Drop the Act! Who Cares?

That night, Li Guanqi sat inside his quiet room and slotted the remaining ten low-grade spirit stones into the spirit-gathering array. He murmured under his breath, "Tonight, I can try breaking through to the sixth layer of Qi Refinement..." Over the past month, he had clearly felt the tremendous changes in his body. His perception of the heaven-and-earth spiritual energy had grown considerably sharper. Sitting cross-legged, he entered a meditative state. As the cultivation technique circulated faster and faster within him, the spiritual energy in the chamber converged into a brilliant arc, surging into his body and rapidly converting into origin qi. Yet just as he sensed the first stirrings of a breakthrough— Suddenly! The sword casket at his feet unleashed a terrifying suction force! Li Guanqi, his eyes closed in deep concentration, furrowed his brows. The origin qi in his body began draining away at an uncontrollable, frantic rate! In just a few breaths, his realm plunged to the fourth layer of Qi Refinement! Forcing down the panic rising in his chest, Li Guanqi tried to accelerate the circulation of his technique to suppress this bizarre drain. Yet no matter what he did, the origin qi in his dantian's cyclone rushed away like water through an open floodgate. Third layer! Second layer! Li Guanqi faced it all with an ashen face, utterly powerless to stop it! He could only watch helplessly as his realm tumbled all the way down to the first layer of Qi Refinement. Pale and drenched in sweat, a flicker of disappointment crossed his white eyes. He looked around the empty quiet room and confirmed the door was firmly shut. Swaying slightly, Li Guanqi walked straight up to the sword casket. Expressionless, he said in a low voice, "I can tell it was you that swallowed my origin qi. "If you have a spirit, I want to talk!" Silence. Aside from his own breathing, not a single sound stirred in the room. After a long silence, Li Guanqi saw that the sword casket remained entirely motionless, no different from an inanimate object. Li Guanqi strode forward, snatched up the sword coffin, and walked straight outside. Returning from cultivation, Gu Ran spotted Li Guanqi from afar. Before she could call out a greeting, however, she saw him briskly marching toward the rear mountain carrying the sword casket. Seeing his dark expression, Gu Ran held her tongue. She did notice that the fluctuations of origin power around Li Guanqi were exceedingly faint, but assuming he had merely exhausted himself in training, she thought nothing more of it. Li Guanqi carried the sword casket straight to the cliff on the rear mountain. Upon reaching the edge of the thousand-zhang precipice, Li Guanqi abruptly thrust out the hand holding the sword casket over the abyss! His face icy, the youth glared at the casket and said in a heavy voice, "I'm only asking one last time. Are we talking or not?!" The sword casket still gave no response. Li Guanqi let out a cold snort, twisted his waist, and hurled the sword casket straight off the cliff! "Refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit!" Having done this, the youth turned on his heel and left. Throwing away the sword casket did not feel like a loss to Li Guanqi. Everything he had now had been earned through his own hard work. Even if his realm had fallen, he only needed to cultivate for a while longer to return to his peak. Not understanding what this sword casket was had been the true sword hanging over his head all along. Li Guanqi's thoughts were simple. In his view, even if the thing was a Dharma treasure more formidable than the heavens, if it could not be used by him, it was nothing more than garbage. Did it pain him to lose it? Not in the slightest. Because nothing he possessed right now had been given to him by that casket. Yet when he returned to his courtyard, he discovered the sword casket hovering right in midair. Li Guanqi was not awed by this startling sight. Instead, he sneered, "Get lost!" Right then, the sword casket trembled slightly as countless rays of spiritual light welled forth. The light coalesced into an exquisite woman dressed in a red gown! She was remarkably tall; even Li Guanqi stood a head and a half shorter than her. She had a high nose bridge, skin fair and smooth as curd, and delicate, sculpted features. Her figure was exquisitely curvaceous, pulling the red dress tight across her contours. Yet frost filled her eyes, and aloof arrogance was written across her brow. That look of disdain for all mortal life beneath the heavens, coupled with her detached aura, made her seem like a fairy maiden who belonged only in the Immortal Realm. Even Li Guanqi, steady-minded as he was, was momentarily stunned by her peerless beauty. Before she could speak, Li Guanqi's face turned solemn, and he said in dead earnest, "Don't, don't, don't... Trying to seduce me won't work." The woman had parted her lips to speak, but upon hearing his words, her brow furrowed at once. A spark of anger flared in her eyes! She floated up and sat atop the hovering sword casket, lightly stroking it with her right hand. The sleeve on her shoulder slipped down slightly, revealing a glimpse of fair skin. Yet she acted as though nothing had happened, fixing her long, narrow phoenix eyes on Li Guanqi. Her voice was as cold as an icy winter spring. "You have no right to possess me." Her humiliating words were like a blade stabbing into Li Guanqi's heart. When he was little, Li Guanqi had never worn new clothes or new cloth shoes. "You don't deserve new clothes." That was the phrase Li Dashan had repeated most often! Li Guanqi shifted his feet and strode forward toward her! One step! Two steps! Three steps! Stopping before the ethereal woman, Li Guanqi looked up at her looking down at him, and suddenly seized the sword casket with one hand! Thud! With his immense physical strength, he violently yanked the hovering casket down to the ground! Bang! Li Guanqi stomped a foot onto the sword casket and leaned in close, his pure white eyes less than an inch from hers. With a calm expression, he glared fixedly into her eyes. A voice just as cold spilled from his lips. "What gives anyone the right? "You're nothing more than a sword spirit. You only managed to manifest because you stole my origin qi. "What right do you have to strut around in front of me? "Where do you get off being so arrogant?" Perhaps shocked by the youth's presumptuous behavior, the woman failed to react for a moment. By the time she came to her senses, she could even feel the hot breath from his nose. Leaning back slightly, a surge of tremendous force instantly blasted Li Guanqi several zhang away. A flicker of wrath burned in her eyes. Her gaze icy, she said in a low voice, "By virtue of the fact that I am—" Yet the words never left her mouth; she swallowed them back down. Then she suddenly burst into laughter, using a jade-white finger to pull up her fallen sleeve. Laughing self-mockingly, she said, "Asleep for who knows how many years, only to be riled up by an impudent brat like you." She slowly stood up and looked down at the youth, declaring as if bestowing charity, "From now on, I want half of the origin power you cultivate. "In exchange, once you reach Foundation Establishment, I'll allow you to wield one of the swords inside." Li Guanqi gave a cold laugh, turned, and walked away. "Goodbye to you. Keep dreaming." Turning his back, Li Guanqi cursed inwardly, "What a joke! Just a sword spirit stealing my origin qi. Putting on airs for whom?" The youth's attitude infuriated the woman. A flash of killing intent glinted in her eyes, and the sword casket trembled, about to burst open. Suddenly! A cold, gleaming blade-light abruptly rested against her slender neck! The woman stiffened at once, her eyes blazing with fury! "Old man, this is the second time you've threatened me!!" Yet an ethereal voice suddenly boomed inside her mind: "Foul wench, I'll only give you three chances to show killing intent! "Exceed that limit, and I will slaughter you! "My grandson yields to persuasion, not force. If you want to follow him, I suggest you soften your stance." Her expression shifted rapidly several times before she spoke softly: "Fine! I'll return it to him!" The blade-light vanished. Standing atop the sword casket, her chest heaved violently as she took several deep breaths. Only then did she leap down from the casket and make her way toward Li Guanqi's room.