Elder Li!

"*Cough, cough… cough…*" Li Guanqi gave a dry cough, rubbed his nose, and grinned. "Forget about being sect master… a job like that has to be left to you, Sect Master. Charging at the front lines as a grunt suits me fine, but having me manage and expand the sect day in and day out—I really can't handle that…" Lu Kangnian chuckled and scolded him affectionately, "You brat, acting like you actually had a choice. I know your heart holds the wider world and your ambitions lie across the four corners of the earth. So I never truly planned on passing the sect master's seat to you anyway. Wu Bing is a very suitable candidate. As for you… you've contributed immensely to the sect." At this, the man paused briefly, tapping his fingers lightly against the tabletop before continuing, "However… appointing you as a peak lord or to a higher seat among the elders would essentially chain you to the sect. That wouldn't do. Yet whether in terms of your current realm of strength, your contributions to the sect, or your prestige among the disciples, for you to remain merely a disciple of Tianlei Peak makes little sense by any measure of reason or sentiment." Li Guanqi shrugged and nodded slightly. "Alright, I'll leave everything to your arrangement, Sect Master." Lu Kangnian smiled faintly and fell quiet for a moment before speaking in a soft, mellow tone. "Guanqi, you know what?" Li Guanqi looked up at him with a hint of confusion. Lu Kangnian continued, his voice warm and steady, "This world is turbid, and the path of cultivation toward immortality is fraught with hardships. You are only eighteen years old, and your life experience is still shallow. Being decisive in slaughter is a virtue, but a person must possess self-restraint! Being hunted across those lands certainly wasn't pleasant, but I know what happened with the Crane Alliance and the North Sea Monastery as well. You did very well—you showed no softhearted mercy, yet you maintained your own bottom line and principles. I hope you will always hold fast to your original heart and never degenerate into someone who revels in slaughter." Li Guanqi's expression turned solemn. He rose to his feet and bowed respectfully. "Guanqi will keep these words etched in his heart!" Lu Kangnian also slowly stood up, fixing his gaze on Li Guanqi as he said in a deep voice, "You should know the sect creed of the Great Xia Sword Sect. If there ever comes a day when you lose yourself to slaughter, even if it costs me everything I have, I will personally purge you from our ranks!" Li Guanqi nodded silently. Lu Kangnian had not originally intended to speak so severely. But when the Mo Family disciples had retreated, he had seen a flicker of killing intent buried deep in Li Guanqi's eyes. Though he also believed the Mo Family cultivators deserved death, not all of them could be killed then and there. Moreover, there had been far too many onlookers; he worried that in everyone's eyes, Li Guanqi would come to be seen as a cold-blooded, bloodthirsty killer. After all, his current title of Blood Slaughterer had come about solely because he had slain enough people. Even his extermination of the Crane Alliance and the North Sea Monastery had been justified. Thus, Lu Kangnian had decided to offer him a gentle reprimand today. He trusted that with Li Guanqi's intelligence, the youth would understand his intentions. Not long after Li Guanqi stepped outside, the ancient bell atop Tianjian Peak rang out nine long, melodious chimes. Everyone raised their heads toward the mountain summit, and Lu Kangnian's steady, resonant voice echoed across the territory of the Great Xia Sword Sect! "In light of Tianlei Peak disciple Li Guanqi's immense contributions to the sect and his formidable current strength, he is hereby granted the status of Lifetime Honorary Elder of the Great Xia Sword Sect, holding a status equal to the masters of the seven peaks! Let this be known to all!" At the same time, upon the stone stele inside the main hall that bore the names of the sect's dignitaries, Li Guanqi's name appeared alongside the seven peak masters—perhaps even positioned slightly above them. A jade pendant radiating a deep purple glow drifted slowly toward Li Guanqi, coming to a halt before him. Li Guanqi solemnly accepted the pendant and saw that, as always, its front was engraved with the Twin Peaks crest of the Great Xia Sword Sect. On the reverse, a line of characters was inscribed: *Great Xia Sword Sect Honorary Elder, Li Guanqi.* Those nine bell strikes proclaimed to the entire world that, from this day forward, the Great Xia Sword Sect had a new elder. Li Guanqi took a deep breath, stood where he was, and clasped his hands in a distant salute toward Tianjian Peak. The jade pendant contained a sizable storage space, inside of which lay an elegant robe shimmering with faint light. This robe belonged exclusively to him! Although it was only of the spirit tool grade, its value was extraordinary. *Clang!* A purple sword wrapped entirely in crackling lightning rested quietly within the pendant as well. Li Guanqi's eyes widened, and he muttered in disbelief, "Sect Master… this… isn't it a bit too valuable?" Lu Kangnian's figure manifested nearby, looking at him with a smile. "I know the sword in your hands isn't of low rank, but this lightning sword is an ancient treasure, and it aligns well with you. Just keep it." Yet Li Guanqi merely gave a wry smile and shook his head, then tapped open his sword coffin with the back of his hand. *Screeech!* Red Lotus shot forth, bringing its blade slashing straight downward the moment it sensed the ancient sword! *Clang!* The lightning sword was sent tumbling through the air for over a thousand zhang, utterly powerless to resist. Li Guanqi spread his hands. "See, Sect Master? You saw it yourself—that lightning sword really isn't as handy to use as my own." Lu Kangnian twitched his lips, drew the lightning sword back with a flick of his hand, and gave him an odd look. "You little brat sure have plenty of good things. Fine. Since you've put it that way, I won't press you." Li Guanqi voiced no grand words of gratitude, but he quietly etched everything the sect had done today into his heart. Suddenly, an idea occurred to him. He turned to Lu Kangnian and asked, "Sect Master, the Spirit Fish Clan people didn't come? Why haven't I sensed their aura anywhere in the sect territory?" Lu Kangnian chuckled at the question. "Back then, the Mo Family was mobilizing all its forces, hell-bent on attacking us. How could they rush over rashly?" Li Guanqi frowned, his eyes narrowing slightly as he let out a cold snort. "Ungrateful fools." Lu Kangnian lowered a hand in a calming gesture and said softly, "If things were as you described, being the head of a clan would certainly make it difficult for him. Even if they failed to deliver charcoal in the snow, at least they didn't offer hypocritical congratulations after the fact. Still… our attitude toward them won't be as welcoming as before. If they want to merge into the Great Xia Sword Sect, they will have to pay an equal price." The man's eyes were utterly calm. Lu Kangnian's good temper depended on who he was dealing with; to outsiders, he was by no means easy to cross. "Alright, off you go and do what you need to do. Just remember to conduct the morning lecture for those little whelps at dawn tomorrow!" Li Guanqi broke into a grin and cupped his hands. "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Lu, leave it to me." Without waiting for Lu Kangnian to lose his temper, he dashed off like a streak of smoke. Watching the youth's retreating figure, the man could not help letting out a laugh. "Bloody hell, he really is a fellow daoist now." After leaving, Li Guanqi did not go to see his master. Instead, with his hands clasped behind his back, he flew toward the Three Thousand Wonder Peaks. At the summit of Yuhu Peak, several figures sat chatting by the cliff edge. Zhong Lin smiled faintly, stood up, and called out, "Old Li is here."