He Is Li Guanqi

In truth, Wu Kun had also been startled when he saw Li Guanqi. He had not expected to run into him here of all places, though after a moment's thought, he did not dwell on it. His trip to Dongxiao City was of immense importance; as long as he could avoid causing trouble, he would. Otherwise, with his temperament, there was no way he would have ignored Li Guanqi. As shown by his attitude toward Cang Lu, Wu Kun was arrogant and looked down on everyone around him. Seeing that Wu Kun had no intention of stirring up trouble, Li Guanqi put it out of his mind, happily waiting for his hot pot to arrive so he could feast to his heart's content. Even though he had achieved inedia back when he entered the Core Formation Realm, his time on the Dao had been short, after all, and he still craved good food now and then. While he was feasting in the restaurant, up in a majestic hall on the back mountain of the Wind Thunder Sect... An elderly man in a green robe wore a pained expression as he listened to the little girl who had just returned describing what she had seen. The little lass Jiang Tan was viciously recounting Li Guanqi's sins, gesturing vividly as she spoke. "Master, you have no idea! That guy looks decent enough on the outside, but there were a whole nine dancing girls in his room! Nine of them! "The way he acted, he was the absolute picture of a pampered lord! "I have no idea what you see in him, making your most beloved disciple deliver an invitation in person! "And when I gave it to him, he didn't even appreciate it! Hmph!" Hands on her hips, Jiang Tan rattled off Li Guanqi's many crimes, her face still flushed red from describing the dancing girls in the room. Yet Chu Xingxian, Sect Leader of the Wind Thunder Sect, merely burst into laughter upon hearing this. "It's just listening to music and watching dancing, nothing to get worked up over. Is the lad truly that young?" Jiang Tan was about to flare up when her master dismissed it as nothing, but thinking better of it, she replied, "Mm, he really is young. He looks no more than sixteen or seventeen. His eyes are quite nice, though." At this, Jiang Tan tilted her head up to look at the white-bearded old man and asked in confusion, "Master, isn't he just a young boy? Why do you care so much about him? Our sect has countless young talents, and there's no shortage of young prodigies in the surrounding three cities and eight towns. Why treat him so differently from everyone else?" Before she went down the mountain, the old man had not told her the reason. Now, hearing that the youth had accepted his jade slip, Chu Xingxian stroked his beard with a grin. "Little Jiang Tan, do you know what realm that young man has reached, and who he actually is?" The little girl knitted her brows and pouted. "What realm could he be in? So what even if he's someone on the Tianji Pavilion's Core Formation ranking? Even then, there would be no need for an esteemed Soul Formation grand cultivator like you to stoop to inviting him!" Jiang Tan truly could not fathom why her master would treat a junior with such regard. As the leader of the Wind Thunder Sect, Chu Xingxian was known for his cold and stern countenance on ordinary days. Only when he was back in his private courtyard facing Jiang Tan did a smile ever grace his face. Sitting in his rocking chair, Chu Xingxian chuckled heartily. Lightly tapping the armrest, he chuckled, "Even someone on the Core Formation ranking wouldn't warrant Chu Xingxian lowering himself to invite them. But what if... he's a Nascent Soul?" Beside him, little Jiang Tan's eyes went wide, her bright, round eyes brimming with disbelief! "H-He... He's a Nascent Soul?!" Jiang Tan felt her tongue stumble. Tugging on the old man's arm, she blurted, "He's so young! How could he possibly be an old monster at Nascent Soul?" Suddenly, holding her face in terror, the little lass gasped, "Could it be... that he's an old monster hundreds of years old?!" Chu Xingxian's face immediately darkened, and Jiang Tan hurried to add, "Uh... Master, I definitely wasn't talking about you!" The old man waved his hand and said, "Of course, if that were all, in my eyes he would merely be a rare, heaven-favored talent. But he's Li Guanqi... I still want to meet him and see what kind of fortune Old Lu had to get a disciple like that." Beside him, Jiang Tan asked in utter confusion, "Li Guanqi? Is that his name? Just what sort of person is he... that you want to meet him so badly, Master?" Chu Xingxian let out a long sigh and murmured, "Him? If you went to the Northern Region, you would surely hear his name. The Great Xia Sword Sect's Li Guanqi!" With that, the old man grumbled vexedly, "No, I'll have to tell Old Lu to have him teach these little brats in our Wind Thunder Sect a lesson." With that, the old man stood up and walked away. Nearby, little Jiang Tan grew immensely curious about that blind youth. Leaping up, she flung out the short azure sword from behind her and rode it away, intending to ask her senior martial brothers and sisters around the sect about Li Guanqi. Night fell, and Li Guanqi underwent another round of tempering his heart in the mortal realm. However, he already found such matters dull and flavorless; after all, he had no desire to take things any further. He treated it purely as a pastime to kill time. Under the blanket of night, Dongxiao City was bustling and lively. As Li Guanqi strolled along, he suddenly noticed a very hidden alleyway. The alley was pitch-black. At the entrance sat an inconspicuous old woman on a low folding stool, gently fanning herself with a cattail fan to catch the cool breeze. Everything seemed completely normal, yet Li Guanqi found that he could not see through the old woman's aura. Now that was interesting! As his divine sense spread outward slightly, a sharp glint flashed across the old woman's cloudy eyes. Immediately afterward, her voice sounded in his ear: "Little lad, this is the black market. If you want to come play, change your outfit." Li Guanqi's eyes lit up. He had not expected this to be Dongxiao City's black market. Running into it was a bit of fate. He had plenty of money on hand right now—after all, a Soul Formation cultivator's storage ring held quite a fortune. "Like beating the kids on a rainy day—idle hands do anything. Might as well take a look." *Buzz!* Amid the bustling crowd on the street, no one noticed a dark shadow flash past. Once Li Guanqi's figure vanished into the alley, the old woman's eyes flickered slightly. She murmured softly, "Elder Zun's information is truly well-informed. This little fellow's growth in strength is quite impressive... Should I report this up and make contact?" With that thought, she closed her eyes, and a subtle, secret ripple of energy suddenly pulsed outward. Back at the Wind Thunder Sect... Chu Xingxian clutched the jade slip in his hand and cursed, "That bastard is in seclusion and won't even reply to my messages!" The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, but as an elder, he could not quite bring himself to seek out the boy personally. He might as well wait and see. The brat was still down in Dongxiao City at the foot of the mountain anyway. If he still did not show up when the time came, he would go find him in person. Cloaked in a black robe, Li Guanqi stepped slowly into a manor. The room inside was simple, containing a mere ten seats. Seven people were already seated within; he made eight. When he walked in, every figure in black turned to look at him.