Li Guanqi set down the jade slip, surprised to discover that Song Yunshu would be the one delivering the Heavenly Intelligence Map. Her strength didn’t seem noteworthy. He wondered if they really feel comfortable having her deliver such an important item on her own.

He smiled and shook his head. The Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion wouldn’t be foolish enough not to consider such things.

Li Guanqi settled into a fist stance and practiced the Shattered Skies technique in the void, slow and deliberate. Again and again, he closed his eyes, cleared his mind, and felt the force in each strike. Each repetition revealed something new.

The first punch, Thousand-Layered Waves, drew its power from the momentum of water, but converting lightning into that momentum made it far more violent. Still, the layered waves within the fist force weren’t as terrifying as he’d imagined.

Once he noticed this, his strikes lost some of their raw ferocity, but the qi circulating through the Illusory Refinement Sutra grew increasingly violent. Vital force surged through his meridians, but a stabbing pain accompanied it. He winced. He’d never felt his own vital force surge so violently before. It rampaged through his meridians like a primordial dragon threatening to tear them apart. He didn’t dare run the Illusory Refinement Sutra at full power. The crude circulation method essentially forced his vital force through narrow channels, reducing turbulence and building speed, but at a brutal cost.

Gradually, as the stabbing pain dulled to something bearable, Li Guanqi layered in the Dragon-Elephant Subduing Sutra. Blood roared through his body, and the walls of his meridians grew much more resilient under the pressure.

Li Guanqi’s forehead was slick with cold sweat. He lowered his fists and murmured, “I think I’ll need time to adapt to this, but this cultivation technique is powerful.”

Li Guanqi’s expression turned contemplative as he reflected on the mounting tension across the six territories. The situation was incredibly tense at the moment. If the Daxia Sword Sect wanted to rise, they would need overwhelming strength and a solid foundation.

“Sword Spirit.”

“Mm?”

“Can you simplify the Dragon-Elephant Subduing Sutra’s cultivation method?”

His idea was simple: teach both the Dragon-Elephant Subduing Sutra and the new circulation method to Lu Kangnian, then have him pass them on to disciples based on contribution and merit. He could use the ancient clan technique’s circulation method to overhaul the Daxia Sword Sect’s existing methods.

But the Dragon-Elephant Subduing Sutra was too advanced. Even he couldn’t modify it. And long ago, he’d noticed that his physique cultivation had hit a bottleneck. As for the next level of the sutra, he had no clue where to begin. It wasn’t that he needed more demon blood; it was something else entirely.

“Alright,” Sword Spirit replied, her voice faint and ethereal.

Streams of spirit light bloomed in his mind as she spoke. Li Guanqi half-grasped something within them. It felt like he stood on the edge of a revelation, yet understood nothing at all.

Sword Spirit smiled faintly. “Don’t overthink it. It’s normal that you can’t understand it yet. The next layer of the Dragon-Elephant Subduing Sutra is extremely important. You need to take it step by step. There’s no need to rush.”

Li Guanqi nodded, then took out a jade slip and went back and forth with Lu Kangnian at length. He asked about Lu Kangnian’s cultivation progress and the state of affairs in the Daxia Territory.

Li Guanqi set down the jade slip and frowned. He murmured, “It seems some ancient clans can no longer restrain themselves. If the sect master chooses to rise now, can he really overcome all the obstacles?”

He shook the thought away and looked around. The central region of the Divine Treasure Territory was still a considerable distance away. He cast aside his distracting thoughts and threw himself into sword practice.

Sun Tianqi’s Thunder Wrath sword strike fascinated him. Based on his own understanding, he could already replicate most of it, yet something essential was still missing. Even when he immersed himself fully, he couldn’t grasp the circulation method behind the strike or the deeper principles at its core.

Sword Spirit stood a hundred zhang behind him in silence, hands clasped behind her back. She said nothing, just watched him practice. Only when he paused to open his eyes would she offer a word or two of guidance.

She could have deduced the cultivation method behind Sun Tianqi’s strike. But she didn’t want to. If she handed him everything, what would be the point of Li Guanqi’s Empty Spirit Physique?

Besides, only three Mount Meru Immortal Runes remained on his body. Those final three blood marks still sealed a portion of his abilities. Sword Spirit couldn’t imagine what heights his comprehension would reach once they fully dispersed. Even now, every swing of the sword brought him new insights.

She knew Li Guanqi rarely had the luxury of immersing himself in such depth of understanding. Something was always pushing him forward. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

She raised her head to gaze at the heavens, her eyes narrowing. Cold killing intent flickered endlessly in their depths. For reasons she couldn’t name, she felt certain the day Li Guanqi would draw out her broken body was approaching fast, faster than even she expected.

Thunderous rumbles echoed through the void. Scattered lightning pooled in the void, and terrifying sword marks scarred the space in every direction.

Much later, Li Guanqi stood still in the void, eyes closed, guiding his vital force through a slow, deliberate path through his meridians. When it completed a full cycle, his eyes snapped open and a grin spread across his face.

“Success!” he murmured delightedly.

He exhaled lightly, took out a handful of spirit stones, and set about recovering his depleted vital force reserves. He checked his bearings, activated his sprint technique, and vanished into the void.

Some time later, Li Guanqi arrived at the Meng family’s domain. The heavy barrier formation loomed before him, and he raised an eyebrow. “This barrier is nearly two chi thick! Even a Combined Body Realm cultivator attacking for three days and nights probably couldn’t break through.”

Li Guanqi pressed his palm against the barrier, applying gentle pressure with his fingers, but the formation remained entirely still.

“Tsk‌.” He took out a jade slip and said, “Elder Li, I’m outside the barrier. Please open it for me.”

Whoosh!

Moments later, an old man appeared at the edge of the domain boundary. He paused at the sight of Li Guanqi, slightly stunned.

"Uh... Young Master Li?"

Li Guanqi smiled and waved his hand, restoring his original appearance. “Elder Li, it’s me.”

Li Changqing studied him for a moment, confirmed it was indeed Li Guanqi, and opened the barrier.