Chapter 194: Sword Solitary

“You have to learn to find them yourself; you can’t always come to me to ask for people.”

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Li Qingqiu shook his head and spoke. Cloud Color was a Disciple he was focusing on cultivating; he couldn’t let her go. Moreover, letting her go would hurt her heart.

There were so many Qingxiao Sect Disciples now, and many with ‘Good’ grade Aptitude had yet to be scouted. Only when either Aptitude or Comprehension Ability reached the ‘Excellent’ grade would Li Qingqiu make an exception for promotion.

In fact, if one’s Aptitude reached the ‘Good’ Rank, they could also quickly distinguish themselves.

Li Sijin complained, “How could I have the time? The Cultivation Hall is so busy, and I still have to study Talismans and spirit plants. My own cultivation has even been delayed.”

Hearing this, Li Qingqiu advised, “It’s time to delegate power. You’ve already cultivated so many disciples; you can try to trust them and put more energy into your own cultivation.”

Whether it was Talismans or spirit plants, there were Disciples studying them. The Cultivation Hall was no longer at a stage where it couldn’t function without Li Sijin.

“True, I really do need to focus on my cultivation level.” Li Sijin nodded. The momentum of the new Disciples had been quite fierce lately, making her feel pressured.

Li Qingqiu showed some concern for the cultivation progress of his two Junior Sisters before finally leaving.

After he left, Li Sijin looked at Li Dongyue and asked, “Senior Sister, what do you think of Cloud Color?”

“What do I think? I admire her, of course. I hope there are more and more Disciples like her so the School can prosper.”

“More and more? Aren’t you jealous then?”

“What nonsense are you talking about? I see you’re getting more and more rebellious. You’re asking for a beating!”

Upon hearing this, Li Dongyue’s pretty face instantly turned beet red. She raised her hand to strike Li Sijin, but Li Sijin dodged and fled. She refused to let it go and immediately chased her out… In mid-October, The Three Xiao Brothers returned to report. They had successfully completed their mission, repelling an army of sixty thousand troops.

Mentioning this matter, the three were very excited. Usually, they could only spar with fellow Disciples and didn’t know where their strength stood in the Martial Forest. This time, they finally knew.

An army of sixty thousand couldn’t stop them at all!

Invincible Xiao remembered how he had gripped that general’s neck with one hand, and his blood surged with excitement.

The gap between Immortal Cultivation and mundane martial arts was far larger than he had imagined. Because of this, they were deeply grateful to Li Qingqiu.

If Li Qingqiu hadn’t personally taught them and given them so many resources, they wouldn’t have their current strength.

On the way back, the three brothers had heart-to-heart talks more than once. They all admired Li Qingqiu’s magnanimity. Had it been them, it would be hard to trust a Disciple whose father was an enemy of the School so much.

Although Li Qingqiu didn’t know what they discussed privately, he could see from the rise in their loyalty that he hadn’t misjudged them.

He nodded with satisfaction after listening to the trio’s report.

Invincible Xiao and Xiao Wuming were responsible for the fighting, while Xiao Wuqing handled the strategy. They did a great job and didn’t cause unnecessary slaughter.

Li Qingqiu didn’t want the Qingxiao Sect to become a bloodthirsty demonic sect. Repelling that army was enough.

“Go back and Cultivate well. In the future, you will have more missions. I look forward to your performance,” Li Qingqiu said.

The Three Xiao Brothers immediately bowed and excused themselves. They left talking and laughing, and the depth of their brotherhood also made Li Qingqiu feel gratified.

He hoped the three of them could continue like this forever.

Li Qingqiu stood up, stretched his body, and decided to go check on the Sword Sect.

He heard that a Genius had recently arrived at the Sword Sect, full of high spirits, and even Han Lang found him a bit difficult to suppress.

It wasn’t that his strength couldn’t be suppressed, but rather his personality. That Genius’s strength wasn’t yet high enough, but relying on his natural talent, he was incredibly arrogant and needed to be tempered.

Li Qingqiu had also looked at his panel; his Aptitude had reached the Excellent level, making him worth tempering.

He was a Genius, after all; being a bit arrogant was fine, it could be corrected.

Now that the Qingxiao Sect was famous throughout the world and had more and more Disciples, the probability of Geniuses appearing was also increasing.

However, as the Qingxiao Sect grew stronger, the threshold for defining a Genius was also rising.

When Li Qingqiu personally arrived at the Sword Sect, the entire Sword Sect was in an uproar. The Disciples were surprised to find that the fearless Sword Solitary actually became shy and restrained.

Sword Solitary was the name of that Genius; he was only fourteen this year. He could master mundane sword techniques after seeing them once. His talent had even earned praise from Shen Yue. With his extraordinary natural talent, he was aloof and arrogant, showing no consideration for others in his dealings. He frequently had conflicts with other Disciples and even talked back to Han Lang.

Sword Solitary’s name as a Genius had already spread. Even though he hadn’t experienced actual combat yet, no one questioned his natural talent.

The reason Li Qingqiu personally came to see Sword Solitary, besides his high Aptitude and special destiny, was because his personal loyalty to Li Qingqiu was extremely high. Despite never having met, it had reached 95.

When Li Qingqiu took the initiative to speak with Sword Solitary, Sword Solitary completely broke down and actually knelt before Li Qingqiu while crying.

It turned out that Sword Solitary had also been saved by Li Qingqiu. Years ago, he and his parents were imprisoned by a demonic sect. At that time, he was still young, and his parents weren’t comfortable with him joining the Qingxiao Sect. They waited until this year to send him up the mountain.

With this history, it was even easier for Li Qingqiu to lecture him.

“A true powerhouse must be able to protect the weak. If you can live in harmony with those weaker and less talented than you, only then can you prove that you don’t just possess great power, but that your heart is also strong.”

These words deeply touched Sword Solitary. In front of the Sword Sect Disciples, he promised Li Qingqiu that he would definitely change his ways in the future.

This incident later spread through the School and became a beloved story. Many Disciples also truly realized the importance of performing chivalrous deeds.

By intervening against injustice, they might be saving someone’s entire life.

In fact, stories like this were not uncommon within the Qingxiao Sect, but Sword Solitary’s status as a Genius gave this event a more legendary color.

Cloud Color and Sword Solitary were both like this. Without Li Qingqiu’s intervention, the world would have two fewer peerless Geniuses.

Many senior Disciples also began to fantasize: among the people they saved, would there also be a Genius who would come to repay them?

The Qingxiao Sect had been established for thirteen years, and Disciples were beginning to take on their own pupils. The Legacy had begun to continue. More and more Disciples started to chase a chivalrous reputation, taking Li Qingqiu as their life goal.

Li Qingqiu was becoming more distant from the vast majority of Disciples, yet his status in their hearts grew ever more exalted.

His deeds were still being spread throughout the world.

The news of him slaying the Qi Clan demons was only now reaching its peak of influence… At dusk, Li Qingqiu sat in the Lingxiao Courtyard drinking tea while listening to Xue Jin and Zheng Yunqiao’s plans.

After Li Sifeng went down the mountain, the Experience Hall was managed by Xue Jin and Zheng Yunqiao. However, most of the time, they managed things according to the previous rules. Today, it was rare for them to propose constructive ideas.

“Once we launch the Mission Leaderboard and the dao affinity leaderboard, it can both build momentum for talented Disciples and drive the Disciples’ enthusiasm for performing missions,” Zheng Yunqiao said excitedly.

The Experience Hall had more and more missions, with requests coming from all over the world. The figures of Qingxiao Sect Disciples already covered the Nine Provinces Land.

Li Qingqiu thought for a moment and said, “The idea is good, but there will also be hidden dangers. My suggestion is to only release monthly and yearly rankings. As for the overall rankings, you should record them but not announce them.”

Wherever there are people, there is a Jianghu. The Qingxiao Sect had already become its own Jianghu. How to stand out among tens of thousands of Disciples had become a goal pursued by many.

Li Qingqiu didn’t mind Disciples pursuing fame, he just didn’t want anyone to use unscrupulous means for the sake of these rankings.

“You are right, we indeed need to exercise some control. You still see things more deeply; we still have much to learn.”

Zheng Yunqiao’s eyes lit up as he spoke with admiration.

Xue Jin glanced at him, thinking to himself how shameless he was.

Regarding the monthly and yearly rankings, they had thought of it before. Xue Jin just didn’t expect Zheng Yunqiao would pretend not to have thought of it.

Li Qingqiu felt very comfortable being flattered by Zheng Yunqiao. Regardless of the facts, who doesn’t like hearing nice things?

He encouraged the two of them and told them to go ahead with it. The Experience Hall indeed needed some noise to avoid being too dull.

After chatting for a good while, Xue Jin and the other finally left.

Li Qingqiu didn’t leave, because Cheng Canghai from the Demon Taming Hall had come again.

He wanted to establish a branch hall in Yuantie Port Town. He felt that there must be Yao Beasts hidden in the sea, and the Qingxiao Sect needed the help of sea-dwelling Yao Beasts. That way, exploring the ocean would be much more convenient in the future.

Li Qingqiu agreed and told him to first report to the Spirit Control Hall, then go to the Tiangong Hall to finalize the construction plan, and finally find the Spiritual Wealth Hall to apply for funds.

By the time Cheng Canghai left, it was already dark.

Li Qingqiu stood up and stretched lazily.

Chu Jing popped out and smiled, “Master, the Qingxiao Sect is truly becoming more and more prosperous. It feels as if this world is already yours to decide.”

Li Qingqiu walked toward his Immortal Cave while glancing at him, asking, “Do you want to do things for me?”

Chu Jing was stunned and asked in surprise, “I have already become a ghost, how can I do things for you?”

“Just like in the past, wear a mask. You only need to cover your soul body tightly. I will create the ability for you to act independently. Anyway, your range of activity is only within the Qingxiao Sect,” Li Qingqiu said casually.

Chu Jing’s heart skipped a beat. Even though he was already a ghost, he could still feel this way.

“If you give me the chance, I am certainly willing!” Chu Jing said, suppressing his excitement.

Truth be told, he actually had opinions on the management of the Qingxiao Sect long ago, but as a lowly ghost, he didn’t dare say much.

Li Qingqiu glanced at him and said, “If you mess around, be careful or I’ll make you vanish into thin air.”

Chu Jing hurriedly said, “How could I mess around? Back in the imperial court, that was all to plot against Zhao Zhi.”

“That’s good then.”

…Under the sparse stars and bright moon, inside a large hall, Li Sifeng and Pei Miao sat on one side, with his generals and strategists seated below.

Opposite them sat the civil and military officials of another warlord, while that warlord sat in the head seat, laughing and talking with Li Sifeng.

This warlord was named Zhu Xian. He looked to be in his forties, with a kind face that gave off a sense of being generous, honest, and hospitable.

The two talked very pleasantly, with laughter ringing out constantly.

After drinking a pot of wine, Li Sifeng looked at Zhu Xian and said, “Lord Zhu, currently the ones with the most momentum in the world are the Cai, Liu, and Pei clans. These three clans no longer have the heart of a grand ruler and want to establish their own kingdoms. This is not a good thing. The Great Li Dynasty finally managed to unify the Nine Provinces Land; how can we return to the old Warring States situation where each province was governed separately? If that happens, the world will be in constant war, and the common people will never have peace.”