Switch Allegiance? I Must Decline!

The eyes of the Zixiao Sword Pavilion disciple went wide, his throat bobbing with difficulty. His voice trembled as he spoke. "A ni—ninth-grade... sword artifact soul!!" "A figure like this... so long as he doesn't die, he will surely shake the entire Great Xia Domain a hundred years from now!!" The disciples of the Ten Thousand Immortals Sword Sect were equally stunned, unable to recover their senses for a long time. None of them knew why those nine stone pillars had turned from white light to crimson. Yet it was certainly far more than a simple change of color! The talent they had once taken such pride in was, before him, like rotten vegetable leaves that even stray dogs on the street would turn up their noses at. Moreover, from the earlier exchange between Li Guanqi and the disciples of the Qixian Sect, they had learned something else. His spiritual root was not merely a lightning spiritual root—possessing the most terrifying destructive might—it was also a saint-grade spiritual root! Saint-grade!! At that moment, a disciple from Qinglong Island mumbled, "How... how long has he been cultivating...?" Ye Feng glanced at him and sneered, "Far too slow. It took him a whole five months just to reach Foundation Establishment!" "*Cough, cough*... Same here." The disciple who had just spoken nearly rolled his eyes straight to heaven. Li Nanting's chest heaved violently as he looked at Li Guanqi, his eyes flashing with brilliant light. It was as if the future hopes of the Great Xia Sword Sect were all pinned on the boy. The abnormal disturbance here had long since alerted the upper echelons of Ziyang Palace. Over a dozen elders soared through the sky to arrive, including Old Man Miao, whom they had seen before. In front of Old Man Miao was an unfamiliar elder—none other than the vice palace master of Ziyang Palace, Gu Xiong! Primal energy surged around the elder, his pressure faint yet palpable. He wore a purple robe embroidered with gold thread. His cheeks were somewhat gaunt, with an aquiline nose, triangular eyes, and rather thin lips. Though his temples were flecked with gray, his posture was as straight as a sword, and his gaze was piercingly sharp. Upon seeing Gu Xiong appear, everyone bowed and intoned respectfully, "Greetings, Vice Palace Master!" Meanwhile, the elders and disciples from the other five sects bowed and greeted, "Greetings, Senior Gu." Gu Xiong's voice was deep and resonant. "What just happened here? Why did the worldly spiritual energy riot?" His tone held a faint note of interrogation. Gu Xiong had only just begun secluded cultivation when, unexpectedly, the spiritual energy across a hundred-li radius within Ziyang Palace's borders suddenly ran wild! Song Ru then recounted the earlier events in full detail. To everyone's surprise, Gu Xiong, who was already at half-step Soul Formation, looked directly at Li Guanqi and spoke. "Oh? To possess such talent!" "Would you like to become this old man's closed-door disciple? I, too, possess a lightning spiritual root." The moment these words fell, everyone present widened their eyes in shock!! Gu Xiong had actually offered to take Li Guanqi as his closed-door disciple!! A half-step Soul Formation master, backed by Ziyang Palace. Once Li Guanqi became Gu Xiong's closed-door disciple, his status and standing would instantly skyrocket into the very pinnacle of the realm! Li Nanting clenched his teeth tightly, his head lowered in complete silence. The disciples of the five sects all showed envy in their eyes. The white-browed elder behind Gu Xiong frowned slightly, his lips moving as he sent a voice transmission. The elder turned his gaze toward Li Nanting, who still held his head down, and chuckled softly. "What does it matter if he already has a master and sect?" "Only as my disciple, Gu Xiong's disciple, will his talent not be wasted. Ziyang Palace also has sufficient resources to sustain his needs." Gu Xiong spoke with utter bluntness, not sparing Li Nanting's feelings in the slightest. Yet Li Guanqi's heart remained as calm as still water. He stepped forward two paces and bowed deeply to the elder. Then, slowly lifting his head to meet the elder's gaze, a look of sincere reverence was painted across his face. "Junior Li Guanqi pays respects to Palace Master Gu." At these words, everyone was taken aback. After all, Gu Xiong was merely a vice palace master, yet Li Guanqi directly addressed him as Palace Master. Gu Xiong smiled slightly upon hearing this and said in a gentle voice, "What are your thoughts? You need not worry about already belonging to another sect." "In the cultivation world, a fine bird chooses a fine tree to roost upon. Switching sects is hardly unheard of." Beneath his sleeves, Li Nanting clenched his fists so tightly that blood seeped between his teeth, bringing a metallic taste of iron to his mouth. The other man was brazenly poaching his disciple right to his face, yet he could say nothing! Li Guanqi took a deep breath and spoke softly, "Junior comes from humble origins, once nothing more than a beggar. The Great Xia Sword Sect did not turn me away. In the same spirit as Ziyang Palace's own motto—magnanimous of heart, broad enough to welcome all rivers into the sea—they took me in." "If I were to abandon such a sect, what if an even mightier sect were to invite Junior to join them in the future?" "When that day comes, should I go, or should I stay?" "If I were to leave, would Senior not feel heartache at losing a beloved disciple, watching all the resources invested come to nothing, like drawing water with a wicker basket?" "Therefore... while I am deeply grateful for Senior's favor, it is Junior who fails to appreciate your kindness." "Junior must beg your forgiveness, for I cannot comply." Gu Xiong's initially somber expression softened a fraction, his eyes brimming with undisguised appreciation. Li Nanting's knitted brows relaxed, and relief showed on his face. Gu Xiong could not help praising, "What great fortune the Great Xia Sword Sect has!" "You little rascal, speaking words that make even this old man feel somewhat ashamed of himself, haha." "Since that is the case, I hope your immortal path remains smooth and unhindered in the future, and that you step into higher realms soon." With that, the elder departed alongside the elders of Ziyang Palace. Watching the elder leave, the heart suspended in Li Guanqi's chest finally settled. Those words had sounded effortless, but navigating that conversation was an immense challenge. Had he misspoken by even a single phrase, Li Nanting would have been placed in an impossible predicament. Li Nanting turned to look at Li Guanqi, whereupon the youth obediently called out, "Master." "Hahahahaha, you little rascal!" "I thought you were just an impulsive brute, but who knew you're no worse than those old foxes when it comes to worldly wisdom!" "If your reply hadn't been so airtight, I almost would have grabbed you and run for our lives." Li Guanqi smiled faintly. Then Song Ru walked up to Li Nanting's side and gave a thumbs-up. Looking at Li Guanqi, he couldn't help remarking, "Watching that broke me out in a cold sweat. Palace Master Gu is notorious for his foul temper." "All right, let us continue the testing. I shall replace the stone pillars." A disciple from the Qixian Sect muttered blankly, "He just rejected a half-step Soul Formation grand cultivator like that? And lived!" The lead disciple of the Ten Thousand Immortals Sword Sect narrowed his eyes and said quietly, "In the future, whatever happens, we must never provoke this person!" The subsequent testing cast an even heavier gloom over everyone present. Eight disciples from the Great Xia Sword Sect went up in a row, all showing empty spirit ruins, until Ye Feng took the altar. He actually awakened a sword artifact soul as well! Furthermore, it reached the seventh grade. Meanwhile, among the Qixian Sect, Ten Thousand Immortals Sword Sect, Zixiao Sword Pavilion, and Qinglong Island... Not a single disciple across all four sects managed to awaken a useful artifact soul. It was truly a case of an actor cramping up onstage—thoroughly unable to step down with grace. When it came to Zhenyue Mountain, Shen Qi, the first to go up, surprisingly awakened a shield artifact soul! Though it was only of the fifth grade, it was enough to leave Shen Qi overjoyed. Once the spirit ruins testing concluded, the disciples of the other four sects all slunk away in disgrace, not even staying for the banquet prepared by Ziyang Palace. After the banquet, Ziyang Palace handed two clusters of spiritual light to Li Nanting, instructing him on certain matters and informing him that they carried only ten years of usage rights. Thanks to Shen Qi, Zhenyue Mountain also received a cluster of spiritual light, earning five years of usage rights. Early the next morning, his face beaming with pride and high spirits, Li Nanting led his group away from Ziyang Palace and embarked on the journey back to their sect.