Chapter 10: Heavenly Thunder Spiritual Root

Why did you bring someone back?

Li Qingqiu was surprised inwardly, but his expression remained unchanged.

He had previously accepted seven Disciples, none of whom had cultivated even a trace of Origin Qi to this day, which had considerably dampened his enthusiasm for expanding the Ranks.

The path of immortal cultivation is not one that everyone can walk.

Those unable to Cultivate would likely become a burden to the Qingxiao Sect, so recruiting Disciples from now on must be done with caution.

After setting down the carrying pole, Zhang Yuchun quickly approached Li Qingqiu, panting as he said, “Senior Brother, a military revolt has broken out in Guzhou Prefecture. We encountered many refugees on the road. That child in the back followed us for a hundred li. We truly couldn’t bear to leave him behind and had to take him in. As Third Junior Brother put it, with the perseverance to follow that far, if applied to martial arts, he’s sure to become a talent.”

A hundred li?

That’s truly not simple. Forget such a young child, even an adult would be exhausted after walking continuously that far, not to mention having to climb the mountain afterward—it’s a long and arduous journey.

Li Qingqiu looked at the little beggar, seeing that he could still stand, which was quite remarkable.

He then asked, “How did a military revolt occur? Did you run into any trouble on the road?”

Zhang Yuchun replied, “We didn’t encounter any trouble. Because the army was rampant, we saw very few bandits. After entering the city, we learned that the world has not been peaceful these past years. The government is ineffectual, and famines are breaking out everywhere.”

Regarding such major worldly affairs, Li Qingqiu felt sympathy but was powerless to do anything.

He asked curiously, “Given such circumstances, how did you have the money to buy so many weapons? You didn’t go robbing, did you?”

Zhang Yuchun raised his hand, pointing his thumb toward Jiang Zhaoxia behind him, and said with a laugh, “Thanks to Third Junior Brother. His swordsmanship impressed a certain Aristocratic Family in the city. The young master of that Family wanted to recruit him into his household, but he refused. So, they rewarded him with a large bag of money, saying they would visit the Qingxiao Sect to see him in the future.”

“You just took it for free?”

“Of course not. We promised that if their Family ever encounters trouble and sends a message to the Qingxiao Sect, we would do our utmost to assist.”

“That’s more like it. This is how relationships work; they deepen through mutual exchange. The other party was generous, and for us at present, they are worth befriending.”

Li Qingqiu nodded, approving of the promise made by Zhang Yuchun and the other. One shouldn’t owe others for no reason, and this was also a good opportunity for the Qingxiao Sect to gain fame.

If the Qingxiao Sect left by Lin Xunfeng had been a major School with deep foundations, they wouldn’t have needed to descend the mountain.

On this mountain, resources were limited, recruiting Disciples was difficult, so engaging with the world became unavoidable.

Li Qingqiu also needed to rely on the development of the Qingxiao Sect to grow stronger himself. During this period, he had realized that his own cultivation Aptitude simply couldn’t compare to Jiang Zhaoxia’s. He visited the Underground Spirit Lake every two days, yet he still hadn’t broken through to the second layer of the Nourishing Origin Realm.

However, since he had been able to copy destinies before, he could do so again in the future. So, his heart was still filled with hope, undeterred by the setback.

The Disciples helped Zhang Yuchun and Jiang Zhaoxia carry the luggage. Besides a pile of weapons, they had also brought back many seeds—a considerable harvest.

Zhang Yuchun brought the little beggar before Li Qingqiu and said, “If you wish to join the Qingxiao Sect, you need the Sect Leader’s approval. Our word doesn’t count.”

The little beggar looked only about eight or nine years old, not even reaching Li Qingqiu’s shoulder in height. She looked up at Li Qingqiu with clear eyes and said, “I beg the Sect Leader to take me in.”

With that, she directly knelt down and kowtowed to Li Qingqiu.

The other Disciples all cast curious glances. Li Qingqiu glared at them, and they immediately took the luggage back into the School.

Once only Li Qingqiu, Zhang Yuchun, and the little beggar remained at the mountain gate, the setting sun shone upon them, stretching their shadows long.

Li Qingqiu looked down at the little beggar, not letting her rise, and asked, “What’s your name? What about your Family?”

Once the little beggar joined the Qingxiao Sect, he could cross-check the information to see if she was lying.

It’s essential to guard against others.

Li Qingqiu was mainly afraid she might be entangled in some immense vendetta, forcing the Qingxiao Sect into a whirlpool of trouble.

The little beggar’s forehead pressed tightly against the ground. She answered in a hoarse voice, “My name is Xu Ning. I’ve lived with my father since I was little, relying on each other. A year ago, my father passed away, and I’ve had to fend for myself, barely surviving until now.”

“Any distant relatives?” Li Qingqiu pressed.

“None.”

Hearing this, Li Qingqiu was completely reassured.

“Now, swear three oaths, and you can enter the sect,” Li Qingqiu continued.

Zhang Yuchun immediately chimed in, telling Xu Ning to repeat after him.

After she finished reciting, Li Qingqiu personally helped her up and said, “The Qingxiao Sect does not support idlers. But once you join the Qingxiao Sect, you are one of us. From now on, you will not go hungry again, and you can hold your head high as a proper person.”

Xu Ning looked up at him, her eyes dull and numb, clearly unmoved by his words. He didn’t mind; it was just a formality.

“Take her inside. First, let her bathe and change into clean clothes,” Li Qingqiu said to Zhang Yuchun.

Zhang Yuchun nodded and then led Xu Ning inside. He wanted to take her hand, but she dodged it. He didn’t pay it much mind, thinking she was just shy.

Li Qingqiu walked slowly behind, calling up his dao lineage panel and finding Xu Ning’s portrait from the Disciple details.

Xu Ning’s portrait was unexpectedly delicate and fair. If he hadn’t known this was a portrait he hadn’t seen before, he would have had a hard time connecting it to Xu Ning.

A girl?

Li Qingqiu thought in surprise, then clicked on Xu Ning’s portrait to view it.

【Name: Xu Ning】

【Gender: Female】

【Age: 9 years old】

【Loyalty (Sect Leader/Sect): 70/90 (Max 100)】

【Cultivation Aptitude: Outstanding】

【Comprehension Ability: Excellent】

【destiny: Heavenly Thunder Spiritual Root, Obsessive, Competitive】

【Heavenly Thunder Spiritual Root: A rare single-attribute Spiritual Root. Possesses an extremely outstanding talent for thunder-attribute Dao techniques. Lightning Tribulation is actually beneficial to those with a Heavenly Thunder Spiritual Root.】

【Obsessive: Once something is decided, it won’t change even unto death.】

【Competitive: Born strong-willed, unwilling to be inferior to others.】

…

Li Qingqiu’s breathing suddenly became rapid.

Cultivation Aptitude, Outstanding!

Comprehension Ability, Excellent!

The opposite of Jiang Zhaoxia’s, at least indicating she was no inferior to him.

Based on Li Qingqiu’s understanding, the Ranks for Cultivation Aptitude and Comprehension Ability, from low to high, were: Extremely Low, Unranked, Mediocre, Fair, Excellent, Outstanding. He hadn’t encountered any higher-ranked terms yet.

Moreover, the destiny of Heavenly Thunder Spiritual Root also seemed quite extraordinary.

Most precious of all was that Xu Ning’s loyalty to the Qingxiao Sect had instantly reached 90, while her loyalty to him was comparatively lower.

Could it be because of the Obsessive destiny, she had already decided the Qingxiao Sect was her home?

Li Qingqiu secretly looked forward to Xu Ning’s future.

In the future, he could have Jiang Zhaoxia and Xu Ning serve as the Qingxiao Sect’s Left and Right Protectors, specializing in fighting.

Walking all the way to the courtyard, he saw Zhang Yuchun trying to pull Xu Ning into a room, but Xu Ning stubbornly refused to enter and remained silent.

“Winter Moon, you take care of Xu Ning. Take her to bathe and change clothes.”

Li Qingqiu spoke to Li Dongyue, who was watching the commotion not far away. Upon hearing this, both Zhang Yuchun and Xu Ning turned to look at him.

“Senior Brother, this…” Zhang Yuchun asked, confused.

Li Qingqiu glared at him and said irritably, “She’s a girl. What are you doing?”

A girl?

Zhang Yuchun was so startled he quickly stepped back, looking at Xu Ning in astonishment.

Xu Ning turned and left, walking toward Li Dongyue, who was approaching her.

Zhang Yuchun came to Li Qingqiu’s side and asked in a low voice, “Senior Brother, how are you so sure she’s a girl?”

“Your Senior Brother’s discernment is not something you can match.”

“Then why didn’t you say so earlier?”

“I thought you knew.”

After hearing this, Zhang Yuchun looked toward Li Dongyue and hesitated, “Should I go over and check, just in case you misjudged?”

“Fourth Junior Martial Sister isn’t mute.”

Li Qingqiu tossed out this remark and walked toward the gathered Disciples. Yang Jueding had also come out of the house and was introducing the various weapons to the Disciples.

To be fair, the styles of weapons Zhang Yuchun and the other brought back were quite varied, and none were defective goods.

Li Qingqiu picked up a longsword, examining it as he praised Jiang Zhaoxia beside him, “Well done.”

“Of course. From now on, you can rest assured when I handle things. You just focus on being the Sect Leader steadily. I can manage everything,” Jiang Zhaoxia said proudly.

“Oh? Trying to sideline me?”

“What nonsense. Am I that kind of person? Besides, you don’t do anything on a daily basis anyway. I at least teach Fifth Junior Brother. You really haven’t done a thing.”

“That’s precisely why I can be the Sect Leader. I have to ponder many things. You don’t understand my exhaustion.”

The Senior and Junior Brothers began their bickering. The other Disciples were already used to it; no one dared to get involved in their daily antics.

Li Qingqiu pondered inwardly, wondering if these swords could be used to Cultivate the Supreme Sword Control Art.

…

The day of the New Year’s celebration arrived. With Zhang Yuchun and Jiang Zhaoxia both back, Li Qingqiu’s spirits were high. From daybreak, the entire Qingxiao Sect was bustling with activity.

The older Disciples helped hang lanterns and decorations, slaughter chickens, and wash vegetables. The younger Disciples gathered around Yang Jueding, listening to his Jianghu stories.

Li Qingqiu also sat nearby listening, his gaze drifting toward Xu Ning.

Xu Ning had changed into clean clothes. Compared to her appearance when she ascended the mountain yesterday, she looked like a completely different person.

However, due to heavy dark circles and being skin and bones, she didn’t look as pretty as in the dao lineage panel, but one could still tell it was the same person.

Xu Ning sat at the very back, listening to Yang Jueding’s stories, not yet integrating with the other Disciples.

Li Qingqiu reached toward a plate on the steps beside him, picking up a roasted corn cob. He said, “Xu Ning, come here.”

Xu Ning turned to look at him, her gaze immediately captured by the roasted corn in his hand. She hesitated for a moment, then stood up and walked timidly toward him.

When she arrived before him, Li Qingqiu didn’t say much and simply handed her the roasted corn.

“Thank you.”

Xu Ning said softly, then took the roasted corn. Just as she was about to turn away, she heard Li Qingqiu say, “Sit right beside me. It’s closer, and you’ll hear more clearly.”

Xu Ning glanced at him, saw he was listening to the story attentively, so she sat down next to him and began nibbling lightly on the roasted corn.

“Waaah—”

Not long after, Li Qingqiu was drawn by a burst of crying. He saw Li Sifeng running into the courtyard in tears, shouting at Li Qingqiu, “Great Senior Brother! Third Senior Brother hit me! He almost beat me to death!”

He cried as if his heart was breaking, making everyone look at him.

Li Qingqiu sighed helplessly and stood up to walk toward him.

Xu Ning’s gaze followed Li Qingqiu, her eyes wide open. Compared to yesterday, there was now a bit more life in her eyes.