The news of Xu Ning achieving the Awakening Spirit realm quickly spread throughout the sect. This was the first time Li Qingqiu had formally revealed the existence of the Awakening Spirit realm to the sect's disciples.
Above the ninth layer of the Nurturing Essence realm lay the Awakening Spirit realm!
This revelation greatly shocked the disciples. They finally realized the gap between themselves and the sect's top experts, and also understood that the path of cultivation was far longer than they had imagined.
Jiang Zhaoxia and Shen Yue were deeply stimulated and began secluded cultivation.
Shen Yue in particular was heavily affected, because Xu Ning had deliberately gone to find him. Although the two did not exchange blows, the pressure Xu Ning brought him was something he could not accept.
Not to mention the Awakening Spirit realm—he had not even reached the eighth layer of the Nurturing Essence realm yet.
An unprecedented sense of urgency arose in Shen Yue's mindset. He did not want to be left far behind by Xu Ning.
The news of Xu Ning reaching the Awakening Spirit realm also stimulated the other disciples in the sect.
More and more disciples began to put aside the cultivation of spells and focus entirely on their cultivation, causing the Martial Platform to lose much of its former liveliness.
In a certain courtyard.
Zhang Ping watched Yuan Qi depart, then looked at the storage pouch in his hand, his heart filled with emotion.
This was what Li Qingqiu had instructed Yuan Qi to bring him. Inside were spell manuals, pills, and spirit stones. He could feel the Sect Master's regard for him, which in turn made him feel immense pressure—he feared disappointing the Sect Master.
However, when he thought of his recent cultivation progress, his fighting spirit surged once more.
He had already reached the fifth layer of the Nurturing Essence realm!
The effects of the Vermilion Bird blood pleasantly surprised him. His cultivation speed had greatly increased, his qi and blood were also strengthening, and he even suspected that he could cultivate both body cultivation and qi cultivation at the same time.
He clenched the storage pouch and took a deep breath.
"Perhaps… I can also participate in the next Fighting Technique Assembly…"
Zhang Ping was cautious by nature, but that did not mean he lacked ambition. On the contrary, it was precisely because his ambition was great—greater than anyone else's—that he was so cautious.
He decided to aim for the top 10 of the next Fighting Technique Assembly, obtain resources, and then lose the match.
He did not want fame. He wanted to become as strong as possible, so that he could do more for the Sect Master in the future.
Just as he was about to turn around and head back into the room, a figure walked in through the courtyard gate.
"Zhang Ping!"
Zhang Ping turned his head, his eyes widening. He saw a woman in purple clothing looking at him with a face full of joy.
He was first pleasantly surprised, then immediately became flustered.
The visitor was none other than Murong Xi.
…
One month later, the impact brought by Xu Ning's breakthrough finally subsided, and new matters began to draw the sect disciples' attention.
Inside the Training Hall.
Xue Jin sat in a chair, holding a letter in his hand, his brows tightly furrowed.
Standing before the desk was someone else—Zheng Yunqiao, the second among the Thirteen Swords of Qingxiao's Might.
Zheng Yunqiao's expression was grim as he said in a low voice, "The Xuanji Sect is not easy to deal with. Relying solely on the Training Hall will probably be very difficult. Should we ask the Sect Master to send people to assist?"
Xue Jin did not reply. The letter in his hand recorded casualties. This operation against the Xuanji Sect had resulted in disciple deaths, which put him in an extremely bad mood.
After a while, Xue Jin took a deep breath and said, "No need. I'll go down the mountain personally."
"That won't do. You have to hold the fort in the Training Hall, and your arm—" Zheng Yunqiao stopped halfway through, afraid of hurting Xue Jin's feelings.
Xue Jin looked at him and said, "One arm being inconvenient doesn't affect my ability to kill."
Just as Zheng Yunqiao was about to continue persuading him, a voice came from behind them:
"One arm indeed doesn't affect you, but you still shouldn't go down the mountain. Your strength is already being caught up to by other disciples. Don't delay your cultivation any further."
Xue Jin and Zheng Yunqiao's expressions changed drastically, because they both recognized the owner of that voice.
Xue Jin immediately stood up, while Zheng Yunqiao turned around and bent forward in salute.
Jiang Zhaoxia stepped into the room. Only someone of his stature could force his way in without prior notice.
"Greetings, Master!"
The two spoke in unison.
Jiang Zhaoxia walked to the table and placed a storage pouch on it, saying, "Xue Jin, inside this are the cultivation methods of a divine ability. Practice it when you have time. As for the trouble your Training Hall has encountered, there's no need for you to personally go down the mountain. I've already written a letter—it's inside the storage pouch. Have your people deliver it to Li Sifeng. It's time for that kid to contribute to the sect as well."
A divine ability?
Xue Jin was surprised and subconsciously looked at the storage pouch on the table.
He was naturally delighted by his master's arrangement, but he was worried about troubling Li Sifeng.
"Wouldn't that be inappropriate? After all, Sixth Martial Uncle is busy campaigning across the world," Xue Jin asked hesitantly.
Jiang Zhaoxia said in an unquestionable tone, "This matter is settled. Hurry up and cultivate, maintain your standing in the sect's strength rankings, and don't embarrass me."
After saying that, he turned around and left. The two immediately bowed toward him.
Once Jiang Zhaoxia's presence faded away, Zheng Yunqiao looked at Xue Jin and said, "Doesn't it feel like Master is very angry?"
Xue Jin replied, "It's probably because one of the Sect Master's disciples broke through again."
Zheng Yunqiao smiled helplessly. "Master really is something—his competitive spirit is that strong. Who can compare with the Sect Master's disciples? Even if it were him…"
Xue Jin shot him a glance, and Zheng Yunqiao immediately came to his senses, not daring to speak further nonsense.
After that, Xue Jin sat back down. He looked at the storage pouch on the table, but his mood was not particularly joyful. In his view, once they sought help from Li Sifeng, it meant that the Training Hall had botched this matter—at the very least, he had botched it.
Zheng Yunqiao saw through his concerns and said irritably, "Senior Brother, what are you thinking? Sixth Martial Uncle is the true Hall Master of the Training Hall. If he takes action, it's still the Training Hall's achievement. What are you thinking—do you really think you're the Hall Master?"
These words awakened Xue Jin, making him unable to help but give a bitter smile.
That's right!
He had almost forgotten about that.
Zheng Yunqiao looked at the storage pouch on the table and asked curiously, "What divine ability is it, Senior Brother? After you practice it, can you let me take a look too?"
Xue Jin glared at him and said, "Your thoughts are getting bolder and bolder. Without Master's permission, how could I dare to pass it on privately?"
Zheng Yunqiao pursed his lips. He felt that Xue Jin was good in every way, except that he was far too rigid.
At the same time, a sense of envy rose in his heart.
The Thirteen Swords of Qingxiao's Might had shared life and death together, yet Jiang Zhaoxia's attitude toward Xue Jin was completely different from how he treated the rest of them. Although the gap in Cultivation Aptitude objectively existed, how could they truly remain unmoved by it?
…
Night fell.
Inside a cave abode, Li Qingqiu sat cross-legged on a stone bed cultivating, while Chu Jing stood before him, reporting intelligence.
"According to information sent back by Shadow Hall disciples, Murong Manor is indeed hunting auspicious beasts. That white tiger is already dead—its blood was completely drained. All of this was done on the orders of Murong Manor's master, Murong Zhilong."
"Sect Master, based on what Shen Yue said before, this Murong Zhilong is a peerless genius with a chance to enter Dao-Entry. Now that he's collecting the essence blood of auspicious beasts, could he become a great enemy of Qingxiao Sect? My suggestion is to wipe out Murong Manor directly. I'll arrange the people myself—you can just act as if you know nothing about it."
Chu Jing's tone was fierce, as though the ruthless Xuan Gong of the past had returned.
Li Qingqiu opened his eyes and shot him a glare, saying irritably, "Rein in your schemes. Don't use your old ways of thinking to do things for Qingxiao Sect. I had Shadow Hall investigate Murong Manor not to deal with them, but to look into the method of refining Vermilion Bird blood."
The fact that Zhang Ping's Cultivation Aptitude had improved proved that Vermilion Bird blood could also improve others' aptitude, which made Li Qingqiu think of his junior brothers and sisters.
Only by improving their aptitude could they walk farther on the path of cultivation and live longer.
Chu Jing replied, "We're still investigating. Murong Zhilong's martial prowess is not to be underestimated, and the cultivation of Shadow Hall disciples isn't very high. I was afraid of alerting the enemy, so I told them to be cautious."
"Mm. Take your time with this matter. I'm giving you 2 years—you must find the method of refining Vermilion Bird blood," Li Qingqiu instructed.
Vermilion Bird blood was far from ordinary auspicious-beast blood. According to Zhang Ping, the Vermilion Bird blood Murong Xi had given him was a piece of red jade, and Murong Xi had said that rare treasures had been added to it.
"Understood."
Chu Jing accepted the order and left.
After he departed, Li Qingqiu pondered for a while before continuing his cultivation.
…
At dusk.
Bo Zhao and two constables who had come with him from Pan City walked along the mountain path, returning to the Law Enforcement Hall. All three were exhausted. Over the past few days, they had been responsible for patrolling the Taikun Mountain Range, which had worn them out.
However, they would soon have 10 days of cultivation time, and just thinking about it filled them with motivation.
"That Seeking Immortal Town is really bustling. From afar, it looks just like the main street of a prefectural city."
"Yeah. We should find time to go take a look later."
"Bo Zhao, are you going?"
"He definitely won't. He's a cultivation fanatic. His aptitude is better than ours—we shouldn't hold him back."
Listening to his two companions, Bo Zhao paid them no mind. He was recalling spell techniques.
At the beginning of the month, he had exchanged his Dao Fate for a spell manual, and now his mind was full of thoughts about spell cultivation.
Just then, one of his companions grabbed Bo Zhao and had him look ahead.
They saw Yun Cai playing with seven other women in the grove ahead, mostly gathered around two children.
Bo Zhao and the others had escorted Yun Cai and the eight women to Qingxiao Sect. As Yun Cai came to be heavily cultivated by Li Qingqiu and gained fame within the sect, the relationship between the two groups gradually grew distant.
It wasn't that Yun Cai deliberately distanced herself from them; rather, they felt embarrassed about holding her back. Yun Cai had repeatedly given them spirit pills and spirit stones, which made them feel unworthy of such kindness.
They had indeed worked hard during the escort, but Li Qingqiu had already repaid them by allowing them to become disciples of Qingxiao Sect and pursue the path of immortality. They were already content and did not want to trouble Yun Cai further.
"Pretend we didn't see them. Let's go," Bo Zhao said softly.
The three immediately quickened their pace.
The mountain path twisted and turned, allowing them to bypass the grove where Yun Cai and the others were.
However, before they had gone far, Yun Cai suddenly appeared in front of them, giving them quite a fright.
"What are you hiding for?"
Yun Cai frowned, her tone cold, making the three of them somewhat afraid.
They all muttered inwardly—back when they were fleeing together, how had they not felt she was this fierce?
Bo Zhao hesitated to speak, but Yun Cai said directly, "There's another batch of slots to go to the Tianshan Spirit Pool. I applied for the three of you. Someone will speak to your Hall Master. Go back and prepare properly—set off in 5 days."
After saying that, she turned and walked back toward the grove.
Bo Zhao and the other two stood there stunned, their gazes following her retreating figure, emotions surging chaotically in their hearts.