Chapter 193: The Rise of the Spiritual Eyes
Based on Lin Chuan’s description, beneath the whirlpool was an endless, bottomless ocean.
The other side of the whirlpool seemed to be located on the sea surface of the deep-sea region, with no land visible beneath their feet.
Chu Jing and Nangong E asked him to stay behind, lest they lose their sense of direction.
“Once I entered, I immediately felt that the distance between me and Senior Brother was unimaginably far. It was extremely uncomfortable,” Lin Chuan added at the end.
Then he plunged back into the whirlpool again, avoiding a situation where Chu Jing and Nangong E could not sense his ghostly aura.
The relationship between Li Qingqiu and Lin Chuan, Nangong E was maintained through the Soul Restraining Curse.
Once a ghost servant was too far away from him for too long, the ghost servant would suffer soul dispersal.
Seeing Lin Chuan describe it as so dangerous, Li Qingqiu hesitated, wondering whether he should summon the three ghosts back in advance.
After Yu Lin heard Lin Chuan’s intelligence, his brows furrowed tightly.
In his heart, the level of threat posed by this whirlpool rose by another tier.
“In the future, the number of disciples stationed here cannot be too few, and their cultivation cannot be too low. There will be more disciples coming here later to cultivate. You’ll be able to deploy more manpower. I allow you to formulate a reward scheme for these disciples. Submit it to the Spirit Finance Hall afterward. As long as it isn’t excessive, it will be approved,” Li Qingqiu said while looking at the whirlpool.
Yu Lin snapped back to his senses and hurriedly bowed in thanks to Li Qingqiu.
Thirteen years of trials and hardships had already cultivated a certain level of confidence among the Clear Sky Sect disciples.
They were not afraid of danger; they only feared lacking opportunities to earn Dao opportunities.
As long as the sect provided stronger support, Yu Lin was confident he could guard this place well.
Li Qingqiu continued explaining his vision for Source Iron Harbor Town.
He instructed Yu Lin to establish fishing missions.
Later, ships would transport the catch back to the sect and the mortal world for sale.
“Afterward, designate a sea area. I’ll have the Heavenly Works Hall build a fishery for you. If you encounter fish containing spiritual energy or demonic power in the future, you can raise them there.”
Li Qingqiu’s ideas one after another instantly invigorated Yu Lin’s thinking.
He had not expected Source Iron Harbor Town to have so many paths for development.
Previously, he had only regarded this place as an outpost for the Clear Sky Sect’s future voyages to sea.
Worthy of being the Sect Master!
Yu Lin felt full of admiration.
Following Li Qingqiu’s line of thought, he realized that if Source Iron Harbor Town were established and the number of disciples here continued to grow, the threat brought by the mysterious whirlpool would relatively decrease.
Source Iron Harbor Town was merely one blueprint segment devised by Li Qingqiu.
In the future, the Clear Sky Sect would establish towns in various blessed lands, and the Eight Halls would continuously set up branch halls, expanding the sect’s sphere of influence.
In the future, the Ancient Great Mountain Range would become the power center of the Clear Sky Sect.
For ordinary disciples, wanting to come to the Ancient Great Mountain Range would not be easy.
Of course, such a plan required long-term preparation and had to be carried out gradually.
Fortunately, the Clear Sky Sect already possessed a certain scale and could simultaneously send people to Silent Heaven Mountain, the Spirit Copper Mountain Range, the Heavenly Mountain Spirit Pool, and Source Iron Harbor Town for construction without delaying anything.
After some time.
Chu Jing, Nangong E, and Lin Chuan emerged from the whirlpool.
When Yu Lin saw Nangong E, his eyes went straight—could it be that the Sect Master even kept a female ghost?
“We didn’t discover any people, nor did we find demons like Bai Zhi, but there are indeed many colossal creatures. We advanced more than ten li and couldn’t further expand the search range,” Chu Jing said with a grave expression.
The farther he went from the whirlpool, the more fearful he became.
It was an instinctive reaction to the unknown.
Especially in darkness, he felt as if he could be swallowed at any moment.
Li Qingqiu nodded and said, “As long as there are no other immortal cultivation sects or demonic clans.”
“Demonic clans?” Yu Lin asked in surprise.
Li Qingqiu smiled and said, “Demons are just as intelligent as humans and naturally use human thinking. I’m afraid that demons might gather together and form factions. Of course, this is only my concern. We haven’t encountered any yet.”
Yu Lin let out a sigh of relief.
Fortunately there weren’t any; otherwise, he didn’t dare imagine what it would be like to face numerous demons.
Afterward, Li Qingqiu took the three ghosts back into his body and sword, turned around, and departed, with Yu Lin seeing him off.
Only after Li Qingqiu vanished on his sword beyond the other side of the mountains did Yu Lin gather his prepared core team to discuss the future development of Source Iron Harbor Town.
……
Time came to September.
The Clear Sky Sect announced a reward system for the top ten cultivators attempting to break through to the sixth layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm, as there were already more than ten disciples at the fifth layer.
That same month, Zhao Zhen, Shen Yue, and Xue Jin successively broke through to the sixth layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm.
These pieces of news were not concealed and quickly spread throughout the Clear Sky Sect, once again igniting a cultivation craze among the disciples.
Li Qingqiu, however, was troubled by Xue Jin’s severed arm.
Although Xue Jin’s arm had been reattached by him, Xue Jin used his right arm very unnaturally, far less smoothly than before, especially when executing sword techniques—it felt extremely awkward.
Xue Jin, however, took it in stride.
He felt it was already good enough that it could be reattached, so he began cultivating swordsmanship with his left hand.
At noon, in the forest outside Li Qingqiu’s cave dwelling, he was watching the three Xiao brothers meditate and cultivate.
All three brothers possessed excellent immortal cultivation aptitude, and their cultivation speed was similar.
They had currently all reached the fourth layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm.
In terms of actual combat ability, the strongest was the eldest, Xiao Wudi, followed by the third brother, Xiao Wuming.
Xiao Wuqing ranked last, but the gap was not large.
Li Qingqiu pointed out their shortcomings in absorbing energy, doing his best to increase their cultivation speed.
After reaching the fourth layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm, the three brothers clearly felt their cultivation growth slow down, which made them even more respectful of Zhao Zhen, who had reached the sixth layer.
Zhao Zhen was seven years younger than them.
Such talent was truly despair-inducing.
After giving guidance one by one, Li Qingqiu said, “Tomorrow morning, the three of you will lead a group of disciples to Silent Heaven Mountain and drive away the armies around it.”
Hearing this, all three brightened and immediately accepted.
They finally had a chance to fully display their abilities.
Li Qingqiu’s arrangement carried deeper meaning.
It depended on whether Xiao Wuqing could comprehend it and whether he dared to act.
An hour later, the three Xiao brothers stood up and took their leave.
Li Qingqiu did not return to his cave dwelling but waited in place.
Soon, Yun Cai walked over from the Lingxiao Courtyard.
Yun Cai was one of the few disciples who could directly seek out Li Qingqiu, receiving treatment equal to his disciples.
Recently, Yun Cai’s momentum was fierce.
She had already achieved over a hundred victories at the Martial Arena.
These were victories achieved in duels against opponents of the same realm, carrying extremely high value.
Her past with the Sect Master also made her even more legendary.
In this chaotic world, many disciples had been saved by the Sect Master and came to cultivate with hearts full of gratitude.
Yun Cai was naturally also labeled as belonging to the Sect Master’s faction.
She was now also at the fourth layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm.
Worth mentioning was that Xiao Wudi had once narrowly lost to her.
Calling it a narrow loss, Li Qingqiu felt it was more likely that Yun Cai had given him face.
The All-Law Spiritual Eyes could see through flaws in an opponent’s spells and techniques.
In battles of the same realm, it was an almost unbeatable ability.
Moreover, the All-Law Spiritual Eyes could also nurture one’s own innate divine art, which made Li Qingqiu hold great expectations for her.
Yun Cai came before Li Qingqiu, raised her hand in salute, then spread her right palm and condensed the Soul-Seizing Flying Sword.
Immediately afterward, the Soul-Seizing Flying Sword began to split, forming nine Soul-Seizing Flying Swords.
Li Qingqiu praised, “Not bad. In cultivating the Soul-Seizing Flying Sword, you’ve already surpassed the others.”
This had to mention Yun Cai’s other fate trait, Tempered Through a Thousand Trials, which was even more astonishing.
As long as Yun Cai cultivated diligently like Xu Ning, her future would certainly rank among the top three in the sect.
Hearing Li Qingqiu’s praise, Yun Cai smiled and said, “In order not to disappoint your expectations, I will definitely cultivate diligently.”
“Yun Cai, are you willing to work for me?” Li Qingqiu’s expression turned serious as he asked.
At the fourth layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm, she already stood above the martial world.
Within the sect, she was also top-tier and sufficient to share part of his burden.
Yun Cai revealed a delighted expression.
She had been waiting for this day for a long time.
Especially after seeing the three Xiao brothers begin working for Li Qingqiu, she felt anxious as well.
Although she had entered the sect later than the Xiao brothers, she had always regarded herself as a peer competitor and did not want to lose to them.
If Zhao Zhen, Yuan Li, and Li Yang were competing with one another, then Yun Cai and the three Xiao brothers were also competing, mutually placing pressure on each other’s cultivation.
“Please give your orders, Sect Master!” Yun Cai said, as if injected with chicken blood, her whole person brimming with excitement.
At eighteen, she looked only fifteen or sixteen.
She was not tall, causing Li Qingqiu to always treat her like a child.
“I plan to have you oversee the various blessed lands for me in the future, conducting regular inspections. Your seven sisters can also be cultivated. I’ll have the Cultivation Hall and Spirit Finance Hall allocate a batch of resources and funds to you for distribution. From now on, they’ll work under you,” Li Qingqiu said with a smile, his voice gentle.
Upon hearing this, Yun Cai became even more excited.
She hadn’t expected the Sect Master to also think of her sisters.
She and her sisters had all been saved by Li Qingqiu and had crossed mountains and rivers to reach the Clear Sky Sect.
Even now, they still relied closely on one another, and she also hoped her sisters could live better lives.
“Many thanks, Sect Master!”
Yun Cai directly knelt before Li Qingqiu, her eyes reddening.
Li Qingqiu hurriedly helped her up and said with exasperation, “Don’t kneel at the drop of a hat. The Clear Sky Sect doesn’t have such vulgar customs.”
“I’m just too happy and don’t know how to repay you…”
Yun Cai looked at Li Qingqiu, her face full of emotion.
Some words nearly slipped out of her mouth.
“Cultivate well and work well for me, and that will be enough. Alright, go back and prepare first. Tomorrow, you can go to the Cultivation Hall and Spirit Finance Hall to apply for resources,” Li Qingqiu said, waving his hand.
Yun Cai acknowledged.
She originally wanted to say more, but Li Qingqiu turned and walked toward his cave dwelling.
She could only purse her lips, salute toward Li Qingqiu’s back, then turn and head down the mountain.
When she brought the news to her seven sisters, they were extremely excited and all thanked her.
They were not foolish and felt that the Sect Master was giving them special care because of her.
That evening, Li Qingqiu told Li Dongyue and Li Sijin about the matter.
“Senior Brother, what do you think of Yun Cai? I feel she really likes you. Should you get married?” Li Sijin asked with a shocking remark.
Li Qingqiu almost spat out the wine in his mouth.
Li Dongyue glared at Li Sijin and said, “What nonsense are you talking about?”
Li Sijin spread her hands and said, “Fourth Senior Sister, can’t you tell? She doesn’t want to be a disciple, yet she keeps sticking around Senior Brother. And Senior Brother should get married sooner or later, right?”
Li Qingqiu hurriedly said, “Stop. What ‘should get married’? We are an immortal cultivation sect. Marrying and having children is not a necessity. Don’t spout nonsense.”
Li Sijin curled her lips and said, “But speaking of it, letting Yun Cai run errands for you—aren’t you wasting her a bit? How about transferring her to the Cultivation Hall? I’ll make her an elder first, then promote her to deputy hall master later.”
The strongest disciple in the Cultivation Hall was Yang Chengyu, one of the top ten in the Grand Dao Tournament.
But with Yun Cai’s rise, Li Sijin had watched her battles and felt that Yun Cai’s potential was even higher than Yang Chengyu’s, which tempted her.
In fact, it wasn’t just her who had her eyes on Yun Cai.
Other hall masters were the same.
Some had even approached Yun Cai, but unfortunately, all were rejected by her.