Joining Qingcheng (I)

Only then did Li Wei realize that the weapon in Qi Lao's hand was actually a Rapier.

Qi Lao's swordsmanship was incredibly agile, like clouds and mist. He rarely clashed with his opponent's weapon, instead focusing on attacking blind spots, making it impossible to defend against. In addition, Li Wei's sudden appearance attracted the attention of the burly men, and the situation was reversed by Qi Lao in an instant.

After killing several burly men, the remaining few were no match for Qi Lao. They exchanged glances, turned and left without hesitation, clearly well-trained.

In just a moment, the four surviving men had all fled.

With the crisis averted, Qi Lao coughed up a mouthful of black blood. He had forced himself to kill those burly men while injured, worsening his condition. Qi Lao clenched his teeth, glanced at Li Wei, and said, "This isn't the place to talk. Little Wei, come with me quickly."

As he spoke, he stumbled and rushed into the woods by the roadside. Li Wei quickly followed, and of course, he also picked up the items that had fallen from the bodies of the dead men.

After traversing the forest for a while, Qi Lao found a clearing and sat down cross-legged, panting heavily. The knife wounds on his body were horrifying, with white flesh torn up and blood constantly seeping out.

Qi Lao glanced at the wound, quickly pressed a few acupoints around it with his fingers, then took out a pill from his pocket, swallowed it, and after a while, his breathing calmed down.

Li Wei stood to the side, watching from afar as Qi Lao received Cure.

Taking a break, Li Wei also checked the items he had just found on the corpses of those burly men. Surprisingly, there was a decent steel sword, which Li Wei could use now. As for the broken sword from before, he had long since left it on the battlefield.

About half an hour later, Qi Lao finally let out a long breath and opened his eyes. Although his face was still a little pale, he was obviously out of danger.

"Ding, the random quest 'Qi Lao's Crisis' has been completed. Reward: 200 silver coins..."

Qi Lao glanced at Li Wei, a faint smile appearing on his pale face.

"Little Wei, I never expected you would save this old man's life. If I hadn't given you a ride yesterday, I'm afraid this old codger would be buried here today." As he spoke, he coughed, then seemed to remember something and asked, "By the way, this place is dozens of miles away from the county, and it's not the way back to the village. How did you end up here?"

Upon hearing this, Li Wei simply made up a flimsy excuse, and Qi Lao didn't pursue the matter further, but instead sighed.

"You must find it strange that I know martial arts, right?"

Li Wei had already figured this out, but he was still genuinely curious about it.

"Alas, more than twenty years ago, I was not from this village. At that time, I was a disciple of a martial arts sect. I left the sect and went into seclusion in the countryside because I offended my enemies. I never expected that after so many years, those enemies would still come after me. This time, if it weren't for you, I would have been killed by those enemies..." As if telling a story from a very long time ago, Qi Lao slowly recounted his origins.

Li Wei didn't interrupt the other person, because he remembered that there was still one mission reward item he hadn't received.

"I had originally decided to live out my days in the mountains, but a close senior brother from my former sect is holding Golden Basin Hand-Washing Ceremony in a month. I received his invitation, and I absolutely had to go. However, I didn't expect to run into my enemies on the way. Now I'm seriously injured and unable to attend. Little Wei, since you're also going out, why don't you go and give my regards? Just say you're my disciple, Qi Heng. Oh, by the way, here's an invitation. Be sure to keep it safe."

As he spoke, Qi Lao took out a gold-embossed invitation and handed it to Li Wei.

"Ding! Reward item received: Liu Zhengfeng's Retirement Invitation x1"

However, another task soon emerged from the Yellow Paper.

"Continuous Mission: Attend the Appointment. Liu Zhengfeng will be holding Golden Basin Hand-Washing Ceremony at Mount Heng in one month. Please attend with an invitation and ensure Liu Zhengfeng's survival during the ceremony. Reward for completion: 500 silver coins, 1 Quick-Acceleration Pill. Mission failure: Combat power halved."

Combat power halved?

Li Wei sighed. This was no different from being wiped out. He had only been in the mission world for a few days and had already encountered so many missions. But what on earth was this 'Quick Success Pill'?

After putting the invitation away, Li Wei had no choice but to agree to Qi Lao's request. After all, he had already accepted the task, and he couldn't refuse. Only then did Qi Lao smile with relief and beckon Li Wei to come over.

"Come on, show me your hand."

Although Li Wei was somewhat puzzled, he still did as he was told. Qi Lao held Li Wei's wrist, placed his fingers on his pulse, and after a moment, he uttered a sound of surprise.

"Little Wei, have you practiced martial arts before?"

Li Wei was taken aback. He immediately remembered that he had practiced the Arhat Fist and the Sunflower Manual last night. However, it had only been one night. How could Qi Lao have seen through it?

After thinking for a moment, Li Wei simply nodded and said, "I've practiced the Arhat Fist a few times. What, Qi Lao, have you figured something out?"

"No wonder, no wonder," Qi Lao nodded, thought for a moment, then took out a small booklet and handed it to Li Wei: "This is the Misty Cloud Thirteen Forms and Mist Sword Manual from Mount Heng. When you call yourself my disciple, you'll need some skill. Consider this a way of thanking you for saving my life. Take it."

Li Wei accepted all martial arts manuals, regardless of their quality.

"Swordsmanship, Rank E, Misty Cloud Thirteen Forms and Mist, a unique skill of the Hengshan Sect, ever-changing and dazzling, one of the three great skills of the Hengshan Sect."

This is much better than the Arhat Fist, and its rating isn't high either, so it's a good opportunity to practice it and improve one's combat power.

Carefully putting away the sword manual, Li Wei said, "Then Qi Lao, you should return to the village and recuperate. Leave the Golden Basin Hand-Washing Ceremony to me."

Emerging from the grove once more, Li Wei found his horse. This time, he was determined to head straight for Mount Qingcheng, as there simply wouldn't be enough time if something else happened.

With a fast horse, it only took seven days to reach the foot of Mount Qingcheng.

During these seven days, Li Wei traveled during the day and practiced the Misty Cloud Thirteen Forms Sword Technique at night. Of course, he didn't give up the Arhat Fist either. After all, although this fist technique was not very useful in combat, it was very effective in training the body. In just seven days, Li Wei felt that his body was much stronger than before.

Li Wei had made some progress in the Misty Cloud Thirteen Forms Swordplay, but the steel sword in his hand was not suitable for performing this ever-changing swordplay. Therefore, when Li Wei performed it, it lacked a bit of etherealness, but gained a bit more fierceness and speed.

As for the Sunflower Manual, Li Wei spent some time studying it over the past seven days. However, whenever he condensed a stream of true energy in his body and circulated it to his lower abdomen, he would feel a sudden heat, and the true energy would dissipate. Li Wei was very annoyed by this and wanted to switch to practicing the Innate Skill, but he was still somewhat unwilling to give up.

Fortunately, he is now capable of putting up a fight against an F3-level expert.

Compared to his past self before this mission, he was nothing more than an ant. Back then, he could kill anyone below B3 level with just one finger. But now, even against a D-Rank opponent, Li Wei would only be able to run away.

After scouting out the location of the Qingcheng Sect at the foot of the mountain, Li Wei hiked up the mountain alone.

Mount Qingcheng is covered in lush, evergreen forests, with its peaks forming a fortified city. It has been known since ancient times as "Qingcheng Sect most secluded place under heaven," and is as famous as the perilous Jianmen Pass, the elegant Mount Emei Mountain, and the majestic Kuimen Gate Pass.

The scenery is first-rate, but the character of the Qingcheng Sect is...

Li Wei still felt dissatisfied with the mandatory task that required him to join Yu Qingcheng Sect 'Yu Canghai sect, but what could he do?

If he didn't agree, he would die. So, even though Li Wei thought Yu Canghai was trash, he still wanted to become his disciple.

However, upon arriving at the gates of the Qingcheng Sect, Li Wei was intimidated by the large group of people standing there.

Upon further inquiry, it was discovered that these past few days were the days when the Qingcheng Sect was accepting disciples, so the people at the gate were all young people who had come from afar, harboring dreams of becoming great heroes.

Li Wei, who originally came to learn about the Qingcheng Sect, immediately felt that this was an opportunity.

After all, if they had followed their initial plan and used a forged Evil-Resisting Sword Manual, it would have been somewhat risky. Even if they had successfully mastered the basics, they would have been targeted by Yu Canghai, or even other people who coveted the Evil-Resisting Sword Manual. In that case, the risk factor would have been much greater.

However, if you get started through formal channels, you won't receive as much attention.

With this in mind, Li Wei joined the young men who were blocking the entrance, waiting for the moment when the Qingcheng Sect would open its gates.

The sun was high in the sky, and it wasn't until late afternoon that the gates of the Qingcheng Sect slowly opened. The people at the entrance, who were already dizzy from the heat, hurriedly crowded around.

Several disciples dressed in blue robes emerged from inside the gate, arrogantly glancing at the young man outside. They loudly proclaimed, "Our Qingcheng Sect today accepting disciples, but learning martial arts requires both comprehension and talent; neither can be lacking. Those over 20 years of age, please leave."

After he finished speaking, some people in the crowd immediately sighed. They were obviously older than the age limit. Although they were unwilling, they still went down the mountain.

The rest were all teenagers under the age of 20, numbering as many as thirty.

The disciple in green glanced at the crowd at the door, then took out two swords and said, "To join my Qingcheng Sect, every new disciple must withstand one move from my sword. If you don't lose within one move, you can enter and meet your master. Did you all understand?"

As soon as the words were spoken, a commotion arose among the group of teenagers, and some even showed signs of fear. After all, swords and knives have no eyes, and being accidentally injured would be a greater loss than gain.

Li Wei pondered that the Qingcheng Sect was not as bad as the legends suggested. Take their selection of disciples, for example; it was very sophisticated. A seemingly simple sentence was enough to eliminate those who lacked age, talent, or courage.

Sure enough, half of them quickly gave up, leaving only a dozen or so. The disciple in blue sneered, tossed his sword to the ground, and said, "Since that's the case, who will be the first to come up and take one of my moves? Remember, if you can keep your sword in your hand for one move, you'll be considered a beginner."