Chapter 57 Rising Fortune

Facing Zhu Yan’s inquiry, Yan Lan shifted his gaze to Qin Ye, who was practicing with a staff, and said softly, “Since ancient times, before every great calamity in the human world, auspicious signs appear to warn the people. This Qilin appeared in Dongling Prefecture but quickly vanished, its tracks untraceable. The reason those aristocratic families and Sects in Zhongtian want to find it is because they covet the blood treasures on its body.”

“The Qilin is one of the ancient auspicious creatures, and also one of the few that have been hunted and consumed by humans. Its flesh and blood can greatly boost a martial artist’s Qi and blood, transforming their body. Its hide can be crafted into divine weapons, and it is said that it also possesses an inner core, a treasure sought by sorcerers their entire lives.”

Zhu Yan was not interested in the Qilin’s blood treasures. She asked in surprise, “Your Highness said auspicious signs appear before great human calamities, but haven’t the rebel armies in various places already been suppressed?”

Yan Lan’s eyes deepened, unfathomable like a hidden well. He said in an inexplicable tone, “This indicates that the true great calamity has not yet begun.”

Zhu Yan fell silent. She usually enjoyed music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and did not wish to involve herself in worldly affairs. From Yan Lan’s words, the so-called great human calamity was not a natural disaster but a man-made one.

Anyone who could affect the entire world must be of high status and power. She did not want to inquire further.

The two stopped speaking, each lost in their own thoughts.

On the other side.

Li Qingqiu arrived at the highest Lingxiao Courtyard. He was going to look for Li Sijin, but saw Zhang Yuchun sitting at a table with her, discussing something. Only the two of them were in the courtyard.

As Li Qingqiu approached, Zhang Yuchun turned to him and was the first to ask, “Senior Brother, you’ve come at a good time. I have something to discuss with you.”

Li Qingqiu sat down, noticing that Li Sijin’s expression was a little displeased. He couldn’t help but ask with a smile, “What’s wrong? Did you two quarrel?”

Li Sijin glared and said, “Senior Brother, quickly talk to Second Junior Brother. I want my Disciple to become a True Disciple, but he absolutely refuses.”

She had taken on seven Disciples, initially to study Talismans and cultivation methods. Later, she accepted one of the female Disciples as her apprentice, and with Li Qingqiu’s permission, taught her the First Layer of the Hunyuan Scripture Mind-Cultivation Technique.

Li Qingqiu asked, “Has she reached the Nourishing Origin Realm, First Layer?”

The dao lineage panel could show a Disciple’s Aptitude, Comprehension Ability, destiny, and loyalty, but it couldn’t show the cultivation of each Disciple. He had no regrets about this; instead, it added a sense of anticipation, hoping that his Disciples would give him surprises.

“She has!” Li Sijin’s voice was loud. After speaking, she even glared at Zhang Yuchun.

Zhang Yuchun smiled helplessly. He looked at Li Qingqiu and said, “Senior Brother, I think the threshold for True Disciple needs to be raised. The Nourishing Origin Realm, First Layer, is difficult to cultivate, but with effort, it can be achieved in at most one or two years. The title of True Disciple is too significant and comes with important responsibilities, so it must be restricted.”

“Why is it that when it comes to me, the threshold needs to be raised?” Li Sijin said angrily.

Although the current Qingxiao Sect did not differentiate treatment for Disciples, True Disciples would be able to cultivate in the Thousand Spirit Blessed Land in the future. Li Sijin also wanted to fight for this opportunity for her Disciple.

Zhang Yuchun had the Seven Sons of Qingxiao, Jiang Zhaoxia had the Thirteen Sword厉, Li Dongyue had Liu Yan under her, and although Li Sifeng had no Personal Disciple, he often took Disciples down the mountain. She naturally didn’t want to fall behind; she also wanted to cultivate an apprentice who could be of great use to the School.

Li Qingqiu smiled and said, “Second Junior Brother, you are thinking too seriously. The threshold for True Disciple will indeed continue to rise, but it cannot be raised at any time; it must be done at regular intervals. Even if the current True Disciples are surpassed by later generations, their existence can still prove that the School values old ties and does not purely divide based on Aptitude. Moreover, True Disciples will definitely not be the highest rank in the future.”

He already had a division in mind; the ranks of Disciples would not only expand downwards but also increase upwards.

Furthermore, Zhang Yuchun overlooked his own Aptitude, thinking his Aptitude was very poor. He believed that if he could reach the Nourishing Origin Realm, Second Layer, others could too, unaware that his cultivation Aptitude, compared to most people, was already considered Genius, just not as good as his other Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters.

“Since Senior Brother already has a plan, then let Sanfeng become a True Disciple. I will record her name in the True Disciple roster.” Zhang Yuchun nodded.

Li Sijin was immediately happy and let out a cheer, directly walking around the table and throwing herself into Li Qingqiu’s arms.

Zhang Yuchun smiled at this scene. He was not angry about Li Sijin’s emotions; the development of the School, no matter how important, was not as important as their bond as Senior and Junior Brothers and Sisters.

Li Sijin did not stay long; she was eager to tell her Disciple about this matter.

After she left, Li Qingqiu revealed his Spirit Stone plan.

After hearing this, Zhang Yuchun’s expression became serious. He said, “The Spirit Stones in the underground spirit lake seem abundant, but once they start being distributed to Disciples, the consumption rate will definitely exceed our expectations. Senior Brother, we must set standards, cut the Spirit Stones into fixed sizes, to be as fair as possible and to avoid waste.”

Li Qingqiu nodded, and then the two began to discuss what size the Spirit Stones should be cut into.

As they chatted, a prompt suddenly appeared before Li Qingqiu’s eyes.

【Given that the Qingxiao Sect has received an auspicious sign for the first time, and its Luck is rising, you have gained an opportunity for a Legacy reward.】

Auspicious sign?

Could it be the Qilin that Yan Lan mentioned?

Li Qingqiu was surprised and curious as to who had received the auspicious sign.

Was it a Disciple outside, or a Disciple within the School?

His thoughts were drawn by the auspicious sign, so he quickly finalized the Spirit Stone matter with Zhang Yuchun, then stood up and left… The snow was vast, and the continuous mountains were covered in white, with little green visible.

On the wide snowy road between two mountains, a large number of Jianghu people were advancing. Looking ahead, there were at least ten thousand people.

At the very front, people rode horses to lead the way, carrying large banners. These banners were embroidered with the names of three major Schools.

Seven Peaks, Iron Peak, Qing Cult.

Each of the three Schools had four to five hundred people. Behind them were other Gangs, forming more than a dozen teams. Carriages were interspersed among the teams, and most people walked. They held weapons and advanced against the flying snow, their Aura grand, like a marching army.

Second Alliance Master, the Alliance Leader of the Seven Peaks Alliance, rode a horse. Since Lü Taidou’s death, after several months of internal struggle, he had climbed from the position of Second Alliance Leader to First Alliance Leader. His purpose in coming here was for the divine skill of the martial arts myth.

He looked ahead, his mind pondering how to compete for the divine skill.

With so many Gangs allied, even if Jiang Zhaoxia was still in the Qingxiao Sect, they certainly wouldn’t be able to stop them. For the Seven Peaks Alliance to obtain the divine skill, their true opponents were the Qing Cult and Iron Peak.

The leader of the Qing Cult was Vice Cult Master Bai He. He wore a black robe, with a precious sword at his waist, and had sharp eyebrows and hawk-like eyes, appearing very cunning.

The person leading the Iron Peak was a Peak Master named Zhang Songjing. He was burly, and even though his hair was gray, he was like a fierce tiger, his blue robe stretched taut.

These three were all long-renowned masters in the Guzhou Prefecture Martial Forest, and they had also attended the previous Martial Arts Assembly, so they had some understanding of Jiang Zhaoxia’s strength.

At this moment, the three were silent, each harboring their own schemes.

“Someone up ahead!”

A Qing Cult Disciple on horseback suddenly shouted, causing everyone to fix their gaze forward.

Wind and waves carried flying snow towards them. In the distance, snow mist permeated, and they could only barely see a figure, motionless, as if specifically waiting for them.

Second Alliance Master narrowed his eyes, unable to clearly see the person’s true appearance. He whipped his horse’s rump, and Bai He and Zhang Songjing did the same, speeding up their advance.

Even if the opponent was Jiang Zhaoxia, the three of them were confident they could entangle with him.

Seeing the three masters accelerate, the Disciples of various Schools also quickened their pace. No one was nervous; after all, there was only one person ahead. They only felt excited.

The Qingxiao Sect was not far, and the peerless divine skill seemed to be beckoning to them.

When Second Alliance Master and the other two got closer, they finally saw the person blocking their way.

“Yang Jueding, you are indeed at the Qingxiao Sect!”

Second Alliance Master recognized the identity of the person blocking the way at a glance. He narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, feeling invigorated in his heart.

It seems the rumors are true!

He had originally harbored some skepticism about the rumors, only thinking that even if he couldn’t get the divine skill on this trip, destroying the Qingxiao Sect would still be a good thing.

After all, the Seven Peaks Alliance had lost many Disciples to the Qingxiao Sect, but they hadn’t had the time to seek revenge.

Yang Jueding wore the Qingxiao Sect’s School robe, his blue robe fluttering in the wind, his wide sleeves and pant legs swaying like flames, and his tightly cinched waist made him appear unshakeable.

Looking at the Martial Forest army ahead, Yang Jueding was secretly alarmed.

Although he had long guessed that this trouble was not small, he was still very surprised to see so many Schools attacking.

Fortunately, he had already sent a Disciple back to report the news in advance.

Although Yang Jueding was still at the Nourishing Origin Realm, First Layer, he was not far from the Second Layer, and his martial arts had never been neglected. Even facing an army of thousands, he had a certain degree of confidence.

“The Qingxiao Sect is just a small School in the Martial Forest. What is your intention in sending so many people?” Yang Jueding asked, his voice like a thunderous roar, the sound of the wind and snow unable to cover his voice.

Second Alliance Master had a past acquaintance with Yang Jueding. He said, “Yang Jueding, you are also an old hand in the Jianghu. You cannot guard the divine skill. Hand it over, and the Qingxiao Sect might still have survivors.”

Yang Jueding said contemptuously, “You believe it just because the people of the Qing Cult say I have a divine skill? So many people went down to Fuyang Lake at that time, how can you be sure that only I obtained the divine skill?”

Qing Cult Vice Cult Master Bai He’s expression turned sinister. He snorted coldly, “Why waste words with him? Capture him and torture him severely, and he will naturally reveal the divine skill.”

Zhang Songjing of Iron Peak did not speak, but he was the first to draw the saber at his waist, prompting the martial artists behind him to draw their weapons one after another, and a murderous atmosphere suddenly enveloped the snowy plain.

Yang Jueding took a step forward and burst into laughter, “Qing Cult Bai He, I’ve long wanted to experience your capabilities. How can a scoundrel like you climb to the position of Vice Cult Master? In my opinion, the Qing Cult will perish before long.”

A fierce light flashed in Bai He’s eyes. He immediately leaped, jumping off his horse, and charged towards Yang Jueding like a hawk, drawing his sword in mid-air.

Yang Jueding did not retreat but advanced, charging towards the thousands of people, unwavering.

At the same time.

Tens of miles away, two people were riding horses at a gallop, the wind and snow constantly lashing their faces. They were none other than the top scholar in martial arts Li Yang and his cousin Zhao Linglong.

Zhao Linglong rode behind, tightly gripping the reins, her pretty face flushed from the cold. She asked, “Cousin, do we have to be in such a hurry?”

Li Yang, with a long spear on his back, replied without turning his head, “The traces along the way are increasing, indicating that those Schools are ahead. Cousin, you don’t have to keep up with me; I will go ahead and take a look.”

“Gee-up!”

Li Yang spurred his horse, quickly widening the distance from Zhao Linglong.

Zhao Linglong quickly shouted, “Cousin, don’t be impulsive!”

Unfortunately, she did not get a response from Li Yang, who disappeared from her sight.