Chapter 70 Heavenly Thunder Step, Shocking Changes in the Prefecture

“The new Five Great Schools? Shouldn’t it be the Seven Great Schools?”

Li Dongyue asked in confusion. She noticed Yang Jueding’s gaze, which made her speculate.

Li Sifeng was almost dying of impatience and pressed, “Then what? Isn’t this a good thing? Why do you look like you’re holding in pee and poop?”

Li Qingqiu slapped him directly, lightly patting his head, and glared, “Speak properly.”

“Brother, you’re too crude!” Li Sijin also said with a look of disdain.

Yang Jueding wasn’t angry. He picked up a bowl of wine, drained it, and said, “At the banquet, Guang Lantian, the First Alliance Master of the Seven Peaks Alliance, and Du Mian, the Peak Master of Iron Peak, spoke disrespectfully about our Qingxiao Sect. They even said we should hand over the martial arts myth’s Divine Skill to benefit Guzhou Prefecture’s Martial Forest. Many martial artists at the banquet agreed. Even when I clarified that the Qingxiao Sect did not possess the martial arts myth’s Divine Skill, they were relentless. In the end, Xu Ning proposed a martial arts contest to the death. If she died, we would hand over the Divine Skill…”

Hearing this, everyone finally understood why two Schools were missing.

Li Sifeng looked at Xu Ning, his expression excited, and said, “Xu Ning, how are you so amazing? This is too fierce! Third Senior Brother only destroyed one sect, but you destroyed two sects in one go!”

Xu Ning’s expression didn’t change. She said, “They spoke arrogantly, so I naturally couldn’t tolerate it. Master said that when facing enemies, one must cut the grass by the roots and be decisive. I only killed two Sect Leaders. The reason for their demise was mainly because of the Demonic Sect.”

“Demonic Sect? Why them again?” Li Sijin asked in surprise.

Yang Jueding took over, saying, “After Guang Lantian and Du Mian were killed by Xu Ning, just as the experts from the Seven Peaks Alliance and Iron Peak were about to make a move, people from the Demonic Sect suddenly appeared. They stood on the eaves and announced that the Seven Peaks Alliance and Iron Peak had already been annihilated. They also threatened to drench the remaining Five Great Schools of Guzhou Prefecture in blood. The White Emperor Manor immediately ordered the capture of the Demonic Sect experts. Unfortunately, these fellows had excellent light-body skill and managed to escape. In the following days, the Prefectural City received urgent news that a tragedy had occurred at the Seven Peaks Alliance and Iron Peak, and all the Disciples of both Schools were massacred… It was only then that the Prefectural City declared there were only Five Great Schools.”

“Not only that, the Prefectural City issued an official order, deeming the Demonic Sect a major threat. The Five Great Schools need to work together with other Martial Forest Schools to deal with the Demonic Sect’s rebellion.”

At this point, everyone began discussing the Demonic Sect.

Everyone present was a high-ranking member of the Qingxiao Sect, and they already knew about the Demonic Sect. The Seven Fiends of the Demonic Sect had visited before, which meant the Demonic Sect was already an enemy of the Qingxiao Sect.

Unfortunately, Yang Jueding and Xu Ning were also unclear about how strong the current Demonic Sect was, but judging from the tone of those Demonic Sect experts, the Demonic Sect was absolutely confident in overthrowing the Martial Forest of the world.

Li Qingqiu suddenly asked, “What about the Juesheng Sect? Why isn’t it among the Five Great Schools?”

Yan Wujin’s martial arts were not weak, and he had the support of the Tang Family of Linchuan, so the Juesheng Sect was bound to succeed.

Yang Jueding looked at Li Qingqiu and replied, “The Juesheng Sect went north and is gaining strong momentum. Its Sect Master Yan Wujin swept through the experts of various Schools in Dongling Prefecture, earning a formidable reputation. Many people at the White Emperor Manor’s banquet talked about him.”

Li Qingqiu nodded slightly after hearing this. Yan Wujin was also the leader of a School opposing the Emperor and the Demonic Sect. If he developed well, it would be a good thing for the Qingxiao Sect.

Zhang Yuchun looked at Li Qingqiu and asked, “Senior Brother, the Prefectural City is calling on the Five Great Schools to dispatch Disciples to search for the Demonic Sect. Do we need to answer the call?”

Li Qingqiu replied, “There’s no need. It’s already good enough if the Qingxiao Sect can protect the common people in the Taikun Mountain Range. In the past few days, people have already started coming up the mountain, seeking help from the Qingxiao Sect. There will be many such incidents in the future. Our number of Disciples is still far behind the other four Great Schools; we don’t have that many people.”

Zhang Yuchun nodded. He also thought so, but major School matters needed Li Qingqiu to decide.

“Everyone, the Demonic Sect has re-emerged in the Jianghu. Regardless of whether they can threaten the Martial Forest of the world, they have already threatened the Qingxiao Sect. From now on, we cannot be careless. The Demonic Sect could invade at any time.”

Li Qingqiu said, scanning the crowd. Everyone nodded. They didn’t feel fear, only a sense of urgency.

The Qingxiao Sect desperately needed time to grow.

After about another half an hour of discussion, everyone dispersed. Li Qingqiu led Xu Ning towards the mountain’s back forest.

Although Yang Jueding had finished recounting the events of his trip to the White Emperor Manor, as a Master, he still had to show individual concern. He knew Xu Ning yearned for his praise, especially after Zhao Zhen became his Disciple, which had created a sense of crisis for the girl.

For Xu Ning, Li Qingqiu was proud from the bottom of his heart. Xu Ning not only brought prestige to the Qingxiao Sect but also helped him obtain a Legacy reward.

He had already activated the Legacy reward, obtaining a lightning-attribute Spell called 【Heavenly Thunder Step】, which was very suitable for Xu Ning. He decided to impart this Spell to her.

Although Xu Ning used a sword, she wasn’t on the path of a Sword Cultivator. However, the Qingxiao Sect had too few Spells, so she hadn’t truly realized her talent yet.

Without others around, Xu Ning became lively, her expression becoming richer. She proactively recounted everything that had happened during the journey to Li Qingqiu, as well as her feelings when fighting others.

Li Qingqiu listened patiently. Although he now had four Disciples, he still doted on Xu Ning, his eldest Disciple, the most.

No matter how powerful a Genius appeared in the future, he hoped Xu Ning could stand among the first-class ranks within the School… The news of the Qingxiao Sect becoming one of the Five Great Schools of Guzhou Prefecture quickly spread throughout Guzhou Prefecture. Zhang Yuchun posted a notice, informing all Disciples of this matter, but the Disciples’ feelings weren’t particularly profound.

It wasn’t until half a month later, when wealthy families, merchants, small Gangs, and government officials began to visit continuously, that all the Disciples truly felt the influence of the name of the Five Great Schools of Guzhou Prefecture.

As summer turned to autumn, the number of Qingxiao Sect Disciples surpassed three hundred, and this was after careful selection.

On this day, in the Lingxiao Courtyard, Zhang Yuchun found Li Qingqiu, ready to establish a power system for enforcement.

“For now, let’s call it the Enforcement Hall. Ning’er will be the Hall Master. Recruit twenty Disciples first, and include Chai Yunshang,” Li Qingqiu mused. The name wasn’t very original, as the Qingxiao Sect’s penal laws were not yet fully perfected.

Chai Yunshang often sparred on the Martial Arts Platform and would also instruct Disciples in martial arts, having already gained some fame within the Qingxiao Sect. Zhang Yuchun also knew her.

Zhang Yuchun nodded and said, “Once the Enforcement Hall is established, other power branches will also need to be established in the future. My power is too great. Do you want to establish a hall to oversee me?”

“Senior Brother, I’m not joking when I say this. After all, I also have Disciples, and I also have my own connections. If there are no checks and balances on my power, many times I will be forced by interests and be unable to act on my own accord. Moreover, without rules, nothing can be accomplished.”

Li Qingqiu already had an idea, so he said, “Then let’s establish the Spirit Management Hall. The Spirit Management Hall will be responsible for matters such as Disciple rosters, deployment of various departments, and records of labor contributions. You will be the Hall Master, Fourth Junior Martial Sister and Yang Jueding will be the Elders of the Spirit Management Hall. The Spirit Management Hall can recruit fifteen Disciples, with each of you three selecting five.”

“Good!”

Zhang Yuchun had no objections; he even breathed a sigh of relief.

Ever since the Qingxiao Sect became one of the Five Great Schools of Guzhou Prefecture, too many people had approached him, either wanting to place their Family members into the Qingxiao Sect, or wanting to secure higher positions for their children. Some even wanted to buy martial arts for their children, with various large sums of money almost swaying him. Now that his power was being decentralized, he could use it as an excuse.

Afterward, the two began discussing the treatment of the Disciples in the two halls. After all, doing these things would delay the Disciples’ martial arts practice, and they couldn’t let them do it for nothing. Moreover, setting up treatment could also stabilize the Disciples’ mentality, preventing them from being swayed by money.

Finally, they decided that Enforcement Hall Disciples would receive ten strings of cash per month, and Spirit Management Hall Disciples would receive eight strings of cash per month.

Such treatment was a monthly salary that many low-ranking officials couldn’t achieve, as Disciples also had families and household expenses.

From this day forward, the Qingxiao Sect would continuously refine the Disciples’ duties and treatment, rectify the hierarchy, and no longer have chaotic order.

The establishment of the Spirit Management Hall and the Enforcement Hall quickly caused a stir within the School. Most Disciples wanted to compete for positions, so they all displayed their Divine Abilities.

Guests remaining on the mountain, hearing of this, also went to visit Zhang Yuchun, Li Dongyue, and Yang Jueding, hoping to curry favor with them through this opportunity.

Li Qingqiu didn’t pay attention to these matters, letting his Junior Brother and Junior Sister worry about them. He still continued to cultivate daily with Zhao Zhen and Yuan Li.

Zhao Zhen’s Great Sun Yang Technique progressed quickly, making Li Qingqiu unable to resist teaching him the basic Mind-Cultivation Technique of the Hunyuan Scripture in advance, to see if he could transform the Great Sun Yang Technique through the Hunyuan Scripture Mind-Cultivation Technique.

Even though Yuan Li often followed Li Qingqiu to the underground spiritual lake, he was still unable to enter the Nourishing Origin Realm, First Layer. His older brother, Yuan Qi, who didn’t have such treatment, had already achieved the Nourishing Origin Realm, First Layer, which made him very disappointed. However, fortunately, Li Qingqiu kept encouraging him, so he didn’t give up.

It is worth mentioning that when Li Qingqiu went to inspect the Enforcement Hall, he saw Chai Yunshang, who had already reached the Nourishing Origin Realm, First Layer.

Only five days had passed since Li Qingqiu imparted the first layer Mind-Cultivation Technique of the Hunyuan Scripture to her. Such a cultivation speed was definitely outstanding.

When Chai Yunshang saw Li Qingqiu, she did not thank him publicly, behaving like any other Disciple.

Before leaving, Li Qingqiu quietly sent a message to Xu Ning, asking her to impart the second layer Mind-Cultivation Technique of the Hunyuan Scripture to Chai Yunshang.

Afterward, Li Qingqiu came to the pavilion of the Spirit Management Hall and, as the Sect Leader, encouraged the fifteen Disciples of the Spirit Management Hall. After the Disciples dispersed, Zhang Yuchun invited Li Qingqiu into his room.

He took out a roster from a wooden cabinet and said, “This is the current roster of Disciples who have reached the Nourishing Origin Realm, a total of forty-six people. Only two Disciples have reached the Nourishing Origin Realm, Second Layer.”

Li Qingqiu sat down, picked up the roster, and flipped through it. He chuckled softly, “The Nourishing Origin Realm, Second Layer is not that easy to reach. Forty-six people stepping into the Nourishing Origin Realm, First Layer, is already a great achievement, which shows that the Disciples usually cultivate very diligently.”

Zhang Yuchun smiled and said, “Yes, I’m quite satisfied. But people always want more.”

Upon entering the Nourishing Origin Realm, First Layer, one could contend with second-rate experts of the Jianghu, and at the peak of the Nourishing Origin Realm, First Layer, one could even contend with first-rate experts.

In most Gangs, second-rate experts were the mainstays, and even the top experts of the Gang.

“From now on, only those who reach the Nourishing Origin Realm, Second Layer can become True Disciples,” Li Qingqiu finished quickly flipping through the roster, then looked up at Zhang Yuchun and said seriously.

Zhang Yuchun immediately agreed happily upon hearing this.

The two Senior Brothers chatted for a while longer, then Li Qingqiu got up to leave. Zhang Yuchun insisted on seeing him out of the building. The two came downstairs from the Spirit Management Hall.

“Sect Master Li, I just happened to run into you. I have something to tell you!”

A voice came, and Li Qingqiu and the other turned to look, only to see the merchant Liu Fanzhou walking quickly, accompanied by two guards.

He was sweating profusely. He came before Li Qingqiu and the other, wiping his sweat as he whispered, “Something terrible has happened! The Demonic Sect has attacked the Prefectural City! The governor has been murdered, and his body is hanging on the city gate! The army within the city has also rebelled! The entire Prefectural City city has been sealed off, and no one inside can get out!”