Chapter 45 Treasures of Heaven and Earth

“It’s alright, I think he has intelligent eyes. Maybe he just doesn’t want to speak,” Li Qingqiu said with a soft laugh, looking at Yuan Li. He waved at Yuan Li, who immediately walked around the table and came to his side, lying on his lap.

He wasn’t worried about Yuan Li’s growth; after all, Yuan Li still had the Grandmaster’s Heart fate, which indicated that Yuan Li was certainly intelligent.

He chatted casually with Zhang Yuchun and Li Dongyue, waiting for the Disciples to serve the food, while his mind had already drifted to the Fortuity.

Night fell, and just as the food was served, Yang Jueding and the others finally returned.

Yang Jueding walked at the front, his expression strange. Behind him followed Xu Ning and Qin Ye. As for the other Disciples, they gathered in the new courtyard at the foot of the mountain gate, excitedly discussing the battle from the afternoon.

Zhang Yuchun stood up and asked, “Elder Yang, how did it go?”

Everyone else also looked at Yang Jueding, their expressions somewhat tense. This was the first time the Qingxiao Sect had been provoked in such a way. If they lost, there would certainly be endless trouble in the future.

Yang Jueding replied, “We drove them away, thanks to Xu Ning’s intervention.”

At these words, everyone in the courtyard breathed a sigh of relief.

“Xu Ning intervened? What about you? Couldn’t you defeat those people from the Juesheng Sect?” Li Sifeng grasped the key point and immediately asked.

Yang Jueding’s face was a little awkward. He coughed lightly and said, “This Juesheng Sect is not simple. Not only do they have the support of the Tang clan of Linchuan, but their Sect Master is also a top-tier expert. Even Zhu Wuliang, the number one in the Cangzhou Martial Forest, was defeated by him. I am indeed not his opponent.”

“Zhu Wuliang? Zhu Wuliang, the Scarlet Flame Divine Palm?” Cheng Canghai’s eyes widened as he pressed, his voice trembling. He looked at Xu Ning with an expression as if he had seen a ghost.

Seeing his expression, Yang Jueding’s face softened, and he said, “That’s right, it’s Zhu Wuliang, the Scarlet Flame Divine Palm. The Sect Master of the Juesheng Sect is named Yan Wujin. He had no reputation before, but I imagine it won’t be long before he becomes famous throughout the Martial Forest.”

Hearing this, Li Qingqiu was no longer concerned. He said, “Sit down, let’s talk while we eat.”

Yang Jueding and the other two immediately took their seats, while everyone else began to question Xu Ning about the details of her battle with Yan Wujin.

“Yan Wujin’s cultivation was indeed remarkable. I’ve never seen anyone with such profound internal Qi. He could even make a lake boil. However, Xu Ning’s sword was stronger. Her Sword Qi actually carried lightning, which could penetrate Yan Wujin’s internal Qi. You should have seen Yan Wujin’s expression, his eyes were wide…”

The more Yang Jueding spoke, the more excited he became, and everyone gained a deeper understanding of Xu Ning’s strength.

Why did it sound like Xu Ning was even more powerful than Jiang Zhaoxia?

They looked at Xu Ning again and saw her sitting beside Li Dongyue, obediently eating, making it impossible to associate her with the powerful expert who defeated Yan Wujin.

This meal was lively. Xu Ning’s repulsion of the Juesheng Sect greatly boosted the morale of the Qingxiao Sect.

In a guest room, Su Xiling was also recounting this battle to Zhu Yan. Her shock far surpassed Yang Jueding’s, because she knew even more clearly how strong Yan Wujin was.

“An expert of the Realm was actually defeated by a young girl. It’s truly incredible. Could the Qingxiao Sect truly be favored by Immortals? I didn’t expect there to be someone in the School even more powerful and younger than Jiang Zhaoxia. How did she cultivate such profound power?”

When Su Xiling spoke these words, her hand, holding the teacup, was trembling.

Zhu Yan, however, was very calm. She said softly, “There are always people beyond people, and heavens beyond heavens. There are countless fortuitous encounters in the world, some that you and I cannot access. Xu Ning is so powerful, which means her Master Li Qingqiu is even more powerful.”

Su Xiling came back to her senses and said, “Could it be true, as the Qingxiao Sect Disciples say, that Li Qingqiu received a Dao from an Immortal in a dream?”

Zhu Yan did not respond, as she also could not judge whether this statement was true or false.

This night was destined to leave many sleepless.

After dinner, Xu Ning followed Li Qingqiu back to his room and described Yan Wujin’s strength in detail.

“Master, although I could defeat him, I couldn’t kill him. This person’s martial arts are indeed formidable. If Elder Yang had acted, he would probably have been severely injured within three moves.”

Xu Ning said with considerable frustration. After achieving the Nourishing Origin Realm, Fifth Layer, her confidence had greatly increased. After all, this was a Realm that even Jiang Zhaoxia had not yet touched, and she had a vast gap with other Disciples. She didn’t expect to lose her first battle after her Breakthrough.

Li Qingqiu sat on a stool. He looked at Xu Ning’s unconvinced expression, couldn’t help but pinch her cheek, and said with a smile, “What else do you want? You said it yourself, Yan Wujin is very powerful. Perhaps without you, Yan Wujin and his Juesheng Sect would have become the overlords of Guzhou Prefecture’s Martial Forest. His mood must be quite broken.”

“Master, I feel that my Comprehension Ability in sword techniques isn’t very good. However, the attributes of my internal Qi have given me many ideas. Next, I want to focus on researching the attributes of my internal Qi. Is that alright?” Xu Ning didn’t dodge her Master’s hand. She looked at her Master and asked earnestly.

Li Qingqiu said with satisfaction, “Of course, you can. Only when you find your own Dao can you truly be considered to have graduated.”

“I won’t graduate! Master, I want to follow you forever, and stay in the Qingxiao Sect forever.”

“Haha, if that’s the case, Master would naturally be happy. But if you fall in love later, find someone you care about, and want to go down the mountain, Master will not stop you.”

“Hmph, I’m not that vulgar.”

The candlelight cast the shadows of the Master and Disciple diagonally on the wall. Looking at Xu Ning, Li Qingqiu thought of her when she first came up the mountain. Back then, she was dirty and frail. Now, she had undergone a complete transformation and possessed the aura of an Immortal cultivator. This made him sigh inwardly, realizing how quickly time passed.

The Master and Disciple chatted for a while longer, then Li Qingqiu sent Xu Ning away.

After Xu Ning closed the door, he waited for about ten seconds, then brought up the dao lineage panel and activated the Fortuity.

【Claim Fortuity Reward】

【Activate Fortuity】

【Start Fortuity Detection】

【Fortuity captured, Heavenly Treasure found. Do you accept the Fortuity guidance?】

Heavenly Treasure?

Li Qingqiu became interested and immediately chose to accept. Immediately after, his thoughts were dragged into a dream.

In the dream, he couldn’t control his body and could only watch himself travel through the mountains and forests, heading towards an unknown place.

The Taikun Mountain Range is vast, located in the southeastern part of the Da Li (Great Li Dynasty). To the east are hundreds of miles of deep mountains, shrouded in miasma and rarely visited. It is said that beyond that mountain range lies an endless ocean, but no one has been able to cross this deep mountain area. Lin Xunfeng had warned them before not to go east, and to retreat if they encountered thick fog.

The mountain where the Qingxiao Sect was located was still dozens of miles away from that deep mountain area. For ordinary people, the Qingxiao Sect was already considered deep in the mountains, and finding it was already difficult. As for the boundless mountains behind the Qingxiao Sect, they were awe-inspiring.

In his dream, Li Qingqiu passed through layers of miasma. After an unknown distance, he saw a large tree, a hundred zhang tall, with numerous branches and countless vines hanging down. The surrounding forest seemed to worship it like its subjects. However, the image was somewhat blurry, and he couldn’t clearly see the true appearance of this great tree.

When Li Qingqiu woke up, recalling the posture of that great tree, he was deeply shaken.

It was the first time he had seen such a tall tree.

However, since it was a Fortuity, this tree would certainly bring him unimaginable benefits.

Li Qingqiu decided to set off before dawn, to go there as soon as possible… Under the cover of night, Tang Ziqi supported the disheveled Yan Wujin as they moved forward.

“That’s enough, let’s stop here. I must circulate my Qi to heal my injuries.”

Yan Wujin said through gritted teeth. Tang Ziqi quickly helped him sit down under a nearby tree. Seeing him begin to meditate and circulate his Qi, Tang Ziqi’s expression was still somewhat dazed.

Tang Ziqi shuddered involuntarily as he recalled Xu Ning, unsure if it was from fright or the cold night.

He walked to the side and sat down, taking out the water bottle from his waist. He quenched his thirst while calmly thinking.

The Disciples recruited from under Zhu Wuliang had all fled. If they wanted to rebuild their School, they would have to choose another School as a stepping stone.

Next time, they must stay far away from the Taikun Mountain Range!

The forest was silent, with only an occasional cold wind blowing through.

Tang Ziqi had traveled one or two hundred li and was already exhausted. He actually fell asleep leaning against a tree trunk.

He didn’t know how long he had slept until he heard someone calling him. He opened his eyes and saw Yan Wujin sitting opposite him, staring vigilantly at their surroundings.

“What’s wrong?”

Tang Ziqi rubbed his eyes and asked weakly. His gaze subconsciously swept around, and soon, he became alert.

Without Yan Wujin needing to answer, he realized something was wrong.

How could there be thick fog all around?

Before he fell asleep, there wasn’t this much fog.

“Something is wrong here. I suspect we fled in the wrong direction,” Yan Wujin said in a deep voice. After three hours of rest, his condition had recovered somewhat, and he spoke with full vigor.

Tang Ziqi frowned tightly, his face changing drastically. He said, “Rumor has it that deep within the Taikun Mountain Range, there is an uninhabited area, rife with miasma. Living people who enter never return. This uninhabited area harbors demons, and even fierce beasts dare not set foot there.”

Yan Wujin slowly stood up and said, “It seems the rumors are true. We must leave; I have a bad feeling.”

Tang Ziqi quickly got up. After looking around, the two decided to flee back in the direction they came from.

A night had passed, and the people from the Qingxiao Sect should have given up on chasing them.

However, they ran for several li, but still couldn’t escape the thick fog, which made them increasingly uneasy. They always felt as if something was watching them from within the fog.

“Wait!”

Yan Wujin suddenly called out to Tang Ziqi. Tang Ziqi stopped and looked at him nervously.

“This is where we rested earlier,” Yan Wujin said with a grim expression. He raised his hand and pointed to a large tree. Tang Ziqi focused his gaze and saw a character carved on the tree trunk.

Tang Ziqi was completely panicked. Although he was well-read, he had never encountered such a dangerous situation.

Crack!

The sound of a branch breaking came, startling the two of them, who turned their heads to look. They saw a figure emerge from the thick fog, putting them on high alert and ready for battle.

Li Qingqiu walked out of the thick fog, his left hand resting on the sheath of his heavenly rainbow sword, his posture relaxed. He walked in front of Yan Wujin and the other man, sizing them up.

Yan Wujin and the other man recognized that he was wearing the robes of the Qingxiao Sect. The two exchanged glances but did not act rashly.

“Who are you, and how did you get lost here?” Li Qingqiu asked.

Tang Ziqi quickly clasped his fists and said, “We were pursued by enemies and fled all the way here. We’ve been lost for several days. Young brother, do you know how to get out of here?”

Before Li Qingqiu could answer, Yan Wujin suddenly turned his head to another direction and said, “I didn’t expect this place to be so lively. Don’t hide, come out.”

Hearing this, Li Qingqiu and Tang Ziqi turned their heads to look.

From within the thick fog, a patch of grass began to sway. Soon, a disheveled old man staggered out. His hair was white and messy, his robes dirty and old, and he carried a gourd in his hand, appearing as if he were drunk.

Li Qingqiu looked at the disheveled old man, deep in thought.