Chapter 9 : The Mysterious Sect Master

Chapter 9: The Mysterious Sect Master

Overnight, the first ray of morning sunlight tore through the horizon, sweeping across the Clear Sky Sect. Drops of water dripped from the eaves, symbolizing that the winter snow was beginning to melt.

Li Qingqiu rose early, preparing to draw in energy and cultivate. The other disciples did the same, as if unaffected by the previous night’s events.

They meditated before the mountain gate, facing the endless range of mountains.

The magnificent landscape loomed faintly within the heavy mist, making it easy for them to enter a calm state of mind.

After last night’s shock, the other disciples clearly grew more cautious and practiced even harder.

As for Yang Jueding, his old wounds had yet to heal, and he had added new ones.

He was now resting indoors to recuperate.

An hour later, Li Qingqiu stood up and dismissed the disciples. Jiang Zhaoxia pulled Wu Man’er toward the back mountain, while Zhang Yuchun and Li Dongyue went to chop wood and feed the chickens.

The youngest two, Li Sifeng and Li Sijin, only needed to mind their safety.

Li Qingqiu came to the outside of Yang Jueding’s room and knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

Yang Jueding’s voice came through, weary and exhausted.

He was not a cultivator, so he still needed sleep. But he had spent the entire night expelling poison, leaving him utterly drained.

Li Qingqiu pushed the door open and closed it behind him. He walked to the table, sat down, looked at Yang Jueding lying on the bed, and asked, “That manual—where did you get it?”

Yang Jueding opened his eyes and looked at him. “Half a year ago, a rumor spread around Fuyang Lake,” he said. “They said that when the tide receded, a path would appear leading to the lakebed. It was said that a hundred years ago, one of the martial world’s legends left behind a secret chamber there. I went to join the excitement, and indeed, it was just as the rumors claimed. I, along with a group of martial artists, dove down into the lake. By luck, I found a box that contained that manual. When I surfaced, I was spotted by the experts of the Azure Sect. I drove them off, thinking that would be the end of it. But who would’ve thought that after I and the Sword Saint of the Boundless Sea fought to mutual injury, those bastards would ambush me.”

When speaking of this, he still looked aggrieved. To suffer such injuries because of a fake manual—it truly was a loss.

“If you thought it was fake, why not just give it to the Azure Sect?” Li Qingqiu asked curiously.

Yang Jueding glared and replied angrily, “Even if it’s fake, I’d never hand it over to that lot! Who knows what kind of havoc they’d cause under its name? Those people have always been swindlers—deceiving nobles and oppressing the common folk. To the Azure Sect, whether the manual is real or not doesn’t matter. What they want is the fame of the martial legend.”

“To snatch the legendary martial arts from the Dragon-Subduing Hero himself—once that spreads, their prestige will soar. They might even get in good with the court. For years now, they’ve been trying to cling to power. Besides, even if I said it was fake, they wouldn’t believe me. And even if I gave them the manual, they’d still kill me, only stopping once they were sure there was no second copy.”

Li Qingqiu asked with interest, “Between the Azure Sect and the White Emperor Manor, which is stronger?”

Yang Jueding thought for a moment. “About the same, I suppose. But the White Emperor Manor has ties to the court, so the Azure Sect doesn’t dare provoke them lightly. The two sides rarely clash. The current White Emperor Manor doesn’t involve itself much in martial affairs anymore, but the Azure Sect is different—ambitious, seeking to become the overlord of the martial world.”

Following that topic, Li Qingqiu chatted further with Yang Jueding, gradually gaining a clearer picture of Guzhou’s current martial world.

He found that the Great Li Dynasty was far larger than his former world’s Huaxia. Guzhou alone was half the size of Huaxia, with more than a dozen county cities and countless martial sects scattered throughout.

They talked until Yang Jueding began coughing. Only then did Li Qingqiu end the conversation and take his leave.

He planned to practice the Wind Sprint Technique first.

Watching the fights last night had made him realize that his movement techniques still lagged far behind those of true martial masters.

As for the Supreme Sword Controlling Technique, he didn’t intend to practice it yet. That technique required nine swords to unleash its full power.

When he accumulated more techniques in the future, he would organize them properly. After all, a person’s energy was limited—he couldn’t practice every single art he came across.

Still, the Supreme Sword Controlling Technique was definitely something he would learn eventually; he couldn’t let his talent go to waste.

Days passed one after another.

After several days, most of the snow in the mountains had melted. Yang Jueding could finally step outside again. He no longer dared to pester Wu Man’er, nor did he dare mention the bet with Jiang Zhaoxia.

Soon, his attention shifted to Li Sifeng and Li Sijin.

Though those two children were young, they showed remarkable potential for martial arts.

He couldn’t help muttering to himself—this Clear Sky Sect was truly strange; it had far too many prodigies.

Half a month later, Zhang Yuchun finally couldn’t hold back any longer.

He gathered Wu Man’er and Li Dongyue to go down the mountain to recruit new disciples.

As for Yang Jueding, Li Qingqiu confined him to the sect so that he wouldn’t run into any Azure Sect disciples searching for him.

Yang Jueding had no objection—he was thinking the same.

That night, Zhang Yuchun and the others returned with seven children—six boys and one girl, the oldest no more than thirteen, the youngest only six.

After a simple initiation ceremony, Li Qingqiu examined their aptitude panels and found that all of them had terrible qualifications and poor comprehension—not even worth mentioning.

He couldn’t help sighing inwardly—his Master had truly left him quite the “foundation.”

Judging by Lin Xunfeng’s way of selecting people, the man must have had big ambitions.

It was just a pity that his obsession with immortality had clouded his judgment.

Li Qingqiu arranged for the new disciples to stay separately by gender, sharing rooms with the senior disciples.

None of them minded—on the contrary, Li Dongyue, Li Sifeng, and the others seemed rather excited.

After all, they were considered seniors now.

During their first seven days, Li Qingqiu had them familiarize themselves with the sect.

After that, he instructed Zhang Yuchun and Li Dongyue to begin teaching them the Primordial Unity Scripture.

In the future, Li Dongyue could serve as the Transmission Elder.

As for Li Sifeng and Li Sijin, that would depend on their growth.

It was worth mentioning that after a month of martial training under Yang Jueding’s guidance, Li Sifeng’s skills improved rapidly—he could already scale walls and leap across roofs, often leaving the new disciples in awe.

Winter passed completely, and spring was approaching.

The Great Li Dynasty also celebrated the Spring Festival.

Each year during that time, Li Qingqiu would think back to his past life.

That afternoon, Li Qingqiu sat in the courtyard resting after practicing the Wind Sprint Technique.

He was a bit tired but in good spirits, watching as the disciples busied themselves with chores.

Some swept the grounds, some carried water, others repaired the eaves.

Everything seemed to be moving toward a better future.

Jiang Zhaoxia and Zhang Yuchun entered the courtyard one after another and sat down beside him.

“Senior Brother, we wanted to talk to you,” Jiang Zhaoxia began. “We’re planning to go down the mountain to buy some weapons. What do you think?”

There were only two swords in the entire Clear Sky Sect, one of which Lin Xunfeng had taken away. Jiang Zhaoxia had long been itching for another.

He wanted a sword—a real sword!

And not just him; the other disciples practicing martial arts also needed weapons. They couldn’t keep relying on fist techniques forever.

Li Qingqiu glanced at him and countered, “And where would we get the money to buy them?”

Zhang Yuchun quickly said, “We’re planning to perform sword arts in town for donations. Senior Brother, if the sect wants to truly rise again, we need funds. I also plan to take this opportunity to spread Clear Sky Sect’s name. Later, we can earn more silver by helping people resolve problems or deal with troublemakers. We really do need money—just feeding eight more mouths is already straining our supplies.”

Helping people “resolve problems” was how many martial sects began.

Put bluntly, it was acting as hired fighters.

And fame attracted disciples—more people would want to join once they became known.

Li Qingqiu had originally planned to lay low for a few years, but Zhang Yuchun’s words made sense.

Besides, they weren’t picking fights with major sects.

With Jiang Zhaoxia and Zhang Yuchun’s strength, they could take care of themselves.

“Fine,” Li Qingqiu said. “But remember—when you’re outside, be cautious. Don’t grow arrogant because of your skills, and never provoke others lightly.”

He trusted them to act together.

Jiang Zhaoxia snorted, “You think we’re still children?”

Zhang Yuchun nodded seriously. “Don’t worry, Senior Brother. I’ll keep an eye on Third Brother.”

“……”

Jiang Zhaoxia cast him a resentful glance, but Zhang Yuchun stared straight ahead, pretending not to notice.

After chatting for a while, Jiang Zhaoxia couldn’t wait any longer.

The nearest town was still a two-day journey away; spending a night in the wilderness was unavoidable.

Li Qingqiu helped them prepare dry rations and water flasks, then watched them depart.

Standing at the mountain gate, he watched the two brothers’ departing figures and couldn’t help recalling Lin Xunfeng’s departure.

He called out, “Make sure to return before the New Year!”

“Don’t worry, Senior Brother!”

Zhang Yuchun turned back, waving brightly, while Jiang Zhaoxia did not look back.

Even after the two figures disappeared into the forest, Li Qingqiu’s gaze lingered.

“Don’t worry,” said Yang Jueding, walking up beside him with a smile. “That Jiang kid is a tough one, and Zhang Yuchun isn’t weak either. With those two going down the mountain, I’m more worried for the fools who cross them.”

He meant it.

Jiang Zhaoxia was terrifyingly fierce.

In recent days, he had often challenged Yang Jueding for sparring to gain real combat experience.

Without using Vital Energy, Yang could easily suppress him—but Jiang’s progress was astonishing.

Later, every move he made became deadly, leaving Yang cold with fear.

That boy was destined for greatness.

Li Qingqiu had agreed to their trip mostly because he’d witnessed Jiang Zhaoxia’s duels with Yang Jueding firsthand.

Yang had taught him plenty of martial experience.

Li Qingqiu smiled and said, “Can’t help it. It’s their first time leaving the mountain. I’d be worried no matter what.”

With that, he turned and walked back into the sect.

Yang Jueding turned to watch him and asked, “Sect Master, when will you let me experience your swordsmanship? That kid Xia said your sword talent’s even higher than his.”

Without turning around, Li Qingqiu replied, “Forget it. I don’t like fighting.”

Yang Jueding watched his back, feeling that this Sect Master grew ever more mysterious.

……

In the following days, Li Qingqiu remained uneasy, fearing that Zhang Yuchun and Jiang Zhaoxia might run into trouble. Yet he never voiced his concern to anyone.

Finally, on the eve of the New Year, at dusk, the two returned.

“Senior Brother! We’re back—come help us!”

Zhang Yuchun’s voice came from the direction of the mountain gate, and everyone immediately rushed over.

Li Qingqiu moved the fastest.

When he arrived and saw them clearly, he finally let out a sigh of relief.

Zhang Yuchun and Jiang Zhaoxia each carried a shoulder pole.

Several weapons jutted from their bundles, glinting with a metallic sheen.

Both men appeared whole and unharmed.

So that was what they needed help with—Li Qingqiu had thought they were injured.

He turned and instructed the disciples who had followed to lend a hand but stayed where he was.

How could the Sect Master do such heavy work?

His gaze shifted behind Zhang Yuchun—where a small beggar followed them, filthy and emaciated, with disheveled hair and an indeterminate gender.