Chapter 81: The Protagonist Returns

After the incident had passed, Li Jian San returned to his room, letting his consciousness enter the golden sword and administering the Spirit Gathering Pill to the sword spirit, Zhao Ling'er.

"You're awake?" The medicine worked well; shortly after taking it, Zhao Ling'er slowly opened her eyes.

"Senior brother, why do I feel as if I've slept for a long time?" she asked.

"You've been sealed in here for far too long," Li Jian San explained. "Your physical body was long since eroded, and it's already remarkable that your soul has remained."

"As long as I can be with you, that's enough," Zhao Ling'er gazed at Li Jian San with infatuation, completely unconcerned with everything else.

Li Jian San continued, "That won't do. Your soul is too weak now. Without a body, I couldn't last long either."

"No, I want to stay by your side forever," Zhao Linger's eyes glistened with tears.

"Alright, alright," Li Jian San soothed her. "I'll forge a new body for you as soon as I can, but with my current strength... it may take quite some time. For now, you'll have to endure staying here."

"Ling'er doesn't mind, so long as I can be with you," she replied, then as if recalling something, said, "Oh, I can give you a martial arts formation, senior brother. With it, you'll become much stronger."

With that, Zhao Ling'er transferred a vast memory directly into Li Jian San's mind.

"Transmitting skills by thought?" Li Jian San was shocked. This was an extremely profound soul technique—just how powerful had she been in the past?

"The Nine Heavens Thunder Execution Array?" Li Jian San paused, reciting, "With a turn of the hand, forge thunder into seals; beneath the tempest, annihilate heaven and earth..."

"This formation is truly terrifying..."

After a moment, Li Jian San withdrew his consciousness.

Outside the Alchemist Guild, Chu Xi'er rushed in anxiously, only stopping abruptly when she found Li Jian San.

"Disciple's wife, what brings you here?" one of the three masters teased.

"Missing my disciple, are you?" another joked, followed by laughter.

Chu Xi'er blushed at their banter—these shameless old men...

Li Jian San watched her trembling chest, pulled her close, and whispered, "Xi'er..."

Such intimacy was, to others, a shameless display of affection.

"Ahem, disciple, if you can't hold back, there are plenty of empty rooms in the Alchemist Guild. Try to maintain your image in public," the three masters coughed, feigning seriousness.

Li Jian San rolled his eyes at them, then asked Chu Xi'er, "Xi'er, what happened? Why are you in such a hurry to find me?"

After catching her breath, Chu Xi'er finally said, "Senior brother Li, something terrible has happened. Ye Tian has returned to Shengjing Sect and is publicly challenging you."

Li Jian San smiled calmly, "Oh? He dares come back?"

"This time it's different," Chu Xi'er replied, still anxious. "He brought a very powerful elder with him—even the sect master doesn't dare touch him."

Her eyes were filled with apprehension.

"Heh, I'll go meet him and see what important figure he brought," Li Jian San said.

"But, senior brother, he wants a battle to the death!" Chu Xi'er worried. "And he seems to have become a formation master too—I saw him inscribe a strange rune on the arena..."

Chu Xi'er told him everything she knew, growing more frightened as she spoke. Ye Tian had advanced as a formation master, and his arrival was clearly planned. He brought a mysterious elder—if senior brother Li went, it could be dangerous. What should she do?

Li Jian San stroked Chu Xi'er's head and smiled, "Don't worry, Xi'er, I'll beat him back."

"But..."

Li Jian San pinched her fair cheek, "What, you don't believe me?"

"Disciple, are you going back?" said one of the old men.

"That fool dared raise a hand against my precious disciple?" another growled.

"Do you need us to intervene?" they asked with concern.

"No need. I'll be back soon," Li Jian San shook his head. He didn't want them embroiled in this mess before things were clear.

"But the Pill Vault trial is about to begin—will you make it back in time?"

Li Jian San replied, "Two days. That should be enough."

"Alright, Xi'er, let's go," he said, taking her hand and walking out of the courtyard at a leisurely pace.

Chu Xi'er followed behind, unable to see any worry in Li Jian San—only maturity and steadiness.

"Senior brother Li... are you really not worried at all?" she asked. "Ye Tian must be prepared this time. I hear he brought someone from the imperial city, someone whose mere footstep could make Shengjing Sect tremble. He wants to kill you, and humiliate the sect!"

Her face was filled with anxiety and concern.

"He wants to kill me? Ye Tian will never be qualified," Li Jian San smiled, raising his hand and tracing subtle patterns in the air. Instantly, a blood-red ancient seal appeared, gathering the surrounding spiritual energy. The seal evolved, and three chilling ice spikes, each a foot long, materialized and shot forward, piercing a wall across the street and freezing a large area.

Li Jian San's smile lingered as he strode ahead.

"Seals at a turn of the hand... Senior brother Li, you're... you're a formation master!" Chu Xi'er gasped. "I never imagined—you're actually..."

She stared at his back, inhaling sharply.

She never expected Li Jian San to be a formation master, possibly even second-tier! Only formation masters of the second tier and above could form seals in the air without tools. So, what was Ye Tian compared to that? Senior brother Li always brought surprises—his talent was unfathomable, no, terrifyingly so! He had hidden himself too deeply...

Chu Xi'er hadn't witnessed the battle with Azure Dragon Fortress, so this was her first time seeing Li Jian San wield formations.

Meanwhile, at an arena of Shengjing Sect.

A youth of five or six stood atop the platform, white robes fluttering in the breeze. Beneath his delicate features, his eyes burned with hatred and murderous intent.

Who could this youth be but Ye Tian?

For the sake of cultivation, he had struggled to enter Shengjing Sect, only to be suppressed and humiliated by Li Jian San, who used his influence against him. Worse still, he had no prior conflict with Li Jian San—it was simply because Li Jian San disliked him.

Such enmity demanded vengeance. Ye Tian would not rest until Li Jian San was dead—not just Li Jian San, but the entire Shengjing Sect would pay back a hundredfold for the torment he endured.

"Li Jian San, you beast—if you don't come today, I'll destroy Shengjing Sect!" Ye Tian snarled, gritting his teeth.

Li Qingming, below the platform, heard Ye Tian's words and clenched his fists. After a moment, he glanced at the green-robed Daoist beside Ye Tian and reluctantly relaxed his grip.

The Daoist wore a green robe and radiated an aura so suppressed that even Li Qingming couldn't gauge his depth. Such a mysterious figure surely had an extraordinary background. Accompanying Ye Tian today, their relationship must be unusual. If angered, he could bring disaster upon Shengjing Sect.

"An hour has passed—why hasn't the young sect master arrived? Is he afraid of Ye Tian?" someone muttered.

"Don't talk nonsense! Our young sect master has never shown fear," another retorted.

Beneath the platform, many figures stood tall.

Ye Tian scoffed, "I see Li Jian San is simply scared, too afraid to show himself."

"Ye boy, now that you belong to the Formation Masters Guild, I will help you avenge this grudge," the old Daoist said coldly. "Wait a quarter hour. If that brat still doesn't come, I'll kill a disciple of Shengjing Sect. If he hasn't appeared, I'll keep killing. By day's end, if he still dares not show himself, Shengjing Sect will cease to exist."

At the Daoist's words, silence fell across the crowd. All eyes turned to him.