Li Guanqi Grows Ever Stronger!

Within Yuxu City. Inside a quiet, elegant courtyard, a loud boom suddenly erupted. A disheveled figure clad in white hurriedly dashed out from the small yard, covered in soot. *Knock, knock, knock!* "Enter." The moment Qi Mobai saw Lin Chuanqing, the first words out of his mouth were, "I need Purple Spirit Blood Ginseng!" Seeing Qi Mobai’s singed hair and dirt-streaked face, Lin Chuanqing frowned. Then, a sudden realization struck him! He sprang to his feet, eyes gleaming. "He isn't dead?" Qi Mobai gave no direct answer, only repeating himself. "City Lord, I need Purple Spirit Blood Ginseng!" Lin Chuanqing’s eyes flickered. He paced slowly across the room and said in a low voice, "Calm down first... Let me think..." After a long pause, Lin Chuanqing spoke gravely. "I'll find a way to get it for you, but we must tread very carefully right now. We cannot leave behind any clues!" At that, Qi Mobai raised his sleeve to wipe his face, looking at the man with an expression full of hope. Lin Chuanqing sat back down in his chair, closed his eyes, and lightly tapped his fingers on the desk. "Little Li caused such a massive uproar with the Tianhua Sword Sect that they're bound to plant countless informants throughout the city. "The number of cultivators entering the city lately has grown noticeably, and there are even Heavenly Immortals among them." Lin Chuanqing's eyes gleamed as he looked at Qi Mobai and said softly, "You still cannot stop your regular alchemy work... I'll arrange for someone to deliver what you need inside." With a clatter, Qi Mobai produced a large pile of jade bottles. "I... I have pills... "These... these are all batches I held onto earlier. "Any pill deliveries that need to pass through other hands during this time can be filled with these! "Can I... can I dedicate all my time lately to concocting pills for him?" Lin Chuanqing couldn't help but chuckle. Pointing at Qi Mobai, he smiled. "You... there really is no talking sense into you. "Why do you throw yourself so completely into anything concerning him? "Fine, keep those pills. Use them for the batches meant to pass through other hands. "As for the Purple Spirit Blood Ginseng and other ingredients, I'll have someone secretly bring them to you." A bright smile broke across Qi Mobai's face, and he bowed repeatedly in gratitude. Just as he was about to turn and leave, Lin Chuanqing called out, "Mobai." "Hmm? Does the City Lord have something else to say?" "You... had best prepare yourself. Six months from now, the Pill Hall of Qingxuan Province will be recruiting. "I've already handled the connections for you. As for the outcome, that will depend on your own fortune and skill." Lin Chuanqing's gaze was sincere. Arranging this had cost him a considerable price. Qi Mobai’s expression turned solemn. He bowed deeply with hands clasped, keeping his waist bent as he said in a resonant voice, "Mobai will never forget this kindness as long as he lives!" "Very well. You may go." Once Qi Mobai left, Lin Chuanqing massaged the space between his brows. He picked up a jade slip and spoke into it. "Have Shadow deliver some items for me. Avoid the Tianhua Sword Sect's informants in the city. I'll send you the list shortly." Setting down the jade slip, Lin Chuanqing stood up, walked over to the window with his hands behind his back, and gazed into the distance. "The winds and clouds of Qinzhou are about to be thrown into chaos by you alone, it seems. "So you truly haven't given up your feud with the Tianhua Sword Sect? "Heh, it's been a long time since Qinzhou was this lively." *** Deep in a desolate mountain range, Li Guanqi waited quietly for several breaths, then suddenly drew his sword and slashed behind him! *Swish!* A dark shadow flashed and halted ten paces away, remaining motionless. The deep, low voice of a middle-aged man sounded slowly. "Impressive perception. "These are the items City Lord Lin instructed me to deliver." A storage ring came flying toward him. Inside lay ten full bottles of Xuanyuan Pills and ten bottles of Blood Ginseng Pills! Li Guanqi was taken aback. It had only been seven days. Had Qi Mobai been refining pills without resting day or night? Li Guanqi cupped his hands in a respectful salute. The man before him was a Heavenly Immortal, yet he had come all this way merely to deliver pills. With a flick of his wrist, Li Guanqi handed over another storage ring, which contained a full six hundred thousand immortal crystals! Its value far surpassed that of the pills. The man was clearly startled. Li Guanqi said solemnly, "Senior, please accept these immortal crystals. It was already far from easy for Senior Lin to permit Mobai to assist me at such a time... "I cannot allow Senior Lin to suffer a loss." The man in black hesitated for a moment before stowing the storage ring away. He murmured, "Fifth realm of Mystic Immortal... The speed of your cultivation progress is terrifying. Pay heed to your foundation." Li Guanqi smiled and nodded. When it came to solidifying his foundation, he cared more than anyone. With Shiwu by his side, he didn't need to worry about any side effects from consuming pills. The man turned around and said in a grave voice, "Kid, you've drawn a great deal of attention to yourself now. "Both inside and outside the Lin family, many view you quite favorably. "Speaking for myself... I would love to see just how thoroughly you can shake up Qinzhou!" Then, the man's tone shifted, turning heavy. "However... Lin Chuanqing will not be able to intervene in your conflict with the Tianhua Sword Sect hereafter. "This was the final time. "The Lin family will not make an enemy of the Tianhua Sword Sect on your account. I hope you understand." Li Guanqi cupped his hands and nodded. "I understand. Senior, please pass along my regards to Wujiu. Tell him there is no need to worry, and not to consider getting involved." Beneath the black robe, the man's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He nodded slightly, and his body dissolved into a patch of shadow, vanishing without a trace. Li Guanqi stowed the pills away and turned his gaze toward the towering mountain peaks barely visible on the horizon, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Tianhua Sword Sect... are you ready?" *** As night fell, a bloodcurdling scream shattered the stillness of the sky. "Aaaagh! H-heads!" Two bloody corpses hung from the entrance gate of the Tianhua Sword Sect, flanked by a dense cluster of severed heads nailed to the wall. Li Guanqi stood on a treetop thousands of paces away, bathed in the cool moonlight. His blood-red robe fluttered in the breeze. Beneath a ferocious ghost mask, his crimson eyes gleamed, and in his grip was a long sword encased in a bone sheath. *Whoosh!* Within the Tianhua Sword Sect, several terrifying auras suddenly erupted, shooting straight into the clouds! Enraged, Chen Tianhua radiated murderous intent. These relentless, repeated provocations were grinding the face of the Tianhua Sword Sect into the dirt and trampling it underfoot. Yet despite the blaze of torches and repeated searches by the sect's cultivators, they found nothing. In the dead of night, Chen Tianhua's furious roars and curses echoed across a radius of ten li. Li Guanqi, situated on a mountain peak more than ten li southeast of the Tianhua Sword Sect, curled his lips into a cold smile. "This game has only just begun. Don't go soft on me now." For days afterward, not a single disciple of the Tianhua Sword Sect dared to venture outside. Yet this could not be a permanent solution. The talisman masters within the sect were forced to draw inscribed talismans and place them on all the disciples. Only then did disciples begin venturing out in groups of three to five to carry out missions. Yet that very measure resulted in the loss of sixteen Tianhua Sword Sect disciples in a single day! Gritting his teeth until veins bulged on his forehead, Chen Tianhua smashed a table to splinters with his fists and roared, "Can none of you come up with a way to catch him?!" A white-browed elder hesitated for a moment before finally speaking. "Reporting to the Sect Master, that brat... we do not know what methods he is using, but we cannot trace a single clue. "Furthermore..." Seeing the elder hesitate, Chen Tianhua's fury flared anew. "Speak! What are you hesitating for?!" The elder's body trembled slightly before he dared to continue. "His strength seems to have risen once again. This time, an eighth-realm Mystic Immortal core disciple was also killed... "What's more, there wasn't the slightest sign of a prolonged struggle. His strikes were ruthless and swift, clearly indicating that his strength surpasses the eighth realm of Mystic Immortal."