Opening Fortune Inheritance

"Martial Uncle, I don't need a secret manual. If this manual is truly so powerful, it might bring disaster upon me. If you really feel indebted, why not give me this little knife instead?"

Li Qingqiu looked at the secret manual in Jiang Kuotian's hand and spoke earnestly. As he spoke, he raised a hand and pointed at the small knife containing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Hearing this, Jiang Kuotian frowned. It was not that he cared about the little knife; he was merely pondering Li Qingqiu's words.

He had thought that as long as he told Li Qingqiu not to spread it around, everything would be fine. But once martial arts were cultivated, they could be exposed at any time. How could they be hidden for a lifetime?

He felt somewhat ashamed. He had not considered matters as thoroughly as this young man.

No wonder that fellow Lin Xunfeng always went down the mountain alone. With this boy guarding the sect, he truly could rest easy.

After giving it some thought, Jiang Kuotian picked up the little knife and handed it to Li Qingqiu, then said, "Fine. We're all men of the martial world, so I won't stand on ceremony. If you run into trouble in the future, come find me at White Emperor Mansion. Even if I must brave boiling water and raging fire, even if I am crushed to pieces, this Martial Uncle will come help you!"

Li Qingqiu accepted the little knife and said delightedly, "Thank you, Martial Uncle!"

The deeply moved look on his face greatly pleased Jiang Kuotian.

He tucked the little knife into his robes, then called the other disciples out of the house to meet Jiang Kuotian. Once there were more people, the courtyard grew lively.

The disciples were somewhat intimidated by the burly Jiang Kuotian and were initially quite reserved. But as Jiang Kuotian began recounting tales of the martial world, their attention shifted. Before long, they were all chatting freely, asking questions from time to time.

Half an hour later.

The rain stopped.

Jiang Zhaoxia also emerged from the woods. Ever since this fellow began cultivating immortality, he had liked to train alone. Since Li Qingqiu could see his cultivation and loyalty, he let him cultivate in secret.

Geniuses always had secrets unknown to others.

The moment Jiang Kuotian saw Jiang Zhaoxia, he was struck with amazement. He circled him and examined him, declaring him a martial arts genius rarely seen in a hundred years, and vigorously invited him to join White Emperor Mansion.

Unfortunately, Jiang Zhaoxia remained unmoved. His words even revealed doubt toward White Emperor Mansion, angering Jiang Kuotian greatly.

Li Qingqiu noticed that Jiang Zhaoxia clearly did not take Jiang Kuotian seriously at all and was completely unafraid of conflict.

The confidence brought by cultivating immortality was simply too strong. Though Jiang Zhaoxia was still only at Nurturing Origin Realm Layer 1, his Origin Energy was undoubtedly the strongest in Qingxiao Sect—Li Qingqiu could sense that.

Just how great was the gap between Nurturing Origin Realm Layer 1 and martial world fighters? Li Qingqiu was rather curious about that as well.

A night passed.

Jiang Kuotian did not wake until noon. Only after eating and drinking his fill did he bid farewell to Li Qingqiu and the others.

Before leaving, he still left behind a secret manual, stuffing it into Wu Man'er's hands.

"If you ever wish to go down the mountain, remember to come see me at White Emperor Mansion, while I'm not old yet!"

Jiang Kuotian departed with hearty laughter, waving at Li Qingqiu and the others with his back to them, utterly carefree.

Li Qingqiu watched him leave, only withdrawing his gaze after he vanished into the woods. His junior brothers and junior sisters began discussing Jiang Kuotian and White Emperor Mansion.

Li Qingqiu turned and entered the courtyard, with Jiang Zhaoxia following behind. After the two put some distance between themselves and the others, Jiang Zhaoxia moved close to Li Qingqiu and asked, "Senior Brother, did Jiang Kuotian give you a treasure containing spiritual energy?"

Jiang Zhaoxia could sense that an object in Li Qingqiu's robes contained faint spiritual energy. Though extremely weak, such an item was rare.

Li Qingqiu glanced at him and said, "Yes. Once I've studied it carefully, I'll get one for you someday too. Junior Brother, you need to understand—your Senior Brother's cultivation speed cannot compare to yours, so I have to keep something to rely on. If one day you aren't around, I'll need some way to save my own life too."

These words sent Jiang Zhaoxia's spirits soaring, and the corners of his mouth could not help lifting. He snorted, "How could I possibly not be around? Just rest assured. With me here, no one can threaten our Qingxiao Sect."

He had always been arrogant by nature. Since cultivating the Primordial Scripture and embarking upon the path of immortality, he had become even more prideful, believing himself very strong.

The two senior and junior brothers chatted as they walked toward the courtyard.

After returning to the courtyard, Li Qingqiu went back to his room alone, while Jiang Zhaoxia, as always, slipped away to cultivate in the forest behind the mountain.

Closing the door, Li Qingqiu sat on the bed and took out the little knife, beginning to examine it closely.

A weapon containing spiritual energy—could it be a magical artifact?

The Taiqing Primordial Scripture was not merely a simple Qi Absorption Cultivation Method. It also covered foundational methods such as Pill Dao, Artifact Dao, Formation Dao, Talismans, and more. Following several methods recorded in the cultivation method, he began to test them.

The simplest method was to inject Origin Energy into the magical artifact and see whether it had an owner-recognition restriction.

Then his whole body jolted. His right hand loosened, and the little knife fell to the ground.

There was a restriction!

Li Qingqiu lowered his head to look at his trembling right hand. It felt as though it had been numbed by electricity.

It seemed this truly was a magical artifact!

My cultivation is still insufficient. I'll try again after breaking through to the Yangyuan Realm Second Layer.

Li Qingqiu thought to himself. That single attempt had consumed more than half his Origin Energy; he truly could not afford to keep spending it.

He stood and carefully picked up the little knife, then considered where to hide it.

After fussing over it for quite a while, he buried the little knife in the dirt beneath his bed. Only then did he barely manage to conceal its spiritual energy.

Li Qingqiu left the room in satisfaction. Next, he planned to focus his efforts on Wu Man'er, helping him enter Nurturing Origin Realm Layer 1 before activating Fortune Inheritance.

At the same time, he was looking forward to something.

Would having everyone enter the realm of immortality also earn a Dao lineage reward?

Jiang Kuotian was merely a brief interlude for Qingxiao Sect. Li Qingqiu arranged for his junior brothers and junior sisters to take turns teaching Fifth Junior Brother Wu Man'er.

Although Wu Man'er was intellectually impaired, after being guided over and over again, he eventually developed muscle memory and grew accustomed to the method of drawing in energy. At last, before the harsh winter arrived, he stepped into Nurturing Origin Realm Layer 1.

[Given that all disciples of your Legacy System have entered Nurturing Origin Realm Layer 1 for the first time, this is a milestone for the Qingxiao Sect. You have gained one opportunity for a legacy reward.]

As Li Qingqiu sat cross-legged atop the mountain, drawing in energy, a line of notification suddenly appeared before his eyes. Even with his eyes closed, he could still see it.

He was instantly overjoyed. There really was a legacy reward!

He shifted back by a zhang, made sure he would not fall off the cliff, and immediately activated the legacy reward.

[Claim Legacy Reward]

[Initiating Legacy Inheritance]

[You have obtained a spell—Gale Technique]

[Accept inheritance?]

Inheritance!

A flood of memories instantly surged into Li Qingqiu's mind, and his eyes closed along with them.

The cold wind whistled. Dense fog shrouded the mountains, snow began drifting down from the heavens, and flakes settled on Li Qingqiu's body. Yet he remained utterly unaffected, sitting motionless.

After the time it took to burn an incense stick, Li Qingqiu opened his eyes, delight showing in them.

The Gale Technique truly deserved to be called a spell. It could wrap spiritual wind around one's body, allowing low-altitude gliding, while also enhancing the body's reaction speed. Such a spell was exceedingly convenient in the mountains and forests.

Li Qingqiu's first thought was that once he mastered it, going down the mountain would become much easier.

He rose to his feet and could not wait to begin cultivating the Gale Technique.

He could not practice the Gale Technique on the mountaintop. What if he fell to his death?

A great titan of the immortal realm could not die here!

The sun set and the moon rose, while the snow fell ever harder.

That night, because Wu Man'er had cultivated Origin Energy, everyone in the Qingxiao Sect began celebrating. Zhang Yuchun and Li Dongyue slaughtered a chicken for the occasion and even brought out the old wine their Master had kept hidden for twenty years.

Though Wu Man'er was only thirteen, he already showed signs of becoming broad-shouldered and brawny. Sitting between Li Sifeng and Li Sijin, he looked like an adult, his shoulders nearly as wide as theirs put together.

Jiang Zhaoxia sat beside Li Qingqiu. Looking at Wu Man'er, he said with a proud smile, "Fifth Junior Brother may be a little slow, but his talent for martial arts is definitely the strongest among us. Give me ten years—no, five years—and I can make him a first-rate expert of the martial world."

As Li Qingqiu poured wine, he smiled and said, "Easy for you to say. What about yourself? Are you a first-rate expert?"

It would have been better if he had said nothing, but at those words, Jiang Zhaoxia immediately grew smug.

"Now that you mention it, I really might already be a first-rate expert. I have to say, Senior Brother, this internal cultivation art of yours is incredibly powerful. In the martial world, it would absolutely count as a divine art!"

By the end, Jiang Zhaoxia had rarely given Li Qingqiu such praise.

Li Qingqiu laughed inwardly.

Brother, this isn't some divine martial art. This is a goddamn immortal cultivation technique!

Li Qingqiu had no intention of revealing that. So far, his junior brothers and junior sisters all believed what they had cultivated within their bodies was Internal Energy.

Everyone was delighted and began looking ahead to the future.

With the help of wine, Zhang Yuchun looked to Li Qingqiu and said, "Senior Brother, I think we should start recruiting disciples early. The junior brothers and junior sisters all need to practice, and I alone cannot handle all the sect's miscellaneous chores. My heart is willing, but my strength falls short."

He wanted to become an expert too!

He understood clearly that in the Qingxiao Sect of the future, seniority alone would make it hard to win people's respect. Only a hard fist gave one confidence.

Li Qingqiu was very satisfied with Zhang Yuchun's performance these past days, and he also felt that his second junior brother had been working too hard.

"Then recruit seven people first. You handle it. Go to the villages at the foot of the mountain and recruit there. Men or women, it doesn't matter. Food and lodging will be provided, and we won't charge them anything. Just say it is our way of repaying them. Once a disciple has cultivated for ten years, if they wish to return home, we won't stop them."

Li Qingqiu nodded. Zhang Yuchun had initially been delighted, but upon hearing the last sentence, he could not help frowning.

"Senior Brother, if we let them leave the mountain, wouldn't all the effort we spent cultivating them be wasted?" Zhang Yuchun urged.

Li Qingqiu waved his hand. "You can't calculate it that way. They will have worked for us for ten years as well. Besides, if the Qingxiao Sect cannot retain people, it only means we haven't done enough."

After hearing this, Zhang Yuchun found it reasonable, and his admiration for Li Qingqiu grew.

Senior Brother had a broad vision. No wonder Master had chosen him as Sect Master. By contrast, he himself would not do—he cared too much about profit.

Zhang Yuchun and Li Qingqiu discussed the Qingxiao Sect's development, while the other disciples talked about cultivation and the martial world. Their laughter filled the courtyard with liveliness; even the winter snow could not extinguish the vigorous life surging here.

When the banquet ended, Li Qingqiu had his junior brothers and junior sisters clear the table while he returned to his room alone.

Jiang Zhaoxia did not work either, but aside from Li Qingqiu, no one dared say anything about it.

Li Qingqiu placed a brazier filled with charcoal before the bed, then climbed onto it. He summoned the Legacy System and activated Fortune Inheritance.

[Claim Fortune Inheritance Reward]

[Initiating Fortune Inheritance]

[Beginning Fortune Inheritance Detection]

[Fortune Inheritance detected. An underground Spirit Lake has been discovered. Accept Fortune Inheritance guidance?]

An underground Spirit Lake?

Li Qingqiu raised his brows. He felt as though he had struck treasure.

Perhaps this would become the foundation of the Qingxiao Sect's rise!

Thanks to Light Tea Cup for the reward of 1,000 Qidian Coins, Thoughts for the reward of 500 Qidian Coins, Nonstop for the reward of 500 Qidian Coins, and Star Spirit Blood for the reward of 500 Qidian Coins~