Li Guanqi stepped out of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion with violet eyes, satisfied with the change. “Tsk, not spending money feels good. But... how does that chubby fool already hold so much authority in the Hundred Treasures Pavilion? Has he taken over from his father?”

Li Guanqi still recalled the manager’s terrified look when he learned his true identity. At first, the disguise had been too dazzling. Now, his eyes seemed natural, all traces hidden. Deep and unreadable, they hinted at countless secrets.

Just standing at the entrance drew giggles from nearby women. A few bold ones even tried to approach him. Startled, Li Guanqi vanished in a flash of lightning.

Leaving Yanchang Plain, he soared through the skies in a playful mood. He tossed out a low-grade sword, so crude even Golden Core cultivators would scorn it. Still, he happily stepped onto it, suppressing his aura to the late Golden Core Realm.

He pulled out a jade slip and asked respectfully, “Father-in-law, how is Wanshu?”

Soon, Meng Jiangchu’s voice came through.

—You brat, looks like you still remember us? Do you even still have Wanshu in your heart? Do you still see me as your father-in-law? A whole year! A whole year and not a word from you!”

Li Guanqi pulled the jade slip away from his ear. Meng Jiangchu’s voice was too loud. “Ah, I had some things to work through... I disappeared for a year to clear my head.”

Meng Jiangchu did not press further. He had witnessed the events in the Liu clan’s domain.

—Rest easy, brat. Wanshu is still in closed-door cultivation. I believe she will stabilize her illusory body and then prepare to break through to the Combined Body Realm. She was a bit reckless last time.

Li Guanqi’s eyes flickered with worry, but if Meng Jiangchu said there was no danger, then there was none. A doting father like him would never let his daughter come to harm.

Li Guanqi chuckled. “Father-in-law... I have a rather awkward problem.”

—What problem?

“I need a sword, a spirit void weapon.”

Meng Jiangchu gritted his teeth and gave an irritated response.

—Fine. I will forge one and have it delivered.

Li Guanqi put the jade slip down, reassured. “Wanshu may remain in closed-door cultivation for a long time. Breaking through to the Combined Body Realm requires preparation.”

He sucked in a breath. “Is she getting too talented? My yang energy must be something else...”

***

In the Divine Treasure Territory, Meng Jiangchu smiled bitterly. He had not forged anything in centuries, yet now he would reignite his furnace for Li Guanqi. But rather than worry, he felt excitement. Forging a spirit void weapon suited for Li Guanqi stirred something within him.

He already had Li Guanqi’s aura, but he still reached out for a wisp of the sword spirit void’s aura as well. He reached out to touch the crimson qi in his jade slip.

Hiss!

Meng Jiangchu frowned at the blood on his fingertip. Forging the sword wouldn’t be as easy as he’d thought.

He turned excitedly, announcing he was going into seclusion to forge a weapon and demanding no one disturb him.

Everyone was shocked. “The territory lord is going to forge a weapon? He hasn’t forged in centuries!”

Meng Jiangchu searched the treasure vault, pulling out countless rare materials collected over millennia. He sealed the domain, and scorching waves of fire swept through the land.

***

Meanwhile, Li Guanqi soared through the sky using a sprint technique.

With each step, he landed on the flying sword, his fists moving like waves. Gentle water became violent torrents, every punch crashing with the force of the sea. He used no vital force, relying only on the Shattered Skies Fist Technique. With each repetition, his grasp of the first punch, Thousand-Layered Waves, deepened. He even began to grasp the second punch, Ten Thousand Mountains.

He pulled his fist back and straightened up, drenched in sweat. A burst of vital force washed the grime from him. He closed his eyes, running through every sword technique he knew.

Only when possessed by Sword Spirit could he unleash an attack that surpassed the Sword-Unsheathing Technique. The move was incredibly profound. Even now, he only understood sixty percent of it.

He thought of his own creation, the Red Lotus Heavenly Dance—a technique that pushed the Red Lotus Sword’s unique ability to its limit. With his heart and sword as one, he could unleash a devastating strike. The technique relied on extreme speed, cutting thousands of times in an instant to form a blooming lotus of lightning. It was similar to Thousand-Layered Waves in how it accumulated force before exploding beyond ordinary limits.

Two more sword techniques lingered as vague concepts. One was born from the slaughter of the Liu clan, when his killing intent peaked. The strike was akin to a bloodthirsty asura, yet he felt like something was missing. The other technique was inspired by his days as Li Wuji, when he lived freely and followed his heart.

“You lack a vital force circulation method,” Sword Spirit said. “A true sword technique must have not only power and form, but also a corresponding circulation method. It must include a sutra so that future generations can understand the state of mind in which it was created.”

Li Guanqi shrugged and nodded. He hadn’t expected that creating sword techniques would be so troublesome. Still, he committed her words to memory. He would refine the two techniques later.

Sword Spirit watched him ponder and sighed. “The Empty Spirit Physique... such terrifying comprehension.”

She smiled faintly, gazing at the heavens. I wonder what the cultivators in the Immortal World will think when he ascends.

Li Guanqi continued practicing, fists pounding out Shattered Skies while he thought about how to complete his sword techniques.

As he practiced, the sky darkened. Suddenly, a woman’s cry cut through the air.