Li Guanqi slept exceptionally well that night, and when he groggily awoke, he found himself lying in his master’s courtyard.

Beside him was Yu Sui’an, her eyes red and swollen.

Seeing the steamed buns placed by his pillow, Li Guanqi lay in bed and smiled faintly.

He picked up a bun and savored it, but the action tugged at his wounds.

Pain furrowed his brow as he sat up to check on the little girl.

“Good, she’s still asleep.”

At the doorway stood Li Nanting, smiling at him. After tidying up, he gently laid Yu Sui’an back on the bed and covered her with a blanket.

His wounds were well-dressed, and Li Guanqi felt that with a couple more days, he’d be almost fully recovered.

Li Nanting, watching him move, couldn’t help but exclaim, “This kid has an incredibly resilient body.”

When Li Guanqi approached him, Li Nanting took a deep breath and asked in a serious tone.

“What’s with the blood-colored runes on your body?”

Li Guanqi’s heart skipped a beat as he slung the sword box over his shoulder and vaguely replied.

“Uh… it’s nothing, my grandfather drew them for me.”

“I don’t know their purpose, but they don’t affect me.”

Li Nanting’s brow furrowed. Both Lu Kangnian and Qin Xian had visited the day before, but they were baffled by the blood-colored patterns.

Despite sensing the profoundness of the runes, their meaning eluded him.

Seeing that Li Guanqi didn’t seem to be lying, Li Nanting didn’t press further.

As long as the runes weren’t harmful to Li Guanqi, that was all that mattered. And Li Guanqi’s grandfather’s standing in his heart grew even heavier.

His already vague understanding was now shrouded in an additional layer of mystery.

Li Nanting speculated that Li Guanqi’s grandfather must be at least an Elemental Infant Realm powerhouse, if not a Divine Transformation Realm cultivator!

Li Nanting said with a smile, “Eat something first, then I’ll help you change your dressings.”

Li Guanqi grinned and began to devour the delicious spread laid out on the table.

After a few bites, Li Guanqi paused and asked, “Medicinal cuisine? With Spirit Herbs and demon beast meat added?”

“Master, this isn’t what the Sect prepared for you, is it…”

Li Nanting patted his head and laughed, “Just eat, I had them prepare it.”

“You’ve been injured, you need to eat well to recover.”

“The Sect’s resources are only enough to open the trial realm once, I won’t let you miss out.”

After eating for a while, Li Guanqi softly spoke, “Master…”

“Hmm?”

“You’ve never really said much about me killing people, have you?”

“Say what, damn it? They all entered our Sect’s territory, would I say you shouldn’t have left any survivors in that situation?”

“Besides, eradicating the roots is the first iron rule after making enemies in the cultivation world! You must remember this!”

Li Nanting’s face showed a solemnity never seen before.

He looked into his eyes and warned gravely, “No matter who the other party is, no matter how noble their identity.”

“Once a conflict arises between you, if there’s an opportunity, you must strike to kill!”

“Kill if you can! Never be merciful or hesitant!”

Li Nanting’s words were heavy, as if to engrave them into Li Guanqi’s memory.

Recalling the incidents involving his own master, Li Guanqi nodded silently.

But then the old man took on an elder’s stance.

“Although that’s what I said…”

“I don’t want you to become a bloodthirsty killer. If you ever turn into such a person,”

“I will personally take responsibility for cleansing our Sect!”

The old man’s words were resolute, and Li Guanqi quickly nodded earnestly.

Li Nanting gently tapped the young man’s chest a few times.

“Guanqi, remember this.”

“Here, there is a scale!”

“It knows best who deserves to die and who does not.”

Li Guanqi nodded, somewhat confused. Perhaps the scale in his heart was only just beginning to take shape.

But he believed that the old man before him would teach him the true measure of this scale.

As soon as Li Guanqi left the mountain, he found many people at the entrance to his courtyard.

Senior Brothers and Sisters from Heavenly Thunder Peak, Lin Dong who had just woken up, Ye Feng, and even Zhong Lin had come.

Not just them, disciples from other peaks had surrounded his courtyard.

Startled, Li Guanqi quickly took to sword flight to Jade Bottle Peak.

On the way, he transmitted a message to Ye Feng, “Come find me at Jade Bottle Peak.”

Looking at the wooden hut already set up at the top of Jade Bottle Peak, Li Guanqi was slightly taken aback.

However, the shirtless youth not far from his peak waved at him.

Arriving at the summit through the air, he laughed softly, “Haha, Junior Brother Li, feeling better?”

Li Guanqi then realized that this person was the former Senior Brother of the Outer Sect, Zhou Zhi, who had sworn allegiance to Heavenly Gold Peak.

Before the Spirit Root test, there was also a woman, the Senior Sister of the Outer Sect, Jiang Su.

Now Zhou Zhi had successfully entered the Inner Sect, and his cultivation had even broken through to the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

Li Guanqi quickly bowed and said, “Junior Brother Li Guanqi, greets Senior Brother Zhou.”

The handsome Zhou Zhi was surprised that Li Guanqi still remembered his name.

He laughed softly, “Don’t be so formal, I’ve only established my foundation recently, and you’ve already reached the mid-stage.”

“It’s maddening how people can differ so much.”

“Seeing you hadn’t woken up, we brothers helped set up your wooden hut yesterday.”

Li Guanqi, with a smile on his face, softly said, “You’ve troubled yourselves, Senior Brothers. Would you like to come in and sit?”

Zhou Zhi waved his hand, leaping into the void and said softly, “Some other time, I have to go to the mission hall to see if I can earn some points.”

Watching Zhou Zhi’s departing figure and looking at the exquisite wooden hut before him, a warm current flowed through Li Guanqi’s heart.

The feeling of being cared for and remembered warmed him inside.

It was like having someone place unfinished coal next to him on a snowy night, bringing warmth.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

Ye Feng and the other two arrived on their swords, and Li Guanqi welcomed them into the wooden hut.

As soon as Lin Dong, his face pale, entered, he began to kneel to Li Guanqi.

The others quickly helped him up.

With tears in his eyes, Lin Dong said solemnly, “Li Guanqi, you saved my life!”

“If you ever need it, it’s yours to take!”

His words were full of raw sincerity, leaving Li Guanqi caught between laughter and tears.

“Go on, I don’t need the life of a stinky man.”

Ye Feng, with an odd look on his face, raised an eyebrow and teased, “What’s this? Thinking of refining your heart through mortal affairs today?”

Li Guanqi scoffed, “I think you’re the one brimming with yang energy, aren’t you?”

“You wouldn’t have gone to refine your heart behind my back, would you?”

Ye Feng’s expression turned serious as he replied, “Rest assured, I would never go alone without you!”

Their banter left Zhong Lin and Lin Dong baffled, with Zhong Lin even frowning and asking.

“What’s this Mortal Heart Refinement? Is it in the secret realm brought back by the Sect? Have you already been inside?”

Lin Dong chimed in, “Next time you go, can you take me with you?”

Scratching his head awkwardly, Lin Dong added, “I can’t match your talents, but I want to improve my strength as much as possible!”

Seeing the seriousness on Zhong Lin and Lin Dong’s faces, Ye Feng and Li Guanqi burst into laughter.

Eventually, under their persistent requests, Ye Feng agreed to take them along for the next Mortal Heart Refinement.

This small act among the four of them would become a tradition for the disciples of the Great Xia Sword Sect in the years to come.

Who knows who let the secret slip, but many years later, it became customary for new disciples of the Great Xia Sword Sect to undergo Mortal Heart Refinement as part of their missions…