After confirming Li Sifeng's resolve, Li Qingqiu no longer worried about the matter. Li Sifeng didn't rush to get married either and followed his senior brother's suggestion to wait for a year. In that time, he focused on improving his own strength.
Li Sifeng began cultivating diligently. His transformation inspired the disciples of the Training Hall, which had previously been somewhat lax since Li Sifeng often traveled outside. Because of this, the Training Hall's overall strength had long ranked at the bottom among the seven halls.
Now that Li Sifeng was leading by example—and with the Thirteen Swords of Qingxiao's Might joining the hall—the Training Hall finally found a chance to change.
Qingxiao Sect continued to develop steadily. By the end of the second month, Li Qingqiu allowed the seven halls to recruit ten new disciples each. This caused quite a stir within the sect.
Even though the seven halls' disciples didn't enjoy the same privileges as True Disciples, their treatment was far better than that of ordinary Inner Disciples. They had both money and authority, so naturally, it was a position most disciples dreamed of competing for.
In the forest, Li Qingqiu watched Zhao Zhen and Li Yang spar using the Divine Dragon Transformation. Two golden dragons clashed endlessly, shaking the mountains and filling the air with dust. The scene was magnificent and awe-inspiring.
The strong gusts made Li Qingqiu's robes and black hair billow wildly.
Standing beside him, Zhang Yuchun had already seen Zhao Zhen and Li Yang duel several times using this technique. The first time, he had been stunned, but after witnessing it a few more times, his shock faded—though his gaze was still drawn in every time.
He had to admit, Zhao Zhen's modified version of the Divine Dragon Transformation, turned into a spell-like technique, was incredibly impressive to watch. It even made Zhang Yuchun want to learn it himself. Unfortunately, despite reading the manual Zhao Zhen wrote for him, he couldn't make any progress at all.
"Senior Brother," Zhang Yuchun grumbled, "those noble families are really outrageous. Just for one spot in the seven halls, they're throwing out ten thousand taels of gold! Do you know how many disciples that could feed?"
The more he dealt with the noble families, the more he realized how cruel the world could be. Their wealth was beyond what ordinary people could imagine. Most commoners had never even been educated—if you dumped that much money in front of them, they couldn't even count it all.
Li Qingqiu replied calmly, "That kind of thing is inevitable. You can refuse, but that doesn't mean others will."
In the Great Li Dynasty, gold was different from that of Li Qingqiu's previous world. It was heavier, more like the ancient form of metal, and wasn't pure gold but a specially refined crimson-gold alloy. Ten thousand taels of this gold weighed nearly one thousand catties, an astonishing amount of wealth by any standard.
"What should we do then?" Zhang Yuchun said anxiously. "If we open that door once, won't the noble families do whatever they want afterward?"
"What are you afraid of?" Li Qingqiu said lightly. "Leave that kind of thing to the Law Enforcement Hall. The more you worry and try to interfere, the harder it becomes for them to handle."
As he spoke, the two golden dragons in the distance suddenly dispersed, revealing Zhao Zhen and Li Yang standing opposite each other, their qi fading into the wind.
"The Law Enforcement Hall?" Zhang Yuchun repeated. The mention of the hall made him picture Chai Yunshang's sharp and serious expression, and he couldn't help asking worriedly, "With Chai Yunshang's temper, won't she end up making enemies?"
Li Qingqiu shot him a glare. "So what if she does? Anyone who dares to break our rules is already provoking us. Don't worry about it. Just keep your own conscience clear, or one day she might slap the evidence of your crimes right on my desk."
Zhang Yuchun flushed red with embarrassment. "Qingxiao Sect is our home! How could I ever harm its interests for the sake of money?"
"There's something called emotion," Li Qingqiu said quietly. "Emotions can make people lose their principles, or even change who they are entirely."
He walked forward, leaving Zhang Yuchun to ponder those words in silence, and headed toward Zhao Zhen and Li Yang.
Zhao Zhen stood with his hands on his hips, grinning proudly. "So, what do you think? My Divine Dragon Transformation is stronger, isn't it?"
Li Yang wiped the sweat from his forehead, nodding in admiration. "You really are stronger. What I can't figure out is—how are you still keeping ahead of me when your body's smaller than mine?"
He had thought that with his age and physical strength, combined with his hard work, he could surpass Zhao Zhen. But the truth had proven otherwise.
Despite being only nine years old, Zhao Zhen's pressure in combat was immense. During battle, Li Yang often felt like every one of his moves had already been seen through, leaving him completely stifled.
Seeing Li Yang admit defeat, Zhao Zhen coughed lightly and said with mock modesty, "Well, to be honest, if you used your Dragon Soul, I might not win."
When it came to the Dragon Soul, he couldn't quite understand it. It didn't feel like martial arts—it felt more like a ghost.
'How can a ghost be used by a person?' Zhao Zhen thought, a strange idea forming in his mind.
"When you grow up," Li Yang said with a laugh, "even if I use the Dragon Soul, I doubt I'll be able to beat you."
Though there was an age gap between them, their personalities matched well. They were inseparable these days, which caused Zhao Zhen to drift away from Yuan Li. Li Yang also visited his cousin less and less often.
Li Qingqiu didn't interfere in his disciples' personal relationships. Zhao Zhen and Li Yang getting closer wasn't necessarily bad—but he couldn't help feeling sorry for Yuan Li, who was now always alone.
"I've also learned the Divine Dragon Transformation," Li Qingqiu said as he approached, smiling faintly. "How about this—why don't both of you team up against me for a spar?"
Hearing that, Zhao Zhen and Li Yang exchanged excited looks, their eyes lighting up immediately.
Zhang Yuchun quietly turned and left, not wanting to interrupt their sparring session.
…
By mid-March, a piece of shocking news swept across the Nine Provinces like a storm, soon reaching the halls of Qingxiao Sect.
In front of the Sparring Platform, disciples and visitors waiting for the next duel were animatedly discussing the latest event shaking the world.
"Have you heard? Prince Wei led the armies of seven provinces to attack Martial God Pass in Zhongtian Prefecture—but after all this time, they still haven't broken through!"
"Of course I've heard. They say there's a great general in the imperial army who's already achieved fifty-two consecutive victories in single combat. Even top martial experts from the martial world can't withstand a single move from him!"
"If even Martial God Pass can't be taken, how could anyone hope to capture the Demon Emperor?"
"Ah, the Demonic Sect runs rampant across the northern martial world. Before, they acted in secret, but now they're bold enough to kidnap children and slaughter entire families in broad daylight. The world grows darker by the day."
"At this point, Guzhou is probably the safest province left. Refugees, noble families, and merchants are all migrating there."
While the disciples gossiped, Li Qingqiu was confronting this very issue face-to-face.
Inside Lingxiao Courtyard, Li Qingqiu and Zhang Yuchun sat at a long table. Across from them sat three men, one of whom was none other than Qin Jue's father, Qin Ye.
After exchanging glances with the other two, Qin Ye said, "Sect Master, I understand that Qingxiao Sect wishes to avoid worldly conflicts. It is a place of purity. But no one can stay untouched by the disasters of the realm. The Demon Emperor Zhao Zhi ignores the suffering of the people and has shamelessly ordered the Demonic Sect to raid and abduct children. You must still remember the atrocities they committed in Guzhou's prefecture. It's only a matter of time before the Demonic Sect marches south. When that day comes, Qingxiao Sect won't be able to avoid the war."
"Only by storming Martial God Pass and attacking Zhenyang Imperial City can we force the Demon Emperor to gather all his power to resist the allied forces. If Qingxiao Sect could send a single master to slay the demon general guarding the pass, our army could press forward without obstruction—and countless civilians would be saved."
The two men beside him immediately echoed his words. Both came from prestigious families and had clearly come with sincerity—large chests filled with gold, silver, and jewels had been placed in the courtyard as tribute.
Li Qingqiu asked calmly, "Tell me more about this demon general. Just how formidable is he?"
The man from the Pei clan on Qin Ye's left spoke up right away. "His name is Chang Wu. He once trained in Taiwu Sect before joining the army and spent over ten years fighting at the border. He was strong even back then, but nothing compared to what he is now. His strength has grown monstrous—arrows can't pierce his flesh, and he knocks them aside like pebbles. On the battlefield, he's a one-man army, an unstoppable killing machine. Ironically, engaging him in single combat is the only way to limit his slaughter."
Li Qingqiu's eyes narrowed in thought.
He recalled what Chen Huilan had once told him—she had refined a batch of Martial God Pills for the Cui family, and the effects she described sounded eerily similar to Chang Wu's current condition.
The three envoys waited nervously. The frontlines were desperate—they had already invited countless masters from other sects, but all had perished under Chang Wu's hands. Qingxiao Sect was now their last hope.
"You may leave for now," Li Qingqiu finally said. "Tomorrow, I'll arrange for people to travel with you to Martial God Pass."
At his words, Qin Ye and the others brightened instantly. They rose to their feet and bowed deeply in gratitude before being led out by Zhang Yuchun to settle their accommodations.
Li Qingqiu remained seated, lost in thought. This was an opportunity—a chance to display Qingxiao Sect's martial power to the world and, more importantly, to save countless innocent lives.
After a while, Zhang Yuchun returned to the courtyard and sat down beside him. "Those two with Qin Ye aren't ordinary," he said. "Pei Xuantang is a renowned scholar from the Pei family—he even topped the imperial examinations and is famous across Zhongtian Prefecture. The other, Lu Yi, is a decorated general who commands a cavalry of five thousand riders. Both carry weight."
Li Qingqiu nodded. "I plan to send Li Sifeng and Wu Man'er. What do you think?"
Zhang Yuchun frowned. "Their strength isn't the problem—they're both at the fifth layer of the Nurturing Essence Realm. I'm just worried their temperament might not be steady enough. Someone might take advantage of them."
"Then send Zhang Yu along as well. Didn't he say he wanted to see the world?"
"That'll work," Zhang Yuchun said, smiling. "Zhang Yu's clever and cautious. With him there, I'll feel much better."
They had worked with Zhang Yu for many years, and his reliability was beyond question.
"Tell them to get ready," Li Qingqiu instructed. "They'll depart first thing tomorrow morning."
"Understood!" Zhang Yuchun said enthusiastically before hurrying off to deliver the message.
Li Qingqiu looked up at the sky. It was such a pure blue that it seemed out of place in this murky world.
That evening, the seven core disciples gathered in Lingxiao Courtyard for dinner. Li Dongyue sat beside Wu Man'er, chattering nonstop, while Li Sijin kept warning Li Sifeng to watch over him carefully.
"Oh, come on," Li Sifeng said loudly, grinning. "I've gone down the mountain plenty of times. And with Fifth Junior Brother being so strong, what's there to worry about? That so-called Chang Wu—bring ten of him, and we'll still cut them all down on the battlefield!"
Wu Man'er chuckled. "Yeah, we're not afraid. We're really strong."
Though naive at heart, Wu Man'er had always been curious about the outside world. He just never said so because his senior brothers and sisters worried too much. Now that he finally had a chance to go, excitement filled his simple heart.
"If necessary, I could go too," Jiang Zhaoxia said quietly from beside Li Qingqiu. "I'll stay in the shadows and protect them. I won't steal their glory."
Li Qingqiu glanced at Wu Man'er and smiled faintly. "No need."
Jiang Zhaoxia frowned. "Senior Brother, we should be cautious. If something happens, it might be too late to fix."
Li Qingqiu turned to him and said something in a low voice. Jiang Zhaoxia's eyes widened in surprise—and then he exhaled deeply, relief flooding his face.
A moment later, he realized something odd. Looking around, he noticed that no one else had reacted at all. None of the others seemed to have heard what Li Qingqiu had just said.