Stepping onto the Immortal Path

Having confirmed that he had inherited an immortal cultivation technique, Li Qingqiu instinctively thought of his Master, Lin Xunfeng, and wanted to go look for him.

But on second thought, he felt that would be inappropriate.

Setting aside the fact that a night had passed and Lin Xunfeng could have gone in any direction, once the path of immortal cultivation spread, it would surely bring disaster.

In the martial world, countless sects and noble families had been wiped out for possessing divine techniques.

He could not expose the existence of the Legacy System. It was the foundation upon which he stood, and he could tell no one—not even his junior brothers and junior sisters.

The human heart was hidden behind the belly, and loyalty did not only rise, never to fall.

Li Qingqiu rose to his feet, preparing to find a place to practice.

According to the Taiqing Primordial Scripture, dawn was the best time for immortal cultivation. Purple qi came from the east, and the essences of sun and moon converged—it was the golden period of daily cultivation.

Bang!

The door swung open. Jiang Zhaoxia, who was practicing his punches, turned his head and saw Li Qingqiu emerge from the room, letting out an involuntary sigh of relief.

Li Qingqiu's eyes shone brightly. He was clearly full of vigor and had not suffered a blow.

"Why are you practicing punches? Don't you like swords? Go to my room and take the Heavenly Rainbow Sword to practice with. I'm only lending it to you, so don't you dare fail to return it."

Li Qingqiu said this to Jiang Zhaoxia, then headed toward the back mountain.

Jiang Zhaoxia froze when he heard that. Li Qingqiu had never allowed him to touch a sword before. Why had he suddenly changed his tune today?

He could sense that Li Qingqiu had changed. His mindset had changed. Their Master's departure had forced Eldest Senior Brother to mature.

If the Jiang Zhaoxia of before had been allowed to hold a sword, he would have been overjoyed. But now, there was no joy—only heartache, heartache for his senior brother.

Perhaps he, too, should start practicing martial arts in earnest.

Qingxiao Sect sat halfway up the mountain. Behind it lay a dense forest, with towering mountains on all sides and perilous terrain everywhere. Even at the fastest pace, it took an hour to reach the nearest village at the foot of the mountain. Though there were wild beasts in the woods, there were no wolves, jackals, tigers, or leopards. Snakes, ants, and spiders were what one truly had to guard against.

Li Qingqiu made his way to the mountaintop as familiarly as if he knew every bend in the road. He sat cross-legged beside the cliff, facing the rising sun, placed his hands on his knees, and began breathing in and out according to the mental cultivation method.

Sensing the Spiritual Yuan Qi of heaven and earth required a process. Only after practicing it again and again could one open one's mouth and draw Spiritual Yuan Qi directly inside.

Jiang Zhaoxia, practicing punches in the courtyard, turned around and happened to see Li Qingqiu sitting in meditation by the cliff, leaving him puzzled.

When Wu Man'er, Li Sifeng, and Li Sijin woke up, they saw the same sight and were greatly astonished. They chattered endlessly about it. Li Sijin even called out to Li Qingqiu, but unfortunately, he had already entered meditation and did not answer.

Unfortunately, Li Qingqiu did not condense even a trace of Origin Energy throughout the entire morning. Yet he was not disappointed; instead, he became even more fired up.

After coming down the mountain, faced with his junior brothers and junior sisters' questions, he said mysteriously, "Actually, I have an internal cultivation technique. I had it before coming up the mountain. Now that Master has left, I have no choice but to practice. Once I master it, I'll teach you all."

"Could it be that you also have a family inheritance?" Jiang Zhaoxia could not help asking.

Li Qingqiu glanced at him and asked, "What do you mean, 'also'? You have one too?"

Jiang Zhaoxia snorted and did not respond.

Li Qingqiu did not think much of it. Could your martial arts inheritance possibly compare to my immortal cultivation technique?

Over the next few days, Zhang Yuchun led the disciples in busy work—expanding the vegetable garden and chopping firewood. Even the youngest, Li Sijin, found it immensely enjoyable, and laughter constantly echoed through Qingxiao Sect.

Li Qingqiu, meanwhile, devoted himself fully to cultivation, striving to condense Origin Energy as soon as possible.

Exactly seven days later, Li Qingqiu finally cultivated a thread of Origin Energy. In the unseen depths of his being, he felt that he had stepped into an entirely new domain.

Nurturing Origin Realm Layer 1!

He was thrilled beyond measure. Hiding in the woods, he faced a tree and expelled the Origin Energy in his abdomen.

Whoosh—

The stream of Origin Energy pierced through the trunk like a sharp arrow, fierce and swift. After expelling it, Li Qingqiu stepped forward to inspect it. The trunk, so thick that it would take two people to wrap their arms around it, had been punched through with a hole as thick as a finger. He could see the scenery beyond the tree.

What tyrannical Origin Energy!

It was far stronger than the force that wandering swordsman had wielded back then!

Li Qingqiu clenched his fists, ecstatic. The only pity was that the stream of Origin Energy was gone once used. He would have to keep refining more.

He decided that, starting tomorrow, he would bring his junior brothers and junior sisters along to cultivate.

Making everyone stronger sooner was the true path. If Lin Xunfeng had enemies who came knocking, or bandits climbed the mountain, he alone would not be enough.

Besides, during this time, he had studied the attribute panel. Fate selection and inheritance rewards were tied to the Legacy System's evaluation. The stronger the legacy, the more Fates he could select and the more inheritances he could obtain.

He planned to bring it up today once all his junior brothers and junior sisters had gathered.

He sat meditating in the forest and continued cultivating, striving to refine another thread of Origin Energy.

It was not until evening that Zhang Yuchun, Wu Man'er, and Li Sifeng returned. They carried bamboo baskets on their backs and were drenched in sweat from exhaustion.

Li Qingqiu, Jiang Zhaoxia, Li Dongyue, and Li Sijin gathered around to take their bamboo baskets.

Looking at Li Qingqiu, Zhang Yuchun said excitedly, "Senior Brother, I told the villagers about our situation and helped them with some farm work along the way. In exchange, we got three hens, one rooster, and plenty of vegetables, flowers, and fruit."

Wu Man'er, the biggest of them all, said in a muffled voice, "And two pounds of meat!"

Li Sifeng, usually the chattiest, collapsed onto the ground and panted heavily, even sticking out his tongue like a dog.

"The villagers have treated us well. We should help them out more in the future," Li Qingqiu said with a smile.

He decided that in the future, he would begin recruiting disciples from the village at the foot of the mountain, taking it as repayment.

The disciples chatted and laughed as they carried everything back to the courtyard, then tidied the place up.

It was only after half an hour that they gathered around the long table in the courtyard, with Li Dongyue pouring water for each of them.

Li Qingqiu swept his gaze around the group and said, "Tomorrow morning, I'll pass on a cultivation method to you. You'll cultivate alongside me."

The moment he said this, the disciples grew excited and began asking what kind of technique it was.

"This technique is called the Primordial Scripture. From now on, it will be Qingxiao Sect's supreme foundational art. Without my permission, none of you may pass it on to outsiders," Li Qingqiu said seriously. In the future, he would teach the Taiqing Primordial Scripture layer by layer.

In truth, he himself had not yet fully received the entire inheritance of the Taiqing Primordial Scripture. Part of the inherited memories remained hazy, and he would need to reach a certain realm before he could recall them completely.

"Can the Primordial Scripture cultivate Internal Energy?" Jiang Zhaoxia asked skeptically.

Li Qingqiu answered casually, "Practice it and you'll find out."

Jiang Zhaoxia felt rather vexed by his attitude. He missed the days when they used to bicker with each other.

"Senior Brother, what we really need is more martial arts. We can't just cultivate internal techniques, and there's no need for all of us to practice the same martial art," Jiang Zhaoxia could not help saying.

Zhang Yuchun said helplessly, "But we don't have any more martial arts."

Jiang Zhaoxia continued, "I won't offer too many opinions about the others, but let Fifth Junior Brother train with me. I'll teach him an external martial art. With his inborn divine strength, he can become one of Qingxiao Sect's great pillars in the future."

Li Qingqiu felt somewhat gratified and said with emotion, "Third Junior Brother, are you finally going to cough up some gold coins? Senior Brother is very pleased. You've grown up and started contributing to the sect."

"Cough up gold coins? What gold coins do I have?" Jiang Zhaoxia asked in confusion.

"Never mind. Man'er will be in your care from now on. I'll inspect the results. If you teach him well, I'll give you a precious sword in the future."

Li Qingqiu waved a hand. Among the disciples, aside from Jiang Zhaoxia, whose aptitude and Fate were the strongest, Wu Man'er, whose mind was incomplete, seemed more likely to become a formidable fighter.

When wandering the martial world, strength was what mattered most. Qingxiao Sect had to possess powerful combatants.

Jiang Zhaoxia snorted. "I'll definitely teach him well. Just you wait!"

Wu Man'er chuckled foolishly, understanding nothing at all.

Li Sifeng and Li Sijin also began clamoring, hoping Third Senior Brother would teach them too, but Jiang Zhaoxia could not even be bothered to humor them.

At dawn, Li Qingqiu brought his junior brothers and junior sisters to meditate before the mountain gate. There were too many of them, so he did not dare take them to the cliffside.

The seven sat in a row, meditating side by side in a rather spectacular sight. Li Qingqiu sat at the very center and began explaining the Taiqing Primordial Scripture.

At first, Jiang Zhaoxia paid it little mind. Yet after following along and practicing it once, his expression changed dramatically, and he began taking it seriously.

Teaching Wu Man'er, Li Sifeng, and Li Sijin was far too troublesome. The first was not clever enough, while the latter two were too young and understood little. It took Li Qingqiu an entire day just to help them grasp the Qi absorption breathing method.

By evening, Zhang Yuchun and Li Dongyue had begun cooking. Li Qingqiu sat beneath an old tree, holding the three martial arts manuals Lin Xunfeng had left behind.

Jiang Zhaoxia suddenly came before Li Qingqiu, his eyes blazing as he declared firmly, "Senior Brother, I've cultivated Internal Energy!"

Li Qingqiu looked up at him and frowned. "What kind of joke is that?"

It had taken him a full seven days, yet Jiang Zhaoxia needed only half a day?

He did not believe it!

Without another word, Jiang Zhaoxia raised his right hand and pointed toward the sky beside a nearby house. A stream of origin energy burst from his fingertip and streaked away, slicing off a branch.

Li Qingqiu's eyes widened. So did Li Sifeng's, who was gnawing on a roasted sweet potato not far away.

From beginning to end, Jiang Zhaoxia never glanced in the direction he had pointed. When he saw Li Qingqiu's expression, he could not help lifting his chin in a proud pose.

After his brief shock, Li Qingqiu looked back at Jiang Zhaoxia, his gaze turning fervent enough to make Jiang Zhaoxia feel awkward.

He set down the manual in his hands, rose to his feet, gripped Jiang Zhaoxia's shoulders with both hands, and stared fixedly at him. "Third Junior Brother, with a genius like you here, Senior Brother has even greater confidence in Qingxiao Sect's future. It's wonderful to have you."

Jiang Zhaoxia's cheeks reddened. After all, he was only fourteen. This was the first time Li Qingqiu had praised him so earnestly, and he could not help feeling embarrassed.

He turned his head aside, curled his lip, and said, "Of course I have confidence in myself..."

Li Qingqiu was in high spirits. He pulled Jiang Zhaoxia down to sit with him, and the two discussed their insights into cultivating the first layer of the Taiqing Primordial Scripture.

Jiang Zhaoxia did not hold anything back either, earnestly exchanging thoughts with him.

After they had talked for a while, Li Qingqiu gained quite a few insights. He had to admit that Jiang Zhaoxia's cultivation aptitude truly deserved the word outstanding, while his comprehension was even more exceptional.

The days passed one by one. Ten days later, Li Dongyue became the third disciple to cultivate origin energy, which brought Li Qingqiu some comfort. It was not that his aptitude was too poor—it was that Jiang Zhaoxia's was simply too strong.

After fifteen days of cultivation, Zhang Yuchun finally cultivated origin energy as well.

Before Zhang Yuchun could report this good news to Li Qingqiu, Li Qingqiu already knew that a fourth person had cultivated origin energy, because a line of notification appeared before his eyes:

[As more than half of the disciples in your lineage have entered Nurturing Origin Realm Layer 1, Qingxiao Sect has truly stepped onto the path of immortal cultivation. You have gained one Fortune Inheritance opportunity.]

New book release! Please send recommendation votes, tips, and comments~

It's been a long time since I last released a new book, so I'm still a little excited. From now on, there will be at least two chapters every day, with each chapter starting at three thousand words~