Thousand Spirit Blessed Land

Half an hour after parting ways with Yan Wujin and the other man, Li Qingqiu finally arrived at the Fortune Inheritance site. Standing in the forest, he gazed at the enormous tree before him, which towered like a mountain, and his eyes gleamed with an unusual light.

Sunlight spilled down in thousands of rays, piercing through gaps in the leaves and making the grassy clearing seem dreamlike.

Following Li Qingqiu's gaze, one could see the hundred-zhang-tall tree ahead casting a shadow over a clearing more than two hundred zhang across. It looked like something out of a dream. Vines hung from its branches, and upon closer inspection, each was laden with fiery red fruits about the size of an adult's fist.

The grass beneath the tree was emerald green, swaying gently in the breeze like waves upon a green sea.

Standing here, Li Qingqiu could feel spiritual energy no weaker than that of the underground Spirit Lake. This left him greatly encouraged.

This place could serve as a cultivation ground, too!

The spiritual energy was coming from the giant tree. In other words, it could produce spiritual energy without end. No wonder it was called a treasure of heaven and earth.

Li Qingqiu stepped forward. Even though this was a Fortune Inheritance, he stayed on guard. Getting injured would be a real nuisance.

When he reached the tree, the sight became even more awe-inspiring. It was like standing before a cliff face. He placed his hand against the trunk and gently stroked it.

His eyes suddenly widened, his expression turning to surprise.

He could actually sense life force within the tree. There was even a surging power inside it, something akin to Origin Energy.

Had this tree become a spirit?

Li Qingqiu instinctively stepped back. He saw a vine slowly inching toward him, yet for some reason, he felt no malice from it. The feeling was peculiar, but real.

He stopped and raised his right hand, touching the vine with a finger. Although it was a vine, it was almost as thick as his waist.

Sunlight fell over Li Qingqiu as he watched the vine before him. A smile gradually spread across his face.

Near noon, Li Qingqiu wandered into the courtyard. He saw Zhang Yuchun and Zhang Yu sitting together. Zhang Yuchun was saying something while Zhang Yu diligently took notes.

As he passed their table, he tossed down a manual.

"I'm skipping lunch, so don't call me."

Li Qingqiu kept walking, heading straight for the forest behind the mountain.

Zhang Yu glanced at the manual and read aloud, "Great Sun Yang Gong?"

Zhang Yuchun picked it up and flipped through a few pages. Then he turned to Li Qingqiu and asked, "Where did you get this manual?"

"Found it on the mountain."

With that, Li Qingqiu disappeared down the path into the forest.

Zhang Yu pondered, muttering to himself, "I feel like I've heard of this manual somewhere. Strange. Why can't I remember?"

Zhang Yuchun didn't think much of it either. He set the manual aside and continued recording the Qingxiao Sect's current yields of various grains with Zhang Yu.

Meanwhile.

Li Qingqiu made his way over to Jiang Zhaoxia. Today, Jiang Zhaoxia hadn't gone to the underground Spirit Lake. After finishing his lessons with Thirteen Sword Li, he had once again gone off to train in seclusion.

"Third Junior Brother, come with me tomorrow."

Li Qingqiu spoke as he walked, then sat down beneath an old tree, three zhang away from Jiang Zhaoxia.

Jiang Zhaoxia opened his eyes and looked at Li Qingqiu. "Are we hunting down the Juesheng Sect?"

Li Qingqiu's mouth twitched. He shot him a look and said, "Does your Senior Brother seem that bloodthirsty?"

"Doesn't he?"

"I think you're itching for a beating. Something good's happening tomorrow, and you were the first person your Senior Brother thought of. Don't go shedding tears of gratitude later."

"Heh. I never cry."

"Oh, really? When you were little, I spanked you, and you bawled your eyes out. Yuchun and Dongyue should still remember."

"Senior Brother, that's too much!"

Seeing Jiang Zhaoxia get angry immediately lifted Li Qingqiu's spirits. It had been so long since he'd bantered with his junior brother like this. He'd missed it.

Jiang Zhaoxia didn't want to keep discussing the subject, so he pressed Li Qingqiu to tell him what the good news was. Unfortunately, Li Qingqiu refused to say, leaving him no choice but to give up.

At daybreak, Li Qingqiu stepped outside and immediately saw Jiang Zhaoxia waiting for him.

"What took you so long? With your cultivation, do you still need to sleep in?" Jiang Zhaoxia complained.

Li Qingqiu walked over, tapped him on the head, and said, "In front of the disciples, you should address me as Sect Master."

Jiang Zhaoxia pursed his lips. The other disciples in the courtyard secretly sighed. The cold and ruthless Jiang Zhaoxia only acted this way in front of the Sect Master.

Then Li Qingqiu led Jiang Zhaoxia down the mountain.

An hour later.

The two passed through the thick fog and arrived beneath the giant tree. Jiang Zhaoxia gazed up at it, his eyes widening despite himself. He couldn't maintain his usual icy composure.

"This..."

Jiang Zhaoxia was deeply shaken. He hadn't expected the old mountain forest behind the Qingxiao Sect to hide such a massive tree. And the spiritual energy here was so abundant, no weaker at all than that of the underground Spirit Lake.

Li Qingqiu smiled. "I've named this tree the Thousand Spirit Tree. From now on, this place will be called the Thousand Spirit Blessed Land. It's one of the Qingxiao Sect's secrets. Any disciple who wants to cultivate here must have my permission. You'll cultivate here first, and you can leave once you break through to the Nourishing Yuan Realm Fifth Layer."

Jiang Zhaoxia took a deep breath and looked at Li Qingqiu. "Why not let Xu Ning come first? She has better aptitude than I do."

Li Qingqiu glared at him and snorted. "What kind of talk is that? If we get a disciple with better aptitude than you, should they always get the sect's benefits before you? My most important reason for building up the Qingxiao Sect is so that the seven of us can climb higher. No matter what, the seven of us should always benefit first. The other disciples come after."

Jiang Zhaoxia was deeply moved, but he kept his face stern. "What kind of Sect Master runs a sect like that?"

"Quit talking nonsense and get to training. My disciple is still young, and she's a girl. When it comes to fighting, I'll still have to rely on you."

"Understood."

Jiang Zhaoxia glanced back at the Thousand Spirit Tree, then found a spot and sat down to meditate.

Li Qingqiu, meanwhile, climbed the Thousand Spirit Tree and began examining it. There was still so much he wanted to learn about it.

It was autumn, yet the Thousand Spirit Tree showed no sign of withering. The surrounding woods were just as green, bursting with life.

What Li Qingqiu was most curious about was the use of the Thousand Spirit Tree's fruit.

There had to be at least a thousand fruits on the tree, and plenty of rotten ones lay on the ground. He decided to find some livestock and test the Thousand Spirit Fruit.

Jiang Zhaoxia had already been close to the Nourishing Yuan Realm Fifth Layer. After just six days at the Thousand Spirit Blessed Land, he succeeded in breaking through, training without rest.

When Li Qingqiu visited the Thousand Spirit Blessed Land again, Jiang Zhaoxia told him the news, making him very happy.

However, Jiang Zhaoxia raised his sword and pointed it at Li Qingqiu, laughing with spirited confidence. "Senior Brother, it's been ages since we sparred. How about a match?"

The old Li Qingqiu might have avoided the fight, but now he was itching for one, too. He wanted to get a taste of battle.

Clang—

Li Qingqiu drew the Heavenly Rainbow Sword from his waist. A smile tugged at his lips. "Junior Brother, don't cry if you lose."

"Senior Brother, I've never lost!"

Jiang Zhaoxia lunged at Li Qingqiu, who rushed forward at the same time.

Their swords clashed. The two stared into each other's eyes as sparks burst between them, excitement written across both their faces.

With a simultaneous burst of strength, they leaped backward. In that single leap, autumn passed, and heavy snow suddenly began to fall, blanketing the Thousand Spirit Blessed Land.

They charged at each other again, their figures weaving past one another as they swung their swords without pause. Their swordsmanship was exquisite, their movements nimble, and neither could gain the upper hand.

After Jiang Zhaoxia broke through to the Nourishing Yuan Realm Fifth Layer, the two often came here to spar. Two months had passed.

Li Dongyue and Li Sijin meditated beneath the tree, then opened their eyes to watch them.

"Third Senior Brother, you can do it!"

Li Sijin shouted encouragement. It did nothing to spur Jiang Zhaoxia on; instead, it irritated him.

No matter what sword move he used, Li Qingqiu handled it with ease, even striking back with the same move.

He almost felt as if he were sparring with another version of himself. It was absurd.

He knew he wasn't actually fighting himself. His Senior Brother's swordsmanship was simply superior to his own, allowing him to see through his moves with ease.

A little over a month ago, this would have discouraged him. Now, it only fueled his fighting spirit.

Defeating his Senior Brother had become his goal!

Li Dongyue looked at Li Sijin and said, "Focus on your cultivation. Don't think you can slack off just because you've reached the Yangyuan Realm Second Layer."

That was right: the two of them had already reached the Yangyuan Realm Second Layer. Over the past two months, they had spent most of their time here. Even Zhang Yuchun had been sent by Li Qingqiu to the underground Spirit Lake, where he'd broken through to the Yangyuan Realm Second Layer just yesterday.

As they began cultivating in earnest, power naturally shifted into the disciples' hands. Under Yang Jueding's guidance, Qin Ye of the Qingxiao Seven Sons had also begun taking charge, sharing the burden with Zhang Yuchun and the others.

Zhang Yuchun and the others didn't understand why their Senior Brother was so eager for them to reach the Yangyuan Realm Second Layer, but since he'd told them to do it, they could only obey.

After Li Dongyue urged her, Li Sijin closed her eyes and focused on cultivation.

She was closest to Li Dongyue and was willing to listen to her.

After sparring for the time it took an incense stick to burn, Li Qingqiu stopped and spun his sword with one hand, sliding the blade smoothly into its sheath.

Jiang Zhaoxia panted heavily. Looking at Li Qingqiu, whose breathing remained steady, he said, "Senior Brother, after New Spring, I want to take Thirteen Sword Li down the mountain for some experience. We'll be back in three months at most."

Li Qingqiu knew why he wanted to go. Seeing his determined gaze, he could only say, "I have just one condition: not a single one of those thirteen disciples can be lost."

Jiang Zhaoxia smiled. "Of course. They're my disciples. Even if I die, I won't let them die."

"Then don't. First, make sure you stay safe. I won't allow you to die."

Li Qingqiu shook his head. He wasn't too worried about Jiang Zhaoxia going down the mountain to seek revenge. Back then, Jiang Zhaoxia had been able to defeat Lu Fuhu at only the Yangyuan Realm Third Layer. Now that he'd reached the fifth layer, how could he lose?

It was worth mentioning that one of Thirteen Sword Li had already received Li Qingqiu's imparted cultivation technique and reached the Yangyuan Realm Layer 1.

That was Xue Jin, the leader of Thirteen Sword Li.

Li Qingqiu had approached him on the pretext that Qin Ye had humiliated him, then taught him the Primordial Scripture to make up for it.

In truth, Li Qingqiu wasn't making it up to him. Xue Jin already had excellent aptitude for cultivation, and Li Qingqiu simply couldn't bear to let him waste time.

After talking with Li Qingqiu for a while, Jiang Zhaoxia went off to meditate and recover his strength.

Li Qingqiu stayed where he was and whistled. Soon, the woods to the east shook. Two dark figures shot out of the forest, circled overhead, then swooped down toward him.