Chapter 199: Contemporary martial arts myth

“Halt! This is Tianxuan Mountain; outsiders are not permitted to enter!”

A loud voice echoed across the mountain plains. Li Yang and the others, who were walking up the mountain, looked closely and saw a young man in Daoist robes standing on a cliffside, staring at them.

Li Yang shouted loudly, “We are Disciples of the Qingxiao Sect passing through Tianxuan Mountain. We wish to stay for a few days. Could you please inform the mountain for us, brother?”

The Qingxiao Sect was famous throughout the world. Wherever they went, as long as they announced their origins, no one dared to neglect them, which also helped them avoid many unnecessary conflicts.

Hearing this, the man in the Daoist robes’ expression changed slightly, and he said, “Then wait where you are. You must not force your way up the mountain.”

“Naturally. Rest assured.”

Li Yang replied casually. He was in no hurry to ascend. After responding to the man, he turned and told the Disciples to find a place to rest.

Seeing this, the man in the Daoist robes finally turned and headed up the mountain.

Zhang Ping found a place to sit and looked up. Tianxuan Mountain reached into the heavens, its body majestic and vast, stretching endlessly on both sides. Halfway up the mountain was a large area of white rock that, at first glance, looked empty, making it seem as if a mountain were floating high in the sky. Even at the foot of the mountain, one would still be stunned by such a magnificent sight.

Bai Ninger came to his side and asked, “You’ve been frowning this whole way. What exactly are you worried about? Senior Brother Li Yang is leading the team, and there are so many at the Nourishing Origin Realm Fourth Layer. Even if we encountered an army of a million, we could still fight our way out.”

Zhang Ping’s eyes were fixed on Tianxuan Mountain as he said, “But there are existences in this world even more terrifying than an army of a million.”

Bai Ninger felt he was truly possessed. How could his courage be even smaller than last time?

She couldn’t bring him out next time, lest he be scared to death halfway.

Bai Ninger stopped concerning herself with him, stood up, and went to sit beside Li Yang.

Time slowly passed.

A full hour went by before the man in the Daoist robes finally appeared in their sight and waved to them.

Li Yang stood up and said, “Let’s go, up the mountain. Remember what I said before: even if you see an Auspicious Omen, do not act rashly.”

The Disciples all answered in unison.

Zhang Ping really wanted to sneak away, but he felt that doing so would be ungrateful for the sect’s nurturing, so he could only steel himself and head up the mountain… Midsummer arrived.

Sunlight spilled into the forest. Li Qingqiu stood at the entrance of his Immortal Cave, looking at Chu Jing with a satisfied expression.

After several months of research, he had finally created a Spell to make ghosts tangible. Chu Jing was now wearing a black sect robe, an opera mask, and a bamboo hat. His hands were wrapped in white cloth, and even his neck was not exposed. The heavenly rainbow sword hung at Chu Jing’s waist.

At this moment, Chu Jing looked both mysterious and powerful, causing Li Qingqiu to nod in approval.

Nangong E and Lin Chuan also floated out, looking at Chu Jing with envy.

Chu Jing was attached to the heavenly rainbow sword; as long as the sword was with him, he could move around for long periods. However, Nangong E and Lin Chuan could not; they were unable to leave Li Qingqiu for long.

“Master, what should my name be from now on?” Chu Jing asked curiously.

Li Qingqiu smiled and said, “Just call yourself Lord Jing.”

Hearing this, Chu Jing’s eyes behind the mask showed joy. The name Lord Jing allowed him to reclaim the feeling of when he was the Mysterious Duke, and his spirits were quite bolstered.

Soon, a figure ran over from the Lingxiao Courtyard; it was Yuan Qi.

Yuan Qi saw Chu Jing from a distance and couldn’t help but frown. Chu Jing’s attire was too mysterious and eerie, making him instinctively uneasy. Fortunately, the Sect Leader was also there.

He walked over and bowed to Li Qingqiu.

“Yuan Qi, from now on, take him with you to handle matters and let him become familiar with the sect,” Li Qingqiu instructed.

Yuan Qi couldn’t help but look at Chu Jing and ask, “How should I address this brother?”

Li Qingqiu spoke for Chu Jing, saying, “Call him Lord Jing. His status is special, and no one is allowed to force him to remove his mask.”

This instruction made Yuan Qi even more curious about Chu Jing, but he didn’t dare ask more and immediately left with him.

Li Qingqiu turned and walked to the edge of the cliff, stretching his arms.

As Li Shouzheng and Li Shoumin grew older, Li Qingqiu’s interest in them waned, so he let his Disciples take turns caring for the two little ones. They were currently staying in Ji Ya’s courtyard.

Through his spiritual sense, Li Qingqiu could observe the situation in that courtyard.

Ji Ya liked children very much, and he had companions with him in the courtyard, filling it with constant laughter.

Li Qingqiu noticed that Ji Ya was becoming increasingly slack, but he didn’t reprimand him. After all, not everyone could Cultivate diligently; as long as Ji Ya didn’t completely give up his practice, it was fine.

Relying on the Hundred Refinements Demonic Body and dual excellent Aptitude, even if Ji Ya didn’t Cultivate hard, he was still at the Nourishing Origin Realm, Fifth Layer, and was very close to the sixth layer.

So many Disciples Cultivated day and night yet could never cross the Nourishing Origin Realm, Third Layer.

Just as Li Qingqiu was lamenting the differences between people, Cloud Color came flying from the forest below on her sword, hovering in the air before him.

“Sect Leader, my Soul-Snatching Flying Sword has reached another level. Would you like to take a look?” Cloud Color asked expectantly.

Li Qingqiu said helplessly, “I know you’re a Genius, but you don’t need to come find me for every bit of progress, do you? Aren’t you tired?”

With Thousand Refinements, Cloud Color was destined to see results as long as she worked hard. Plus, she was as diligent as Xu Ning and Zhao Zhen, so he wasn’t worried about her Cultivation at all.

Yet this girl came to find him every few days, almost more frequently than Yuan Qi.

After being together for so long, Cloud Color was no longer restrained in front of Li Qingqiu. She smiled and said, “I’m just afraid of taking a wrong turn. The Soul-Snatching Flying Sword is too complex. Every time I practice it, I marvel at how amazing you are to create such a sword technique. In my view, Senior Shen isn’t the sword god—you are the true sword god.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. How could I be that amazing?”

Li Qingqiu spoke sternly, though the corners of his mouth curled up uncontrollably.

Cloud Color had already roughly figured out his temperament. Hearing this, she knew her flattery had succeeded once again.

Immediately, she began to demonstrate her Soul-Snatching Flying Sword. She opened her right palm, and one Soul-Snatching Flying Sword after another flew out, circling her body—twelve in total.

Li Qingqiu was surprised; he hadn’t expected her to master the Soul-Snatching Flying Sword to this extent.

Just condensing a single Soul-Snatching Flying Sword and manipulating it freely was not easy, let alone controlling twelve simultaneously.

The Soul-Snatching Flying Sword was indestructible and could also suppress the soul.

Combined with Cloud Color’s Myriad Laws Spirit Eyes, Li Qingqiu couldn’t think of anyone in the same Realm who could defeat her.

Ji Ya did have potential—breaking all Spells with sheer force, his vast Origin Qi crashing toward Cloud Color like ocean waves, making it hard for her to find an opening.

Unfortunately, Ji Ya’s combat talent was not high. In an actual fight, he likely wouldn’t have time to make a move before being struck by Cloud Color’s Soul-Snatching Flying Sword.

Over the next incense stick’s worth of time, Cloud Color showed off her Soul-Snatching Flying Sword in various ways.

Li Qingqiu noticed that her Origin Qi was unusual compared to others in the same Realm.

Could it be the effect of Thousand Refinements again?

She Cultivated the Hunyuan Scripture every day, and her understanding of it surely far surpassed that of other Disciples.

Li Qingqiu’s own Origin Qi had been growing constantly, making it hard for him to distinguish whether the increase came from his Realm advancement or the effect of Thousand Refinements, and there wasn’t a second Spiritual Consciousness Realm Cultivator for him to use as a reference.

But judging from Cloud Color, Thousand Refinements also provided a boost to Cultivation Techniques.

Although the current Cloud Color wasn’t as exaggerated as Ji Ya, she already had twice the Origin Qi of an ordinary fourth-layer Disciple.

Li Qingqiu suddenly realized he had still underestimated Cloud Color.

This Thousand Refinements is a bit ridiculous!

However, no matter how much Cloud Color practiced, she likely wouldn’t reach the level of the Hundred Refinements Demonic Body. After all, Thousand Refinements only increased Comprehension Ability, unless a technique that enhanced Physical Body Aptitude appeared in the future.

Wait.

Should I also teach her the Heavenly Gang Golden Body Art?

Li Qingqiu had previously thought she was too frail and not suited for the path of fierce power, but thinking about it now, that might not be the case. She might even go further in the Heavenly Gang Golden Body Art than the other Disciples.

While Li Qingqiu was thinking, three people approached from behind—it was The Three Xiao Brothers.

Seeing the three of them appear, Cloud Color immediately withdrew her Soul-Snatching Flying Sword into her body.

She had never shown the Soul-Snatching Flying Sword to other Disciples. Her current winning streak relied on other Spells. She had taken Li Qingqiu’s words to heart, treating the Soul-Snatching Flying Sword as her ultimate secret technique and killing move.

In the entire Qingxiao Sect, the ones who made her feel the most competitive pressure weren’t Zhao Zhen, nor the lofty Xu Ning, but The Three Xiao Brothers. Both sides were secretly competing, neither wanting to be weaker than the other.

“Sect Leader, please allow us three brothers to go to Tianxuan Mountain!”

Invincible Xiao came up behind Li Qingqiu and said with cupped fists, his tone unable to hide his anger.

Li Qingqiu turned to look at them and found that Xiao Wuqing and Xiao Wuming’s faces were also filled with rage.

He asked in surprise, “Did Tianxuan Mountain provoke you?”

Invincible Xiao replied, “That’s right. They’ve provoked the entire Qingxiao Sect. Senior Brother Li Yang and Senior Brother Yang Dong have both been defeated by the Yandao Sect of Tianxuan Mountain. The news has already spread through the Martial Forest, and there are even rumors that the Yandao Sect possesses strength no less than yours and is a contemporary martial arts myth. It’s absolute nonsense!”

Xiao Wuqing followed up, “This matter is very fishy. The news spread too fast; some of the talk is clearly meant to drive a wedge between the Qingxiao Sect and Tianxuan Mountain. But regardless, the deed is done. Someone must defeat the Yandao Sect to reclaim our sect’s face.”

Hearing this, Li Qingqiu said crossly, “Neither Li Yang nor Yang Dong was a match for that person. What use would it be for the three of you to go?”

Li Yang was at the Nourishing Origin Realm, Fifth Layer!

Li Yang losing to the Yandao Sect didn’t surprise Li Qingqiu; what surprised him was how Li Yang had ended up at Tianxuan Mountain in the first place.

“Sect Leader, although I am only at the Nourishing Origin Realm Fourth Layer, my Heavenly Gang Golden Body Art hasn’t been practiced for nothing. To be honest, if I were to spar with Senior Brother Li Yang, I don’t think I would necessarily lose,” Invincible Xiao said seriously.

He possessed the Natural Born Body Cultivator destiny, which made his practice of the Heavenly Gang Golden Body Art smooth sailing—one could even say he advanced with irresistible force. He had strong confidence in his own strength.

Xiao Wuqing and Xiao Wuming did not object. They trusted Invincible Xiao just as much, feeling that their eldest brother only lacked an opportunity—an opportunity to prove he was not inferior to the likes of Li Yang, Ji Ya, or Han Lang.

Cloud Color spoke up, “I’ll go too!”

Seeing her speak, Invincible Xiao couldn’t help but frown. He opened his mouth but didn’t dare talk big toward her.

It’s still late; I didn’t expect today’s cold to give me such a blow QAQ