Chapter 218: Phoenix Cloud Prodigy

“Of course, every Disciple of the Qingxiao Sect has the right to choose.”

Chu Jing looked at the timid Zhang Ping and replied softly. He felt helpless, thinking Zhang Ping was truly a hopeless case.

He had great fortuitous encounters but lacked courage; his future path would likely be difficult.

He invited Zhang Ping to join the Immortal Guard not just because of Zhang Ping’s cultivation, but because when Zhang Ping first entered the Qingxiao Sect, he had often pestered him, and they had gotten along well, so he wanted to promote this junior.

“Then I still won’t go. Thank you, Senior, for thinking highly of me.”

Zhang Ping said seriously, feeling wary of Chu Jing in his heart.

For some reason, he always felt that Chu Jing looked familiar, even though Chu Jing had wrapped himself up very tightly.

Chu Jing didn’t say anything more and turned to leave immediately.

Zhang Ping sat down again, letting out a sigh of relief.

“It’s getting more and more dangerous within the School. It’s hard to Cultivate in peace.”

Zhang Ping sighed internally, considering whether he should go out alone for experience. After all, so many years had passed, and that Mysterious Duke should be dead or far away from the Nine Provinces Land. He had no enemies outside.

After pondering for a while, Zhang Ping decided to go to the Experience Hall tomorrow to check… The establishment of the Immortal Guard spread within the School, making the Eight Halls, Sword Sect, and Martial Hall all feel threatened by its power. However, hearing that the Immortal Guard only had twenty people, they breathed a sigh of relief.

Lord Jing was a rising power within the Qingxiao Sect, representing the Sect Leader. The Immortal Guard he established was naturally authorized by the Sect Leader. Consequently, more and more people started trying to join the Immortal Guard. Unfortunately, Lord Jing did not agree to anyone’s requests; even Hall Masters who sought him out were refused.

This made many Disciples admire Lord Jing, believing he wanted to do things seriously, as some of the Immortal Guard Disciples he chose came from humble backgrounds.

Only Lord Jing himself knew that these Disciples were not chosen by him at all; they were personally named by Li Qingqiu.

He was once curious why these Disciples were favored by Li Qingqiu. Based on his observations, these Disciples had not had close contact with Li Qingqiu.

Could it be that these Disciples were genuinely selected by Li Qingqiu after careful examination?

Chu Jing knew that Li Qingqiu had a habit of wandering the School.

Once the Immortal Guard was fully staffed, Chu Jing led them in their duties, and quickly discovered that these Disciples held extreme reverence for Li Qingqiu and the School, and did not fear the influential figures within the School, making them very easy for him to utilize. This made him admire Li Qingqiu even more.

The Immortal Guard’s influence on the School was temporarily minor, but the qingxiao sword distributed by the Tiangong Hall caused a stir in the School.

Every True Disciple received a qingxiao sword. After refining the Restriction inside the sword that recognized its master, they began trying to master the qingxiao sword. This was the first time most of them had used a Magical Artifact, and they were all very excited, even going to the Martial Arts Stage to show it off.

The Tiangong Hall had long been capable of forging Magical Artifacts, but none had been released yet. The qingxiao sword was the first Magical Artifact to be distributed on a large scale, and it was given out for free, making the True Disciples excited and very grateful to Li Qingqiu—a fact Li Qingqiu could discern from their loyalty levels.

The power of the qingxiao sword was quickly verified. This Magical Artifact was very formidable, allowing Disciples to execute the Sword Flight Technique more effectively. Their Sword Qi would also be strengthened, and they could even use it to cast different Spells.

The number of True Disciples has now exceeded six hundred. With every one of them possessing a qingxiao sword, all Disciples in the School were able to witness the qingxiao sword’s might.

It is rumored that after autumn arrives, Inner Sect Disciples will also receive the qingxiao sword, which further boosted the Disciples’ morale for Cultivation.

To become a True Disciple, one must reach the Nourishing Origin Realm Fourth Layer cultivation level, which is difficult. However, becoming an Inner Sect Disciple is simple; as long as one Cultivates Origin Qi, there is hope.

The Tiangong Hall had to research Formations and Magical Artifacts while simultaneously forging the qingxiao sword. This forced Li Qingqiu to expand their numbers, and the total number of Tiangong Hall Disciples reached three hundred, which could be considered a School in the Martial Forest.

More personnel were added to the transport route from the Spirit Copper Mountain Range to Qingxiao Mountain. Occasionally, ignorant bandits or armies would try to block them, but they would ultimately be scared into kneeling and begging for mercy. Disciples with good temperaments would let them go, while those with bad tempers would directly commence a massacre.

The name of the qingxiao sword also quickly became famous in the Martial Forest. Many True Disciples took the qingxiao sword down the mountain for experience. In front of the qingxiao sword, secular Divine Weapons and Sharp Weapons seemed vulnerable.

Summer passed and autumn came.

As the School Disciples eagerly awaited, the Tiangong Hall finally began distributing the qingxiao sword to the Inner Sect Disciples, assisted by the Spirit Control Hall, issuing them in batches.

The qingxiao sword was bound to cause an unprecedented impact on the Martial Forest.

On this day, after noon.

Zhang Yuchun came to visit Li Qingqiu and told him about the affairs of the world.

When the various Feudal Lord of the world were blocked by the Northern Barbarians’ massive army, Li Sifeng stepped forward. The Cavalry Army he led drove straight in, unstoppable. He slaughtered his way to the Northern Barbarians’ main camp, captured the Northern Barbarian Great General, and shook Cangzhou with his might. Now, the Northern Barbarians are routed.

Zhu Xian’s reputation soared because of this, and his prestige surpassed that of the other great Feudal Lord.

Li Qingqiu did not react much to this, because in his view, it was only natural for Li Sifeng to achieve such a feat. He even felt that Li Sifeng hadn’t done enough and was somewhat dragging his feet.

After discussing this matter, he brought up Fengxia Mountain again.

Li Qingqiu had always been interested in Fengxia Mountain’s Alchemy techniques, so he asked Zhang Yuchun to send Disciples there to study and exchange knowledge on the Dao of Pills. Of course, they wouldn’t learn for free; the Disciples would bring the Qingxiao Sect’s Alchemy methods.

As two saints of the martial world, Fengxia Mountain and the Qingxiao Sect have always maintained good relations, and both sides get along very happily. When Xunxian Town held the auction previously, Fengxia Mountain also gave Zhang Yuchun Face by sending a Daoist Priest to participate.

“Fengxia Mountain recently produced a Genius. At only seven years old, he already obtained the True Disciple status. His name is Bai Yutian. The Disciple I sent told me that this child was born able to sense Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. The Legacy of Fengxia Mountain is extremely simple for him; he learns almost instantly,” Zhang Yuchun remarked with emotion.

Being born able to sense Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi is enough to prove that Bai Yutian is a Cultivation Prodigy.

Li Qingqiu asked with a smile, “What, do you want to recruit him?”

“I’m afraid not. He has already been designated as the next Abbot of Fengxia Mountain. Although Fengxia Mountain knows some Strange Arts, they follow the Martial Path. They don’t yet understand what this boy’s talent represents. I feel sorry for Bai Yutian, and also a little worried,” Zhang Yuchun shook his head.

“Worried about what?”

“I’m worried he’ll be like the Yandao Sect. The Yandao Sect managed to Enter the Dao on their own and create stronger Martial Arts. I fear this child might comprehend the method of Immortality Cultivation on his own, thus leading Fengxia Mountain to transform into a Cultivation School.”

Zhang Yuchun said worriedly. He got along very happily with Fengxia Mountain and corresponded regularly, but no matter how good the relationship was, he didn’t want Fengxia Mountain to threaten him.

Li Qingqiu shook his head and laughed, saying, “It’s not that easy to achieve that relying solely on him.”

The reason he could rapidly establish the Qingxiao Sect was not just the Hunyuan Scripture, but also the guidance of fortune provided by the dao lineage panel. That was the key to the School’s rapid development.

Zhang Yuchun asked, “What if?”

Li Qingqiu replied, “If it truly happens, we’ll see if they are willing to submit to us. If they are unwilling, we won’t force them, but we won’t allow them to compete with us for resources.”

He thought of the Qingxia Sect founded by Zhou Ya. This small Cultivation School was not yet famous, but he had already sent an Dark Hall Disciple to infiltrate the Qingxia Sect. Sect Leader Qiu Dahu greatly trusted this Dark Hall Disciple, showing signs of cultivating him to become the Vice Sect Master.

Zhang Yuchun was right; prevention is better than cure. Li Qingqiu decided to also plant an Dark Hall Disciple in Fengxia Mountain.

In the struggle for School development, there isn’t much morality to speak of. If everyone aspires to dominate the world, conflicts are inevitable.

If there was no threat, Li Qingqiu would naturally treat them with courtesy and wouldn’t bully the weak. But if the School’s development was jeopardized, he wouldn’t have many reservations.

“I hope things won’t escalate to that point,” Zhang Yuchun sighed.

Just then, The Three Xiao Brothers quickly walked into the Lingxiao Courtyard, all three looking very excited.

They came to the table and bowed to Li Qingqiu and the other man. However, seeing that Zhang Yuchun was still there, they didn’t speak immediately.

Zhang Yuchun chuckled, thinking that these three boys had truly grown up.

“I still have matters to attend to, so I’ll be busy now.”

Zhang Yuchun stood up and bid farewell.

After he left, Invincible Xiao and the other two took off the Storage Pouches hanging from their waists and placed them on the table.

“Sect Leader, your dream was real! The Treasure Trove left by an Ancient Cultivator is indeed hidden inside the Thousand Dragon Cave in Xiaoyao Prefecture. It’s all in these Storage Pouches. We even saw the Cultivator’s corpse—you didn’t see it, but his bones were golden.”

Invincible Xiao said excitedly. Xiao Wuqing and Xiao Wuming were equally thrilled.

The Thousand Dragon Cave they mentioned was a fortune activated by Li Qingqiu. The Thousand Dragon Cave contained special Restrictions, requiring the activation of Mechanisms to access the Immortal Cave.

Although it was not a Blessed Land or Cultivation Resource, Li Qingqiu felt that the value of this Immortal Cave must be considerable.

“Hmm, not bad. You should go down and rest first. I will reward you after I finish checking.”

Li Qingqiu smiled contentedly, then picked up a Storage Pouch, preparing to examine it.

Xiao Wuqing quickly said, “Sect Leader, on the way back, we clashed with a group of mysterious Martial Artists. Although we didn’t suffer a loss, their Martial Arts were extraordinary. Do you need me to send people to investigate?”

“If you want to do it, then go ahead.”

Li Qingqiu replied, and Xiao Wuqing accepted the order.

After the three brothers left, Li Qingqiu extended his Spiritual Sense into the Storage Pouch, checking them one by one.

Inside the Storage Pouches were Secret Manuals, Talisman Paper, Medicinal Pills, as well as Magical Artifacts, seeds, and so on—a very rich haul. He took out the thickest Secret Manual to flip through.

This was a Cultivation Technique called the Five Hearts Reversing Dao Art. Although not as good as the Hunyuan Scripture, it was a decent Qi Absorption Method. It could switch Origin Qi attributes, and upon Major Achievement, the five attributes would merge, condensing an even stronger Five Elements Origin Qi.

Not bad, it can be used to fill the Scripture Pavilion.

Li Qingqiu merely scanned it briefly and then put it down.

After he finished checking the three Storage Pouches, he was reasonably satisfied. Although there was nothing he particularly wanted to learn, if these items fell into the hands of others, they might genuinely be able to establish a Cultivation School.

Unfortunately, the Formation Secret Manuals inside were Elementary, lacking the Teleportation Formation he desired most.

He put the three Storage Pouches away, preparing to distribute them later to the Halls that needed them.

He walked back to his Immortal Cave to Cultivate. The Demon Land and the Azure Dragon Domain were like two swords hanging over his head, forcing him to diligently Cultivate and make himself stronger as quickly as possible.