Jiang Zhaoxia's Pressure

Hearing Mo Jiujiao's words, Li Qingqiu was taken aback, caught off guard.

The Qingxiao Sect had only three courtyards and not many disciples—who could possibly covet it?

"Who sent you?" Li Qingqiu asked cautiously. If the other party was sent by Lin Xunfeng, he would have to handle it with civility; if they had nothing to do with Lin Xunfeng and came to forcibly seize the Qingxiao Sect, then he was sorry.

As he spoke, Li Qingqiu swept his right hand over the nine swords before him, his gaze fixed intently on Mo Jiujiao.

Mo Jiujiao walked toward Li Qingqiu, laughing as he said, "Your master Lin Xunfeng announced his retirement from the martial world at the Carefree Martial Tournament in Xiaoyao Prefecture. Since he's stepped down, it'll be hard for the Qingxiao Sect to hold onto this fine territory. Better let me take over."

Li Qingqiu suddenly understood.

True enough, the Tai Kun Mountain Range was vast and rich in resources, yet it housed only one sect—clearly the prestige Lin Xunfeng had carved out with bloodshed. Now that Lin Xunfeng was gone, other sects would naturally set their sights on this land.

He felt a trace of resentment inwardly. Master, if you wanted to seek immortality, why did you have to make such a stir?

But then he reconsidered. Lin Xunfeng might have been afraid of enemies coming to settle old scores.

If Lin Xunfeng's enemies came, they wouldn't waste words—they'd just start a massacre.

Right now, Mo Jiujiao only wanted to occupy the Qingxiao Sect.

Li Qingqiu asked, "If you become Sect Master, what benefits do we disciples get?"

Mo Jiujiao said with a grin, "Naturally, you'll become my disciples. To be honest, I come from the Seven Peaks Alliance. Once I'm Sect Master of Qingxiao, the sect will join the Seven Peaks Alliance. You'll receive protection from now on—a rare stroke of luck for you. You should know, in the martial world, claiming territory comes with bloodshed."

Li Qingqiu listened and nodded slightly, finding his words reasonable.

"Yeah, claiming territory does come with bloodshed. So can I refuse?" Li Qingqiu asked calmly. He didn't even stand up, still sitting cross-legged on the grass.

Hearing this, Mo Jiujiao gave a half-smile and asked, "Don't you want to ask your Sect Master?"

"I am the Sect Master."

Li Qingqiu's answer made Mo Jiujiao stop in his tracks. Mo Jiujiao looked him up and down, his expression turning odd.

"Rumor has it that after the bloody storm twenty years ago, the Qingxiao Sect was left with only Lin Xunfeng. So it's true—they let a kid take over as Sect Master."

Mo Jiujiao muttered, shaking his head with a laugh.

If he'd known, he wouldn't have wasted his breath.

"In that case, you have no room to refuse. Either submit to me, or I'll cut out your tongues and gouge out your eyes, making you slaves for life."

Mo Jiujiao's face twisted into a snarl as he stepped forward again, closing in on Li Qingqiu.

Li Qingqiu narrowed his eyes, ready to strike, but then his ear twitched and he relaxed completely.

"How dare you!"

A thunderous shout rang out. Yang Jueding, stepping off the cliff face, vaulted over the sect gate and landed like a swan on the stone steps, placing himself between Li Qingqiu and Mo Jiujiao.

Mo Jiujiao stared at Yang Jueding, frowning, and asked, "And who are you?"

He cursed Li Qingqiu under his breath. This brat dared to trick me!

No matter how eccentric Lin Xunfeng was, he wouldn't make a child the Sect Master!

"Yang Jueding. Heard of me?" Yang Jueding's voice boomed like a bell, echoing across the ridge with overwhelming presence.

Mo Jiujiao's face turned ugly. He gritted his teeth and said, "Dragon Subduing Great Hero, I've never heard of any connection between you and the Qingxiao Sect."

"Well, you see it now. Get lost!"

Yang Jueding said in a deep voice, his inner energy surging, making his robes flutter as he loomed over Mo Jiujiao like a fierce tiger.

Mo Jiujiao's face shifted through shades of gloom. His reputation was nothing compared to Yang Jueding's. Facing a master renowned across the world, he instinctively felt fear.

But he had come all this way—was he really going to retreat like this?

After a moment of silence, Mo Jiujiao took a deep breath, raised his hand in salute to Yang Jueding, and said, "I'll take my leave!"

With that, he turned and left.

"Yang Jueding, kill him."

Li Qingqiu's voice suddenly came from behind. Hearing this, Mo Jiujiao's face changed drastically, and he quickened his pace.

Yang Jueding was equally stunned. He turned to look at Li Qingqiu and saw his icy expression—it made his heart tremble.

This was the first time he had seen such a look in Li Qingqiu's eyes.

"This is an order. Execute it immediately."

Li Qingqiu spoke again. Yang Jueding gritted his teeth and charged down the mountain, but Mo Jiujiao had already vanished into the forest.

Yang Jueding's hesitation made Li Qingqiu shake his head.

If this man weren't so skilled in martial arts, he would have been devoured down to the bone long ago in the martial world.

Having lived two lives, combined with his childhood experiences in this one, Li Qingqiu had long seen the world for what it was. He was ready to face the challenges of the jianghu.

Killing was unavoidable.

He wouldn't kill the innocent, but if anyone dared to provoke him, he would show no mercy. That was also why he hadn't blamed Jiang Zhaoxia for killing Luo Lie—in fact, he admired his Third Junior Brother's ruthlessness.

He sat patiently, waiting where he was, not afraid that Yang Jueding would let Mo Jiujiao escape. This was his test for Yang Jueding.

If he couldn't pass it, then he could spend the rest of his life practicing martial arts. The Qingxiao Sect would keep him as a gatekeeper.

As for that so-called Seven Peaks Alliance, if they can't be avoided, they'll have to be tough it out.

How could a cultivation sect be scared off by a martial arts sect?

From the Supreme Sword Control Technique Yang Jueding obtained, there were clearly other cultivators in this world, and where there were cultivators, there were cultivation sects—they were simply hidden from the world, or perhaps not within the Great Li Dynasty.

Li Qingqiu was already envisioning hypothetical enemies in the cultivation world.

After the time it takes an incense stick to burn.

Yang Jueding emerged from the forest below, Mo Jiujiao slung over his shoulder.

Mo Jiujiao's limbs hung limply, his body like a sack of mud, with shocking bloodstains on his back.

Yang Jueding's hair was slightly disheveled as he walked up to Li Qingqiu and dropped Mo Jiujiao to the ground.

Li Qingqiu glanced over and saw that Mo Jiujiao wasn't dead yet, just unconscious.

"If we let him go, what would be the consequences?" Li Qingqiu asked.

Yang Jueding's face darkened as he gritted his teeth and said, "He'll call more people."

"He said he's from the Seven Peaks Alliance and wants to forcibly take over Qingxiao Sect."

Li Qingqiu continued, his tone laced with displeasure, and that displeasure was aimed at Yang Jueding.

His words as Sect Master carried no weight!

They'd agreed to kill him!

When Yang Jueding heard the words "Seven Peaks Alliance," his expression shifted.

He had trained for twenty years and had exceptional hearing, but earlier he'd only caught Mo Jiujiao's threats to Li Qingqiu, not his origins.

Yang Jueding took a deep breath, raised his right foot, and stomped hard on Mo Jiujiao's back. Mo Jiujiao's eyes snapped open, a gush of blood spraying from his mouth as he breathed his last.

Li Qingqiu glanced over, confirmed Mo Jiujiao was truly dead, then sheathed the nine swords before him, stood up, and left a single sentence as he turned away:

"Bury the body, and wash the ground while you're at it."

Yang Jueding watched Li Qingqiu leave, his emotions tangled.

He'd actually been intimidated by a youth.

This kid was no simpleton!

No wonder he could keep Jiang Zhaoxia in check.

Yang Jueding sighed inwardly, then suddenly felt something was off.

I came out here to help, so why am I acting like I'm the one at fault, having to bury a corpse and scrub the ground?

Despite his indignation, he still obediently hoisted Mo Jiujiao's corpse.

Just then, he spotted Jiang Zhaoxia and Wu Man'er emerging from the woods below, and he froze, a chilling realization dawning on him.

If he hadn't caught Mo Jiujiao earlier, and Mo Jiujiao had run into Jiang Zhaoxia, it would've been the same end. If that had happened, then he truly would have been at fault for not following the Sect Master's orders.

Yang Jueding's mood turned subtle as he realized Li Qingqiu's scheming ran deeper than he'd imagined.

The most terrifying part was that with Jiang Zhaoxia around, there was no way for him to resist any punishment Li Qingqiu handed down.

Li Qingqiu didn't try to cover up Mo Jiujiao's death. First, Yang Jueding's roar had already been heard by the disciples. Second, he wanted to leave an impression on them—that Qingxiao Sect was a place that killed, not some righteous little sect toiling away in the mountains.

As for whether this would be reported to the authorities, he wasn't worried. Alive, you see the person; dead, you see the corpse. This world had no surveillance cameras.

Besides, which sect in the martial world hadn't risen to fame atop a mountain of bones?

Seven days later, the disciples had already put the matter out of their minds.

A gentle breeze blew, the weather pleasant.

In the forest, Li Qingqiu sat across from Jiang Zhaoxia, arms crossed, a smug look on his face.

Jiang Zhaoxia held the thin leather scroll recording the Supreme Sword Control Technique, his eyes gleaming. After reading it, he looked at Li Qingqiu and asked, "A supreme art like this, you're willing to hand it over to me? As Sect Master, shouldn't you keep a trick up your sleeve?"

His heart was deeply moved—it seemed Li Qingqiu hadn't grown wary of him just because of his change in status.

Li Qingqiu rolled his eyes. "Do I look like that kind of person? I hope you'll always be the strongest in Qingxiao Sect. We agreed—you'll support me for life, so don't run off halfway."

Jiang Zhaoxia chuckled. "I did want to run before, but not anymore. Don't worry, I'll always have your back."

Li Qingqiu had already come to terms with it—at this stage, he could hardly catch up to Jiang Zhaoxia.

Rather than dwell on that, it was better to let Jiang Zhaoxia grow as fast as possible.

Once Qingxiao Sect climbed another step, he could replicate another fate, and that would be his chance to overtake him on the curve.

Having Jiang Zhaoxia as the sect's public face of strength was also a good thing, while he himself would strive to become Qingxiao Sect's greatest hidden card.

Li Qingqiu had his own Competitive Spirit too, it just hadn't formed into a fate entry.

"By the way, Senior Brother, have you already learned it?" Jiang Zhaoxia asked curiously.

Li Qingqiu laughed with soaring pride. "Of course, I got it in one look."

Jiang Zhaoxia felt the pressure. He didn't doubt his senior brother's words—his brother's sword dao comprehension was the most terrifying he'd ever seen.

He lowered his gaze to the fine fur and sighed. "Eldest Senior Brother, while martial training does draw on the energy of heaven and earth, I've always felt that the spiritual energy we absorb is different. Those who practice internal cultivation can't even sense its presence, and Yang Jueding doesn't even know what spiritual energy is. Why is that?"

Li Qingqiu inwardly groaned. A junior brother who was too clever was not necessarily a good thing.

He raised an eyebrow. "You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? Fine, I'll come clean. We're not actually practicing martial arts—we're cultivating immortality."

Jiang Zhaoxia stared wide-eyed. "Eldest Senior Brother, can you be serious for once?"

Just then, Li Sifeng ran into the grove. Jiang Zhaoxia moved quickly, stuffing the fine fur into his pocket.

"Eldest Senior Brother, Third Senior Brother, come quick! Second Senior Brother and the others found a nest of eagle chicks!" Li Sifeng called out excitedly, stopping and waving at them from a distance.