A self-created spell?
Who was impressive enough to manage that?
Li Qingqiu was surprised. Currently, the only ones who could truly be considered immortal cultivators, aside from himself and his junior siblings, were Yang Jueding and Xu Ning.
Today, Jiang Zhaoxia and Li Sijin had gone to the underground spirit lake. Could it be Jiang Zhaoxia?
Curious, Li Qingqiu leaped. Like a startled swan, he glided above the treetops. The forest was blanketed in white snow, and he seemed to walk upon it, leaving no footprints behind.
From the mid-mountain back to the sect gate, he occasionally spotted disciples along the way. Some practiced martial arts, some worked, some sparred. It was finally starting to feel like a real martial sect.
Arriving at the new courtyard below the mountain gate, Li Qingqiu was immediately intercepted by Yang Jueding.
"Sect Master! I have something to tell you!" Yang Jueding's face was flushed with excitement. He grabbed Li Qingqiu's wrist, unconsciously squeezing hard.
Li Qingqiu blinked. Was Yang Jueding the one who'd created the spell?
That was unexpected. Among them, Yang Jueding had started cultivating immortality the latest.
He followed Yang Jueding to a grove beside the new courtyard. Yang Jueding looked around, ensuring they were alone, then planted his hands on his hips and grinned smugly. "Sect Master, I've merged the Chaos Genesis Scripture with my Nine Heavens Divine Palm. The power has multiplied!"
The Nine Heavens Divine Palm was the technique that had made Yang Jueding famous throughout the martial world. Its palm force was fierce and overwhelming, yet controlled with precision. A single strike could shatter an opponent's dantian and snap their bones.
Yang Jueding knew many martial arts, but the Nine Heavens Divine Palm he had taught only to Wu Man'er.
Li Qingqiu's eyes lit up at Yang Jueding's words. He had previously considered using spiritual energy to power martial techniques but had never succeeded.
He hadn't expected Yang Jueding to pull it off.
"Show me." Li Qingqiu urged.
Yang Jueding turned and dropped into a horse stance, fists clenched at his waist. As he began circulating his energy, the snow beneath his feet melted, turning into wisps of rising steam.
Li Qingqiu raised an eyebrow, surprised by Yang Jueding's aura.
He'd only been cultivating immortality for such a short time, yet he'd already grown this strong?
Most importantly, Yang Jueding was still at the first layer of the Nourishing Origin stage—not even the second. But in terms of aura, Li Qingqiu felt he was already a match for Lü Dou.
Strange. According to the Daoist Legacy panel, his comprehension wasn't even that high!
Li Qingqiu was puzzled. He watched Yang Jueding intently, waiting for the palm strike.
Yang Jueding didn't keep him waiting long. When his aura reached its peak, he suddenly thrust his right palm forward, his entire upper body lurching with the motion. The palm energy surged forward like a rampaging dragon, plowing through the snow before slamming into an old tree and felling it. Just as the energy threatened to surge onward, Yang Jueding abruptly withdrew his palm, the force dragging the wave back and pulling snow, fallen leaves, and broken stones with it.
Li Qingqiu's robes billowed violently in the blast. He squinted. He had to admit, the Nine Heavens Divine Palm looked impressive.
That pull—it could trap a severely wounded enemy, preventing escape. There was something to it.
Yang Jueding swept his right arm, dispersing the remaining force. Energy radiated outward, carving shallow furrows several yards long in the snow.
He turned to Li Qingqiu, chin raised, clearly awaiting his appraisal.
Li Qingqiu praised him. "Impressive. Truly formidable. Write this technique down. We'll add it to the Sutra Depository. It will become the Azure Firmament Sect's signature art. I won't forget this contribution."
Yang Jueding instinctively wanted to argue but stopped himself.
Without the Chaos Genesis Scripture, his Nine Heavens Divine Palm could never have achieved such power.
"It's just a shame—with my current cultivation, I can only manage one strike. The consumption is too high." Yang Jueding smiled wryly.
Strangely enough, his current energy was vaster and stronger than before. Yet one strike emptied him.
This revealed the upper limit of the Chaos Genesis Scripture. It was far beyond ordinary martial arts. Calling it a world-shaking divine technique was no exaggeration. If such a technique spread through the martial world, it would ignite rivers of blood.
Thinking this, his gaze toward Li Qingqiu shifted.
This Sect Master had been genuine with him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have passed on such a divine art.
"You've only been cultivating the Chaos Genesis Scripture for a short time. Take it slow. In ten years, you'll be a supreme expert in the martial world." Li Qingqiu encouraged him.
"Ten years? Are you underestimating the Chaos Genesis Scripture, or underestimating me? In ten years, I'll be the world's greatest!"
Yang Jueding's voice boomed with heroic spirit. Then, as if remembering something, he added, "Aside from our own people, of course."
Jiang Zhaoxia and Xu Ning's talent frightened him. And Wu Man'er and Li Sifeng also had immense potential.
Li Qingqiu didn't pursue the topic. Instead, he asked how Yang Jueding had merged the Chaos Genesis Scripture with the Nine Heavens Divine Palm. Yang Jueding explained in detail.
Li Qingqiu listened for a long time but still couldn't grasp how Yang Jueding had arrived at such a brilliant idea. He could only attribute it to Yang Jueding's years of martial experience.
Yang Jueding's advantage was his practical combat experience—a lead the others couldn't close quickly.
Regardless, Yang Jueding had created a spell for the Azure Firmament Sect. That was a major achievement.
So, before dinner, Li Qingqiu had Zhang Yuchun kill a chicken to celebrate and announced the event to the disciples, hoping to inspire them to create.
He didn't specify what technique Yang Jueding had created.
After dinner, Jiang Zhaoxia came to Li Qingqiu's room to inquire. Li Qingqiu didn't hide it from him.
Learning that Yang Jueding had used the Chaos Genesis Scripture as a foundation to transform his own technique, creating something even more powerful, Jiang Zhaoxia fell silent for a moment. Then, without further comment, he took his leave.
If this could spur Jiang Zhaoxia, so much the better. Li Qingqiu looked forward to Jiang Zhaoxia creating a spell of his own.
For the Daoist Legacy, and for the sect, no one would refuse an increase in martial techniques. On a larger scale, this was the sect's accumulated heritage.
...
Late at night, nearing the midnight hour, Li Qingqiu arrived at the grove where Qin Ye and Wu Baoyu had agreed to meet. He waited a while, then Qin Ye appeared.
Qin Ye stood in the forest, nervous and apprehensive. A part of him regretted coming. But he desperately wanted to grow stronger.
He understood clearly: training under Yang Jueding, he would at best match the other disciples. Standing out in the Azure Firmament Sect would be nearly impossible. He was gambling on a chance.
*Crack!*
A twig snapped, breaking Qin Ye's train of thought. He turned to see Wu Baoyu emerging from the darkness, an oil lamp in hand.
Neither noticed Li Qingqiu hidden in the tree.
"Though you were afraid, you still came. That shows ambition in your bones."
Wu Baoyu's voice rang out. Qin Ye couldn't read his expression and grew even more unsettled.
Soon, Wu Baoyu stepped from the shadows. He hung the lamp on a nearby branch, then drew two wooden staves from his back, tossing one to Qin Ye.
Qin Ye almost fumbled it. Thankfully, the darkness hid his flushed face.
"Do you know why I chose you?" Wu Baoyu stared at Qin Ye.
"Because I'm diligent?"
"No. Because your talent is poor. Your master doesn't think much of you."
Wu Baoyu's words stabbed into Qin Ye's heart like a knife.
Qin Ye had long sensed his master's lack of faith in him. And Xu Ning's talent was obvious to all. He was crushed, with no room to complain.
Behind the tree, Li Qingqiu cursed inwardly. Wu Baoyu was sowing discord!
But he couldn't help reflecting—he had indeed neglected Qin Ye somewhat. Though Qin Ye had become his disciple through an exchange of benefits, he was still his student.
Li Qingqiu decided to pay more attention to Qin Ye in the future. The boy was always proactive in his duties and completely lacked the spoiled, arrogant air of a wealthy son.
"I can't get close to Xu Ning, so I chose you. I need you to pass on this staff technique. If I taught it to other disciples, it probably wouldn't be preserved as part of the Azure Firmament Sect's heritage. Also, your Qin family has aspirations in officialdom. In the future, you can use this staff technique to dominate the battlefield. Master it, and you'll be a match for ten thousand." Wu Baoyu's tone was flat, devoid of emotion.
Qin Ye was puzzled. He asked cautiously, "Senior, after all you've been through, you'd allow me to use your staff technique to join the army?"
Wu Baoyu's face was expressionless. "The Emperor is foolish, corrupt officials run rampant—but that's temporary. We were born on this land. Defending it will always be the duty of us martial artists."
Hearing this, Qin Ye felt his blood boil. At the same time, a surge of respect for Wu Baoyu welled up within him.
"Let's begin. This technique is called the Ten Thousand Army Demon-Subduing Staff. The master who taught it to me was very mysterious; I never learned his true name. If you ever meet him, thank him for me. This is undoubtedly the world's greatest staff technique."
With that, Wu Baoyu thrust his staff horizontally before him.
Hearing this, Li Qingqiu was completely reassured. He had no interest in the Ten Thousand Army Demon-Subduing Staff. This was Qin Ye's personal fortune. He wouldn't interfere.
In the following days, whenever he had free time, Wu Baoyu taught Qin Ye the staff technique.
Seven days later.
Zhang Yuchun came to Li Qingqiu and reported that Wu Baoyu had gone down the mountain. Fearing he might bring trouble to the Azure Firmament Sect, he had chosen to leave.
Li Qingqiu didn't send anyone after him. Wu Baoyu had left his techniques behind—that was enough.
"Senior Brother, reaching fifty disciples by year's end is going to be difficult." Zhang Yuchun sighed.
Without reputation, recruiting disciples was too hard.
Unless he went to recruit refugees. But refugees were either orphans or the old and infirm. What the Azure Firmament Sect needed now were able-bodied youths.
Li Qingqiu smiled. "That was just a casual remark. Rather than blindly expanding numbers, laying a solid foundation is what's truly important."
Zhang Yuchun was still a bit depressed. They chatted a while longer, then Zhang Yuchun rose and left. Li Qingqiu continued meditating and cultivating in his room.
That winter passed without incident. Feng Dai and his men never returned, and no one came seeking lodging.
In the blink of an eye, two months flew by. Xu Ning successfully reached the third layer of the Nourishing Origin stage. Apart from her, no one in the Azure Firmament Sect had yet reached the second layer—a testament to the difficulty of immortality cultivation.
As New Year approached, someone finally came to visit: Qin Ye's father, Qin Jue. He arrived with over a dozen servants, each carrying large boxes filled with grain, fine wine, bedding—a sincere display of goodwill.
Li Qingqiu, Zhang Yuchun, and Yang Jueding accompanied Qin Jue for tea and conversation. Qin Ye swept the courtyard, listening in.
After some small talk, Qin Jue suddenly said, "Oh, something huge happened last month. A Demonic Sect expert who'd been in seclusion for over a decade reappeared in the world. He carried an iron staff and stormed the imperial palace, killing over a hundred imperial guards. He almost got his hands on the Emperor, but was eventually slain by the combined efforts of the Heaven-Guardians. His head was hung on the city wall of the capital as a warning to all."
"This Demonic Sect expert was no ordinary figure—he was the Northern Subjugation Dharma Protector of the Demonic Sect, Wu Baoyu. A man who stopped at no evil, a mass murderer. His death was gruesome—they gouged out his eyes. I heard the Emperor didn't like his gaze."
*Clatter!*
The broom slipped from Qin Ye's hands and clattered to the ground. His expression went blank as he stared fixedly at his father.