After conversing with Yuan Li for one hour, Yan Daozong felt deeply moved.
Tianxuan Mountain could absolutely never surpass Qingxiao Sect!
After hearing about Yuan Li's past, his admiration for Li Qingqiu grew even stronger.
Zhao Zhen had once been entrusted to Li Qingqiu by the former crown prince. At that time, Zhao Zhi was plunging the world into chaos. Yan Daozong asked himself honestly—Tianxuan Mountain would never have dared to accept such a responsibility. The facts proved it as well: after the crown prince's death, neither Zhao Zhen's mother nor his junior brother Hua Daozang had proposed raising Zhao Zhen. It was only after Zhao Zhi died that they brought it up.
That was Li Qingqiu's sense of responsibility.
Yuan Li and his brother had lost their parents, been imprisoned by martial sects, and forced into servitude. It was Li Qingqiu who rescued them. Back then, Qingxiao Sect had not had many members. Yuan Li's talent alone showed that heaven favored Qingxiao Sect.
Tianxuan Mountain claimed itself a sacred land, yet it had been many years since they last descended the mountain to save those suffering in the world.
Yan Daozong had once wanted to go down as well, but his master forbade it, saying he should focus more on martial practice and strengthening Tianxuan Mountain. Since he did not go down, neither did the others. Tianxuan Mountain's chivalrous heart had likely long since faded.
However, there were still more people who astonished Yan Daozong.
After that, Li Qingqiu brought Yun Cai to visit him. Yun Cai was rather displeased with him, believing that after defeating Qingxiao Sect disciples, he had spread the news to the martial world, thereby offending Qingxiao Sect.
Upon learning this, Yan Daozong frowned. When he defeated Li Yang and Yang Dong, there had been no outsiders present. That meant the news must have been spread by someone from Tianxuan Mountain.
His junior brother claimed to fear Qingxiao Sect's suppression, yet secretly sent people to spread such news?
Yan Daozong frowned. The feeling of being deceived made him deeply uncomfortable.
Li Qingqiu, on the other hand, was secretly pleased. Bringing Yun Cai had indeed been the right decision.
He had noticed earlier that Yun Cai had a somewhat rigid temperament. She disliked falsehoods, and her emotions were hard to conceal.
Before ascending the mountain, she had remained taciturn together with Bo Zhao and the others. Perhaps she feared that speaking would hurt relationships, so she chose silence.
"I was unaware of this matter. On behalf of Tianxuan Mountain, I apologize to you," Yan Daozong said solemnly. As he spoke, he stood up and bowed to Li Qingqiu and Yun Cai.
He had barely bent down when Li Qingqiu reached out and lifted his arm.
"If one's skills are inferior, why fear others speaking of it? There is no such logic. Yun Cai, you are not to be disrespectful to Daozong. From now on, you are all one family—do not dwell on the past."
Yan Daozong raised his head and saw Li Qingqiu saying this to Yun Cai.
Hearing that, Yun Cai immediately bowed and apologized to Yan Daozong.
Yan Daozong was certain this was not some act orchestrated by Li Qingqiu. He could clearly sense Yun Cai's sharp edge, as well as her sincere respect toward Li Qingqiu.
No—perhaps it was more than just respect.
"Senior Daozong, would you be willing to spar with me?" Yun Cai looked at Yan Daozong and spoke earnestly, a strange light flickering in her eyes.
Yan Daozong had been challenged more than once before. He himself enjoyed martial exchanges, but at Tianxuan Mountain, no one dared challenge him.
Thus, he readily agreed, and the two sparred right there in the courtyard.
He controlled his inner energy to the same level as Yun Cai's vital energy. Though the two could not be directly equated, this was the only way he could seek fairness.
After exchanging blows, Yan Daozong gradually realized something was wrong.
Yun Cai seemed to understand him extremely well. She could always evade his moves, even predicting his attack directions in advance, allowing her to counter his faster strikes with slower movements.
Wait!
Could this woman also be a once-in-ten-thousand-years genius?
Yan Daozong glanced again at Li Qingqiu. Looking at Li Qingqiu's smiling face, he felt a trace of malice for the first time—along with an uncontrollable surge of shock.
Did Qingxiao Sect have far too many peerless geniuses?
…
The news that Tianxuan Mountain's sect master had been defeated by the Sword Saint and subsequently joined Qingxiao Sect spread rapidly throughout the martial world.
When the Sword Saint and Yan Daozong sparred, martial figures from other sects had been present. Coupled with the fact that Yan Daozong had already arrived at Qingxiao Sect, the news simply could not be hidden.
As a result, voices praising Yan Daozong disappeared, replaced by waves of curses. Many felt that Yan Daozong had disgraced the name of Tianxuan Mountain.
The outside world's clamor no longer affected Yan Daozong.
In just one month, the Heavenly Works Hall completed the Martial Sect pavilion and training grounds. News of the Martial Sect spread as well, but the response was lukewarm. At least on Qingxiao Mountain, not many disciples were willing to practice martial arts.
However, among menial disciples, registered disciples, and outer disciples, the reaction was intense.
Yan Daozong was someone who could defeat Li Yang and Yang Dong. Even if martial arts were inferior to the immortal path, they could still grant strength surpassing the first four layers of the Nurturing Essence Realm. For disciples with low aptitude, this was highly appealing.
…
After the turmoil caused by Tianxuan Mountain temporarily subsided, Li Qingqiu's days returned to calm.
He did not visit Yan Daozong every day. Most of his time was still devoted to his own cultivation.
It was worth mentioning that the auspicious Five-Colored Deer caused quite a stir within Qingxiao Sect. Bai Ning'er released the Five-Colored Deer to roam freely on Qingxiao Mountain, drawing many disciples to observe it.
No one dared attempt to steal the Five-Colored Deer. Not only were there many disciples on Qingxiao Mountain itself, there were also large numbers patrolling below the mountain.
Ever since the Tree Demon avatar had attacked Qingxiao Sect, Li Qingqiu had increased the number of patrols.
Even in times of peace, more than five hundred disciples rotated patrols around Qingxiao Mountain and Ziyang Peak. At first, many hall masters felt the number was excessive, but later, seeing that most of the patrol disciples were outer disciples, they no longer raised objections.
Near Qingxiao Mountain, there was no need for overly powerful disciples to patrol. As long as someone could relay messages, that was sufficient.
Thus, Li Qingqiu established formations: twenty people per team, with each team led by at least one disciple at the third layer of the Nurturing Essence Realm or higher.
The Martial Sect had just been established and did not yet have many disciples. After all, Qingxiao Sect had not been founded for very long. Even those disciples interested in the Martial Sect had not yet given up pursuing the immortal path.
To them, the Martial Sect was an alternative path—but not one they intended to walk right now.
With more free time on his hands, Yan Daozong began wandering around Qingxiao Sect. The more he learned about the sect, the more he marveled at it, and his loyalty toward Li Qingqiu and Qingxiao Sect rose rapidly.
On this day, Shen Yue invited Yan Daozong to visit the Sword Sect.
Yan Daozong had a very good impression of Shen Yue, so he agreed.
As soon as he arrived at the Sword Sect, many gazes fell upon him. His appearance and bearing were simply too eye-catching.
"Who is that? White hair, and so handsome!"
"I know him—he's the sect master of Tianxuan Mountain, Yan Daozong!"
"It's him? They say he's even stronger than the top ten disciples."
"I heard Elder Shen didn't defeat him easily."
"Don't talk nonsense—if Elder Shen hears you, he'll definitely increase your cultivation workload."
Sword Sect disciples whispered among themselves, all filled with curiosity about Yan Daozong.
From afar, Yang Lin and four others who were close to Ji Ya also looked on, equally curious about how strong Yan Daozong's martial arts truly were.
Yang Lin lowered her voice and said to her four companions, "See? There are more and more experts in the sect. Stop clinging to Ji Ya and let him cultivate properly, or he'll be surpassed by more and more people and draw the sect master's displeasure."
One male disciple said aggrievedly, "It's not like we want to cling to him. Besides, when he comes to us, we can't exactly drive him away, can we?"
"Isn't it because you all have this or that trouble and grievance that he can't stop worrying about you?" Yang Lin shot him a glare and said irritably.
Just then—
"Senior Yan Daozong, I am Jian Du. I wish to spar with you in sword techniques. What do you think?"
As soon as these words were spoken, more than one hundred Sword Sect disciples turned to look. A fifteen-year-old Jian Du stepped forward toward Yan Daozong.
Jian Du wore black brocade training robes, his black hair tied high behind his head, with two long strands fluttering beside his ears. A sword hung at his waist.
His features were exceptionally handsome, and coupled with his cool, aloof aura, he was deeply favored by female disciples. Many usually tried to curry favor with him, but he rejected them all without mercy.
Yan Daozong glanced over, his eyes narrowing slightly.
At just a single glance, he sensed that Jian Du was a peerless genius.
There were some geniuses whose presence alone invited no doubt.
Jian Du was precisely that kind of dazzling genius.
Shen Yue laughed and said, "If you only compare sword techniques, be careful—you might lose to him."
Had he not said that, it would have been fine. Once he did, Yan Daozong decided he would indeed use only sword techniques against Jian Du.
"Very well. Let the other disciples observe as well—see if they can gain any insight."
Yan Daozong agreed and walked toward Jian Du.
Upon hearing this, Sword Sect disciples quickly moved aside, clearing a space for them to spar.
"Senior, then I'll make the first move!"
As soon as Jian Du finished speaking, he drew his sword and swiftly closed in on Yan Daozong.
Yan Daozong did not deliberately underestimate him because of his youth. He likewise drew his sword to meet him.
The two collided in an instant. As their swords struck, they each gained a rough understanding of the other's swordsmanship.
What Jian Du felt was something unfathomable and unshakable.
Yan Daozong, on the other hand, discovered that despite his young age, Jian Du had already begun nurturing sword intent within his body—truly extraordinary.
Their figures interwove as they rapidly exchanged sword techniques.
Jian Du's moves were fast, but anyone with discerning eyes could see that Yan Daozong was deliberately feeding him moves.
No one expected Jian Du to defeat Yan Daozong, and Jian Du himself never thought so either. His request to spar was purely to experience Yan Daozong's swordsmanship.
After one hundred exchanges.
Yan Daozong's sword tip rested at Jian Du's throat. Jian Du stiffened, stared at Yan Daozong in a daze, then sheathed his sword and raised his hands in a salute.
"Not bad. Your talent in the Sword Dao is the strongest I've seen in my life. You may not be unable to surpass the Sword Saint," Yan Daozong praised, glancing toward Shen Yue as he spoke.
Shen Yue was not angry. He merely stroked his beard as he watched the scene.
Yan Daozong withdrew his gaze. As he sheathed his sword, he noticed that Jian Du remained rooted in place.
Jian Du had closed his eyes, savoring Yan Daozong's swordsmanship.
"So he's a sword fanatic as well."
Yan Daozong thought happily. A Jian Du like this would one day be qualified to become his opponent.
Just as he was about to turn and walk toward Shen Yue, his steps halted. His expression grew serious as he locked onto Jian Du once more.
Shen Yue appeared beside him as if teleporting, staring intently at Jian Du as he whispered, "Good lad—he's entering an enlightenment state just like that?"
Both of them could clearly feel the sword intent within Jian Du rapidly strengthening.
Yan Daozong found it absurd. How could yet another such inconceivable genius appear?
And the peerless geniuses of Qingxiao Sect manifested in different aspects, each with their own strengths—this was simply outrageous.