Chapter 204: Martial God Alive in the World
“Establishing a Martial Sect within the sect—aren’t you afraid it will split apart?”
Yan Daozong looked at Li Qingqiu and asked.
He suddenly found himself unable to see through Li Qingqiu, unsure whether the other party was testing him.
After all, his junior brother Hua Daozang valued power extremely highly, and so did his master and grandmaster.
Precisely because of this, the atmosphere within Tianxuan Mountain had always appeared stern and rigid.
Shen Yue smiled and said, “Since our Sect Master said this, he must be sincere. And if the Martial Sect wants to split Clear Sky Sect, they’ll have to ask whether our Sword Sect agrees first.”
“Sword Sect?”
Yan Daozong was hearing the name Sword Sect for the first time.
On the way here, Shen Yue had introduced Clear Sky Sect to him, but only spoke of how strong it was and how good it was.
He had not told him about the specific structure.
Li Qingqiu said, “In the world today, you are the first—and the only—person to enter the Dao through martial arts. You will certainly be able to push the Martial Path to new heights. No one is more suitable than you to be a Martial Sect Elder. With me here, I will not allow the Immortal Path and the Martial Path to become irreconcilable like fire and water.”
What if you are no longer here?
Yan Daozong almost asked this out loud, but felt it would be presumptuous.
After thinking for a moment, he said, “Alright. I’ll try it first. If someone tries to coerce me into doing something detrimental to the sect, I will deal with it seriously, or step down from the position of Martial Sect Elder.”
What he feared most was the struggle for power and emotions.
He hoped to cultivate with a mind free of distractions.
It was precisely because of this that even though Hua Daozang monopolized power and acted tyrannically, he kept one eye open and one eye closed, as long as it did not harm the disciples.
Li Qingqiu understood the implication behind his words and pondered for a moment before saying, “How about this—I’ll find another person to serve as Martial Sect Elder. He will be responsible for management, and you will be responsible for transmitting martial arts. How does that sound?”
Hearing this, Yan Daozong immediately let out a sigh of relief and nodded in agreement.
Yuan Qi came over holding hot tea.
The advantage of knowing spells was that brewing tea was very fast.
Li Qingqiu’s gaze shifted to Li Yang, curious as to why he had also gone to Tianxuan Mountain.
Li Yang did not hide anything—he and Bai Ning’er had gone in pursuit of an auspicious sign.
The auspicious sign had hidden itself in Tianxuan Mountain, so they had no choice but to go up the mountain.
“That five-colored deer was imprisoned by my junior brother. I already released it. The five-colored deer chose that Clear Sky Sect disciple called Bai Ning’er and returned all the way with him,” Yan Daozong added.
This made Li Qingqiu regard Yan Daozong even more highly.
This person was really quite decent—not only delivering himself to Clear Sky Sect, but also bringing along an auspicious sign as a bonus.
Li Qingqiu noticed Shen Yue’s gaze and thus spoke, “Yuan Qi, take Yan Daozong to the Free Spirit Hall to register his identity. Temporarily designate him as a true transmission disciple and arrange a residence for him.”
“Yes!”
Yuan Qi responded and stood up.
Yan Daozong also understood that they had things to discuss and that it would indeed be inconvenient for him to listen.
He stood up, cupped his hands in salute toward Li Qingqiu, and then followed Yuan Qi away.
After they left the courtyard, Shen Yue finally frowned and said, “Sect Master, could there be something strange about Tianxuan Mountain?”
“What sort of strange?” Li Qingqiu asked curiously.
Shen Yue said, “When I defeated Yan Daozong, I sensed a killing intent—very well hidden. Although it only lasted for an instant, I can be certain it was real. That killing intent was not simple; it made my spine turn cold. Later, a disciple named Zhang Ping transmitted a message to me, saying that Tianxuan Mountain concealed something strange and advising me to quickly take everyone down the mountain. Seeing how terrified he looked, I brought everyone down early. If it had only been me, I would definitely have investigated thoroughly, but with other disciples present, I didn’t dare to act rashly.”
After the incident with Xue Jin, he was even more concerned about the safety of fellow disciples.
Zhang Ping?
Li Qingqiu narrowed his eyes.
Zhang Ping possessed the fate trait “Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune.” His intuition should be real.
“On the way back, I also probed Yan Daozong indirectly. He said that within Tianxuan Mountain, no one was stronger than him, and that no one else was a match for Li Yang. I suspect he was also kept in the dark. The Sword-Holding Elder of Tianxuan Mountain, Hua Daozang, made me feel uncomfortable. I heard that all authority is in his hands—perhaps he is secretly preparing something,” Shen Yue said as he recalled.
Li Qingqiu also felt that Yan Daozong did not seem like someone who would lie, but it would still have to wait until his loyalty was confirmed.
There was no need for Yan Daozong’s loyalty to be extremely high, but it could not be too low—much less zero.
From Yan Daozong’s words, it seemed he had joined Clear Sky Sect wholeheartedly.
If his loyalty was below 10, then he likely came with ulterior motives.
“I understand. As far as you are concerned, this matter ends here,” Li Qingqiu said, looking at Shen Yue and Li Yang.
The two nodded.
They did not linger, stood up to salute, and then left.
Li Qingqiu sat in his chair, pondering how to investigate Tianxuan Mountain.
Since Yan Daozong had personally joined Clear Sky Sect, he naturally could not suppress Tianxuan Mountain.
Perhaps this was also why Yan Daozong had agreed to Shen Yue’s wager.
If he could not defeat Shen Yue, then Tianxuan Mountain would be like fish on a chopping block to Clear Sky Sect, to be slaughtered at will.
After defeat, if he could join Clear Sky Sect, then Tianxuan Mountain would become one of their own.
Thinking about it this way, this Yan Daozong truly possessed great wisdom.
He was not merely a martial fanatic; he simply did not wish to scheme against his fellow sect members.
Li Qingqiu was not worried.
With Yan Daozong gone, investigating Tianxuan Mountain would only become easier.
After waiting about the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Li Qingqiu finally saw Yan Daozong’s avatar appear on the Dao Lineage panel.
【Name: Yan Daozong】
【Gender: Male】
【Age: 41】
【Loyalty (to Sect Master / Sect): 65 / 75 (Maximum 100)】
【Cultivation Aptitude: Outstanding】
【Comprehension: Excellent】
【Fate Traits: Martial God Alive in the World, Perfect Martial Body, One Thought Immortal Martial】
【Martial God Alive in the World: As martial strength grows, one can condense Martial God Qi, forming a certain level of suppression over enemies in battle. Excels at facing many with few—the more enemies there are, the stronger the Martial God Qi becomes.】
【Perfect Martial Body: Any martial art can be mastered with ease, possessing Dao-comprehending insight that surpasses mortals. There are no shortcomings on the Martial Path; in terms of techniques, this is a perfect martial artist.】
【One Thought Immortal Martial: Possesses one opportunity in life to change fate traits, requiring a moment of great enlightenment. Once martial arts are abandoned for immortality, Martial God Alive in the World and Perfect Martial Body will undergo transformation.】
……
Good heavens!
Three special fate traits!
Li Qingqiu stared with eyes wide open.
This panel was far too luxurious, especially the fate trait “One Thought Immortal Martial”—it was outrageously powerful.
If Yan Daozong cultivated immortality, he would retain his current talent in the Martial Path as well.
Truly a favored child of heaven and earth.
The fate trait “Martial God Alive in the World” pleased Li Qingqiu the most.
This person was perfectly suited to wage war on behalf of Clear Sky Sect!
Outstanding aptitude and excellent comprehension directly put him on par with Xu Ning, and his special fate traits were two more than Xu Ning’s.
Xu Ning only had “Heavenly Thunder Spiritual Root.”
Disciples without special fate traits could only display personality and destiny.
Although Yan Daozong did not have a personality-type fate trait, judging from his loyalty, Li Qingqiu felt he was trustworthy.
Yan Daozong was very similar to Shen Yue—both had their own sense of right and wrong, were not swayed by those around them, and were people whose hearts inclined toward justice.
After finishing reading Yan Daozong’s panel, Li Qingqiu had only one thought in his mind.
“Why practice martial arts? Hurry up and cultivate immortality with me!”
He decided that next, he would properly foster a relationship with Yan Daozong—first raise his loyalty to above 90, then proceed step by step.
Even without cultivating immortality yet, Yan Daozong was already comparable to a powerful existence at the seventh or even eighth layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm.
Clear Sky Sect had gained yet another decisive trump card!
When Li Qingqiu imagined a hundred years later, with Xu Ning, Yuan Li, Yun Cai, Shen Yue, Zhao Zhen, and Yan Daozong forming the top combat strength of Clear Sky Sect, he felt indescribably delighted.
Below them were also super geniuses like the Three Xiao Brothers, Ji Ya, Li Yang, Yang Xuan, and Sword Solitary.
Disciples such as Xue Jin, Lu Qing, and Han Lang could serve as the backbone, while Li Shouzheng and Li Shoumin—if they ever grew tired of being emperors and followed him to cultivate immortality—could also become pillars of the sect.
What was more, in the future, Clear Sky Sect would continue to produce a steady stream of geniuses.
The foundation had begun to take shape!
The current Clear Sky Sect only needed to develop steadily and avoid provoking powerful enemies.
In a hundred years, it would undergo earth-shaking changes.
Li Qingqiu planned not to leave the Nine Provinces within a hundred years, nor would he go out to sea, so as not to prematurely provoke immortal cultivation sects from distant regions.
This land had once had immortal cultivators.
That meant such beings certainly still existed under heaven and earth—just not within the Nine Provinces.
Li Qingqiu was in an excellent mood.
He immediately stood up and headed to the Heavenly Works Hall, preparing to personally arrange for Zhu Yan to establish the Martial Sect.
Martial Sect?
For now, it was the Martial Sect.
In the future, it would be the Immortal Conquest Hall!
……
The days after joining Clear Sky Sect were far more relaxed than Yan Daozong had anticipated—there were even pleasant surprises.
Li Qingqiu treated him generously, coming every day to chat with him.
His defeat of Li Yang and Yang Dong did not bring him any trouble.
Instead, many talented disciples came to befriend him.
The more Clear Sky Sect disciples he got to know, the stronger Yan Daozong’s fondness for Clear Sky Sect became.
Vigorous, passionate, and open—every disciple here made one feel their high spirits.
Moreover, Clear Sky Sect disciples greatly admired the chivalrous deeds the Sect Master had accomplished and often asked him about Tianxuan Mountain’s past.
When he spoke of Tianxuan Mountain’s generations of saving the world, these disciples all regarded him with solemn respect.
Clear Sky Sect was just as he had imagined—a righteous sect.
As for the killings carried out by Clear Sky Sect, he could also understand them.
If practicing martial arts and cultivating immortality could not protect one’s own people, how could one speak of saving the world?
Using killing to stop killing was also a kind of righteous path!
On the eighth day after he joined Clear Sky Sect, Li Qingqiu brought Zhao Zhen to visit him.
Because of Ku Yi and Ku Er’s persuasion, Zhao Zhen was full of curiosity about Tianxuan Mountain.
When Li Qingqiu proposed taking him to meet the Tianxuan Mountain Sect Master, he was first stunned, then excitedly agreed.
Yan Daozong was also very interested in Zhao Zhen, because Hua Daozang often told him that Zhao Zhen was Clear Sky Sect’s number one genius.
After the two met, they tacitly avoided mentioning anyone else.
Li Qingqiu used a topic as an introduction and had them discuss martial arts.
The two quickly became engrossed, growing more and more excited as they talked.
In less than the time it took an incense stick to burn, Li Qingqiu felt they were on the verge of becoming sworn brothers.
Yan Daozong had never been this excited before.
When he discussed martial arts with his other junior brothers and disciples, he had never received such feedback.
Yet from Zhao Zhen’s words, he was actually able to gain insight.
Worthy of being Clear Sky Sect’s number one genius!
He finally believed Hua Daozang’s words—if Tianxuan Mountain obtained Zhao Zhen, there truly was hope of overtaking Clear Sky Sect.
However, this notion was shattered in less than five days.
Five days later, Li Qingqiu brought Yuan Li to visit Yan Daozong.
Yuan Li’s Body Cultivation Path left Yan Daozong utterly astonished.
He was instantly able to conclude that Yuan Li’s comprehension was even above Zhao Zhen’s!