"Establishing a Martial Sect within the sect—aren't you afraid it will cause division?"
Yan Daozong looked at Li Qingqiu as he asked. For a moment, he could not see through Li Qingqiu and could not tell whether the other party was testing him.
After all, his junior brother Hua Daozang valued power above all else. His master and grandmaster had been the same. It was precisely because of this that the atmosphere within Tianxuan Mountain had always been stern and rigid.
Shen Yue laughed and said, "Since our sect master said this, he must mean it sincerely. And if the Martial Sect wants to split from Qingxiao Sect, it should first ask whether our Sword Sect agrees."
"Sword Sect?"
This was the first time Yan Daozong had heard of the Sword Sect. On the way here, Shen Yue had introduced Qingxiao Sect to him, but he had only spoken of how strong and how good Qingxiao Sect was, without mentioning its specific structure.
Li Qingqiu said, "In all the world today, you are the first and only person to enter the Dao through martial arts. You are certain to push Martial Dao to a new peak. No one is more suitable than you to serve as a Martial Sect Elder. With me here, I will not allow Immortal Dao and Martial Dao to become irreconcilable forces."
But what if you are no longer here?
The question nearly slipped out of Yan Daozong's mouth, but he felt it would be impolite.
After some thought, he said, "Alright, I'll give it a try. If anyone tries to coerce me into doing anything detrimental to the sect, I will deal with it severely—or step down from the position of Martial Sect Elder."
What he feared most were struggles over power and entanglements of emotion. He only wished to cultivate in peace, without distractions.
It was precisely because of this that, even though Hua Daozang monopolized authority and acted tyrannically, he had turned a blind eye, so long as it did not harm the disciples.
Li Qingqiu understood the implication behind his words and pondered briefly before saying, "Then let's do this. I will appoint another Martial Sect Elder. He will be responsible for management, while you focus on transmitting martial arts. How does that sound?"
Upon hearing this, Yan Daozong immediately let out a breath of relief and nodded without hesitation.
Yuan Qi arrived carrying hot tea. The advantage of knowing spells was that brewing tea was extremely fast.
Li Qingqiu's gaze turned toward Li Yang, curious as to why he had also gone to Tianxuan Mountain. Li Yang did not hide anything and explained that he and Bai Ning'er had followed an auspicious sign, which fled into Tianxuan Mountain, leaving them no choice but to go up the mountain.
"That five-colored deer was imprisoned by my junior brother. I have already released it. The five-colored deer chose that Qingxiao Sect disciple named Bai Ning'er and followed him all the way back," Yan Daozong added.
This made Li Qingqiu regard Yan Daozong more highly.
This person was truly decent—not only delivering himself to Qingxiao Sect, but also bringing along an auspicious beast as a bonus.
Noticing Shen Yue's gaze, Li Qingqiu spoke up. "Yuan Qi, take Yan Daozong to the Spirit Management Hall to register his identity. For now, designate him as a True Disciple and arrange accommodations for him."
"Yes!"
Yuan Qi responded and rose to his feet.
Yan Daozong also understood that they had matters to discuss and that it was inconvenient for him to listen. He stood up, saluted Li Qingqiu, and followed Yuan Qi as they left.
After they exited the courtyard, Shen Yue finally frowned and said, "Sect Master, there may be something strange about Tianxuan Mountain."
"What kind of strange?" Li Qingqiu asked with curiosity.
Shen Yue said, "When I defeated Yan Daozong, I sensed a trace of killing intent—extremely well hidden. Although it lasted only an instant, I am certain it was real. That killing intent was not simple. It sent chills down my spine. Later, a disciple named Zhang Ping sent me a voice transmission, saying that Tianxuan Mountain hid something abnormal and urging me to take everyone down the mountain as soon as possible. Seeing how panicked he was, I brought everyone down early. If I had been alone, I would definitely have investigated thoroughly, but with other disciples present, I didn't dare to act recklessly."
After what had happened to Xue Jin, he was even more concerned about the safety of his fellow disciples.
Zhang Ping?
Li Qingqiu narrowed his eyes. Zhang Ping possessed the fate Seeker of Fortune and Avoider of Calamity. His intuition should be genuine.
"On the way back, I also subtly questioned Yan Daozong. He said that no one within Tianxuan Mountain was stronger than him, and that the others were not even a match for Li Yang. I suspect he is also being kept in the dark. The Sword-Holding Elder of Tianxuan Mountain, Hua Daozang, made me uncomfortable. I've heard that all authority is in his hands—perhaps he is secretly preparing something," Shen Yue said as he recalled the events.
Li Qingqiu also felt that Yan Daozong did not seem like someone who would lie, but it would still be necessary to confirm his loyalty later.
He did not require Yan Daozong's loyalty to be high, but it could not be too low—certainly not zero.
From Yan Daozong's words, he had joined Qingxiao Sect sincerely. If his loyalty were below 10, then he was most likely here with ulterior motives.
"I understand. This matter ends here for you," Li Qingqiu said as he looked at Shen Yue and Li Yang.
The two nodded. They did not linger, stood up to salute, and then departed.
Li Qingqiu remained seated, contemplating how to investigate Tianxuan Mountain.
With Yan Daozong personally joining Qingxiao Sect, he naturally could not suppress Tianxuan Mountain.
Perhaps this was also why Yan Daozong had agreed to Shen Yue's wager in the first place. If he could not defeat Shen Yue, then Tianxuan Mountain would be nothing more than fish on the chopping block to Qingxiao Sect, at their mercy. But if, after defeat, he joined Qingxiao Sect, then Tianxuan Mountain would become one of their own.
Thinking it through this way, Yan Daozong truly possessed great wisdom.
He was not merely a simple-minded martial fanatic; he simply did not wish to engage in scheming against his fellow sect members.
Li Qingqiu was not worried. With Yan Daozong gone, investigating Tianxuan Mountain would become even easier.
After waiting about fifteen minutes, Li Qingqiu finally saw Yan Daozong's profile appear on the Dao Lineage panel.
[ Name: Yan Daozong ]
[ Gender: Male ]
[ Age: 41 ]
[ Loyalty (Sect Master / Sect): 65 / 75 (Maximum 100) ]
[ Cultivation Aptitude: Exceptional ]
[ Comprehension: Excellent ]
[ Fate: Martial God Incarnate, Perfect Martial Body, One Thought—Immortal and Martial ]
[ Martial God Incarnate: As martial strength increases, can condense Martial God presence, exerting suppression on enemies in combat. Excels at fighting against many; the greater the number of enemies, the stronger the Martial God presence. ]
[ Perfect Martial Body: Any martial art can be mastered with ease. Possesses comprehension surpassing that of mortals. Has no shortcomings in Martial Dao and is a flawless martial practitioner in terms of techniques. ]
[ One Thought—Immortal and Martial: Possesses a single opportunity in life to change fate, requiring profound enlightenment. Once abandoning martial arts to pursue immortality, Martial God Incarnate and Perfect Martial Body will undergo transformation. ]
Good grief!
Three special fates!
Li Qingqiu stared until his eyes nearly went wide. This panel was far too luxurious—especially the [One Thought—Immortal and Martial] fate. It was downright shameless.
If Yan Daozong were to cultivate immortality, he would still retain his current martial talent. He was truly a favored child of heaven and earth.
Among all of them, the [Martial God Incarnate] fate delighted Li Qingqiu the most. This man was born to wage wars for Qingxiao Sect!
With Exceptional cultivation aptitude and Excellent comprehension, he directly rivaled Xu Ning—and his special fates even outnumbered Xu Ning's by two.
Xu Ning only possessed [Heavenly Thunder Spiritual Root].
For disciples without special fates, the panel could only display personality traits and destiny. Yan Daozong did not have any personality-type fates, but judging from his loyalty, Li Qingqiu believed he was someone who could be trusted.
Yan Daozong was very similar to Shen Yue—each had their own sense of right and wrong, were not swayed by those around them, and both inclined toward righteousness.
After finishing Yan Daozong's panel, only one thought remained in Li Qingqiu's mind.
'Why practice martial arts? Hurry up and cultivate immortality with me!'
He decided that next, he would carefully build rapport with Yan Daozong, first raising his loyalty above 90, then proceeding step by step.
Even without cultivating immortality, Yan Daozong already possessed strength comparable to Nurturing Essence Realm, seventh layer, or even the eighth.
Qingxiao Sect had gained yet another decisive trump card!
When Li Qingqiu imagined that a hundred years from now, Xu Ning, Yuan Li, Yun Cai, Shen Yue, Zhao Zhen, and Yan Daozong would stand as Qingxiao Sect's top combat force, he felt so pleased he could hardly contain himself.
Below them would be the Xiao clan's three brothers, Ji Ya, Li Yang, Yang Xuan, Jian Du, and other super geniuses.
Xue Jin, Lu Qing, Han Lang, and others could serve as the sect's backbone, while Li Shouzheng and Li Shoumin—if they ever tired of being emperors—could cultivate immortality with him and also become pillars of the sect.
What was more, Qingxiao Sect would continue to produce a steady stream of talents in the future.
The foundation was taking shape!
At present, Qingxiao Sect only needed to develop steadily and avoid provoking powerful enemies. In a hundred years, it would undergo earth-shaking changes. Li Qingqiu planned not to leave the Nine Provinces within that century, nor would he cross the seas, so as not to prematurely attract the attention of distant immortal sects.
Since this land had once had immortal cultivators, then there must still be immortal cultivators in this world—just not within the Nine Provinces.
Li Qingqiu was in an excellent mood. He immediately stood up and headed to the Heavenly Works Hall, preparing to personally arrange for Zhu Yan to establish the Martial Sect.
Martial Sect?
For now, it was the Martial Sect—
in the future, it would become the Immortal-Conquest Hall!
…
After joining Qingxiao Sect, Yan Daozong found his days far more relaxed than he had expected—pleasantly so. Li Qingqiu treated him generously, coming to chat with him every day. His defeat of Li Yang and Yang Dong did not bring him any trouble at all; instead, many talented disciples came to befriend him.
The more Qingxiao Sect disciples he met, the stronger his favorable impression of the sect became.
Vigorous, passionate, and full of spirit—every disciple here radiated ambition.
Moreover, Qingxiao Sect disciples greatly admired the sect master's chivalrous deeds and often asked him about Tianxuan Mountain's past. When he recounted the stories of Tianxuan Mountain's successive generations saving the world, these disciples regarded him with deep respect.
Qingxiao Sect was exactly as he had imagined—a righteous sect. As for the killings committed by Qingxiao Sect, he could understand them as well.
If cultivating martial arts or immortality could not protect one's own people, how could one speak of saving the world?
Using killing to stop killing was also a form of righteousness!
On the eighth day after he joined Qingxiao Sect, Li Qingqiu brought Zhao Zhen to visit him.
Persuaded by Ku Yi and Ku Er, Zhao Zhen had grown curious about Tianxuan Mountain. When Li Qingqiu proposed taking him to meet Tianxuan Mountain's sect master, Zhao Zhen was first stunned, then eagerly agreed.
Yan Daozong was also very interested in Zhao Zhen, as Hua Daozang often told him that Zhao Zhen was Qingxiao Sect's number one genius.
After the two met, they tacitly avoided mentioning anyone else. Li Qingqiu set the stage by steering the discussion toward martial arts, and the two quickly became engrossed, growing more excited as they talked.
In less than the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Li Qingqiu felt that they were practically ready to swear brotherhood.
Yan Daozong had never felt so exhilarated before. When he discussed martial arts with his other junior brothers or disciples, he had never received such feedback. Yet here, he was actually gaining insights from Zhao Zhen's words.
Worthy of being Qingxiao Sect's number one genius!
He finally believed Hua Daozang's words. If Tianxuan Mountain could obtain Zhao Zhen, there truly was hope of surpassing Qingxiao Sect.
However, that notion was shattered in less than five days.
Five days later, Li Qingqiu brought Yuan Li to visit Yan Daozong. Yuan Li's body cultivation path left Yan Daozong utterly stunned.
He could immediately conclude that Yuan Li's comprehension surpassed even Zhao Zhen's!