Li Zang

A moment later, Qin Guan slowly clenched his fist, and on the fist wrapped in Gang Qi, a wisp of white gas quietly coalesced.

Boom!

Qin Guan punched the Light Screen in front of him.

The moment his fist made contact with the Light Screen, it shattered almost instantly, scattering into specks of starlight.

"Haha, I broke it open!"

Qin Guan was ecstatic. He hurriedly looked behind the Light Screen, and at that moment, an old man with silver-white hair suddenly appeared before him.

The old man looked Qin Guan up and down: "So young and already an Eight Realms Martial Cultivator—rare, truly rare!"

"This humble one greets Senior." Seeing the old man, Qin Guan grew excited and quickly bowed.

"No need for formalities." The old man nodded slightly.

"May I ask if Senior is the venerable Yang Tianni?" Qin Guan's voice trembled slightly, and his eyes, fixed on the old man, were full of anticipation.

The old man shook his head slightly: "No."

No!

Hearing the old man say no, the hope in Qin Guan's gaze visibly dimmed, and his face instantly filled with disappointment.

"Yang Tianni is my Master," the old man suddenly added.

"What!"

Qin Guan jerked his head up to look at the old man, exclaiming excitedly, "Senior, you...?"

The old man stroked his beard and smiled: "Old Man is called Li Zang, the third Disciple of my Master. I have been waiting here for someone to break the formation for over twenty thousand years. It was you who woke me."

Twenty thousand years!

Qin Guan was startled. He quickly asked, "Senior Li Zang, have you ascended?"

"Heh, you flatter Old Man too much. I am a martial cultivator, fated never to walk the Great Path." Li Zang said with some melancholy.

A martial cultivator?

Qin Guan frowned in confusion: "Since Senior is a Disciple of Senior Yang, can you not condense Spiritual Energy to cultivate the Sword Dao?"

Li Zang gave a bitter laugh and shook his head: "Old Man is dull of talent and could not grasp the profound martial principles created by the Venerable Master."

Hearing this, Qin Guan suddenly spoke with urgency: "Senior, I am also a struggling ground-bound martial cultivator. I want to learn the sword—can I give it a try?"

Li Zang nodded:

"According to the rules set by the Venerable Master back in the day, whoever can break this formation will obtain the inheritance. Since you have broken it, naturally you may."

As Li Zang finished speaking, an Ancient Book suddenly floated over to Qin Guan.

"Thank you, Senior!"

Qin Guan quickly caught the Ancient Book in his hands. He couldn't wait to open it, but after seeing its contents, he frowned: "A remnant of the Huan Yuan Sword Art?"

"Back then, none of us three Senior Brothers could grasp the essence of Master's technique. To prevent the art he painstakingly created from fading into obscurity, Master split it into three parts and implanted seals within us. After our lifespan ended, our Remnant Souls would scatter to various places, waiting for a destined successor in later ages."

Hearing Li Zang's words, Qin Guan hurriedly asked, "May I ask where the other two Seniors are?"

Li Zang shook his head: "None of us Senior Brothers have ever seen the complete Huan Yuan Sword Art."

At this, Qin Guan was puzzled: "If you've never seen the complete technique, how can you know you couldn't comprehend it?"

Li Zang smiled: "Each volume has a complete cultivation method at the beginning. Whether you can comprehend it or not, you'll know with a single try."

Qin Guan nodded and fell silent, lost in thought.

"Don't be impatient. To cultivate the Huan Yuan Sword Art to its Great Perfection, you must open ten gates. You still have two Battle Gates unopened," Li Zang said with a smile.

Qin Guan was amazed: "The threshold is truly high. Senior Li, are you a Tenth Realm Martial Cultivator?"

"Yes." Li Zang nodded.

"Senior is truly formidable!"

A look of admiration immediately appeared on Qin Guan's face.

For a martial cultivator to open the tenth Heavenly Gate—how easy could it be? It was as hard as reaching the heavens. In all his life, the Li Zang before him was the first Tenth Gate martial cultivator he had ever seen.

"No need for modesty. When Old Man was your age, I was only a Fourth Realm Martial Cultivator. You are far more outstanding than I was!" Li Zang waved his hand and added, "There is another important condition for cultivating the Huan Yuan Sword Art."

"What condition?" Qin Guan asked quickly.

"Sword Intent. You need a Sword Intent, or you cannot cultivate it," Li Zang stated.

At this, Qin Guan opened his palm, and in the next moment, a golden True Dragon Sword Intent appeared in the center of his hand.

"This Sword Intent is not bad. It seems you, Lad, truly have a destiny with the Huan Yuan Sword Art!"

Li Zang clicked his tongue in surprise. A martial cultivator cannot condense Spiritual Power to cultivate the Sword Dao, so they can never comprehend Sword Intent on their own. The only way is to subdue a Sword Intent.

But making a Sword Intent submit to a martial cultivator was extremely difficult. Back then, it had taken him ten years of effort just to barely subdue one Sword Intent.

"Just lucky." Qin Guan grinned. He hadn't expected the True Dragon Sword Intent he subdued earlier to come in handy so soon.

At that moment, a Storage Bag suddenly appeared in Li Zang's hand, and he poured its contents onto the ground.

Cultivation techniques, pills, martial skills, spirit materials—a messy pile of all sorts of odds and ends.

"Senior, what is this?" Qin Guan looked at Li Zang.

Li Zang chuckled. "Nothing too valuable. The good stuff was already given to the Clan Members back in the day. Pick whatever you like, and leave the rest for those people outside."

"Alright, then this junior won't stand on ceremony!"

Qin Guan nodded. He casually picked up a cultivation technique and found it was a Yellow-tier mid-grade leg technique. The rank was too low, so he set it down immediately and picked up another.

A Yellow-tier high-grade palm technique—still too low.

A Yellow-tier high-grade blade technique—no thanks.