Chickening Out

The lecture lasted until the second half of the night before the disciples finally departed. Yet the few old men who remained cornered Li Guanqi and kept him talking through the night. To the very end, Qin Xian refused to accept it, insisting on sparring with Li Guanqi. In the end, the group dragged themselves in the dead of night to the sect's martial arena and opened the defensive barrier to its absolute maximum. Holding his sword, Qin Xian stood ready, unleashing the full extent of his strength as his eyes locked onto Li Guanqi. Standing across from him on the stage, Li Guanqi did not know whether to laugh or cry. Below the stage stood several peak masters of the Seven Peaks, eager to watch the spectacle unfold. Ling Daoyan served as their referee, while Lu Kangnian had somehow procured a handful of melon seeds and was squatting on a rooftop to watch. Li Guanqi shrugged and said helplessly, "Well then, Elder Qin, I won't hold back..." Qin Xian waved a broad hand. "In all my years, what great storm has this old man not weathered? No need for courtesy—bring it on! I'd like to see if the gap between us is truly as vast as you claim!" Having just broken through to the Soul Formation Realm, Qin Xian was swollen with confidence. He felt his strength was decent, and since Li Guanqi had not broken through that long ago either, they should at least be able to exchange a few moves. Li Guanqi opened his right hand, and the sword coffin behind him snapped open! *Clang!* The Red Lotus sword swept into his grip in an instant. Immediately after, lightning crackled across his left hand, coalescing into a scabbard of lightning. The moment Red Lotus slid into the scabbard... *Boom!* An incomparably terrifying pressure erupted from Li Guanqi! The bluestone pavers beneath his feet shattered outward in every direction! A dreadful sword intent shot straight into the clouds, and the light barrier enclosing the hundred-zhang arena began to shudder violently, rippling with dense shockwaves. The surrounding peak masters and Ling Daoyan felt their pupils abruptly constrict. They all felt that boundless pressure bearing down upon them like a thousand-zhang mountain. Even Lu Kangnian on the rooftop shot to his feet, staring fixedly at Li Guanqi. "This... nothing will go wrong, right?" "Old Qin had to go and run his mouth!" Standing opposite him, Qin Xian's breath hitched, a chill running down his spine! His expression turned dead serious; his throat bobbed as cold sweat seeped from his forehead. As Li Guanqi leaned slightly forward, the power coiled within the lightning scabbard began to skyrocket! Seeing this, Lu Kangnian flickered to the edge of the martial stage and glanced toward Qin Xian. He could not help thinking, *No... this is madness!* Li Guanqi's right hand slowly crept toward the hilt... Suddenly! Qin Xian hastily raised his hand, his voice laced with panic. "Hold on! Cough, cough... Well, that is... this old man threw out his back when getting up this morning. Today isn't a good day... You wouldn't bully me, would you?" Hearing this, Li Guanqi grinned. The oppressive aura around him slowly receded, and the scabbard dissipated into thin air. "How could I? This kid is known for respecting the elderly and cherishing the young. Then how about... we call it off for today?" At that, Qin Xian burst into hearty laughter, sheathing his sword as he casually wiped the cold sweat from his brow. "Another day. We'll talk again once my back recovers." Tu Kui pursed his lips, fighting back a chuckle. "How rare! Our Lord of Discipline has chickened out." Hearing that, Shen Lan covered her mouth and giggled. "If it were you, wouldn't you chicken out too?" Li Nanting clasped his hands behind his back and roared with laughter. "If any of you lot went up there, you'd have chickened out just the same! Hahahahaha!" The others were exasperated by the old man—so what if he had found a good disciple? Yet as though knowing what they were thinking, the old man lifted his chin and eyed them sideways. "If you've got the skill, go find one yourselves! Let's go, Guanqi. Time to head home." Li Guanqi flashed to the old man's side and bowed. "Right away, Master." Yet before they took a single step, Li Guanqi asked with a peculiar expression, "Master, are we heading back to Tianlei Peak or Tianshui Peak?" The crowd burst into uproarious laughter. Looking at Shen Lan's blushing face, Lu Kangnian teased, "With you here, of course he's going back to Tianlei Peak. If you weren't here... well, it might just be Tianshui Peak! Hahaha!" Her face burning crimson with embarrassment, Shen Lan glared at Li Guanqi and vanished on the spot. Li Guanqi pursed his lips. Seeing this, Li Nanting could not resist rapping him on the head with his knuckles. "You brat, putting your martial mother on the spot like that, eh?" Li Guanqi did not dodge. Grinning, he said, "Master, some things can't be put off forever... Martial Mother... needs to be given proper status, doesn't she?" Li Nanting froze, then sighed. "Yes... wait a little longer." Hearing this, Li Guanqi said no more, supporting the old man as they walked toward Tianlei Peak. Along the way, the old man spoke up. "Stop trying to probe. It's useless. Being able to recover to this point is already a stroke of immense fortune. For this cracked, porcelain-like golden core of mine to birth a Nascent Soul again... it is hard... harder than reaching the heavens!" Li Guanqi fell silent. He could naturally hear the bitterness and unwillingness in the old man's voice. The reality was just as the old man had said. In Li Guanqi's perception, the old man's golden core was covered in a dense web of cracks. If he attempted to force a breakthrough, it would inevitably end with his core destroyed and his life forfeit! Li Guanqi's mood grew inexplicably somber. He searched through his storage ring, yet found nothing capable of completely solving the problem. They walked in silence. Smiling, the old man turned and patted his hand, comforting him, "Don't dwell on it. I gave up hope long ago. My heart has long since found peace. As for... why I haven't held a grand, proper ceremony with your martial mother... it's just that I feel guilty toward her... Still, now that I have you, hahahaha! This old man doesn't care whether my strength can take another step forward." Under the moonlight, Li Guanqi gazed at the warm smile on the old man's weathered, furrowed face, and the corners of his mouth curved up slightly. In his heart, he resolved that he would find a spirit medicine capable of repairing a golden core for his master! Just as these thoughts crossed his mind, the old man beside him spoke softly. "Your talent is too extraordinary. Master hasn't been able to teach you much. Yet I still hope that you... remain safe." Li Guanqi did not speak, for he knew everything the old man said came straight from the heart. He had not spent much time in the Great Xia Sword Sect, but the old man before him had fulfilled the role of a master admirably. When it came to imparting the Dao, the sword spirit was more like that teacher. Yet as his master, the old man was more than worthy! He would never forget that in the past, an old man of calm authority had always stood behind him to shield him from the wind and rain! After escorting the old man back to his courtyard, Li Guanqi lingered outside the door for a long time. Listening to the old man's sighs from the courtyard and the puffing of his dry tobacco pipe, Li Guanqi felt an aching pang in his heart. With a flick of his hand, a storage ring appeared beside the old man's pillow. His figure vanished, and in a flash of light, another storage ring was left at the entrance of Shen Lan's cultivation chamber. The items within these two storage rings were things he had prepared long ago, specifically intended for the two of them. And right at that moment, Li Sheng'an suddenly arrived at Yuhu Peak. "Not asleep yet?" "Yeah. There's something I want to talk to you about, but I don't know if I'm just overthinking it." "Oh? Let's hear it."