Chapter 146: Just How Strong Is the Clear Sky Sect
When Xue Jin’s words fell, the forest fell into a brief silence.
“One.”
Boom!
Hundreds of refugees screamed in terror at the sight of the hunchbacked old man’s fate and scattered in all directions.
No one dared to resist Xue Jin.
It was the first time Li Sijin and the disciples beside her had seen Xue Jin’s methods.
Since being transferred to the Tempering Hall, Xue Jin had not made a move for a long time.
Even during the Grand Dao Tournament, he had carried himself with the composure of a grandmaster.
Seeing the refugees fleeing in panic, Li Sijin and the three disciples from the Cultivation Hall breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as they thought Xue Jin was only trying to frighten them, when the count reached ten, Xue Jin truly began a massacre.
And it was not a slow killing—he cast the Wind Sprint Technique, chasing after the fleeing crowd at high speed.
Regardless of man or woman, old or young, anyone he met was struck down with a single sword.
The sound of blades cutting through flesh rang repeatedly, and the screams of agony echoed without end.
Even after Xue Jin disappeared from Li Sijin and the others’ sight, the wails from the distance could still be heard.
The disciples of the Tempering Hall hesitated for a moment, then rushed forward.
Seeing this, the three disciples from the Cultivation Hall turned to Li Sijin, their eyes pleading for direction.
Li Sijin came back to her senses and said, “Fighting and killing are their affairs. The Cultivation Hall’s duty is to create and collect cultivation resources. Go summon some people, then find a place to bury these corpses.”
Hearing that, the three disciples from the Cultivation Hall let out a breath of relief and hurried away to find help.
……
By evening.
Li Sijin crossed through the Lingxiao Courtyard and knocked on the door to Li Qingqiu’s cave residence.
Li Qingqiu was meditating on his bed.
He gently pressed the wall, and the stone door opened.
Li Sijin quickly entered, and the door closed behind her.
This cave residence was no longer a secret.
The Hall Masters and Elders had all come to take a look, and they were envious that Li Qingqiu possessed such a place.
They all went to curry favor with Ming Guang, making him suddenly the most sought-after person.
However, after learning that cave resources were scarce, the higher-ups no longer dared to make demands.
Li Sijin quickly came before Li Qingqiu and roughly explained what had happened with the refugees.
“Xue Jin said he would kill until his sword bent from the slaughter, but after he wrapped it with Vital Energy and killed all those refugees, the sword hadn’t curved in the slightest.”
When Li Sijin said this, her tone carried helplessness.
If he wanted to kill, then just kill—but Xue Jin had given those people false hope.
She did not know how to judge such a method.
Li Qingqiu, however, was not surprised.
This was precisely why he had sent Xue Jin to handle this matter.
He asked, “You’re sure all of them were killed?”
“Mm. Xue Jin said so himself.”
“Then we’ll simply wait and see.”
Li Qingqiu smiled faintly, the smile filled with hidden meaning.
“They’re all dead. What’s there to watch?” Li Sijin asked in confusion.
Li Qingqiu didn’t answer.
Instead, he began to ask about her cultivation progress.
Even now, Li Sijin’s cultivation remained stuck at the Fourth Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm, which made Li Qingqiu dissatisfied.
He needed to admonish her.
Focusing on nurturing spiritual plants was good, but cultivation itself must not be neglected.
Li Sijin’s mind was elsewhere, still dwelling on the refugee incident.
She truly couldn’t understand—Senior Brother clearly acted for the sake of the people, so why did they label him a calamity?
……
By the end of July, the top ten of the Clear Sky Sect’s first Grand Dao Tournament were decided.
They were Zhao Zhen, Li Yang, Xue Jin, Han Lang, Lu Qing, Gu Changping, Zhu Xunyang, Ji Ya, Yang Dong, and Yang Chengyu.
These ten names spread throughout the entire sect, their fame even reaching the martial world.
They would compete with Xu Ning for the top three, determining the strength rankings within the Clear Sky Sect.
At the beginning of August, while the sect was preparing for the final duels, Zhang Yuchun and Zhu Yan came to see Li Qingqiu.
Yet Li Qingqiu did not have them report immediately but instead sent Yuan Qi to summon Li Sijin.
While waiting, Li Qingqiu praised the two halls for their success in cultivating outstanding disciples.
Among the top ten, Yang Dong was from the Free Spirit Hall, and Zhu Xunyang from the Heavenly Works Hall, a descendant of the Zhu Clan.
“That Yang Dong was originally recommended by you. I merely did what was necessary,” Zhang Yuchun said, shaking his head, though a smile still crept onto his face.
Having a disciple from his hall enter the top ten brought great pride to the Free Spirit Hall.
Zhu Yan followed, saying, “At the time, I didn’t even see Xunyang’s potential. It was you who saw his worth. Otherwise, given my relationship with him, I wouldn’t have prioritized his training.”
In truth, even without Li Qingqiu’s guidance, as long as the two had practiced the Primordial Unity Scripture, they would have eventually risen to prominence.
But in the sect’s early stage, the scripture wasn’t something anyone could learn freely.
Li Qingqiu’s recommendation saved them a year or two of waiting.
In the future, the Clear Sky Sect would produce many geniuses unrelated to the Sect Master.
Unless a disciple possessed a unique Fate Trait, Li Qingqiu would no longer personally seek them out.
Speaking of Zhu Xunyang, Zhu Yan felt deeply moved.
Zhu Xunyang had once been just a branch family member, but now he was sought after by everyone, even courted by his own clan.
Because of him, Zhu Yan herself had gained greater authority within her family.
Under her proposal, the Zhu Clan had already begun deeply aligning itself with the Clear Sky Sect, providing the sect with many conveniences and actively gathering intelligence.
Li Qingqiu, in turn, had not treated the Zhu Clan poorly—each year, he granted them several entry quotas.
The three spoke at length about the sect’s geniuses, starting with Yang Dong and Zhu Xunyang, and then looked forward to the second Grand Dao Tournament.
“The tournament shouldn’t be held every year—it’ll affect the sect’s atmosphere. Once every ten years is ideal. Let it become a grand event, like the imperial examinations, giving capable disciples a chance to soar.”
Li Qingqiu’s decisive statement made Zhang Yuchun sigh in regret.
The Grand Dao Tournament had brought the sect both fame and fortune, and he had already begun to look forward to the next one.
Half an hour later, Yuan Qi arrived with Li Sijin, who performed a salute and withdrew.
“What’s the matter that it’s so urgent?” Li Sijin asked resentfully.
She had rushed all the way from Ziyang Peak.
Li Qingqiu motioned for her to sit, then nodded at Zhang Yuchun and Zhu Yan to explain their purpose.
Zhang Yuchun glanced at Li Sijin and said, “The matter of Xue Jin slaughtering the refugees has spread. Many in the martial world are displeased with us.”
“Spread? But they’re all dead—who spread it?” Li Sijin widened her eyes in disbelief.
A spy?
Impossible.
Her three disciples hadn’t left the mountain recently, and Xue Jin would never allow his subordinates to leak such things.
Even if there was a spy, how could the news have spread so fast?
Zhu Yan added, “It’s not just the martial world. The noble clans are also talking about it. Something isn’t right—it seems someone is deliberately plotting against us.”
Zhang Yuchun gave a wry smile.
“The outside world says we massacred many refugees. Little do they know—it’s true, we did kill them all.”
He couldn’t judge whether Xue Jin’s actions were good or evil, but one thing was certain—it was something the Clear Sky Sect had to do.
Because of it, his opinion of Xue Jin had changed completely.
In his eyes, Xue Jin was no longer a junior but a peer who could discuss matters of importance.
Li Sijin finally understood what Senior Brother had meant that day.
It seemed that whether or not they had killed the refugees, someone would have smeared them regardless.
Li Qingqiu’s face remained calm as he asked, “Who do you think is behind this?”
Zhang Yuchun replied, “From the martial world’s perspective, it must be the Lingtian Sect. They want to dominate the martial world, and they can’t bypass us. If we look from the worldly side, then it must be the neighboring provincial lords—and only the powerful ones who’ve unified their regions. The lesser lords are too busy with their own troubles.”
Zhu Yan said, “I think perhaps one of those great lords has joined hands with the Lingtian Sect to frame us. Otherwise, the rumor couldn’t have spread so quickly through both the government and the martial world.”
Listening to their analysis, Li Sijin felt an invisible pressure weighing on her.
Li Qingqiu, however, chuckled.
“I thought we’d enjoy a few more years of peace, but it seems some people can’t wait any longer. Good. This will give our disciples a chance to earn some Dao Fate.”
His laughter carried no killing intent, only genuine delight.
Hearing that, Li Sijin’s anxiety eased considerably.
“Continue investigating. Inform Xue Jin to warn all disciples taking missions—someone will be targeting the Clear Sky Sect. Tell them to be cautious when descending the mountain. For now, we’ll hold our ground and focus on finishing the tournament.”
Li Qingqiu’s tone turned serious.
After a pause, he added, “Killing one emperor isn’t enough—let’s kill a few more. It’s time the world learns just how strong the Clear Sky Sect truly is.”
Zhang Yuchun and Zhu Yan nodded solemnly.
Li Qingqiu’s gaze indicated they could leave.
The two stood, saluted, and departed together from the Lingxiao Courtyard.
Li Qingqiu turned to Li Sijin and comforted her.
“I called you here so you’d gain a clearer understanding of this world. Don’t feel pressured. Even if the heavens collapse, your Senior Brother will hold them up.”
He was already envisioning the scene of Clear Sky Sect disciples descending the mountain and sweeping across the world.
He had to make it known that the Clear Sky Sect possessed more than just his single sword.
At the same time, he wanted the disciples to understand the true difference between their sect’s inheritance and the mortal martial world—to shift their hearts from pursuing worldly gain to seeking the Dao of Immortality.
Li Sijin nodded.
“Don’t worry, Senior Brother. I’ll cultivate diligently. Even if you’re holding up the sky, I’ll still share some of that burden. After all, I am a Hall Master.”
Li Qingqiu smiled with relief and began chatting with her about childhood memories, easing the heavy atmosphere.
……
The top ten duels began in mid-month and lasted three days, deciding the top three.
First place went to Xu Ning—Seventh Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm—unquestionably powerful.
None among the top ten could withstand a single move from her.
It made all disciples realize how formidable the Sect Master’s chief disciple truly was.
Second was Xue Jin, who, with the Fifth Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm and years of honed killing techniques, placed his sword tip against Zhao Zhen’s throat after three hundred moves, ending the duel.
Third was Zhao Zhen.
At only ten years old, he had already reached the Fifth Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm.
Using the Great Sun Pure Yang Art and Divine Dragon Transformation, he nearly forced Xue Jin off the platform several times.
Though he lost, everyone believed he would soon surpass Xue Jin—and perhaps even chase after Xu Ning.
Among the sect’s three strongest disciples, two were the Sect Master’s direct disciples, and the other was someone he personally valued.
Naturally, discussions of the trio often turned to Li Qingqiu himself.
Through the Dao Lineage panel, Li Qingqiu could see that the loyalty of most disciples had risen sharply, filling him with quiet joy.