wujiu suppressed his cultivation realm down to the first layer of Mystic Immortal. Li Guanqi started slightly. Sensing the other man's aura falling steadily, a sharp gleam flashed in his eyes. *Lowering his own cultivation?* Li Guanqi rubbed his nose, gripped his sword, and looked at Lin Wujiu, asking softly, "Um... can you take a beating?" Lin Wujiu froze. "Huh? What do you mean, can I take a beating?"