Chapter 194: Sword Solitary
“You have to learn how to dig people out yourself. You can’t always come to me asking for people.”
Li Qingqiu shook his head as he spoke.
Yun Cai was a disciple he was focusing on cultivating; he could not let her go.
If he did, it would hurt Yun Cai’s heart.
At present, the number of Clear Sky Sect disciples was enormous, and there were still quite a few disciples with good-grade aptitude who had yet to be discovered.
Only when either aptitude or comprehension reached the excellent grade would Li Qingqiu make an exception and promote them.
In fact, even if aptitude reached the good grade, one could still quickly rise to prominence.
Li Sijin complained, “How would I have the time? The Cultivation Hall is so busy, and I still have to research talismans and spiritual plants. Even my own cultivation has been delayed.”
After hearing this, Li Qingqiu advised, “It’s time to delegate authority. You’ve already cultivated so many disciples. You can try trusting them and devote more energy to your own cultivation.”
Whether it was talismans or spiritual plants, there were already disciples researching them.
The Cultivation Hall was no longer at the stage where it could not function without Li Sijin.
“That’s true. I really do need to focus on my cultivation,” Li Sijin nodded.
Recently, the momentum of the new disciples had been a bit fierce, making her feel pressured.
Li Qingqiu showed concern for the cultivation status of the two junior sisters for a while longer before leaving.
After he left, Li Sijin looked at Li Dongyue and asked, “Senior Sister, what do you think of Yun Cai?”
“What do I think? Of course I appreciate her. I hope there will be more disciples like her. Only then can the sect prosper.”
“More and more? Aren’t you jealous, then?”
“Nonsense! I think you’re becoming more and more rebellious. You’re asking for a beating!”
As soon as Li Dongyue heard this, her pretty face flushed bright red.
She raised her hand to strike Li Sijin, but Li Sijin dodged and fled.
Li Dongyue refused to let it go and immediately chased after her.
……
In mid-October, the Three Xiao Brothers returned to report on their mission.
They had successfully completed it, driving away an army of sixty thousand troops.
When mentioning this matter, the three of them were extremely excited.
In their daily lives, they could only spar with sect disciples and had no clear idea of where their strength stood within the martial world.
This time, they finally knew.
An army of sixty thousand was simply unable to stop them!
Xiao Wudi recalled how he had grabbed that commander by the throat with one hand, and his blood boiled with excitement.
The gap between immortal cultivation and secular martial arts was far greater than he had imagined.
Precisely because of this, they were deeply grateful to Li Qingqiu.
If Li Qingqiu had not personally guided them and given them so many resources, they would not have their current strength.
During the journey back, the three brothers had talked heart-to-heart more than once, all of them admiring Li Qingqiu’s broad-mindedness.
If it were them, it would be difficult to place such trust in a disciple whose father and sect were enemies.
Although Li Qingqiu did not know what they discussed privately, he could tell from the increase in their loyalty that he had not misjudged them.
After listening to the three brothers’ report, he nodded in satisfaction.
Xiao Wudi and Xiao Wuming were responsible for combat, while Xiao Wuqing formulated strategy.
The matter had been handled very well, and no slaughter had been caused.
Li Qingqiu also did not want the Clear Sky Sect to turn into a bloodthirsty demonic sect.
Driving away that army was enough.
“Go back and cultivate well. In the future, you will have more tasks. I look forward to your performance,” Li Qingqiu said.
The Three Xiao Brothers immediately saluted and took their leave.
Laughing and chatting as they left, the deep bond between the three brothers also made Li Qingqiu feel gratified.
He hoped the three of them could always remain like this.
Li Qingqiu stood up, stretched his body, and decided to go take a look at the Sword Sect.
He had heard that the Sword Sect had recently gained a genius, full of high spirits, to the point where even Han Lang was having trouble keeping him in check.
It was not that his strength could not be suppressed, but rather his temperament.
That genius’s strength was still insufficient, yet relying on his talent, he was extremely arrogant and needed tempering.
Li Qingqiu had also checked his panel.
His aptitude had reached the excellent grade, making him worth polishing.
Geniuses being a bit arrogant was not a problem.
It could be corrected.
The current Clear Sky Sect was renowned throughout the world, with more and more disciples.
The probability of geniuses appearing was also increasing.
However, as the Clear Sky Sect grew stronger, the threshold for defining a genius was also rising.
When Li Qingqiu personally arrived at the Sword Sect, the entire Sword Sect was thrown into an uproar.
The disciples were astonished to discover that the fearless Sword Solitary had actually become shy and restrained.
Sword Solitary was the name of that genius.
He was only fourteen years old.
As for secular sword techniques, he could master them after seeing them once.
His talent had even earned praise from Shen Yue.
Relying on his extraordinary talent, his personality was aloof, and he handled matters without consideration for others’ feelings.
He frequently clashed with fellow disciples and had even talked back to Han Lang.
Sword Solitary’s reputation as a genius had already spread.
Even though he had not yet experienced real combat, no one doubted his talent.
The reason Li Qingqiu personally came to see Sword Solitary was not only because of his high aptitude and special fate traits, but also because his personal loyalty to Li Qingqiu was extremely high.
Despite never having met him, it had reached ninety-five.
When Li Qingqiu took the initiative to speak with Sword Solitary, Sword Solitary completely broke down and actually knelt before Li Qingqiu, crying.
It turned out that Sword Solitary had once been saved by Li Qingqiu as well.
Back then, he and his parents had been imprisoned by the demonic sect.
At that time, he had still been very young, and his parents were unwilling to let him enter the Clear Sky Sect.
They had waited until this year before sending him up the mountain.
With this past connection, it became even easier for Li Qingqiu to admonish him.
“A true powerhouse must be able to protect the weak. If you can get along harmoniously with those weaker than you and with worse aptitude than you, only then can it prove that you are not merely wielding great power, but that your heart is also strong.”
These words deeply moved Sword Solitary.
In front of the Sword Sect disciples, he promised Li Qingqiu that he would absolutely change his ways in the future.
This matter later spread within the sect and was passed down as a fine tale.
Many disciples also truly realized the importance of acting with chivalry.
When they stepped in upon seeing injustice, they might be saving the course of someone’s entire life.
In truth, such stories were not rare within the Clear Sky Sect.
It was just that Sword Solitary’s status as a genius made this incident even more legendary.
Yun Cai and Sword Solitary were both like this.
If Li Qingqiu had not stepped in to help, the world would have lost two peerless geniuses.
Many veteran disciples also began to fantasize: among the people they had saved, might there also be a genius who would come to repay them?
The Clear Sky Sect had been established for thirteen years now.
Disciples had begun to take in their own disciples, and the lineage had started to continue.
More and more disciples began pursuing a reputation for chivalry, taking Li Qingqiu as their life’s goal.
Li Qingqiu was growing ever more distant from the majority of disciples, yet his status in their hearts was becoming ever more exalted.
His deeds were still being spread throughout the world.
The news of the slaying of the Qi Clan Demon had only now reached the peak of its influence.
……
At dusk, Li Qingqiu sat within the Lingxiao Courtyard, drinking tea while listening to Xue Jin and Zheng Yunqiao discuss their plans.
After Li Sifeng went down the mountain, the Tempering Hall had been jointly managed by Xue Jin and Zheng Yunqiao.
Most of the time, they handled affairs according to previous rules.
Today, however, they had rarely proposed constructive ideas.
“Once we introduce a task ranking and a Dao Affinity ranking, not only can we build momentum for talented disciples, but we can also push disciples to be more proactive in carrying out tasks,” Zheng Yunqiao said excitedly.
The tasks of the Tempering Hall were increasing by the day.
Commissions came from all over the world, and the presence of Clear Sky Sect disciples already covered the Nine Provinces.
Li Qingqiu thought for a moment and said, “The idea is good, but there will also be hidden dangers. My suggestion is to only publish monthly and yearly rankings. As for an overall ranking, you should record it but not make it public.”
Where there were people, there was a martial world.
The Clear Sky Sect had already formed its own martial world.
How to stand out among tens of thousands of disciples had become a goal pursued by many.
Li Qingqiu did not mind disciples pursuing fame, but he did not want anyone to resort to unscrupulous means for the sake of these rankings.
“What you say is right. It really does need to be controlled. You truly see far ahead. We still have a lot to learn,” Zheng Yunqiao said with bright eyes, full of admiration.
Xue Jin shot him a glance, secretly thinking how shameless he was.
They had actually thought of monthly and yearly rankings before, but Xue Jin had not expected Zheng Yunqiao to pretend he had not thought of them.
Li Qingqiu felt very comfortable being praised by Zheng Yunqiao.
Regardless of the truth, who did not like hearing good words?
He encouraged the two of them a bit and told them to boldly go ahead.
The Tempering Hall indeed needed some liveliness to avoid being too dull.
After chatting for quite a while, Xue Jin and Zheng Yunqiao finally took their leave.
Li Qingqiu did not leave, because Cheng Canghai of the Demon Subjugation Hall had arrived again.
He wanted to establish a branch hall in Source Iron Harbor Town.
He believed there must be demonic beasts hidden in the sea, and that the Clear Sky Sect needed the help of sea-dwelling demonic beasts.
That way, future exploration of the ocean would be more convenient.
Li Qingqiu agreed, telling him to first report to the Free Spirit Hall, then go to the Heavenly Works Hall to determine the construction plan, and finally apply for funds from the Spirit Finance Hall.
By the time Cheng Canghai left, it was already dark.
Li Qingqiu stood up and stretched lazily.
Chu Jing appeared and said with a smile, “Master, the Clear Sky Sect is truly becoming more and more prosperous. It feels like this world is already yours to command.”
Li Qingqiu walked toward his cave dwelling, casting a glance at him as he asked, “Do you want to work for me?”
Chu Jing froze, asking in astonishment, “I’ve already become a ghost. How could I work for you?”
“Just like before. Put on the mask. As long as you conceal your soul body tightly, it’ll be fine. I’ll create an ability that allows you to act independently. In any case, your range of activity is only within the Clear Sky Sect,” Li Qingqiu said casually.
Chu Jing’s heart raced.
Even though he was already a ghost, he still felt such sensations.
“If you give me the opportunity, I would definitely be willing!” Chu Jing said, forcibly suppressing his excitement.
To be honest, he had long held opinions about the management of the Clear Sky Sect.
It was just that, as a ghost with little standing, he did not dare speak too much.
Li Qingqiu glanced at him and said, “If you mess around, be careful I make you vanish into nothingness.”
Chu Jing quickly replied, “How would I dare mess around? Back then in the court, that was a scheme against Zhao Zhi.”
“That’s good.”
……
Under the sparse starlight, within a grand hall, Li Sifeng and Pei Miao sat to one side, with his generals and strategists seated below.
Opposite them sat the civil and military officials of another feudal lord, while that feudal lord himself sat at the head seat, chatting and laughing with Li Sifeng.
This feudal lord was named Zhu Xian.
He appeared to be in his forties, with a gentle expression that gave people a sense of broad-minded honesty and warm hospitality.
The two talked very happily, with laughter ringing out repeatedly.
After drinking a pot of wine, Li Sifeng looked at Zhu Xian and said, “Lord Zhu, at present, the strongest momentum in the world belongs to the Cai, Liu, and Pei clans. These three clans no longer have the ambition of a hegemon and instead wish to establish their own states.
This is not a good thing. The Great Li Dynasty only just unified the Nine Provinces. How could it return to the Warring States situation of divided rule? If that happens, wars will never cease, and the common people will never know peace.”