A night passed. The first rays of dawn pierced the sky, sweeping over the Azure Firmament Sect. Water dripped from the eaves, a sign that the winter snows were finally beginning to melt.
Li Qingqiu rose early, ready to breathe in energy and begin his cultivation. The other disciples did the same, seemingly unaffected by the previous night's events.
They sat in meditation before the mountain gate, facing the surrounding peaks. The magnificent landscape emerged and disappeared through the rolling mist—a scene so beautiful it was easy to sink into a deep, focused state.
After the shock of last night, the other disciples were clearly frightened and trained with greater seriousness. As for Yang Jueding, old wounds not yet healed, new ones added, he was recovering in his room.
An hour later, Li Qingqiu rose and dismissed the disciples. Jiang Zhaoxia dragged Wu Man'er into the back mountain. Zhang Yuchun and Li Dongyue still had to chop firewood and feed the chickens. As for the youngest, Li Sifeng and Li Sijin, they just needed to stay safe.
Li Qingqiu went to Yang Jueding's door and knocked.
"Come in."
Yang Jueding's voice emerged, tinged with unmistakable exhaustion.
He wasn't an immortality cultivator; he needed sleep. But he'd spent the entire night forcing out poison, leaving him physically and mentally drained.
Li Qingqiu pushed open the door and closed it behind him. He walked to the table and sat down, looking at Yang Jueding on the bed. "That manual. Where did you get it?"
Yang Jueding opened his eyes and looked at him. "Half a year ago, rumors spread around Fuyang Lake. They said when the water receded, a path appeared leading to the lake bed. Legend had it that a martial arts myth from a century ago left a secret chamber down there. I went to check it out. It was true. I went down into the lake with a crowd of martial artists. I got lucky and found a box. Inside was that manual. When I came out, some experts from the Azure Cult spotted me. I fought them off and thought that would be the end of it. I never expected them to jump me when I was wounded and exhausted from my duel with the Sword Saint of the Canghai Sea."
Even now, the memory rankled. To be hounded to near death over a fake manual—what a raw deal.
"If you knew it was fake, why not just hand it over to the Azure Cult?" Li Qingqiu asked, puzzled.
Yang Jueding's eyes widened in indignation. "Even if it's fake, I wasn't about to let those bastards have it! Who knows what kind of trouble they'd stir up using its reputation? They're always running scams, hoodwinking rich and powerful types, extorting common folks. For the Azure Cult, whether the manual's real or not doesn't matter. They want the prestige of that martial arts myth."
"Imagine the headlines: 'Dragon Subduing Hero Robbed of Legendary Divine Technique by Azure Cult!' Their influence would skyrocket. They might even worm their way into the imperial court's favor. They've been angling for connections with the powerful for years. And you saw for yourself—even if I told them it was fake, they wouldn't believe me. Even if I handed it over, they'd still kill me. They wouldn't stop until they were sure no second copy existed."
Li Qingqiu was curious. "The Azure Cult and White Emperor Hall—which is stronger?"
Yang Jueding considered. "About even, I'd say. But White Emperor Hall has court connections. The Azure Cult doesn't dare provoke them lightly. They rarely come into conflict. These days, White Emperor Hall keeps out of martial world affairs. The Azure Cult's different—ambitious. They want to be overlords of the martial world."
Using this opening, Li Qingqiu continued questioning Yang Jueding, gaining a clearer picture of the current state of Gu Prefecture's martial world.
He learned that the Great Li Dynasty was far larger than the China of his past life. Gu Prefecture alone was half the size of that China, containing over a dozen prefectural cities and countless martial sects.
They talked until Yang Jueding started coughing, at which point Li Qingqiu finally stopped and rose to leave.
He decided to focus on mastering Gale Skill first. Watching last night's battle had shown him that his movement techniques still lagged behind true martial arts masters.
As for the Supreme Sword Control Art, he wasn't ready to practice it yet. That spell required nine swords to truly unleash its power.
In the future, when he had more spells, he would organize them. A person's energy was limited. He couldn't practice every single technique he acquired.
Of course, he would definitely train in the Supreme Sword Control Art eventually. He couldn't waste his natural talent.
Days passed.
A week later, most of the snow in the mountain forests had melted. Yang Jueding could finally leave his room. He no longer dared to pester Wu Man'er, much less mention his earlier sparring bet with Jiang Zhaoxia.
Soon, his attention turned to Li Sifeng and Li Sijin.
These two youngsters, despite their age, were also promising martial arts prospects.
He couldn't help muttering to himself. This Azure Firmament Sect was truly bizarre. It had an awful lot of geniuses.
Half a month later, Zhang Yuchun finally couldn't wait any longer. He gathered Wu Man'er and Li Dongyue and headed down the mountain to recruit disciples. As for Yang Jueding, Li Qingqiu confined him to the sect, forbidding him from leaving lest he run into Azure Cult members still searching for him.
Yang Jueding had no objection. He felt the same way.
That evening, Zhang Yuchun and the others returned, bringing seven village children with them: six boys and one girl. The oldest was no more than thirteen; the youngest was only six.
After a simple entry ceremony, Li Qingqiu examined their attribute panels. Every single one had abysmal aptitude and comprehension—completely unremarkable.
Li Qingqiu sighed inwardly. Their master had truly left him with an excellent core team.
Judging by Lin Xunfeng's eye for selecting people, he must have had grand ambitions. It was just a shame he'd been so obsessed with seeking immortality.
Li Qingqiu arranged for the new disciples to room separately, squeezing in with the older disciples. Li Dongyue, Li Sifeng, and the others didn't mind at all. In fact, they were a little excited—now they would be senior brothers and sisters too!
For the first seven days after their arrival, Li Qingqiu had them focus on familiarizing themselves with the sect. After that, he had Zhang Yuchun and Li Dongyue begin teaching them the Chaos Genesis Scripture.
In the future, Li Dongyue could serve as the sect's Transmission Elder. As for Li Sifeng and Li Sijin, they would need further evaluation.
Worth noting was that after a month of training under Yang Jueding's guidance, Li Sifeng's skills had advanced by leaps and bounds. He was already leaping across rooftops and scaling walls, drawing frequent gasps of amazement from the new disciples.
Winter finally passed completely. The New Year was approaching.
The Great Li Dynasty also celebrated the New Year. Every New Year's, Li Qingqiu found himself thinking of his past life.
One afternoon, Li Qingqiu sat resting in the courtyard. He had just finished practicing Gale Skill and was feeling somewhat tired. Watching his disciples busily going about their various tasks, his mood was excellent.
Someone swept the ground. Someone carried water. Someone repaired the eaves. Everything was moving toward a better future.
Jiang Zhaoxia and Zhang Yuchun entered the courtyard one after the other. They came and sat on either side of Li Qingqiu.
"Senior Brother, we wanted to talk to you about something. We'd like to go down to the town and buy some weapons. What do you think?" Jiang Zhaoxia asked.
The entire Azure Firmament Sect had only two swords, and Lin Xunfeng had taken one of them when he left. Jiang Zhaoxia had been holding back for far too long.
He wanted a sword. A real sword!
And not just him—the other disciples needed weapons for their training too. They couldn't rely solely on unarmed techniques.
Li Qingqiu glanced at him. "And where will we get the money?"
Zhang Yuchun chimed in. "We were thinking of putting on a sword performance in the city to earn some rewards. Senior Brother, if the sect is truly going to rise, we need money. And I thought this could also be a chance to spread word about the Azure Firmament Sect. Later, we could take on cases—helping people solve problems for payment. We really do need funds. With eight new mouths to feed, our food supplies are already stretched thin."
Taking on cases to help people resolve troubles—that was how many martial sects got their start. Put bluntly, it meant working as hired muscle.
And with greater fame, more people would want to join.
Li Qingqiu had originally wanted to lie low for a few more years, but he had to admit Zhang Yuchun had a point. Besides, they weren't planning to challenge the major sects.
Jiang Zhaoxia and Zhang Yuchun were already strong enough to protect themselves.
"Alright. But remember, you must be careful out there. Don't underestimate others just because of your abilities. And don't start conflicts lightly." Li Qingqiu cautioned.
He felt comfortable with Zhang Yuchun and Jiang Zhaoxia going together.
Jiang Zhaoxia rolled his eyes. "You think we're still children?"
Zhang Yuchun, however, nodded seriously. "Senior Brother, I'll make sure to keep Third Senior Brother in line."
"..."
Jiang Zhaoxia shot Zhang Yuchun a wounded look, but Zhang Yuchun stared straight ahead, seemingly oblivious.
They talked for a while longer, then Jiang Zhaoxia grew impatient to leave. The nearest town was a two-day journey on foot; they would inevitably have to spend a night in the wilderness.
Li Qingqiu could only prepare dried rations and water for them, then watch as they headed down the mountain.
Standing at the mountain gate, watching his two junior brothers' retreating figures, he couldn't help but think of Lin Xunfeng's departure. He called out, "Make sure you're back before New Year's Day!"
"Don't worry, Senior Brother!"
Zhang Yuchun turned and waved back at Li Qingqiu, his smile bright. Jiang Zhaoxia didn't look back.
Even after their figures disappeared into the forest, Li Qingqiu's gaze lingered.
"Don't worry. That Jiang kid is incredibly strong. And Zhang Yuchun's no slouch either. With those two going down the mountain, I'd be more worried about some unlucky martial artists picking a fight with the wrong people."
Yang Jueding had come up beside Li Qingqiu and offered this reassurance.
He genuinely believed Jiang Zhaoxia fought dirty. Over the past period, Jiang Zhaoxia had frequently sought him out for spars, wanting to learn practical combat experience. When neither used spiritual energy, Yang Jueding could still dominate him.
But Jiang Zhaoxia improved so fast. Lately, every move he made was lethal. It made Yang Jueding's heart race.
That kid would definitely become someone great!
The reason Li Qingqiu had agreed to let them go was precisely because he'd witnessed Jiang Zhaoxia's sparring sessions with Yang Jueding.
Yang Jueding had taught Jiang Zhaoxia a great deal about the ways of the martial world.
Li Qingqiu finally withdrew his gaze and smiled. "Can't help it. It's their first time going down the mountain. Of course I'll worry a little."
With that, he turned and walked back into the sect.
Yang Jueding looked at him. "Sect Master, when will I get to see your sword technique? That Jiang kid says your talent for the sword is even greater than his."
Li Qingqiu didn't turn around. "Forget it. I don't really like fighting."
Yang Jueding watched his retreating back and found him more mysterious than ever.
...
Over the next few days, Li Qingqiu found himself constantly uneasy, afraid something might have happened to Zhang Yuchun and Jiang Zhaoxia. But he didn't voice his worries to anyone else.
Finally, on the evening before New Year's Day, the two returned.
"Senior Brother! We're back! Someone come help us!"
Zhang Yuchun's voice rang out from the direction of the mountain gate. Li Qingqiu and the others rushed out eagerly.
Li Qingqiu moved fastest. When he reached the gate and focused his gaze, he immediately relaxed.
Zhang Yuchun and Jiang Zhaoxia each carried a shoulder pole. Various weapons poked out from their bundles, reflecting the cold gleam unique to metal. Both of them appeared intact—no missing arms or legs.
So this was the "help" they needed. Li Qingqiu had feared they were injured.
He turned and instructed the disciples who'd caught up to go lend a hand. He himself stayed put.
Would a Sect Master do such manual labor?
His gaze shifted to someone behind Zhang Yuchun—a little beggar child following them. The child was filthy, skin and bones, hair a tangled mess. Impossible to tell if it was a boy or a girl.