Li Guanqi's return undoubtedly put everyone's mind at ease.
They had already been worn ragged by recent events, and Lu Kangnian had been especially on edge, not daring to let his guard down for even a moment.
He had personally stepped in and slain two Yellow-rank members of Sha.
Yet these foes were exceptionally vigilant; at the slightest sign of movement from the Great Xia Sword Sect, they would vanish at once.
Pointing to the empty seat to his lower right, Lu Kangnian smiled. "Now that you're back, take a seat."
Li Guanqi nodded with a grin, then walked up before Li Nanting and beamed. "Master, I'm back."
Li Nanting stroked his beard and smiled, looking at him with immense gratification.
He could not help sighing inwardly: *The callow youth of back then has now become a titan in his own right, a figure of tremendous consequence wherever he goes.*
The old man nodded with a warm smile. "Alright, go on and sit."
Li Guanqi bowed in greeting to the surrounding elders before taking his seat, and they all nodded in response with smiles.
Lu Kangnian finally let out a long breath, feeling as though fresh vigor had returned to him.
After a brief thought, Li Guanqi produced some tea leaves from his storage ring, brewed them with fine spiritual spring water, and offered a cup to Lu Kangnian.
Lu Kangnian did not think much of it, but after taking a single sip, his eyes went round as saucers. The exhaustion weighing on his body was swept clean in an instant. The sluggishness he had recently felt in his cultivation vanished completely, and the primal energy within him surged with boundless vigor.
Looking down, he caught Li Guanqi winking and making faces at him.
Lu Kangnian coughed twice, his fingers surreptitiously rubbing together beneath the cover of his sleeve.
With a knowing nod, Li Guanqi produced a small pouch of tea and signaled with it. The two acted as though being secretive, but in truth they made no real attempt to hide it.
Naturally, the others were envious of the tea, yet none opened their mouths to ask for any. They all knew full well how exhausting things had been for Lu Kangnian during this period.
After a moment's contemplation, Li Guanqi spoke bluntly: "Sect Master, I believe it's time to begin preparations for the recall!"
"The Six Domains are in turmoil, and chaotic times are fast approaching!"
"Gathering our forces scattered outside as quickly as possible is vital. Furthermore..."
Li Guanqi looked up toward the refined, elegant woman across from him and said in a grave voice, "Some disciples out there aren't having an easy time!"
Tu Shan's expression also grew solemn. She pondered for a moment before speaking softly, "Yet this matter cannot be rushed."
"The Great Xia Sword Sect's foundations run exceptionally deep after all!"
"If we truly recall past generations of disciples, elders, peak masters, and even former sect masters, conflicts will be unavoidable."
"Besides... quite a few among them are stronger than Kangnian!"
Hearing this, Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes slightly. Leaning back in his chair, his voice rang with immense confidence.
"I don't care if they're dragons or tigers out there. If they want to come back... they'd better curl up and behave!"
Tu Shan frowned slightly. She knew Li Guanqi was extraordinarily powerful, but this statement struck her as far too arrogant!
"Do you have any idea how vast the number of recalled people will be?"
"Furthermore... among the past sect masters, Discipline Masters, and peak masters, there is no shortage of mighty cultivators at the Body Integration Realm!"
Li Guanqi gave a cold smile, looking up just in time to meet Lu Kangnian's worried gaze.
Li Guanqi stood up slowly, speaking in a calm voice.
"It doesn't matter."
"Even if someone at the Mahayana Realm comes, if they don't obey, I have ways to deal with them."
Among those at the Body Integration Realm, so long as they were not excessively formidable, Ji Yuchuan alone would suffice!
If a Mahayana cultivator showed up and proved troublesome, he could always summon his father-in-law, or call in even more reinforcements if push came to shove.
As for anyone below Body Integration? He did not even spare them a thought. Li Guanqi's logic was simple.
No matter how many people returned, how many experts came, or even who among them was a former sect master of the Great Xia Sword Sect—
He recognized only Lu Kangnian!!
The Lu Kangnian who had dared to point the entire sect's swords at Ziyang Palace for his sake!
Sitting in the seat of honor, the man appeared composed on the surface, yet unbidden, his eyes had reddened.
Ling Daoyan held his wine gourd in hand, watching Li Guanqi with a smile as he tilted his head back for a deep swig of wine, the corners of his lips curving upward.
Qin Xian looked at Li Guanqi with a face full of pride!
With a disciple like this in the sect, how could one not feel at ease?
Lu Kangnian took a deep breath, waved his hand, and declared in a resonant voice: "Pass down my orders!"
"From this day forth, work shall begin across all three thousand peaks of the sect!"
"The territory of the Great Xia Sword Sect will expand outward by one hundred li. Any who resist shall be slain without mercy!"
Indeed, the Great Xia Sword Sect now possessed its own pocket domain, a spatial territory spanning a hundred li!
Yet the Great Xia Sword Sect had still not abandoned anything in its territory in the outside world.
Any clan factions settled within that hundred-li radius had to relocate within three days!
These clans and powers were all relying on the Great Xia Sword Sect to survive, or... borrowing its influence!
With the Great Xia Sword Sect handing down such an unyielding command, they dared not disobey.
"Prepare yourselves. In seven days, we summon our fellow disciples back to the sect!"
The meeting adjourned, and Lu Kangnian kept Li Guanqi behind.
Li Guanqi stretched lazily in Lu Kangnian's study, glancing around with a grin. "It's great to be back home. Everything's just like it used to be."
Lu Kangnian smiled gently and said, "By the way, I settled the folks from Fulong Village over by the Spirit Fish Clan. They've been getting along quite well."
Li Guanqi felt deeply moved. Lu Kangnian had kept even such minor matters close to heart.
Passing the tea over to the man, Li Guanqi said with a smile, "I set aside some for Master. Without proper nourishing, his body will have a tough time breaking through to Soul Formation."
Lu Kangnian chuckled. "As you should. At least you've got a conscience, kid."
"I've founded a faction."
"Oh, founded a faction... Huh?? What?!"
Lu Kangnian's voice suddenly turned razor-sharp, making Li Guanqi dig at his ear.
Lu Kangnian grabbed him by the shoulders and blurted out in a rush, "What faction? What do you mean? Are you leaving the sect?!"
Li Guanqi was shaken nearly dizzy and hurried to give a brief summary of Guanyun Pavilion.
"An intelligence organization? The Six Ancient Sacred Sect... Er... cough, cough... Then we won't have to pay to use their Dao Comprehension Platform, right?"
The corner of Li Guanqi's mouth twitched. The man's attitude sure flipped fast.
"No payment needed, but... I feel that if the two sides want to cooperate, we have to show some sincerity."
"We need to bring something real to the table as well."
Lu Kangnian leaned back in his chair, pondering for a good while. Tapping his fingers on the desk, he muttered, "What should we bring out?"
"The Jingchan Glazed Array? The Bone-Cleansing Immortal Pool? The Purple Spirit Grotto-Heaven...?"
Sitting nearby, Li Guanqi's head was flooded with question marks, his face a picture of bewilderment.
"Hold on, hold on, hold on! Old Lu... what on earth are all those things?!"
Lu Kangnian replied casually, "The Jingchan Glazed Array suppresses heart demons. The Bone-Cleansing Immortal Pool hasn't been opened in three thousand years... It should be just about full by now."
"As for the Purple Spirit Grotto-Heaven... it's been resting and recuperating for over two thousand years. The spiritual herbs and spirits in there ought to be fully grown by now..."
"Er... Right, all of these are sealed away within the Three Thousand Marvelous Peaks. I forgot you didn't know."
Li Guanqi's mouth was hanging open wide enough to stuff a whole egg inside!
*Gulp...* "Don't tell me every single one of the Three Thousand Marvelous Peaks has something hidden inside?!"
Looking at him as if he were an idiot, Lu Kangnian nodded. "Well, of course. And there are the Eight Hundred Fair Waters, too."
Li Guanqi suddenly felt the urge to snatch the tea leaves back from Lu Kangnian's hands!
With an amused, inscrutable look, Lu Kangnian grinned at Li Guanqi. "Did you honestly think our sect's foundation was flimsy after producing so many mighty cultivators who ascended to the Immortal Realm?"
"Alright, alright, quit scolding me, just pretend I never asked."
"Hahahaha! Since we're doing this, let's go all out! Cards on the table, no more hiding it."
"Since our foundation is so deep, spare me some spirit stones."
"Out of spirit stones for cultivation? Fine, how much do you want?"
"One million high-grade spirit stones."
"Get lost. Pretend I never spoke."
Chapter 728