Chapter 243: Li Qingqiu Takes in a Disciple |
As the year’s end passed, the festive season arrived.
Within a courtyard, fourteen-year-old Hu Yan walked out from a room. He wore a slightly oversized blue sect robe, his hair casually tied atop his head. Sunlight spilled down as he lifted his face, revealing a fair, delicate, and refined countenance.
He was not the only one. Other disciples within the courtyard also emerged from their rooms one after another.
The Clear Sky Sect was no longer like before. New disciples no longer had to live together; each person had their own room.
Warm bedding, steaming hot water, and even fruit and pastries inside the room—Hu Yan had slept the soundest night of his life last night. Even now, he felt as though he were dreaming, scarcely daring to believe it was real.
“Hu Yan, what are you planning to do today?”
A female disciple of the same age, Duan Xiaojuan, came over and asked. The two of them had passed the assessment together yesterday and become registered disciples. Since they both came from Eastern Tomb Province, they had gotten to know each other.
There were eight disciples in this courtyard, all of them new.
Hu Yan pondered for a moment and said, “I’ll probably walk around first and familiarize myself with the sect.”
Duan Xiaojuan asked with a frank smile. Her skin was slightly dark, and she was not particularly pretty, but her eyes and mouth were large, and her smile was highly infectious.
Perhaps because the other people had given Hu Yan rather unpleasant impressions, he instead felt closer to Duan Xiaojuan.
He nodded and did not refuse.
The two left the courtyard together. Nearby was a main disciples’ courtyard where meals were served. As they walked there, the buildings along the way were all decorated with lanterns and ornaments, filled with festive cheer.
“As expected of the Number One Sect Under Heaven. It’s completely unaffected by the chaotic times,” Duan Xiaojuan exclaimed in admiration.
At the mention of the chaotic era, Hu Yan’s gaze turned complicated.
Because of those chaotic times, he had lost his parents. The first half of his life had been so bitter. To reach the disciples of the Clear Sky Sect, he had stumbled forward, covered in wounds. Even now, when he recalled it, it felt unreal.
He still remembered kneeling before that Clear Sky Sect disciple, begging the other party to save him.
The sunlight had been blinding at the time, and he had not clearly seen that disciple’s face at first.
“Don’t be afraid. With me here, no one can bully you.”
After saying that, the other party drove off the group of villains who had been chasing and beating Hu Yan.
Afterward, that disciple gave him plenty of dry rations and told him that if he had nowhere to go, he should head south to look for the Clear Sky Sect—the Clear Sky Sect would take him in.
That Clear Sky Sect disciple seemed to have matters to attend to. Hu Yan had not even had time to ask for his name before the other party departed.
However, Hu Yan had already memorized that disciple’s face. There was plenty of time ahead—he would always have a chance to repay this kindness.
Lost in his memories, Hu Yan and Duan Xiaojuan arrived at the main courtyard and queued up to receive their meals. They entered the courtyard and found an empty table to sit down.
As they ate, they listened to other disciples discussing the sect’s festivals. They were filled with curiosity about everything related to the Clear Sky Sect.
“There really are so many people in the Clear Sky Sect,” Duan Xiaojuan suddenly sighed with emotion. This was a heartfelt sentiment. She had never been to a place with so many people before, all dressed neatly and speaking warmly, with no fighting or quarrels. The cultivation life described by those disciples made her yearn deeply.
Hu Yan nodded. He was also thinking about the future.
Above registered disciples were outer disciples, inner disciples, and true transmission disciples. Only by becoming a true transmission disciple could one truly be considered to have the qualifications to pursue the Dao and longevity.
The road ahead was long. He had to keep walking.
After finishing their meal, they heard that some disciples were heading to the Martial Arena to watch sparring matches. Their interest was piqued, and they immediately followed along.
Walking along the mountain path, they could see many disciples stepping on flying swords as they flew toward the neighboring Clear Sky Mountain. Hu Yan turned his head to look. Clear Sky Mountain was far livelier than Ziyang Peak, like an immortal abode. Even the snow falling across the sky could not conceal Clear Sky Mountain’s grand and majestic aura.
He wondered when he would be able to set foot on that mountain.
Thinking this, Hu Yan withdrew his gaze, steeled his spirit, and prepared to embrace his own immortal cultivation life.
……
Inside the cave dwelling, Li Qingqiu sat on a stone bed, sensing the Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity that now belonged to him.
That was right—he had copied Hu Yan’s [Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity] onto himself.
He had taken a fancy to its ability to ward off curses. His intuition told him that as time passed, he would eventually encounter someone who tried to curse him. After all, immortal cultivation methods emerged endlessly and were hard to guard against.
The Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity could also autonomously protect the body, allowing him to guard against sneak attacks.
After inheriting the Fate Trait memories, Li Qingqiu discovered a special aura surrounding his body. Not only that, he felt the entire world become clearer. His whole body felt comfortable—this state was exceedingly rare.
So this was [Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity]?
Just this state alone left Li Qingqiu very satisfied—his spirit was vigorous, his mind transparent.
He stood up and instructed Jin Lang, “Jin Lang, attack me.”
Jin Lang turned to look at him, tilting its head in confusion.
“Don’t worry. I just want to test a spell I recently learned,” Li Qingqiu said with a gentle smile.
Hearing this, Jin Lang nodded. It immediately leaped into the air, like a streak of green light, killing its way in front of Li Qingqiu and swinging its arm blade toward his chest.
Bang!
Jin Lang felt as though it had slammed into an invisible wall of energy. It was sent flying back, crashing into the wall and tumbling in a daze, stars spinning before its eyes.
Li Qingqiu raised his brows. Such domineering Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity—it was even stronger than he had expected.
He could freely control the Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity, yet when danger arose, it could also automatically defend. The feeling was extremely marvelous, like an instinct.
“Master, what kind of spell is this?”
Nangong E stood not far away and asked cautiously.
Not only her—Lin Chuan also looked pale with fear. The Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity made them feel extremely dangerous, and they dared not approach.
“To call it a spell isn’t quite accurate. It’s more like a kind of power of heaven and earth that I recently comprehended. It still needs some refinement,” Li Qingqiu said vaguely, since he could not pass the Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity on to others.
The Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity would grow stronger with time, which was also why he valued it so highly. He liked Fate Traits that could continue to influence him.
“Jin Lang, are you alright?” Li Qingqiu looked at Jin Lang and asked.
Jin Lang had already reached the sixth layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm, but the rebound from the Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity just now had left it somewhat dizzy.
“Master, I’m fine,” Jin Lang replied in a muffled voice, shaking its head before standing back up.
Only then did Li Qingqiu feel at ease. He then walked toward the stone door of the cave dwelling.
“I’m going out for a stroll.”
Nangong E and Lin Chuan followed as they were drawn into Li Qingqiu’s body.
Jin Lang chose to stay behind, continuing its cultivation.
Someone who did not know better might think it was burdened with a deep blood feud. In reality, it simply loved cultivating immortality.
After leaving the cave dwelling, Li Qingqiu arrived at Lingxiao Courtyard. The courtyard was lively. The higher-ups had rarely put aside their affairs and were sitting here drinking wine and chatting, laughter ringing out unceasingly.
“Senior Brother, where are you going?”
Seeing Li Qingqiu pass straight by without stopping, Li Sijin could not help but ask curiously. The others all turned to look at Li Qingqiu.
“I’m going to walk around the sect. I’m in a good mood today and plan to take in another disciple—just whoever suits my eye.”
Li Qingqiu said casually, yet his words shocked everyone in the courtyard.
Taking in a disciple?
Since Ji Ya, how many years had it been since Li Qingqiu last accepted a disciple?
Even geniuses like the Three Xiao Brothers had failed to catch his eye, yet now he was going to personally take in a disciple.
Shen Yue’s interest was piqued, and he vanished from the spot.
Yang Jueding looked at Zhang Yuchun and asked curiously, “Has the sect recently produced some extraordinary genius?”
Zhang Yuchun replied in puzzlement, “There are indeed quite a few geniuses, but compared to his disciples, there’s still a huge gap.”
Li Dongyue laughed and said, “Don’t overthink it. Didn’t Senior Brother say it himself? He’s just in a good mood. He may not necessarily be aiming for a genius.”
“Impossible. He definitely calculated something,” Zhang Yuchun shook his head.
Even Yuan Li, whose cultivation aptitude was the worst, had opened up the Body Cultivation Path.
Every time Zhang Yuchun saw Li Shouzheng and Li Shoumin, he felt a deep sense of malice. He felt that Senior Brother was playing tricks on him, yet he had refused more than once and had no face to complain to Senior Brother.
The others echoed this sentiment, all believing that the Sect Master must have been attracted by some peerless genius.
On the other side—
Shen Yue followed beside Li Qingqiu. He wanted to see for himself how Li Qingqiu chose people.
“Did you receive some information in advance?” Shen Yue asked with a suspicious expression.
“How could that be? If there really were a peerless genius, do you think those guys would wait to ask me? They’d have taken them in long ago,” Li Qingqiu said with a helpless smile. He was referring to the current situation of the Clear Sky Sect. If a disciple displayed outstanding talent, all the halls would scramble for them—there would be no turn for Li Qingqiu to act.
He did not yet know whether Hu Yan had been recruited by any hall. Even if he had, Li Qingqiu was not afraid. He was the Sect Master. His word was law. If anyone had objections, they would have to be dealt with seriously.
“That makes sense. Then I’ll accompany you and see how you pick people,” Shen Yue said, nodding.
Although he did not want to take in disciples himself, he was extremely curious about Li Qingqiu’s judgment.
He wanted to know how Li Qingqiu discovered those peerless geniuses.
The two chatted idly as they headed down the mountain.
Along the way, disciples who recognized Li Qingqiu and Shen Yue excitedly saluted them. Li Qingqiu responded with a smile, entirely lacking any Sect Master’s airs.
Shen Yue could at most nod. He could not be like Li Qingqiu.
He suddenly realized that no matter how high Li Qingqiu’s cultivation became or how powerful the sect grew, Li Qingqiu’s attitude toward others had never changed.
Prestige grew along with one’s power and authority. The sect’s upper echelon, including Li Sijin, had all cultivated their own presence. When disciples faced them, they were always tense.
Yet when Li Qingqiu faced disciples, there was no presence about him at all, giving people a feeling like a spring breeze.
Shen Yue merely sighed inwardly at this and had no intention of imitating it—after all, he was not the Sect Master.
The two walked from the mountain top to the mountain foot. Li Qingqiu never chose a disciple to accept along the way. During this time, Shen Yue encountered several disciples with clearly outstanding aptitude, yet Li Qingqiu did not take a fancy to a single one of them.
Those disciples did not even know that they had missed the chance to become the Sect Master’s disciple. Still, just being able to speak with the Sect Master was enough to leave them thrilled.
The two arrived at Ziyang Peak. As they continued up the mountain, fewer disciples could recognize them, and their surroundings suddenly became much quieter.
“If they were geniuses, they would have been specially admitted to Clear Sky Mountain. The disciples left at Ziyang Peak mostly have average aptitude. Are you planning to create a genius yourself?” Shen Yue asked curiously.
Li Qingqiu rolled his eyes and said irritably, “I’ve said it several times already. I’m just in a good mood and taking in a disciple based on eye affinity. Why make it so vulgar?”