Siege on Qingxiao Sect?
Li Sifeng and Cheng Canghai exchanged a glance, neither showing much surprise. The other disciples looked uneasy but kept their composure, quietly turning their eyes toward the pair.
Wu Man'er, meanwhile, was too busy chewing on a chunk of meat to lift his head.
Cheng Canghai turned around with an easy smile and asked, "Brothers, why are you attacking Qingxiao Sect? Is there some particular reason?"
The group of martial wanderers found seats for themselves. One of them looked back with a grin and said, "Why else? For the divine art, of course! The Dragon-Subduing Hero once brought the legendary martial art of myth to Qingxiao Sect. That fellow ranked second in the martial world, Jiang Zhaoxia, only got so powerful because he trained in that same divine art."
Li Sifeng turned toward him curiously. "A martial legend? What kind of divine art are you talking about?"
Another man from the Ironbone Sect chuckled. "It's from a martial legend a hundred years ago! No one knows what the art actually is, but the Dragon-Subduing Hero visited Fuyang Lake, where there's a palace built by that same ancient master lying at the bottom. The Qing Sect's experts saw him obtain a manual there, but they didn't dare rob him because of his reputation. Now the Qing Sect, the Seven Peaks Alliance, and the Iron Peak Sect are joining forces—leading dozens of small factions—to head for Qingxiao Sect. We Ironbone folk might not serve under them, but we're not about to miss out on the fun."
The middle-aged man who had entered the inn first turned his head sharply toward Li Sifeng's table. His eyes glinted coldly. "And who are you people with? What sect?"
His gaze paused on Wu Man'er, clearly unsettled by the man's intimidating build—it was impossible to ignore.
Cheng Canghai spoke first, his tone calm. "Just a small sect you've never heard of. We're responding to the court's call for aid, heading out to hunt bandits for a bit of coin."
"Hunt bandits?" one man scoffed. "What kind of money's in that? In the martial world, power's what counts. With enough skill, you'll never lack for wealth. Why not come with us to Qingxiao Sect instead? Maybe you'll grab a piece of the legend for yourself. Who knows—you might even snatch up one of the Qingxiao Sect's secret arts."
A tall young man with a thick beard laughed as he spoke. The innkeeper's boy approached, pretending not to hear a word, and began wiping the nearby table.
Li Sifeng looked at the man, smiling faintly. "Before Lin Xunfeng retired from the martial world, how come no one dared trouble Qingxiao Sect?"
An old one-eyed warrior from the Ironbone Sect snorted. "Back then, Qingxiao Sect was just Lin Xunfeng alone. The sect had nothing—no disciples, no divine art. Tell me, who wouldn't want to be as powerful as Jiang Zhaoxia now?"
Several others chimed in, their voices brimming with greed as the conversation spun toward the so-called 'martial myth.'
Li Sifeng said no more. He turned back to his drink, quietly downing another bowl of wine.
This place was still hundreds of li from Qingxiao Sect. The Ironbone Sect men clearly hadn't guessed who they were talking to. They were lost in fantasy, dreaming of snatching a peerless divine art and restoring their sect's glory.
Cheng Canghai shook his head slightly. To him, these men were laughable—too naive, thinking the martial world was that simple.
After a short while, Li Sifeng set down his bowl and looked at the disciples across from him. "You done eating?"
One of them nodded. His expression was grim—the Ironbone men's words had grown uglier by the minute. They spoke of Qingxiao Sect like it was a sheep waiting for slaughter and even made crude remarks about the sect's female disciples.
"Close the door," Li Sifeng said calmly.
The disciples' eyes lit up. The one seated opposite him immediately stood and walked toward the inn's entrance.
Yan Lan and his two retainers were temporarily staying at Qingxiao Sect. Li Qingqiu and Qin Ye hadn't told anyone about their real identities, allowing them to remain as ordinary guests. Qin Ye, uneasy, often went to check on their courtyard.
Li Qingqiu, meanwhile, secretly ordered Xu Ning to keep watch over the trio. Then he summoned Zhang Yuchun, Li Dongyue, and Yang Jueding to inform them that several sects were preparing to move against Qingxiao Sect.
"This must be the work of the Qing Sect," Yang Jueding said seriously. "Now that the rumors have spread, we'll likely face trouble from multiple sects. The lure of a so-called 'divine art' is too great. If I were them, I'd want in too. I'll take some disciples to stay at the foot of the mountain. That way, we won't be caught unprepared if something happens."
His tone was steady and confident. After spending time under Li Qingqiu's leadership, the once-dejected Yang Jueding had changed—now he thought ahead, planning rather than lamenting.
Li Qingqiu smiled. "No need to worry too much. The Qingxiao Sect today isn't what it used to be. We might not match the power of the Great Li Dynasty, but no ordinary sect can touch us now. You've all seen for yourselves the strength of the Supreme Purity and Primordial Harmony Sutra."
He felt no pressure at all.
With Xu Ning at fifth layer of the Nurturing Essence Realm, Zhang Yuchun, Li Dongyue, and Li Sijin each at second layer, and Yang Jueding, Qin Ye, and Liu Yan all at first layer, they could handle any martial master in Guzhou.
And that was without even counting himself—Li Qingqiu was on the verge of breaking through to the sixth layer of Nurturing Essence.
At his current level, he was confident that if he went to the Seven Peaks Alliance, he wouldn't have to leave. He could kill until every enemy knelt for mercy. Once he reached the sixth layer, his strength would only grow more terrifying.
Not to mention Xiao Ba and Xiao Jiu—both Black Eagles had already stepped into the demon realm, enough to make most sects tremble.
Though Zhang Yuchun and Li Dongyue were tense, they weren't terrified. After all, martial sects, no matter how powerful, were still small-time compared to the armies of the empire.
After Yang Jueding left, Li Qingqiu continued discussing sect development with Zhang Yuchun.
Given their current growth, next year would bring a surge in disciples. The sect's reputation was rising fast, and Zhang Yuchun proposed building several grand structures—among them, a Scripture Pavilion to store martial manuals and inspire the disciples.
Li Qingqiu listened quietly, offering only minor suggestions. He fully supported the plan.
The next morning, Zhang Yuchun selected a group of senior disciples and assigned them to patrol the mountain.
Li Qingqiu brought Yuan Qi and Yuan Li down the mountain.
Inside the forest, twelve-year-old Yuan Qi was holding the hand of his four-year-old younger brother, Yuan Li. He looked up at Li Qingqiu and asked curiously, "Sect Master, where are you taking us?"
He had been rescued by Li Qingqiu from the Seven Peaks Alliance. From that moment on, he had respected Li Qingqiu deeply. Even though Li Qingqiu had not formally accepted him as a disciple, his loyalty had already reached 91 points. So he wasn't afraid—only curious.
"To find a place where I can teach you both the Supreme Purity and Primordial Harmony Sutra," Li Qingqiu said casually as he walked ahead.
"Ah? Am I qualified to learn it?" Yuan Qi asked nervously. His heart leapt with joy, but he didn't dare show it.
You actually aren't, Li Qingqiu thought silently, but you're lucky your little brother is.
Out loud, he said, "You're young, but you've never been lazy. I've seen your efforts. Though I treat all disciples equally, as the sect grows, I'll need people I can rely on. I hope you'll grow stronger and share some of my burden one day."
The boy was moved almost to tears and quickly promised to work hard and never disappoint him.
Li Qingqiu smiled and nodded but his thoughts drifted toward Yuan Li's Indestructible Tyrant Body.
Starting cultivation at four years old… perhaps it might awaken the Tyrant Body sooner.
If not, then he'd copy Feng Dai's Late Bloomer fate for him. Li Qingqiu had a feeling that fate would prove extraordinary.
As the year drew to a close, Li Qingqiu successfully broke through to the sixth layer of the Nurturing Essence Realm inside the Underground Spiritual Lake. From the fifth to the sixth layer, his vital energy had doubled, and his body had become tougher—but the biggest change was in his qi itself.
He could feel his vital energy grow sharper and more penetrating. Thanks to his Heavenly Thunder Spiritual Root, his qi carried the natural power of lightning. With every breakthrough, that lightning became stronger. Yet he rarely displayed this ability.
The breakthrough left Li Qingqiu in high spirits. That day, he was alone in the underground lake. After stabilizing his cultivation, he left and wandered through the mountain forests, both to relax and to inspect the disciples at work.
By now, Qingxiao Sect had 126 disciples. Even with Jiang Zhaoxia and Li Sifeng each leading groups down the mountain, many still remained at the sect.
It was nearly noon. Though snow blanketed the mountains, the sunlight was bright and warm.
In a forest grove, Li Qingqiu spotted Huang Shan—the foremost of the Seven Sons of Qingxiao—sitting cross-legged under a tree in meditation.
"Hm? The first layer of Nurturing Essence Realm," Li Qingqiu murmured to himself.
From afar, he could tell Huang Shan's cultivation level with a single glance. It surprised him.
Years ago, he had taught the Supreme Purity and Primordial Harmony Sutra to the Seven Sons of Qingxiao. Unfortunately, their cultivation aptitude had been too poor; none had succeeded and they'd all switched to martial arts instead. Li Qingqiu had thought they'd given up on cultivation entirely—but apparently, Huang Shan had continued secretly and had finally succeeded.
That made Li Qingqiu genuinely pleased. Every disciple who reached the Nurturing Essence Realm added another first-rate expert to Qingxiao Sect's ranks.
A cultivator of the first layer, when combined with martial arts and physical training, could even slay a top martial master. That was the vast difference between cultivation and mere martial practice. The first layer of Nurturing Essence was a peak most martial artists could never reach, even in a lifetime.
"This kid… seems today really is a day of double blessings," Li Qingqiu said with a smile.
He didn't disturb Huang Shan but silently changed direction and continued up the mountain.
Along the way, he noticed several disciples secretly cultivating or practicing their techniques—two of whom were those he had personally instructed this year.
Earlier in the year, Li Qingqiu had passed down the Supreme Purity and Primordial Harmony Sutra to the nine most outstanding disciples of the previous year. Of those nine, three had already produced vital energy, officially becoming true disciples. This greatly boosted morale among the others—laziness had all but vanished from the sect.
Li Qingqiu had decided that starting next year, he would provide spiritual stones and grant access to the Thousand Spirits Blessed Land for the true disciples. It was time to begin the sect's transformation—from a martial sect into a true cultivation sect.
True disciples were the very foundation of Qingxiao Sect as a cultivation sect.
Their real opponents were never the worldly martial clans, but their own limits—the struggle wasn't for dominance in the martial world but for the path to immortality itself.
Half an hour later, Li Qingqiu arrived near the guest courtyard below the new inner compound.
He turned his head and saw Ku Yi instructing Qin Ye in the Ten Thousand Armies Demon-Subduing Staff.
Nearby, Yan Lan and Zhu Yan sat at a table, speaking leisurely, while Su Xiling and Ku Er stood guard behind them.
Zhu Yan, veiled as always, caught sight of Li Qingqiu walking past. For a moment, she hesitated, unsure whether to call out to him. But before she could, he had already continued up the mountain and disappeared from view.
Yan Lan noticed her distraction and turned to glance behind him, but saw nothing.
"Miss Zhu," he asked, curious, "what are you looking at?"
Zhu Yan snapped out of her thoughts and quickly replied, "It's nothing, Your Highness. You were just saying something about a qilin—where exactly is this beast found? And why is the Zhongtian Sect searching for it?"