Choosing a Path

The watching disciples all stood with their mouths agape in shock, staring at the sight. *Gulp...* A youth with sword-like brows and star-bright eyes murmured, his mouth wide open, "Senior Brother Li's strike just now... didn't use any primal energy at all!" "To conjure such sword momentum relying purely on his own aura! Terrifying..." Hovering in midair, the youths gasped and clamored amongst themselves. At that moment, Li Guanqi stood in the void with his eyes gently closed, his mind constantly replaying the state of mind and sword momentum from that strike. Gradually, the corners of his mouth curved upward into a faint smile. With a reverse grip, he slid Red Lotus into the sword casket. Turning toward the awestruck disciples, he chuckled, "You brats, why aren't you hurrying over to Tianlei Peak? If you're late for my lecture in a bit, see if I don't thrash you." Only then did the disciples snap out of it—today was the day Li Guanqi was holding his lecture. They all hurriedly bowed and smiled. "Yes, Elder Li!" With that, the crowd dispersed, swarming toward Tianlei Peak. After waking the others, Li Guanqi headed to Tianlei Peak together with them. Along the way, they met many disciples, all of whom halted their flying swords to bow and greet him: "Elder Li." Li Guanqi merely smiled and nodded; he did not feel himself superior just because he had been promoted to elder. Before long, they arrived at the grand hall of Tianlei Peak. To his surprise, he found that not only was the hall below packed densely with disciples, but even his master, Li Nanting, was seated below. By Li Nanting's side sat Shen Lan, the peak lord of Tianshui Peak. Seeing this, Li Guanqi smiled, bowed, and greeted them: "Greetings, Master, Mistress." Li Nanting stroked his beard with a hearty laugh, raising a hand. "Hahaha! Good, good, good. Go about your business; pay no mind to this old man." Shen Lan's cheeks flushed red, yet she did not offer any objection, merely smiling and nodding. The gaze she directed at Li Guanqi was exceptionally gentle. Beside Shen Lan was another familiar face—Tu Kui, the peak lord of Tianjin Peak. Seeing him arrive, Tu Kui transmitted his voice in a low murmur: "Brat, where did you abduct my disciple to? Why didn't he come back with you? If his life-bound jade slip hadn't remained intact, I would've suspected he died out there." Hearing this, Li Guanqi smiled and replied, "Ye Feng has ideas of his own, so we parted ways for the time being. Rest assured, Old Tu. When Ye Feng shows himself again, he'll surely give everyone a huge surprise." The peak lords of the other four peaks had all arrived as well. After all, today was Li Guanqi's first lecture since his promotion to elder. Though there were plenty of Soul Formation realm cultivators in the sect, there was truly no one quite as formidable as Li Guanqi. Even Ling Daoyan had leaped up onto a roof beam, sipping wine as he beamed down at Li Guanqi. Li Guanqi gave a wry smile, flashed up onto the high stage, and his expression turned solemn. He bowed slightly toward the seven peak lords below and Ling Daoyan. As for Qin Xian, it went without saying—he had taken a seat near the front early on. Straightening up, Li Guanqi raised a hand and unleashed a canopy of lightning outside the hall! He called out in a clear voice, "Those who are late need not enter. Today's lecture begins now." With that, Li Guanqi swept his divine sense across the crowd below and found that most disciples possessed solid foundations. It seemed this had something to do with the eleventh level of Foundation Establishment he had left behind back then. Moreover, this cohort of disciples had good aptitude and had all cultivated diligently over the past two years. Most had already reached the Core Formation realm, with only a small minority remaining in the Foundation Establishment realm. After a moment's thought, Li Guanqi began lecturing on cultivation and combat in the Core Formation realm. Most of his experience had been distilled from countless life-and-death battles. He explained profound theoretical knowledge in simple, accessible terms. Furthermore, spiritual light flared continuously in his hands, simulating the very scenarios he described for all to see. This display provided great inspiration even to Shen Lan, Tu Kui, and the others. Shen Lan's eyes shone brightly as she stared at the spiritual light conjured in Li Guanqi's palm, her brow furrowing at times and relaxing at others. A smile on her lips, she nodded repeatedly. Tu Kui and the others felt the same, murmuring inwardly, *It looks like we ought to change our own way of lecturing in the future.* Yet that was not all. When discussing certain pivotal topics, Li Guanqi even invited disciples onto the stage. This stoked the atmosphere of the hall to an absolute fever pitch. Whenever Li Guanqi explained counters to techniques and other specialized weapons, disciples would raise their brows or widen their eyes in astonishment. Everything Li Guanqi spoke of was something they had never heard before, broadening their horizons tremendously. At this moment, a disciple below spoke up softly, "Elder Li, I feel that I'm not suited to practicing the sword... I'm more accustomed to using a broad saber..." Hearing this, Li Guanqi smiled faintly. "Everything I said earlier was meant to help you find the path that suits you best. There are millions of sword cultivators across the realm; having one more or less hardly matters. Rather, among the eighteen weapons, finding the one that suits you best is what matters most." With that, Li Guanqi spread his palm. Primal energy surged, instantly condensing into a three-foot broad saber. Rising, he swung the broad saber across the high stage, demonstrating an extraordinarily profound saber art! In his hands, the broad saber moved like an agile serpent; without losing nimbleness, its momentum was sweeping and expansive, as if capable of cleaving mountains. The moment Li Guanqi stopped, the youth had already stood up, his face flushed with intense excitement! "Care to come up and give it a try? Just practice the saber art I showed you." The youth nodded vigorously, leaping twice to land upon the high stage. Suddenly, he said somewhat awkwardly, "Um... Elder Li... I... I don't have a saber." Spiritual light flashed in Li Guanqi's hand, and a broad saber glinting with cold luster abruptly appeared. Faint light flowed across it, showing at a glance that it was no ordinary weapon. Stepping aside, Li Guanqi smiled. "If you can replicate even thirty percent of the spirit of that saber art just now, this saber is yours." Hearing this, the disciples immediately clamored, "Go for it, Zhao Ting! Fleece him of a saber!" "Haha, exactly! Good luck, Lao Zhao, I know you can do it!" The disciples' enthusiasm ran high, while Ling Daoyan's eyes flashed with a bright glint. Even the seven peak lords remained silent. Perhaps the disciples could not yet grasp what had just happened, but the peak lords possessed more than enough discernment. Though the saber art Li Guanqi demonstrated was not particularly profound, his execution had been as fluid as flowing water, carrying immense grand momentum! That feeling... without ten or twenty years of mastering the broad saber, one could never bring it forth! Standing on the stage, the youth drew a deep breath, gripped the saber in his right hand, and slashed out abruptly! His footwork shifted with his body; leveraging his bodily momentum, the saber whipped up fierce gusts of wind, exuding a domineering presence that brooked no equal. When he swept the broad saber down in the final cleave, his eyes widened with fury, his blood surging. Beneath the majestic saber momentum, he sank his breath into his dantian and roared aloud: "Kill!" *Crack!* Where this slash directed its edge, a three-foot saber gouge abruptly cleaved into the ground!