Zhang Yuchun hadn't expected Cai Liang to open so boldly. Before Li Qingqiu could even respond, he quickly said, "Brother Cai, this is our first meeting. Such talk can't be taken lightly. Let's just pretend we didn't hear that."
But Cai Liang remained unmoved. His gaze stayed fixed on Li Qingqiu as he said calmly, "The Emperor is corrupt and cruel. None of the great families nor the heroes of the world can tolerate him. Whether the Sect Master agrees or not, this matter is already decided. I merely wish to offer Qingxiao Sect a chance."
Zhang Yuchun turned toward Li Qingqiu, waiting for his lead.
Li Qingqiu's expression soon returned to calm composure. He met Cai Liang's steady eyes and asked, "May I ask what your family's goal is? Why seek out Qingxiao Sect?"
Cai Liang answered without hesitation, "The Nine Great Families have joined forces. We intend to support a descendant of the Zhao clan to the throne. Under the new order, the Cai family seeks greater influence. Qingxiao Sect defeated the Demonic Sect and saved Guzhou Prefecture. Near the Taikun Mountains, your sect's name is renowned for righteousness and virtue. In the eyes of the people, you are a model of justice, and your strength has already been recognized by the martial world. I need your sect's aid. The Cai family's goal is to reach Second Rank, Upper Grade in the new dynasty."
Cai Liang's tone was firm and dignified, his gaze unwavering.
Before either of the two could question him further, he added, "If we succeed, the Cai family will support Qingxiao Sect to replace the Three Great Founding Sects and become the supreme authority of the martial world."
Li Qingqiu fell silent, deep in thought.
Zhang Yuchun gave a bitter laugh. "Brother Cai, this is no small matter. Do you really think we can just give an answer on the spot?"
Cai Liang said, "I'll stay in Qingxiao Sect for one night. Give me your reply tomorrow. Even if you refuse, the Cai family won't trouble your sect."
Li Qingqiu nodded. "Very well. Arrange lodging for Brother Cai. Treat him well."
"Understood."
Zhang Yuchun gestured for Cai Liang to follow and led him out of the courtyard.
Once they were gone, Li Qingqiu sat back at the long table, his mind heavy with thought.
He realized suddenly that the Crown Prince's death had never been about imperial succession at all. The prince was merely a sacrifice in a power struggle between the Emperor and the great noble families.
But Li Qingqiu no longer had interest in such worldly conflict.
As long as Qingxiao Sect was strong enough, it could stand above the dynasties. He didn't care who ruled the empire—so long as they didn't interfere with his sect's growth.
Yes. In his eyes, the Fourteen Lands of the Nine Provinces already belonged to him in potential. One day, he would traverse the entire realm, mining spiritual veins, discovering spiritual lakes, and collecting Treasures of Heaven and Earth like the Thousand Spirits Tree.
Once he had one hundred True Disciples at the fifth layer of the Nurturing Essence Realm, he would no longer fear any royal power or great family.
That goal was still far away, but he could already see its path.
He continued reviewing the sect's roster of new disciples.
The registered number had already surpassed two thousand, yet none possessed unique Fates. The most talented among them were merely on par with Xue Jin.
Suddenly, Li Qingqiu's brows lifted. He had finally found a disciple with a special Fate.
[Name: Zhang Ping]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: 16]
[Loyalty (to Sect Master / to Sect): 81 / 89 (Max: 100)]
[Cultivation Aptitude: Mediocre]
[Comprehension: Mediocre]
[Fate: Ordinary Man, Seeker of Fortune and Avoider of Calamity, Defier of Fate]
[Ordinary Man: Born ordinary, looks ordinary, carries an ordinary presence—easily overlooked by others.]
[Seeker of Fortune and Avoider of Calamity: Avoids trouble instinctively, guided by luck, never acts without certainty.]
[Defier of Fate: Can alter his destiny three times in his lifetime.]
…
Three special Fates!
To be precise, two were inherently special, and the third—Ordinary Man—though it seemed a flaw, could actually be an advantage on the path of cultivation.
If he was easily ignored by others, and this effect extended beyond realm boundaries, then even higher cultivators might overlook him.
If that was true—then this was an extraordinary gift.
Still, Seeker of Fortune and Avoider of Calamity gave Li Qingqiu pause. A disciple like that only did things within his confidence. That meant he'd shy away from risky missions. If pressured too much, he might even abandon the sect.
So the key was to limit his task load while giving him enough support and confidence to grow.
Without Defier of Fate, Zhang Ping would've been just another unremarkable disciple. But with it—everything changed.
A seventh-layer Nurturing Essence Zhang Ping could handle missions meant for fifth-layer cultivators. And when he reached the Awakening Spirit Realm, he could tackle problems suited for Nurturing Essence experts.
As long as his growth stayed steady, the number of "certain victories" he could guarantee would increase.
After a while, Zhang Yuchun returned hurriedly and sat beside Li Qingqiu. His tone was low and serious. "Senior Brother, how should we handle this? Don't be fooled by Cai Liang's polite words—if we refuse, he won't take it kindly. Even if they don't retaliate now, once their new regime succeeds, they'll surely come after Qingxiao Sect later."
Li Qingqiu nodded slowly. "Yes. He's proud, but direct. Coming here alone, speaking so plainly—such confidence. The Cai family of Linchuan truly lives up to its reputation for boldness."
Zhang Yuchun frowned. "Then what should we tell him?"
"Of course we refuse. The disciples of Qingxiao Sect are busy cultivating—who has time to fight over a throne with them?"
"What about after that?"
Zhang Yuchun couldn't help but worry. They had already offended the Pei clan—would they now add the Cai clan to the list?
Li Qingqiu stood up slowly, the sunlight spilling across him, forcing Zhang Yuchun to squint, unable to make out his face clearly.
"Second Junior Brother," Li Qingqiu said in a calm, steady voice that made Zhang Yuchun's spine chill, "no matter which choice we make, someone will always come looking for trouble."
"Only if we take control ourselves will the troubles cease to exist."
Zhang Yuchun looked confused. "Take control? How?"
Qingxiao Sect was still a martial sect. No matter how much it grew, it could never hope to shake a dynasty. How could a sect of cultivators surpass an empire that ruled over tens of millions?
Then, Li Qingqiu said four words Zhang Yuchun would never forget for the rest of his life.
"Divine Mandate Sovereignty."
…
The news that Qingxiao Sect had rejected the Cai clan's invitation to rebel never spread. When Cai Liang left, his face was ice-cold, but Zhang Yuchun—for once—didn't feel anxious. He simply threw himself even more diligently into managing and expanding the sect.
Li Qingqiu, meanwhile, put the Cai clan out of his mind entirely.
Later that same month, Jiang Zhaoxia successfully broke through to the seventh layer of the Nurturing Essence Realm. He immediately reported it to Li Qingqiu, who was genuinely delighted.
With two cultivators at the seventh layer of Nurturing Essence, Li Qingqiu no longer feared any power within the Great Li Dynasty.
This was his confidence—the very reason he could reject the Cai clan without hesitation.
That very day, Li Qingqiu summoned all Hall Masters, including the Sword Saint Shen Yue, Zhang Yu, and Cheng Canghai. When he announced Jiang Zhaoxia's breakthrough to the seventh layer, the entire room erupted in excitement.
"The seventh layer of Nurturing Essence—unbelievable," Zhu Yan murmured with awe.
She had already begun cultivating the Supreme Purity and Primordial Harmony Sutra and finally understood why Qingxiao Sect had grown so powerful. With a technique like that, no other sect could compare.
But because she practiced it herself, she also knew how difficult reaching the seventh layer truly was.
It meant unmatched under heaven.
Two disciples at that level, plus the unfathomable strength of Li Qingqiu himself—even Zhu Yan, now Hall Master of the Heavenly Works Hall, couldn't help but feel uneasy at their sheer power.
Regardless of background, whoever provoked Qingxiao Sect now was simply seeking death.
Li Qingqiu had deliberately revealed the strength of Jiang Zhaoxia and Xu Ning, not only to inspire his people but also to send a message—to Zhu Yan in particular.
If the noble clans were truly preparing for rebellion, then the Zhu family might also be involved. He wanted her to see clearly just how formidable Qingxiao Sect had become, and to make no mistake in her loyalties.
Shen Yue appeared calm as he stroked his beard, but inwardly, he was far from it.
Though already old, he didn't want to be surpassed by Jiang Zhaoxia. His own cultivation had reached the second layer of Nurturing Essence, rising swiftly, yet the seventh layer still felt far away.
Cheng Canghai and Zhang Yu were also stunned. The former was at the third layer, while the latter was still at the first.
"I plan to start a ranking system for realm advancement," Li Qingqiu continued. "From now on, the first ten disciples to reach the fifth layer of the Nurturing Essence Realm will receive varying amounts of spirit stones as a reward. This will be announced only among the True Disciples."
His words snapped everyone's attention back to the meeting.
Yang Jueding gasped. "Did I hear that right? Are there really that many prodigies in the sect now? I'm only at the third layer!"
He had reached that level largely thanks to his privileges as Hall Master. Had he been an ordinary disciple, he'd probably still be struggling at the second layer.
The others exchanged shocked looks. Half of those present hadn't even seen the faintest hope of reaching the fifth layer themselves.
"This is a good strategy," Zhang Yuchun said, nodding approvingly. "It'll motivate the True Disciples to cultivate harder. After all, their primary duty is training. The registered and menial disciples can handle the daily chores."
As the Hall Master overseeing disciple records, Zhang Yuchun knew their levels well.
Realm breakthroughs determined each disciple's monthly stipend, so most wouldn't bother to hide their progress. Once they advanced, they'd immediately report to the Spirit Management Hall to register and claim their next-layer cultivation technique.
Li Qingqiu turned to him and said, "Report the disciples' current realms."
Zhang Yuchun nodded. "At present, there are 200 True Disciples. Over 30 have reached the third layer of Nurturing Essence, and 3 have already broken through to the fourth layer."
His report excluded the higher-ranking elders and hall masters.
"So many?" Yang Jueding exclaimed. "A cultivator at the second layer of Nurturing Essence is already equivalent to a top master in the martial world. That means we have over 200 top experts, and our disciples are still young!"
He had always known Qingxiao Sect was expanding quickly, but this scale was beyond imagination.
Li Sifeng's eyes widened. "Over 30 disciples at the third layer? How come there's not even one in my Training Hall? Are you hoarding all the geniuses? Give me a few at least!"
Li Dongyue chuckled softly. "Sixth Junior Brother, my Spirit Treasury Hall has three disciples at the third layer."
Li Sifeng let out a dramatic groan, causing laughter to ripple through the room.
Everyone marveled at how fast the sect had grown. Li Qingqiu allowed them a moment to take it all in before he stood up again.
Seeing this, the others followed suit and waited for him to speak.
Li Qingqiu swept his gaze across the room. His tone was firm, but not loud. "The age of chaos is coming. From now on, Qingxiao Sect's focus remains on its own growth. From this day forward, the entire Taikun Mountain Range belongs to us. The people living nearby—we protect them. Understand?"
His words sent a rush of heat through everyone present.
Zhu Yan felt a chill of awe in her heart. She had always suspected her Sect Master's ambitions weren't small.
Shen Yue, however, was more curious than anything else. With such a grand vision… what exactly is this Sect Master planning?
To unify the martial world?
Or… something even greater?