In the courtyard, all the disciples had gathered. Even Yang Jueding stood at the back of the crowd, craning his neck for a better view.
Li Qingqiu crouched in the center of the group. On the ground before him sat a bird's nest containing three chicks and two eggs.
The three eaglets were covered in dark gray down. The shape of their beaks already hinted at the raptors they would become. They were still very young, unable to fly, cheeping and bumping into each other within the nest. Broken eggshells lay nearby.
Zhang Yuchun was recounting where he had found the nest.
It turned out that on his last trip down the mountain, he had bought several books on medicinal herbs, hoping to learn some healing arts. Following the guides, he had gone up the mountain to search for plants and happened upon the eagle's nest atop a peak.
He narrated the adventure with such dramatic flair that the disciples gasped at all the right moments.
Li Qingqiu looked at the eaglets and thought of the "Guardian Divine Beast" entry on the Daoist Legacy panel. He wondered if he could guide these chicks onto the path of immortality.
"Master, did you see their parents?"
Huang Shan, Zhang Yuchun's eldest disciple, asked the question. At thirteen, he was the oldest among the seven new disciples and had already become the leader of their little group. Though he hadn't yet cultivated spiritual energy, his martial arts talent was quite good—he was the strongest fighter among the seven.
Zhang Yuchun shook his head. "No. If I had, it wouldn't have been so easy."
Li Qingqiu stood up, smiling. "Well done. Let's raise them—especially the eggs. Try to hatch them. In the future, they can become the Azure Firmament Sect's guardian beasts. Imagine: when martial artists see an eagle, they'll know the Azure Firmament Sect is near, and they'll scatter in fear. Wouldn't that be magnificent?"
At these words, the disciples' eyes lit up. Even Jiang Zhaoxia's gaze at the nest of eaglets turned intense.
Yang Jueding couldn't resist dampening their enthusiasm. "Eagles aren't dogs. They're not so easily tamed. When they grow up, they'll fly away for sure."
"Then we'll just have to find a way. It'd be great if it works." Li Qingqiu shrugged.
Aside from cultivation, life on the mountain offered little entertainment. Raising pets wasn't a bad idea.
The disciples began animatedly discussing Li Qingqiu's suggestion.
Li Qingqiu listened, helping to guide their creativity.
The Azure Firmament Sect was too monotonous. It needed the disciples to be inventive, like Zhang Yuchun taking the initiative to study medicine and bringing back an eagle's nest.
As they talked, Li Qingqiu suddenly felt the need to formalize the sect's structure.
For instance, every month, he and his six junior siblings should hold a formal meeting to plan the next month's development. No more slacking off. This would also train his junior siblings in the mindset of leadership.
Disciples training in martial arts should also be divided into different schools. That way, in the future, the Azure Firmament Sect's martial traditions could branch out and flourish.
As for the immortality cultivators, they could be the sect's elite. After all, he'd already received the reward for getting all original disciples onto the immortal path.
Next, the most important thing was to build a solid foundation for the Azure Firmament Sect.
Internal affairs needed clear rules! Finances needed planning!
Resources needed long-term development!
Time to break new ground!
The more Li Qingqiu thought, the more he felt that time was pressing. Things had been too loose before.
That evening, Li Qingqiu called his six junior siblings to his room for a meeting. Though Wu Man'er was simple-minded and Li Sifeng and Li Sijin were young, Li Qingqiu insisted they attend.
The seven of them grew more excited as they talked. Even Jiang Zhaoxia contributed many constructive ideas.
After the meeting adjourned, they returned to their own rooms and held smaller sessions with the other disciples. That night, the entire Azure Firmament Sect was buzzing late into the evening. When they gathered for morning practice the next day, many had dark circles under their eyes.
Yang Jueding stood on the mountaintop, stretching. Looking down at the vibrant, energetic disciples in the courtyard below, he felt a wave of emotion.
He suddenly sensed that ten years from now, the Azure Firmament Sect would shake the world. The sect would expand, undergoing earth-shattering changes.
Perhaps he needed to apply himself more.
Having reached this conclusion, Yang Jueding decided to earnestly train the seven village disciples. These seven would become the sect's future pillars. As for Xu Ning, he couldn't teach her even if he wanted to. That girl only listened to Li Qingqiu now.
In the days that followed, the disciples' range of activity expanded. Training within the three small courtyards no longer satisfied them. They began going down into the forests to practice martial arts, with Yang Jueding instructing them one by one.
Yang Jueding's changed attitude pleased Li Qingqiu. His opinion of the man began to shift.
...
Three months passed in the blink of an eye. The weather was scorching hot. Li Sifeng, usually mischievous and active, lay resting under a tree, unable to settle down.
He was halfway down the mountain, about two thousand feet below the sect at the peak. He trained here alone, as his senior brother had instructed: when practicing Gale Skill, he must not let Yang Jueding or the others see.
Li Sifeng had been practicing Gale Skill for half a month without grasping its essence. He was on the verge of giving up.
"Not training is way more comfortable."
The young Li Sifeng sighed contentedly, hands behind his head, legs crossed and swinging idly.
Life was good right now. Carefree, with plenty of things he wanted to do every day.
Today, he planned to dig out that rat hole. That big rat he'd encountered before had gotten away, and he hadn't forgotten.
Voices in the distance made Li Sifeng sit up. He focused his gaze and spotted two figures approaching through the undergrowth—one old, one young, travel-worn and dusty, pushing aside weeds as they walked.
"Hey! There's a kid over there!"
The boy in plain clothes walking ahead pointed at Li Sifeng, exclaiming in surprise. The white-haired elder following behind him was tall and sturdy, carrying a pack. Despite his advanced years, he radiated vigor.
The white-haired elder looked up and immediately spotted Li Sifeng. He frowned.
This place was impossibly far from the village at the mountain's foot. No child could have traveled this distance alone.
A thought occurred to him. "Child, are you a disciple of the Azure Firmament Sect?"
Li Sifeng didn't run. He sat on the ground and replied, "That's right. Who are you?"
Hearing that he was indeed an Azure Firmament disciple, the boy in plain clothes quickened his pace and hurried over.
"Young master, slow down!"
The white-haired elder followed helplessly.
The boy reached Li Sifeng, excitement on his face. "My name is Jiang Nian! I'm thirteen. What's your name? How old are you?"
Li Sifeng stood up. "I'm Li Sifeng. Also thirteen."
He compared their heights and found himself slightly shorter than Jiang Nian. This depressed him a little.
The white-haired elder caught up. "Young friend, is your master Lin Xunfeng around?"
Li Sifeng looked at him. "Master left long ago. Didn't he announce his retirement at that Carefree Tournament thing? Haven't you heard?"
Ever since Lin Xunfeng had announced his retirement, Li Qingqiu no longer required the disciples to hide this fact.
The white-haired elder showed no disappointment; instead, he smiled. "Is Jiang Zhaoxia still at the sect?"
"You know my third senior brother?" Li Sifeng asked warily.
Same surname: Jiang!
Something was off!
Though Li Sifeng usually feared Jiang Zhaoxia, the bond between senior and junior brothers ran deep. They were all orphans, but none knew the details of each other's origins.
Could third senior brother have a family down the mountain?
If third senior brother left, what would happen to the Azure Firmament Sect?
Young as he was, and usually carefree, Li Sifeng actually thought deeply. In that instant, many unpleasant possibilities flashed through his mind.
The Azure Firmament Sect as it stood could not do without Jiang Zhaoxia!
"He's my older brother. We came specifically to find him and bring him home."
Jiang Nian smiled. He was handsome, fair-skinned, and his smile was radiant and likable.
But to Li Sifeng, that smile was utterly detestable.
"Third senior brother went down the mountain with my master a while ago. You've come all this way for nothing."
Li Sifeng spread his hands apologetically, his face feigning sympathy.
The white-haired elder frowned at this. "Could we stay for the night, then? It's too late to go back down now."
Li Sifeng shook his head. "The sect has other guests. There's no room."
"Let's just go take a look." The old man persisted.
But Li Sifeng was too young and inexperienced. The old man saw through his lie.
Having said this, the white-haired elder took Jiang Nian's arm and began walking up the mountain.
Panicked, Li Sifeng rushed to block their path. "You can't go up!"
The elder's expression soured, but he maintained his patience. "Young friend, why are you stopping us from finding Young Master Jiang?"
Li Sifeng's eyes blazed. "You abandoned my third senior brother, and now you want to take him back? Who gave you the right to order my third senior brother around like that?"
The old man sighed helplessly. "There were many reasons for what happened back then. You're too young to understand. Now, if your third senior brother returns with us, he'll live a life of comfort. Isn't that better than staying on this mountain? If you can't bear to part with him, you can come too."
Jiang Nian found Li Sifeng intriguing. Hearing this, he chimed in, "Yeah, come with us! My father became a high official. Life is really good now!"
But Li Sifeng wasn't swayed. Instead, he grew more alarmed, feeling as if Jiang Zhaoxia was slipping away from him.
"No! Absolutely not! You're not setting foot on that mountain!"
Li Sifeng clenched his small fists, his voice sharp with anger. As he spoke, he drew a dagger from his waist. The blade flashed.
Seeing Li Sifeng brandish a weapon, the old man actually laughed. He stroked his beard and chuckled. "Boy, do you know who I am? In the martial world, if you drew a blade on me, not even the gods could save you."
"My ass!"
Li Sifeng craned his neck and shouted—a phrase he'd learned from his senior brother.
The white-haired elder didn't understand the words, but he clearly recognized that the boy was cursing him.
His expression chilled. "Since that's the case, I'll teach you on Lin Xunfeng's behalf how to speak to your elders!"
He reached out to grab Li Sifeng.
Suddenly.
Li Sifeng moved.
His left hand shot up like lightning, seizing the old man's right wrist. He yanked hard. Caught off guard, the old man lost his balance and stumbled forward.
But Li Sifeng had more. As he pulled the old man toward him, his right hand, still gripping the dagger, stabbed toward the man's chest.
The white-haired elder's pupils dilated. His eyes shone with disbelief.