The Heavenly Thunder Spirit Root

Why had he brought someone back with him?

Li Qingqiu was surprised, but his expression didn't change.

He had taken in seven disciples before, and not one of them had managed to cultivate even a trace of Origin Energy. That had dampened his enthusiasm for expanding their ranks.

The path of immortal cultivation wasn't for everyone.

Those unable to cultivate immortality could easily become a burden on the Qingxiao Sect, so from now on, he would have to be cautious about accepting disciples.

After Zhang Yuchun set down his shoulder pole, he hurried over to Li Qingqiu, panting. "Senior Brother, there's been a military mutiny in Guzhou. We encountered many refugees on the way. That child behind us followed us for a hundred li. We couldn't bear to leave her behind, so we had to take her in. As Third Junior Brother put it, if she could follow us this far, then with that kind of perseverance, she'll surely make something of herself in martial arts."

A hundred li?

That was no small feat. Forget a child that young—even an adult would be exhausted after walking that far without stopping, and then she still had to climb the mountain. The road was long and arduous.

Li Qingqiu looked at the little beggar. The fact that she could still stand was impressive.

He asked, "How did a military mutiny break out? Did you run into any trouble along the way?"

Zhang Yuchun replied, "We didn't run into any trouble. With the army running rampant, even the bandits were nowhere to be seen. We only found out after entering the city that the realm hasn't been peaceful for years. The authorities have done nothing, and famines are breaking out all over."

Li Qingqiu sympathized with the state of the realm, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Curious, he asked, "With things as they are, where did you get the money to buy so many weapons? You didn't rob anyone, did you?"

Zhang Yuchun raised his hand and pointed his thumb toward Jiang Zhaoxia behind him, grinning. "We have Third Junior Brother to thank. His swordsmanship impressed an influential Aristocratic Clan in the city. One of their young masters wanted to recruit him into their household, but he turned him down. So they gave us a big bag of money and said they'd come visit him at the Qingxiao Sect someday."

"You just took the money?"

"Of course not. We promised that if their Lineage ever ran into trouble, they could send someone to the Qingxiao Sect, and we'd do everything in our power to help."

"That's more like it. A bond deepens when both sides help each other. They were generous, and right now, they're worth cultivating a relationship with."

Li Qingqiu nodded. He approved of the promise Zhang Yuchun and Jiang Zhaoxia had made. They couldn't accept a favor without any reason, and this was also a good chance for the Qingxiao Sect to make a name for itself.

If the Qingxiao Sect Lin Xunfeng had left behind had been a major sect with a deep foundation, they wouldn't have needed to descend the mountain.

Resources were scarce on the mountain, and recruiting disciples was difficult. Entering the wider world had become unavoidable.

Li Qingqiu also needed the Qingxiao Sect to grow so he could become stronger. Over this period, he had realized that his cultivation aptitude couldn't compare to Jiang Zhaoxia's. He visited the underground Spirit Lake every other day, but he still hadn't broken through to the Yangyuan Realm Second Layer.

Still, he had been able to copy Fates before, and he could do it again in the future. Hope still filled his heart, and he hadn't been discouraged.

The disciples helped Zhang Yuchun and Jiang Zhaoxia carry in their luggage. Besides a pile of weapons, they had brought back many kinds of seeds. They had reaped quite a harvest.

Zhang Yuchun brought the little beggar before Li Qingqiu and said, "If you want to join the Qingxiao Sect, you'll need the sect master's approval. It's not up to us."

The little beggar looked only eight or nine years old, and she didn't even come up to Li Qingqiu's shoulder. She looked up at him with clear eyes and said, "Please, Sect Master, take me in."

After speaking, she knelt and knocked her head against the ground before him.

The other disciples all turned curious gazes their way. Li Qingqiu glared at them, and they immediately carried the luggage back into the sect.

Soon, only Li Qingqiu, Zhang Yuchun, and the little beggar remained before the mountain gate. The setting sun shone over them, stretching their shadows long.

Li Qingqiu looked down at the little beggar without telling her to get up. Instead, he asked, "What's your name? What happened to your family?"

Once the little beggar joined the Qingxiao Sect, he could check her story against the information he had and judge whether she was lying.

It was always best to be on one's guard.

Li Qingqiu's main concern was that she might bring a great vendetta with her and drag the Qingxiao Sect into a whirlpool.

The little beggar pressed her forehead firmly to the ground and answered in a hoarse voice, "My name is Xu Ning. I grew up depending on my father, but he died a year ago. I had no choice but to fend for myself, and I've been barely scraping by ever since."

"Do you have any distant relatives?" Li Qingqiu pressed.

"No."

At that, Li Qingqiu finally felt reassured.

"Make three vows now, and you can join the sect," Li Qingqiu continued.

Zhang Yuchun immediately chimed in, telling Xu Ning to repeat after him.

After she had finished, Li Qingqiu personally helped her to her feet. "The Qingxiao Sect doesn't keep idlers, but once you join, you're one of us. You won't go hungry anymore, and you'll be able to hold your head high."

Xu Ning looked up at him, her gaze numb. It was clear his words hadn't moved her. He didn't mind; this was just a formality.

"Take her inside. Let her bathe and change into a clean set of clothes first," Li Qingqiu said to Zhang Yuchun.

Zhang Yuchun nodded and led Xu Ning into the sect. He tried to take her hand, but she pulled away. He didn't think much of it, assuming she was shy around strangers.

Li Qingqiu strolled along behind them and opened the Legacy System. He found Xu Ning's portrait in the disciple details.

Xu Ning's portrait showed a delicate, fair-skinned girl. If he hadn't seen this portrait before, he would have had a hard time connecting it to Xu Ning.

She was a girl?

Li Qingqiu thought in surprise, then tapped Xu Ning's portrait to inspect it.

[Name: Xu Ning]

[Gender: Female]

[Age: 9]

[Loyalty (Sect Master/Sect): 70/90 (Maximum: 100)]

[Cultivation Aptitude: Outstanding]

[Comprehension: Excellent]

[Fate: Heavenly Thunder Spirit Root, Paranoid, Competitive Spirit]

[Heavenly Thunder Spirit Root: A rare single-attribute spirit root, with exceptional talent for lightning-attribute Daoist arts. For those with a Heavenly Thunder Spirit Root, the Lightning Tribulation is instead a source of aid.]

[Paranoid: Once she settles on something, she will never change her mind, even if it costs her life.]

[Competitive Spirit: Born with a strong will to win, she refuses to be inferior to others.]

Li Qingqiu's breathing suddenly grew rapid.

Cultivation aptitude: outstanding!

Comprehension: excellent!

She was the opposite of Jiang Zhaoxia, but at the very least, that meant she was no less impressive than him.

As far as Li Qingqiu knew, cultivation aptitude and comprehension ranged from lowest to highest as follows: extremely low, substandard, mediocre, good, excellent, and outstanding. He hadn't yet encountered any higher grades.

And the Heavenly Thunder Spirit Root Fate looked extraordinary, too.

What was most precious was that Xu Ning's loyalty to the Qingxiao Sect had already reached 90, while her loyalty to him was comparatively low.

Could it be because of her Paranoid Fate? Had she already decided that the Qingxiao Sect was her home?

Li Qingqiu found himself looking forward to Xu Ning's future.

Someday, Jiang Zhaoxia and Xu Ning could serve as the Qingxiao Sect's left and right guardians, taking care of all the fighting.

When he reached the courtyard, he saw Zhang Yuchun trying to pull Xu Ning into a room, but she refused to go in, no matter what he did. She didn't say a word, either.

"Dongyue, take care of Xu Ning. Bring her to wash up and change clothes."

Li Qingqiu called out to Li Dongyue, who was watching the commotion from nearby. At his words, Zhang Yuchun and Xu Ning both turned to look at him.

"Senior Brother, this..." Zhang Yuchun asked in confusion.

Li Qingqiu glared at him and said impatiently, "She's a girl. What are you doing?"

A girl?

Zhang Yuchun hurriedly backed away, staring at Xu Ning in shock.

Xu Ning turned and walked toward Li Dongyue, who was approaching her.

Zhang Yuchun came up beside Li Qingqiu and asked in a low voice, "Senior Brother, how could you tell she was a girl?"

"Your eyesight can't compare to Senior Brother's."

"Then why didn't you say so earlier?"

"I thought you knew."

Zhang Yuchun looked toward Li Dongyue, hesitating. "Should I go check on them? What if we got it wrong?"

"Doesn't Fourth Junior Sister have a mouth?"

Li Qingqiu left him with that and walked toward the disciples gathered nearby. Yang Jueding had also come out of the house and was introducing the various weapons to the disciples.

The weapons Zhang Yuchun and Jiang Zhaoxia had brought back came in quite a variety, and none of them were defective.

Li Qingqiu picked up a long sword and examined it as he praised Jiang Zhaoxia beside him. "Well done."

"Of course. From now on, you can leave things to me and rest easy. Just focus on being the sect master, and I can take care of everything," Jiang Zhaoxia said smugly.

"Oh? You want to sideline me?"

"What are you talking about? Do I look like that kind of person? Besides, you don't do anything most days. At least I teach Fifth Junior Brother. You really haven't done a thing."

"That's exactly why I can be sect master. I have so many things to think about. You don't understand how exhausting it is."

The senior and junior brothers started bickering. The other disciples were already used to it, and no one dared to get involved in their daily routine.

Li Qingqiu wondered whether these swords could be used to cultivate the Supreme Sword Control Technique.

New Spring arrived. Zhang Yuchun and Jiang Zhaoxia had both returned, lifting Li Qingqiu's spirits. From daybreak onward, the whole Qingxiao Sect was bustling.

The older disciples helped hang decorations and prepare the chicken and vegetables, while the younger ones gathered around Yang Jueding to listen to his tales of the martial world.

Li Qingqiu sat off to the side listening, his gaze drifting toward Xu Ning.

Xu Ning had changed into clean clothes. Compared with how she had looked when she first climbed the mountain yesterday, she was like a different person.

But with heavy bags under her eyes and a frame thin as a rake, she didn't look as pretty as she had in the Legacy System's portrait. Even so, it was clear she was the same person.

Xu Ning sat at the very back, listening to Yang Jueding's story. For now, she hadn't joined the other disciples.

Li Qingqiu reached for the plate on the step beside him and picked up a roasted ear of corn. "Xu Ning, come here."

Xu Ning turned to look at him, her gaze immediately drawn to the roasted corn in his hand. After hesitating for a moment, she stood and timidly walked over.

When she reached him, Li Qingqiu didn't say anything. He simply handed her the roasted corn.

"Thank you."

Xu Ning murmured her thanks and took the corn. She was just about to turn away when Li Qingqiu said, "Sit beside me. You'll be closer and hear better."

Xu Ning glanced at him. Seeing that he was listening to the story, she sat beside him and began nibbling lightly at the corn.

"Waaah—"

Before long, Li Qingqiu was drawn to a burst of crying. Li Sifeng came running into the courtyard, weeping as he shouted to Li Qingqiu, "Eldest Senior Brother, Third Senior Brother hit me! He almost beat me to death!"

He was bawling his eyes out, and everyone else turned to look at him.

Li Qingqiu sighed and got up to walk over to him.

Xu Ning's gaze followed Li Qingqiu, her eyes wide. Compared with yesterday, there was a little more life in her eyes.

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