A chilling voice rang out slowly through the crowd.
Li Guanqi's tone held not the slightest tremor.
Yet from such a calm voice came words that struck cold through everyone present.
Pang Li, too, had broken through to Foundation Establishment only recently, and his early-stage cultivation was not yet fully consolidated.
Scrambling up from the ground, Pang Li saw the strange looks from his fellow disciples, and his face turned utterly foul in an instant.
"Just you? A duel to the death?"
Li Guanqi frowned slightly, his impatience showing. "Just me! A duel to the death—do you accept, or don't you?"
Just then, another Ziyang Palace disciple could not resist speaking up to dissuade him. "Brother, is there really any need to take things this far? Pang Li didn't even hit the girl. I assume you came to Ziyang Palace to open your spirit ruins like the rest of us, so why bother?"
Li Guanqi turned his head, his pure white eyes fixing directly on the speaker as he sneered. "Quite the smooth talker, aren't you? Where was that mouth a moment ago? Either shut up, or accept the challenge in his place. How about that?"
The youth opened his mouth, glanced back at the silent Pang Li, and tactfully clamped it shut.
Li Guanqi said softly, "That's more like it. Don't play the hypocrite and pretend to take the high ground. If you wanted to be a good person, where were you earlier?"
Turning back to Pang Li, Li Guanqi raised his voice sharply.
"Are all Ziyang Palace disciples this spineless?!"
Unable to endure the strange stares from his fellow disciples any longer, Pang Li roared, "I accept!! The Qingxiao Palace martial arts arena—I'll be waiting for you in two hours! Whoever fails to show is a coward!"
Li Guanqi grinned, cast out his sword, and stepped onto it with Yu Sui'an.
Rising into the air, Li Guanqi looked down at Pang Li with a glint of killing intent in his eyes and murmured softly, "Be sure not to chicken out."
Whoosh!
Li Guanqi shot into the sky with Yu Sui'an, circling several times through the air.
Only when a smile returned to the little girl's face did he bring her back to their lodgings.
The moment they landed, Li Nanting was already waiting outside the door.
Naturally noticing his master, Li Guanqi stepped down and said softly to her, "All right, go on inside."
Yu Sui'an also saw Li Nanting's somber expression and looked back at Li Guanqi with worry.
Walking straight up to Li Nanting, she took the old man's hand and whispered, "Grandpa Li... don't blame little blind brother. I caused the trouble."
Li Nanting crouched down and rolled up her sleeve. Seeing her bruised, purplish wrist, he smiled and said, "It's all right. Go inside and rest. Grandpa doesn't blame him."
Only then did Yu Sui'an head back to her room, glancing over her shoulder with every few steps.
Meanwhile, every member of the Great Xia Sword Sect stood outside the door; clearly, they had all heard that Li Guanqi had issued a challenge to a life-or-death arena duel with a Ziyang Palace disciple.
Li Guanqi took a deep breath and bowed low to the elder, remaining bent over. "Forgive me, Master. I couldn't hold back."
Li Guanqi understood well enough that their journey was to ask Ziyang Palace to conduct the tests for them.
Yet on the very first day, he had stirred up such enormous trouble. Even if Li Nanting ordered him to apologize, he would swallow his pride and do so for the sake of the bigger picture.
Yet contrary to his expectations, Li Nanting's brows drew together, and he barked, killing intent surging in his eyes:
"A bunch of useless trash! To let Ziyang Palace disciples bully Yu Sui'an! Disciple!"
Li Guanqi started slightly, then answered in a deep voice, "This disciple is here!"
Li Nanting's origin power surged throughout his body, accompanied by a vast, overwhelming pressure that blanketed the air.
"A splendid challenge! It's only Ziyang Palace! A formal challenge issued for the arena—not a single soul can utter half a word against it! Thrash him! Even if you beat him to death, this old man will stand behind you! So what if it's just opening spirit ruins? If Ziyang Palace refuses to test us, this old man will take you all to Lingwu Palace! You must win!!"
Hearing this, Li Guanqi broke into a grin and replied steadily, "Rest assured, Master."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the consecrated elder from Ziyang Palace arrived at the courtyard.
Whoosh!
Song Ru entered with an anxious expression. Glancing at Li Guanqi with the sword casket on his back, he exclaimed, "Fellow Daoist Li, how could your disciple go and issue a life-or-death challenge to Pang Li?!"
Li Nanting's face darkened, shedding all his earlier courtesy.
With a flick of his wide sleeve, he said coldly, "Oh? And why not? A Ziyang Palace disciple struck my granddaughter first. What is wrong with my disciple issuing a challenge?"
Song Ru froze. He had not anticipated Li Nanting taking such a hard line, showing zero regard for smoothing things over.
He had originally come as a mediator at the behest of Pang Li's master.
Yet now...
Li Nanting said in a low voice, "It is merely a sparring match between juniors. Does Ziyang Palace forbid its disciples from accepting challenges? If he feared death, he shouldn't have accepted in the first place."
Looking at Li Nanting's piercing gaze, Song Ru sighed and still pressed on. "Since both are disciples of our respective sects, why not change this duel to the death into an ordinary match? It was just a minor altercation, not some deep-seated blood feud."
A glint of cold light flashed through Li Guanqi's eyes before fading away.
Li Nanting looked over at Li Guanqi, who merely nodded slightly and said in a low voice, "I defer entirely to Master's decision."
Seeing this, the old man nodded slightly, his eyes narrowing into slits. "I don't care who that disciple's master is. Go back and tell him:
"No changes!
"The life-or-death arena remains as it is!
"If his master is dissatisfied, he is welcome to come find me, Li Nanting, after the disciple match!"
Song Ru's pupils constricted slightly. He had thought Li Nanting would consider the bigger picture and change his mind.
He had never expected Li Nanting's temperament to be so fierce and uncompromising—even though the one stepping into the life-or-death arena was his own disciple!
A smile tugged at the corner of Li Guanqi's mouth, and he mused, 'It seems Master is genuinely furious.'
After all, the bond between Yu Sui'an and Li Nanting was like that of grandfather and granddaughter, and Yu Sui'an always called him Grandpa Li.
From what Li Guanqi knew of his master, the elder's wrath was perhaps a notch fiercer than his own.
Song Ru gave a wry smile and said, "Very well, then I shall report back. Alas... was there really any need for this..."
Once Song Ru left, Li Nanting turned sharply toward the disciples behind him, his voice steady and powerful.
"I want all of you to remember this: since you chose to be sword cultivators, you ought to draw your swords without hesitation or fear!
"What does it mean to be fearless? So what if Ziyang Palace is a top faction in the Northern Region!
"That Li Guanqi dared to issue a challenge to the life-or-death arena today proves he possesses the courage to draw his sword!
"Rather than cowering submissively in the face of injustice when confronted by disciples of powerful sects!"
Every disciple's eyes gleamed with fervor, their fists clenched tightly.
Such actions were far more powerful than thousands of words of instruction.
Especially the old man's remark: 'If his master is dissatisfied, he is welcome to come find me, Li Nanting!'
For at this moment, Li Nanting was not merely Li Guanqi's master; he represented the stance of the entire Great Xia Sword Sect!
If Li Nanting endured humiliation and backed down, it would display the lowliness and weakness of the Great Xia Sword Sect!
Li Guanqi, a disciple of the Great Xia Sword Sect, had issued a challenge to a duel to the death against Pang Li, disciple of Qingxiao Palace Elder Zheng Hao!
In an instant, an uproar swept through the entirety of Ziyang Palace!
Chapter 67