Only Qian Chi'ou, Mei'er, Ling Baihui, Zhao Hao, and Geng Feng remained in the Sword Firmament Hall; everyone else had left.
Li Qiang was secretly surprised. He had finally managed to calm himself down. After experiencing the realm of the Heart of Darkness, he had gradually become able to control these strange emotional changes.
Li Qiang asked, " Zhao Hao, have you returned to Heavenly Court Star recently?"
Zhao Hao stood up and said, "Master, I went back ten years ago, but my hometown has changed a lot. Since the war between the Litang Kingdom and Gusong Kingdom, alas, my family has been scattered, and I haven't seen a single family member..."
Li Qiang frowned slightly. "War? When did that begin?"
Zhao Hao shook his head. "It's been a long time... It was already over when I got back..."
Nashan and Li Yumin teleported up with four people. Nashan shouted, "Boss, my junior nephew and niece have arrived! Quickly pay their respects to Grandmaster!" It was clear that Nashan liked these four disciples very much.
The four disciples stepped forward respectfully to pay their respects to Li Qiang.
Li Qiang was stunned. He stared at one of his disciples and asked incredulously, " Zhao Hao... you... you took the Gusong Kingdom... as your disciple?"
Zhao Hao replied, "Yes, it was Senior Uncle Hou who instructed me to accept them, and I dared not disobey."
Among the four disciples, one of them was Prince Zhao Qi, whom Li Qiang had met in the Gusong Kingdom. Zhao Qi's appearance had changed somewhat, but Li Qiang still recognized him at a glance.
Zhao Qi said, "Grandmaster, it was I who begged the Holy King to allow me to cultivate in the Sacred King's Residence first, and then I would cultivate with my master. I really don't want to live in the royal family; it's too stifling."
Zhao Hao said, " Qi'er is my eldest disciple, and my youngest disciple, Liu Jing, is a prince of the Great Han Kingdom..."
Li Qiang was surprised and asked in astonishment, " Zhao Hao, why do you only take on disciples from the royal family? Are you addicted?"
Zhao Hao hurriedly said, " Jing'er was taken in by Master Fu, I..." He looked a little aggrieved.
Li Qiang suddenly understood that these two men didn't trust the country he supported. He nodded and said nothing more.
Qian Chi'ou said, "These two female disciples are disciples of Li Yumin the Silver Phoenix Sword Academy. The one in red is called Luan Ling, and the one in white is called Ying Luo. They are both from the Heavenly Court Star Litang Kingdom."
The four disciples stared expectantly at Li Qiang. Mei'er covered her mouth and giggled. Ling Baihui asked, " Mei'er, what are you laughing at?"
Mei'er whispered, "Brother's going to give away a lot of treasures again, hehe, they're quite clever."
Li Qiang smiled too. He recalled the first time he met Hou Pijing, when he, along with Mei Jingjing and Zhao Hao, pestered Hou Pijing for Law Treasure treasures. He said, "You can all get up."
The four disciples stood up and immediately surrounded him.
Zhao Qi was very excited. He only made up his mind to cultivate immortality after Li Qiang took him out of the palace. Like Hou Pijing, he also gave up his throne because he was able to see Li Qiang again after cultivating immortality.
Li Qiang took out four flying swords, casually ran his hand across their blades, and with a flash of golden light, he had completely reshaped them. He said, "You can name the swords yourselves, or let your master name them."
The four were overjoyed. Liu Jing, a burly man who looked like a rough fellow, was the first to kneel down and kowtow in gratitude. "Thank you for the reward, Master." The other three also hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed in thanks.
With a flick of his sleeve, Li Qiang lifted the four people up by an invisible force. Li Qiang thought to himself, "Am I getting old? I even have grand-disciples now."
Li Qiang carefully examined the cultivation levels of the four people. Among them, Zhao Qi had the best cultivation level, followed by Luan Ling. Liu Jing and Ying Luo were weaker, but they had all reached the Nascent Soul Early Stage.
Li Qiang's eyesight is now exceptionally sharp. He discovered that these disciples had all entered the Nascent Soul Realm with the help of external forces such as elixirs, and their foundation was not solid.
He was silent for a moment, then said, "After you finish the competition, you must go into seclusion to cultivate. Otherwise, your foundation won't be solid enough, and you'll easily Qi Deviation."
The four disciples remained calm and composed, seemingly unsurprised.
Qian Chi'ou explained, "Junior Uncle, their cultivation time is too short. We already had a plan. After the competition, they will immediately go into seclusion to cultivate, and then go out to travel and experience things on their own. Hehe, they all know what to do."
Li Qiang said, "It seems the competition among the various sects on Sealed Fate Planet is fierce. What you've done is understandable. Well, since things have come to this, perhaps I should grant your wish." He raised his hand, casting a circle of colorful light that enveloped his four grand-disciples, and said, "Energize your inner energy."
Zhao Hao was overjoyed and whispered, "My God! This is amazing!" The entire Sword Firmament Hall fell silent, everyone watching Li Qiang with bated breath.
Qian Chi'ou understood that no cultivation master would be willing to do such a thing. Even if a cultivation master reached the Mahayana Realm and their True Essence Power was inexhaustible, it would be too easy to Qi Deviation if they used it to improve their disciple's power. Moreover, it was difficult to grasp the proper measure. Only masters above the Loose Immortal level could do such a thing.
Li Qiang had just seen this method at the Heart Refining Pavilion, and he couldn't resist trying it out.
Only when he actually made a move did he realize the difficulty involved, especially since he had helped four people at once, which was incredibly audacious. If it weren't for his exceptional skill, he would have probably made a fool of himself.
This is a method of strengthening the foundation and nourishing the source. Li Qiang had seen Qi Junsha use it before. At that time, he saw that Qi Junsha looked very relaxed, so he mistakenly thought that this was not difficult to do. Fortunately, he had just entered the initial stage of the Five-Pillar Heaven Realm and his Divine Yi Power was inexhaustible. He first used his Divine Yi Power to stabilize the four people, first helping Zhao Qi to strengthen his foundation, and then Luan Ling, Liu Jing and Ying Luo.
Everyone stared in disbelief. Li Qiang slowly said, "Don't try to break through your current level. Keep your mind calm and listen to my instructions..." He gave instructions one by one, which took a whole day.
Finally, Li Qiang stopped and said, "Lucky, lucky, what a pity, what a pity."
Nashan asked curiously, "Boss, what do you mean by 'luckiest' or 'unfortunate'? I don't understand."
Li Qiang said, " Nashan, it's nothing, I was just expressing my feelings."
He now knows that it's best to use this method to enhance a cultivator's strength sparingly, as it's too easy to go astray.
He originally planned to raise the cultivation level of the four people a bit, but suddenly realized something was wrong. He immediately changed his mind and instead focused on stabilizing their current level. Fortunately, he reacted quickly and was very careful, so no accident happened.
Qian Chi'ou looked at the four people excitedly. With his insight, he could tell at a glance that their foundations had been completely changed, and their Nascent Soul were no longer as weak as before. Their future cultivation would be much more efficient.
These four disciples will become the backbone of the third generation of the Ancient Sword Academy. He was very grateful to Li Qiang because he knew how much risk he had taken just now.
Zhao Qi and the other three quickly finished their cultivation, and at the same time, they kowtowed to express their gratitude for their master's blessing.
Li Qiang said, "I'm planning to go back to Heavenly Court Star to see if Brother Hou is there. I'll be back soon."
Nashan, Zhao Hao, and Zhao Qi, the four disciples, all had their eyes light up. Although Sealed Fate Planet was not far from Heavenly Court Star, it was still not easy to go back. So when they heard that Li Qiang was going, the six of them were filled with longing. However, having stayed in the Ancient Sword Academy for a long time, they all knew that when elders made decisions, juniors could not interrupt.
Nashan, who understood Li Qiang's temperament, was the first to blurt out, "Boss, take me back."
As soon as he spoke, Zhao Hao couldn't hold back any longer. "Master... what about me..."
Mei'er's face was somewhat sorrowful as she said, " Mei'er is waiting for her brother to return at the Ancient Sword Academy..."
Li Qiang then remembered that Mei'er hadn't mentioned going home yet, so he asked, " Mei'er, have you gone home to see her?"
Mei'er nodded. She no longer shed tears, but lowered her head and whispered, "We can't find them anymore. I don't know where they went..." Li Qiang felt sad. He gently hugged Mei'er and comforted her softly.
Ling Baihui said, "Big brother, don't worry, Mei'er has me to protect her, no one can hurt her."
Li Qiang said, " Ling'er, aren't you going back to the Wise Heng Palace to take a look?"
Ling Baihui shook her head and said, "What's the point of going back? Just pretend I'm dead." Her words revealed a hint of resentment.
Li Qiang asked curiously, "Isn't Wise Heng Palace your sect?"
Ling Baihui said calmly, "Ever since I was imprisoned in the Lingyuan Star Desert, I have no longer been a disciple of the Wise Heng Palace. With the strength of the Wise Heng Palace, I refuse to believe they can't find me."
Mei'er walked up to Ling Baihui, took her hand, and said sweetly, "Sister Ling, don't be angry anymore. Mei'er will stay with you from now on." The two of them felt sorry for each other.
Li Qiang said, " Chi'ou, Mei'er and Ling'er are cultivating in seclusion at the Ancient Sword Academy. Don't neglect them." He then said to Zhao Hao, " Zhao Hao, you should stay at the Ancient Sword Academy. You are now the head of the Golden Qilin Sword Academy, and four disciples are going to participate in the Grand Competition. You can't leave. Nashan, go and call Zhao Zhi. You two will accompany me back to Heavenly Court Star."
Zhao Hao couldn't help but sigh, but he would never disobey his master. He said, "Master, then I'll wait for you to return at the Ancient Sword Academy."
Nashan cheered and turned to run, eager to find Zhao Zhi.
Geng Feng walked up to Li Qiang, shaking his messy hair, and said, " Little Madman, I'm leaving too. Hehe, I wonder when we'll meet again." He seemed a little sad.
Li Qiang laughed and said, " Old Madman, where are you planning to go?"
Geng Feng said, "I'll go back to Heavenly Melody City Tanbang Star first, and then I'll travel the world. Haha, if I hadn't met you, I wouldn't have come back for a while."
Qian Chi'ou said, "Alas, Brother Geng has been very devoted to the disciples of our Ancient Sword Academy. It's truly hard to see you leave."
Geng Feng laughed loudly, "Forget it, Brother Dean. I've made a mess of things here. Almost every disciple is hoping I'll leave as soon as possible. Haha, Dean, you can't be unaware of that, can you?" He looked smug.
Geng Feng has sparred with almost all the disciples of the Ancient Sword Academy, and each time he beat them so badly they cried out in pain. However, he also gave these disciples a lot of practical combat experience. The Old Madman's attacks are absolutely insane.
Zhao Hao said sincerely, "Although our disciples are afraid of you, they are still very grateful to you."
Geng Feng scratched his messy hair. He wasn't used to people being so polite, so he said, " The Fengzi takes his leave." A flash of white light, and he was gone in an instant.
A short while later, Nashan returned excitedly with Zhao Zhi. He grinned and stroked his Baldy, saying, " Tange wants to go too, boss, should we take him along?"
Li Qiang said, "Why send so many people? I'm just going to see Brother Hou and then I'll be right back. It's not like I'm going on a trip."
Nashan immediately and honestly replied, "Yes, that's what I said too..." He quickly distanced himself, acting as if it had nothing to do with him.
Li Qiang laughed and said, "You're still the same as ever. Good, I like it."
Nashan laughed heartily, "It's so much more comfortable following the boss! The rules here are too complicated."
Zhao Hao shouted, " Nashan, what did you say?"
Nashan shrank back in fright, repeatedly saying, "I didn't say anything... I, Old Na, wouldn't dare to say anything carelessly..."
Emerging from the teleportation array on Heavenly Court Star, the outside world remained an endless expanse of Gobi Desert.
Zhao Zhi asked, "Boss, which way do we go?" Li Qiang no longer needed to fly; he easily released a circle of golden light, and the three of them teleported away.
A flash of golden light, and the three landed at the edge of a sparse grove of low bushes. Nashan looked around and asked, "Boss, where is this?"
In the distance, a line of blue city walls could be seen, appearing and disappearing in the thin twilight.
Zhao Zhi, with his sharp eyes, asked in surprise, "This Gusong Kingdom... Which city is this?"
Li Qiang said, "This is Hanlin City of the former Gusong Kingdom. This is the city where I first cultivated immortality, and I even took Zhao Hao as my Registered Disciple here. Hehe, I really want to go and take a look. We need to disguise ourselves; we can't enter the city like this."
After saying that, he swayed his body, and the evolved Heaven-Pillaring Divine Armor transformed into the attire of a young master, dressed in a sky-blue silk robe with a dark floral pattern. He then casually took out a folding fan from his bracelet and laughed, "Hurry up and change! Hurry up and change! We're going into the city to play. It's almost dark, hurry up!"
Zhao Zhi and Nashan were urged by Li Qiang to change their clothes in a flurry. Fortunately, they were both from Heavenly Court Star and had their usual clothes in their storage belts, so they changed quickly.
Zhao Zhi was still dressed as a bodyguard, but Nashan was more exaggerated. This guy actually dressed up as a thug, wearing a black silk short jacket, a vest, a wide leather belt around his waist, black silk lantern pants, and incredibly, a pair of wooden clogs on his feet that made a clattering sound when he walked.
Li Qiang suppressed a laugh and waved, saying, "Let's go, let's go into the city."
The three moved incredibly fast, as if gliding across the ground, and arrived on the main road in the blink of an eye.
The three of them slowed down in unison, walking slowly towards the city gate like normal mortals.
There were few pedestrians on the road, and it was almost dusk. Li Qiang and his two companions walked leisurely toward the city gate, empty-handed.
The city guards were preparing to close the gates, leaving only a crack, just wide enough for one person to pass through. Four soldiers listlessly checked those entering the city when one of them suddenly called out, "Look at those three people." Li Qiang and his two companions strolled over, seemingly unsteady on their feet.
"Halt! Who goes there?"
Nashan said with a grin, "Let's go into town for a stroll."
The three of them stood there casually, Li Qiang even fanning himself with a folding fan. Unfortunately, it was early winter, and the wind was biting. His folding fan was so bright and glaring that while everyone else was wearing thick padded jackets, the three of them were dressed in summer clothes. No wonder, they couldn't feel the cold outside at all.
The four soldiers, as if facing a formidable enemy, drew their swords and pointed them at the three men. One of them shouted, "Show us your travel permit!"
Li Qiang found it extremely interesting. He recalled that when he first came here, a soldier surnamed Hua asked him for a travel permit. He thought that Hua was probably long gone by now.
Li Qiang shrugged and said, "I don't have a travel permit. We're just going into town for a bit, no need to be nervous."
Actually, he just wanted to experience the mortal world, so he didn't teleport directly into the city. Interacting with ordinary people would have been quite interesting.
Upon hearing his words, the four soldiers became even more tense, raising their sabers and maintaining a safe distance as if facing a formidable enemy. One of the soldiers shouted, "Help! Help!" A series of hurried footsteps sounded.
Li Qiang and the other two watched with grins. Nashan rubbed his Baldy and said, "Why are they so nervous? I, Old Na, don't eat people. What's wrong with me?"
A minor official carrying a knife led a dozen or so gate guards out, shouting, "What is it? What is it?"
The soldier reported, "Three unidentified men have arrived and want to enter the city."
The low-ranking official, a middle-aged man, sized up the three men, unsure of their identities. He asked, "Where are you from? What brings you to Hanlin City?"
Zhao Zhi stepped forward and said, "My young master has returned from out of town and wishes to come into the city for some fun." As he spoke, as if by magic, a ten-tael gold ingot appeared in his hand.
Zhao Zhi was originally a bodyguard for a security escort agency, so he had plenty of ways to get through checkpoints. This time, he used gold to pave the way.
Sure enough, the minor official's eyes lit up. Zhao Zhi casually slipped the gold into his hand and whispered, "Buy some wine for the brothers. We'll go into town for a bit and then leave."
The junior official gripped the gold ingot tightly, a smile spreading across his face, "Oh, isn't this the distinguished guest from the capital? Hehe, forgive my poor eyesight, I didn't recognize you earlier. Please, please!"
Li Qiang couldn't help but chuckle; the power of gold was simply unstoppable. He lightly tapped the minor official's shoulder with his folding fan and laughed, "Not bad, very clever. Let's go!" The three of them swaggered into the city.
After the three men had walked away, the minor official suddenly spat and said, "Damn it, just because you have money doesn't mean you're all that! Bah! Brothers, let's go to Triumphant Tower tomorrow, it's on me."
As darkness fell, wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys of every house, carrying the faint aroma of cooked food. The streets were deserted, with few pedestrians in sight. Some families hung two lanterns at their doors, making the dimly lit streets appear very desolate.
Nashan took a deep breath. "Sigh, it's been so long since I've eaten anything. That's the downside of cultivating immortality—I've lost my appetite."
Zhao Zhi said, "Yeah, it used to be my favorite food. But ever since I came to Sealed Fate Planet to cultivate, I haven't really had a proper meal. Boss, let's find a place to get something to eat."
After entering the city, Li Qiang remained silent. The changes in Hanlin City filled him with emotion. The city was much more dilapidated than when he first came, and it no longer resembled a city.
He turned a corner and stopped, saying, "This used to be Zhao Hao's house..."
Nashan asked curiously, "Isn't Old Zhao a jewelry store owner? This is a restaurant now. Hmm, it's quite lively inside."
The restaurant was brightly lit; it was quite unexpected to find such a lively place in such a deserted city.
Li Qiang said, "Let's go in and take a look." Zhao Zhi rushed forward, pushed open the door of the restaurant, and the three of them went inside.
Upon entering the lobby downstairs, the wave of heat that hit him made Li Qiang even more curious. The people eating and drinking inside were all young, strong men.
Upon seeing the three enter, one of the shop assistants immediately came forward, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Please forgive us, gentlemen, but our shop has been booked. Please go to another restaurant."
Zhao Zhi transmitted his voice, "Boss, look at those two people in the corner of the room, they're cultivators."
Li Qiang noticed them as soon as he entered; they were two cultivators of low cultivation level, probably no higher than the Heart Stirring Realm. The two occupied a large table piled high with various dishes.
Nashan said gruffly, "We want the private rooms upstairs. The downstairs rooms are booked, so we'll book the upstairs rooms."
The waiter looked embarrassed and said with a forced smile, "The upstairs is also booked, sir..."
Li Qiang didn't say anything and walked straight upstairs.
The waiter wanted to stop him but didn't dare, following behind Li Qiang and muttering, "Sir... the upstairs is indeed booked... Sir, there's another grand restaurant on the street ahead— Triumphant Tower, why don't you dine there... Sigh..."
The three ignored him completely and went up the wide wooden stairs.
At the top of the stairs, they were blocked by four constables. The leader shouted, "This place has been reserved by our master. You'd better find another place." If Li Qiang and his companions hadn't been dressed so elegantly, these constables would have been much more rude.
Originally, Li Qiang didn't care which restaurant he went to, but the two cultivators sitting downstairs piqued his curiosity. This was Heavenly Court Star, where cultivators were rare; ordinary cultivators were highly sought after by various countries. For two cultivators to appear in a small restaurant in Hanlin City, especially sitting downstairs, meant there must be even more powerful cultivators upstairs. Interestingly, there were even Hanlin City officials among them, making Li Qiang even more eager to find out.
Li Qiang chuckled and asked, "Who's hosting this dinner?"
Li Qiang was originally a prince of the Gusong Kingdom. Although he had not returned for a long time, his reputation in the Gusong Kingdom was very high, second only to the legendary Holy King. In addition, after he cultivated his godhood, his demeanor was completely different from that of ordinary people. Therefore, the yamen runners did not dare to be too presumptuous.
An older constable said, "You are... cough cough, um, our Prefect is hosting a banquet here... you..."
As if remembering something, Nashan said loudly, "Oh, so it's the Prefect hosting a banquet. Go and inform him that there are guests from the capital. Ask him if he can see them?" He casually pushed aside four yamen runners and deliberately lowered his voice, saying, "Your Highness, please!"
Li Qiang tapped Nashan's bald head with his folding Baldy, thinking to himself, "I almost forgot I'm still a prince of the Gusong Kingdom." He walked up to him with a grin.
The constables stared at Li Qiang in disbelief.
Nashan said impatiently, "Go and report it! What are you standing there for!"
The four constables clearly heard Nashan address Li Qiang as "a prince from the capital." The older constable was the first to regain his senses. He wasn't sure if Nashan's words were true, but he didn't dare to be negligent and quickly bowed, saying, "Please wait a moment, gentlemen."
A screen blocked the way at the top of the stairs on the second floor. A yamen runner went behind the screen to report, and soon hurried footsteps were heard. A group of people came out from behind the screen. The leader, a fat man in a dark red robe, glanced at Li Qiang and his two companions and said with a smile, "May I ask which lord has come from the capital?"
Nashan didn't say anything, but tossed him a gold medal. It was the gold medal he used when he was a guard in the Gusong Kingdom palace. Any official from the Gusong Kingdom should recognize it; it was the gold medal of a first-class guard.
Zhao Zhi also joined in the fun, tossing the fat man a gold medal, a symbol of his status as a first-class guard.
The fat prefect's legs went weak and he knelt down, trembling as he said, "This humble official Jiang Weiguang, prefect of Hanlin City, pays his respects to the three esteemed officials."
As soon as he knelt down, all the yamen runners and clerks around him also knelt down, and even the waiter who had followed Li Qiang upstairs was so frightened that he knelt down and kowtowed.
Li Qiang opened his folding fan with a "whoosh" and said with a smile, "Prefect Jiang, please rise."
Jiang Weiguang was filled with unease. Two first-class guards had suddenly arrived in the capital, and the young man in the middle had an extraordinary air about him. He hadn't believed the report from the yamen runner that a prince had come, but now he was more inclined to believe it was true.
He didn't dare ask which prince Li Qiang was. After standing up, he quickly invited Li Qiang and the other two to take their seats.
Passing around the screen, one sees a large round table in the center of the hall. All the dishes on the table are cold; there are no hot dishes at all. Around the table are seven or eight large candles, each as thick as a child's arm, illuminating the entire hall.
A man sat at the head of the table, his eyes slightly closed, seemingly deep in thought. Behind him stood two cultivators.
Upon seeing the man, Li Qiang couldn't help but laugh, "Haha, it's you! What a coincidence! It's been a long time!"