Soul Verification!

Li Guanqi knew in his heart that Lu Kangnian would likely drink himself into a stupor today. Yet he did not think such a sect master was indecisive. On the contrary. Putting himself in the man's shoes, if he were in Lu Kangnian's position and Ye Feng had been in Yu Mu's place today, what would he have done? There was no answer. Perhaps... only a Lu Kangnian who was decisive in killing yet still possessed such genuine warmth was truly worthy of being Sect Master of the Great Xia Sword Sect. At that thought, the corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curved slightly, his eyes narrowing in thought. Seeing that the hour was late and so much had transpired today, he simply decided against looking for Cang Lu. In any case, Cang Lu was right there at Tianlei Peak, and he could sense the man's presence at any moment. Returning to Yuhu Peak, Li Guanqi sat cross-legged atop the mountain peak, an exceptionally formidable pressure surging around him. In his mind, he replayed everything that had taken place today. He could not shake the feeling that there was something peculiar about the whole affair with Yu Mu. If he had been in private discussions with Lu Kangnian, it would have been understandable for Yu Mu to eavesdrop. Yet he could not fathom why Yu Mu would come snooping when he was merely talking to Li Sheng'an! Li Sheng'an's cultivation realm was not high, nor did he hold any prominent status within the Great Xia Sword Sect. Even if one wanted to pry into sect matters, targeting the masters of the seven peaks or someone like Qin Xian would have made far more sense. Suddenly! A flash of inspiration struck his mind as he suddenly remembered the reason Li Sheng'an had come looking for him. Startled out of his cultivation, Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes and murmured under his breath, "Could it be Cang Lu?" Yet as soon as the thought occurred to him, he shook his head. It made no sense at all! Leaving aside the fact that the timeline of Cang Lu's appearance did not match that of the mysterious figure, Cang Lu was currently only a Nascent Soul realm cultivator. There was no way he could possess such heaven-defying methods to leave behind such a terrifying technique of a grandmaster in Yu Mu's soul. Even Li Guanqi found dealing with such techniques exceedingly arduous; the culprit had to be at least a late Soul Formation Realm grandmaster who specialized in divine sense! "Yet... if I assume the worst-case scenario..." "Was Cang Lu's meeting with me not a coincidence?" At this thought, Li Guanqi still shook his head in doubt. His encounter with Cang Lu and the chain of events that followed carried far too many uncertainties. How could Cang Lu have chosen to approach Yu Mu months in advance, only to expose Yu Mu so easily? A wave of irritability washed over him. Taking out his vermilion wine gourd, he tilted his head back and gulped down two mouthfuls of strong liquor, which finally dispelled some of the gloomy frustration in his chest. Early the next morning. Li Guanqi sat upright above the clouds and sent a voice transmission to Cang Lu: "Come to my place." He had thought about many things throughout the night. The two matters appeared completely unrelated on the surface, yet reeked of bizarre coincidence. He had no choice but to probe to the bottom himself! Soon, Cang Lu woke from his cultivation state and teleported toward the clouds above Yuhu Peak without a word. Seeing Cang Lu clad in the sect robes of Tianlei Peak, Li Guanqi noticed nothing out of the ordinary. Li Guanqi pointed to the white jade chair across from him and said softly, "Sit." Hearing this, Cang Lu replied with evident trepidation, "Elder Li, I'd rather stand." "Did you summon me for something?" From start to finish, Li Guanqi watched him closely, but detected no emotional fluctuation whatsoever. Leaning back against his chair, Li Guanqi murmured, "Yu Mu is dead." Even as he spoke with seeming nonchalance, Li Guanqi's eyes were scrutinizing Cang Lu's every reaction. To his surprise, Cang Lu merely frowned slightly upon hearing the news, appearing thoroughly puzzled. He spoke softly: "Well... since Elder Li killed him, he must have deserved to die." At Cang Lu's response, Li Guanqi's expression remained unchanged as he stared fixedly at him and said in a low voice, "What was your purpose in coming to the Great Xia Sword Sect?" Cang Lu's brow furrowed even deeper. He shrugged, looked at Li Guanqi, and said quietly, "Elder Li... I don't know what you want to learn from me, but you can ask me directly. There's no need to beat around the bush like this." "That I, Cang Lu, have had the fortune to join the Great Xia Sword Sect is entirely thanks to your kindness." The man spoke with growing emotion. Putting himself in Cang Lu's shoes, Li Guanqi could understand his current indignation. Yet his suspicion... would not disperse simply because the man was offended. Li Guanqi leaned back against the chair and said softly, "It's nothing. I merely suspect... that you are an exceedingly powerful individual." The instant the words left his mouth, a longsword with a crimson blade thrust straight toward Cang Lu's heart! This thrust was swift as lightning, carrying distinct killing intent that nearly condensed into physical substance. With this strike, if Cang Lu did not block... he would die! Swoosh! Puff! Cang Lu had no time to react at all before Red Lotus pierced clean into his chest! The blade entered his flesh, the tip penetrating half a finger's breadth into his heart! Cang Lu's face turned deathly pale in an instant. The faint burst of sword energy released from the blade had nearly shredded his internal organs to pieces! Li Guanqi stood where he was, Red Lotus still lodged in the man's chest. Thrusting forward a mere half-inch more would end his life. Yet Li Guanqi's brow furrowed. Because the man truly had not reacted at all just now! What was more, if Cang Lu's eyes had so much as tracked the strike, Li Guanqi would have executed him without hesitation. Cang Lu trembled from head to toe, his face pale as paper, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth. Beyond confusion, there was even a trace of anger in the gaze he directed at Li Guanqi. 'Could I really have guessed wrong?' 'Then only one method remains...' The thought flashed through his mind. Immediately, his left hand pulled Red Lotus free while his right hand clamped around Cang Lu's neck like lightning. Following that, an overwhelmingly immense pressure erupted with a roar! Under this terrifying pressure, Cang Lu's eyes rolled back, and he blacked out completely. The final method Li Guanqi had in mind was simple. First, soul verification, to see if he had undergone possession. Second, soul searching! To inspect his past memories, something exceedingly difficult to falsify. Unless the other party was a Void Refining Realm grandmaster, patched memories would always leave behind clues. A flash of light appeared in Li Guanqi's left hand, revealing an exquisite rainbow-hued bell in his palm. As primal energy circulated, the bell radiated dazzling brilliance, casting a mysterious, misty light that enveloped Cang Lu entirely. Chime, chime, chime! Shaking the Soul Verifying Bell with his fingers, crisp chimes rang out. Cang Lu's limbs began to twitch faintly. Immediately following, an illusory soul drifted out of his body. The soul bore Cang Lu's exact appearance, showing no signs of abnormality. Chime, chime! Chime, chime, chime! As the chimes of the Soul Verifying Bell grew more rapid, the illusory soul trembled faintly, yet showed no signs of soul separation. This indicated that it was Cang Lu's original soul, meaning he had not undergone possession or anything of the sort. Li Guanqi finally breathed a sigh of relief. After all, this fellow had joined Tianlei Peak. If something were amiss, the consequences would be unimaginable. His sea of consciousness trembling slightly, Li Guanqi moved his fingers and began flipping through Cang Lu's memories.