Chapter 3 : Stepping onto the Path of Immortality

Chapter 3: Stepping onto the Path of Immortality

After confirming that he had inherited an immortal cultivation method, Li Qingqiu instinctively thought of his Master, Lin Xunfeng, and wanted to go find him.

But after a moment’s thought, he felt it was inappropriate.

Not to mention that after a whole night, no one knew which direction Lin Xunfeng had gone; once the methods of immortal cultivation spread, it would surely bring disaster.

In the martial world, how many sects and clans had been annihilated for harboring divine techniques?

He could not expose the existence of the Dao Lineage Panel—this was the very foundation of his existence. He could not tell anyone, not even his junior brothers and sisters.

The human heart was hidden behind flesh; loyalty was not something that only rose and never fell.

Li Qingqiu stood up, preparing to find a place to cultivate.

According to the Supreme Purity Primordial Unity Scripture, morning was the best time for cultivation. The purple qi rose from the east as the essences of the sun and moon intertwined—this was the golden stage for daily cultivation.

Bang!

The door opened. Jiang Zhaoxia, who had been practicing his fists, turned his head and saw Li Qingqiu walk out. He couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.

Li Qingqiu’s eyes shone with vigor; his spirit was bright, clearly unshaken.

“What are you punching for? Don’t you like the sword? Go to my room and take the Tianhong Sword to practice. I’m only lending it to you temporarily, so don’t you dare not return it.”

Li Qingqiu said to Jiang Zhaoxia, then walked toward the back mountain.

Hearing this, Jiang Zhaoxia was stunned. In the past, Li Qingqiu had never let him even touch the sword—why had he suddenly changed?

He could feel that Li Qingqiu had changed. His mindset had matured. The departure of their Master had forced their senior brother to grow up.

If this had been the old Jiang Zhaoxia holding the sword, he would have been ecstatic. But now, there was no joy in his heart—only pain. Pain for his senior brother.

Perhaps, it was time for him to take martial arts seriously as well.

The Clear Sky Sect was located halfway up the mountain, with a dense forest behind it. Mountains surrounded it on all sides, making it a treacherous location. Even descending to the nearest village took at least an hour’s walk. Though there were wild beasts in the forest, there were no wolves, tigers, or leopards—only snakes, ants, and spiders to be wary of.

Li Qingqiu skillfully made his way to the mountain peak, where he sat cross-legged at the edge of a cliff. Facing the rising sun, he placed his hands on his knees and began breathing in accordance with the mental method.

Sensing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth took time; only after repeated practice could one reach the point of drawing in spiritual energy with each breath.

From the courtyard, Jiang Zhaoxia, still practicing his fists, happened to see Li Qingqiu’s figure meditating on the cliffside, which left him puzzled.

When Wu Man’er, Li Sifeng, and Li Sijin woke up, they too saw this scene. They were greatly surprised and chattered endlessly among themselves. Li Sijin even greeted Li Qingqiu, but he was already in deep meditation and did not respond.

Unfortunately, the entire morning passed, and Li Qingqiu still had not condensed a trace of vital energy. Yet he did not feel disappointed—only more determined.

After descending the mountain, faced with the questions of his juniors, he said mysteriously, “Actually, I have an internal cultivation technique that I possessed before I came up the mountain. Now that Master is gone, I must cultivate it. When I succeed, I’ll teach it to you all.”

“You have a family inheritance too?” Jiang Zhaoxia couldn’t help but ask.

Li Qingqiu glanced at him and said, “What do you mean ‘too’? You have one as well?”

Jiang Zhaoxia snorted and said nothing.

Li Qingqiu didn’t care. Your martial inheritance could never compare to my immortal cultivation method.

In the following days, Zhang Yuchun led the disciples in expanding the vegetable garden and chopping firewood. Even the youngest, Li Sijin, found joy in the work. Laughter and cheer echoed throughout Clear Sky Sect.

Li Qingqiu, meanwhile, focused all his energy on cultivation, striving to refine vital energy as soon as possible.

After seven full days, Li Qingqiu finally refined a wisp of vital energy. Vaguely, he felt that he had stepped into an entirely new realm.

First Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm!

He was overjoyed. Hiding in the forest, he exhaled the vital energy in his abdomen toward a tree.

Whoosh—

The stream of energy shot out like an arrow, piercing straight through the tree trunk with deadly sharpness. When Li Qingqiu examined it, he found that the trunk—thick enough that two people were needed to wrap their arms around it—had been bored through, leaving a hole the width of a finger. Through it, he could see the scenery beyond.

What a domineering energy!

This was far stronger than the internal force of those wandering knights of old!

Li Qingqiu clenched his fists, his excitement surging. The only pity was that the energy was spent after a single use; he would need to refine more.

He decided to begin teaching his junior brothers and sisters the next day.

To make everyone stronger early was the true path. If Lin Xunfeng had any enemies who came seeking revenge, or if bandits attacked the mountain, he alone would not be enough.

Moreover, during this time, he had studied the attributes panel—Fate Traits and inheritance rewards were related to the Dao Lineage evaluation. The stronger the Dao Lineage, the more Fate Traits he could select, and the greater the inheritance rewards he would gain.

He planned to tell everyone once they were all gathered that evening.

He meditated in the forest, continuing his cultivation, striving to refine another wisp of vital energy.

By dusk, Zhang Yuchun, Wu Man’er, and Li Sifeng returned, carrying bamboo baskets, drenched in sweat.

Li Qingqiu, Jiang Zhaoxia, Li Dongyue, and Li Sijin came forward to help them unload their baskets.

Zhang Yuchun looked at Li Qingqiu and said excitedly, “Senior Brother, I told the villagers about our situation. We helped them with some farm work in exchange for three hens, a rooster, and lots of vegetables and fruits.”

The burly Wu Man’er added in a rumbling voice, “And two catties of meat!”

The ever-talkative Li Sifeng collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, tongue lolling like a dog.

“The villagers treated us well. We should help them more in the future,” Li Qingqiu said with a smile.

He decided that they would start recruiting disciples from the village below—it would also count as repayment.

The disciples, chatting and laughing, carried the goods back to the courtyard and tidied up.

After about half an hour, they all sat around the long table in the courtyard, while Li Dongyue poured water for each of them.

Li Qingqiu swept his gaze around and said, “Tomorrow morning, I will impart a cultivation technique to you all. You will cultivate with me.”

At those words, the disciples instantly grew excited, eagerly asking what kind of technique it was.

“This technique is called the Primordial Unity Scripture. From now on, it will be the Clear Sky Sect’s signature art. Without my permission, it must not be spread beyond the sect,” Li Qingqiu said seriously. He planned to teach the Supreme Purity Primordial Unity Scripture layer by layer.

In truth, he himself had not yet fully received the complete inheritance of the Supreme Purity Primordial Unity Scripture—some portions of the memory remained hazy, and only by reaching certain realms could he recall them completely.

“The Primordial Unity Scripture—can it cultivate inner energy?” Jiang Zhaoxia questioned.

“You’ll know once you start practicing,” Li Qingqiu replied casually.

His tone made Jiang Zhaoxia a little sullen. He missed the days when they used to banter back and forth.

“Senior Brother, we actually need more martial arts techniques. We can’t all just practice internal cultivation, and there’s no need for everyone to learn the same art,” Jiang Zhaoxia couldn’t help but say.

Zhang Yuchun sighed helplessly. “But we don’t have any other techniques.”

Jiang Zhaoxia continued, “Forget the others, but let the Fifth Junior Brother train with me. I’ll teach him an external art to complement his natural strength—he could become one of Clear Sky Sect’s pillars in the future.”

Li Qingqiu felt gratified. “Third Junior Brother, you’re finally spending your gold coins. I’m truly glad—you’ve grown up and are now contributing to the sect.”

“Gold coins? What gold coins?” Jiang Zhaoxia asked in confusion.

“No matter. From now on, Wu Man’er will be under your guidance. I’ll inspect the results later. If you teach him well, I’ll reward you with a treasured sword,” Li Qingqiu said, waving his hand. Among all the disciples, aside from Jiang Zhaoxia’s superior aptitude and Fate Traits, the simple-minded Wu Man’er seemed the easiest to shape into a powerful fighter.

In the martial world, strength was everything. The Clear Sky Sect needed mighty combatants.

Jiang Zhaoxia snorted. “Of course I’ll teach him well—just wait and see!”

Wu Man’er chuckled foolishly, understanding nothing.

Li Sifeng and Li Sijin began to clamor for the Third Senior Brother to teach them too, but Jiang Zhaoxia ignored them.

……

At dawn, Li Qingqiu led his junior brothers and sisters to meditate before the mountain gate. Since there were too many of them, he dared not take them to the cliffside.

The seven of them sat cross-legged in a line—it was quite a sight. Li Qingqiu sat in the center and began explaining the Supreme Purity Primordial Unity Scripture.

At first, Jiang Zhaoxia was inattentive. But after following along for one round, his expression changed drastically, and he began to take it seriously.

Teaching Wu Man’er, Li Sifeng, and Li Sijin proved troublesome—the first lacked intelligence, while the latter two were too young to understand much. It took Li Qingqiu an entire day just to get them to grasp the breathing method of absorbing qi.

By dusk, Zhang Yuchun and Li Dongyue began cooking, while Li Qingqiu sat beneath an old tree, holding the three martial arts manuals left behind by Lin Xunfeng.

Suddenly, Jiang Zhaoxia approached, his eyes burning with excitement as he declared firmly, “Senior Brother, I’ve cultivated inner energy!”

Li Qingqiu looked up at him, frowning. “Don’t joke with me.”

He himself had taken seven days—how could Jiang Zhaoxia succeed in half a day?

He didn’t believe it.

Without another word, Jiang Zhaoxia raised his right hand and pointed toward the air above a nearby house. A streak of energy burst from his fingertip, flying across the air and slicing through a branch.

Li Qingqiu’s eyes widened, and not far away, Li Sifeng, who had been munching on a roasted sweet potato, stared in shock as well.

Jiang Zhaoxia didn’t even look at the direction he had struck. When he saw Li Qingqiu’s expression, he tilted his chin upward proudly, his posture radiating confidence.

After a brief moment of astonishment, Li Qingqiu’s gaze upon Jiang Zhaoxia grew fervent, making the latter uncomfortable.

Setting aside the manuals, Li Qingqiu stood, gripped Jiang Zhaoxia’s shoulders tightly, and stared straight into his eyes. “Third Junior Brother, with a genius like you here, I have even greater faith in Clear Sky Sect’s future. It’s great to have you.”

Jiang Zhaoxia blushed. After all, he was only fourteen—a boy—and it was the first time Li Qingqiu had praised him so sincerely. He couldn’t help but feel a little shy.

He turned his head aside and muttered, “Of course I have faith in myself…”

Li Qingqiu, in high spirits, pulled Jiang Zhaoxia down to sit with him and discuss the insights of the first layer of the Supreme Purity Primordial Unity Scripture.

Jiang Zhaoxia didn’t hide anything and spoke earnestly.

After a while, Li Qingqiu gained much from the discussion. He had to admit—Jiang Zhaoxia’s cultivation aptitude truly deserved the word “excellent,” and his comprehension was extraordinary.

Days passed. After ten days, Li Dongyue became the third disciple to cultivate vital energy. This comforted Li Qingqiu—it wasn’t that his own aptitude was poor, but that Jiang Zhaoxia’s was simply exceptional.

After fifteen days of cultivation, Zhang Yuchun finally refined vital energy as well.

Before he could even report the good news, Li Qingqiu already knew—because before his eyes appeared a line of text:

【Since more than half of your Dao Lineage’s disciples have entered the First Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm, the Clear Sky Sect has truly stepped onto the path of immortal cultivation. You have obtained one chance of Fortuitous Fate.】