The moment Li Guanqi stepped onto the plaza of the Taixuan Sword Sect, he was awed by its grand, imposing aura.
Beneath his feet lay no ordinary paving stones, but low-grade spirit stones quarried directly from mineral veins.
For a plaza spanning a thousand zhang across, the spirit stones expended were beyond counting!
The spirit qi radiating from them was firmly sealed in place by an underlying formation.
The ground, resembling tiles of white jade, was etched with immensely intricate patterns.
Looking into the distance, endless pavilions and towers dotted the soaring mountains of the Taixuan Sword Sect.
Their architecture was ancient and elegant, adorned with carved beams and painted rafters of exquisite splendor.
Yet most magnificent of all was the main hall at the center of the plaza, above which characters faintly glimmered in the sky:
"Taixuan Hall!"
It was then that Li Guanqi noticed every disciple of the Taixuan Sword Sect possessed a resolute Dao heart and a piercing gaze.
They stood tall and proud with an otherworldly air, their eyes brimming with a transcendent confidence.
This poise stemmed not only from their own strength, but from the immense backing of their sect.
Whenever these disciples spotted He Yuning, they bowed slightly, showing evident reverence for the young man.
Li Guanqi turned to him and asked curiously, "Brother He... are you a sound cultivator or a sword cultivator?"
Hearing this, the corners of He Yuning's handsome mouth curved into an enigmatic smile.
For once, he offered Li Guanqi a playful riddle.
"Take a guess, Brother Li?"
Li Guanqi smiled faintly. He Yuning then led him into the air, soaring toward the rear mountain.
So flight was permitted once one ascended the mountain.
Gliding through the firmament, Li Guanqi realized he had still underestimated the Taixuan Sword Sect's might.
During their climb, he had unwittingly already entered the sect's grand array.
From the outside, the Taixuan Sword Sect appeared to consist of a single main peak, but stepping inside revealed that nearly everything within a radius of a hundred li fell under its territory.
Within that hundred li, mighty cultivators had used supreme power to shrink the earth into inches, creating a self-contained world of its own!
Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes and murmured softly, "At what point did the array's space begin?"
He Yuning smiled and gently twirled the bamboo flute in his hand.
"From the very beginning—ten li beyond the foot of the mountain."
Li Guanqi nodded silently. It seemed that had He Yuning not accompanied him, he might never have even found the stone stairway leading up the mountain.
Before long, He Yuning brought Li Guanqi to a scenic courtyard residence.
Stepping into the small yard, He Yuning first tossed a handful of fish food into a pond.
With utter casualness, he said, "Sit wherever you like. Don't be stiff—make yourself at home."
Saying so, he headed straight into the house.
Li Guanqi looked around the courtyard, which spanned barely thirty zhang, feeling a touch surprised.
By all logic, the Young Sect Master of the Taixuan Sword Sect would never live in such modest lodgings.
Yet He Yuning showed no sign of pretense; the moment he stepped through the gate, he had completely relaxed.
The young man soon walked out of the house carrying a wine jar in his arms.
Catching Li Guanqi's look, he grinned sheepishly.
"After returning last time, I asked my father for some wine, though none of it is strong stuff, so I can actually keep you company."
"That wine you gave me... two cups of that and you'd have to carry me inside."
Li Guanqi paid it no mind, waving a hand to produce a delicate flagon and cups.
He Yuning slapped open the mud seal, and the fragrance of flowers immediately drifted out alongside sweet wine vapors.
The crisp liquor was a pale green, like spring water from a secluded mountain.
As it poured from the jar into the flagon, the slightly thick liquid sparkled with specks of spiritual light, clearly no ordinary drink.
After pouring a pot of wine, He Yuning brought out a spread of side dishes.
Li Guanqi could not help but chuckle. "So much food? When did you prepare all this, boy?"
He Yuning leaned back in his chair, putting on airs like an elder as he sniffed the wine.
Hearing Li Guanqi's words, he scratched his head.
"Right after I sobered up from coming back. I had a feeling it wouldn't be long before we met again."
"I was just worried that when the time came, you'd want a drink and I wouldn't have anything ready."
Li Guanqi poured himself a cup, raised it with both hands, and said softly, "I owe you a great debt this time, Brother He. This cup is to you."
Yet before he could drink, He Yuning reached out and covered the rim of the cup.
With an unhappy scowl, he said, "What's with the thanking? I did that because I see you as a friend. If you keep acting like this, I won't drink with you."
Li Guanqi burst out laughing.
"Fine, then let us drink. No more standing on ceremony."
Clink!
The cups collided with a crisp chime.
The two downed three cups in a row, and a surge of heat coursed through their dantians.
This wine was far more potent than it appeared. Both clutched their knees, their faces flushed crimson.
Li Guanqi fared somewhat better; as his cultivation method circulated, the energy within his dantian was swiftly refined.
Afterward, they set down their cups in unison and picked up peanuts to eat.
Li Guanqi looked at He Yuning, his gaze momentarily distant.
He could not fathom why He Yuning, as the Young Sect Master of such a formidable faction, could be so guileless.
Or rather... perhaps this simplicity was only ever shown in front of him.
In such a position, not even a fool could have walked unharmed to this day.
Furthermore, Li Guanqi did not feel confident he could secure a certain victory if he fought He Yuning!
That was precisely why he had asked whether He Yuning was a sound cultivator or a sword cultivator.
Just then, He Yuning leaned in and asked in a low, conspiratorial whisper, "Brother Li, what on earth is that sword intent of yours?"
"In our sect's Sword Abyss, the ancestral masters left behind no fewer than thirty types of sword intent, yet I've never seen anything like yours."
"Uh... don't get the wrong idea, I'm just purely curious."
As he spoke, a pensive look crossed He Yuning's face, and he murmured softly,
"Your sword intent carries an overbearing audacity that dares to draw a blade against anyone under heaven."
"Beyond that, there's a murderous will born of rage at heaven's injustice!"
"It even surpasses sword intents formed by walking the path of slaughter. I can't quite wrap my head around it."
A sharp glint flashed through Li Guanqi's eyes. This only confirmed that the bamboo flute in He Yuning's hand was merely a facade.
To grasp so much merely from sensing a faint trace of stray sword intent...
His talent in the sword Dao was terrifying!
Li Guanqi looked at He Yuning with a beaming smile, pointing at the wine cup. "Three cups. Drink three cups, and I'll tell you."
He Yuning pointed an accusatory finger at Li Guanqi and swore, "Black-hearted! Your heart is thoroughly black! Fine, I'll drink!"
"I'm dying of curiosity anyway."
"To tell you the truth, ever since I heard about how you pointed your sword at Ziyang Palace, Brother Li, I dreamed of meeting you."
Tilting his head back, He Yuning gulped down three cups of wine. He choked until tears sprang to his eyes, his face turning the deep purple of pig liver.
Chapter 480