Chapter 248: Law Enforcement Hall

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At the foot of Qingxiao Mountain, Li Qingqiu strolled along the Xi River, followed by Zhang Yuchun, Chai Yunshang, Chu Jing, Xiao Wuqing, and over a dozen Law Enforcement Hall Disciples.

Such a lineup made the Disciples along the way dare not obstruct them, let alone step forward to greet them.

Today, Li Qingqiu was here to select a site for a prison.

As the number of Qingxiao Sect Disciples grew and the sect’s history lengthened, some Disciples inevitably strayed from the path. Manual labor was no longer sufficient to punish certain crimes.

Chai Yunshang had proposed the construction of a prison many times, and today it was finally to be implemented.

Chai Yunshang had become the figure the Disciples feared most. Regardless of their background, as long as they made a mistake, she would never show leniency. Previously, when Yang Jueding crossed the line, she even dared to confront him directly. Her fierce reputation was thoroughly established.

“It’s best to build this prison near Qingxiao Mountain. That way, if any trouble arises, it will be convenient to suppress it,” Chai Yunshang suggested, looking at Li Qingqiu walking ahead.

No matter how the Qingxiao Sect developed, Qingxiao Mountain would always be the strongest. Unconsciously, the Qingxiao Sect had formed a hierarchy, and moving to Qingxiao Mountain had become the aspiration of the vast majority of Disciples.

Furthermore, on Qingxiao Mountain, the higher one lived, the higher their status.

Chu Jing followed up, saying, “No, if it’s built near Qingxiao Mountain, it might become a source of chaos in the future. If an enemy bribes Law Enforcement Hall Disciples to work from the inside, this prison would be a deeply embedded thorn.”

Chai Yunshang turned her head to look at him, wanting to say that Law Enforcement Hall Disciples could not be bribed, but the words died in her throat.

Chu Jing continued, “It would be better to build it on the edge of the Taikun Mountain Range. There must at least be a buffer distance between it and Qingxiao Mountain. Even if someone escapes the prison, we can just catch them again. Isn’t that why the Sword Sect was established? Perhaps their escape would harm the innocent, but compared to the safety of the Qingxiao Sect, those are not worth mentioning.”

His statement was very cruel, making others frown, but they could not refute it.

No one knew what kind of Cultivators would be imprisoned in this jail in the future.

Li Qingqiu was also considering this. With him presiding over Qingxiao Mountain, he wasn’t afraid of any variables, but he couldn’t stay on Qingxiao Mountain forever.

Zhang Yuchun rarely disagreed with Chu Jing, but he felt that if the prison was not strictly guarded, it would not only persecute the surrounding people but also damage the prestige and image of the Qingxiao Sect. The sect must have the courage to suppress the prison.

While the others were arguing, Li Qingqiu suddenly said, “What if we build this prison as a pagoda?”

A pagoda?

Everyone looked at him with confused expressions.

Building a pagoda was much harder than building a prison. If they built a prison, they could rely on the mountain terrain to save on Materials.

Li Qingqiu continued, “In the future, this pagoda might also be used to imprison Evil Entities that plague the Mortal world. It’s settled; this pagoda shall be named the Demon Suppression Pagoda.”

“If that’s the case, then we will definitely need more spirit copper or Gengjin Source Iron…” Zhang Yuchun said hesitantly.

“It’s fine, build it slowly. Right now, there are no powerful Evil Entities or Cultivators that need to be suppressed.”

Li Qingqiu spoke casually, and his words made sense to Zhang Yuchun.

True, it could be continuously renovated, just like Qingxiao Mountain.

Even as the sect was constantly building up the peaks, the maintenance of Qingxiao Mountain had never ceased.

By now, the Qingxiao Sect no longer needed to consider mundane wealth. As long as they asked for mundane resources, various forces would take the initiative to deliver them.

What the Qingxiao Sect cared about were cultivation resources that Mortals could not use. The Spirit Copper Mountain Range had terrifying reserves, enough for them to focus on construction.

The group continued forward and finally marked out the boundary lines on a piece of open ground behind Ziyang Peak to build the Demon Suppression Pagoda there.

That day, news about the Demon Suppression Pagoda spread, causing many Disciples to discuss it. They felt an invisible pressure, fearing they might make a mistake and be cast into the Demon Suppression Pagoda… In the new year, Liu Jing advanced triumphantly, taking two more provinces four months ago. He now dominated five provinces. During this period, a great battle broke out, with both sides gathering a total of over a million troops. It was a rare major battle since the start of the chaotic era, and in the end, Liu Jing won a great victory.

In this battle, Li Yuzhong shone brilliantly and was titled the Great General Who Conquers the North by Liu Jing, reaching the rank of Junior Second Grade.

Liu Jing’s momentum to unify the world was already unstoppable.

In May, Hu Yan’s cultivation reached the Nourishing Origin Realm Fourth Layer. At this point, his reputation as a Genius could no longer be hidden.

More and more Disciples learned that the Sect Leader’s new Disciple was a peerless Genius, possibly even more formidable than Sword Solitary.

Hu Yan’s sudden rise also brought hope to the Named Disciples and Utility Disciples, because Hu Yan had only become a Named Disciple during the entrance examination. This showed that the entrance examination did not determine everything.

The Sect Leader’s foresight was once again praised, and the Spirit Control Hall was also considering how to establish more comprehensive examination rules.

However, Cultivate after all was different from martial arts. Without teaching Cultivation Techniques, they could not directly judge whether a person’s cultivation Aptitude was good.

But the Qingxiao Sect left room for new Disciples. Even if their results in the entrance examination were poor, they could still strive for cultivation methods through labor and contributions. By then, their natural talent would manifest; there was no such thing as a Genius being buried, only a matter of when they were discovered.

In the following days, some busybodies claimed that Hu Yan’s cultivation speed was the fastest in the history of the sect, and neither Xu Ning nor Zhao Zhen could compare to him.

There were also rational people who said the sect was different now compared to the past. Many spirit plants were planted on Qingxiao Mountain, and the Spiritual Qi far exceeded before. Not to mention, there were constantly updated Spiritual Qi Pills.

Regardless, Hu Yan had become completely famous, a top Genius that no one could ignore.

Hu Yan, however, felt apprehensive about this. He spent his days cultivating and avoided contact with people as much as possible.

On this day, in the woods, Li Qingqiu was leading Cloud Color, Li Shouzheng, Li Shoumin, Xiao Wuming, and Hu Yan in cultivation.

Ji Ya was there to accompany Hu Yan. The bond between these two grew deeper and deeper. Outside of cultivation, they were almost inseparable. Ji Ya also introduced Hu Yan to Yang Lin and the other four.

Yang Lin and the others had become the backbone of the Sword Sect. Although not as dazzling as Ji Ya, they were also working hard in their cultivation.

Hu Yan looked at Li Shoumin, who was sitting in meditation, and felt deeply moved.

Everyone said he was a peerless Genius, but why did he feel like he wasn’t as good as this five-year-old child?

Li Shoumin, who also possessed outstanding cultivation Aptitude, had already begun to show his brilliance. Every time he saw him, Hu Yan was inexplicably happy.

He didn’t like the feeling of being in the spotlight. With the Aptitude Li Shoumin displayed, he would be famous throughout the sect in a few years, just like Zhao Zhen back then. Zhao Zhen was the first child prodigy Genius of the Qingxiao Sect and had held the title of the number one Genius until adulthood.

As Sword Solitary, Hu Yan, and other geniuses emerged, Zhao Zhen gradually moved out of the Genius category and became a respected powerhouse of the sect in the Disciples’ hearts.

While Hu Yan was staring at Li Shoumin, Cloud Color was staring at him from behind.

Cloud Color was using her Myriad Laws Spirit Eyes to observe his Vast Righteous Qi, feeling puzzled.

She could see that the Vast Righteous Qi was not achieved through cultivation, but was a unique type of Qi. But why did only Hu Yan and the Sect Leader have it?

Could Hu Yan be the Sect Leader’s illegitimate son?

Was it because the Sect Leader sensed the Vast Righteous Qi that he took Hu Yan as a Disciple?

Li Qingqiu choosing a Disciple based on fate and picking Hu Yan had become a popular story, but in Cloud Color’s view, it was definitely more than just fate.

At the thought that Hu Yan might be Li Qingqiu’s illegitimate son, Cloud Color felt quite uneasy.

However, she didn’t hate Hu Yan because of this. On the contrary, she even had a devious thought: to become friends with Hu Yan. That way, she might gain more of Li Qingqiu’s favor.

She even began to fantasize about having children with the Sect Leader. As she thought about it, her cheeks turned slightly red, and her earlobes became so red they looked like they might drip blood.

Li Qingqiu saw the change in Cloud Color’s expression and couldn’t help but walk over to her, asking with concern, “What’s wrong? Is your blood and Qi not flowing smoothly?”

Cloud Color was startled and quickly said, “It’s nothing, I was just trying a new sequence for circulating Qi.”

“There’s no need for you to imitate Zhener in creating Cultivation Techniques. Just practice according to what I’ve taught you, and sooner or later you’ll have your own insights,” Li Qingqiu said seriously.

Even with the three new geniuses—Li Shouzheng, Li Shoumin, and Hu Yan—Li Qingqiu still valued Cloud Color.

With the existence of 【Myriad Laws Spirit Eyes】 and 【Thousand Refinements】, it was impossible for Cloud Color to fall from the sect’s top tier. Li Qingqiu looked forward to her reaching the Spiritual Consciousness Realm and fighting for the sect.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Cloud Color responded, feeling bashful in her heart, only wishing Li Qingqiu would hurry away.

Li Qingqiu nagged a few more words before standing up and walking away. Cloud Color breathed a sigh of relief, closed her eyes, and tried hard to cast aside her distracting thoughts.

They cultivated until evening before Li Qingqiu let them disperse.

Afterward, Li Qingqiu walked toward the Lingxiao Courtyard alone.

This morning, Li Sijin had sent him a new type of Spiritual Qi Pill refined by Chen Huilan. He planned to return to his Immortal Cave to test its effects.

When he reached the steps below the Lingxiao Courtyard, he found Xiao Wuqing waiting for him.

Since Yuan Qi left for Zhongtian Immortal City, Xiao Wuqing had taken over Yuan Qi’s duties, responsible for relaying messages for Li Qingqiu.

Seeing Li Qingqiu approach, he immediately flashed before him, bowed, and whispered, “Sect Leader, something has happened at the Tianshan Spirit Pool.”

Li Qingqiu frowned and asked, “What is it?”

Although the Tianshan Spirit Pool was currently only used as a blessed land for cultivation, it contained rich resources. The Qingxiao Sect would inevitably go down to mine them in the future, so Li Qingqiu valued it highly. He had arranged for hundreds of Disciples to be there, half of whom were True Disciples at the Nourishing Origin Realm Fourth Layer.

Under such circumstances, what could happen at the Tianshan Spirit Pool?

“An Evil Entity attacked the Tianshan Spirit Pool. Fifteen Disciples were killed, and one hundred and twenty-two were injured…” When Xiao Wuqing revealed this, his face was very grim. This was definitely a major casualty.

“Strike the lingxiao bell.”

Li Qingqiu said in a heavy voice, then quickly walked up the steps.

Xiao Wuqing immediately went to strike the bell.

Once all the sect’s high-level members had gathered, Li Qingqiu had Xiao Wuqing report the situation. Hearing this, everyone was shocked.

Before they could discuss it, Li Qingqiu spoke, “I plan to personally go to the Tianshan Spirit Pool. During this time, Shen Yue and Zhao Zhen, do not go into seclusion. Keep an eye on the sect and wait for my return.”

After Jiang Zhaoxia and Xu Ning left, Shen Yue and Zhao Zhen had become the pillars of the sect. This matter had to be entrusted to them.

Upon hearing this, Shen Yue nodded calmly, and Zhao Zhen did not refuse either. Both were at the Nourishing Origin Realm Eighth Layer and had plenty of confidence. Zhao Zhen was not far from the ninth layer.

Thanks to book friend 20240524223526789 for the tip of 1500 Qidian coins~