Soul Seizing Curse

At night, the moon shone bright in a sky scattered with stars.

When Li Qingqiu returned to his room, he found it clean, with bedding and a pillow on the bed. It seemed the Qin family's investment had come through, and Qingxiao Sect's days were looking up.

He had handed control of the finances to Zhang Yuchun. In his view, money was a worldly thing; all he needed to control was the Spirit Stone in the underground Spirit Lake.

Spirit Stones could aid cultivation, so they were surely hard currency in the cultivation world, just like oil in his previous life. That was Qingxiao Sect's true foundation.

Li Qingqiu sat cross-legged on the bed and brought up the Legacy System. The inheritance reward from escaping the Seven Peaks Alliance had yet to be unlocked. He wouldn't have dared to do so out in the wilderness; only now that he was home, with his mind at ease, did he dare open it.

[Claim Inheritance Reward]

[Open Legacy Inheritance]

[You have obtained the Spell—Soul Seizing Curse]

[Accept Inheritance?]

Soul Seizing Curse?

The name alone didn't sound righteous!

It seemed the Legacy System didn't dictate whether he had to be righteous or demonic.

Good. I like it!

Li Qingqiu didn't want to be bound by too many rules and restrictions. He was willing to learn a thing or two about this crooked, unorthodox art.

With that, he immediately began inheriting the Soul Seizing Curse.

That familiar sensation welled up again, and he quickly immersed himself in the memories of the inheritance.

After a long while,

he opened his eyes. Having inherited a spell before, he wasn't surprised this time. Instead, his brow furrowed.

The Soul Seizing Curse was vicious!

It could seize a person's soul. Even if the victim was still alive, they would endure indescribable agony during the process. Afterward, their soul would remain under the curse-caster's control forever, until the caster died.

Once the Soul Seizing Curse succeeded and the victim became a ghost, the ghost could no longer defy the caster. It was a suppression that came from the soul itself.

However, the curse carried risks. If someone tried to use it across a realm boundary, challenging someone above them, they were very likely to suffer a backlash.

After memorizing the Soul Seizing Curse, Li Qingqiu didn't start practicing it right away.

He still needed to cultivate the Spring Return Ghost Immortal Needle. He would wait until he had made some progress with it.

He adjusted his state of mind and soon entered a state of absorbing qi and cultivating.

The moon set, the sun rose, and the night passed.

Early the next morning, all the disciples woke up. Those who practiced martial arts went to train, while those who cultivated as immortals sat together in meditation, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon.

Li Qingqiu had Yuan Qi practice martial arts under Yang Jueding's guidance. The six Qin family disciples did the same.

From now on, not everyone would be allowed to cultivate the Taiqing Primordial Scripture. Only those with exceptional aptitude or outstanding merit would qualify.

After the prime cultivation hours had passed, Li Qingqiu and Zhang Yuchun returned to the room to discuss what they should do next.

"First, organize a group of disciples to start building houses in the woods below the mountain gate. We can ask Yang Jueding to join in; after all, he's an adult. Second, recruit ten more disciples. They just have to be under twenty. We can't keep bringing in a bunch of little kids."

Li Qingqiu spoke as he sipped his tea. The tea leaves had also come from the Qin family. Their fragrance filled the air, and he'd taken to them after drinking a cup the night before.

Zhang Yuchun smiled. "I've wanted to do that for a long time. Now that we have money, it's time to spread our wings. By the way, should we hire a teacher? Dongyue mentioned that you were considering it."

"Go ahead. Leave these matters to you; you don't have to handle everything personally. You can choose disciples to train, so they can assist you later. As Qingxiao Sect grows, the division of responsibilities will become more detailed." Li Qingqiu nodded.

Zhang Yuchun replied, "Huang Shan and Yu Lin are both good. They're rough around the edges but thoughtful, and they consider things thoroughly. I'll make sure to cultivate their talents."

"From now on, only True Disciples will be allowed to cultivate the Primordial Scripture. For now, Xu Ning is the only designated True Disciple. Huang Shan and the other six can also enjoy the title of True Disciple, but martial arts will remain their priority."

Li Qingqiu continued, and Zhang Yuchun made a note of it.

Li Qingqiu had many ideas about the disciples' ranks, but it wasn't yet suitable to implement them. In particular, the disciples' benefits couldn't be clearly defined; after all, Qingxiao Sect still hadn't formed its own system.

Even now, Qingxiao Sect had no steady source of income.

Li Qingqiu and Zhang Yuchun focused their discussion on this. They couldn't rely solely on the Qin family. They could consider the opportunities Jiang Zhaoxia had seen while down the mountain.

Escorting distinguished guests or valuable goods, taking on government bounties, and similar jobs could be handled by the disciples in the future. They would gain experience, earn money, and build Qingxiao Sect's reputation.

Without a reputation, recruiting disciples would be difficult. They would have no choice but to recruit from the villages.

Leaving aptitude aside, such disciples couldn't even read. Even teaching them martial arts would require a greater investment.

Of course, Li Qingqiu would make sure Qingxiao Sect had its own reading classes. He simply didn't want the sect's recruitment to be limited to the countryside.

The two chatted for a full hour. When they finished, Zhang Yuchun, fired up with enthusiasm, immediately got to work.

Li Qingqiu stayed a little longer, then walked out and called for Li Dongyue. Together, they headed to the woods behind the mountain to practice the Spring Return Ghost Immortal Needle.

They practiced until nearly noon, then got up and headed back toward the sect.

"Senior Brother, don't forget to choose one of the Qin family's disciples to take as your apprentice. You promised the Qin family, and those children are waiting, too." Li Dongyue walked beside Li Qingqiu, gently reminding him.

Li Qingqiu nodded and smiled. "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten. Yuchun reminded me, too."

Qin Jue had already designated his son as Li Qingqiu's apprentice, so there was no need for Li Qingqiu to think it over. He just needed to make it official soon so the six Qin family disciples could put their minds at ease.

After lunch at noon, Li Qingqiu called Qin Ye over and told him to come along.

Qin Ye jumped up in excitement at once, his face flushed red. The other five disciples from the Qin family were excited, too. After all, they had come bearing their family's hopes.

After formally taking Qin Ye as his apprentice, Li Qingqiu sent him to Yang Jueding. His aptitude was too poor; he was unlikely to accomplish much through immortal cultivation. If he performed well in the future, Li Qingqiu could still help him cultivate as an immortal.

The underground Spirit Lake could make up for some of the shortcomings in one's aptitude for immortal cultivation.

Yang Jueding was also given a title as a result: Qingxiao Sect's Martial Arts Instructor Elder.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. Since Li Qingqiu had concealed what he'd done at the Seven Peaks Alliance, Jiang Zhaoxia continued practicing at the mountainside. Li Qingqiu didn't stop him. After all, aside from the Seven Peaks Alliance, the Azure Cult was still a potential threat.

Then, one day, Zhang Yuchun brought news.

He called Jiang Zhaoxia, Li Dongyue, Wu Man'er, Li Sifeng, and Li Sijin to Li Qingqiu's room.

"Something major has happened at the Seven Peaks Alliance. Their First Alliance Leader, Lü Taidou, is dead! The Seven Peaks Alliance is in chaos now. No wonder they haven't come to cause us trouble!" Zhang Yuchun said excitedly.

Li Qingqiu asked curiously, "Where did you hear that?"

This was Zhang Yuchun's third trip down the mountain in half a month. Li Qingqiu hadn't expected him to dig up news from the martial world.

Zhang Yuchun smiled. "On this trip down the mountain, I ran into bandits robbing travelers, so I took Huang Shan and Yu Lin with me to deal with them. That's how I made some friends. I heard this shocking news about the martial world of Guzhou from them."

Li Sifeng's eyes widened as he looked at Li Qingqiu. "Eldest Senior Brother, don't tell me you did it?"

The other junior brothers and junior sisters also looked at Li Qingqiu nervously and hopefully. After all, Li Qingqiu had been away from the mountain for half a month not long ago.

Li Qingqiu rolled his eyes and said irritably, "How could I possibly have pulled that off? Ask Third Junior Brother—is the Seven Peaks Alliance really that easy to deal with?"

Jiang Zhaoxia nodded. "Killing their strongest man at the Seven Peaks Alliance's headquarters would indeed be difficult. Fighting one against one is not the same as fighting one against a hundred, or one against a thousand."

Thinking of the injuries Jiang Zhaoxia had suffered earlier, everyone understood.

Li Sifeng started shouting and waving his arms about, describing how powerful the Seven Peaks Alliance's experts were.

Jiang Zhaoxia, however, fixed Li Qingqiu with a complicated look that made him feel uneasy.

Unable to bear the stare, Li Qingqiu gave a fake cough, cutting off Li Sifeng's performance, and said, "No matter what, the Seven Peaks Alliance probably won't come after us for a while. But we can't let our guard down. From now on, nobody gets to slack off. Either train or help build up the sect."

The sect's expansion had already begun, and the second-generation male disciples were doing most of the work.

Except for Li Sijin, Li Qingqiu had assigned tasks to all his junior brothers and sisters.

After the meeting broke up, Zhang Yuchun didn't leave. He pulled Li Qingqiu aside and said, "Senior Brother, I brought a teacher up from the foot of the mountain. He claims to be skilled in physiognomy and the Eight Trigrams, and he insisted on meeting you."

"Did you pay him?"

"I did, but he said he'd decide how much effort to put in after looking at your face."

"Fine. Let's see what kind of trick he's trying to pull."

Li Qingqiu agreed, and the two of them walked out together.

As soon as he stepped outside, he saw a white-robed scholar standing behind two disciples as they did carpentry.

The scholar looked to be in his twenties or thirties. He carried a book box on his back and had a refined air about him. At a glance, he looked every bit a man of letters.

"Mr. Zhang, my Eldest Senior Brother is here," Zhang Yuchun called out.

Hearing this, the white-robed scholar, Zhang Yu, immediately turned and walked toward Li Qingqiu and Zhang Yuchun.

Zhang Yu's gaze fell directly on Li Qingqiu. As they drew close, his eyes lit up. Before Li Qingqiu could speak, he stepped forward and grasped his hand.

Li Qingqiu had meant to avoid him, but when he sensed that the man had no Internal Energy at all, he let him hold on.

"Sect Master Li, your face is extraordinary. You were born into a household of emperors and generals. Your childhood was full of hardships, yet your fate is anything but ordinary. The Violet Star shines upon you; one day, you are destined to become a true dragon!" Zhang Yu said excitedly, looking as if he were about to fall to his knees before Li Qingqiu.

A swindler!

A silver-tongued flatterer!

Li Qingqiu immediately assigned him two Fate tags: "fraudulent" and "glib." What utter nonsense.

His biological father was nowhere near that remarkable.

Li Qingqiu withdrew his hand without changing his expression and asked, "Thank you for your kind words, sir. Where did you learn the art of physiognomy?"

Zhang Yu composed himself, stepped back, and raised a hand in salute. "I studied under the Nine Veins Old Man. You may not have heard of him. He lives in seclusion and has already lived for a hundred and thirty years. He's preparing to enjoy the last few years of his life in peace."

Li Qingqiu didn't question him. Instead, he asked with a smile, "Will you have any trouble teaching all my disciples by yourself?"

"No trouble at all. Though your sect is small, it is full of hidden talents. Your literary and martial pursuits shine brightly; the signs of a great rise are already there. Zhang Yu is willing to contribute to Qingxiao Sect. Of course, if Sect Master could add another thirty copper coins to my monthly pay, that would be even better."

Zhang Yu spoke with a smile, his words clear and precise, his voice ringing with strength. He carried himself like a worthy and gifted man.