Sword Dao Legacy

To tell the truth, the sword spirit genuinely admired Li Guanqi's temperament. When the time came to strike, he never hesitated or showed mercy, nor had he ever doubted whether she could neutralize the frost poison inside him. The sword spirit smiled and said, "You certainly don't hesitate when it comes to killing." Li Guanqi shrugged. "That woman was a Soul Formation Realm cultivator. If I'd been able to strike earlier, I would have. "Forget Soul Formation—even if she were only in the Nascent Soul realm, I wouldn't have had absolute confidence in taking her down." The sword spirit gave a faint smile and murmured, "Don't sell yourself short. With your current strength, killing an early Nascent Soul cultivator isn't that difficult." Li Guanqi said nothing. He knew that even if he could manage it, it would require every ounce of his strength. Just then, the sword spirit looked at him with an inscrutable expression. Before Li Guanqi could speak, a rare hint of solemnity crossed her proud face for the first time, and her gaze deepened considerably. Still speaking in her customary haughty tone, she said, "Li Guanqi, how about I teach you a sword strike?" Delight instantly flashed in Li Guanqi's eyes. He knew she was exceptionally powerful. While he didn't know the exact extent of her might, she was certainly far stronger than the corpse lying at his feet. Exactly how strong remained a mystery to him. Though he didn't want to come across as overly sycophantic, the offer was simply too tempting. "Ahem... Teach me? Of course!" Hearing this, the sword spirit broke into a faint smile. "I can teach you, but there is a prerequisite." Li Guanqi shrugged. He had known it wouldn't be that simple. With a flick of her hand, the sword spirit shot out a wisp of sword qi, severing the dead woman's finger and retrieving the azure storage ring. Just as Li Guanqi was wondering about the divine sense imprint bound to it, she flicked her finger again. A wisp of invisible sword qi wiped the imprint away clean! Li Guanqi's throat bobbed slightly, his admiration for her growing even deeper. Flipping his hand, he produced the twenty-odd storage bags he had collected earlier and grinned. "If you'd be so kind..." The sword spirit shot him a disdainful look, then lightly tapped the empty air with her jade-like finger, immediately wiping every imprint from the bags. While Li Guanqi gleefully inventoried his spoils, the sword spirit produced the jade slip that the deceased woman had fought so hard to seize. Her dark hair drifted down as she lowered her head, half-revealing her peerless visage, her brow furrowed in gravity. Looking up at the boy who was acting like a total miser, she couldn't help but sigh softly, uncertain whether her choice was the right one. "Li Guanqi, I want you to inherit the sword dao legacy within this jade slip!" "This is a trial I am setting for you." "You may choose to accept, or..." Before she could finish, Li Guanqi's calm voice cut in. "I accept." The sword spirit fixed him with an intense gaze, her foxy eyes narrowing slightly. "You might die." Li Guanqi offered a faint smile. "Everyone dies eventually. At least I get to choose how." A sharp gleam flared in the depths of the sword spirit's eyes! *Those words... sound so familiar...* Gradually, her gaze turned resolute. She placed the jade slip into Li Guanqi's hand and said softly, "The person who left this sword dao legacy behind was extraordinarily powerful. If you can endure it, you live. If you fail, your will will be completely lost, dissipating within the legacy." With that, the sword spirit rose slowly and continued, "The first sword strike I will teach you requires you to possess your own sword intent!" Li Guanqi gave a wry laugh, as though he had just heard something utterly absurd. "Sword intent? You'd be hard-pressed to find a single person who grasps that among ten thousand Nascent Soul sword cultivators, wouldn't you?" The sword spirit stood tall and slender, her posture straight as an arrow, that enigmatic haughtiness once again returning to her gaze. "If you can't even master a mere sword intent, you likely won't ever see my true form in this lifetime." Her words were harsh, yet the more she spoke like that, the more determined Li Guanqi became to master her! One had to admit that a casual remark from her proved far more effective than any goading. Li Guanqi took a deep breath, slowly opened his eyes, and said, "Bring it on!" The sword spirit smiled faintly at him and raised her hand, sending a beam of blood-red spiritual light into his body. Instantly, a warm current surged into Li Guanqi's dantian, almost immediately dissolving the frost poison within! He then guided the warmth throughout his body, gradually dispelling the frost from his arms. The injuries across his back healed much more slowly, but that did not hinder him from accepting this mysterious legacy. Li Guanqi casually stowed the corpse on the ground into a storage bag and slipped the unchecked azure storage ring onto his finger. Taking a deep breath, he raised the jade slip toward his glabella. Just then, the sword spirit's voice suddenly echoed in his mind. "Right, let that yellow-haired brat out." Li Guanqi looked puzzled and whispered, "Why bring him out? Wouldn't leaving him in the sword casket space be fine?" The sword spirit's beautiful eyes shifted slightly as she replied, "What if someone finds you?" "What does that have to do with Ye Feng? He's still heavily injured." "He can still fuel one strike from me." Li Guanqi couldn't help but shiver. A single strike from the sword spirit cost roughly five hundred years of lifespan. *Swish!* Bringing Ye Feng out, Li Guanqi muttered, "Ahem, go easy on him. His frame isn't as sturdy as mine." Ignoring the sword spirit's roll of her eyes, he drew a deep breath and pressed the jade slip against his glabella. *Boom!!!* In an instant, Li Guanqi felt as though his consciousness were being violently dragged away, hurtling directly into a hazy void! His body drifted in midair, the intense sensation of weightlessness leaving him disoriented. Not a sound stirred within the pitch-black void, nor could he make a sound himself. Even though he opened his mouth wide and screamed with all his might, nothing could be heard. Gradually, a speck of light emerged in the darkness. The light expanded before his eyes, growing larger and larger. Suddenly, the scenery of an immortal sect shrouded in ethereal mist materialized before him. Li Guanqi found himself standing in front of a magnificent, towering sect hall. The white jade and bluestone pavers beneath his feet were all carved from mid-grade spirit stones whose energy had been entirely depleted! A massive incense burner, three zhang across, loomed before him, though the plaque above the main hall remained too blurry to read. *Creak—* The heavy doors slowly swung open, and an ancient voice drifted out from within. "Young friend, come inside and converse." Li Guanqi's expression shifted repeatedly. The voice echoed softly in his mind, carrying the profound resonance of the Great Dao, shaking his divine soul and stirring his very spirit.