Chapter 6 Top Ten of the Heavenly Ranking

As the morning sun rose, Li Qingqiu came out of his room early, then woke up his Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters for morning exercises.

Overnight, the courtyard was already covered with a thick layer of snow. Zhang Yuchun and Li Dongyue had woken up early and were already shoveling snow.

Li Qingqiu told them to put down their shovels and practice their cultivation first.

The seven Senior and Junior Brothers climbed onto the eaves, sat cross-legged side by side, and absorbed the purple Qi together. Gradually, wisps of heat began to rise from the tops of their heads.

Li Qingqiu opened one eye, glanced at his Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters, and was secretly pleased.

Although they were still young, they were obedient and easy to teach, which filled him with anticipation for the future of the Qingxiao Sect.

This was the foundation of his venture!

An hour later, the Disciples jumped down from the eaves, ready to go about their business. Li Qingqiu called Zhang Yuchun and asked him to come with him.

Zhang Yuchun had no objection, but when he saw Li Qingqiu bring the heavenly rainbow sword, he raised an eyebrow slightly.

The two Senior and Junior Brothers walked through the mountain forest, chatting casually about trivial matters within the School.

The Taikun Mountain Range was steep, and even Li Qingqiu and his companion had to be careful when traveling, especially now that there was snow everywhere, making it easy to slip.

After walking ten li, Zhang Yuchun couldn’t help but ask, “Senior Brother, where exactly are we going?”

Li Qingqiu, walking ahead, replied without turning his head, “Last night, I dreamed of an Immortal’s guidance, saying that there was treasure hidden in the mountains around here. The dream was so vivid that I wanted to come and try.”

The Legacy of fortune made him remember the route; it was an illusion that he had truly experienced, and he still remembered it clearly, which was very magical.

“Immortal’s guidance?”

When Zhang Yuchun heard this, he almost broke down, wanting to ask his Senior Brother, “Do you take me for a fool?”

However, he never dared to defy Li Qingqiu, so he could only endure it and continue to humor his Senior Brother.

The heavy snow covered the Taikun Mountain Range; no matter how far they walked, it felt like they were treading in place. Fortunately, Li Qingqiu and Zhang Yuchun had already entered the Nourishing Origin Realm, and their strength had increased significantly, so they didn’t feel tired.

After another ten li, Li Qingqiu finally stopped. There was no path ahead, only a mountain wall, with snow on both sides, making it narrow.

Zhang Yuchun, exhaling into his hands, looked around and asked in surprise, “Senior Brother, this place doesn’t look like it has any treasure. It seems the Immortal’s guidance isn’t accurate. Should we give up?”

Li Qingqiu didn’t answer him. He walked to the mountain wall and began to feel around.

Soon, he seemed to feel something and began to pound vigorously at a spot on the mountain wall. After only three blows, this part of the mountain wall actually broke open, which stunned Zhang Yuchun, who quickly went to look.

After about ten breaths, Li Qingqiu stopped when he determined he couldn’t break open the mountain wall any further. He looked at the dog-hole-sized opening in front of him and fell silent.

The dream only guided him here, and the hole in the dream was much larger than this.

Zhang Yuchun bent down and looked into the hole. It was pitch black inside, but he could feel warm air rushing out.

“Let’s go.”

Li Qingqiu was the first to crawl into the hole. Zhang Yuchun wanted to dissuade him, but he moved too quickly. Zhang Yuchun gritted his teeth and quickly followed.

The tunnel was dark and sloped downwards, with warm air flowing, which made the two of them much more comfortable. Moreover, the further they went in, the larger the tunnel became, alleviating their tension in the confined space.

After traveling about five zhang, they finally reached the end.

Zhang Yuchun followed Li Qingqiu out of the hole. The drop was not high, and he easily touched the ground. He looked up, his eyes wide, and his mouth unconsciously agape.

Ahead was a spacious underground area. The mountain walls were embedded with countless blue-silver Ores of varying sizes and distinct angles. Below was a lake nearly ten zhang wide, its surface blue and shimmering with silver light, fantastical and beautiful.

For some reason, after Zhang Yuchun arrived here, he felt refreshed and invigorated.

“Senior Brother, this place seems to be full of the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi we usually breathe. Will our internal Qi grow faster if we Cultivate here?” Zhang Yuchun asked, gazing around, his tone barely concealing his excitement.

“That’s right, this is indeed an excellent place for Cultivation. It seems Heaven favors our Qingxiao Sect.”

Li Qingqiu smiled, speaking with feigned calmness.

In reality, ever since the Legacy was activated, he had been fantasizing, and his mood had long since adjusted.

The two began to wander, observing and discussing.

“Senior Brother, be careful. It would be bad if there were venomous insects or fierce beasts hidden here.”

“Senior Brother, did an Immortal really give you a dream? Could it be something Master told you before?”

“Unfortunately, this place is too far from the Qingxiao Sect. It takes half a day’s journey to go back and forth.”

“Senior Brother, if we Cultivate here for ten years, do you think we can become experts who shake the Martial Forest?”

Facing Zhang Yuchun’s incessant questions, Li Qingqiu answered casually and perfunctorily, but Zhang Yuchun didn’t mind.

Although Zhang Yuchun was usually steady, he was still a fifteen-year-old boy. In front of Li Qingqiu, he could drop his facade.

The two walked around a few times, confirming there was only one entrance/exit and no danger, before finally relaxing.

“What do you think? How should we arrange for the Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters to Cultivate here in the future?” Li Qingqiu asked, looking at the Spiritual Lake.

Zhang Yuchun pondered, “Bringing everyone together definitely won’t work. Someone needs to guard the Qingxiao Sect, and I also need to recruit Disciples soon. Senior Brother, this place cannot be known to anyone other than the seven of us. I suggest that in the future, two people come to Cultivate for a day in rotation. What do you think?”

Li Qingqiu glanced at Zhang Yuchun, nodding in satisfaction, and said, “Good, that’s a very good suggestion. I’m pleased that you can consider the possible risks.”

Zhang Yuchun scratched his head, smiling shyly, “In the Jianghu stories Master told, many people and Schools with insufficient strength brought disaster upon themselves by possessing divine skills or treasures.”

“Yes, the Qingxiao Sect only has us. We are still too young, and we must be careful in our actions. Losing even one person would be unbearable for us,” Li Qingqiu said with emotion.

Losing one person?

Zhang Yuchun’s expression changed slightly. The thought of Li Qingqiu and his Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters dying in front of him made him afraid.

No!

Such a thing must never happen!

Zhang Yuchun was also an orphan. He was abandoned at the age of six and had been lonely since childhood, lacking a sense of security. He had long considered Li Qingqiu and the others his family, and he cherished this kinship, which was why he was willing to work tirelessly.

Li Qingqiu picked up a crystal from the lakeside and could feel the rich Spiritual Qi within it. He originally wanted to take one out, but then he thought that even the Spiritual Qi from that small knife could be detected by new Immortals. Taking such a Spirit Stone out might invite disaster.

So, he put the Spirit Stone back down and admonished Zhang Yuchun that no one else would be allowed to take Spirit Stones from here in the future.

They didn’t stay long. After confirming the location, they prepared to go back and arrange personnel.

After climbing out of the hole, Li Qingqiu spread the surrounding weeds to cover the entrance, then covered it with snow, only then feeling relieved enough to leave.

“Don’t mention this matter outside in the future. If an expert passes by and hears it from afar, it will be troublesome.”

Li Qingqiu said seriously to Zhang Yuchun, who nodded, understanding the importance of the underground Spiritual Lake.

The two walked towards the Qingxiao Sect, beginning to chat about other matters. Zhang Yuchun planned to go down the mountain to recruit Disciples after the winter snow melted. The recent snow had been getting heavier, and he was afraid of accidents when bringing village children up the mountain.

Li Qingqiu naturally had no objection. He was not in a hurry to expand the Qingxiao Sect. First, he had to improve the strength of his core group to avoid trouble when dealing with others.

The return journey was still difficult; their footprints had already been covered by the fresh winter snow.

Halfway through their journey, Li Qingqiu suddenly stopped.

Zhang Yuchun, following behind, asked in surprise, “What’s wrong?”

“Listen carefully,” Li Qingqiu said softly.

Zhang Yuchun immediately held his breath and listened intently. Soon, he heard a faint sound coming from deep within the nearby forest.

“Help… help me…”

Zhang Yuchun, who was already at the Nourishing Origin Realm, First Layer, immediately focused his gaze. His eyes pierced through the intertwined trees, and he saw half a human face, lying behind a large tree, leaning against a rock, looking at them from a distance.

Zhang Yuchun was startled. He pointed at the person and said, “Senior Brother, that person is calling for help. Should we intervene?”

Li Qingqiu didn’t need him to point; he had already noticed the person.

After a moment of hesitation, Li Qingqiu whispered, “Let’s go take a look, be careful not to let him trick us.”

Zhang Yuchun nodded, and the two immediately pushed aside the bushes and walked towards the person.

Yang Jueding, whose consciousness was already blurry, saw the two teenagers approaching, and a huge surge of surprise welled up in his heart.

When Li Qingqiu and his companion went down the mountain, he had seen them from afar, but unfortunately, he had no time to call for help, so he had been waiting for them to return.

Just as he was about to give up, he finally saw their figures.

He used all his strength to call for help, but it still sounded faint.

Li Qingqiu and his companion cautiously approached Yang Jueding, maintaining a safe distance, and observed him carefully.

The man was covered in snow, his robes were dirty, the stubble on his face was matted with blood, and the headscarf tying his long hair was about to fall off. From his appearance, the man seemed to be in his thirties. His abdomen had a very serious injury, and the blood had already frozen solid.

Zhang Yuchun asked, “Who are you, and why are you here?”

“Give me… water…”

Yang Jueding looked at them weakly, speaking feebly. His right hand tried to lift, but it was very difficult.

Zhang Yuchun looked at Li Qingqiu. Seeing Li Qingqiu nod, he immediately took out a water flask from his embrace and threw it to Yang Jueding.

The originally weak Yang Jueding suddenly sat up, snatched the water flask, roughly opened it, and then poured the water into his mouth.

Zhang Yuchun was startled and instinctively retreated.

Li Qingqiu could feel a certain Qi surging within this person, keeping his body surface at a certain temperature, which was why he could last so long.

A Martial Forest expert who had cultivated internal Qi?

After Yang Jueding finished drinking all the hot water in the flask in one gulp, he lay down. He was visibly much more relaxed. He looked at Li Qingqiu and his companion, grinned, and said, “Thank you, two young sirs, for saving me… My name is Yang Jueding.”

Li Qingqiu and his companion stared at him intently.

Yang Jueding was startled, and asked in surprise, “You haven’t heard of my name? I am Yang Jueding, the Dragon-Subduing Hero, ranked among the top ten on Guzhou Prefecture’s Jianghu Heaven List!”

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