Chapter 105 : May I Dare Ask if the Sect Master Wishes to Rebel?

Chapter 105: May I Dare Ask if the Sect Master Wishes to Rebel?

After breaking through to the Eighth Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm, Li Qingqiu began to patrol Clear Sky Mountain.

After wandering for three hours, he finally returned to the Lingxiao Courtyard.

Zhang Yuchun happened to be waiting there.

“Senior Brother, the Lingxiao Courtyard needs renovation,” Zhang Yuchun said as he approached.

The Lingxiao Courtyard was the residence of the Clear Sky Sect’s upper ranks and the place where major affairs were discussed.

Yet judging by its furnishings and decorations, it had already fallen behind the other courtyards.

Li Qingqiu himself did not mind, but he could not ignore the growing pressure from those below.

If even the Sect Master’s residence was not grand enough, how could the Hall Masters, Elders, and True Transmission Disciples feel justified in enjoying luxury?

Thus, many came to Zhang Yuchun suggesting that the Lingxiao Courtyard be renovated, and Zhang Yuchun also felt it was about time.

“Then renovate it.

I’ll stay temporarily in Sijin’s Medicine Garden,” Li Qingqiu replied casually.

The Clear Sky Sect was not only growing in numbers but also in wealth.

However, Li Qingqiu cared little for riches—so long as expenses were covered, he was satisfied.

What he valued more was his disciples’ cultivation and the amount of Spirit Stones the sect possessed.

Recently, he was planning to have the disciples of the Heavenly Works Hall calculate the Spirit Stones in the spirit mines and record them properly for future allocation.

Every True Transmission Disciple had received Spirit Stones before.

These stones not only aided in their cultivation but could also rapidly replenish their Vital Energy.

Relying solely on one’s own breath absorption to compress Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy into Spirit Stone form would take at least seven days for the gifted—let alone for those in areas where Spiritual Energy was thin, where even the same level of Vital Energy required much more time.

After Zhang Yuchun discussed a few other matters, he finally departed.

Li Qingqiu returned to his room, picked up brush and paper, and began recording his insights from his recent breakthrough.

To help his disciples break through more effectively, he decided to write down every experience and technique from his own breakthroughs, so they could find their own opportunities.

Li Qingqiu’s breakthrough to the Eighth Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm carried great significance for the Clear Sky Sect, though no one but him knew of it.

Rather than seeking fame for himself, he preferred to see his disciples become known; his own tireless cultivation was to serve as the sect’s safeguard.

——

The sun was bright, and before the Sword Debate Platform, many Clear Sky Sect disciples and patrons had gathered, cheering now and then—the atmosphere was lively.

On the platform, Li Sifeng wielded the Emperor Mystic Sword against a swordsman.

This opponent was not from the Clear Sky Sect but a well-known expert of the martial world who had come to challenge for the Emperor Mystic Sword—and Li Sifeng had chosen to face him personally.

“Hall Master Li’s swordsmanship is extraordinary—fierce yet flexible.”

“I heard Hall Master Li often cultivates at the Sword Sect Courtyard.

The Sword God once taught him a sword technique that once shook the martial world.”

“Oh? Which sword technique is that?”

“That man’s ranked among the top three on the Heaven Ranking of Eastern Tomb Province—he’s no match for Hall Master Li!”

“With such meager skills he ranks top three? The martial world doesn’t seem as terrifying as I imagined.”

The disciples murmured among themselves.

Most of them had entered the martial world through the Clear Sky Sect, and because they learned sect martial arts, their understanding of the wider world was somewhat skewed.

In their eyes, martial experts of the world must surely be stronger than their senior brothers and sisters.

But as more challengers climbed the mountain, they gradually discovered that true peerless experts like the Sword God were exceedingly rare.

Most famed masters were not as formidable as they imagined.

Just like now—Li Sifeng was not even using Sword Energy, yet with mere sword forms alone, he had his opponent spinning helplessly.

Li Sijin stood among the crowd, watching her brother flaunt his strength yet again.

She couldn’t help but purse her lips, thinking she shouldn’t have come.

She had only come because she feared Li Sifeng might suffer a loss, but now it seemed she had worried in vain.

Perhaps, like the others, she too had misunderstood the martial world.

“The Tyrant Sword—thirty years ago, a swordsman wielded this art to sweep across all sword sects beneath Heaven, only to fall to the Sword God. He was known as the Second Greatest Swordsman of his era. After his defeat, he vanished. I never thought the Tyrant Sword would resurface in the martial world.”

A voice spoke beside her, tinged with emotion.

Li Sijin turned to see Chu Jing—her guide into the sect—standing nearby.

Li Sijin smiled and asked, “When did you return? I heard you went down the mountain for training. The world is chaotic these days; you’d best travel less.”

Chu Jing smiled.

“Training, perhaps—but in truth, I went home to visit my family under that pretext. Still, I did complete the assigned task.”

Li Sijin nodded, curious.

“How do you recognize the Tyrant Sword?”

“I once met a wandering martial hero who spoke with my father about it. Because it belonged to the Second Greatest Swordsman under Heaven, it left a deep impression. Its hallmark is that any sword in hand feels heavy, as if wielding a great weapon—yet the strikes remain swift.”

Chu Jing explained.

Hearing this, Li Sijin looked back at the Sword Debate Platform—and indeed saw it.

Li Sifeng held the Emperor Mystic Sword as though it were a massive hammer, swinging it with odd, powerful arcs.

The sword did not appear heavy, yet it moved as if it were.

Chu Jing glanced at Li Sijin and suddenly said, “I have a Secret Manual with me. Sadly, my comprehension isn’t high enough to understand it. Would you like to learn it?”

Li Sijin shifted her gaze toward him, hesitating.

“That’s not proper. I’m a Hall Master—how can I accept a disciple’s Secret Manual?”

Chu Jing showed no fear of prying eyes.

He took a Secret Manual from his robe and handed it to her.

Li Sijin received it, reading softly, “Mystic Yin—”

“Don’t read it aloud. This manual isn’t ordinary,” Chu Jing warned.

Though doubtful, Li Sijin didn’t refuse.

“Alright, I’ll practice it later. I’ll remember your kindness—if you ever need anything, come to me.”

The nearby disciples pretended not to hear.

Within the sect, Li Sijin’s position was no small matter.

She was beloved by both the Sect Master and the Hall Masters.

Even if she accepted a gift from a disciple, none dared report her.

That very night, Li Sijin went to Li Qingqiu and handed him the Mystic Yin Art manual, explaining how she had obtained it.

Li Qingqiu examined it carefully.

The manual contained no flaws or missing portions—its inner method followed a unique logic and order.

He recalled Zhu Yan once mentioning the Mystic Yin Art, an ultimate technique of the Li Yin Sect, one of the Three Founding Sects of the Great Dynasty.

Not only was its inner cultivation method profound, but it also allowed one’s power to be passed to another.

Who exactly was this Chu Jing?

Why would he pass such a manual to Li Sijin?

As Li Qingqiu pondered, he found it strange—since joining the Clear Sky Sect, Chu Jing’s loyalty to him and to the sect had continued to rise, now surpassing sixty.

“This Chu Jing is no simple man,” Li Qingqiu said seriously to Li Sijin, recounting Chu Jing’s age and cultivation just as he had done when speaking with Zhang Yuchun.

Li Sijin, rather than doubting him, was astonished.

“Ah, that explains why I always felt uneasy around him—so that’s why. He only looks young.”

“Senior Brother, has he done anything bad since joining?”

Li Qingqiu replied, “Not so far.”

“Then let’s keep observing. I don’t think he’s a bad person. At least, he’s never shown malice toward me or any disciple. Of course, if you don’t feel assured, we can arrest him now,” Li Sijin said seriously.

She remembered him vividly—not just because they first met when she was cultivating a spiritual plant, but because he always spoke to her like a friend, not a subordinate.

As the Clear Sky Sect grew stronger, even though she was still young, few disciples dared get close to her.

Chu Jing’s casual attitude made him feel different.

Li Qingqiu thought for a moment.

“Then keep watching. And act as though you don’t know his true age or cultivation.”

“Don’t worry, Senior Brother! I’ll definitely handle this better than Second Senior Brother!” Li Sijin said cheerfully, finding the whole affair rather amusing.

“Don’t forget your cultivation besides sect duties,” Li Qingqiu reminded.

“Got it, Senior Brother!”

Li Sijin shrugged playfully before turning to leave.

Li Qingqiu gazed at the Secret Manual on the table, his curiosity deepening about Chu Jing’s true identity.

If Chu Jing had gone down the mountain to leak information, the Clear Sky Sect should already be in trouble.

Yet his loyalty kept increasing, showing his genuine acknowledgment of the sect.

Could it be that he simply had a past he didn’t wish to reveal?

But his “Traitorous Fate” still made Li Qingqiu wary.

At the very least, Chu Jing likely held an official’s identity—and as an official, how could he come to a martial sect to train?

Li Qingqiu decided to have Lin Chuan monitor him.

The Human Ghost-God technique could restrain spirits to some extent, but Lin Chuan wouldn’t need to get close—just track Chu Jing’s movements.

——

After the Crown Prince’s death, resentment spread across the Nine Provinces.

Scholars incited the people; officials memorialized the court.

Yet the Emperor issued no decrees, ignoring the will of the people.

Each month, an aristocratic clan was executed to the last, sometimes even to the ninth degree.

One tragedy after another shocked the realm.

The Emperor seemed intent on opposing all under Heaven—the more the people cursed him, the more cruel he became.

By April, the martial world was engulfed in blood and chaos.

The Demonic Cult had resurfaced, slaughtering sects and causing thousands of deaths—yet the court did nothing.

In May, the Demonic Cult annihilated six sects.

At the same time, carriages carrying prisoners entered the Imperial City, sparking widespread rumors.

More and more believed that the Demonic Cult was the Emperor’s blade.

By June, the Northern Barbarians invaded Cangzhou, shattering the Great Li border army and pillaging the commoners.

The news spread swiftly through the other eight provinces.

Internal strife and external threats alike—every commoner beneath Heaven could sense that chaos was coming.

By early July, the heat of the season rose sharply.

The new Lingxiao Courtyard was completed—three courtyards rebuilt into lofty pavilions, richly decorated, lending the place a stately grandeur.

In the courtyard, Li Qingqiu sat at the long table he had deliberately kept, reviewing the records of new disciples.

Zhang Yuchun approached briskly.

“Senior Brother, a man from the Cai Family of Linchuan has arrived—Cai Liang, the eldest legitimate son of the Cai Clan. He seeks an audience.”

Li Qingqiu frowned slightly upon hearing this.

Linchuan had four great clans—Li, Tang, Cui, and Cai.

Even across the entire Great Li Dynasty, they were among the top aristocratic families, their descendants spread through every branch of government, their foundations unfathomably deep.

Even compared to the Pei Clan that opposed the Clear Sky Sect, they stood a level higher.

“Let him in,” Li Qingqiu said.

Zhang Yuchun immediately turned to summon him.

Soon, he returned with Cai Liang.

Cai Liang came alone, appearing in his early thirties, dressed in a blue robe, his bearing refined and scholarly—every bit the image of an aristocratic heir.

He stepped before Li Qingqiu, saluted respectfully, and spoke words that made both Li Qingqiu and Zhang Yuchun’s expressions shift:

“I am Cai Liang of the Cai Family. May I dare ask if the Sect Master wishes to rebel?”