Guardian Divine Beast

In the courtyard, all the disciples gathered together, and even Yang Jueding stood at the back of the crowd, craning his neck to look inside.

Li Qingqiu crouched in the middle of the crowd. On the ground before him lay a bird's nest containing three eaglets and two eagle eggs. The three young eagles were covered in dark gray down, and the shape of their beaks already hinted at their raptor lineage. They were still very young, unable to fly, chirping and bumping into each other in the nest, with broken eggshells nearby.

Zhang Yuchun was recounting where he had found the eagle's nest. It turned out that when he had gone down the mountain before, he had deliberately bought a few herb books, wanting to learn some medical skills. Following the herbal guide, he had gone up the mountain to search for medicinal plants and happened to spot the eagle's nest atop a peak.

He described the process as extremely perilous, drawing gasps from the disciples from time to time. Li Qingqiu looked at these eaglets, thinking of the Guardian Beast in the Legacy System, wondering if he could make these eaglets embark on the path of immortal cultivation.

"Master, did you see their parents?" Zhang Yuchun's eldest disciple, Huang Shan, asked. He was the oldest among the seven new disciples, now thirteen years old, and had already become the leader of their small circle. Although he hadn't managed to cultivate Origin Energy, his talent in martial arts was quite good, and his physical skills were the strongest among the seven.

Zhang Yuchun shook his head. "No. If I had, it wouldn't have been so easy."

Li Qingqiu stood up and smiled. "Well done. Raise them, especially those two eggs. Try to hatch them. In the future, let them become the guardian beasts of Qingxiao Sect. Then, when people in the martial world see an eagle, they'll know Qingxiao Sect is near and scatter in fear. Wouldn't that be impressive?"

Hearing this, the disciples' eyes lit up, even Jiang Zhaoxia's. Their gazes toward the nest of eaglets grew fervent. Yang Jueding couldn't help but pour cold water on it. "Eagles aren't dogs. They're not so easy to tame. When they grow up, they'll definitely fly away."

"So we need to think of more ways. It would be best if it works." Li Qingqiu said nonchalantly. Apart from cultivation, there was little entertainment in these mountain days. Raising a pet wasn't bad either.

The disciples began to discuss along the lines of Li Qingqiu's words. Li Qingqiu listened, helping them broaden their thinking. Qingxiao Sect was too monotonous; it needed the disciples to be creative, just like Zhang Yuchun taking the initiative to learn medicine and bringing back the eagle's nest.

As they talked, Li Qingqiu suddenly felt he needed to establish a format for Qingxiao Sect. For example, every month, he and his six junior brothers and sisters would hold a formal meeting to plan the next month's development. They couldn't be too lax. This would also cultivate the mindset of the junior brothers and sisters as future leaders.

The disciples' martial arts training should also be divided into different schools, so that Qingxiao Sect's martial path could branch out and flourish. As for the immortal cultivation disciples, they could be considered the elite of Qingxiao Sect. After all, the Legacy reward for having all members become cultivators had already been claimed.

The most important thing now was to lay a solid foundation for Qingxiao Sect. Internal affairs needed clear rules, finances needed planning! Resources needed long-term development! They needed to start clearing new land!

The more Li Qingqiu thought, the more he felt that time was pressing. He had been too lax before.

That evening, Li Qingqiu called his six junior brothers and sisters to his room for a meeting. Although Wu Man'er was simple-minded, and Li Sifeng and Li Sijin were young, Li Qingqiu still had them come. The seven of them grew more and more excited as they talked, and even Jiang Zhaoxia put forward many constructive ideas.

After they disbanded, they returned to their own rooms and began holding smaller meetings with the other disciples. That night, the entire Qingxiao Sect was busy until very late. When they got up for morning practice the next day, many people had dark circles under their eyes.

Yang Jueding stood on the mountaintop, stretching his body. He looked down at the courtyard below, where the energetic Qingxiao Sect disciples were bustling about, and felt quite emotional. He suddenly felt that in ten years, Qingxiao Sect would shake the world, the sect would grow, and undergo earth-shattering changes. Perhaps he needed to work even harder.

Having come to this realization, Yang Jueding decided to seriously nurture the seven disciples from the mountain village. These seven would surely become the future pillars of Qingxiao Sect. As for Xu Ning, he couldn't teach her even if he wanted to; that girl only listened to Li Qingqiu now.

In the days that followed, the disciples' range of activity began to expand. Practicing martial arts and training within the three courtyards was no longer enough for them. They started going down to the forest at the foot of the mountain to train, and Yang Jueding began to teach them one by one. Yang Jueding's attitude satisfied Li Qingqiu, and he began to change his view of him.

In the blink of an eye, three months had passed. The weather was hot, and the usually mischievous Li Sifeng was lying under a tree resting, unable to calm his mind. This was halfway up the mountain, two hundred zhang away from the sect at the top. He was training alone, as the Eldest Senior Brother had instructed him not to let Yang Jueding and the others see him practicing the Gale Technique.

Li Sifeng had been practicing the Gale Technique for half a month but still couldn't grasp the essentials. He was almost ready to give up. "It's really nice not to train," the young Li Sifeng sighed sincerely, his hands pillowing his head. He crossed his legs, his little feet swinging back and forth. He felt that life was pretty good now—carefree, with many things he wanted to do every day.

Today, he wanted to go dig out a rat's nest. That big rat he had encountered before had escaped, and he still remembered it. Voices came from a distance, and Li Sifeng sat up, looking intently. He saw two figures approaching from afar, one old and one young, travel-worn, pushing aside the weeds along the path.

"Hey! There's a kid over there!" The cloth-clad youth walking in front pointed at Li Sifeng and exclaimed. The old man following behind him was tall, carrying a backpack, and despite his white hair, he gave off a sturdy impression. The white-haired old man looked up and immediately spotted Li Sifeng. He couldn't help but frown. This place was far too remote from the village at the foot of the mountain; it wasn't a place a child could reach.

Seeming to think of something, he asked, "Child, are you a disciple of Qingxiao Sect?"

Li Sifeng did not flee. He sat on the ground and replied, "That's right. Who are you?"

As soon as the boy in plain clothes heard he was a Qingxiao Sect disciple, he quickened his pace and ran over.

"Young master, slow down!"

The white-haired elder followed behind, calling out helplessly.

The boy in plain clothes arrived before Li Sifeng and said excitedly, "My name is Jiang Nian. I'm thirteen this year. What about you? What's your name? How old are you?"

Li Sifeng stood up and answered, "My name is Li Sifeng. I'm also thirteen this year."

He compared their heights and found himself a bit shorter than Jiang Nian, which left him somewhat dejected.

Just then, the white-haired elder walked over and asked, "Little brother, is your master Lin Xunfeng here?"

Li Sifeng looked at him and said, "My master left long ago. Didn't he announce his retirement from the martial world at that Carefree Martial Tournament? Haven't you heard?"

Ever since Lin Xunfeng announced his retirement, Li Qingqiu no longer let the disciples hide this fact.

The white-haired elder was not disappointed after hearing this. Instead, he smiled and asked, "Then is Jiang Zhaoxia still in the sect?"

"Do you know my Third Senior Brother?" Li Sifeng asked warily.

Both surnamed Jiang!

Something's wrong!

Although Li Sifeng usually feared Jiang Zhaoxia, the bond between the senior and junior brothers ran deep. They were all orphans, but none of them knew each other's backgrounds.

Could Third Senior Brother have a family down the mountain?

If Third Senior Brother left, what would happen to Qingxiao Sect?

Though Li Sifeng was young and usually carefree, his thoughts ran deep. At this moment, he imagined many dire consequences.

Qingxiao Sect could not do without Jiang Zhaoxia right now!

"He's my brother. We came specifically to find him and take him home."

Jiang Nian smiled. He was handsome, with fair skin, and his smile was very sunny and endearing.

But that smile, in Li Sifeng's eyes, was utterly detestable.

"Third Senior Brother went down the mountain with my master earlier. You've made a wasted trip."

Li Sifeng spread his hands, putting on a helpless and sympathetic expression.

The white-haired elder frowned upon hearing this and then said, "Then can we stay for the night? It's too late to go down the mountain now."

Li Sifeng shook his head. "There are other guests in the sect. There's no place for you to stay."

"We'll just take one look," the white-haired elder insisted.

Li Sifeng was still too young, and the white-haired elder saw through his bluff.

With that, the white-haired elder pulled Jiang Nian and started walking up the mountain.

Li Sifeng panicked and immediately blocked their path. "You're not allowed up the mountain!"

The white-haired elder's face showed displeasure, but he held his temper and asked, "Little brother, why are you stopping us from finding Young Master Jiang?"

Li Sifeng glared. "You abandoned Third Senior Brother, and now you want to take him back? What right do you have to decide his fate?"

The white-haired elder said helplessly, "There were many reasons for what happened back then. You're too young to understand. Now, if your Third Senior Brother comes back with us, he'll enjoy a good life—better than on this mountain. If you can't bear to part with him, you can come with us too."

Jiang Nian was very interested in Li Sifeng and chimed in, "Yeah, come with us! My father became a high official, and life is really good now."

Li Sifeng was not swayed. Instead, he grew more panicked, feeling as if Jiang Zhaoxia was slipping away from him.

"No! Absolutely not! Don't even think about going up the mountain!"

Li Sifeng clenched his small fists and shouted angrily. As he spoke, he pulled a dagger from his waist, its blade glinting.

Seeing Li Sifeng draw a weapon, the white-haired elder instead smiled. Stroking his beard, he laughed, "Boy, do you know who I am? In the martial world, if you dared to draw a blade on me, not even a god could save you."

"Blow it out your ass!"

Li Sifeng craned his neck and yelled, having learned that phrase from the Eldest Senior Brother.

The white-haired elder didn't understand the words, but he could clearly tell the boy was cursing him.

The white-haired elder's face turned cold. He snorted, "In that case, I'll teach you on Lin Xunfeng's behalf how to speak to your elders!"

He reached out to grab Li Sifeng.

Suddenly.

Li Sifeng moved.

His left hand shot up like lightning, seizing the white-haired elder's right wrist. He yanked hard, and the elder, caught off guard, lost his balance and stumbled toward him.

Li Sifeng had a follow-up. As he pulled the white-haired elder, his right hand drove the dagger toward the elder's chest.

The white-haired elder's pupils dilated, his eyes filled with disbelief.