Sword Spirit’s words pierced Li Guanqi’s heart. Though his body had already reached its limit, he bit his lip, glared at her, and forced his battered limbs to bend as he tried to get up once more.
The crushing pressure deepened, boundless and unrelenting.
He crashed to the ground again, blood seeping from his forehead.
Once, twice, ten times, a hundred times—he no longer knew how many times he had fallen. Each time he stood, the pressure radiating from Sword Spirit only grew heavier, already surpassing the aura of a Divine Transformation Realm cultivator.
His consciousness blurred, his vital force nearly depleted. Only sheer willpower kept him standing, again and again. He could endure being looked down upon by anyone—anyone but Sword Spirit.
Li Guanqi squeezed out a beast-like roar.
Defiance surged in his chest.
Why? Why? Why won’t you respect me?!
The silent scream rang within his mind. Powerful sword intent burst out of him, ripping open Sword Spirit’s oppressive aura and letting him rise to his feet. He roared and unleashed the Seven Killings Slash.
Thunder cracked as his strongest sword strike shot forward toward Sword Spirit.
But Sword Spirit merely pinched the ray of sword light between two fingers.
Li Guanqi was still caught up in his turbulent emotions, his aura radiating raw fury. His terrifying sword intent started to stabilize and solidify.
Seeing her smile, he shouted, “What are you laughing at?!”
She pressed his sword down with a single hand and asked evenly, “When you attacked just now, what were you thinking?”
Li Guanqi blinked, searching his memory. “I thought… so what if you’re stronger? I’ll still attack! Even if it… doesn’t hurt you at all!”
Sword Spirit’s smile widened. “Good. A sword cultivator must never give up, even when victory is impossible. You may break your neck and spill your blood, but you must never kneel. The moment you submit and bow your head, you collapse.
“We are sword cultivators! Even if the Great Golden Immortal himself stands before you, so what? You must still have the courage to draw your sword and fight!”
Li Guanqi realized his previously shaky sword intent had finally become stable.
Previously, he had only dared to attack the Divine Transformation Realm woman because of her injuries. If she’d been at full strength, he wouldn’t have dared to point his sword at her. After all, he had even feigned death within that barrier, knowing discovery meant certain death.
But now, even if she were unharmed, even if discovery meant the end, he would still draw his sword.
His mindset had changed.
Sword Spirit’s lips curved into a smile, and her eyes gleamed. Li Guanqi had grasped enough, so it was time for the next step.
Yet resentment simmered in Li Guanqi’s chest, her teasing smile sparking a bitter thought. She’s beautiful, but her heart must be black—pitch black!
She had crushed him beneath her aura again and again, humiliating him for seemingly no reason. Who would enjoy that? In truth, he had felt helpless before her power. The gap between them was vast, so vast that even a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator seemed like an ant before her.
Still, his refusal to admit defeat had driven him to stand up and pull out his sword. While he knew she had done it for his own good, it still felt horrible.
Sword Spirit said nothing. He had to learn what it meant to stand firm in life.
Li Guanqi possessed the Domineering Sword, a rare type of sword intent found only among powerful cultivators. She couldn’t let him squander such a gift. Before he faced unknown enemies of immense strength, she had to steel his resolve and keep him committed to the sword Dao. Only then would his desire to cultivate endure when he met truly formidable adversaries.
Sword in hand, she stood before him like a beautiful knight. Raising the Red Lotus Sword, she turned to look at him and said, “Watch closely. This attack carries true power.”
His eyes widened. He opened himself completely, focused on her every movement.
Her body turned translucent. The course of her vital force became visible, flowing through her like light.
Her gaze was solemn, filled with righteousness.
She shifted a little, and a hundred-zhang-long ray of sword light shot out, cleaving the platform beneath their feet in two. A terrifying intent domain materialized within the illusory realm, threatening to slaughter the entire world.
The ray of sword light shot forward, carrying the power to shatter heaven and earth.
A deafening boom rang out. Li Guanqi gulped and stuttered, “What’s… what’s the name of that attack?”
Sword Spirit tilted her head teasingly and murmured, “Hmm, what was it again…? Oh, right! Demon Shadow Slash, Dark Night.”
Li Guanqi’s eyes lit up. Its strength matched that of a peak Earth-tier sword sutra, and it was elegantly simple, focused entirely on delivering devastating force in a single move.
Li Guanqi took a deep breath. Once he calmed down, every motion she had made replayed in his mind.
Slowly, vital force coursed through him, following a path almost identical to the one that Sword Spirit had shown, though at a slower pace.
With a sudden surge of vital force, he swung down.
A three-zhang-long ray of sword light shot out.
Yet it didn’t even crack the tiles on the platform, much less cleave the platform in two like Sword Spirit’s strike. Still, his attack far exceeded the power of the Seven Killings Sword Sutra.
Exhilarated, Li Guanqi clenched his fist and tried again, tracing the same vital force route and unleashing another strike.
This time, he kept his eyes closed after the strike, pouring every shred of attention into the changes within his sword force, dissecting each moment of the attack. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⁂𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚⁂𝔫𝔢𝔱
Sword Spirit slightly nodded. She couldn’t deny that Li Guanqi had strong comprehension abilities.