Boom!
At this moment, everyone in the Great Xia Sword Sect stared at the figure within the meditation chamber with shock in their eyes.
The heaven and earth spiritual qi, concentrated almost to the point of being visible to the naked eye, surged frantically into the youth's body.
Gradually, rays of rosy dawn suddenly shimmered across the sky above the Great Xia Sword Sect.
The luminous, swirling glow grew denser and denser, and seven-colored clouds gathered and swirled continuously in the sky above the sect, as though amassing some immense power.
Lu Kangnian watched the scene with a smile on his face, murmuring softly, "An anomaly of heaven and earth... It seems this boy has succeeded! To achieve Foundation Establishment even with such a colossal dantian—this kid's starting point is anything but ordinary. If he continues at this rate, when he achieves the Core Formation realm in the future, the quality of his golden core will certainly be extraordinary!"
The spiritual cranes within the domain of the Great Xia Sword Sect were also drawn over by the aura of the glowing radiance.
When everyone looked up, they saw thick clouds shimmering with seven colors, and beneath them, over a hundred spiritual cranes wheeling in the air.
Moreover, cultivators at or above the Foundation Establishment realm could clearly sense that among the heaven and earth spiritual qi across the Great Xia Sword Sect, lightning-attribute spiritual power was exceptionally active.
Suddenly!
Inside the meditation chamber, Li Guanqi snapped his eyes open, a brilliant gleam flashing across his gaze.
"Ha!"
Bang!
A wave of air blasted outward with Li Guanqi at its center!
The spiritual qi within the chamber was plundered clean in an instant. Li Nanting, who had been watching the situation inside the entire time, instantly produced a formation plate he had prepared beforehand and tossed it toward the chamber.
In an instant, thick spiritual qi flooded the chamber once more, and the glowing radiance in the sky flared with dazzling brightness!
The multicolored light plunged down abruptly like a pillar of brilliance!
Li Guanqi stood in place. Through his pure white eyes, one could still perceive his piercing, resolute gaze.
A powerful aura erupted from his body, carrying an understated sense of overbearing pressure.
A smile finally surfaced on Li Guanqi's face, unable to suppress the excitement in his heart.
At this moment, the yuan power within his body had surged wildly, more than doubling from before.
His once vast and ethereal qi sea now resembled an immense spiritual terrace, the yuan qi liquefied into far richer and more concentrated yuan power.
Unable to contain his thrill, Li Guanqi drew his longsword and tossed it into the air.
As his divine sense hummed, the liquefied yuan power inside him quickly formed a connection with the sword.
That mental resonance was utterly profound; he could clearly sense the sword's presence and manipulate it through his divine sense.
'So this is why Foundation Establishment cultivators can control flying swords through the air.'
At this moment, Li Guanqi also experienced another wondrous sensation coming from the swirling glow in the sky.
He distinctly felt a rich vitality surging through his body.
Tap!
Both of his feet came to rest gently upon the longsword. The blade dipped slightly, but he quickly stabilized his stance.
Years of practicing boxing stances had granted Li Guanqi a rock-solid foundation that others lacked.
Buzz!
With a single thought from Li Guanqi, the flying sword darted out of the chamber and soared into the sky!
Having flown out of the chamber, Li Guanqi's emotions surged with wild excitement, his fists clenched tightly!
Li Guanqi flew on his sword in a full circle around Tianzhu Peak.
Then, hugging the sheer cliff of Tianzhu Peak, the flying sword shot straight up into the sky and breached the clouds!
Hovering above the cloud sea, Li Guanqi looked at the clouds tinged with gold before him, his eyes turning slightly red with emotion.
Over a hundred spiritual cranes flew right beside him; if he reached out his hand, he could even touch their wings.
Through the breaks in the clouds, Li Guanqi could faintly make out the numerous steep peaks and winding rivers of the Great Xia Sword Sect.
Looking down upon the earth, Li Guanqi truly understood for the first time why the Great Xia Sword Sect was said to possess eight hundred wondrous peaks and three thousand scenic waters.
After quite a while, not even ten percent of the yuan power in Li Guanqi's body had been depleted.
According to his estimates, based on the total reserve of yuan power in his dantian, flying at full tilt on his sword, he could sustain it for up to three shichen, and those three shichen would be enough to cover six hundred li!
Sword flight—traveling a thousand li in a single day!
Li Guanqi wheeled his flying sword around, his white robes fluttering loudly in the wind.
As his yuan power surged, it formed an invisible barrier before him, keeping the fierce winds completely at bay.
Whoosh!
His figure as he returned on the sword was incomparably dashing. The flying sword finally came to a hover beneath the raised platform.
Li Guanqi leaped down, steadied his footing, and bowed respectfully to the peak elders and the sect master.
"Li Guanqi, disciple of Tianlei Peak, greets the Sect Master and the elders."
Lu Kangnian laughed heartily and said, "Good, good, good! Five months and seven days since joining the sect, breaking through all the way from the peak of Body Tempering to Foundation Establishment! Though there were hurdles along the way and the blessing of a spiritual root, yet... I believe anyone can see that you have been training diligently day in and day out! All disciples of the Great Xia Sword Sect should possess this spirit!"
At this point, Lu Kangnian's expression turned very solemn.
"Do you all think that Li Guanqi has just been lounging around enjoying privileges as an inner sect disciple? Let me tell you, Li Guanqi has undertaken two missions in total. The first time, while his cultivation was regressed, he obliterated a resentful spirit comparable to a Tier 2 ferocious ghost, resolved its obsession, and cast the Soul-Guiding Incantation to send it into reincarnation! The second time, with only the tenth layer of Qi Refinement, he slew a Foundation Establishment rogue cultivator in direct combat who had brought chaos to the mortal dynasty!"
Hiss!
Gasps immediately rippled through the crowd below, accompanied by exclamations of amazement.
Nearly three thousand Great Xia Sword Sect disciples were gathered beneath the platform, among whom were many who had been in the sect for a year or two, or even longer, without yet establishing their foundation.
Lu Kangnian narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a measured tone, "Perhaps someone might say that Li Guanqi has a good master and monstrous, peerless talent. But I want to tell you this: From his entry into the sect until now, Li Guanqi has challenged the Sword Tower sixteen times and entered secluded cultivation on the Spirit Ascension Platform seventy-eight times! The wooden posts he broke while practicing his boxing in his courtyard number a full thirty-nine! That is why he could achieve Foundation Establishment so quickly!"
Hearing these words, every disciple felt a chill of solemnity in their hearts.
Admiration involuntarily welled up within them toward that upright figure, and at the same time, an unknown fire ignited in their chests.
This flame was invisible yet scorched their hearts, making them thoroughly uneasy.
Especially when they recalled their own laziness and slackening, the fire burned all the hotter.
"The Bridge to Longevity, the path of immortal cultivation—this Great Dao is overgrown with thorns. Cultivation is like rowing against the current; to not advance is to fall behind. Be diligent!"
Having said that, Lu Kangnian's voice, laced with yuan power, resonated across the entire Great Xia Sword Sect.
"Today, Tianlei Peak disciple Li Guanqi, as a newly inducted disciple, has achieved Foundation Establishment in a mere five months. He is hereby awarded three bottles of Peiyuan Pills and five hundred merit points as commendation! May all disciples of the sect take him as an example, cultivate diligently, and break through to higher realms soon!"
All the disciples bowed and called out, "May the sect prosper!"
Lu Kangnian then sent a soft mental transmission to him: "Boy, come with me. I have something to discuss with you."
Li Guanqi hurriedly bowed. "Yes, Sect Master."
Soon, the crowd dispersed one after another, while Li Guanqi and Li Nanting followed Lu Kangnian to the grand hall of Tianzi Peak.
Seated upon the raised dais, Lu Kangnian rubbed the bridge of his nose, looked at Li Nanting, and asked softly, "Have you told him everything?"
Li Nanting bowed and replied, "Not yet. After all, he needed to break through, so I didn't dare say too much."
Chapter 64