Li Guanqi did not look back once after leaving the sect.
He knew his life lay in the magnificent horizons ahead, while everything behind him was his backing, his home.
That was why his family had been so furious when he was wronged back then.
Now, he too had become an elder of this family. Bearing the proud unyielding spirit of the sect, he would stand tall before all the disciples.
The corners of Li Guanqi's lips curled upward slightly. He unhooked the vermilion wine gourd from his waist, tilted his head back, and took a swig of strong liquor.
With a flick of his hand, sword qi swept across eight hundred zhang, cleaving through the clouds as he departed with hearty laughter!
His journey to the Southern Domain was to pay a visit to Tang Ru.
Taking a step forward, he tore open the void. After waking Jiuxiao, the two sped off toward Wuzi City in the Southern Domain.
Yet they had not flown for long before Jiuxiao threw a tantrum.
Left with no choice, Li Guanqi tore open the void to seek out a mountain range teeming with demon beasts, striking down two fourth-rank demon beasts to feed it.
Watching Jiuxiao hunch over and tear into the demon beasts, Li Guanqi smiled faintly.
After all, he had used several drops of Jiuxiao's blood essence. It was only right to give it a proper boost.
At present, Li Guanqi's vitality was boundlessly vast. His muscles were chiseled as though sculpted, without an ounce of superfluous flesh.
His lean, muscular frame harbored explosive might.
The Dragon Elephant Prison-Suppressing Art had also broken through to the fifth layer, and thus far he had not once exerted his full strength.
The miniature Nascent Soul within his dantian had assimilated nearly forty percent of his soul power as well.
In other words... whenever he wished, he could step into the middle stage at any moment!
Once Jiuxiao had eaten and drunk to its fill, its speed was blistering. Feeling the surging power within Jiuxiao, Li Guanqi sat atop its head, rubbing his chin as he muttered, "Should I ask that fatso for some fifth-rank monster cores?"
Hearing the words 'monster cores', Jiuxiao's eyes immediately lit up beneath him, and it raised its massive head toward Li Guanqi.
"Hahaha, alright, alright, I'll get you some."
With that, Li Guanqi waved his hand and tossed out a pill radiating a soft blue glow.
After swallowing it, Jiuxiao narrowed its eyes in blissful contentment.
Li Guanqi chuckled. "Eat slowly. There aren't many of these left."
Sun Miao had only given him ten beast pills.
The energy contained in such pills was rather violent, refined specifically for beast-taming sects.
Sitting cross-legged atop Jiuxiao's head, Li Guanqi used his divine sense to manifest an illusory projection of himself, ceaselessly practicing the first stance of his sword draw.
Primal energy surged around him, and spirit stones shattered one after another.
Although he could break through right now, he had not yet reached his limit; he was still just a bit short.
He intended to polish his strength to the utmost before breaking through.
A jade slip spun between his slender fingers.
"Juexian Mountain... one half-step Void Refinement, one late-stage Soul Formation, three at the middle stage, and six at the early stage..."
"Formidable indeed..."
All of this information had been detailed in the jade slip Tang Ru had given him.
Tang Ru was remarkably clever. The moment Li Guanqi said he needed Demon Slaying Flowers, Tang Ru had deduced that Juexian Mountain was behind the attack. Knowing Li Guanqi as he did, he knew the matter would certainly not end amicably.
Thus, he had thoroughly investigated Juexian Mountain.
With a slight squeeze of Li Guanqi's fingers, the jade slip shattered with a sharp pop.
Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes, a glint of cold fury flashing in his pale gaze.
Night fell, yet Wuzi City remained bustling with excitement.
The massive Treasure Pavilion at the heart of the city was still brightly lit. Inside the study, an exhausted Tang Ru hunched over his desk, flipping through ledgers.
His eldest brother, Tang Yongwen, who had previously been quiet, had also begun to make his move, finding many fine treasures in an ancient ruin.
His second brother, Tang Yan, was doing the same, enlisting many renowned alchemists to refine a batch of high-grade pills, putting tremendous pressure on Tang Ru.
Many within the clan now believed Tang Ru was bound to lose this commercial war.
Yet he still had a chance to turn the tables. The sole reason he possessed such confidence was that man!
Buzz!
"Well now, still busy?"
A teasing remark rang out, and Tang Ru looked up, grinning broadly.
"Good grief! You didn't even give me a heads-up before dropping in?"
Li Guanqi sat down across the desk, glancing at the open accounts before furrowing his brows.
Seeing this, Tang Ru hurriedly flipped the ledgers face down and asked with a smile, "Is everything sorted out?"
Li Guanqi looked at him with mixed emotions and murmured, "The Demon Slaying Flowers... Why didn't you tell me it cost you such a massive price?"
Tang Ru lowered his head without answering immediately, then merely chuckled. "It wasn't a damn thing."
"So long as it helped, that's all that matters."
Pausing briefly, Tang Ru continued in an apologetic tone, "About what happened last time... I'm sorry."
Li Guanqi raised a hand to cut him off, speaking softly, "That wasn't entirely your fault. I crushed the jade slip back then only because I feared they might track me down."
He could tell Tang Ru was under immense strain, looking considerably more haggard than when they last met.
"With what I gave you, how confident are you?"
A bitter smile surfaced on Tang Ru's face. "That item... is far too rare. You couldn't find another in the entire Great Xia Domain; it's truly one of a kind."
"Still... that single item isn't enough. It's too solitary."
"A super-luxurious auction can't become truly grand based solely on a single finale piece."
He sighed.
"Right now, nearly all the renowned master alchemists in the entire Qingyun Continent have been snapped up by my eldest and second brothers."
Li Guanqi was taken aback, asking in some confusion, "Do master alchemists really make that much of a difference?"
Tang Ru glanced at Li Guanqi and explained, "The greater an alchemist's fame and skill, the better the efficacy of the pills they refine."
"Some of the stronger clans and sects are more than willing to spend lavishly to purchase pills for their core disciples."
Li Guanqi pondered for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Is Sun Miao famous?"
At those words, it was Tang Ru's turn to freeze.
"Sun Miao? Famous?!"
"Brother... he's one of the top tier-five grand alchemists in the entire Qingyun Continent! That's Sun Miao!!"
"Soul Formation cultivators have begged on bended knees outside his gates for three whole months without him even opening the door!"
The more Li Guanqi listened, the deeper his brows knitted. He recalled how that chubby old man had nearly knelt before him for the companion flame.
And how he had shamelessly insisted on staying at the Great Xia Sword Sect as a guest elder...
For a moment, Li Guanqi wondered if they were even talking about the same person.
Taking a sip of wine, Li Guanqi shrugged.
"If that old man can be of help to you, I'll lend you a hand."
Tang Ru's eyes gleamed brightly, his voice rising several pitches. "Really?! Truly Sun Miao?!"
"Brother... you really are my elder brother! I'm your real brother from now on!"
"Can it really work?"
Seeing Tang Ru's cautious demeanor, Li Guanqi smiled faintly.
He retrieved a jade slip with a wave of his hand and spoke softly, "Old Sun, could you refine a batch of pills for a brother of mine?"
Back at the Great Xia Sword Sect, the old man who was busy overseeing the construction of Pill Peak retrieved his vibrating jade slip in annoyance.
The moment he saw it was from Li Guanqi, a wide grin broke across his face.
"No problem at all! Young friend, leave it entirely to me!"
"Just have him come find me. Who is it?"
Chapter 407