Though his cultivation had stabilized, Zhou Shiyu was still in a terrible condition. Hardly an inch of him was unscathed. Though the injuries to his sea of consciousness had healed, he still needed to tend to the rest of his wounds without delay.

Gu Huai brought him straight to a cultivation room to recuperate.

Before entering seclusion, Zhou Shiyu had asked to be called the moment Li Guanqi came out. Gu Huai assumed he simply wanted to thank Li Guanqi for intervening, so he agreed and closed the door.

News of what had happened at the Six Gates Holy Sect quickly spread across the entire Northern Territory of the Daochan Territory. Most cultivators reacted with disbelief at first. Then they all asked the same question: who had struck down the Sun clan?

“It was that Yanluo Sword Sovereign from the Daxia Territory! The one who carries that enormous sword box on his back!”

“Oh! Li Guanqi! Then never mind... that makes perfect sense.”

“Fellow Daoist, you probably haven’t heard what happened to the Liu clan of the ancient clans, have you?”

“Huh? What happened?”

“Doesn’t Li Guanqi have a small purple-black tower hanging from his waist?”

“Now that you mention it, you’re right. I saw him myself that day. But he wasn’t blind...”

“Are you daft? When he travels outside, he’s obviously disguised. Let me tell you, inside that tower...”

“What?! Really?! He annihilated an entire clan?! Soul Capture?!”

“Good grief, I’ve seen plenty of living bodhisattvas, but a living Yanluo King? That’s a first.”

Li Guanqi sat in meditation atop the Dao Resonance Stone for a full seven days. For those seven days, the entire Six Gates Holy Sect, from top to bottom, lived in dread. Everyone feared the Sun clan would dispatch powerful cultivators against them. Gu Huai learned that the Sun clan was furious beyond measure, yet the clan made no move. Gu Huai let out a small sigh of relief and urged the sect to expedite its plans to withdraw from the world.

Zhou Shiyu had still not emerged from seclusion either. His injuries had been severe, yet his aura was growing denser by the day, which was further cause for relief.

Just then, an aged voice slowly rang out. “Sect Master... it has already been seven days! We’re burning through resources too quickly... if this keeps up, I fear we won’t be able to sustain it much longer.”

Gu Huai raised his hand and said firmly, “We cannot stop. Even if we exhaust every last resource, we must not waver at a moment like this. Keep filling the altar with spirit stones. We will only stop when he wakes up on his own, not a moment sooner!”

The elders present could only nod in agreement. They made the necessary arrangements.

Gu Huai tucked his hands into his sleeves and slowly rose to his feet, not particularly bothered by the spirit stones. What truly weighed on his mind was how decisive Li Guanqi’s intervention had been during the sect’s hour of crisis.

“We of this generation... must... strengthen ourselves!”

Then Gu Huai’s eyes flickered, and he abruptly turned his head toward the mountain hollow.

A piercing sword cry rang out. Two streaks of sword light, one purple and one red, shot into the sky. The terrifying sword light pierced straight into the clouds. A massive explosion followed, causing the earth to tremble and shake for hundreds of li in every direction.

The violent trembling left everyone reeling, and in the cultivation room, Zhou Shiyu jolted awake.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Gu Huai looked at Li Guanqi, who was surrounded by swirling sword intent, and laughed. “Congratulations, young friend!”

Li Guanqi slowly opened his eyes and gradually reined in the surging sword Dao intent domain.

He had come within a hair’s breadth of touching an even higher level of sword intent. That realm... he could sense it would be several times more powerful than his current Sword Heart Realm.

The corners of Li Guanqi’s mouth curved upward slightly. Two sword techniques...

One was called the Sword of No Restraint. The other, Blood Shura.

His sprint technique was now seamlessly integrated. As for the Shattered Skies Fist Technique, Zhou Shiyu had given him the inspiration, and he had gained a preliminary understanding of the second punch, Ten Thousand Mountains.

This brief seclusion had kept him immersed in epiphany for a full seven days, and the gains were immense.

Li Guanqi reined in his aura and cupped his fists toward Gu Huai with a smile. “Many thanks for continuously replenishing the spirit stones these past few days.”

The old man laughed and waved it off. “A small matter. I couldn’t very well let you break out of epiphany. That would have made this old one a true sinner.”

Swoosh!

Just as the two were speaking, a limping figure came flying over from a distance.

The moment Gu Huai saw Zhou Shiyu, his heart skipped. “You brat! Your injuries aren’t healed yet. What are you running around for?”

Zhou Shiyu grinned foolishly. “Master, don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”

He turned to Li Guanqi with an earnest expression and bowed. “Zhou Shiyu of the Six Gates Holy Sect thanks you, fellow Daoist, for your righteous intervention. My gratitude is etched deep in my heart. Should you ever need my help, I will come without hesitation!”

Li Guanqi smiled faintly and returned the bow with cupped fists. “Daxia Sword Sect, Li Guanqi.”

Zhou Shiyu turned to the others. “Gate Masters, please continue with your business. I’d like a private word with Brother Li.”

Gu Huai felt there was nothing more to say. It was good for the younger generation to grow closer, and especially so for Zhou Shiyu and Li Guanqi. The gate masters took their leave one after another.

The moment they were gone, Zhou Shiyu’s expression went cold.

He turned to look at Li Guanqi, his eyes frigid. “What do you want?”

Li Guanqi shrugged, a touch of puzzlement in his voice. “What do I want?”

“I don’t believe in kindness without reason. What do you want from me? That day, when I was kneeling broken on the mountain peak, the person who passed overhead... that was you, wasn’t it? Everything is too much of a coincidence, and the spirit treasure’s artifact spirit now answers to you.”

Zhou Shiyu locked eyes with Li Guanqi and pronounced each word deliberately. “Right now, my life and death are in your hands alone, just as Sun Tianqi’s were. So... what do you want?”

Li Guanqi smiled calmly. He raised his hand, and a blood-red thread extended from Zhou Shiyu’s forehead to his fingertip. Li Guanqi gently pinched his fingers, and the red thread shattered inch by inch.

Zhou Shiyu’s pupils trembled violently. He could now fully control the spirit treasure[1] chain’s artifact spirit.

Li Guanqi smiled. “Everything was purely coincidental. Scheming against you... There’s no need for that. Every brother at my side is at least your equal in strength. But... the devotion you’ve shown to your sect moved me. I’ve built an organization called the Guanyun Pavilion, and I’d like your help.”

Zhou Shiyu shrugged. “I refuse.”

Li Guanqi wasn’t surprised. He simply asked, “Why?”

Zhou Shiyu’s expression turned serious. “I don’t want to answer to anyone. You saved me... I acknowledge the debt of gratitude. But wanting to use that to take me under your wing... I’m sorry.”

Li Guanqi threw back his head and laughed heartily, hands clasped behind his back, completely unfazed.

He extended a hand toward Zhou Shiyu with a smile. “Then let’s just be friends. When you visit the Daxia Territory, I’ll treat you to all the delicious food and drinks you desire.”

Zhou Shiyu hadn’t expected Li Guanqi to be so carefree. In truth, he had already prepared himself. If Li Guanqi had tried to use the debt of gratitude as leverage, Zhou Shiyu would have conceded in the end.

Zhou Shiyu snapped back to his senses and extended his rough, calloused hand. The two clasped hands and shared a smile.

Li Guanqi understood that pride came naturally to someone like Zhou Shiyu. But Li Guanqi believed there would still be chances for them to meet again and walk the same path.

The corners of Li Guanqi’s mouth lifted slightly. He raised his hand to release his intent domain, then said softly, “I have a fist technique here. I’ll run through it once. See if it gives you any insight.”

Zhou Shiyu’s brow furrowed slightly. He knew Li Guanqi was a sword cultivator with a lightning spirit root. How could he also know a fist technique?

He himself had an earth spirit root... but he did not refuse.

Li Guanqi smiled. His blood and qi thundered and roared, making Zhou Shiyu feel an overwhelming pressure crash toward him.

Li Guanqi settled into his fist stance, then unleashed a single punch.

One punch, and the intent domain shattered. The void collapsed for hundreds of zhang in every direction.

A surge of vast, heavy fist force erupted from the ground.

Standing to the side, Zhou Shiyu felt his chest cave slightly inward under the sheer force of the punch.

Zhou Shiyu stared wide-eyed as Li Guanqi’s fist thundered forward.

Boom! Crack!

Zhou Shiyu’s eyes blazed, his mouth hanging slightly open as he murmured, “An impossibly heavy fist! What a strike! One punch to break ten thousand techniques!”

1. Power ranking: mundane > magical > spirit > magical treasure > ancient treasure > spirit treasure > heavenly spirit treasure ☜