Jian Du and Yan Daozong sparred, and Jian Du entered sudden enlightenment on the spot!
The news spread throughout the sect that very day, sparking widespread discussion among the disciples. This prodigy, who had yet to fully mature, once again shocked the entire sect.
Almost everyone could feel the depth of Qingxiao Sect's foundation. Every generation of disciples produced talents worth anticipating, and this filled the disciples with a shared sense of pride.
When the news reached Li Qingqiu's ears, he was not surprised. After all, Jian Du possessed a special fate.
He once again pulled up Jian Du's panel to take a look.
[Name: Jian Du]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: 15]
[Loyalty (Sect Master / Sect): 96 / 90 (Max 100)]
[Cultivation Aptitude: Excellent]
[Comprehension: Fair]
[Fates: Until Death Do Us Part, Fallen Heavens Sword Intent]
[Until Death Do Us Part: Those he deems as enemies will be hated without end, until they are personally slain.]
[Fallen Heavens Sword Intent: Reincarnation of the Fallen Heavens Sword Spirit. As he grows older, the Fallen Heavens Sword Intent within him will steadily increase. After surviving his first heavenly tribulation, he will comprehend the divine ability—Fallen Heavens Sword Domain.]
…
Li Qingqiu had always been very interested in this Fallen Heavens Sword Spirit, but for now, there was no way to learn more about it.
From the current situation, the Fallen Heavens Sword Intent did not merely grow on its own—it also guided Jian Du's sword Dao comprehension.
When it came to sword practice, Jian Du was a rare genius in the world. However, if he cultivated other techniques, his efficiency was clearly far inferior to that of sword Dao.
With so many geniuses around him, Li Qingqiu's own horizons had expanded. He did not need to keep every peerless talent tightly in his grasp. In any case, Jian Du's loyalty to him was extremely high.
Doing good deeds was necessary. Jian Du was a perfect example—Li Qingqiu had never personally nurtured him, yet because Li Qingqiu had once saved him and his family, Li Qingqiu held an unshakable position in Jian Du's heart.
As Li Qingqiu thought this, he was holding Li Shouzheng and Li Shoumin in his arms.
Li Dongyue, seated beside him, spoke up. "Jian Du's aptitude is so outstanding. Why don't you take him as a disciple?"
"I already have so many disciples—how could I possibly teach them all? What, does your Spiritual Treasury Hall want him?" Li Qingqiu replied casually.
Li Dongyue shook her head. "I don't want him. Spiritual Treasury Hall may not have peerless geniuses like Zhao Zhen or Jian Du, but we still have plenty of talented people. Jian Du's temperament is too sharp. If he came to Spiritual Treasury Hall, I'd get a headache."
Zhang Yuchun, seated on Li Qingqiu's other side, laughed. "Senior Brother, I can take him. I'm not afraid of him being overbearing."
Li Qingqiu snorted. "I've got two peerless geniuses in my arms right now. I'll give them to you—yet you don't want them."
Zhang Yuchun was helpless. In his view, Senior Brother was just afraid of trouble and wanted to dump the two children on him. He was already busy enough—he could not take on any more burdens.
He did not pursue the topic and instead changed the subject. "Sixth Junior Brother is following Zhu Xian, and they've already broken through Guzhou, heading straight for the prefectural capital. The Pei clan's forces have collapsed like a landslide. By the end of the year, they'll likely be fighting their way into Dongling Prefecture."
Previously, Zhang Yuchun had already spoken with Li Qingqiu about Zhu Xian, saying that Zhu Xian was one of the rare lords in these chaotic times who valued the common people above all else. Even in defeat, he would take the civilians with him, and because of this, Zhu Xian had suffered greatly.
Many commoners were willing to follow Zhu Xian. Even if they went hungry, they still retained their dignity under his rule.
As for the other lords, even when they were powerful, they would still engage in disgraceful acts. Power made it difficult for them to restrain the evil in their nature.
"How many years until the world is at peace?" Li Qingqiu asked.
Zhang Yuchun replied, "With Zhu Xian's current momentum, if nothing unexpected happens, he should be able to sweep the entire realm in at most five years."
"Five years? I hope he doesn't disappoint me."
Li Qingqiu said softly. For the land of Jiuzhou, five years was already considered fast. Guzhou alone was roughly equivalent to half of ancient Huaxia in his previous life. Sweeping all of Jiuzhou was no easy feat. Over several thousand years, only the Great Li Dynasty had managed to do so.
Hearing this, Zhang Yuchun felt pressure. If Zhu Xian failed, he would lose face before Li Qingqiu.
Li Qingqiu did not place much importance on worldly affairs. Wanting to rule the world was not something he could accomplish with a single sentence. The world was too vast, and Qingxiao Sect did not yet have enough manpower to control it.
Waging war in chaotic times was, in itself, a process of establishing order.
Once there was an emperor, things would be much simpler. Qingxiao Sect only needed to ensure that the emperor was obedient.
He shifted the topic to sect development, and Zhang Yuchun began to report.
The number of registered disciples in Qingxiao Sect had surpassed ten thousand this month. This figure was anything but trivial. Including menial disciples and craftsmen, Qingxiao Sect now directly controlled over fifty thousand people. Apart from the true disciples, everyone else was constantly busy.
The Seeking Immortal Town at the foot of the mountain had begun to take shape. With assistance from numerous noble families, all kinds of shops had sprung up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. They also took in refugees from the surrounding Taikun Mountain Range. In just a few months, this would bring a steady stream of profits to the sect.
Cultivation resources from the low-tier Monster Realm, the Source Iron Blessed Land, the Spirit Copper Mountain Range, and the Tianshan Spirit Pool were continuously being transported to Qingxiao Sect. Heavenly Works Hall, meanwhile, worked day and night forging Qingxiao Swords and storage pouches.
"Senior Brother, I still think the price of the storage pouches is far too low. It's practically giving them away for free," Zhang Yuchun could not help but say.
Li Qingqiu smiled. "I am giving them away. And the Qingxiao Sword won't have a set price either. My plan is that in the future, every inner disciple will receive one Qingxiao Sword and one storage pouch."
"This…"
Not only Zhang Yuchun—even Li Dongyue was stunned.
Li Qingqiu continued, "In the future, the sect will forge more artifacts and better storage pouches. You don't need to worry about the sect's interests. Letting disciples obtain storage pouches as early as possible will also make the transport of various resources more convenient."
"Jiuzhou will inevitably see the emergence of other cultivation sects. Completely suppressing them will be difficult. The higher Qingxiao Sect's threshold and benefits are, the harder it will be to shake. Appropriately giving back to the disciples is nothing bad either. We always say Qingxiao Sect is the disciples' home—then we have to show sincerity."
Zhang Yuchun already knew how vast the Spirit Copper Mountain Range was. What he worried about was not a lack of resources, but the unpredictability of human hearts.
However, since Senior Brother had already made up his mind, it was not appropriate for him to continue persuading. After all, Senior Brother was the Sect Master.
Before Li Qingqiu ever made a mistake, his authority as Sect Master was something no one could shake.
…
Autumn and winter passed swiftly, and another new spring arrived.
This year, Li Qingqiu was about to turn 31.
After a year of cultivation, the sect's disciples all made progress. Jiang Zhaoxia successfully stepped into the Nurturing Essence Realm, Layer 9. Shen Yue advanced with unstoppable momentum, reaching the Nurturing Essence Realm, Layer 7.
Ji Ya reached the Nurturing Essence Realm, Layer 6. Over the past few months, he had reined himself in and devoted most of his time to cultivation, making the sect's disciples realize that there was still a genius like him within the sect.
Before the end of the year, the Xiao clan's three brothers and Yun Cai successively stepped into the Nurturing Essence Realm, Layer 5.
The fastest in cultivation was Zhao Zhen. With Exceptional cultivation aptitude combined with relentless effort, his cultivation speed was unmatched among his peers. He also broke through before year's end, reaching the Nurturing Essence Realm, Layer 7.
Counting this year, he was only 15 years old. Not yet 15, yet already at Nurturing Essence Realm, Layer 7—like a heavy bomb, it shook the entire sect.
Wu Man'er and Li Dongyue successively advanced into the Nurturing Essence Realm, Layer 6, while Li Sijin reached the Nurturing Essence Realm, Layer 5.
Ever since Li Qingqiu had spoken of the future, Li Dongyue feared that her lifespan would be too short to accompany Li Qingqiu through more years. As a result, she began cultivating with all her might. Her aptitude was not particularly outstanding, but it was not bad either. With ever-increasing cultivation resources, her cultivation steadily improved.
Li Sijin could not free up as much time for cultivation as Li Dongyue. In her daily life, there were simply too many matters that required her attention and study.
Worth mentioning was that Wu Man'er and Yan Daozong had unexpectedly grown close.
Wu Man'er now spent his days in the Martial Sect, training together with Yan Daozong.
Yan Daozong called Wu Man'er a genius. Although he did not appear particularly clever, his mind was free of distractions, making him exceptionally suited for martial cultivation.
Training under Yan Daozong, Wu Man'er's strength improved by leaps and bounds—far more effective than when he trained under Yang Jueding.
From this point on, Wu Man'er also held the status of Martial Sect Elder.
For this junior brother, Li Qingqiu never expected him to accomplish great feats. As long as he could live safely and happily, that was enough.
Wu Man'er was also the only person outside the Sect Master's faction permitted to cultivate the Heavenly Gang Golden Body Art. Yang Jueding, Shen Yue, and the others did not enjoy this privilege.
This year's Spring Festival was Yan Daozong's first spent in Qingxiao Sect. With a large number of disciples returning, he experienced the sect's true liveliness.
He grew increasingly fond of Qingxiao Sect. There was not much scheming or infighting here—only the drive to move toward a common goal and a healthy atmosphere of competition. He could fight to his heart's content at the martial arena without worrying about his identity.
Even a True Disciple could pose a threat to him, and that feeling delighted him.
At Tianxuan Mountain, there had not been a single person who could make him take things seriously.
After the festival passed, on the fifth day, Yuan Qi arrived at the Martial Sect and found Yan Daozong and Wu Man'er, instructing them to prepare to head to Lingxiao Courtyard for deliberations.
"I can go as well?" Yan Daozong asked in surprise.
He had been at Qingxiao Sect for nearly half a year and understood what deliberations at Lingxiao Courtyard represented.
"The Sect Master personally named you," Yuan Qi said, leaving those words behind before turning and departing.
Yan Daozong frowned. He silently prayed that it was not his junior brother causing trouble again. He did not want to be caught between Qingxiao Sect and Tianxuan Mountain.
He did not dwell on it further. Bringing Wu Man'er with him, he headed up the mountain. Along the way, the two once again discussed martial Dao.
Although Wu Man'er cultivated immortality, his techniques all originated from martial Dao, giving the two plenty of common ground.
By the time they arrived at Lingxiao Courtyard, many people were already seated and waiting.
Shen Yue waved to Yan Daozong, signaling him to sit beside him, while Wu Man'er went to sit next to Yang Jueding.
As Yan Daozong sat down beside Shen Yue, he suddenly felt two sharp gazes upon him.
They belonged to Jiang Zhaoxia and Xu Ning.
These two made him feel extremely dangerous. His instincts told him they were stronger than Shen Yue.
Could they be the legendary Jiang Zhaoxia and Xu Ning?
Within Qingxiao Sect, beneath the Sect Master, the strongest three were Xu Ning, Jiang Zhaoxia, and Shen Yue—no one could shake their positions.
Jiang Zhaoxia and Xu Ning quickly withdrew their gazes. They bore no hostility toward Yan Daozong; they were simply itching to spar.
Soon, the long table steeped in history was filled. When Li Qingqiu entered the courtyard, everyone stood.
Li Qingqiu took his seat and gestured for the others to sit as well.
"I've called everyone here today to discuss a troublesome matter. After several years of calm, enemies have appeared once more."
Li Qingqiu swept his gaze across the crowd and spoke calmly.
Hearing this, most of those present did not frown. Instead, their eyes lit up.