Heavenly Thunder Spirit Root

How did he bring someone back with him?

Li Qingqiu was surprised inwardly, but his expression remained unchanged.

Having taken in seven disciples before, none of whom had managed to cultivate a single strand of Origin Energy, Li Qingqiu's enthusiasm for expanding the roster had faded considerably.

The path of immortal cultivation wasn't something just anyone could walk.

Those who couldn't cultivate might well become a burden to the Qingxiao Sect, so future recruitment had to be handled with caution.

Zhang Yuchun set down his carrying pole and hurried over to Li Qingqiu, panting. "Senior Brother, there was a mutiny in Guzhou. We ran into quite a few refugees on the road. That child behind us followed us for over a hundred li. We really couldn't bear to leave him behind, so we had to take him in. As Third Junior Brother put it, if he could follow that far, his perseverance would surely make him a talent on the martial path."

A hundred li?

That was no small feat. Even an adult walking that far without rest would collapse, let alone such a young child. And after that, there was still the mountain to climb—a long, arduous road ahead.

Li Qingqiu looked at the little beggar. Seeing that he could still stand, he found it quite remarkable.

He then asked, "How did the mutiny happen? Did you run into any trouble on the way?"

Zhang Yuchun replied, "No trouble. With the army running rampant, even bandits were scarce. It wasn't until we entered the city that we learned the world has been far from peaceful these past years. The authorities are doing nothing, and famine is spreading everywhere."

Li Qingqiu sympathized with such grand affairs of the world, but there was nothing he could do about them.

He asked curiously, "In that case, 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 back at Jiang Zhaoxia, grinning. "All thanks to Third Junior Brother. His swordsmanship caught the eye of a prominent family in the city. The young master of that family wanted to recruit him into their household, but he refused. So they rewarded us with a large pouch of coins and said they'd come visit him at Qingxiao Sect someday."

"You just took it for nothing?"

"Of course not. We promised that if their family ever ran into trouble, they could send word to Qingxiao Sect, and we would do everything in our power to help."

"That's more like it. Favors work both ways—that's how bonds deepen. Their generosity is worth courting, given our current situation."

Li Qingqiu nodded. He approved of Zhang Yuchun and the others' promise. You couldn't owe someone for nothing, and besides, this was a good chance for Qingxiao Sect to make a name for itself.

If the Qingxiao Sect that Lin Xunfeng had left behind was a major school with deep foundations, they wouldn't have needed to descend the mountain at all.

Up here, resources were limited, recruiting disciples was difficult, and stepping into the world had become unavoidable.

Li Qingqiu also needed the sect's growth to strengthen himself. Over this period, he had realized that his own cultivation aptitude was nowhere near Jiang Zhaoxia's. He went to the underground Spirit Lake every two days, yet he still hadn't broken through to the Yangyuan Realm Second Layer.

Still, he had copied a Fate before, and he could do it again, so hope remained in his heart. He wasn't discouraged.

The disciples helped Zhang Yuchun and Jiang Zhaoxia carry their luggage. Aside from a pile of weapons, they had also brought back many seeds—quite a haul.

Zhang Yuchun led the little beggar before Li Qingqiu and said, "If you want to join Qingxiao Sect, you need the Sect Master's approval. We don't have the final say."

The little beggar looked to be only eight or nine years old, his height not even reaching Li Qingqiu's shoulder. He looked up at Li Qingqiu with clear eyes and said, "I beg the Sect Master to take me in."

With that, he knelt directly and kowtowed to Li Qingqiu.

The other disciples cast curious glances, but Li Qingqiu shot them a glare, and they promptly carried the luggage inside the sect.

By the time only Li Qingqiu, Zhang Yuchun, and the little beggar remained before the mountain gate, the slanting sunlight stretched their shadows long across the ground.

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

Once the little beggar joined Qingxiao Sect, he could cross-check the information to see if he was lying.

One couldn't be too cautious.

Li Qingqiu's main concern was that the boy might drag in some overwhelming grudge, pulling the sect into a whirlpool.

The little beggar's forehead pressed tightly against the ground. His voice hoarse, he answered, "My name is Xu Ning. I lived alone with my father, depending on each other. A year ago, my father passed away, and I've had to fend for myself, barely scraping by ever since."

"Any distant relatives?" Li Qingqiu pressed.

"No."

Hearing this, Li Qingqiu was completely at ease.

"Now, swear three vows, and you may enter the sect," Li Qingqiu said.

Zhang Yuchun immediately took over, telling Xu Ning to repeat after him.

After she finished reciting them, Li Qingqiu personally helped her up. "Qingxiao Sect doesn't keep idlers, but once you enter, you're one of us. You won't go hungry anymore, and you'll be able to hold your head high as a proper person."

Xu Ning looked up at him, her eyes numb, clearly unmoved by his words. He didn't mind—it was just a formality.

"Take her inside. Have her bathe first and change into fresh clothes," Li Qingqiu said to Zhang Yuchun.

Zhang Yuchun nodded and led Xu Ning through the gate. He tried to take her hand, but she dodged him. He didn't think much of it, assuming she was just shy around strangers.

Li Qingqiu strolled slowly behind, calling up the Legacy System. From the disciple details, he found Xu Ning's portrait.

Xu Ning's portrait was surprisingly delicate and fair-skinned. If not for the fact that he had never seen this image before, he would have found it hard to connect it to the little beggar.

She was a girl?

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

[Name: Xu Ning]

[Gender: Female]

[Age: 9]

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

[Cultivation Aptitude: Outstanding]

[Comprehension: Excellent]

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

[Heavenly Thunder Spirit Root: A rare single-attribute spirit root, granting exceptional talent for Lightning attribute Daoist magic. For the Heavenly Thunder Spirit Root, Lightning Tribulation is instead a boon.]

[Paranoid: Once something is decided, it will never change, even unto death.]

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

Li Qingqiu's breath suddenly quickened.

Cultivation aptitude, outstanding!

Comprehension, excellent!

The complete opposite of Jiang Zhaoxia's, at the very least proving he was no worse than Jiang Zhaoxia.

From what Li Qingqiu knew, the ranks for cultivation aptitude and comprehension, from low to high, were: Extremely Low, Subpar, Mediocre, Fairly Good, Excellent, Outstanding. He hadn't yet encountered any higher rank.

Moreover, the Heavenly Thunder Spirit Root destiny seemed far from simple.

Most precious of all was that Xu Ning's loyalty to the Qingxiao Sect had instantly reached 90, while her loyalty to him was comparatively low.

Could it be because of the Paranoid destiny—had she already decided the Qingxiao Sect was her home?

Li Qingqiu secretly looked forward to Xu Ning's future.

In the future, he could make Jiang Zhaoxia and Xu Ning the left and right Guardians of the Qingxiao Sect, specializing in fighting.

Walking all the way into the courtyard, he saw Zhang Yuchun trying to pull Xu Ning inside, but Xu Ning refused to enter and wouldn't speak.

"Dongyue, you take care of Xu Ning. Take her to bathe and change clothes."

Li Qingqiu spoke to Li Dongyue, who was nearby watching the commotion. At these words, both Zhang Yuchun and Xu Ning turned their heads to look at him.

"Senior Brother, this..." Zhang Yuchun asked, confused.

Li Qingqiu shot him a glare and said irritably, "She's a girl. What are you doing?"

A girl?

Zhang Yuchun was so startled he quickly stepped back, staring at Xu Ning in disbelief.

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

Zhang Yuchun came to Li Qingqiu's side and asked in a low voice, "Senior Brother, how are you sure she's a girl?"

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

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

"I thought you knew."

Hearing this, Zhang Yuchun looked at Li Dongyue and hesitated. "Should I follow and take a look? What if I Misjudged?"

"Fourth Junior Sister has a mouth, doesn't she?"

Leaving these words behind, Li Qingqiu walked toward the gathered disciples. Yang Jueding also came out of the house, introducing various weapons to the disciples.

To be fair, the weapons Zhang Yuchun and the others brought back were quite varied in style, and none of them were defective.

Li Qingqiu picked up a longsword, examining it as he praised Jiang Zhaoxia beside him, "Good work."

"Of course. From now on, when I handle things, you can rest easy. Just settle in as Sect Master—I can take care of everything." Jiang Zhaoxia said smugly.

"Oh? Trying to sideline me?"

"What talk is that? Am I that kind of person? Besides, you don't do anything on a normal day anyway. I at least teach Fifth Junior Brother. You really do nothing at all."

"That's exactly why I can be Sect Master. I have to think about many things. You don't understand my exhaustion."

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

Li Qingqiu pondered inwardly, wondering if these swords could be used to cultivate the Supreme Sword Control Technique.

The day of New Spring arrived. Zhang Yuchun and Jiang Zhaoxia had both returned, lifting Li Qingqiu's spirits. From dawn onward, the entire Qingxiao Sect was bustling with activity.

The older disciples helped decorate with lanterns and banners, slaughtering chickens and washing vegetables, while the younger ones gathered around Yang Jueding, listening to him tell tales of the martial world.

Li Qingqiu also sat nearby, listening. His gaze drifted to Xu Ning.

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

However, with heavy eye bags and being skin and bones, she didn't look as good as she did in the Legacy System panel, but it was clearly the same person.

Xu Ning sat at the very back, listening to Yang Jueding's stories, not yet mingling with the other disciples.

Li Qingqiu reached out to the plate on the step beside him, picked up a roasted corncob from it, and said, "Xu Ning, come here."

Xu Ning turned her head to look at him, her gaze instantly drawn to the roasted corn in his hand. She hesitated for a moment, then stood up and walked over to him timidly.

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

"Thank you."

Xu Ning said softly, then took the roasted corn. Just as she was about to turn away, she heard Li Qingqiu say, "Just sit next to me. It's closer, so you can hear better."

Xu Ning glanced at him. Seeing that he was intently listening to the story, she sat down beside him and began nibbling on the roasted corn in her hands.

"Waaah—"

Before long, Li Qingqiu was drawn by a burst of crying. He saw Li Sifeng running into the courtyard, sobbing, and shouting at him, "Eldest Senior Brother, Third Senior Brother hit me! He almost beat me to death!"

He wailed heart-wrenchingly, drawing everyone's attention.

Li Qingqiu sighed helplessly, stood up, and walked toward him.

Xu Ning's gaze followed Li Qingqiu, her eyes wide open. Compared to yesterday, there was a bit more sparkle in her expression.

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