Thousand Spirit Blessed Land

Half an hour after parting ways with Yan Wujin, Li Qingqiu finally arrived at the blessed land of fortune. He stood in the forest, gazing at the colossal tree before him, which resembled a mountain, his eyes alight with a peculiar brilliance.

Sunlight streamed down, transforming into a thousand rainbows that pierced through the gaps in the leaves, casting a mystical glow upon the clearing.

Following Li Qingqiu's gaze, the hundred-zhang giant tree ahead cast a shadow over an open space with a diameter exceeding two hundred zhang. It was like a dream; vines hung from the branches of this tree, and upon closer inspection, these vines bore fiery red fruits, each as large as an adult's fist.

The grass beneath the tree was verdant green, swaying gently in the wind like a green ocean wave.

Standing here, Li Qingqiu actually felt a surge of Origin Energy no less potent than that of the underground Spirit Lake, which greatly exhilarated him.

This place could also serve as a cultivation ground!

The Origin Energy emanated from the giant tree, meaning this tree could continuously generate Origin Energy. No wonder it was called a treasure of heaven and earth.

Li Qingqiu stepped forward. Despite it being a blessed land, he remained vigilant; it wouldn't be good if he got injured.

He reached the base of the tree, and his senses were even more profoundly stirred. He felt as if he were facing a mountain cliff. He placed his hand on the tree's trunk, gently caressing it.

His eyes suddenly widened, his expression one of bewilderment.

He could actually feel a life force within this tree, and even a power akin to Origin Energy surging within it.

Has this tree become sentient?

Li Qingqiu instinctively retreated. He saw a vine slowly approach him. For some reason, he felt no malice from it; the feeling was peculiar yet real.

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

Sunlight bathed Li Qingqiu as he looked at the vine before him, a smile gradually appearing on his face.

As noon approached, Li Qingqiu ambled back into the sect. He saw Zhang Yuchun and Zhang Yu sitting together, Zhang Yuchun speaking while Zhang Yu took notes.

He passed by the table and tossed a secret manual onto it.

"I won't be eating lunch, no need to call for me."

Li Qingqiu didn't stop, walking directly towards the forest behind the mountain.

Zhang Yu's eyes focused, and he read aloud, "Great Sun Yang Gong?"

Zhang Yuchun picked up the secret manual, flipped through a few pages, and turned to look at Li Qingqiu, asking, "Where did this secret manual come from?"

"I found it on the mountain."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Qingqiu's figure vanished into the path leading into the forest.

Zhang Yu mused, murmuring to himself, "I feel like I've heard of this secret manual somewhere before. Strange, why can't I recall it?"

Zhang Yuchun didn't pay it much mind, placing the secret manual aside and continuing to record the current grain yields of the Qingxiao Sect with Zhang Yu.

Meanwhile.

Li Qingqiu made his way to Jiang Zhaoxia. Today, Jiang Zhaoxia hadn't gone to the underground Spirit Lake. After teaching the Thirteen Sword Stance, he, as usual, hid away to practice.

"Third Junior Brother, you're coming with Senior Brother tomorrow."

Li Qingqiu said as he walked, approaching an old tree and sitting down, maintaining a distance of three zhang from Jiang Zhaoxia.

Jiang Zhaoxia opened his eyes, looked at Li Qingqiu, and asked, "Are we going to hunt down members of the Juesheng Sect?"

Li Qingqiu's mouth twitched, and he shot him a glare. "Am I that bloodthirsty, Senior Brother?"

"Aren't you?"

"I think you're itching for a fight. Tomorrow there's something good happening, and you're the first person Senior Brother thought of. Don't be moved to tears then."

"Heh, I never cry."

"Really? When we were kids, you cried so loudly when I spanked your butt. Yuchun and Dongyue should still remember."

"Senior Brother, you've gone too far!"

Seeing Jiang Zhaoxia angry, Li Qingqiu's mood instantly lifted. It had been a long time since he'd bickered with his junior brother like this; he'd missed it.

Jiang Zhaoxia didn't want to dwell on the topic and pressed Li Qingqiu about this supposed good news, but Li Qingqiu refused to say, leaving him no choice but to drop it.

In the early morning, Li Qingqiu saw Jiang Zhaoxia waiting the moment he stepped out.

"Why so slow? Do you still need to sleep in with your cultivation?" Jiang Zhaoxia grumbled.

Li Qingqiu walked up to him and patted his head. "In front of the disciples, you should address me as Sect Master."

Jiang Zhaoxia pouted, causing the other disciples in the courtyard to sigh inwardly. The cold and ruthless Jiang Zhaoxia only acted this way in front of the Sect Master.

Afterward, 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 at the colossal tree, his eyes widening, unable to maintain his usual composure.

"This..."

Jiang Zhaoxia was deeply shocked. He hadn't expected the deep mountain forests behind the Qingxiao Sect to hide such a magnificent tree, and the Origin Energy here was so abundant, no less than that of the underground Spirit Lake.

Li Qingqiu smiled. "I call this tree the Thousand Spirit Tree. From now on, this place will be known as the Thousand Spirit Blessed Land, one of the Qingxiao Sect's secrets. Any disciple who wishes to cultivate here must have my permission. You will cultivate here first until you break through to the fifth level of the Yangyuan Realm before leaving."

Jiang Zhaoxia took a deep breath. He looked at Li Qingqiu and asked, "Why didn't you let Xu Ning go first? Her talent is better than mine."

Li Qingqiu glared at him and snorted, "What kind of talk is that? Are you saying that from now on, if any disciple with better talent than you appears, all the good things in the sect will go to them before you? My most important goal in developing the Qingxiao Sect is for the seven of us to go further. No matter when, the people who benefit most in the sect will always be us seven, and then other disciples."

Jiang Zhaoxia was deeply moved, but he still kept a straight face and said, "That's no way to be a Sect Master."

"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up and train. My disciple is still young and a woman. You'll still have to handle the fighting from now on."

"Understood."

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

Li Qingqiu climbed up the Thousand Spirit Tree and began to observe it. There was still so much he wanted to learn about this tree.

It was autumn, yet the Thousand Spirit Tree showed no signs of wilting. The nearby forest was also lush green and full of life.

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

There were at least a thousand fruits on the Thousand Spirit Tree, and quite a few rotten fruits on the ground. He decided to find a livestock animal to experiment with the Thousand Spirit Fruit next.

Jiang Zhaoxia was not far from the Yangyuan Realm Fifth Layer. It only took him six days to reach the Thousand Spirit Blessed Land, and he broke through successfully without rest or sleep.

When Li Qingqiu returned to the Thousand Spirit Blessed Land, Jiang Zhaoxia shared this news with him, which made him very happy.

However, Jiang Zhaoxia drew his sword, pointed it at Li Qingqiu, and said with a proud smile, "Senior Brother, we haven't sparred in a long time. How about a match?"

The Li Qingqiu of the past might have avoided the fight, but the current him was also itching for a fight and wanted to experience the taste of battle.

Clang--

Li Qingqiu drew the Heavenly Rainbow Sword from his waist. The corners of his mouth turned up, and he smiled, "Junior Brother, don't cry if you lose."

"Senior Brother, I've never lost before!"

Jiang Zhaoxia lunged at Li Qingqiu, and Li Qingqiu did the same.

Their swords met, and their eyes locked. Sword sparks flew between them, and both of them wore excited smiles.

As they pushed with all their might, they leaped backward simultaneously. This leap took them past autumn, and suddenly, heavy snow began to fall, covering the Thousand Spirit Blessed Land.

They charged at each other again, their figures crossing, swords flashing continuously. Their sword techniques were exquisite, their movements agile, and they were evenly matched.

Ever since Jiang Zhaoxia broke through to the Yangyuan Realm Fifth Layer, they had often sparred here. Two months had passed.

Li Dongyue and Li Sijin sat beneath the tree, opening their eyes to watch them.

"Third Senior Brother, go for it!"

Li Sijin shouted. Her words did not inspire Jiang Zhaoxia; instead, they annoyed him.

He realized that no matter what sword moves he used, Li Qingqiu could calmly deal with them, even countering with the same moves.

He even felt like he was sparring with another version of himself. It was absurd.

He understood that he wasn't fighting himself, but that his Senior Brother's swordsmanship was superior to his, allowing him to easily see through his moves.

If it were more than a month ago, he would have felt defeated. Now, he was only spurred on by a stronger 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 relax just because you've reached the second layer."

That's right, the two of them had already reached the Yangyuan Realm Second Layer. They had spent most of their time here for the past two months. Even Zhang Yuchun had been forced by Li Qingqiu into the underground Spirit Lake and broke through to the Yangyuan Realm Second Layer yesterday.

As they began to cultivate diligently, power naturally shifted towards the disciples. The Qingxiao Seven Sons and Qin Ye, under Yang Jueding's tutelage, also began to take charge, sharing the pressure 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 their Senior Brother told them to do so, they could only obey.

After being urged by Li Dongyue, Li Sijin could only close her eyes and focus on her cultivation.

She had the best relationship with Li Dongyue and was willing to listen to her.

After the spar lasted for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Li Qingqiu stopped. He flicked his sword with one hand, allowing the blade to smoothly slide back into its sheath.

Jiang Zhaoxia panted heavily, looking at Li Qingqiu, whose breathing was steady. He said, "Senior Brother, after the New Year, I'm going to take the Thirteen Sword Arts down the mountain for training. I'll be back in at most three months."

Li Qingqiu knew why he wanted to go for training. Seeing his determined gaze, Li Qingqiu could only say, "I have only one requirement: not a single one of these thirteen disciples can be left behind."

Jiang Zhaoxia smiled and said, "Of course. They are my disciples. I won't let them die, even if I die."

"Then forget it. You first guarantee your own safety. I forbid you to die."

Li Qingqiu shook his head. He wasn't too worried about Jiang Zhaoxia going down the mountain for revenge. Back then, Jiang Zhaoxia, at only the Yangyuan Realm Third Layer, could defeat Lu Fuhu. Now that he had reached the Fifth Layer, how could he be defeated?

It is worth mentioning that one of the Thirteen Swords, Li, had already been imparted with power by Li Qingqiu and had reached the Yangyuan Realm First Layer.

That was Xue Jin, the leader of the Thirteen Swords.

Li Qingqiu used the excuse of him being humiliated by Qin Ye to find him and taught him the Primordial Scripture to compensate.

In fact, Li Qingqiu wasn't compensating him; it was just that he already had good talent for cultivation, and Li Qingqiu couldn't bear to see him waste his time.

After chatting with Li Qingqiu for a few moments, Jiang Zhaoxia walked to the side and began to meditate to recover his strength.

Li Qingqiu stood in place and let out a whistle. Soon, the forest to the east trembled, and two dark figures flew out from the trees, circled in the air, and then pounced towards him.

Thanks to book friend 20210301106577327446 for the reward of 100 Qidian coins~