In the depths of winter, heavy snow blanketed Qingxiao Mountain.
Inside the cave abode.
Holding the Soul-Refining Banner in his hand, Li Qingqiu slowly opened his eyes. He had finally finished probing all the memories of the Desolate Nether Ghost King. Because the Desolate Nether Ghost King had threatened the Qingxiao Sect—and behind him stood Ghost King Ridge—he had to understand everything clearly.
Ghost King Ridge itself should not pose a threat to the Qingxiao Sect. That Ghost King had never revealed any intention of leaving the mountain.
Yet there were still hidden dangers. Before the Desolate Nether Ghost King left Ghost King Ridge, he had discussed with more than a dozen vicious ghosts how to escape from Ghost King Ridge.
Among them, more than half were stronger than the Desolate Nether Ghost King, and their desire to escape was no less intense than his.
If the Desolate Nether Ghost King could escape, those vicious ghosts might not be unable to do the same. Moreover, before leaving, the Desolate Nether Ghost King had said that if he escaped, he would head south.
Li Qingqiu felt it necessary to guard against these vicious ghosts.
Fortunately, ghostly Dao spells had already begun to be implemented. He had selected 3 foundational ghostly Dao spells to promote, at least enabling the disciples to perceive yin and yang and to eliminate evil spirits.
Li Qingqiu turned his gaze toward the Desolate Nether Ghost King and allowed him to be devoured by the Qingxiao Sect disciples within the Soul-Refining Banner.
Even though the Desolate Nether Ghost King had a tragic past, his sins could not be washed away. His history would also keep Li Qingqiu vigilant—never to underestimate the malice within human hearts.
After a long while, Li Qingqiu stored the Soul-Refining Banner into his storage pouch. Looking at Nangong E, Lin Chuan, and Jin Lang, who were cultivating, he nodded slightly.
While the disciples were diligently cultivating, the demons and ghosts by his side were not slacking either—especially Jin Lang. That fellow was practically a cultivation maniac. If he was not absorbing vital energy, he was practicing his blade; he was usually too lazy even to speak.
Jin Lang had already cultivated blade intent, which made Li Qingqiu feel it was not much inferior to the sword intent of sword cultivators.
"Senior Brother, I have something to discuss with you."
A voice came from outside the cave abode—it was Zhang Yuchun. His voice interrupted Li Qingqiu's thoughts.
"Come in."
Li Qingqiu spoke as he lightly patted the edge of his bed, and the stone door of the cave abode opened.
Zhang Yuchun quickly entered the cave abode. Li Qingqiu rose as well and walked to sit at the stone table.
"This is the candidate roster for Zhongtian Immortal City. Please review and finalize it."
Zhang Yuchun took out 2 rosters, placed them on the table, and pushed them toward Li Qingqiu.
With the precedent of Seeking Immortal Town, Zhang Yuchun felt very confident about constructing Zhongtian Immortal City—so confident that he was even somewhat impatient.
Once Zhongtian Immortal City was completed, the Qingxiao Sect's control over the lands of Jiuzhou would become even stronger, and they would be able to explore more resource-rich lands.
Li Qingqiu picked up the roster and flipped through it. Zhang Yuchun's gaze fell upon Jin Lang.
Every time he saw Jin Lang cultivating, he felt something indescribably strange.
His intuition told him that this hardworking mantis would accomplish great things in the future.
After a long while, Li Qingqiu set down the roster and looked at Zhang Yuchun. "Let Yuan Qi serve as City Lord."
The names on the roster were all self-nominated. Yuan Qi had shown great interest in the position of Zhongtian City Lord and had taken the initiative to approach Zhang Yuchun.
The young man had not mentioned it to Li Qingqiu, intending to compete on his own merit.
Zhang Yuchun had no objection to Yuan Qi. He nodded. "Yuan Qi is reliable and well-known to us. We can trust him. However, his cultivation is somewhat insufficient. We will need to arrange for some disciples with higher cultivation to enter Zhongtian Immortal City alongside him."
Li Qingqiu had the same thought. The two continued discussing the various hall positions within Zhongtian Immortal City.
After the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, they finally finalized the power structure of Zhongtian Immortal City.
"Once Zhongtian Immortal City is completed, we can continue building cities along the borders of Yuzhou and Cangzhou," Li Qingqiu said as he looked at Zhang Yuchun.
Zhang Yuchun was of the same mind. The cities built by the Qingxiao Sect were not vast metropolises like the Zhenyang Imperial City. Their territory was not expansive. They were constructed specifically for disciples, and outsiders were not permitted to enter.
The two discussed further details and decided to dispatch people after the new year. This time, they would directly mobilize disciples from the Eight Halls and the Two Sects, making a grand display of force.
In the following days, the list of power positions for Zhongtian Immortal City was posted at various peaks and courtyards, informing the entire sect and stirring widespread discussion.
…
Within a certain courtyard, Yuan Li and Yuan Qi sat facing each other at a table, drinking wine.
"Have you thought this through? This is no simple matter. Once you go to Zhongtian Immortal City, your connection and ties with Qingxiao Mountain will be weakened."
Yuan Li frowned as he asked. He was surprised by the news that Yuan Qi intended to become City Lord, for Yuan Qi had not previously revealed this idea to him.
Yuan Qi smiled. "I have considered it carefully. If I remain at Qingxiao Mountain, my role will become smaller and smaller. While my seniority is still of use, becoming City Lord can pave a longer road for you in the future."
Yuan Li said helplessly, "Brother, you do not need to pave the way for me. I do not need you to strive for anything on my behalf. Master treats me quite well."
"No matter how well the Sect Master treats you, you must still strive for yourself. Don't be fooled by the sect's growing strength. Whenever new scarce resources appear, if you cannot obtain them immediately, you will fall behind. Once I reach Zhongtian Immortal City, I will marry and have children, striving to establish a family lineage for you. In the future, it will help you walk farther on the path of longevity."
Yuan Qi waved his hand dismissively, thinking Yuan Li was too naive.
The matter of cultivating immortality and seeking longevity had been mentioned by the Sect Master more than once and had already taken root in every disciple's heart. Yet only after stepping onto the path of immortality did one realize its difficulty. For Yuan Qi, longevity was something distant and unreachable.
He placed his hopes on his younger brother, willing to use his own life to pave the way for him.
Yuan Li said faintly, "Brother, are you truly planning to marry and have children for my sake?"
Yuan Qi's romantic reputation had long spread. Yuan Li seriously suspected that Yuan Qi simply wanted to marry and have children for himself and was merely pinning the motive on him.
Yuan Qi glared at him. "If not for you, then for myself? You and I have relied on each other for survival. You are wholeheartedly devoted to the Dao. If, after 100 years, I die, would you not be left without family?"
Hearing this, Yuan Li fell into silence.
He was no longer a child. He could see the future and had begun to harbor concerns about life and death.
Yuan Qi continued drinking, letting him think it over carefully on his own.
He felt that it was time for Yuan Li to think about his own path forward, rather than merely focusing on cultivation alone.
Within the sect, more and more geniuses were beginning to cultivate their own factions or support their own families to strengthen their voice within the sect.
The conflict between the three Xiao brothers and Gu Changping was the best example. The three Xiao brothers were effectively disciples of the Sect Master, yet they still harbored wariness toward Gu Changping and the Gu family.
The Gu family had once been nothing worthy of being called a great clan. It was only after Gu Changping began cultivating immortality that they rose to prominence.
"Brother, I will go to Zhongtian Immortal City with you," Yuan Li said seriously as he looked at Yuan Qi.
"No. You should remain at Qingxiao Mountain. The cultivation resources here are better. Zhongtian Immortal City will need time to develop."
Yuan Qi immediately refused. Yuan Li's cultivation was already the lowest among the Sect Master's disciples. If he followed him to Zhongtian Immortal City now, his goal of longevity would become even more distant.
Yuan Li looked at Yuan Qi and said, "I'm afraid that in the future you might encounter trouble, and I won't be there."
Yuan Qi laughed freely. "Remember this— even if I die outside, do not act impulsively. Never let me, or my descendants, become your weakness. To become a true immortal is my greatest hope for you."
The two brothers looked at each other. Yuan Li felt a certain power stirring within him, causing another change in his state of mind.
He nodded heavily. He chose to agree with Yuan Qi, agreeing from the bottom of his heart.
Yuan Qi's appointment as City Lord of Zhongtian Immortal City became widely discussed within the sect. Although Yuan Qi's seniority was deep enough, his cultivation was insufficient. Many disciples voiced considerable dissatisfaction.
Thus, many people sought out Zhang Yuchun, hoping to continue vying for the position of City Lord.
This matter gave Zhang Yuchun quite a headache, while Li Qingqiu felt no pressure at all—no one dared to bring the issue before him.
…
As the year's end approached, the entire sect began preparing for the Spring Festival. Disciples who had been training outside returned one after another, making the Qingxiao Sect incomparably lively.
At dusk, Li Qingqiu arrived at Lingxiao Pavilion and chatted casually with his junior brothers and sisters.
Li Sifeng was boasting about his Peerless Shadow Profound Sword, declaring that it was the number one sword technique in Jiuzhou and that he would make Li Shouzheng the sect's number one sword cultivator.
Jiang Zhaoxia snorted. "What Peerless Shadow Profound Sword? You've simply been away too long and can't keep up with the sect's development."
Shen Yue sat nearby drinking wine, smiling without speaking, equally dismissive of Li Sifeng's Peerless Shadow Profound Sword.
Provoked by Jiang Zhaoxia, Li Sifeng proposed a spar—no vital energy, no sword qi, relying purely on sword technique and sword intent.
However, Jiang Zhaoxia refused.
The current Jiang Zhaoxia truly did not place Li Sifeng in his eyes. In his view, even without using vital energy, as someone who had achieved the Awakening Spirit realm, his foundation remained. Fighting Li Sifeng would simply be bullying him.
"Li Shouzheng's talent is indeed high. Unfortunately, I have no intention of taking on a disciple."
Shen Yue praised him while looking toward Li Qingqiu with a strange gaze.
He suspected that Li Qingqiu had already seen through the talents of Li Shouzheng and Li Shoumin when they were still in swaddling clothes.
Li Qingqiu was truly too cunning. While Li Shouzheng and Li Shoumin were still young, he had gone around asking the sect's upper echelons who would be willing to take them as disciples.
The key was that his attitude had not been firm, as though he were joking. Naturally, the higher-ups had not taken it seriously.
Now that Li Shouzheng and Li Shoumin's talent and Comprehension had manifested, they all felt as though they had been slapped in the face.
Facing Shen Yue's gaze, Li Qingqiu remained unmoved. He was currently examining the panels of the new disciples.
Although surprises were rare, he maintained this habit to avoid overlooking any hidden geniuses.
Suddenly—
Li Qingqiu's eyes lit up.
Since Li Shouzheng and Li Shoumin had entered the sect 4 years ago, he had finally seen a genius panel that truly delighted him.
[Name: Hu Yan]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: 14]
[Loyalty (Sect Leader/Sect): 78/92 (Maximum 100)]
[Cultivation Aptitude: Exceptional]
[Comprehension: Fair]
[Fate: Vast and Righteous Energy, Ill-Fated Destiny, Malice Perception]
[Vast and Righteous Energy: Innately endowed with vast and righteous energy, immune to harm from demons, curses, and illusion arts. Upon stepping onto the path of immortality, the vast and righteous energy will awaken and take form. When encountering danger, it will autonomously protect the body. As years accumulate, the vast and righteous energy will continue to strengthen, allowing one to forever maintain a clear and transparent state of mind.]
[Ill-Fated Destiny: A life full of hardships, destined to encounter betrayal by many. In absolute despair, one will attain great enlightenment, causing the vast and righteous energy to reach a higher realm.]
[Malice Perception: Able to keenly detect the malice of others toward oneself, no matter how well it is concealed.]