Qingyuan Sect

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Qingyuan Sect (青元宗)
Affiliation	One of the Great Qi Dynasty's Three Great Upper Sects; later based in the West Sea Islands before returning to the Great Qi Dynasty 90 155 293
Occupation/Role	Cultivation sect; regional governing power; defender of West Sea Pass
Status	Active; restored its position in the Great Qi Dynasty and resumed large-scale recruitment 293
First Appearance	Chapter 89

Overview

The Qingyuan Sect was one of the Three Great Upper Sects of the Great Qi Dynasty. It maintained a population and internal structure comparable to a small kingdom, held authority over dependent settlements, and possessed numerous Spirit Refining Realm martial artists 90.

Its territory included the Qingyuan Mountain Range. The sect occupied the Thirteen Main Peaks of Qingyun and Thirty-six Secondary Peaks, while affiliated families inhabited the remaining areas of the mountain range 98.

Organization

Rank / Group	Position within the sect
Handyman disciples	Largest disciple class; numbered in the hundreds of thousands 90
Outer disciples	Numbered in the tens of thousands; cultivation level alone did not determine promotion 90 101
Inner disciples	Numbered around ten thousand; described as the sect's grassroots 90 101
Core disciples	Received the sect's genuine attention; could transfer to one of the Thirteen Main Peaks 101 129
True disciples	Considered part of the sect's foundational strength 101
Elders, Peak Lords, Sect Master	The sect's principal reserves of power 101

Lieyang Peak

Lieyang Peak was one of the Thirty-six Secondary Peaks and ranked relatively highly among them. Its leadership included two Peak Lords, one Deputy Peak Lord, eleven elders, dozens of stewards, and more than three hundred inner disciples 101.

• Yuan Xuanming — Li Changsheng's master on Lieyang Peak; later advanced to the Dharma Aspect Realm 111 277.
• Xu Zixi — Core disciple and major defender of the sect; later became an Emperor Realm cultivator and then a Half-step Martial Saint 124 280 293.
• Xu He — Li Changsheng's former martial-hall master and Xu Zixi's brother 100 277.

Territory and Administration

• The Qingyuan Sect controlled villages, towns, and cities near its mountain range; these settlements were not administered by the Great Qi Dynasty 90.
• Qingshan City, the closest city to the sect, paid taxes directly to Qingyuan Sect. Even its City Lord's appointment required sect approval 98.
• The sect operated a Qingshan City outpost staffed by roughly a dozen disciples and a steward. Its duties included tax collection and disciple assessments 98.
• Qingshan City was notably secure because the sect would dispatch support against Great Demon or Demon King attacks 97.
• The sect controlled secret realms, blessed lands, and the Blazing Flame Secret Realm; it also had access to the Flame Iron Ore Vein 90 122 153.

Recruitment and Resources

The sect generally relied on its affiliated families for recruits and did not need to recruit widely from outside. Outsiders found entry extremely difficult unless they possessed exceptional talent or useful connections 90 98.

• Affiliated-family talents had an easier path into the sect 98.
• The Qingyuan Treasure Token could be used to request an assessment through the Qingshan City outpost 96 98.
• Profound Grade martial arts were comparatively accessible within the sect, unlike in Baiye City 90.
• Contribution points could be exchanged for cultivation resources, martial arts, spells, and techniques 102 115 154.
• The sect's inner disciples could attend monthly lectures and use the inner sect library 101.
• Inner disciples were not necessarily stronger than outer disciples; promotion depended heavily on talent, progress, and combat ability rather than cultivation realm alone 101.

History

Great Qi Dynasty era

The Qingyuan Sect stood among the Great Qi Dynasty's Three Great Upper Sects and was substantially stronger than the Baiyue Sect. Its self-sufficient territory and large internal recruitment base made it less vulnerable to dynastic turmoil than smaller sects 90.

After Li Changsheng arrived in Qingshan City, he used the Qingyuan Treasure Token and Xu Zixi's token to obtain an assessment. He passed the Heaven Tablet Hand assessment and the Small Qingyuan Tower's fifth level, becoming an inner disciple of Lieyang Peak 98 100.

The sect jointly decided with other sects and the Great Qi Imperial Family to develop a secret realm associated with Baiyue Sect 89.

Conflict over the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire

The discovery of a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire in the Flame Iron Ore Vein drew the Iron Blood Sect's attention. Qingyuan Sect Great Grandmasters initially withheld the matter from the wider sect to preserve their own chance at using the fire 122.

When the Iron Blood Sect sent nearly twenty Great Grandmasters to seize the spiritual fire, Xu Zixi used a Spirit Refining Secret Technique and the Flying Heaven Sword Art to kill most of the attackers. The sect subsequently sent an elder to guard the ore vein 124.

Treaty, internal crisis, and relocation

Faced with pressure from the Tengshe Demon Country and suspected cooperation between that demon country and the Iron Blood Sect, the Qingyuan Sect accepted a ten-year peace treaty. It ceded a prefecture in return for an end to invasions and interference at West Sea Pass 143.

The sect later suffered a major internal betrayal: six top-tier affiliated families defected to the Iron Blood Sect, a Dharma Aspect Realm elder escaped, and another Dharma Aspect Realm expert was assassinated. The defectors withdrew under the protection of a Dharma Aspect Realm cultivator, severely damaging the sect and spreading panic among its disciples 154.

With its future uncertain, the sect opened the Blazing Flame Secret Realm to core disciples and selected inner disciples, requiring half of all gains to be surrendered. The move was made in expectation that the sect might abandon the territory during its retreat 153.

The Qingyuan Sect ultimately relocated toward the West Sea Islands, leaving many disciples behind. Li Changsheng, despite being a core disciple, was assigned to guard the Great Qi Imperial Capital outpost for three years amid the collapse of the sect's position 154 155.

Return to the Great Qi Dynasty

Years later, the Qingyuan Sect sought Li Changsheng's assistance against the Blood Demon Sect. Its delegation was led by Feng Jiu, a peak Emperor Realm ancestor ranked among the sect's three strongest Emperor Realm experts, and included the now-@@REF_ENTITY_6690667@@ Yuan Xuanming 277.

Li Changsheng agreed to help due to his connection with Xu Zixi and Xu He, rather than because of any continuing obligation to the sect that had abandoned him 277.

Following Xu Zixi's breakthrough to the Half-step Martial Saint realm and her killing of the Tengshe Demon Country's Half-step Demon Saint, the Qingyuan Sect returned successfully to the Great Qi Dynasty. It destroyed the Iron Blood Sect and began recruiting disciples on a large scale 293.

Relationships

• Great Qi Dynasty — The sect was nominally within the dynasty's sphere but governed its own dependent settlements and generally did not interfere in dynastic affairs unless necessary 90 98.
• Baiyue Sect — A weaker regional sect; the Qingyuan Sect's scale, resources, and internal recruitment base far exceeded Baiyue Sect's 90.
• Iron Blood Sect — Rival sect that sought the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire, infiltrated the Qingyuan Sect, and orchestrated the defection of six top-tier families 122 124 154.
• Tengshe Demon Country — Enemy force that pressured the sect into a ten-year peace treaty and later lost its Half-step Demon Saint to Xu Zixi 143 293.
• Haori Sect — Competed with the Qingyuan Sect over an ancient relic cave in the Black Abyss 150.
• Xi Sect — Later received a Qingyuan Sect delegation seeking Li Changsheng's help during the Blood Demon Sect crisis 277.
• Li Changsheng — Former inner and core disciple of Lieyang Peak; later aided the sect despite having been effectively abandoned during its decline 100 129 154 277.
• Xu Zixi — Core disciple whose strength and later breakthrough were central to the sect's survival and restoration 124 280 293.

Notable Locations and Facilities

• Qingyuan Mountain Range — The sect's original central territory, comprising forty-nine occupied peaks and surrounding affiliated-family lands 98.
• Qingshan City Outpost — Tax-collection and disciple-assessment station in Qingshan City 98.
• Qingyuan Tower / Small Qingyuan Tower — Trial towers used to assess disciples' combat ability and award contribution points 100 115.
• Lieyang Peak — A prominent Secondary Peak and Li Changsheng's original peak 100 101.
• Flame Iron Ore Vein — Site where the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire was discovered 122 124.
• Blazing Flame Secret Realm — Sect-controlled secret realm opened to disciples during the sect's impending retreat 153.
• Qingyuan Pavilion — Sect outpost in the Great Qi Imperial Capital, guarded by Grandmaster-level disciples 155 158.