The moment Li Guanqi's name appeared on the Tianji Rankings, countless people were electrified!
Far away in the Northern Region, Lu Kangnian, who was deep in secluded cultivation, broke right out of seclusion upon hearing the news!
Atop Tianjian Peak, Lu Kangnian looked at the light screen before him and laughed boisterously!
"Hahahaha! Rank thirteen on the Heavenly Secret Top 100! He's a disciple of my Great Xia Sword Sect!"
Disciples all across the Great Xia Sword Sect raised their heads one after another to gaze at the massive board suspended in midair.
Li Guanqi's name shone dazzlingly bright.
Beneath it were several lines of small characters:
"Li Guanqi of the Great Xia Sword Sect. Age seventeen, middle Nascent Soul, dual cultivation of spirit and martial paths."
"Battle records: Slew Lu Yi (Rank 40 on the Heavenly Secret Top 100 Rankings) and Xue Yan (Rank 39) in succession within a single day (across a minor realm)!"
"During the Core Formation Realm, single-handedly with one sword, slew one hundred and thirty-two cultivators of the same realm."
All the disciples stared blankly up at the three lines of small text overhead.
Though the script was not large, the weight of the words seemed poised to burst right through the flesh!
That invisible pressure made everyone catch their breath!
The disciples' reverence and admiration for Li Guanqi surged to its absolute peak.
Watching this, Li Nanting gently pulled out a jade slip and whispered softly, "Are you hurt?"
Yet after a brief thought, he lowered the jade slip. Beside him, a woman said gently, "He's an eagle soaring on spread wings. We shouldn't become chains that bind him."
Shen Lan gave Li Nanting's hand a gentle squeeze as she spoke in a soft voice.
Li Nanting turned to glance at her, then put the jade slip away and nodded quietly. "Yes, you're right..."
"It's just that... this kid is growing so fast he's already left an old man like me in the dust."
"Now I've truly become a master basking in his disciple's glory, hahaha!"
Shen Lan pinched him reproachfully and chided under her breath, "Just enjoy your fortune in secret, you!"
"I'm warning you... don't you dare go running around from peak to peak with a wine gourd. If someone decides to thrash you, I won't lift a finger."
Li Nanting curled his lip, muttering who knew what under his breath.
Meanwhile, far away in the Eastern Domain, the disciples of the Wind Thunder Sect were also thrown into an uproar!
Liu Man stared with bright eyes at the glowing spirit curtain, covering her mouth as she whispered in disbelief, "One hundred and thirty-two people... He really wasn't lying!"
"Holy crap! Elder Li is bloody unbelievable! Absolutely insane!"
"Elder Li actually cut down over a hundred people on his own!"
Gasps and shouts of shock rang out without pause. They had all once assumed Li Guanqi was boasting.
Yet now... the truth was laid bare before their eyes, leaving no room for doubt.
In an instant, Li Guanqi gained an entire flock of ardent admirers within the Wind Thunder Sect as well.
Yet Li Guanqi himself knew nothing of all this.
By the time he returned to Wuzi City alone, Tang Ru caught the lonely melancholy in his eyes.
Li Guanqi looked at Tang Ru and said quietly, "No need to prepare a disguise master."
Thoroughly puzzled, Tang Ru asked in a low voice, "Xue Yan... Why didn't he agree?"
Li Guanqi remained silent for a long time before finally explaining the reasons to him.
After listening to what Li Guanqi had to say, Tang Ru fell silent for a good while before slowly looking up.
"A real man."
"Don't worry, I'll send people to tend to his grave regularly!"
Li Guanqi waved a hand dismissively, then followed Tang Ru back into the Treasure Pavilion.
At that moment, Tang Ru handed Li Guanqi a milky-white jade pendant.
Seeing Li Guanqi's puzzled look, Tang Ru simply explained in one breath, "This is a special jade pendant crafted by the Heavenly Secret Tower. Very expensive."
"Through this, you can purchase intelligence. Anything you want to know can be bought!"
"And you have now made it onto the Heavenly Secret Tower's Nascent Soul Top 100 Rankings as well."
Li Guanqi hadn't been particularly interested, but hearing this piqued his curiosity.
Taking the jade pendant, he rubbed it gently, finding it warm to the touch and fashioned from an unfamiliar material.
Moreover, holding it in his hand brought a calming clarity to his mind, offering no small benefit to cultivation.
Circulating a wisp of primal energy through it, a light screen quickly materialized before Li Guanqi.
Displayed upon that screen was none other than the latest Heavenly Secret Top 100 Rankings!
Glancing at his ranking, Li Guanqi noticed the three lines of small text behind his name!
The moment he saw those three lines, his pupils shrank violently!
It clearly laid out the fact that he had slain over a hundred people in the Purgatory Mountain Range.
Yet... that hadn't been the only thing to happen in the Purgatory Mountain Range back then!
Beyond that, a ferocious clash between two Soul Formation Realm cultivators had also shaken the surrounding lands!
The woman he had killed back then was named Cheng Yun.
The one locked in combat against her was a fellow named You Daozi. If someone with an agenda were to investigate Cheng Yun's death, they could very well trace it back to his head!
At that thought, Li Guanqi kept his composure and gave an easy chuckle. "I never thought I'd become a celebrity now."
Tang Ru immediately laughed. "It wasn't just today's battle that made you famous."
"Your reputation was already out there long before this."
Li Guanqi smiled, then asked plainly, "Does the Treasure Pavilion have anything that can change a person's appearance?"
A sharp gleam flashed through Tang Ru's eyes. Without prying, he simply asked, "Do you want something single-use, or reusable?"
Li Guanqi pondered for a moment and said quietly, "Nothing like a human-skin mask, and no illusions either. I want something that can completely alter my appearance without permanently changing my original face."
Tang Ru smiled and nodded; he had already guessed Li Guanqi would choose something like that.
He then retrieved a tiny golden bug from his storage ring.
The bug was exceedingly sluggish. After taking it out, Tang Ru hastily fed it a drop of thick, golden spiritual liquid.
Handing the little bug, which looked much like a stinkbug, to Li Guanqi, he said softly, "This is called a face-changing bug."
"The user must place it between their skin and flesh. It will reshape your features according to your thoughts, allowing you to mold them however you please."
"However, this little fellow can only sustain the change for seven days at a time at most. Once that period ends, you have to feed it something tasty and let it rest for several shichen."
"What it eats is hundred-year hundred-flower nectar, which is quite a rarity itself."
Li Guanqi looked at the bug in his hand and nodded silently. Looking up, he asked, "How much?"
Tang Ru burst into hearty laughter and waved his hand grandly. "No charge."
"Not only is it free, but whenever you're short on funds in the future, just tell me!"
"If you're lacking any cultivation resources, come straight to me."
Li Guanqi did not immediately agree. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, twirling the face-changing bug in his hand, and smiled. "Well now, looking to invest in me?"
"Give me a reason to accept."
If anyone else had said that, others would surely have thought them mad.
Yet Tang Ru knew that the person before him truly needed a reason.
"I believe in you, so I choose to place my bet on you!"
"And all you have to do is save my life once when I am in dire peril!"
The corner of Li Guanqi's mouth curled slightly. Lightly tapping his finger on the tabletop, he said softly, "Deal."
Li Guanqi lingered in the Treasure Pavilion for a good while longer. No one knew what he and Tang Ru discussed in that room.
Li Guanqi left Wuzi City without a sound.
Only in a picturesque spot outside the city did three wisps of smoke drift slowly into the sky.
Yet not long after Li Guanqi departed, Xue Yan's grave was abruptly dug open!
Only after the corpse was confirmed to be Xue Yan was the grave shoveled shut once more.
Chapter 324