Third Fate Selection Opportunity

The news that Jiang Zhaoxia and Li Sifeng were going to the martial arts gathering had filled every Qingxiao Sect disciple with excitement. The disciples had become much more enthusiastic about practicing martial arts in their spare time between chores.

Yang Jueding had been unable to attend the gathering, and he deeply regretted it. So he channeled his fighting spirit into the Qingxiao Seven Sons.

As some of the sect's earliest disciples, both Li Qingqiu and Yang Jueding hoped the seven would become pillars of the sect and eventually take on some managerial responsibilities.

The reason Yang Jueding had not been sent to the martial arts gathering was the threat posed by the Azure Cult. Besides, this was not Jiang Zhaoxia's first time descending the mountain. He had some experience and could use the opportunity to temper himself.

Without Li Sifeng around that spring and summer, Li Qingqiu found the sect strangely quiet, even though the number of disciples kept growing.

Every month, Zhang Yuchun went down the mountain once. Besides recruiting several new disciples, he also invited craftsmen up the mountain. He planned to build a great hall where all the disciples could gather in the future. Li Qingqiu had no objections; the sect's buildings really did need improvement.

The gold pieces Li Yang had left behind were no ordinary items. They were a specialty of Linchuan. Though not pure gold, they were exquisitely crafted. Zhang Yuchun had taken one into the city and sold it for a full three hundred strings of cash. Adding that to the money Qingxiao Sect had left, building a great hall would not be difficult. They were not aiming for anything grand and luxurious, anyway.

During this process, Zhang Yuchun ran into a little trouble, but fortunately, Yang Jueding had gone with him.

In the Great Li Dynasty, one string of cash was worth a thousand copper coins. Thirty copper coins were enough to buy one dou of rice, and a dou of rice weighed about six kilograms.

With the money and supplies provided by the Qin family each year, Qingxiao Sect still had a surplus after expenses. However, the sect had yet to develop any industries of its own, so its income was limited. There was no helping that. The disciples were too young and still focused on martial arts; they could not yet generate income for the sect. They could help with some farmwork and other manual labor, and Li Qingqiu was already quite satisfied with that.

Even martial arts sects had to pursue wealth. People needed food, weapons cost money, and practicing martial arts took even more money.

One summer day, Li Qingqiu and Li Sijin practiced in the underground Spirit Lake.

Li Qingqiu sat meditating by the lakeshore. Across the water lay a patch of grass, where Li Sijin was carefully examining the plants.

This patch of grass was no ordinary one. It had been planted with medicinal herbs. Li Qingqiu wanted to see whether the underground Spirit Lake's spiritual energy could transform them into spirit plants—plants that contained spiritual energy. He had entrusted the task to Li Sijin.

"Senior Brother, it worked!"

Li Sijin cried out in delight, making Li Qingqiu open his eyes. He immediately rose and leaped across the lake, landing beside her.

Li Sijin crouched in front of a medicinal herb, excitement in her voice. "Senior Brother, feel it carefully. There's spiritual energy inside it. It's even giving off a faint trace of spiritual energy. Does it count as a spirit plant, like you said?"

Li Qingqiu crouched down and examined it closely. Sure enough, it was just as she said, and he was delighted.

When Qingxiao Sect eventually transformed into an immortal cultivation sect, worldly money would surely be rendered obsolete. Spirit Stones and spirit plants would become the most important forms of hard currency, since the disciples could use them to cultivate. That was why he cared so much about growing spirit plants.

"Very good, Sijin. You did it. This is a great accomplishment!"

Li Qingqiu praised her. Ever since New Spring, Li Sijin had devoted all her time outside of cultivating with the Earth Talisman Treasure Codex to growing spirit plants. The process had gone smoothly—at least, it had happened much faster than he expected.

He suddenly realized something.

The inheritance of Spells was not, in fact, the key to developing a Daoist tradition. Fortune Inheritance was.

A single underground Spirit Lake had laid the foundation for Qingxiao Sect's current strength. If they found a few more, wouldn't the sect take off?

The Tai Kun Mountain Range was vast and rich in resources. There might be other underground Spirit Lakes hidden there.

"Really? Then I'll remember that. I'm going to become an elder someday!" Li Sijin said with a smug grin. A tremendous sense of accomplishment welled up inside her. She suddenly felt that growing spirit plants was not boring at all; it was quite meaningful.

"If you do this well, and continue with your Earth Talisman Treasure Codex, you'll become one of the most important people in Qingxiao Sect."

"Hehe, that's way too much. You're the most important one, Senior Brother. The sect could manage without anyone else, but it can't manage without you."

"Hahaha, I'd say it can't manage without all seven of us."

They began trading compliments, both in high spirits. After chatting for a bit, they continued inspecting the other herbs to see whether a second spirit plant had appeared.

Unfortunately, they found no second spirit plant. But they were not disappointed. Finding one proved that it could be done.

The successful cultivation of a spirit plant was not made known throughout Qingxiao Sect, but Li Qingqiu was in a good mood. For several days afterward, he greeted everyone he met with a smile, leaving the disciples flattered and wondering what had made him so happy.

At noon one day, the weather grew increasingly hot.

Li Qingqiu stood in the woods, watching the disciples practice. Dozens of wooden stakes of different heights stood in a clearing ahead. Cheng Canghai moved swiftly from stake to stake, his leaps light and agile, drawing cries of amazement from the eight disciples waiting at the edge.

This was a lightness-skill training ground that Cheng Canghai had built himself. He was in charge of teaching the disciples lightness skills, and this was his very first lesson. Li Qingqiu had come to observe in person. So far, the results looked good.

The Thief King certainly had a few tricks up his sleeve.

After missing the Crown Prince's hunting trip, Cheng Canghai had abandoned that ambition. His intense curiosity about Qingxiao Sect had also helped persuade him, and he had officially joined the sect.

His aptitude and comprehension were both good, but neither was exceptional, and he had no special Fate.

Aptitude and comprehension at the good level meant Cheng Canghai had the qualifications to cultivate immortality. For now, Li Qingqiu was still evaluating him.

Cheng Canghai looked confident, but he was actually nervous. He had joined Qingxiao Sect with ambitions of his own. He wanted to become a person with real authority, on equal footing with Yang Jueding. So he held nothing back and taught the disciples with all his heart.

After demonstrating several times, Cheng Canghai told the disciples to take turns trying. He stayed below, ready to catch them at any moment.

Li Qingqiu nodded at this attitude. Cheng Canghai happened to catch sight of it from the corner of his eye, and his confidence soared.

Just then,

a line of notification appeared before Li Qingqiu's eyes:

[As the Qingxiao Sect you lead has made its name in the martial world for the first time, and your Daoist tradition has begun its path to renown, you have gained an opportunity to select a Fate]

Huh?

Had Jiang Zhaoxia and Li Sifeng succeeded?

A smile appeared on Li Qingqiu's face. It seemed sending his disciples out to make their way in the world was the right path. Living in seclusion all the time would only restrict the development of the Daoist tradition.

This time, he had gained the chance to select the Fate he wanted most. He had already made up his mind: he would save this opportunity for little Yuan Li.

Just the words Indestructible Hegemon Body were enough to get his blood pumping. Besides, none of the other disciples had a particularly special Fate. He was not interested in Wu Man'er's Tiger Physique Elephant Strength.

Wu Man'er was formidable now, but if they truly fought to the death, Li Qingqiu could kill an opponent like that instantly with the Spring Return Ghost Immortal Needle.

Li Qingqiu smiled and nodded at Cheng Canghai, then turned to leave. His gesture greatly encouraged Cheng Canghai and spurred him to work even harder.

After watching Cheng Canghai teach martial arts, Li Qingqiu still had to check on the other training grounds. The fishpond, horse pasture, farmland, and other areas under development were all waiting for him.

People were naturally lazy. As sect leader, Li Qingqiu's presence not only let him supervise the disciples, but also motivated them and assured them that their efforts had not gone unnoticed.

The more disciples there were, the busier Li Qingqiu found himself. Their loyalty to him and to the sect fluctuated, and his presence affected it too. This made him increasingly interested in the art of managing people.

So far, Qingxiao Sect as a whole had been thriving, with no major problems.

A month passed in a flash, and summer came to an end.

Jiang Zhaoxia and Li Sifeng finally returned. Jiang Zhaoxia was gravely wounded, and Li Sifeng and a woman in yellow carried him up the mountain on a wooden litter.

By the time Li Qingqiu reached the courtyard, Li Dongyue was treating Jiang Zhaoxia with the Spring Return Ghost Immortal Needle.

Seeing Li Qingqiu's dark expression, the other disciples hurriedly moved aside.

Li Sifeng turned to look at Li Qingqiu, her face full of grievance and her eyes already red.

"What happened?" Li Qingqiu asked.

Jiang Zhaoxia was at the third layer of the Nourishing Yuan Realm. How could he have been seriously injured and knocked unconscious?

Had they been surrounded by enemies again?

Li Sifeng gritted her teeth. "On our way back, we were attacked by the Heavenly Saber Sect. Their sect master had been defeated by Third Senior Brother and held a grudge, so he gathered a large number of disciples and ambushed us in the Tai Kun Mountain Range."

The Heavenly Saber Sect?

Li Qingqiu glanced at Yang Jueding. At the mention of the Heavenly Saber Sect, Yang Jueding's expression changed.

Yang Jueding immediately explained, "The Heavenly Saber Sect is one of the seven great sects in Guzhou. It has a history of two hundred years, and its signature art, the Heavenly Saber, is the most murderous saber technique of our time. The Heavenly Saber Sect operates among the common folk, with strongholds in towns throughout the river valleys. No one can estimate how many disciples they have. They are constantly fighting other martial arts sects and are even more overbearing than the Seven Peaks Alliance."

"Wait—you said that kid Jiang defeated the Heavenly Saber Sect's sect master?"

Yang Jueding stared at Li Sifeng in astonishment, his eyes wide.

Standing on the edge of the crowd, Cheng Canghai was secretly shocked. Even the Heavenly Saber Sect's sect master had been no match for Jiang Zhaoxia?

Though he was the Thief King, to him, the Heavenly Saber Sect's sect master was a legendary figure no one dared provoke.

Li Sifeng lifted her chin. "Of course. Third Senior Brother defeated the Heavenly Saber Sect's sect master in thirty moves. Not only that, he also defeated more than a dozen martial arts experts and only lost to the greatest fighter in the martial world. If he hadn't been fighting nonstop and run low on Internal Energy, he might not have lost to the greatest fighter at all. Even so, Third Senior Brother made a name for himself. Many sects took the initiative to befriend us, and we met quite a few experts."

Yang Jueding pressed her, "Who became the greatest fighter in the martial world?"

"An old man named Yu Zhiyi."

"So it was Senior Yu. He actually came out of seclusion. No wonder."

Yang Jueding suddenly understood, his face filled with admiration.

Li Qingqiu sensed that Jiang Zhaoxia's condition was stable and not life-threatening. Frowning, he turned his gaze on Li Sifeng. "Don't change the subject. How exactly was he injured?"

If even the Heavenly Saber Sect's sect master was no match for Jiang Zhaoxia, there had to be more to the story.

Li Sifeng hesitated, unsure whether she should tell the truth.

Just then, the woman in yellow who had accompanied them up the mountain spoke with a sorrowful expression. "He was injured because of me. That old scoundrel Cheng took my younger brother hostage and forced me to find a chance to poison them. That was how the Heavenly Saber Sect got the opportunity to strike. I had no choice. I'm just an ordinary woman with no martial arts skills. I ran an inn with my father, and after he died, my younger brother and I were all we had. Now that Cheng has killed my younger brother, I have neither the face nor the will to go on living in this world."

With that, she suddenly turned and dashed toward a pillar behind her, intending to end her life.