He Who Excels Is Master

Standing to the side, Li Guanqi could not help shouting his praise! "Good!" Coming to his senses, the disciple found countless eyes staring at him in astonishment. One had to know, even in the Outer Sect he was a minor figure whom nobody paid any mind. *Clap, clap, clap! Thump, thump, thump!* Below the raised platform, thunderous applause erupted! Looking down at his excited fellow disciples, the youth named Zhao Ting felt his eyes instantly redden. For the past two years, he had cultivated day and night with painstaking effort, yet his talent on the path of the sword was truly limited. His presence had always been negligible—until today, the moment he saw Li Guanqi swing that broad saber. Light had returned to his eyes; he had seen a path that belonged to him! Li Guanqi also clapped for him unconsciously. He had to admit the kid truly possessed talent. Having watched just once, he managed to capture half the form and a fraction of the spirit, and had even incorporated some of his own insights. Emotions surged within the youth, his chest heaving violently. With reddened eyes, he bowed deeply to Li Guanqi, lowering his head and saying in a solemn voice, "Thank you, Elder Li, for your guidance!" Li Guanqi smiled faintly and said softly, "This saber is a gift to you. I hope that one day, you too will make a name that shakes a domain!" Zhao Ting slowly straightened, clutching the saber tightly in both hands. Eyes bright, he nodded heavily to Li Guanqi. With the first person stepping forward to make a change, a second and third naturally followed. Watching more and more disciples stand up below, Li Guanqi's lips curved into a smile. He said softly, "Speak up one by one. What do you feel suits you?" As soon as his voice fell, a spirited and valiant young woman tilted her face up and said, "Me, me, me! I feel I'm suited for the spear!" Li Guanqi pondered briefly and said softly, "A spear... as a weapon it's somewhat heavy and far from nimble, but it has its own advantages." "Come. Step onto the stage, watch me demonstrate the spear once, and then do as Zhao Ting did." *Whoosh!* Hardly had the words left his mouth when a red-tasselled spear snapped into Li Guanqi's grasp! In an instant, lightning coiled around the spear shaft. The silver spear danced up and down in Li Guanqi's hands, its momentum magnificent as a rainbow! Sharp whistles of breaking air rang out incessantly! His footing shifted a zhang sideways in a flash, his body flipping and twisting before thrusting the spear forward with sudden ferocity!! *Boom!!!* The void detonated. At the spear's tip, space abruptly fractured like a spiderweb into countless pitch-black rifts! And one had to remember, this was with Li Guanqi refraining from using any primal energy, actively suppressing his physical strength!! If he had exerted his full might, the entire summit of Tianlei Peak might have ceased to exist. Watching from the side, the girl's breathing grew ragged, her eyes burning as she stared at the silver spear, her face flushed red. *Clang!* Li Guanqi handed the spear to the girl. The moment she gripped the weapon, the spear actually trembled slightly!! Li Guanqi raised an eyebrow. Sweeping his divine sense over her, he immediately sensed something. *Inside her spirit ruins... there's actually a broken half of a spear? Interesting.* The girl's tightly shut eyes snapped open, a sharp gleam flashing in their depths. Her figure swept forward like the wind, the spear in her hands letting out a shrill cry like a roaring beast!! Then her body spun like a whirlwind. Though her steps were slightly unsteady, they were exceptionally resolute. Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes and murmured, "She actually constructed an imaginary opponent in her mind?" Darting and dodging, her movements looked as if she were locked in a mortal struggle with an unseen foe. And the spear technique she performed was precisely the one Li Guanqi had demonstrated earlier. As the silver spear weaved, the girl even added her own interpretation. Suddenly! Her body leaned backward into an iron bridge stance. Instead of snapping back up with the momentum, she drove the spear sharply into the ground to vault herself upward. Her lithe form arched gracefully through the air. The moment her feet touched down, she drove her legs into the floor. *Bang!* The bluestone pavers beneath her feet abruptly shattered. Twisting her torso, she whipped the spear once around her waist and thrust it viciously behind her back! *Boom!!!* The void cracked with a thunderous pop, and an invisible gust of force swept across the hall!! Li Guanqi smiled. He had not expected this batch of disciples to give him so many pleasant surprises. Even Shen Lan's mouth hung slightly open in astonishment. For this young woman was a disciple under Tianshui Peak, yet Shen Lan knew practically nothing about her. Lying leisurely across the roof beam, Ling Daoyan took a swig of wine and chuckled. "Great Xia Sword Sect is blessed indeed~" "Incredible. Truly incredible." Li Nanting stared at Li Guanqi's figure without a word. Even he had not known that Li Guanqi possessed mastery over so many weapons. Just the two weapons demonstrated so far... On any cultivator of the same realm, either would make them an extraordinary figure. The masters of the seven peaks fell silent. Comparing themselves in secret, they realized that whether Li Guanqi were in the same realm as them or not, merely facing the broad saber and spear he had displayed... they would not have even a ten-percent chance of winning!! Yet... Li Guanqi was a sword cultivator!! Qin Xian stared fixedly at Li Guanqi, unable to resist sending a sound transmission: "Kid Li, if you and I fought in the same realm, what would my chances of winning be?" Li Guanqi turned to look at the old man, shrugged, and sent back, "Do you want the truth or a lie?" Qin Xian bristled, his beard twitching as he glared. "The truth, obviously." Li Guanqi replied helplessly, "The truth is... you wouldn't even have a ten-percent chance, Senior." "In the same realm, if I wanted to kill you... it would take three strikes at most." Hearing this, Qin Xian's face darkened. He cursed under his breath, "Damn it, I brought this on myself!" The old man glared fiercely at Li Guanqi and could not help muttering, "If I'd known, I would have thrashed you a few times back then. Now even if I wanted to beat you, I can't." Hearing the old man's grumbling in his ear, Li Guanqi could not help a slight smile. This class dragged on from morning until night fell. In all, close to a hundred disciples were picked out who were better suited to tread different paths. Naturally, not everyone was suited to the path they fancied. More often, disciples were completely lost, and Li Guanqi helped them find their way. Throughout the day, Li Guanqi demonstrated the techniques for eighteen common weapons, along with over a dozen unconventional ones. He also explained in detail what to watch out for if they were to face these weapons in the future. Though this lecture did not focus on sword dao or spirit incantations, it stirred the hearts of all the disciples and opened their eyes! Across nearly thirty different weapons, Li Guanqi wielded each with effortless mastery. Moreover, he executed every single one with consummate, breathtaking skill. Li Guanqi's stature in the hearts of the disciples grew far greater. Even the seven peak lords humbled themselves to ask questions regarding cultivation. And Li Guanqi patiently answered them all, one by one. In the lecture hall of the Great Xia Sword Sect, the adage that he who excels is master was demonstrated to perfection! Here, there was no hierarchy of seniority or status. Since Li Guanqi stood upon the stage, he was the teacher of them all.