Martial Arts Legend

Under the sunlight, the rolling mountain ranges were covered in scorched yellow, as though they had been roasted through.

A great river wound between two mountain ranges. Beside it ran an official road, and at that moment, several hundred martial arts experts were galloping along on fiery steeds, kicking up a trail of dust. Some of the warriors had great banners rising from their backs, each emblazoned with the words "Seven Peaks," creating an imposing sight like an army of a thousand chariots and ten thousand horses.

They wore matching azure martial robes, their right sleeves hanging from their shoulders and fluttering like flames, while brass shoulder guards shaped like tiger heads covered their left shoulders. Every face was icy, and an oppressive killing intent hung thick in the air. The procession moved through the mountains like a green dragon, unstoppable.

At the very front, a young man turned toward the middle-aged man beside him and asked, "Master, aren't we making too much of this? We've sent so many people. Never mind that Lin Xunfeng has retired from the martial world—even if he hadn't, we could still capture him."

The middle-aged man was named Yue Zhenchuan, one of the seven alliance leaders of the Seven Peaks Alliance. His martial prowess was formidable, and his reputation in the martial world was immense.

Faced with his disciple's question, Yue Zhenchuan's expression did not change. He replied, "Mo Jiujiao has been gone for so long without returning. Something must have happened. Although Mo Jiujiao isn't particularly powerful, the fact that the Qingxiao Sect dared to capture him means they were prepared to stand against the Seven Peaks Alliance. The tides of the world are shifting, and undercurrents are surging through the martial world. We cannot afford to be careless. Sometimes, total ruin begins with a single minor defeat."

The young man nodded at those words. Although he disagreed inwardly, he did not dare defy his master.

"By the way, Master, just how powerful is that Lin Xunfeng? He actually occupies the entire Tai Kun Mountain Range. Their territory is almost as large as that of our Seven Peaks Alliance." The young man changed the subject as he asked, and the other Seven Peaks Alliance disciples behind them also turned their gazes toward Yue Zhenchuan.

"The Qingxiao Sect's occupation of the Tai Kun Mountain Range was accomplished by Lin Xunfeng's master. He was the founder of the Qingxiao Sect, a figure who once struck terror into the entire martial world. Unfortunately, he eventually went berserk while practicing his cultivation and vanished without a trace. Lin Xunfeng inherited only three-tenths of his power, yet that was enough to protect the Qingxiao Sect. Back then, three alliance leaders of our Seven Peaks Alliance joined forces, but we still failed to defeat him."

Yue Zhenchuan's tone remained calm. There was not the slightest ripple in his voice as he spoke of these matters.

The young man asked curiously, "Did you also take part at the time?"

"Not having fought Lin Xunfeng is one of the greatest regrets of my life. I hope I'll have the chance this time."

With that, Yue Zhenchuan whipped his mount, making the fiery horse let out a shrill whinny before accelerating. The other Seven Peaks Alliance disciples had no choice but to follow suit, all of them urging their horses to speed up.

At noon, the bright sun hung high in the sky. In the courtyard, the disciples gathered around, their eyes fixed on Zhang Yuchun.

Zhang Yuchun was wearing a brand-new sect robe. It was blue, with wide sleeves and a tightly cinched waist. Although it was neither exquisite nor luxurious, it made him look tall and spirited.

For the disciples of the Qingxiao Sect, such sect robes were already quite good. After all, they usually wore old clothes covered in patches.

Zhang Yuchun waved his sleeve and looked at Li Qingqiu. "Eldest Senior Brother, aren't the sleeves a little too large? If we fight someone, they might restrict our movements."

Li Qingqiu smiled. "I think they look quite good. Besides, our Qingxiao Sect isn't a sect that revels in violence. This is only the initial design. We'll continue upgrading the sect robes in the future and make them better-looking."

Although they were still far from possessing the bearing of cultivators, they were clearly different from ordinary martial men. That was enough for now. They could improve them gradually later.

The tailor standing nearby saw that Li Qingqiu was satisfied and immediately let out a breath of relief. The workload for this commission had been rather large, and he was already regretting accepting it.

Afterward, Li Qingqiu called over Yang Jueding and the seven disciples from the village at the foot of the mountain, then walked with them into the woods behind the mountain.

Huang Shan and the other six stood side by side, staring curiously at Li Qingqiu, unsure what instructions he had for them.

Li Qingqiu swept his gaze over them and said, "After I took over as sect master of the Qingxiao Sect, I decided to take an entirely new path. Although we still use the sect's former name, we are, in truth, an entirely new sect. Our martial arts and our rules are completely different. You are the first batch of disciples recruited by the new Qingxiao Sect. As more disciples join us in the future, you will inevitably have to shoulder greater responsibilities."

All seven disciples became solemn, straightening their backs as well.

Li Qingqiu smiled with satisfaction. "Regardless of your aptitude or comprehension, the disciples who come after you will always respect you. However, I won't let you enjoy empty titles alone. From today onward, I grant you the title of the Qingxiao Seven Sons. Yang Jueding will teach you the Supreme Internal Skill and grant each of you a unique art. We'll strive to give you the ability to roam the martial world unhindered before you reach adulthood."

Yang Jueding spoke from the side. "From now on, I'll impart my true martial arts to you. No more of those flashy but useless techniques from before. This is treatment that the other disciples won't receive."

Ever since he began cultivating the Primordial Scripture, he had been utterly astonished. He felt that all the martial arts he possessed were worthless compared to the Primordial Scripture, so there was nothing wrong with offering them up.

The Qingxiao Seven Sons had already practiced the Primordial Scripture but had yet to achieve anything. Switching to his martial path was a good thing, and would save them from wasting any more time.

Even as he made this promise, Yang Jueding felt somewhat nervous.

If I can't master the Primordial Scripture either, that'll be unbearably miserable.

"Sect Master, we absolutely won't let you down!" Huang Shan was the first to speak, his voice filled with excitement. The other disciples also looked gratefully at Li Qingqiu.

After suffering the blow dealt by the Primordial Scripture, they had assumed that the sect master would give up on them and make them endure ten years before sending them down the mountain. They had never expected him to still want to cultivate them as key disciples. How could they not be moved?

Li Qingqiu encouraged them a few more times, then turned and left, leaving the rest to Yang Jueding.

Yang Jueding was no Jiang Zhaoxia. Li Qingqiu would not let him focus solely on cultivation; he had to set aside half his time to teach the disciples.

Li Qingqiu did not return to the sect. Instead, he headed down the mountain, preparing to continue practicing the Spring Return Ghost Immortal Needle.

He had already gained a preliminary understanding of this needle technique, but he was still a long way from being able to truly perform it.

Early the next morning.

Li Sifeng, Li Sijin, and Xu Ning descended the mountain together. They were heading to the underground Spirit Lake to cultivate.

Li Sifeng walked in front, holding a wooden branch. Using it as a sword, he waved it as he walked, occasionally muttering the names of techniques under his breath.

Li Sijin and Xu Ning walked behind hand in hand, chatting about the Qingxiao Seven Sons learning martial arts. Starting that morning, the Qingxiao Seven Sons would no longer practice alongside them. That had been arranged by Li Qingqiu.

Aside from Li Sijin, Li Sifeng and Xu Ning already possessed the ability to protect themselves. Xu Ning would occasionally spar with Li Qingqiu to gain experience in applying her skills. That was also why Li Qingqiu felt at ease letting the three of them descend the mountain together.

The Qingxiao Seven Sons' failure with the Primordial Scripture made them realize that it was indeed no simple scripture, and they therefore cherished their cultivation time even more.

"With one slash, I cleave the flood dragon. In this world, none can compare to me..."

Li Sifeng reached the slope ahead and leaped down, landing on the grass below. He dropped to one knee, then slashed out with his wooden sword and struck a very dashing pose.

He lowered his head, immersed in the sensation, as though he had truly slain a flood dragon.

Suddenly.

He seemed to sense something and abruptly raised his head. In the forest ten yards away stood a large group of people staring at him. They wore identical robes and held their horses by the reins, watching him from afar like a crowd of ghosts. The sight made his heart tremble.

"Why did I run into people again..."

Li Sifeng secretly groaned. Last time, he had encountered Du Xuanfeng and the other man. This time, he had run into even more martial artists. His luck was truly terrible.

One glance at their bearing was enough to tell that they were no ordinary people.

Li Sifeng immediately thought of the Seven Peaks Alliance and the Azure Cult. He turned toward Li Sijin and Xu Ning, who were just preparing to come down the slope. He did not even need to signal them—Xu Ning had already spotted the several hundred martial artists from the Seven Peaks Alliance.

The hundreds of people had stopped in the woods with their horses. The visual impact was tremendous, making it seem as though there were far more than several hundred of them.

Li Sifeng hesitated over whether to run. If he did, it would be tantamount to telling the other side that they were disciples of the Qingxiao Sect.

If he stayed, they could rely on their young age to extract information.

Just then, he saw a middle-aged man leap down from his horse and walk toward him. The man also raised a hand, signaling the others to wait where they were.

Seeing this, Li Sifeng breathed a sigh of relief. Since the other side had not immediately pressed forward in force, there was room for negotiation.

If the situation turned unfavorable, he could still take this leader hostage and force his subordinates to retreat.

Once he had made up his mind, Li Sifeng became even calmer, though he deliberately put on a nervous expression.

"What should we do?" Li Sijin asked in a low voice. It was her first time facing so many people, and she instinctively felt afraid.

Xu Ning's face remained expressionless as she replied quietly, "Follow the rules we agreed on before. We're from somewhere else, and we got separated from our parents after coming up the mountain."

Li Sijin nodded, but she could not help moving closer to Xu Ning and pinching the sleeve of Xu Ning's robe.

The middle-aged man walking toward Li Sifeng was none other than Yue Zhenchuan, one of the alliance leaders of the Seven Peaks Alliance.

After approaching, Yue Zhenchuan did his best to reveal a gentle smile. As he walked, he said, "Little brother, don't be nervous. We're government officials passing through this area, and we wanted to ask you for directions."

Government officials?

Li Sifeng glanced toward the woods behind him and suddenly spotted a banner embroidered with the words "Seven Peaks." Even after noticing this, his expression did not change at all. He remained nervous and ill at ease.

Although Li Sifeng did not answer, he did not run either, which reassured Yue Zhenchuan even further.

After approaching, Yue Zhenchuan stopped seven paces away from Li Sifeng and asked with a smile, "Little brother, where are you from? Why don't I see any adults with you?"

The three of them had already changed into Qingxiao Sect robes. However, Yue Zhenchuan had never seen such robes before, and the words "Qingxiao" were not embroidered on them either. He instinctively assumed that Li Sifeng and the other two came from a nearby village or town and that their families were fairly well-off.

Li Sifeng answered cautiously, "We're from Meishan Township. We went to visit distant relatives with our uncles, but we accidentally got separated from them. We're looking for them now."

Yue Zhenchuan smiled. "Then I'll help you find them. But could you tell me first whether you encountered anyone else on the mountain recently?"

"Anyone else? Let me think. There really was..."

Pretending to ponder, Li Sifeng suddenly pounced at Yue Zhenchuan like a little leopard before he could finish speaking.