However, when everyone stepped onto the Cloud Boat, Li Guanqi was surprised to see the man who had been itching his teeth for the past month, Gao Qiwen!

But Li Nanting just patted his shoulder and didn’t say much.

Glancing at his master, he actually understood in his heart.

This sloppy man surely had many stories to tell, it’s just that those within the sect who knew the inside story were unwilling to speak.

It was as if they couldn’t bear to peel back someone’s scars.

Moreover, Li Guanqi noticed that ever since the man boarded the Cloud Boat, he had reverted to his usual reticence, sitting alone in a corner, drinking wine.

Li Guanqi sat cross-legged on the deck of the Cloud Boat, eyes closed, concentrating, and perceiving the subtleties of the newly learned movement technique and the Purple Micro Demonic Sword.

The other disciples were excitedly discussing the Centennial competition among a hundred Sects, but only Li Guanqi’s group of four was quietly cultivating.

The man sat in the corner, his gaze peering through his messy hair at the four, muttering to himself: “Their tenacity is really not bad… just don’t know if fewer will die this time around…”

“Right… Nanting.”

An elder in white robes embroidered with purple thunder patterns stood beside the man, speaking softly.

“Qiwen, after so many years, have you still not let go of that grudge?”

The man gave a bitter smile, shook his head, and sighed softly: “I haven’t let go, and I can’t afford to.”

“If I let go, I’ll lose my drive, and I’ll be completely finished.”

“It’s all about whether I can release this breath…”

Hearing this, Li Nanting smiled slightly, looking at the youth with the Sword box on his back on the deck, and whispered: “This time… there might be a chance!”

The man, surprisingly, did not retort but nodded seriously, saying softly.

“He is the most outstanding disciple I’ve seen in the sect in three hundred years!”

The journey was tedious, but the four on the deck, aside from waking to eat, sat together sharing their insights on cultivation.

Li Guanqi keenly noticed the changes in the elders and transmitted his voice softly.

“The Centennial competition among a hundred Sects… might be even more brutal than we imagined.”

“So we must not be careless, we need to be careful, and then even more careful!”

Everyone nodded in agreement, even the honest Lin Dong said with a smile: “But there should be few who are sharper than us now…”

“After all, although Gao’s sharp tongue isn’t pleasant, it has indeed broadened my horizons!”

Ye Feng pursed his lips and glanced at the figure in the corner, cursing: “I don’t know how he trained his mouth to be so venomous!”

To this, everyone deeply agreed and nodded in unison.

Then Li Guanqi spoke softly: “Alright, we are seven days away from Tianyu Pass, I’m going into seclusion.”

“You guys should also calm your minds, stop cultivating for now, and properly sort through what you’ve learned recently.”

Hearing this, everyone nodded solemnly. During this time, aside from experiencing Gao Qiwen’s sharp tongue.

The three were even more shocked by the formidable strength Li Guanqi had displayed!

Even when Li Guanqi advanced to the mid-stage, the three of them together were still suppressed by him alone!

Only Ye Feng could manage a few moves, but would also quickly be defeated.

Moreover, after spending time together, they realized that although Ye Feng seemed somewhat unreliable, his ability to learn was second only to Li Guanqi. Any mistake made once, Ye Feng would never repeat it!

This might sound ordinary, but if someone could truly do this, it would be terrifying.

It also showed that Ye Feng’s self-demands were almost to the point of obsession!

Within their small group, Li Guanqi had unknowingly become the core.

Even the usually lazy Ye Feng regarded him as the benchmark for his own cultivation.

Li Guanqi sat cross-legged in the Meditation Room, practicing the eighteen moves of the Purple Micro Demonic Sword without using any Primordial Energy, over and over again.

It must be said, after the Sword Spirit’s deductions, the sword technique was on a whole different level compared to the Green Lotus Heavenly Gang Sword Technique he initially practiced.

During this time, he had not activated the Illusionary Realm of Baihao, simply because his Spirit Stones were running low. Apart from his daily cultivation, he had no more Spirit Stones to use.

Fortunately, the Star Pivot Thunder Vine he obtained in the Mo family’s Mechanism City ensured the altar for the thunder dragon egg could be maintained for a year or so.

Otherwise, he really wouldn’t know what to do.

After observing for some time, he noticed that the thunder dragon egg seemed to have grown larger, and the purple scales enveloping the shell were faintly shimmering.

This brought him great relief; otherwise, he would have felt quite pained by the resources spent.

Hearing that Li Guanqi was in seclusion, the others did not disturb him.

Seven days later.

Li Guanqi slowly awoke from his cultivation state, exhaling a breath of stale air, feeling refreshed as he walked out of the Meditation Room.

As soon as he emerged, he noticed they were now amidst a range of mountains.

Peaks surrounded them, with lush vegetation.

A thin layer of mist floated above the mountains in the early morning, and the spiritual energy was quite abundant.

Qin Xian, seeing everyone gathered, spoke softly.

“For this Centennial competition among a hundred Sects, you’ve probably heard some details from the elders in the sect, so I won’t waste words.”

“This year’s competition format is similar to previous ones, with cultivators of the same Realm battling in pairs, advancing through the ranks.”

“And the point system for wins and losses is different for each Realm.”

“Early stage of Foundation Establishment wins earn one point, mid-stage two points, late stage three points.”

Everyone nodded upon hearing this, as this was the first time they heard of this point system.

However, it seemed reasonable since different Realms couldn’t possibly have the same points.

But what Qin Xian said next made Li Guanqi frown.

“If you lose, the points are doubled!”

As soon as these words were spoken, all the disciples were in an uproar!

Someone asked: “Elder Qin, if that’s the case, it will be very hard to accumulate points, won’t it?”

The old man’s face was full of seriousness as he nodded and said: “Yes, it’s very difficult to accumulate.”

“So the total points correspond to the sect’s ranking, representing the overall strength of the disciples within a sect.”

“If some disciples are not strong enough and keep losing, even if there are only a few of them.”

“They can drag down the entire sect’s ranking!”

All the competitors felt a weight on their shoulders, an invisible pressure enveloping everyone!

However, at this moment, Li Guanqi casually asked a question.

After pondering, Qin Xian provided an answer, then smiled and said: “Alright, no matter what, just do your best.”