The storm had come and gone quickly, yet the ripple effects it left in its wake lingered long after.
Once the crowd of disciples dispersed, nearly every single one of them immediately began memorizing the sect rules.
On the way back to Tianlei Peak, Li Nanting said softly, "Why did you feel that man had to die? Didn't quite a few disciples think his admission of guilt was very sincere? And given that old woman's circumstances, if things had been done as that disciple proposed, perhaps it might not have been a bad outcome after all."
Li Guanqi shook his head. Even before opening his mind's eye, he had known that many people in this world could never withstand the test of human nature. Back in his early childhood, he had already seen human ugliness in all its forms.
Li Guanqi voiced his thoughts on the matter.
His tone was utterly calm. "To that disciple who transgressed, he never truly felt he was in the wrong. He believed that as a disciple of an immortal sect, his status was noble. In his eyes, fancying a mortal woman at the foot of the mountain was her marrying above her station. Besides, he even left behind a hundred taels of silver. To mortals beneath the mountain, that much silver was enough to live comfortably for the rest of their days. That is why I say he never felt he had done anything wrong."
Li Nanting's interest was piqued at once by the boy's words. He said softly, "Go on."
The youth hesitated for a moment before continuing, "To that girl at the foot of the mountain, she was unwilling, and in her eyes, that disciple of the Great Xia Sword Sect was no different from a vicious mountain bandit. Her wedding was right around the corner, yet she was stripped of her chastity. In her heart, that disciple was pure evil. As for the girl's grandmother, when faced with the enemy who drove her granddaughter to her death, she naturally would never accept having him serve her hand and foot. Furthermore, given that disciple's character, if he were spared today, he would inevitably seek revenge down the mountain and silence her forever!"
A sharp glint flashed in Li Nanting's eyes, and he said in a deep voice, "Indeed! If he had been let go today, that old woman likely would not have survived for long. Even if a spiritual curse were implanted in the disciple's heart to keep him from committing evil and force him to work for the old woman like a beast of burden, the old woman would hardly find any peace or joy seeing her enemy every single day."
Li Guanqi continued, "That is why I said this man had to die! The reason is simple: to make an example of him! The sect rules and ethos of the Great Xia Sword Sect cannot be compromised, and this serves as a wake-up call to everyone. In particular, having Tianjin Peak's Lord severely punished for it strikes even greater awe and dread into all the disciples."
Hearing the youth's words, Li Nanting smiled with deep gratification.
It seemed his closed-door disciple did not possess merely monstrous talent. His mind was as fine and perceptive as a strand of silk; he analyzed this matter not purely through subjective judgment, but took into account the perspectives and viewpoints of everyone involved.
From their conversation yesterday, Li Nanting had also learned a bit about the youth's childhood. Thus, the old man felt an immense ache in his heart for this closed-door disciple of his. The boy was far too sensible. Yet that very maturity only made his heart ache for him even more. For the more sensible a child was, the more suffering they had endured.
Li Nanting rested his hand on the boy's wrist and exclaimed in astonishment, "Your first layer of Qi Refinement has already stabilized to such a degree?"
Li Guanqi scratched his head and said sheepishly, "Master, I was just about to ask you about that. Why is the vortex in my dantian only the size of a thumb?"
For a moment, Li Nanting did not know what to say.
When an ordinary person broke through to the first layer of Qi Refinement, they had merely succeeded in drawing Qi into their body. Yet this boy—he had drawn Qi into his body only yesterday, and by today, the vortex core in his dantian had already stabilized. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before he completely filled the sea of Qi in his dantian and broke through to the second layer of Qi Refinement.
Li Nanting took a deep breath and said softly, "That is the foundation of your dantian! Don't look down on it just because it's only thumb-sized right now; this is the very foundation from which you begin cultivating the Dao. When you fill your current dantian with origin power, the size of your dantian will expand along with it. Your dantian... dan... What on earth is this?!"
This time, Li Nanting was genuinely stunned. Earlier, when examining the youth's dantian vortex, he hadn't noticed. What was the deal with a dantian the size of a water vat?!
Li Guanqi thought he had made a mistake in his cultivation and hurriedly asked, "Master, what's wrong? Did I do something wrong in my cultivation?"
Li Nanting took several deep breaths in succession before he could slightly calm his shock. Looking at Li Guanqi, he asked, "You don't feel any discomfort in your dantian, do you?"
Seeing the youth nod in confirmation, Li Nanting finally relaxed. Perhaps the boy's dantian was simply this massive from the moment he entered Qi Refinement. From the looks of it, not only was Li Guanqi's cultivation speed astoundingly fast, but the size of his dantian was also extraordinary compared to normal people.
Looking at Li Guanqi, the old man silently resolved in his heart that the cultivation resources his disciple would need in the future would surely be an astronomical figure. Even so, he would never let Li Guanqi worry over such troublesome matters!
A gentle smile appeared on the old man's face, and he said softly, "Nothing is wrong. In fact, it is wonderful! Now that you have successfully drawn Qi and refined your dantian core, the next thing you need to do is go to the Scripture Pavilion on Tianzhu Peak to pick a cultivation method suited to you. Only once you have a cultivation method can you actively absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, as well as the even purer spiritual energy within spirit stones. Only then can you convert the absorbed spiritual energy of heaven and earth into origin power you can use."
As the old and young walked up the mountain, the old man explained to the boy many things to keep in mind during cultivation, as well as the various changes that occur when cultivating to the second and third layers of Qi Refinement. With every breakthrough, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth cleansed the muscles and marrow, expelling some of the impurities from the cultivator's body.
Back in the courtyard, Li Guanqi tidied up briefly and prepared to head to Tianzhu Peak.
Tianzhu Peak was the tallest mountain within a ten-li radius of the Great Xia Sword Sect. Due to its unique shape—rising straight into the sky like a colossal dragon holding up the heavens, over five hundred zhang tall—it was hailed as the Heavenly Pillar.
Li Guanqi had learned some details about Tianzhu Peak from his jade slip. Many of the sect's vital establishments, such as the Artifact Hall, the Pill Pagoda, the Scripture Pavilion, and the Mission Pavilion, were located on Tianzhu Peak. However, these places were spread out from the foot of the mountain all the way to the summit. Making the round trip up and down this five-hundred-zhang mountain daily was enough in itself to temper one's physique. Still, once one broke through to Foundation Establishment, one could briefly fly on a sword, and then none of this would be an issue.
Walking on the path to Tianzhu Peak, Li Guanqi spent the whole way pondering the cultivation matters his master had explained. Before he knew it, he had arrived at the foot of Tianzhu Peak.
A sect disciple stopped Li Guanqi and said with a light smile, "Please present your identity jade slip."
Li Guanqi smiled slightly, handing over his identity jade slip. "Li Guanqi, disciple of Tianlei Peak. Thank you, Senior Brother."
The moment the words left his mouth, the disciple's gaze changed instantly. After confirming the identity jade slip, he spoke with utmost warmth: "Haha, so it's Junior Brother Li! You've certainly been the talk of the sect lately. Where are you headed?"
Li Guanqi was clearly unaccustomed to such sudden enthusiasm. Hurriedly returning the courtesy, he said, "Senior Brother, I need to go to the Scripture Pavilion. Which way should I go?"
"Haha, going to pick a cultivation method, are you? Methods suited for lightning spiritual roots are on the far south side of the first floor. You can search over there."
Li Guanqi voiced his thanks, and was just about to set off up the mountain when that disciple called out to him from behind, pointing to several platforms. "Since you're going to the Scripture Pavilion at the summit, why not take the teleportation array up?"
Li Guanqi was slightly startled, thinking to himself that there truly were quite a few novel things in the sect. Having never ridden a teleportation array, he was curious, so he didn't refuse and stepped onto the array bound for the Scripture Pavilion.
At that moment, the older senior brother smiled, held out his hand, and said, "Five sect contribution points. If you please, Junior Brother, bring out your jade slip to pay."
Li Guanqi's expression instantly soured. Stepping straight off the teleportation array, he said softly, "Thank you for your kindness, Senior Brother. I'll take this teleportation array when I have points to spare. Poverty stifles ambition, and I'm a hopeless penny-pincher to boot. I really can't afford these five points. Next time. Definitely next time."
With that, under the senior brother's wry, helpless gaze, the boy breezily departed.
Exerting a touch of force with his feet, he dashed toward the summit like the wind, carrying the five-hundred-jin sword coffin on his back.
At the summit, an old man reclining on a rocking chair took a sip of wine and chuckled with a beaming smile, "What an interesting little fellow, haha."
Chapter 23