Before dusk, Li Qingqiu gathered all the disciples and announced Jiang Zhaoxia's plan to form the Thirteen Swords. The disciples were thrilled, all gazing at Jiang Zhaoxia with eager anticipation.
This was the most powerful person in Qingxiao Sect, and the second-ranked martial artist in the world. If they trained under him, they were sure to make something of themselves.
Besides, the Thirteen Swords sounded formidable. So far, only the Qingxiao Seven Sons had a name of their own in Qingxiao Sect. Now there would be the Thirteen Swords, too. How could the disciples not be excited?
Li Qingqiu watched as Jiang Zhaoxia selected his disciples. When Jiang Zhaoxia had chosen twelve, Li Qingqiu suddenly spoke up and pointed at one of the disciples. "Third Junior Brother, give him the last spot."
The disciple Li Qingqiu pointed to was named Xue Jin. He was sixteen that year, with ordinary looks and an unremarkable height. Standing among the crowd, he was easy to overlook.
When Li Qingqiu pointed at him, Xue Jin froze. He glanced around instinctively, thinking the sect leader must have meant someone standing in front of or behind him.
Jiang Zhaoxia looked at Xue Jin and frowned slightly. He had no impression of him at all, and the boy did not look like someone with much potential.
Seeing his doubts, Li Qingqiu smiled and added, "I can sense that his potential is limitless. He'll be a great help to you in the future."
Xue Jin was the only one among the new disciples whose aptitude and comprehension had reached the "good" level. Since joining the sect, his loyalty had risen quickly, so Li Qingqiu had no qualms about putting him forward.
"Good" might sound inferior to Xu Ning's or Jiang Zhaoxia's natural talent, but within Qingxiao Sect, it absolutely counted as genius.
The twelve people Jiang Zhaoxia had chosen himself were all less gifted than Xue Jin.
Hearing Li Qingqiu's words, Xue Jin felt both thrilled and moved. He was even on the verge of tears.
Had the sect leader really been paying attention to him?
Yang Jueding, Cheng Canghai, Li Sifeng, and the others standing nearby also studied Xue Jin curiously. Li Qingqiu rarely praised his disciples like this, and with Xu Ning as a precedent, they couldn't help but feel their expectations rise.
Could this boy really be extraordinary?
Jiang Zhaoxia relented. "In that case, I'll trust you, Senior Brother."
He crooked a finger at Xue Jin, beckoning him to step forward, then left with the chosen members of the Thirteen Swords.
The disciples who hadn't been chosen felt somewhat disappointed, but they were also eager to see how far the Thirteen Swords would go.
Li Qingqiu dismissed the disciples. Just then, Li Sifeng sidled up to him with a cheeky grin. "Second Senior Brother has the Qingxiao Seven Sons, and Third Senior Brother now has the Thirteen Swords. Could I form a group with a name of my own, too?"
Li Qingqiu glanced at him. "What name?"
"The Nine Ghosts of Qingxiao. How's that?"
"Doesn't sound good. Think of something else."
Li Qingqiu shot him an eye-roll, then headed toward the mountain gate.
Li Sifeng immediately chased after him, pestering him all the way.
Although Li Qingqiu hadn't agreed to Li Sifeng's request, the idea had given him inspiration. If each of his junior brothers and sisters took a group of disciples under their wing, passing things down generation after generation, wouldn't that eventually form a whole framework of power?
Wu Man'er wasn't suited to leading disciples, and Li Sifeng was far too flighty. He wouldn't do, either.
Li Qingqiu decided to have Li Dongyue and Li Sijin each select a group of disciples.
Li Dongyue's Spring Return Ghost Immortal Needle came with medical knowledge. Even without Origin Energy, it could still deepen one's understanding of acupoints and blood circulation. In the future, she could treat the sect's disciples as well as those who climbed the mountain seeking medical help.
Li Sijin could teach talisman-making. Even if the talismans weren't genuine cultivation talismans, they could still bring in money. There were plenty of ordinary people in the world who sought peace of mind, as long as Qingxiao Sect's reputation spread.
After making his decision, Li Qingqiu summoned Li Dongyue that very evening to discuss it with her.
Li Dongyue was delighted. She had long wanted to do something like this; she'd just feared Li Qingqiu wouldn't allow her to pass on the Spring Return Ghost Immortal Needle.
Early the next morning, Li Dongyue went to select disciples. The commotion wasn't as great as when Jiang Zhaoxia had chosen his, but it still stirred up plenty of discussion among the disciples.
In the end, Li Dongyue chose nine disciples: seven girls and two boys.
As for Li Sijin, she didn't want to take on the responsibility just yet. She wanted to wait two years before taking disciples. Li Qingqiu naturally had no objections. As long as his junior sister had a plan, he would support her.
That day, Zhang Yuchun led a group down the mountain. This time, he didn't just bring Huang Shan and Yu Lin; he took all of the Qingxiao Seven Sons with him to gain experience. Li Qingqiu was worried, so he arranged for Li Sifeng to go along.
Zhang Yuchun wasn't particularly skilled in martial arts, and given the state of the world, Li Qingqiu couldn't help worrying about his safety.
Half a month later, Zhang Yuchun and the others returned. To everyone's surprise, they had recruited twenty-three new disciples.
The number of disciples in Qingxiao Sect had suddenly surpassed eighty!
Li Qingqiu met the new disciples in person and offered them a few words of encouragement before asking Li Dongyue to arrange their lodgings.
Over the past year, several more courtyards had been built beneath the new one. They were a little crude, but there was enough room for the new disciples.
Li Qingqiu opened the Legacy System and scanned through it. None of the disciples had outstanding cultivation aptitude or comprehension, but one of them had a rather unusual Fate.
[Lucky person: Always seems to have good luck, throughout his entire life]
The boy's name was Bai Ninger. He was only thirteen, small and dark-skinned, and nearly impossible to spot in the middle of the crowd.
"Lucky person" was such a vague label that it left plenty of room for imagination. It might even mean nothing quite so extraordinary. After all, Bai Ninger's cultivation aptitude and comprehension were both mediocre.
He would need to keep an eye on him.
Li Qingqiu only glanced at Bai Ninger. He made no special arrangements for him and didn't ask Zhang Yuchun about him, either.
With another twenty-three disciples joining Qingxiao Sect, the strain on the labor force at its construction sites and business ventures eased under Zhang Yuchun's arrangements.
Snow swirled through the air, blanketing the mountains in white.
On a mountaintop, Li Qingqiu sat meditating beside Qin Ye. The spiritual energy around them swept the wind and snow aside.
Qin Ye slowly opened his eyes and sighed. "Master, the Primordial Scripture is truly profound, and it suits my Ten Thousand Army Demon Subduing Staff perfectly. Just thinking through the techniques has already given me so many insights."
He was delighted to have the rare chance to train alongside his master. He could feel that his master was growing closer to him.
"You're still only at the first layer. Once you reach the second, you'll be able to draw out even more of the Ten Thousand Army Demon Subduing Staff's power," Li Qingqiu said with his eyes closed.
Qin Ye nodded, though he privately thought that reaching the second layer of the Primordial Scripture would be very difficult. He wondered how many years it would take him.
"Do you want to avenge Wu Baoyu?" Li Qingqiu suddenly asked.
Qin Ye was taken aback. His expression turned solemn as he gritted his teeth. "Senior Wu died so horribly. I have to clear his name and avenge him."
"You can clear his name. After all, he passed his legacy on to you. But when it comes to avenging him, aren't you being a little presumptuous?" Li Qingqiu said evenly.
Qin Ye turned to look at him, unable to hide his disbelief. He didn't understand why his master would say something so hurtful.
Li Qingqiu continued, "Did Senior Wu ever ask you to avenge him?"
"No, but he must've been afraid I wouldn't be able to do it..."
"Then do you remember what he said when he passed on his martial arts to you?"
"He said a lot. I remember it all."
"In his heart, what mattered more: hatred, or keeping the realm stable?"
"I..."
Qin Ye suddenly didn't know how to answer, because Wu Baoyu had once told him that he hoped Qin Ye would enlist in the army and protect Great Li.
"If you kill the emperor, do you know what the consequences will be?" Li Qingqiu pressed.
Qin Ye's face flushed red, then pale. He was young, but he understood these principles. If the emperor died, the whole realm would surely fall into chaos.
"I won't stop you from seeking revenge, but I hope you'll think about this: what exactly did Senior Wu pass on to you? Martial arts, or his spirit? There are many ways to take revenge. I hope you'll put all the people of the realm first, and only then talk about vengeance."
Li Qingqiu spoke earnestly. From beginning to end, he never opened his eyes.
Qin Ye fell into deep thought.
Li Qingqiu felt the weight of being a master. It wasn't enough simply to pass on martial arts. While Qin Ye was still young and hadn't yet weathered the hardships of the world, he had to correct the boy's way of thinking and keep him from going down an extreme path.
After a while, Qin Ye looked up at Li Qingqiu and asked curiously, "Master, is Qingxiao Sect's purpose in practicing martial arts to protect the people of the realm?"
When Xi Niang had taken her own life, Li Qingqiu's words had been cold. Quite a few disciples had discussed them in private, and Qin Ye had never forgotten. He had always felt that his master wasn't the sort of great, benevolent man who would put others first.
"The realm is too vast. That goal is too vague. But Qingxiao Sect will protect those who support us along the way. Take the villagers at the foot of the mountain: they help us build the sect, cultivate our fields, and bring us food. Shouldn't we shelter them in return? Qingxiao Sect will keep growing stronger, and the number of people who help us will keep increasing. If one day the whole realm supports us, then we should protect the whole realm."
Li Qingqiu's words suddenly made everything clear to Qin Ye. For the first time, the path Qingxiao Sect was taking seemed plain to him.
Grow stronger without abandoning benevolence and righteousness. Value one's own interests without forgetting those who had shown kindness.
The resentment that had built up in Qin Ye's heart began to fade. He realized how foolish he had been, failing to understand Senior Wu's wishes and losing himself in hatred.
Looking back, he realized his relationship with the other five members of the Qin family had grown distant, to say nothing of his ties with the other disciples.
As the sect leader's disciple, he shouldn't have been like that.
While Li Qingqiu was teaching Qin Ye, Jiang Zhaoxia was doing the same with his disciples.
Jiang Zhaoxia wasn't merely teaching them sword techniques. He was also instilling the ideals of the Thirteen Swords. He wanted them to put Qingxiao Sect's interests first and snuff out every threat to the sect.
This winter was colder than in previous years, but the hearts of Qingxiao Sect's disciples burned with passion and fighting spirit.
After New Spring, while the bustle at Qingxiao Sect still hadn't died down, Li Qingqiu received some happy news: he had successfully broken through to the Nourishing Yuan Realm Fifth Layer!
He hadn't told anyone. He planned to keep himself out of sight as much as possible, only stepping in when Qingxiao Sect faced a crisis, and leaving the title of the strongest to someone else in public.
After reaching the fifth layer, his Origin Energy had doubled. At last, he understood what people in the martial world meant when they spoke of profound inner power. Now, when he used Spells, he no longer had to conserve his strength as he had before.
After New Spring, Li Dongyue's medical practice opened for business. A merchant brought his daughter up the mountain to seek treatment.
The girl had contracted a strange illness. They had searched far and wide for famous doctors, but none had managed to cure her. The illness flared up from time to time, and when the merchant happened to hear that Qingxiao Sect could treat difficult, unusual cases, he decided to try his luck.
If any of you have ideas for Fates, feel free to leave your suggestions in the book review section. If I see one that's good and suitable, I'll make a note of it~
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