Chapter 192: Destiny’s Tribulation

As night fell, Li Qingqiu came to the Dark Hall, found Mo Jiuhong, and ordered him to take Disciples to infiltrate Tianxuan Mountain to investigate what plans Tianxuan Mountain had.

【Writing up to this point, I hope readers remember our domain name: Taiwan Novel Network accompanies your reading, super considerate.】

Mo Jiuhong was greatly excited by this; the Dark Hall finally had a mission.

He had already made up his mind to develop the Dark Hall well. As long as they accrued enough merits, they could become the most reliable Hall under Li Qingqiu’s command.

Mo Jiuhong had an ambition.

That was to make the Dark Hall supersede the Eight Halls and the Sword Sect.

“Don’t always hide inside the Dark Hall. You must go out frequently. True concealment is hiding in plain sight, understand?”

Before Li Qingqiu left, he reminded the Dark Hall Disciples.

If people stay in the shadows constantly, their psychology is prone to problems, and Li Qingqiu also did not want the Dark Hall Disciples to become alienated from the School.

The Disciples naturally agreed, but only they knew what they were truly thinking.

After arranging the mission, Li Qingqiu departed.

Since he rarely descended the mountain, he decided to visit his apprentices.

As the trend of Cultivation within the Qingxiao Sect grew stronger, the Disciples’ concept of day and night also deviated from the secular world. Even at night, people were moving up and down Qingxiao Mountain, and the figures of Disciples Cultivating could be seen in every grove.

Li Qingqiu went all the way to Zhao Zhen’s Immortal Cave, where Zhao Zhen was Cultivating.

Currently, the School had only issued four Immortal Caves, but Ming Guang had already led people to build ten more, just waiting for him to distribute them.

Li Qingqiu planned to distribute Immortal Caves to the high-ranking members first, once the quantity was sufficient.

In a School, it was impossible for the treatment of younger Disciples to be better than that of the high-ranking members. Doing so would cause problems, and the high-ranking members also needed the Sect Leader to affirm their efforts.

“Master, please sit. I will pour you some tea.”

Zhao Zhen stood up and bowed, then walked toward the wooden cabinet nearby.

Looking at the thirteen-year-old Zhao Zhen, Li Qingqiu noticed he had grown quite a bit taller.

Unconsciously, Zhao Zhen had grown from a child into a youth, shedding his naughtiness and gaining a somewhat steady temperament, which filled Li Qingqiu with emotion and satisfaction.

Li Qingqiu cherished this apprentice greatly and watched him the closest, often having Yuan Qi visit Zhao Zhen, fearful that he might disappear.

The reason for this was that Li Qingqiu always remembered Zhao Zhen’s destiny.

【fate is easily broken: The fate is fraught with difficulties. He will constantly undergo trials before the age of sixteen. After sixteen, this destiny will dissipate, and his Comprehension Ability will increase by one Rank.】

Only three years remained until the age of sixteen.

Zhao Zhi was dead, the world was in chaos, and the forces that could threaten the Qingxiao Sect had been eradicated. Logically, no one should be able to threaten Zhao Zhen, who was inside the Qingxiao Sect, but Li Qingqiu was still worried.

Lately, every time Li Qingqiu faced Zhao Zhen, he felt like he was fighting against destiny.

In the darkness, it felt as if a great hand was reaching out for Zhao Zhen.

Watching Zhao Zhen pour him tea, Li Qingqiu asked with a smile, “How long has this tea been sitting? Is it still drinkable?”

Zhao Zhen widened his eyes and said, “Of course it’s drinkable, Master. I brew fresh tea every day. Even if you don’t come, I still brew tea.”

Li Qingqiu took the teacup from his hand and laughed, “Why did you suddenly take a liking to drinking tea?”

“I am learning from Third Senior Brother, trying to calm my temperament. After all, I am no longer a six or seven-year-old child,” Zhao Zhen replied seriously as he sat down.

Li Qingqiu, who was drinking tea, nearly choked upon hearing this.

Li Qingqiu said helplessly, “Does your Third Senior Brother drink tea?”

“Third Senior Brother’s temperament is naturally calm; I can’t compare. I can only rely on external things to settle my nature,” Zhao Zhen replied.

“Then, don’t participate in the next Dharma Battle Assembly.”

“Don’t! Master! You can’t do this!”

Zhao Zhen immediately panicked, standing up abruptly, his face instantly flushing red.

Li Qingqiu enjoyed teasing him and continued to jest, “You are already so formidable, why insist on participating again?”

“I was too young when I participated before; it wasn’t fair to me,” Zhao Zhen said, feeling wronged.

He just wanted to prove that he had the strength to compete for the strongest Disciple title.

“Alright, then I hope you are strong enough by then, preferably stronger than your Senior Sister’s previous performance. This way, you can set an example for the junior Disciples and let everyone know what the demeanor of the Qingxiao Sect’s strongest Disciple should be.”

Li Qingqiu stopped smiling and said softly.

Zhao Zhen nodded and said, “Master, I will soon reach the Sixth Layer. My goal is to reach the Eighth Layer before the next Dharma Battle Assembly arrives.”

Li Qingqiu had no doubts; Zhao Zhen’s diligence was no less than Xu Ning’s.

Qin Ye had already left the mountain, busy striving for his Family.

Although Ji Ya possessed the Hundred Refinements Demonic Body, his Heart-Nature was volatile, and he always hung around his companions.

Zhao Zhen was different; he was a pure Cultivation fanatic. If he hadn’t had to take time out to create his Unique Skill, he would already be at the Yangyuan Realm Sixth Layer cultivation base.

“In the next three years, you might encounter a tribulation. You had best stay on Qingxiao Mountain and not go anywhere. If anyone contacts you and says things to lure you down the mountain, you must tell me immediately and not trust them easily.”

Li Qingqiu stared at Zhao Zhen and said with a serious expression.

After much thought, he decided to reveal the Heavenly Secret to Zhao Zhen.

No matter what, he had to ensure this boy survived past the age of sixteen.

After hearing this, Zhao Zhen thought of the letter his mother had sent, and his expression became unnatural. He asked, “Master, what are you worried about?”

Li Qingqiu pretended to be profound and mysterious, saying, “Your Master understands some fortune-telling techniques and occasionally sees things about the future. You have a destined tribulation, but you can overcome it as long as you stay on Qingxiao Mountain.”

The Immortal Cave Zhao Zhen received during the Dharma Battle Assembly was on another mountain. For his safety, Li Qingqiu specifically had Ming Guang rebuild an Immortal Cave on Qingxiao Mountain and told him to move there. Fortunately, Zhao Zhen was obedient and never descended the mountain.

“Destiny’s Tribulation…”

Zhao Zhen’s face darkened, and he fell into silence.

Li Qingqiu could understand him; anyone facing such a matter suddenly would feel turmoil in their heart.

Three years is neither too short nor too long. As long as he endures it, everything will be fine.

Afterward, Li Qingqiu continued to inquire about his cultivation progress, and Zhao Zhen answered truthfully.

Next, Zhao Zhen prepared to focus primarily on his cultivation base. As he grew older, his cultivation speed also increased. He had only one goal in Cultivation: to Undergo Tribulation early, just like Li Qingqiu.

After staying in Zhao Zhen’s Immortal Cave for half an hour, Li Qingqiu finally left.

Zhao Zhen returned from the Immortal Cave entrance and sat down at the stone table. His expression was grim, and his eyes flickered.

He hadn’t revealed the matter of his mother’s letter to his Master, fearing his Master might deal with her. However, it was hard for him to pretend he didn’t understand his Master’s words.

Did he truly have a destined tribulation?

Was Tianxuan Mountain targeting him, or was his mother plotting against him?

Zhao Zhen suddenly envied The Three Xiao Brothers, who could make a decision when facing Family ties that were unfavorable to them.

Only when truly facing this situation did he realize how difficult it was to abandon Family affection.

He took a deep breath and decided to focus on training. As long as he was strong enough, he wouldn’t fear the so-called tribulation… Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, it was Early June. Spring had gone and summer had arrived, and the temperature between heaven and earth was rising.

On this day, Li Qingqiu brought Gold Lad to Yuantie Port Town. After a year of construction, the port town was initially established, featuring hundreds of pavilions, most of which were warehouses used to store Ancient Geng Metal Source Iron.

Li Qingqiu had already opened the Source Iron Blessed Land. Currently, over a hundred True Disciples were Cultivating inside. When they weren’t Cultivating, these Disciples would come to Yuantie Port Town to rest.

Upon hearing that Li Qingqiu had arrived, Yu Lin immediately came to meet him.

As the second of the Seven Sons of Qingxiao, Yu Lin had become the authority figure of Yuantie Port Town and the Source Iron Blessed Land. Relying on his seniority, the Disciples respected him greatly, and no trouble had arisen yet.

When Yu Lin arrived, Li Qingqiu was standing inside a large hall. In front of him was a pool containing a whirlpool.

This mansion was located on a shoal, perfectly covering the whirlpool.

The port was originally established here to conceal this whirlpool. Over the past year, strange fish occasionally surged out of the whirlpool, even damaging the mansion at one point, forcing Yu Lin to dispatch Disciples to guard the area in shifts.

“Sect Leader, what brings you here today?”

After bowing, Yu Lin asked. In terms of relationship, Li Qingqiu was his Eldest Martial Uncle, but he could only address Li Qingqiu this way in private.

Li Qingqiu said, “I plan to investigate the situation beneath the whirlpool. Leaving it alone like this isn’t good.”

Upon hearing this, Yu Lin immediately became nervous and quickly said, “Sect Leader, please don’t go down yourself. This whirlpool is very sinister. Before, a fish emerged, and we couldn’t catch it. We watched it cause some destruction before drilling back down. We suspect it has become a spirit.”

Li Qingqiu smiled and said, “Of course, I won’t go down rashly. I have means to investigate clearly.”

“May I ask what means you are using?” Yu Lin asked curiously.

Li Qingqiu glanced at him and smiled, “I raised three Ghost Slaves, and I’ve already sent them down to investigate the situation.”

Ghost Slaves?

Yu Lin was stunned, and a chill ran down his spine.

Having Cultivated until today, he could vaguely sense the existence of souls, but he had never actually seen a ghost.

Moreover, the words ‘Ghost Slave’ sounded very sinister.

The Sect Leader actually raised Ghost Slaves… Yu Lin felt uneasy, but based on his trust in the Sect Leader, he believed there must be a reason for the Sect Leader’s actions. Just like now, sending the Ghost Slaves to investigate was indeed better.

“Sect Leader, can Ghost Slaves attack living creatures?” Yu Lin asked curiously.

Li Qingqiu replied, “Of course they can. Not just Ghost Slaves, but some Fierce Ghosts will also harm people if encountered by the living.”

Yu Lin fell silent, and an idea suddenly sparked in his mind.

Should he also raise a Ghost Slave?

His Aptitude was mediocre, and his Cultivation had hit a Bottleneck. He was also thinking about how to make himself stronger.

But how should he bring it up to the Sect Leader?

Just as Yu Lin was struggling with this, the whirlpool in the pool began to fluctuate violently. Under Li Qingqiu’s manipulation, Lin Chuan revealed his Ghost Body.

Yu Lin widened his eyes, looking at the little ghost whose entire body emanated evil Qi.

Lin Chuan was terrifyingly pale, clearly abnormal.

Lin Chuan ignored Yu Lin, looked at Li Qingqiu, and said, “Senior Brother, below is a bottomless sea with many enormous fish. I saw a Water Snake, bigger than Angelica!”

Li Qingqiu raised an eyebrow.

The vicinity was all shoal, making contact with the deep sea impossible. Sure enough, this whirlpool possessed a certain spatio-temporal teleportation effect.