Chapter 19: Transformation of the Flesh, Third Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm
The Clear Sky Sect suffered an assault from the Seven Peaks Alliance — Jiang Zhaoxia and Li Sifeng were both gravely injured!
This news landed in the Clear Sky Sect like a thunderclap, startling every disciple.
They gathered in the courtyard, discussing the great battle that had occurred at the foot of the mountain earlier.
Their voices were low, afraid to disturb those inside the house.
Inside the room.
Li Sifeng lay unconscious on the bed, while Jiang Zhaoxia sat cross-legged by his feet.
Li Qingqiu stood beside the bed, performing the Rejuvenating Ghost Immortal Needles on Li Sifeng.
He had borrowed a set of silver needles from a tailor. Though not true medicinal needles, they could barely serve their purpose.
Li Sifeng’s condition was grim — several ribs were broken, his face disfigured, and a few of his teeth had been knocked out. He was completely unconscious.
Fortunately, he was not crippled, for Li Qingqiu’s Rejuvenating Ghost Immortal Needles could not cure crippling injuries.
Zhang Yuchun, Li Dongyue, Wu Man’er, Li Sijin, and Yang Jueding stood behind, their faces tense and worried as they watched Li Qingqiu treat Li Sifeng.
Xu Ning sat cross-legged on a stool in the corner, circulating her inner energy to regulate her blood and qi.
The room was silent; no one dared to interrupt Li Qingqiu.
The atmosphere was heavy everyone feared Li Sifeng might not survive.
Li Qingqiu finally withdrew his hand, leaving three needles in Li Sifeng’s chest. He said, “Alright, Sifeng is out of danger. He just needs time to wake up.”
As soon as he spoke, everyone let out a sigh of relief.
Only then did Yang Jueding turn to Jiang Zhaoxia and ask, “How many people did the Seven Peaks Alliance send? Who led them?”
Jiang Zhaoxia opened his eyes and replied, “There were several hundred. Their skills were formidable. The leader’s martial arts were especially strong — he caused me quite a bit of trouble before escaping. Before leaving, he said this wasn’t over. I don’t know his name.”
“Oh, right. This time, if not for Xu Ning arriving in time, I would’ve been dead.”
“Xu Ning?”
Everyone turned to look at Xu Ning — a girl of only ten — with astonished expressions.
Xu Ning did not open her eyes, still focused on her cultivation.
Could she truly be an extraordinary prodigy?
Yang Jueding was secretly shocked.
He hadn’t expected he had misjudged again. But he didn’t dwell on it. His face turned solemn as he said, “The Seven Peaks Alliance is one of the great martial factions in Guzhou. If they attack us with full force, it will be hard for Clear Sky Sect to resist. They have over three thousand disciples — experts among them are countless. This is truly troublesome.”
“Three thousand?”
Everyone was shocked. If just a few hundred nearly killed Jiang Zhaoxia, how could they withstand an army of three thousand?
Li Qingqiu spoke calmly, “Let them rest for now. Those people need time to return to the Seven Peaks Alliance. At least for the next half-month, we’ll be safe.”
Though his tone was steady and his face unreadable, great waves churned within his heart — he could not calm himself.
After speaking, Li Qingqiu turned and walked toward the door, with the others following behind.
Outside, Zhang Yuchun dispersed the disciples, telling them to return to their duties, while Yang Jueding followed beside Li Qingqiu.
“What are you thinking about this matter?” Yang Jueding asked quietly.
Li Qingqiu replied, “I haven’t thought it through yet. But this matter will not be left as it is.”
Hearing this, Yang Jueding sighed. “This is the martial world — even if you don’t provoke others, they’ll come for you. You’re all still young. If it comes to it, leave this place for a while. Once you grow stronger, you can return and reclaim your land.”
Li Qingqiu stopped and glanced at him — that single look made Yang Jueding’s heart tremble.
“Precisely because I am young, I refuse to flee.”
Leaving those words behind, Li Qingqiu walked straight out of the mountain gate. Yang Jueding halted, his expression complicated.
After leaving the gate, Li Qingqiu headed toward the Subterranean Spiritual Lake, even as night fell.
He walked faster and faster until he vanished into the darkness.
From the day he became the Sect Master of Clear Sky Sect, Li Qingqiu had anticipated that trouble would come eventually.
That was why he had hoped the sect could grow quietly, delaying conflicts as long as possible.
Unfortunately, things never went as he wished.
He could avoid trouble, but once it came, he would never cower.
The Seven Peaks Alliance had provoked Clear Sky Sect twice — in Li Qingqiu’s heart, they were already mortal enemies beyond reconciliation.
Find a way to prepare for their next attack?
Impossible.
He could not afford to wait!
That night, Li Qingqiu was going to draw his second Fate Trait.
He planned to test a previous theory — to see if he could forcibly raise his cultivation to the Third Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm.
Half an hour later, Li Qingqiu entered the Subterranean Spiritual Lake.
After confirming there were no beasts or intruders, he brought up the Dao Lineage panel and extracted Xu Ning’s Fate Trait.
At the moment, Xu Ning’s Fate Trait was the strongest among his disciples. Who knew how long it would take to find someone stronger?
Moreover, Xu Ning’s cultivation speed was slightly faster than Jiang Zhaoxia’s, though Jiang Zhaoxia’s sword talent made him better suited for battle.
Once the extraction began, Li Qingqiu was once again drawn into a mysterious, dreamlike state.
The spiritual energy within the underground space surged toward him, forming a vortex around his body.
If being a Born Sword Maniac refined one’s comprehension, then the Heavenly Thunder Spiritual Root tempered the body itself.
Even before cultivating, Xu Ning’s physique was extraordinary — at less than ten years old, she could endure hunger and walk a hundred miles unaided.
Truly remarkable.
If nothing unexpected happened, Xu Ning would soon surpass the others, becoming the third person after Jiang Zhaoxia and Li Qingqiu to step into the Second Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm.
Li Qingqiu’s consciousness drifted in chaos, as if standing amid clouds, facing vast heavenly thunder.
The lightning was terrifying — yet seemed to guide him.
Rumble—!
Thunder roared above the Ancient Great Mountain Range, as if Heaven itself were condemning the bloodshed below.
Jiang Zhaoxia opened his eyes and looked out the window.
Night had fallen.
Li Dongyue and Xu Ning had returned to the female disciples’ quarters.
“Third Martial Uncle, is there anything we can do?”
On the other bed, Huang Shan spoke up, while the other second-generation disciples turned toward Jiang Zhaoxia.
Li Sifeng was gravely injured and unconscious, and even Jiang Zhaoxia was still recovering.
A shadow loomed over the Clear Sky Sect. Though the Seven Sons of Clear Sky were afraid, they didn’t want to sit idly by — they wanted to do something for their sect.
Wu Man’er, sitting silently beside Li Sifeng’s bed, muttered, “Third Senior Brother, I want to avenge Sixth Junior Brother.”
Though Wu Man’er had yet to fight, everyone could sense his strength growing rapidly.
Even sitting there, he resembled a fierce bear — his bulging muscles almost tearing through his robe.
Zhang Yuchun lay on his bed, back turned to everyone, brow furrowed in thought.
Jiang Zhaoxia withdrew his gaze and swept it across the room. “What are you all thinking? You’re still too young. Focus on cultivation. You’re not needed yet. Besides, I already beat those bastards until they fled in disgrace — they won’t dare return soon.”
Hearing Jiang Zhaoxia’s still-proud tone, the disciples actually felt reassured.
At such a moment, they even found comfort in his arrogance.
They began asking about the battle at the mountain foot.
Now calmer, Jiang Zhaoxia spoke openly about the fierce fight he’d endured.
As he recalled Xu Ning, a sharp sense of crisis rose in his heart.
He had misjudged her — that girl possessed talent no less than his own.
Master Senior Brother truly had a keen eye.
……
By the Subterranean Spiritual Lake, the silver-blue glow illuminated Li Qingqiu’s face as he slowly opened his eyes.
Within his pupils flickered threads of lightning, giving his features an almost divine radiance.
Li Qingqiu swiftly regained control of his body.
“Hm?”
He made a sound of surprise, delight flashing across his face.
He had directly reached the Third Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm!
Not only that — his physical strength had grown immensely.
His body felt reborn.
He had originally planned to use the spirit stones embedded in the cavern wall to break through.
The last time he came here to cultivate, he’d sensed those crystals contained abundant spiritual energy — enough to be absorbed into the body. Yet the amount was too great and risked damaging the meridians, so he hadn’t dared try, nor allowed his juniors to touch them.
If these spirit stones could aid a cultivator’s training, their value would be enormous — especially for a newly rising sect like theirs.
Li Qingqiu carefully examined his internal energy.
Not only had his Vital Energy increased severalfold, its nature had also transformed.
Lightning attribute!
Cultivation techniques were divided by attributes.
The Supreme Purity Primordial Unity Scripture he practiced encompassed all five elemental attributes, allowing cultivators of any spiritual root to train under it — and even forge their own path from its foundation.
Now, his Vital Energy had become lightning-aligned, carrying destructive thunder force.
Henceforth, when his Vital Energy struck an enemy, it would inflict lightning damage as well.
He could feel his energy becoming far more lethal — no wonder Xu Ning’s energy had felt strange when he’d trained her earlier.
The spiritual energy surrounding him had yet to dissipate, leading him to a realization.
“Could Fate Traits related to the body also elevate my cultivation realm?”
The thought filled Li Qingqiu with growing anticipation toward such Fate Traits.
He stood, approached the cavern wall, took a spirit stone, and placed it in his robe before leaving the Subterranean Spiritual Lake.
Originally, he’d intended to use these stones to force his breakthrough.
Now that he’d succeeded, there was no need for unnecessary risk.
With his Vital Energy abundant, he didn’t even need rest.
He would act immediately — and strike the Seven Peaks Alliance while they least expected it!
Half an hour later.
Li Qingqiu returned to the Clear Sky Sect and woke Yang Jueding.
Outside, torrential rain poured, thunder echoing through the mountains.
Yang Jueding opened his door and saw Li Qingqiu drenched to the bone. “Where did you go?” he asked in surprise.
Li Qingqiu fixed his gaze on him. “Do you know how to reach the Seven Peaks Alliance?”
“Of course. I once visited them as a guest. Why?”
“Pack your things. We’re going down the mountain.”
Leaving those words behind, Li Qingqiu turned away, leaving Yang Jueding stunned.
He then went to his courtyard and knocked on his junior brothers’ doors. Before long, Zhang Yuchun opened up.
“Yuchun, I’m taking Yang Jueding down the mountain to patrol the Ancient Great Mountain Range to make sure the Seven Peaks Alliance hasn’t left spies behind. For the next few days, keep the disciples close to the sect. Wait for our return.” Li Qingqiu smiled as he spoke.
Zhang Yuchun frowned. “Senior Brother, with such heavy rain, why not wait until morning?”
Li Qingqiu waved his hand. “Precisely because it’s raining, we can move more freely.”
With that, he turned and walked toward his room.
Zhang Yuchun hesitated, then chose to trust him and closed the door.
A short while later.
Yang Jueding waited at the mountain gate in a rain cloak.
Li Qingqiu arrived likewise cloaked, the Tianhong Sword — left to him by their Master — hanging at his waist.