Put It On and Leave!

Chankongzi set down the jade pendant, his face turning thoroughly grim. The pendant remained utterly silent. Only after several breaths did Long Hou's voice finally come through. "Continue." All six of the others could sense the boundless, suppressed killing intent in Long Hou's voice. At last, they cast aside every shred of contempt from their hearts. Sha was far stronger and hidden far deeper than they had imagined. Even now, they had failed to locate a single one of its strongholds. Chankongzi narrowed his eyes and murmured under his breath, "For them to wound Second Sister so severely... "A half-step Tribulation Crossing expert? That makes no sense... "Anyone with that level of power couldn't possibly remain unknown to the Seven Domains! "Just who could it be..." Not only Chankongzi, but the others were thinking the exact same thing. Long Hou's gaze was frigid to the extreme, his vigilance toward Sha elevated to its absolute peak. "Guanqi should have noticed something by now. That is just as well—it brings some peace of mind." *Boom!* The void fractured, and Long Hou vanished from the spot in an instant. *** Inside the spirit-gathering array, Li Guanqi looked at the three men lost in meditation, raised his hand, and laid out a hundred thousand spirit stones. The surrounding spiritual energy instantly thickened to an astounding degree. For the first time, Ye Feng's refinement speed surpassed that of Xiao Chen and Cao Yan. Seeing Ye Feng smiling even while immersed in meditation, Li Guanqi let out a gratified chuckle. He then flickered away, opening the exit to the Purple Spirit Grotto-Heaven and stepping outside. *Rumble!* Beneath a sky flashing with lightning, thick, ink-black storm clouds gathered directly above the Great Xia Sword Sect. And the very heart of that thundercloud sat squarely over Yuhu Peak. At the sight, Li Guanqi's eyelid twitched. Xi Yunhuai was floating midair. Countless shimmering runes seemed to flicker around him. His mind had reached absolute clarity, and the primal energy within his body suddenly surged with violent fluctuations. Seeing this, Li Guanqi gave a soft sigh, raised his hand, and crushed tens of thousands of spirit stones around the old man. He then tossed out an array plate, drawing all the spiritual energy together around Xi Yunhuai. Before long, Xi Yunhuai's aura erupted, climbing by a massive stride. Having broken through to the middle Body Integration Realm, the old man threw his head back and laughed maniacally, shouting over and over, "Hahaha! I understand! I've attained comprehension!! "Hahahahaha! So that's how it is! So that's how it works!!" When he opened his eyes, two sharp beams of light shot from his gaze. Flushed with excitement and his eyes rimmed red with unshed tears, the old man looked down at Li Guanqi, bowed deeply, and clasped his fists. "Xi Yunhuai offers his deepest gratitude to the Pavilion Master!" Li Guanqi felt a bit awkward, but feigned an air of profundity. "Now that you have comprehended it, you can get to work. "I need this formation rather urgently." At that point, Li Guanqi paused slightly, then began dangling grand promises of the future before the old man. "Ahem... well... work hard, and there will be even higher-grade formations for you in the future! Opportunities for sudden enlightenment will come as well!" Hearing that, Xi Yunhuai grew so ecstatic he nearly swore a Dao oath then and there in front of everyone to work like a beast of burden for Li Guanqi. Li Guanqi had no idea what a formation casually handed down from the sword spirit truly meant to an array master. Xi Yunhuai's cultivation had been stagnant for nearly a millennium, with no hope of breakthrough in sight. Yet the formation Li Guanqi had given him was like throwing open a gate— A gate leading straight to the Jiuxiao Immortal Realm! He was utterly convinced that so long as he followed Li Guanqi with unswerving loyalty, the day would come when he could attain the Dao and ascend to the immortal realms. From that very moment, Xi Yunhuai became the first person willing to dedicate everything to Guanyun Pavilion. Neither Ji Yuchuan nor Su You counted as such yet; they were merely fulfilling a promise. With a solemn face, Xi Yunhuai said in a deep voice, "Pavilion Master, grant me one day to gather the materials. "Seven days from now, the formation will be complete!" Li Guanqi nodded. He liked the old man's attitude of setting clear deadlines—it gave him a sense that everything was under control. Xi Yunhuai wasted no words. He vanished on the spot, mobilizing all his personal connections to frantically assemble the necessary materials. Because this formation was of immense importance and required exceedingly rare ingredients, he dared not slacken in the slightest. After Xi Yunhuai left, Li Guanqi turned to Lu Kangnian, who stood nearby grinning from ear to ear, and shrugged. "What are you staring at over here?" With his hands behind his back, Lu Kangnian beamed happily. "Just watching our Great Xia Sword Sect's uncredited laborer break through, of course." At that, the two exchanged a look and burst out laughing. Lu Kangnian wished everyone would make their breakthroughs at the Great Xia Sword Sect. What did spending a few spirit stones matter? It wasn't as if the Great Xia Sword Sect couldn't afford it. The current Great Xia Sword Sect could practically be described as dripping with wealth. Lu Kangnian looked at Li Guanqi, his gaze turning complex as he said softly, "It's been hard on you." Ever since Li Guanqi returned, he had been bustling about without rest. Even though he hadn't personally stepped forward to handle many affairs, whether it was the Six Ancient Sacred Sects or the Tang family of Treasure Pavilion, every power was connecting with the sect purely out of respect for Li Guanqi. As for the Six Ancient Sacred Sects... Gu Huai's face was practically splitting from smiling so much. In the beginning, many within the Six Ancient Sacred Sects claimed they were getting the short end of the stick by cooperating with the Great Xia Sword Sect. Now, every single one of them wore a broader grin than the last, bragging to anyone who would listen that their sect had become an ally of the Great Xia Sword Sect. Gu Huai even felt that his sect's Dao Comprehension Platform wasn't quite grand enough and had recently begun preparing to reopen the six great stone gates. "Right, Song Zhi'ang has been looking for you constantly these past two days." Li Guanqi frowned slightly. He did not have a particularly good impression of Song Zhi'ang, so he merely gave a noncommittal response and said nothing more on the matter. "Sect Master, did Han Chengxian and Tantai Yiting come looking for you afterward?" Lu Kangnian flew side by side with Li Guanqi toward the study. "Han Chengxian didn't come, but Tantai Yiting stood outside my door for an entire day. In the end, I sent him off to do some thankless chores." At this, Lu Kangnian couldn't help sighing with appreciation. "I must say, that old fellow handled it quite well. There's no rush anyway; I plan to observe him a while longer." Hearing that, Li Guanqi refrained from saying more. He trusted Lu Kangnian to handle such matters properly. After chatting idly with Lu Kangnian for a while, Li Guanqi returned to Yuhu Peak. Sitting cross-legged on the bed in his wooden cabin, he entered a meditative state. Lately, he felt as though he was on the verge of touching the barrier of the Body Integration Realm. He chose to cultivate diligently, attempting to grasp that fleeting sensation. However, the strength of his Yin Spirit was not yet sufficient; it still required further tempering. *Creak!* Li Guanqi's brow knitted. Someone had actually pushed open his door! In the current Great Xia Sword Sect, who didn't know that Yuhu Peak was his personal cultivation peak? A cultivator's greatest taboo during meditation was being disturbed! Yet when Li Guanqi opened his eyes, he was stunned by the sight. Song Zhi'ang stood in the doorway, looking exceedingly shy and timid. Her cheeks were flushed crimson like sunset clouds. A light breeze stirred the wide hem of her loose skirt, making Li Guanqi's frown deepen. He had seen rather too much. "Li Guanqi... I... I like you!" With that, Song Zhi'ang moved to throw herself into Li Guanqi's embrace! Yet how could her cultivation compare to his? With a single flicker of teleportation, he appeared by the doorway. The woman lunged forward into empty air—though whether by accident or design, her foot caught on the hem of her skirt as she threw herself forward. The loose skirt slid to the floor like smooth silk. The woman turned her head to look back at Li Guanqi, her eyes timid and bashful. Biting her lip, her eyes slightly red, she looked as delicate and pitiable as a pear blossom in the rain, a sight that would evoke tenderness in almost anyone. Yet Li Guanqi merely raised a hand, tossing the garment onto the bed. With his back turned to the woman, his voice was chilling and laced with thinly veiled disgust. "Put it on. Leave."