Chapter 140 : The Realm of the Ninth Layer

Chapter 140: The Realm of the Ninth Layer

The influence of Li Qingqiu’s execution of the Demon Emperor Zhao Zhi was still spreading.

Even amidst the heavy winter snow, people continued to ascend the mountain each day to offer their allegiance.

After the lively festival, the high council meeting was held as scheduled.

Zhang Yuchun, Jiang Zhaoxia, Li Dongyue, Wu Man’er, Li Sijin, Xu Ning, Yang Jueding, Zhang Yu, Zhu Yan, Chai Yunshang, Xue Jin, Clear Sky Daoist, and Shen Yue sat around the long table, making it seem quite crowded.

Since it was their first time attending such a meeting, Chai Yunshang and Xue Jin appeared slightly nervous, while Clear Sky Daoist was entirely at ease, even speaking to the Hall Masters in a kindly elder’s tone.

Li Qingqiu instructed the Hall Masters to report their affairs one by one, starting with Zhang Yuchun.

“At present, the sect has 4,670 disciples recorded in the register. Among them, 892 are inner disciples, and 377 are true transmission disciples. Apart from these, there are over 1,500 labor disciples…”

Hearing these numbers, all the high-ranking members were invigorated.

Now, the threshold for becoming a true transmission disciple had risen to the Third Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm.

At this level, one could dominate an entire province.

Even Grandmaster Jiang of the Daoist path, who once manipulated the court, possessed only cultivation at the Third Layer.

Of course, not all 377 true disciples were at that level—some were older or of lesser aptitude.

“There are 892 disciples at the First Layer, 457 at the Second Layer, 289 at the Third Layer, 25 at the Fourth Layer, and 3 at the Fifth Layer. This year, the disciples’ cultivation has soared, especially those at the Third Layer.”

As he finished, Zhang Yuchun’s face broke into a smile.

Clear Sky Daoist was secretly shocked.

Having already begun cultivating the Primordial Unity Scripture, he understood what each minor realm of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm represented.

Without cultivating that scripture himself, he could at most match the strength of a Third Layer cultivator—meaning that there were 289 disciples within the sect who could rival him.

Too astonishing!

It had only been nine years since Li Qingqiu took over the Clear Sky Sect!

Upon hearing that three disciples had reached the Fifth Layer, Shen Yue frowned slightly.

Lately, he had delayed his cultivation while contemplating the Dao.

But when his gaze fell upon the Tianhong Sword behind Li Qingqiu, his expression eased again.

He must first comprehend the sword!

At that moment, even Chu Jing within the Tianhong Sword was in awe.

The more he learned about the Clear Sky Sect, the more terrifying it seemed.

After Zhang Yuchun reported on other affairs of the Free Spirit Hall, the other Hall Masters took turns giving their summaries.

Each Hall Master briefly outlined their hall’s responsibilities and achievements.

Everyone bore smiles; all halls had fulfilled their duties and made significant progress over the past year.

Since Xue Jin had taken over the Tempering Hall, its performance had markedly improved.

Though no one said it aloud, competition among the halls was already quietly taking root—none wished to become the weak link of the sect.

Li Qingqiu then spoke about the low-grade demonic realm beneath Silent Heaven Mountain and explained the role of the Demon Subjugation Hall.

When the Hall Masters learned that disciples could one day have mounts and demonic companions like Little Eight, they all grew intrigued.

“To think that demons truly exist… but I suppose it makes sense. Every region has legends of powerful beasts, and the Nine Provinces even have tales of auspicious omens. So, demons are not surprising,” Clear Sky Daoist remarked emotionally.

Li Qingqiu smiled.

“Auspicious omens? Our Clear Sky Sect also has one.”

“Truly?”

“Yes, a qilin.”

As the number of disciples grew, the Prison Qilin’s range of activity had been restricted and would occasionally be spotted.

Though the matter was suppressed, a few disciples already knew of its existence.

Hearing that a qilin resided within the sect, Clear Sky Daoist’s mouth twitched.

He wanted to say something—but found himself speechless.

Forget it.

He could not afford to keep being shocked; it would tarnish his dignity as the sect’s ancestral patriarch.

He straightened his expression, feigning solemnity.

“Since the Clear Sky Sect is now strong enough, let the Prison Qilin roam the mountain openly,” Li Dongyue proposed.

Li Qingqiu nodded.

The qilin was closest to Li Dongyue now—mostly because Li Sifeng often went down the mountain.

Zhu Yan, Shen Yue, and Clear Sky Daoist all agreed.

No one under heaven could possibly steal a qilin from Clear Sky Mountain.

Li Qingqiu swept his gaze across the assembly and asked, “Each year, we set new goals. Next year marks the tenth anniversary of my ascension as Sect Master—shouldn’t it hold some significance?”

Yang Jueding chuckled.

“Indeed, it should. Time flies. You’ve all grown up, though thankfully, I still don’t look old.”

Everyone laughed.

Clear Sky Daoist also learned that Li Qingqiu had taken the sect master’s seat at sixteen, and he couldn’t help but feel deeply moved.

This eldest grand-disciple was truly extraordinary!

“I propose that we hold a sect-wide martial competition to celebrate the Sect Master’s tenth year in office. It’ll also let disciples understand our sect’s foundation and give more geniuses a chance to make their names known,” Yang Jueding continued—something he had long wanted to do.

Xu Ning, Wu Man’er, Li Sijin, Xue Jin, and Chai Yunshang all agreed.

Li Qingqiu thought for a moment—it seemed feasible.

It would be a great chance for disciples to showcase themselves.

The liveliness at the Sparring Platform showed how much they enjoyed contests.

He said, “Let’s not call it a Martial Competition, but the ‘Grand Dao Tournament’. Registration will begin in March, with the preliminary duels in April. Matches will be one-on-one. By June, sixty-four finalists will be chosen, by July the top ten, and by August the top three.”

Zhang Yuchun’s eyes lit up.

“That’s excellent. This way, the sect won’t enter a period of stagnation. The disciples will have more opportunities to shine, and the noble families will witness our sect’s strength. We can gain tremendous benefits from this.”

Plans formed rapidly in his mind.

The other Hall Masters found the proposal equally exciting and resolved to urge their disciples to train harder to win honor for their halls.

The group began discussing the tournament’s details.

Li Qingqiu no longer led the discussion, leaving the structure and framework to be refined collectively.

Ming Guang’s design for the cave mansions was nearly complete, though materials for the spirit-gathering formation remained scarce, preventing mass construction.

Li Qingqiu pondered whether to award three cave mansions to the tournament’s top three contestants.

Those three mansions could be built on neighboring mountains, expanding the Clear Sky Sect’s territory.

Anyone capable of reaching the top three would at least be at the Fourth Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm—strong enough to handle various troubles.

His thoughts grew clearer, even envisioning a proper way to dispatch disciples across the region.

Though Clear Sky Mountain was vast, much of it was reserved for different industries.

Housing so many people already made the area slightly crowded.

After finishing the discussion on the Grand Dao Tournament, Li Qingqiu announced, “The Cultivation Hall shall select ten disciples to teach the foundational techniques to the rest. These lessons will be public, not one-on-one. In the future, more basic courses will be added. These ten shall first learn the Sword Controlling Technique from Third Senior Brother.”

Jiang Zhaoxia’s eyes brightened.

“So, the Sword Controlling Technique is finally to be implemented?”

Clear Sky Daoist couldn’t help but ask curiously, “What is the Sword Controlling Technique?”

Li Sijin replied excitedly, “It’s a sword art created by Third Senior Brother himself.

It allows one to use their sword to soar through the air.

For instance, traveling to a nearby mountain now takes half a day by foot—but with this technique, it would take only twenty breaths!”

Clear Sky Daoist’s eyes widened, and even Chu Jing within the Tianhong Sword was astonished.

“Such a miraculous technique exists?” Clear Sky Daoist could no longer remain composed.

Jiang Zhaoxia explained, “The threshold for the Sword Controlling Technique isn’t too high. To fly between two mountains, one must at least reach the Third Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm. Lower-realm disciples can still learn it for faster descent, and it can also be used in battle.”

Yang Jueding, Zhang Yu, Chai Yunshang, Zhu Yan, and Xue Jin had already heard of the technique.

They themselves could control objects through energy, so they weren’t surprised.

Shen Yue even snorted coldly, slightly disdainful, which made Jiang Zhaoxia glare at him unhappily.

This was part of Li Qingqiu’s vision—as the number of disciples grew, personal instruction would become rarer.

Many disciples didn’t even have masters; they labored to earn contribution points for techniques.

If they didn’t understand something, they could only seek help at the Cultivation Hall, whose disciples were often too busy to teach thoroughly.

Li Qingqiu didn’t want the Clear Sky Sect to become a place where disciples merely earned resources.

He wanted it to be a home—a place where every member belonged.

As long as they passed the entrance test, they had the right to train in martial and immortal cultivation.

Thus, he planned to establish cultivation plazas on various surrounding mountains—another major initiative for the coming year.

He shared these plans, earning everyone’s admiration.

Even Jiang Zhaoxia hadn’t expected Li Qingqiu to think so far ahead; he had only considered the convenience of flight.

“Sect Master, you truly care for every disciple,” Zhu Yan sighed.

Such a plan wasn’t difficult to implement, but no other sect in the world was so generous.

Even the great families tightly guarded their manuals, refusing to pass them freely to every junior.

Clear Sky Daoist looked at Li Qingqiu with newfound respect.

He suddenly understood why the Clear Sky Sect thrived under his leadership.

Perhaps the sect’s greatness lay not only in martial might, but in its heart.

Shen Yue also glanced deeply at Li Qingqiu.

Though he said nothing, he was equally astonished by Li Qingqiu’s vision.

The meeting lasted for a long time, and when everyone finally dispersed, they were filled with renewed determination, eager to face new challenges.

Even Jiang Zhaoxia, inspired by Li Qingqiu, resolved to create more accessible sword arts for the benefit of all disciples.

…

Winter’s snow melted, and spring arrived.

News of the Grand Dao Tournament spread swiftly, stirring excitement throughout the sect.

The disciples of noble families, under strict orders from their elders, were especially determined to seize this opportunity.

With so many disciples, gaining the attention of the upper ranks required more than effort alone—the tournament was the perfect stage for them to prove themselves.

Meanwhile, the sect began sending laborers and craftsmen to neighboring mountains for construction, sparking private discussions among the disciples.

The Clear Sky Sect bustled with energy; every disciple brimmed with passion and hope.

Yet beyond its borders, flames of war spread across the Nine Provinces.

The true age of chaos had begun.

At the beginning of February—

Li Qingqiu finally broke through to the Ninth Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm within the Subterranean Spiritual Lake.

Upon reaching the Ninth Layer, he could keenly perceive the presence of Spiritual Sense.

His absorption speed and efficiency increased dramatically, and as he stabilized his realm, the entire lake’s Spiritual Energy gathered toward him, making Chu Jing, Nangong E, and Lin Chuan unable to cultivate.

“This is…” Chu Jing looked at the Li Qingqiu surrounded by dense Spiritual Energy, his expression full of shock.

Could it be… he had reached an even higher realm?