After confirming that there was indeed a Xiantian grandmaster hidden within Dragon Pool Abyss, Li Qing ordered the agents of the Eastern and Western Depots to quietly investigate the surrounding area. They found that the number of top-tier White Lotus Sect experts here was greater than in any other region.
Li Qing also finally pinpointed the sect's main headquarters: on the small island at the center of Dragon Pool Abyss.
The search had taken more than five years.
A grandmaster's life rarely lasts more than a century. Who would spend over five years on such a hunt? Only Li Qing.
He never reported the location of the headquarters to the court. Instead, he stuck to the original plan and kept searching other remote mountains and rivers. A year later, claiming he still couldn't find the sect's base, he abandoned the mission and sent the accompanying agents back to their posts.
Li Qing quietly returned to the outskirts of Dragon Pool Abyss.
Another year gone. I wonder if the White Lotus Sect leader is dead yet.
For the third time, Li Qing entered Dragon Pool Abyss.
Just like on his second visit, the moment he looked toward the island in the lake's center, he could sense that same Xiantian aura.
He's still alive. I'll come back in three months.
In a flash, Li Qing slipped away.
Moments after he left, the Xiantian grandmaster on the island soared into the sky and flew toward the place where Li Qing had vanished.
Who could that have been?
Hiding and sneaking about, with none of a grandmaster's bearing!
If you want to meet, then meet. If you want to fight, then fight. But to come without showing yourself, that's the work of a coward!
The white-haired grandmaster glanced in the direction Li Qing had fled and shook his head helplessly. He was already in the twilight of his years, his body weakened with age. Even at his peak, against a Xiantian who fled without a word the moment they crossed paths, there was nothing he could do. Only by landing a heavy blow at the very start could he have any chance of catching such a man.
What's more, he feared it might be a trap, so he didn't dare pursue too far.
The white-haired grandmaster could only return to the island in frustration.
Three months later, Li Qing came right on schedule. As soon as he sensed the aura, he left again.
The white-haired grandmaster didn't even catch a glimpse of him.
Winter passed, spring came, and another year slipped by.
This time, the white-haired grandmaster gave chase, hounding Li Qing without letting up.
But Li Qing didn't look back. Following his planned escape route, he used his unmatched lightness technique to vanish before even leaving Dragon Pool Abyss, losing his pursuer completely.
Only faintly did he hear the roar behind him.
"Ah....!"
"How dare you insult me like this! You coward without a shred of courage. Who are you really?!"
Defeated, the white-haired grandmaster returned to the island in the lake's center.
"Master, did you catch that Xiantian grandmaster?" The current Saintess of the White Lotus Sect came forward to greet him.
Instead of answering, the white-haired grandmaster asked, "Have you found out who he is?"
"We still don't know," the Saintess replied cautiously. "In the past few years, the only newly risen grandmaster in Great Qian is Northern Garrison King, Wei Nu. But Wei Nu has been campaigning on the front lines, so it's not him.
"Over two years ago, a group of Eastern and Western Depot agents came to search this area. But with our sect's uprisings across the land in recent years, Depot agents have been investigating for the location of our headquarters everywhere, so it wasn't unusual.
"This man can't be from the court. If he were, he would have long since joined with other grandmasters to attack us. He's more likely a hidden grandmaster, someone operating entirely from the shadows."
The white-haired grandmaster sighed. "It's a pity about you. If Li Longqing hadn't gone to the palace back then and lost the inheritance of the false spiritual root, you would already have reached the Xiantian realm by now. You could have completed the White Lotus Sect's generational succession, and we'd have no need to fear this man."
"Timing and fate," the Saintess said with regret. "When Emperor Taikang was weakened by palace intrigue, it was the perfect chance for our sect to gain influence. If Saintess Li Longqing had broken through to the Xiantian realm in the palace, our great cause would already be secured. But Heaven isn't on the side of the White Lotus Sect."
"Emperor Jianwu is a fool. Now the empire is in chaos, with wars breaking out everywhere. Our disciples can search for children more freely. Have you found any with a natural spiritual root?" the white-haired grandmaster asked.
"Not yet," the Saintess replied. "But our people are working urgently. In two or three years, we should be able to find one with the gift."
Then, more cautiously, she added, "Perhaps we should withdraw, Master. You can still fight him now without fear. But if you ascend and leave this world, and he comes again, no one in the sect will be able to stop him."
The white-haired grandmaster shook his head. "We can't withdraw. The headquarters' location was chosen through the efforts of generations of sect leaders. With even one Xiantian grandmaster guarding it, we can resist an army of a million. Besides, if we flee in haste, we won't be able to avoid the court's hounds, and we may not escape this man's notice either.
"I have a plan. In three months, I'll decide whether he lives or dies."
…
While the White Lotus Sect leader and the Saintess plotted, Li Qing had already retreated to a deep pool twenty li outside Dragon Pool Abyss, where he began practicing the Seven Forms of Flowing Water technique.
Li Qing had his own calculations.
This time the White Lotus Sect leader chased me himself. He must be desperate. Looks like he doesn't have long to live.
But as for my own cultivation… lately, I've found it harder and harder to improve.
Two years ago, Li Qing had already reached the late stage of the Xiantian realm. Since then, his progress had been meager, with no chance at all of advancing to the next realm.
Even grandmasters like Rong Ku and Ran Bing had only ever reached the late stage of the Xiantian realm.
Thanks to his youth, Li Qing had already surpassed both Rong Ku and Ran Bing. Still, he had a nagging sense that the White Lotus Sect leader was stronger than either of them. Perhaps because he had cultivated some immortal technique.
Three months passed in a blink. Li Qing once again stepped into Dragon Pool Abyss.
Each time he entered, he chose a different direction, making sure the White Lotus Sect could never pin down his exact position.
Half a day later, the island at the lake's heart came into view. Li Qing could not sense the Xiantian aura from within, and his heart leapt. So the White Lotus Sect leader really is dead! I'll come back in three months to be sure.
With that, he calmly withdrew from Dragon Pool Abyss.
As he left, the White Lotus Sect disciples, ready for battle, were dumbfounded. The Saintess even had the urge to shout after him, "Our leader's dead! Hurry and come over!"
Half a day later, the white-haired grandmaster lifted the lid of a coffin and stepped out, face dark with anger, Xiantian aura radiating once again. "What sect breeds such a coward? Truly a world-class turtle, hiding in his shell!"
"One more chance left. Heaven grant me success…"
Three months later, Li Qing arrived right on schedule. Once again, he sensed no Xiantian aura and said as usual, "The White Lotus Sect leader must be dead by now."
Then, treading lightly over the lake's surface, he left.
This time, inside the island's purple-gold coffin, there was only the faintest tremor before it settled into eternal stillness.
The disciples on the island saw this and dropped to their knees in silence, mourning without a sound.
…
Summer of the twenty-fourth year of Jianwu.
A year had passed since the first time Li Qing failed to sense the White Lotus Sect leader's aura.
Now, he had taken up residence inside Dragon Pool Abyss. And he had already been living there for a month.
For a month now, Li Qing had circled the island at the center of the lake every day, yet never again sensed the Xiantian aura.
According to the Martial Pavilion's secret records, the White Lotus Sect leader was adept at concealing his aura, but could maintain it for no more than a day. At this point, it seems certain that he's truly dead.
While living just outside the island, Li Qing had occasionally encountered members of the White Lotus Sect, but had never made a move.
He took no action, and in turn, no one noticed him.
The only strange thing was that throughout this month, he had seen many children being brought to the island. Clearly, the White Lotus Sect had not abandoned its headquarters, still treating it as their core training ground.
If you're not afraid of me, then I suppose I'll pay the island a visit myself…
Half a month later, Li Qing walked straight toward the White Lotus Sect's headquarters on the island.
Inside the headquarters.
The former White Lotus Saintess, now the sect's leader, was inspecting a newly arrived group of children.
A sect member was chanting: "Still the heart, guide the breath. Only our White Lotus. Swallow the spirit, transform into cloud and sky."
The children followed the recitation, inhaling and exhaling in rhythm.
Before long, a seven-year-old boy exhaled a misty vapor that curled above his head.
The watching sect members immediately fell to their knees in reverence. "Heaven truly blesses our White Lotus Sect! After a hundred years, we have found another child with a natural spiritual root, ensuring our Xiantian lineage will never be broken!"
The sect leader hugged the boy tightly, tears of joy streaming down her face. "Heaven bless the White Lotus Sect!"
At that moment.
Li Qing appeared like a phantom. With a sweep of his Xiantian true qi, he pulled the boy to his side, smiling pleasantly. Looks like Heaven is blessing my fellow friend Rong Ku today, granting him such a fine disciple.