Two people whose social standing differed by worlds sat together, drinking wine and chatting.
From Lin Wujiu, Li Guanqi learned a great deal about the Immortal Realm.
Here, the hierarchy created by disparities in cultivation had an immense influence on status and dignity. At the same time, the principle that might makes right was on full display. The law of the jungle was perhaps the most fitting description for the Immortal Realm.
As they talked, Lin Wujiu grew curious about where Li Guanqi came from. He knew of several lower Spirit Realms that were rich in resources, from which many powerful experts had ascended, because many of those Spirit Realms had ancestral patriarchs who had founded formidable factions in the Immortal Realm.
However...
The cultivators ascending from those Spirit Realms he knew would never appear in the Fuyu Lands. Most of the Spirit Realms that fed into the Fuyu Lands were impoverished in resources.
Yet no matter how he tried to pry for information, Li Guanqi seamlessly deflected the topic without leaving a trace. Lin Wujiu, on the other hand, was subtly probed by Li Guanqi for quite a bit of information without even realizing it.
Li Guanqi understood that the reason Lin Wujiu could treat him as an equal was not that Lin Wujiu was exceptionally approachable, but rather because of their previous spar. He had demonstrated strength and talent that forced the other to take him seriously.
Lin Wujiu drank his wine, eyeing Li Guanqi up and down with an unreadable gaze.
Li Guanqi rubbed his arms as if shivering in disgust. "Kid, don't look at me with that creepy gaze. You don't have some sort of peculiar hobby, do you?"
Lin Wujiu looked thoroughly shocked, his pupils trembling as he stared incredulously at Li Guanqi. Pointing a finger at his own nose, he exclaimed, "Me? A peculiar kink?"
Li Guanqi took a sip of wine, shrugged, and muttered, "You do look like a pretty boy, so it honestly fits. Why don't you pinch an orchid finger for me to see?"
Lin Wujiu argued furiously, "No one has ever said that about me!"
"Oh, that's just because they didn't dare."
Just as Lin Wujiu was about to retort further, Li Guanqi held his wine cup, his gaze settling on Lin Wujiu's right hand.
Five gilded ancient rings gave off a faint shimmer.
Li Guanqi's eyes flickered, and he spoke softly, "Just what are you suppressing inside your body that requires five interconnected ancient rings to seal it?"
Lin Wujiu's expression shifted, his gaze turning wary. "Who told you that?"
Li Guanqi shrugged. With a lift of his hand, five blood threads of Spirit Absolution lightly brushed against the ancient rings. In an instant, the five blood threads condensed together.
Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes and frowned slightly. He sensed an extraordinarily powerful force within!
*No wonder...*
*This power far exceeds what he can endure, so it must be sealed away.*
*However... is this his original power, or an external one?*
Questions filled Li Guanqi's mind.
Yet Lin Wujiu was thoroughly stunned. This was his greatest secret, yet Li Guanqi had figured it out with merely a brief perception.
Li Guanqi withdrew his power of Spirit Absolution and asked softly, "I heard you killed a seventh-tier Mystic Immortal cultivator before. To kill him, how many did you unseal?"
Lin Wujiu breathed a slight sigh of relief; what Li Guanqi had said just now had indeed come from his own senses. After remaining silent for a long moment, Lin Wujiu slowly raised two fingers.
"Two."
Li Guanqi curled his lip. "Tsk, good grief. Only two?"
Lin Wujiu shook his head with a bitter smile, a trace of helplessness appearing on his handsome face as he murmured, "Right now, I can only tap into the power of unsealing two ancient rings at most. Any more..."
Though Lin Wujiu did not finish his sentence, Li Guanqi could tell that with Lin Wujiu's current cultivation, unsealing even one more would likely lead to losing control.
The two did not delve deeper into the topic. Their relationship had not yet reached that level of closeness.
They reclined on the chairs in the courtyard, drinking wine. Lin Wujiu looked up at the night sky and suddenly said, "It feels like you have a lot on your mind?"
Li Guanqi smiled softly, warmth touching the corners of his eyes. "Thinking of my dearest friends."
Light flickered in Lin Wujiu's eyes as he asked with a smile, "Did they ascend with you?"
"Yeah."
"How strong are they? If their strength is too low, they'll likely be captured and forced to work as mine slaves. If they're lucky, perhaps some sect might take them in as disciples."
Lin Wujiu spoke candidly.
Hearing this, the corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curled up slightly.
"Them... they're all very strong! As for being mine slaves, not a single one of them would ever resign themselves to fate."
Lin Wujiu chuckled. "Not resign themselves to fate? Do you think they're all like you, fighting their way out of the Ascension Platform with raw brute force?"
Li Guanqi smiled faintly without arguing, continuing in a quiet voice, "It is precisely because none of us resigned ourselves to fate that we made it this far. If any of us had yielded along the way, we wouldn't have reached today."
Lin Wujiu looked at Li Guanqi intently and saw not the slightest hint of jest in his expression. He nodded solemnly in response and gave a light laugh. "I'd really love to see what kind of people they are."
Li Guanqi took a sip of wine, looked up at the bright moon in the firmament, and smiled. "One day, our names will resound across the entire Immortal Realm."
He turned to Lin Wujiu, whose face was blank with speechlessness.
"You don't believe me."
"I don't."
"Hahahahaha! Then just wait for that day!"
Lin Wujiu stood up and said, "Get some rest early. Do you want to keep sparring tomorrow?"
Li Guanqi glanced sideways at him. "Fine by me, but if you pull what you did today again, I definitely won't hold back."
Lin Wujiu smiled awkwardly.
Over the next few days, the two fought furiously inside the treasure hall.
*Boom!*
Li Guanqi sat cross-legged high in the sky above the Castellan Manor.
Clouds roiled ceaselessly, and dense celestial spiritual energy coalesced almost into solid form around Li Guanqi.
Drenched in blood, Lin Wujiu stood dazed not far away, staring at Li Guanqi sitting cross-legged midair as he muttered:
"Second-tier Mystic Immortal...
"I'm a genius... so what is he?
"Ascending to the Immortal Realm just one month ago, breaking through from the Ascension Realm to second-tier Mystic Immortal... he's skipped nearly a century of cultivation progress compared to anyone else."
Both of them had made tremendous progress over these past few days; Lin Wujiu already had some inkling of the eighth strike of his sword technique. But... compared to Li Guanqi, Li Guanqi's advancement was astonishingly rapid! Now, if the two were placed at the same cultivation level, Lin Wujiu could no longer suppress Li Guanqi.
Yet he could also tell that whether it was cultivation arts or movement techniques, Li Guanqi's skills were of extremely low grade. In fact, those limitations severely held back the display of Li Guanqi's true power. It was hard to imagine how terrifyingly strong Li Guanqi would become if he possessed cultivation arts and techniques that matched his talent.
*Rumble!*
Terrifying thunder-flame surged outward in all directions like crashing waves.
An incomparably formidable pressure erupted from within Li Guanqi.
Second-tier Mystic Immortal!
Chapter 1585