Although Jiang Zhaoxia had returned wounded, he hadn't frightened the Qingxiao Sect disciples. Li Sifeng had described his exploits in such vivid detail that everyone soon knew of them.
Five moves to defeat the Fifth Alliance Leader of the Seven Peaks Alliance!
Seven moves to defeat True Person Xuandang!
Twenty-three moves to defeat the divine monk of Chanding Temple!
Twenty-five moves to defeat the Enforcement Elder of Iron Peak Sect!
Two hundred moves before narrowly losing to the greatest martial artist in the world, Yu Zhiyi!
Those feats had the Qingxiao Sect disciples' blood racing. Jiang Zhaoxia's prestige within the sect had reached its peak; all the disciples worshiped him, except Xu Ning.
Li Sifeng was even more shameless, proclaiming Jiang Zhaoxia the second-greatest under heaven.
"The treachery of the jianghu is no empty saying. Even when studying for the imperial examinations and pursuing an official career, you'll encounter treacherous hearts."
In the new courtyard, Zhang Yu held a bamboo fan and spoke leisurely.
Nearly thirty disciples sat in the courtyard, listening to his lesson. This had been Li Qingqiu's idea; without him, Zhang Yu wouldn't have been able to gather so many people. Even Li Sifeng had been pinned down here by Li Qingqiu.
The Qingxiao Sect was far removed from worldly affairs, and its atmosphere was tranquil. For now, there were no power struggles, so its disciples were rather innocent. Li Qingqiu felt it was necessary to give them a few lessons in how to think.
"The dead bride's attendant was full of suspicious details. Elder Li was too young and overlooked a great deal. Today, we'll go over the case again."
"First, as an ordinary innkeeper, how could she be certain she wouldn't poison the wrong person? She was administering poison for the first time, right in front of two martial arts experts; she must have been nervous. Yet she left no trace."
"Second, Elder Jiang's inner strength was profound and his hearing exceptional. Even through a wall, he could hear people whispering. But this woman didn't let so much as a hint slip beforehand."
"Third, the moment she came up the mountain, she tried to take her own life. What was she after? If she really wanted to die, why not go down the mountain and do it herself? Why insist on dying in front of us? Could it be that she was certain we'd save her?"
Zhang Yu posed question after question. Even Li Sifeng, who had been growing impatient, fell into thought as he listened.
The more he considered it, the more suspicious the bride's attendant seemed.
Then Zhang Yu began recounting the jianghu tales he'd heard.
So many martial arts experts had died by ambush, at the hands of villains. Those who fell in head-on clashes between powerful fighters were actually the minority.
Overwhelming martial prowess could sometimes become a weakness.
The disciples listened intently. Even Jiang Zhaoxia, the second-greatest martial artist in the world, had nearly lost his life; the story had shaken them deeply.
Li Qingqiu came to listen for a while too. After confirming that Zhang Yu wasn't slipping in any personal agenda and that his lesson was indeed quite good, he left.
The benefits of Jiang Zhaoxia's fame after the martial arts assembly exceeded Li Qingqiu's expectations. A month after Jiang Zhaoxia and Zhang Yuchun returned, Zhang Yuchun went down the mountain to recruit. For the first time, he brought back sixteen people at once, all of them drawn by Jiang Zhaoxia's reputation.
One of them had quite good aptitude for cultivation. Li Qingqiu quietly took note of him and decided to keep a close eye on him.
When passing on the Taiqing Primordial Scripture, Li Qingqiu considered both aptitude and contribution. He would also give disciples with poor aptitude a chance; he had always believed that hard work could change one's fate.
After autumn arrived, other jianghu sects came to visit, purely to make friends. They posed no threat and sought no exchange of benefits. Li Qingqiu received them, and they got along very well.
The visiting sect was called the White Crane Sect, a second-rate sect from Guzhou. Its sect master had also attended the martial arts assembly and befriended Jiang Zhaoxia and Zhang Yuchun. He brought five disciples to pay a visit. After staying at the Qingxiao Sect for two days, they took their leave. Li Qingqiu, Jiang Zhaoxia, and Zhang Yuchun personally saw them off.
"Sect Master Li, you must come visit my White Crane Sect one day. I'll be sure to make you feel welcome." The White Crane Sect's sect master was nearly fifty, with a kind smile. He held Li Qingqiu's hand and talked with him for quite a while before finally letting go.
Faced with the other man's warm invitation, Li Qingqiu naturally agreed again and again. Whether he'd actually go was another matter.
Watching the six White Crane Sect members walk away, Li Qingqiu sighed. "Third Junior Brother, you really made a name for yourself in one battle."
In this world, where information didn't travel easily, Li Qingqiu had always thought fame spread slowly, and took many years to build. He hadn't expected Jiang Zhaoxia's reputation to travel so quickly after just one trip to the martial arts assembly.
Jiang Zhaoxia's face remained expressionless. "Don't remind me. I came back gravely wounded again. I consider that trip to the martial arts assembly a failure."
At the mention of it, his hands clenched into fists inside his sleeves. He truly felt that being tricked by the Heavenly Saber Sect was a tremendous disgrace.
Li Qingqiu patted him on the shoulder and smiled. "Don't dwell on it. The jianghu is treacherous. No matter how much you think things through in advance, you can only gain experience by living through them."
Even Dragon Subduing Great Hero Yang Jueding, an old hand of the jianghu, had once been poisoned.
Poison was difficult for martial artists to guard against; they were bound to encounter it sooner or later.
Zhang Yuchun smiled. "That's right. How many people in the Guzhou jianghu could escape the Heavenly Saber Sect's encirclement and schemes?"
Comforted by the two of them, Jiang Zhaoxia's mood improved, though he silently vowed that this wasn't over.
Once he reached the Yangyuan Realm Fourth Layer, he would take his revenge!
At the Third Layer, he had already been able to defeat Lu Fuhu, the sect master of the Heavenly Saber Sect. Once he reached the Fourth Layer, he believed he could storm the Heavenly Saber Sect and make Lu Fuhu meet the same fate as Lü Taidou of the Seven Peaks Alliance!
After chatting for a while, the three senior and junior brothers went their separate ways. Jiang Zhaoxia went to cultivate, while Li Qingqiu and Zhang Yuchun discussed the Qingxiao Sect's next way to earn money.
First, they needed to put up a signpost at the foot of the mountain to guide people to the Qingxiao Sect.
If possible, they also needed to build a simple mountain path.
Ordinary people had a hard time finding the Qingxiao Sect when they climbed the mountain. Even farmers and hunters from the village below could easily lose their way.
Li Dongyue wanted to contribute to the Qingxiao Sect, so she asked Zhang Yuchun to spread the word that she could treat difficult and unusual illnesses among the common folk.
A group of disciples were also preparing to hunt, so they could sell game later.
As for the disciples' contributions, Li Qingqiu felt they had to be recorded. In the future, he would reward them with Spirit Stones and spirit plants.
Autumn was in full color, and it was already the end of October.
Xu Ning was the first to break through to the Yangyuan Realm Fourth Layer, becoming the Qingxiao Sect's second cultivator at that level.
In the underground Spirit Lake, Li Qingqiu witnessed her breakthrough with his own eyes. As someone who also possessed the Heavenly Thunder Spirit Root, he knew just how powerful this spirit root was.
What was more, Xu Ning's cultivation aptitude was exceptional, the highest among the Qingxiao Sect disciples so far. She also rarely went down the mountain, devoting all her time to cultivation. That was how she had surpassed Jiang Zhaoxia.
Though Li Qingqiu could understand why she cultivated so quickly, he was still amazed.
She was only eleven!
An eleven-year-old at the Yangyuan Realm Fourth Layer!
Li Sijin, Li Dongyue, and Yang Jueding were still at the Yangyuan Realm Second Layer. The difference in cultivation aptitude was plain to see.
After consolidating her cultivation, Xu Ning rose and quickly went to Li Qingqiu's side. She bowed and said softly, "Master, I've reached the Fourth Layer."
Though she seemed composed, Li Qingqiu could sense how hard she was trying to keep her emotions in check.
Li Qingqiu took her wrist and drew her closer, sighing with admiration. "Ninger, you're incredible. At this rate, you'll surpass me sooner or later."
He was only saying that. He was already close to reaching the threshold of the Yangyuan Realm Fifth Layer.
Xu Ning hurriedly replied, "Master is the most incredible. How could I possibly surpass you?"
Li Qingqiu smiled and asked, "I told you to hide your cultivation and avoid sparring with others, which meant you missed out on a lot of chances to shine. Are you unhappy about that?"
Xu Ning shook her head. "How could I be unhappy? You're protecting me. Uncle-Master Jiang became the Qingxiao Sect's strongest figure in the open, yet he's been injured time and again. Besides, the Qingxiao Sect needs a trump card. I'm willing to help you hold down the fort for the sect."
Many disciples knew Xu Ning was a genius, but only Li Qingqiu knew exactly how powerful she was.
Even Li Sifeng and Yang Jueding only felt that Xu Ning was unfathomable; neither could judge her cultivation.
From now on, another person would find Xu Ning unfathomable: Jiang Zhaoxia.
Li Qingqiu felt that Jiang Zhaoxia would soon reach the Fourth Layer as well. The fire of revenge was burning inside his junior brother, and he was about to lose control of it.
The more Li Qingqiu looked at Xu Ning, the more he liked her. Though she was young, she was obedient and sensible, and never let her cultivation make her arrogant. Her Competitive Spirit was directed at herself; she never showed it.
He had also asked Xu Ning about her background. She came from no distinguished family, and her father, who had died young, had been nothing more than a hunter. She had no deep-seated grudge waiting to be avenged.
Among the Qingxiao Sect, Li Qingqiu felt Xu Ning was the one who seemed most like a cultivator, and the one who could stay by his side the longest.
After that, Li Qingqiu taught her the cultivation method for the Yangyuan Realm Fifth Layer of the Taiqing Primordial Scripture.
The Taiqing Primordial Scripture was vast and profound, with a different method of drawing in qi for each minor realm. He only passed it down one layer at a time. Even Jiang Zhaoxia had to ask him for the next layer's cultivation method whenever he broke through.
They cultivated until nearly dusk before leaving the underground Spirit Lake. The master and disciple agreed to race back to the Qingxiao Sect and see who would arrive first, as long as the disciples didn't spot them along the way.
At the prospect of a contest, even if it was only a test of lightness skills, Xu Ning was full of energy. The two of them quickly vanished into the mountain forest.
Halfway up the mountain, Qin Ye gripped a wooden staff and practiced the Ten Thousand Army Demon Subduing Staff. His movements were sharp, and his body stretched and flowed with each strike, creating a unique beauty, as if he and the staff had become one.
Each time he practiced a hundred repetitions, he gained new insights. He had even cultivated a stream of inner force within his body.
The power of the Ten Thousand Army Demon Subduing Staff gave him confidence. He felt that as long as he trained hard, he would be able to avenge Wu Baoyu.
He hadn't told anyone. In his heart, he had already planted a seed: one day, he would kill the dog emperor.
Suddenly,
Qin Ye stopped moving. He frowned and looked over. He had just heard a faint rustling sound, as if something had rushed past nearby. It had moved very fast.
With his current martial arts skills, he didn't think he'd imagined the sound.
Could it be a wild animal?
Some time ago, he'd heard Yuan Qi say he'd spotted a black panther in the mountain. Maybe he'd been mistaken.
As Qin Ye wondered about it, a man in plain clothes and a bamboo hat approached from not far away. A long flute hung at his waist.
The man lifted his head. Beneath the bamboo hat was a weathered face. It was none other than Jiang Kuotian of the White Emperor Mansion.
Jiang Kuotian looked at Qin Ye and asked with a smile, "Young man, your staff technique has quite a presence. I could hear the wind howling from far away. Are you a disciple of the Qingxiao Sect?"
Qin Ye watched him warily and replied, "This is the Qingxiao Sect's mountain. Naturally, I'm one of its disciples. May I ask which sect you're from, and why you've come up the mountain?"
Jiang Kuotian's eyes lit up at that. He rolled his wrist as he walked toward Qin Ye, smiling. "Two years have passed, and not only has that kid Jiang Zhaoxia made a great name for himself, the Qingxiao Sect has produced a genius like you too. Interesting. Could it be that Qingxiao True Person has returned? Young man, let's spar. I'll use only one hand and see what you can do."
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