Lingxu, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

In his mind's eye, Li Guanqi felt as if only Lu Kangnian remained in the world.

The figure, arriving bathed in the glow of dawn, possessed the otherworldly grace of a celestial being.

Such a person, seemingly without effort, simply by standing there, would immediately capture one's attention.

Tang Wei, Lu Kangnian, "Greetings, Sect Leader!!"

"Greetings, Sect Leader!"

All the elders and disciples of the Great Xia Sword Sect instantly ceased their activities, bowing respectfully towards the figure in the sky.

Lu Kangnian's gaze swept sharply across the scene, as he stated in a deep voice, "For elders of esteemed peaks to be bickering and squabbling, what kind of spectacle is this!"

"All elders will be penalized with three months' worth of monthly stipend!"

Upon hearing these words, the elders' faces soured; three months' stipend, indeed!

With the Sect Leader present, they dared not voice any objections, and could only nod in agreement.

Lan He glared resentfully at Lu Kangnian, muttering, "I won't be able to afford my rouge and powder for the next few months!"

Lu Kangnian turned to look at Lan He, his expression indifferent as he casually said, "Lan He, for contradicting the Sect Leader, an additional month's penalty, and ten extra lectures for the outer disciples this month."

He then turned away, no longer looking at Lan He's murderous gaze.

Seeing this scene, Li Guanqi felt that the atmosphere within the sect was rather pleasant.

An elder of the Heavenly Water Peak could even joke with the Sect Leader; a mere month's stipend was but a drop in the bucket for someone of their position.

The Sect Leader's punishment for the elder was also to provide extra instruction to the outer disciples.

Li Guanqi murmured to himself, "Perhaps… this sect is a place where I can settle down."

Lu Kangnian slowly landed upon the high platform, looking up at the radiant glow filling the sky.

With a gentle smile, his eyes met Li Guanqi's, revealing no trace of anything amiss.

Instead, he said with utmost sincerity and earnestness, "My name is Lu Kangnian, the thirty-eighth Sect Leader of the Great Xia Sword Sect."

"What is your name?"

Although Li Guanqi's attire was not extravagant, it was clean and tidy.

He straightened his collar nonetheless.

Performing an impeccably standard and refined junior's salute!

Moreover, Li Guanqi remained composed and unperturbed throughout, a composure that further elevated Lu Kangnian's opinion of him.

Zhao Yuanlin struggled to his feet, his entire body wracked with pain as if engulfed in flames!

Yet this physical pain was nothing compared to the resentment in his heart!

His eyes fixed intently on the figure on the platform, he then turned and left the Great Xia Sword Sect.

Li Guanqi cast a deep glance at Zhao Yuanlin's departing figure, his eyes narrowed, and he suddenly spoke.

"Stop."

He then turned to Lu Kangnian, cupping his fist in salute, and said in a deep voice.

"May I, as a junior, be permitted to settle some personal matters before joining the sect?"

A glint flashed in Lu Kangnian's eyes, and he nodded slightly.

Li Guanqi turned to Zhao Yuanlin, his icy killing intent almost uncontrollable.

"You think you can just leave after slandering me? I'm afraid that won't do."

Zhao Yuanlin clutched his arm, a hint of panic in his eyes.

"What… what do you want?!"

"I… I won't join the Great Xia Sword Sect then, I'll just go down the mountain…"

Li Guanqi's figure flickered, instantly blocking Zhao Yuanlin's path.

"A death match, with no complaints regardless of the outcome!"

Zhao Yuanlin was already retreating, not daring to meet Li Guanqi's eyes, and was about to refuse with his head lowered.

But a cold voice echoed in his ears.

Lu Kangnian looked indifferently at Zhao Yuanlin, a mere Heavenly Spiritual Root; he didn't find it particularly valuable.

With such a disposition, the Great Xia Sword Sect would not accept him!

"Prepare for the death match then; the crime of slander is forgiven if you survive."

Lu Kangnian's words were practically a death sentence for Zhao Yuanlin.

A flicker of gratitude flashed in Li Guanqi's eyes, and without choosing a location, the disciples scattered, leaving a space of thirty feet in radius.

Zhao Yuanlin's face was pale, knowing that he had no chance of resisting, and could only fight to the death…

He gritted his teeth, looked at Lu Kangnian, and said in a deep voice.

"If I win, let me leave!"

Lu Kangnian flashed and sat upon the throne on the high platform, sneering.

"Of course; even if you wanted to stay, the Great Xia Sword Sect wouldn't want you."

Zhao Yuanlin took a deep breath, standing opposite Li Guanqi, his eyes filled with resentment.

If it weren't for Li Guanqi, he would have been fully qualified to directly enter the inner sect of the Great Xia Sword Sect!!

Qin Xian personally presided over the two's death match.

"Death match, all means are permitted, ending only with one's death!"

"Begin!"

The instant the final word fell, Li Guanqi's body shot out!!

Even so, Li Guanqi did not remove the sword coffin from his back.

The speed was such that many disciples only felt a blur before their eyes, losing sight of Li Guanqi's figure.

Many elders nodded in approval at this sight; to be able to achieve such speed with only physical strength was truly rare!

Zhao Yuanlin instinctively reacted by turning and throwing a punch, but hit nothing.

Li Guanqi, his figure lowered, revealed a sudden surge of killing intent in his eyes, and punched fiercely into Zhao Yuanlin's chin!!

Crack!!!

This punch directly shattered Zhao Yuanlin's jaw, blood flowing freely, teeth falling out.

Zhao Yuanlin was sent flying into the air!!

Li Guanqi grabbed Zhao Yuanlin's ankle and slammed him violently into the ground!!

Bang!!

The ground was splattered with blood, and Zhao Yuanlin let out a cry of agony.

"Ah!!"

His body rebounded from the ground, and cracks appeared in the bluestone pavement!

The immense rebounding force instantly shattered and dislocated Zhao Yuanlin's internal organs.

Zhao Yuanlin swept a leg towards Li Guanqi, releasing his grip and stepping back, his toes brushing past Li Guanqi's nose.

Zhao Yuanlin spun in the air and steadied himself, vomiting a mouthful of blood.

His bloodshot eyes were filled with blood spots, blurring his vision and making it almost impossible to see ahead.

A dark shadow flashed past, and Zhao Yuanlin roared ferociously, throwing a punch with all his might!!!

Li Guanqi's expression remained unchanged from beginning to end, his feet suddenly exerting force as he shifted his body slightly, countering with a punch!!

Dong! Crack!!!

Zhao Yuanlin's left arm instantly broke, Li Guanqi's right hand coming together like a blade, roaring in fury.

"Die!!!"

Puff!!!

His fingers pierced Zhao Yuanlin's chest, penetrating his heart!!

Thump!

Zhao Yuanlin knelt lifelessly on the ground.

Li Guanqi withdrew his right hand, blood dripping from his fingertips onto the ground.

But he stood there with his eyes closed, tears shimmering at the corners of his eyes…

His voice hoarse, he murmured, "Sister… your brother has avenged you."

The disciples in the plaza were all silent with fear.

The peak lords and elders, on the other hand, nodded with smiles.

Decisive in killing, resolute in action!

Lu Kangnian's eyes lit up, his smile deepening.

The peak lords, seeing this, immediately began to whisper to each other through divine sense.

"Did you see that? Old Lu just came out to intercept him!"

"Tsk tsk, he took Wu Bing and closed the door, and now he's going to open it again!!"

"Bah, shameless Lu Kangnian, opening and closing the door so casually."

Lu Kangnian inadvertently glanced at the crowd, and everyone immediately fell silent.

"Li Guanqi, is today your first time testing your spiritual root?"

Li Guanqi calmed his emotions, watched Zhao Yuanlin's body being carried away, and nodded slightly.

"Yes, whenever I asked my grandfather before, he would just smile and not say anything, so I didn't know what kind of spiritual root I had."

Lu Kangnian had just examined the young man's physique and found that his bones were also excellent!

In the Body Tempering Realm, not only were his internal organs very resilient, but his meridians and bones were as well!

It seemed that the person who taught him was extraordinary!

"Would you mind telling me what your grandfather's name is?"

"Su Xuan."

"Su Xuan… I haven't heard of any Nascent Soul cultivator with that name…"

"It doesn't matter; since that's the case, I'll explain to you all why it's called an Emptiness Spiritual Root."

Li Guanqi nodded slightly, and then Lu Kangnian said softly in front of everyone, "Emptiness Spiritual Root, also known as the Root of Emptiness."

"The most valuable aspect of this spiritual root is that the cultivator can freely choose any one of the eight elemental spiritual roots as their own!"

Hiss!!

As soon as these words came out, all the disciples who had come to join the sect gasped.

Their gazes towards the young man were filled with envy and respect.

"And the purity of the chosen spiritual root is far higher than that of a Heavenly Spiritual Root!"

"To give you an example, if the cultivation speed of a three-elemental spiritual root is like using one bucket to pour water into a tank,"

"A dual-elemental True Spiritual Root is like four buckets, and a five-elemental, mutually generating True Spiritual Root has a cultivation speed of six buckets."

"And a five-elemental, single-elemental Heavenly Spiritual Root is ten!"

Lu Kangnian turned back to look at Li Guanqi, opening his lips slightly and saying softly.

"A King-grade spiritual root is fifteen."

"A Saint-grade… is twenty!"

Boom!!

As soon as these words came out, the crowd, who had initially thought nothing of it, was in an uproar!!

And this is what countless powerhouses in the cultivation world are saying.

"Talent determines the upper limit!"

Effort can only make up for a part, but in the face of true talent.

All diligent efforts are futile!

It's cruel, but this is the reality after embarking on the path of immortality.

Perhaps someone will encounter a fortuitous event, cleanse their marrow, reshape their spiritual root, and embark on the supreme path.

But no one has ever heard of a three-elemental spiritual root being able to step above the Nascent Soul stage!

Li Guanqi suddenly asked, "Is there anything above a Saint-grade spiritual root?"

Lu Kangnian saw the faces of the young people below the stage all showing a look of thirst for knowledge, and the corners of his mouth raised into a playful smile.

"Yes!"

"Wow!! There's actually a more powerful spiritual root above the Heavenly Spiritual Root!!"

"Oh my god… no wonder all the sects look at spiritual roots, look at talent! This… alas!"

Lu Kangnian said softly, "A Heavenly Spiritual Root is already a genius, a King-grade spiritual root is one in ten thousand, called the pride of heaven."

"A Saint-grade depends on chance and luck, rarely seen in thousands of years, called a monstrous talent."

"Above the Saint-grade is the God-grade, and those who possess this kind of spiritual root are people with great luck."

"The possessed spiritual root is the ultimate expression of a certain spiritual root! The cultivation speed is… like thirty buckets."

"It is said that the daughter of the domain lord of the Divine Treasure Domain in the Six Domains recently awakened a Saint-grade Ice-type spiritual root."

Speaking of this, Lu Kangnian smiled and said, "Alright, it's enough to know a little about the affairs of other domains; telling you this is just to broaden your horizons."

"A King-grade spiritual root is already rare in our Great Xia Domain, let alone our Azure Cloud Continent."

"Today, there are disciples who have awakened a Saint-grade spiritual root, which is even more of a prosperous age for the sect, indicating the strong fortune of my Great Xia Sword Sect!"

"Today, all disciples who join the sect, as long as they are three-elemental spiritual roots, can join the sect and temporarily join the outer sect!"

As soon as these words came out, there was a burst of cheers, and the pseudo-spiritual root disciples who had not been selected were even more overjoyed.

"So, Li Guanqi, which elemental spiritual root will you choose?"

As soon as these words came out, all the peak lords and elders' hearts were raised.

Because Lu Kangnian's spiritual root is the Earth-type Heavenly Spiritual Root, as long as Li Guanqi doesn't choose the Earth-type spiritual root, they will have a chance!

And Li Guanqi also wants to be a sword cultivator, and the strongest sword cultivator is the Metal-type spiritual root!

At this time, Li Guanqi suddenly fell into a very mysterious state.

He seemed to be in a vast white world, surrounded by eight light spheres of different colors that were constantly approaching him.

Just as he was about to reach out and touch the golden light sphere, a sense of foreboding suddenly arose in his heart!

He turned to look in the direction beside him.