Jiang Zhaoxia's Pressure

When Li Qingqiu heard Mo Jiujiao's words, he froze, completely caught off guard.

Qingxiao Sect only had three courtyards and not many disciples. How could anyone have their eye on it?

"Who sent you?" Li Qingqiu asked cautiously. If the other man had been sent by Lin Xunfeng, he would have to settle this peacefully. But if he had nothing to do with Lin Xunfeng and had come to seize Qingxiao Sect by force, then that was another matter.

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

Mo Jiujiao walked toward Li Qingqiu with a smile. "Your master, Lin Xunfeng, announced at the Carefree Martial Tournament in Xiaoyao Prefecture that he was washing his hands of the martial world and retiring for good. Now that he's left, Qingxiao Sect will have a hard time holding on to this vast, beautiful land. Why not let me take over?"

Li Qingqiu suddenly understood.

That made sense. Tai Kun Mountain Range was vast and rich in resources, yet it had only one sect. That was clearly because Lin Xunfeng had carved out a fearsome reputation here. Now that he was gone, other sects would naturally set their sights on the region.

Li Qingqiu grumbled inwardly. Master, if you're going to seek immortality, then go seek it. Why make such a huge commotion?

But then he reconsidered. Perhaps Lin Xunfeng was afraid his enemies would come looking for him.

If Lin Xunfeng's enemies showed up, they wouldn't waste their breath. They'd simply slaughter their way through.

For now, Mo Jiujiao merely wanted to take over Qingxiao Sect.

Li Qingqiu asked, "If you become sect master, what do we disciples get out of it?"

Mo Jiujiao beamed. "Naturally, you'll become my disciples. To be frank, I'm from the Seven Peaks Alliance. Once I become sect master of Qingxiao Sect, the sect will join the alliance. You'll have our protection from then on. For you, that's an opportunity you can hardly hope to come across. You should know that disputes over territory in the martial world are settled in blood."

Li Qingqiu listened and nodded slightly, thinking that Mo Jiujiao had a point.

"Yes, disputes over territory are settled in blood. So can I refuse?" Li Qingqiu asked calmly. He didn't even stand, remaining seated on the grass with his legs crossed.

Mo Jiujiao heard this and asked with an amused, knowing smile, "Won't you ask your sect master?"

"I am the sect master."

Li Qingqiu's answer brought Mo Jiujiao to a halt. He looked him up and down, his expression turning strange.

"Rumor has it that after the bloodbath twenty years ago, Lin Xunfeng was the only one left in Qingxiao Sect. So it was true. They actually made a little kid sect master."

Mo Jiujiao muttered, shaking his head with a laugh.

If he'd known, he wouldn't have bothered with all that talk.

"In that case, you have no choice. Either you submit to me, or I'll tear out your tongues and gouge out your eyes, and you can spend the rest of your lives as slaves."

Mo Jiujiao's face twisted into a snarl as he took another step toward Li Qingqiu.

Li Qingqiu narrowed his eyes, about to strike, when his ear twitched. He relaxed again.

"Impudent!"

A thunderous shout rang out. Yang Jueding stepped onto the cliff face, leaped over the mountain gate, and landed on the stone steps like a wild goose, placing himself between Li Qingqiu and Mo Jiujiao.

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

He cursed Li Qingqiu inwardly. The brat actually dared to deceive me!

No matter how eccentric Lin Xunfeng was, he wouldn't make a little kid sect master!

"Yang Jueding. Ever heard of me?" Yang Jueding's voice rang out like a bell, echoing across the hill with commanding force.

Mo Jiujiao's expression darkened at once. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Dragon Subduing Great Hero, I've never heard that you had any connection to Qingxiao Sect."

"Now you have. So get lost!"

Yang Jueding spoke in a low voice. Internal Energy surged within him, setting his robes fluttering as he loomed over Mo Jiujiao like a ferocious tiger.

Mo Jiujiao's expression shifted back and forth. Compared with Yang Jueding's reputation, his own was nothing. Faced with an expert who shook the world, he couldn't help but feel afraid.

But he'd come all this way. Was he really going to leave just like that?

After a moment of silence, Mo Jiujiao took a deep breath and clasped his hands toward Yang Jueding. "I'll take my leave."

With that, he turned and walked away.

"Yang Jueding, kill him."

Li Qingqiu's voice suddenly came from behind them. Mo Jiujiao's expression changed dramatically, and he immediately quickened his pace.

Yang Jueding was just as taken aback. He turned to look at Li Qingqiu and saw the coldness in his expression. His heart gave an involuntary shudder.

It was the first time he'd ever seen Li Qingqiu look at someone like that.

"That's an order. Carry it out at once."

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

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

If this man weren't so skilled in martial arts, someone out in the martial world would've swallowed him whole, bones and all, long ago.

Having lived two lives, and experienced what he had as a child in this one, Li Qingqiu had long since understood the ways of this world. He was ready to face the challenges of the martial world.

Killing was unavoidable.

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

He sat patiently where he was and waited. He wasn't worried that Yang Jueding might let Mo Jiujiao escape; this was a test for Yang Jueding.

If he couldn't get past this, then he might as well spend the rest of his life practicing martial arts. Qingxiao Sect would keep him on as a gatekeeper.

As for the Seven Peaks Alliance, if they couldn't avoid a clash, they would just have to stand their ground.

How could an immortal sect be frightened away by a martial arts sect?

From the Supreme Sword Control Technique Yang Jueding had obtained, it was clear that other cultivators existed in this world. And where there were cultivators, there were cultivation sects. They were simply hidden from the world—or perhaps they were outside the Great Li Dynasty.

Li Qingqiu was already imagining the potential enemies of the cultivation world.

An incense stick's worth of time later,

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

Mo Jiujiao's limbs hung limp, his body like a heap of mud. A shocking smear of blood stained his back.

Yang Jueding's hair was slightly disheveled. He came over to Li Qingqiu and dropped Mo Jiujiao on the ground.

Li Qingqiu glanced at Mo Jiujiao and saw that he was still alive, merely unconscious.

"What would happen if you let him go?" Li Qingqiu asked.

Yang Jueding grimaced and gritted his teeth. "He'd bring more people back."

"He said he was from the Seven Peaks Alliance and wanted to seize Qingxiao Sect by force."

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

So much for his words as sect master counting for anything!

He'd said to kill him!

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

He'd been practicing martial arts for twenty years and had exceptional hearing, but earlier he had only heard Mo Jiujiao threaten Li Qingqiu. He hadn't known where Mo Jiujiao came from.

Yang Jueding drew a deep breath, lifted his right foot, and stomped down hard on Mo Jiujiao's back. Mo Jiujiao's eyes snapped open. A mouthful of blood burst from his lips, and he breathed his last.

Li Qingqiu glanced at him and, after confirming Mo Jiujiao was truly dead, gathered up the nine swords in front of him. Then he stood and left with a parting remark:

"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 cowed by a young boy.

This kid was no simple character!

No wonder he could keep that Jiang Zhaoxia in check.

Yang Jueding marveled inwardly, but then a thought struck him and he suddenly felt something was off.

I came out here to help. Why do I feel like I've done something wrong, and now I have to bury the body and clean the ground?

Though indignant, he dutifully picked up Mo Jiujiao's corpse.

Just then, he saw Jiang Zhaoxia and Wu Man'er emerge from the woods below. He froze, and a dreadful thought occurred to him.

If he hadn't caught Mo Jiujiao earlier, and Mo Jiujiao had run into Jiang Zhaoxia, the man would've been just as dead. If that had happened, then Yang Jueding really would have been at fault for failing to obey the sect master's order.

Yang Jueding's feelings grew complicated. He realized that Li Qingqiu was even more calculating than he'd imagined.

And the most frightening part was that with Jiang Zhaoxia there, no matter what punishment Li Qingqiu gave him, he would have no way to resist.

Li Qingqiu didn't cover up Mo Jiujiao's death. For one thing, Yang Jueding's shout had been heard by the disciples. For another, he wanted them to understand that Qingxiao Sect was willing to kill—not some righteous little sect quietly cultivating in the mountains.

As for whether the matter would be reported to the authorities, he wasn't worried. To prove someone was dead, you needed a body. This world had no surveillance cameras.

Besides, what sect in the martial world hadn't built its fearsome reputation on a mountain of bones?

Seven days later, the disciples had stopped thinking about the matter.

A gentle breeze blew through the pleasant weather.

In the woods, Li Qingqiu sat facing Jiang Zhaoxia, his arms folded across his chest and a smug look on his face.

Jiang Zhaoxia held the thin hide that recorded the Supreme Sword Control Technique, his eyes shining. After reading it, he looked at Li Qingqiu and asked, "You're really willing to teach me a supreme technique like this? As sect master, shouldn't you be keeping something up your sleeve?"

He was deeply moved. It seemed Li Qingqiu hadn't grown wary of him just because their positions had changed.

Li Qingqiu replied irritably, "Do I seem like that kind of person? I want you to always be the strongest in Qingxiao Sect. You promised to assist me for life, so don't go running off halfway."

Jiang Zhaoxia chuckled. "I did want to run away 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, there was almost no chance he'd catch up to Jiang Zhaoxia.

Rather than fretting over that, he was better off helping Jiang Zhaoxia grow as quickly as possible.

Once Qingxiao Sect climbed to the next level, he would be able to copy another Fate. That would be his chance to overtake everyone on the bends.

It was a good thing to have Jiang Zhaoxia serve as Qingxiao Sect's strongest fighter in the open. Li Qingqiu himself would work to become the sect's trump card.

Li Qingqiu had his own competitive spirit, even if it hadn't formed a Fate trait.

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

Li Qingqiu laughed with boundless confidence. "Of course. I learned it after one look."

Jiang Zhaoxia felt the pressure. He didn't doubt his senior brother's words; his senior brother's talent for understanding the sword was the most terrifying he'd ever seen.

He lowered his gaze to the thin hide and mused, "Senior Brother, practicing martial arts draws on the energy of heaven and earth, but I always feel that the spiritual energy we absorb is different. Those who practice Internal Energy can't even sense it, and Yang Jueding doesn't even know what spiritual energy is. Why is that?"

Li Qingqiu thought, This is bad. Having such a clever junior brother isn't always a good thing.

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

Jiang Zhaoxia stared at him. "Senior Brother, can you be serious for once?"

Just then, Li Sifeng ran into the woods. Jiang Zhaoxia reacted quickly and stuffed the thin hide into his pocket.

"Eldest Senior Brother, Third Senior Brother, come see! Second Senior Brother and the others came back with a whole nest of eaglets!" Li Sifeng said excitedly. He stopped and waved to Li Qingqiu and Jiang Zhaoxia from a distance.