This night, the Royal Dynasty of Xuantian was shaken to its core.
The death of the national advisor, Tang Chongqing, meant the accusations of rebellion against the Li family no longer held.
The current Holy Emperor was temporarily deposed by a celestial master from the Great Xia Sword Sect.
In the rainy night, Li Guanqi held an umbrella as he slowly disappeared into the downpour.
No sooner had he left the city than Li Guanqi found a cave to heal his wounds.
After applying golden sore medicine to his bare skin, Li Guanqi's face turned somewhat pale.
Swallowing a healing pill, the vital energy within his body surged, allowing him to finally catch his breath.
Leaning against the cave wall, Guanqi couldn't help but feel a trace of fear in his heart.
"Who would have thought that a Foundation Establishment cultivator would be so troublesome to deal with? That energy barrier was particularly difficult."
However, in his perception, Tang Chongqing seemed to be an unaffiliated wanderer.
If the man had come from a notable background, he wouldn't be ignorant of such taboos in the Cultivation World.
Moreover, his swordplay lacked any discernible method; he relied solely on his ability to control the sword in combat.
What's more, Guanqi felt that the man's vital energy wasn't strong, suggesting he might have chosen to establish his foundation at the ninth level of Qi Refining.
Feeling the emptiness within his pubic region, Guanqi simply began to meditate and cultivate.
The Sword Spirit appeared behind him at some point, nodding slightly in approval.
It had to be said that Li Guanqi's tenacity and diligence in cultivation were indeed rare.
And after a great battle, Guanqi had gained a bit of enlightenment.
Especially regarding his swordplay, he no longer sought flashy moves.
A single, lethal strike that conserved vital energy might be a better choice.
***
The next morning, Guanqi hurried to the nearest ferry crossing.
As the cloud boat broke through the sky, Guanqi took a rare moment to rest.
However, just then, a streak of light suddenly zipped past the cloud boat.
Guanqi, sensing something, opened his eyes to see Elder Xu Zhengjie of Heavenly Thunder Peak slowly tearing open the boat's barrier.
The boat's captain quickly bowed in respect, "Greetings, celestial master!"
The other passengers also stood up and bowed.
With a wave of his hand, Xu Zhengjie helped everyone to their feet and flashed beside Guanqi, laughing.
"Brat, I heard what happened. A Foundation Establishment cultivator causing chaos in the court?"
Guanqi nodded and whispered, "Elder Xu had to personally deal with this matter?"
Xu Zhengjie laughed heartily, "Indeed, the matter of the Foundation Establishment cultivator is minor; what's more important is choosing a new emperor."
"How are you? Did you get hurt while gathering information? Did that cultivator notice you?"
Guanqi shrugged, "Well… Elder, I killed that Foundation Establishment cultivator."
"What!!!"
Xu Zhengjie's voice pitched high in shock, then he said gravely, "Brat, you can't joke about such things!"
"You, a Qi Refining cultivator, killed a Foundation Establishment one?"
Guanqi honestly replied, "He wasn't that strong…"
"He was still a Foundation Establishment cultivator!"
Before Xu Zhengjie could fully react, Guanqi leaned in, "So, I should get more points for this, right?"
"Look, I took care of that cultivator, so you can just go and choose a new emperor."
"You didn't even have to lift a finger, so there should be some benefits for me, right~"
Xu Zhengjie laughed, "I knew it! You left the Inner Sect partly for the Outer Sect's assessment rewards!"
"Old Li wouldn't believe it, saying you did it to ease his mind."
"Well done!"
"Keep this quiet, and just go to the mission hall to claim your points later."
Guanqi grinned, thinking to himself, "Ah, the rewards have to be pried out, but here they come."
After speaking, Xu Zhengjie threw his sword, preparing to leave, and Guanqi bowed, "Farewell, Elder Uncle."
Suddenly remembering something, Xu Zhengjie turned back, "Aren't you also close to Foundation Establishment?"
Guanqi paused, then thinking of his loosening bottleneck, nodded.
The old man looked hopeful, "Then prepare yourself. Perhaps for this year's Spirit Ruin competition… we can only rely on you."
After tearing the barrier and mounting his sword, the old man flew towards the Xuantian Royal Dynasty.
Once he was gone, everyone on the cloud boat looked at Guanqi with a newfound respect.
But seeing Guanqi meditating, not a soul dared to approach him for conversation.
Guanqi disembarked at Minning, the closest stop to the Great Xia Sword Sect.
The street vendors all bowed slightly to the young man carrying the sword box.
Guanqi smiled and without delay, headed back to the Great Xia Sword Sect.
As expected, the points for investigating the Xuantian Royal Dynasty had tripled.
The manager personally transferred the points to Guanqi, a glint in his eyes, and whispered, "Li, did you really kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator?"
Guanqi's face held an inscrutable smile as he whispered back, "What do you think?"
Back at his courtyard, Guanqi saw Yu Sui'an looking around from the rooftop.
Upon seeing him return, Yu leaped down.
"Li Guanqi! Why did you take so long to come back?"
Then, with eager hands, he gestured for something.
Guanqi laughed, "I brought something for you~ Let's go inside to eat."
The two of them entered the courtyard.
"Look at these meat buns from Wangyue City! And the special pastries…"
Yu Sui'an bit into the bun, his eyes squinting with delight, "So good!"
"Alright, eat up."
"Where are you going?"
"To the Spirit Ascension Platform."
Arriving at the platform, Guanqi checked his points on the jade slip.
With the six hundred points just awarded, he now had a total of one thousand eight hundred points.
Enough to open a Mystical-level Spirit Ascension Platform for a month.
When he reached the platform, he gritted his teeth and spent seven hundred points to open a Mystical-level cultivation room.
The disciples of the Great Xia Sword Sect rarely had time to meet; each was diligently cultivating.
Due to the unique assessment system, those ranked last twice in a row would be expelled from the Inner Sect.
Thus, within the envied Inner Sect, the atmosphere for cultivation was even more intense.
Everyone was in a hurry, running instead of walking.
Under such pressure, even Guanqi felt it was immense, often seeing fellow disciples flying on swords.
Guanqi bit his lip and resolved, "This secluded cultivation must break through to the thirteenth layer!"
"Hey, Sword Spirit, are you there?"
"What is it?"
"Uh… be a bit nicer, will you~"
"I wanted to ask, what exactly is the Spirit Ruin?"
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas