Chapter 265: The Cruelty of the Path of Immortal Cultivation
“Those with ability—if they have no ambition—are instead betraying that ability, and betraying this world even more.”
Bai Yutian looked at the black hand on the bed and spoke seriously.
The sudden meteoric emergence of Li Qingqiu and the Clear Sky Sect had indeed made this world better.
Although Bai Yutian had not personally lived through the era ruled by the Great Li Dynasty, he had a martial uncle who had died resisting Emperor Zhao Zhi.
As for Zhao Zhi, the elders of Fengxia Mountain all despised him to the bone and did not have a single good word to say.
He murdered his own brother and his own son. In pursuit of an Elixir of Immortality, he had abducted boys and girls on a massive scale. In the martial world, no one even knew how many experts had had their Inner Energy drained dry by him.
Zhao Zhi’s evil—looking across the annals of history—was almost impossible to find a second like it.
The period under Zhao Zhi’s rule had been an age of extreme darkness. Precisely because of that, the greatness of the Clear Sky Sect stood out all the more.
If it had only been for profit, then the Clear Sky Sect—having stepped onto immortal cultivation—could have catered perfectly to Zhao Zhi’s desires. Yet Li Qingqiu had not done so. He had traveled alone to Zhenyang Imperial City and slain Zhao Zhi amid an army of ten thousand. To this day, people still spoke of that deed with relish.
Hearing Bai Yutian’s words, the black hand froze for a moment, clearly not expecting such insight from him.
The black hand continued, “When you return to Fengxia Mountain and become the temple master, if your fellow disciples force you to oppose the Clear Sky Sect, what will you do?”
That question plunged Bai Yutian into silence. He did not know how to answer.
In the end, he was still only an eleven-year-old boy. He had not experienced enough.
The black hand sprang from the bed and landed atop the table. Turning to face Bai Yutian, it said, “Within the Clear Sky Sect, geniuses are as numerous as clouds. Your aptitude is definitely not considered top-tier, and your connections are not worth mentioning either. Do you want me to help you?”
Bai Yutian looked at it and asked, “How will you help me?”
Since encountering this black hand, it had clung to him. He had been wary before, but it had not harmed him—on the contrary, it had repeatedly helped him.
He had developed a measure of trust in it, yet before fully understanding its origins and purpose, he still kept a guard in his heart.
“The Ten True Lords of Clear Sky sound quite imposing. I’ll help you become a True Lord. To be frank, I have a Divine Art here that I can pass on to you. Whether you can learn it, though, will depend on your fate.”
The black hand spoke in a brisk tone, making Bai Yutian’s eyes widen.
The Ten True Lords?
It dared to think that far?
He might be the number one genius in Fengxia Mountain, but within the Clear Sky Sect, he truly lacked confidence. What was more, others had begun cultivating immortality more than ten years earlier than him.
At the very least, Zhao Zhen’s achievements were something he did not even dare to imagine.
Give him eight years—could he become a Divine Art Disciple of the Spirit Perception Realm?
If he truly could…
Bai Yutian’s heart began to race against his will.
As for Li Qingqiu not directly accepting him as a disciple, nor promising to cultivate him—he did feel regret. After all, stories of Li Qingqiu’s “accepting disciples by eye affinity” had long been spreading, and he had heard them even before entering the sect.
……
July arrived. Liu Jing personally came to the Clear Sky Sect to pay a visit to Li Qingqiu. He first reported on the progress of the great enterprise of unifying the realm.
After finishing, he finally revealed his true purpose.
“Choosing the state name?”
Li Qingqiu was surprised. He had not expected Liu Jing to have such an intention.
With a solemn expression, Liu Jing said, “This world was granted to me by you. It should have been you who named it from the start. And if you name it, I can always remember it and never forget my original intent.”
Li Qingqiu pondered briefly, then said, “Call it Xuan. Immortality is Xuan, the Dao is Xuan. As subjects of the Xuan Dynasty, let pursuing the Dao be your life’s aspiration.”
“The Xuan Dynasty?”
Liu Jing’s eyes lit up. He repeated it several times, growing more and more satisfied.
Li Qingqiu could not judge whether he was sincere, but Liu Jing’s attitude made him feel comfortable.
Building on the name Xuan Dynasty, Liu Jing continued. He wished to offer sacrifice to Heaven and establish the dynasty at Year’s End, so that the next year could begin with a new era name.
Li Qingqiu naturally had no objections. Liu Jing also hoped to offer sacrifice to Heaven at Clear Sky Mountain, which made Li Qingqiu hesitate.
In the end, Li Qingqiu decided to bring the matter to the next discussion meeting in Lingxiao Courtyard and deliberate with the sect’s upper ranks.
After Liu Jing left, Li Qingqiu suddenly came back to himself.
After that fellow’s maneuvering, Li Qingqiu actually found himself paying attention to this matter.
Before this, Li Qingqiu had not cared much about the secular dynasty. As long as it was unified and obedient, it was fine.
He had to admit—Liu Jing had some methods.
Li Qingqiu did not dislike this. On the contrary, he even felt somewhat gratified.
A Liu Jing like this was more worthy of his expectations.
That night, the discussion in Lingxiao Courtyard was held. In the end, they agreed to allow Liu Jing to offer sacrifice to Heaven at Clear Sky Mountain. From then on, everything in the Nine Provinces would belong to the Clear Sky Sect—rightfully and openly.
The news spread in the days that followed, and the disciples of the Clear Sky Sect felt honored by association.
Once the Xuan Dynasty was established, the Clear Sky Sect would become the orthodox immortal path standing above secular dynasties, and their status would rise accordingly.
……
The sunlight was bright, and the skies were cloudless for ten thousand li.
Across the earth, mountain ranges rose and fell. Green blanketed the peaks, brimming with vitality, like a paradise in the mortal world.
On a mountainside midway up, a courtyard stood. The door of one room suddenly opened, and Lin Xunfeng, wearing a white robe, stepped outside.
Facing the blazing sun, he stretched lazily, a comfortable smile on his face.
He was now an outer disciple of the Heavenly Clear Immortal Sect. Although his status was extremely low, he had finally stepped onto the path of immortal cultivation and received his own immortal cultivation method.
He spent most of his time practicing, as though trying to make up for regrets from the years he had lost.
Today, he rarely left the room, intending to rest a little and bask in the sun.
He looked at the flowers and plants in the courtyard, and his smile gradually faded.
Though he had become an outer disciple, his disciple Lin Lingzhou had not gotten his wish. If not for their master-disciple relationship, Lin Lingzhou would have been expelled from the Heavenly Clear Immortal Sect.
The Heavenly Clear Immortal Sect forbade private transmission of cultivation methods. Lin Lingzhou could only help him manage chores, hoping that once Lin Xunfeng achieved something in cultivation, he might be able to secure Lin Lingzhou a chance to cultivate immortality.
This made Lin Xunfeng feel the cruelty of the path of immortal cultivation.
The Spiritual Root test was the first great barrier on the road of cultivation, blocking nine out of ten people.
Yet he did not become dejected. Instead, he would carry Lin Lingzhou’s hopes as well and continue onward.
Just as Lin Xunfeng’s thoughts drifted, Lin Lingzhou entered the courtyard carrying a shoulder pole and baskets.
“Master, you finally came out. How does immortal cultivation feel?” Lin Lingzhou asked with a grin.
At twelve years old, he did not seem to have been struck hard by failing the Spiritual Root test. His smile was bright and sunny.
He truly was not too upset. Even if he could not cultivate immortality, his current life was far better than before—no worries about food or clothing.
Before meeting Lin Xunfeng, he had been an orphan who slept in the open and ate at the mercy of the weather. He would not envy his Master for having a Spiritual Root; he would only feel genuinely happy for him.
“It’s quite good. It really is different from practicing martial arts. But as your master, I can’t really judge whether my cultivation speed is fast. For now, I still can’t see the threshold of the Second Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm.”
Lin Xunfeng answered, and when he spoke of cultivation, his face brightened again.
Lin Lingzhou was very interested in immortal cultivation. He set down the load, came to Lin Xunfeng’s side, and began asking all sorts of questions.
Lin Xunfeng answered everything he knew. Although he could not pass the method on to Lin Lingzhou, letting him understand cultivation ahead of time would benefit him in the future.
Master and disciple chatted for a long time, yet no matter how much they talked, it still felt insufficient.
It was not until a blue-robed woman came flying on a sword that they finally ended their conversation.
“Miss Xun’er!”
Lin Lingzhou happily greeted the blue-robed woman.
After landing, Miss Xun’er nodded to him, then looked at Lin Xunfeng. She took a blue cloth pouch from her waist and said, “These are cultivation resources the fairy prepared for you. Inside are pills, and also a spell secret manual. Remember to cultivate.”
After speaking, she tossed the storage pouch to Lin Xunfeng.
Lin Xunfeng caught it and hurriedly expressed his thanks.
Miss Xun’er did not say more. She asked Lin Lingzhou a couple of caring questions, then stepped onto her sword and left.
Coming and going like the wind—such bearing, in Lin Lingzhou’s eyes, was truly like an immortal living in the world, filling his gaze with longing.
That look made Lin Xunfeng’s heart ache.
For some reason, Lin Xunfeng suddenly thought of the seven disciples he had left behind in the Clear Sky Sect.
He wondered whether Qingqiu and the others had Spiritual Roots.
They should, right?
When he had taken in those seven disciples, he had checked them. Each had excellent bones and was good material for martial arts.
In order to seek immortality with peace of mind, from Li Qingqiu onward, he had handpicked every disciple he accepted. He had even chosen a wife for Li Qingqiu.
“I miss them so much. I hope they’re all doing well—don’t let any of them die young.”
Lin Xunfeng thought silently, his mind drifting far, far to the east.
……
Summer passed into autumn. Li Qingqiu’s days became leisurely. He spent most of his time cultivating, drawing closer and closer to the Fifth Layer of the Spirit Perception Realm.
At midday on this day, he was still practicing in his cave dwelling when Xiao Wuqing’s voice came from outside the stone door:
“Sect Master, Elder Shen Yue has already stepped onto the Tribulation Platform.”
Hearing this, Li Qingqiu opened his eyes, greatly surprised.
Shen Yue’s cultivation speed was far too fast. It felt faster than even Outstanding cultivation aptitude.
Had he further improved his sword soul cultivation method?
Why did he not come discuss it with him?
Li Qingqiu felt Shen Yue had changed, not as generous as before.
“I understand.”
Li Qingqiu answered. Xiao Wuqing saluted toward the stone door and turned to leave.
As for Shen Yue undergoing tribulation, Li Qingqiu did not intend to go watch.
He insisted on waiting for Shen Yue to come to him on his own!
A few days later, Shen Yue indeed came.
“Sect Master, I succeeded in undergoing tribulation.”
Shen Yue’s voice came from outside the stone door, calm, as if he were speaking of something trivial.
The stone door rumbled open. Shen Yue strode into the cave dwelling with head held high.
Li Qingqiu rose and brewed tea for him.
Shen Yue seated himself at the table without ceremony, gripping the Sword God posture tightly.
“What Divine Art are you planning to cultivate next?” Li Qingqiu asked with a smile.
Shen Yue replied calmly, “Jiang Zhaoxia’s Immortal Severing Three Swords doesn’t suit my tastes. I will create my own Divine Art.”
That tone made it sound as though he had already created it.
Li Qingqiu sat down, looked at him, and asked, “Do you need me to guide you?”
“No.”
Shen Yue waved his hand.
Li Qingqiu nodded.
Then the two fell into silence.
The atmosphere grew awkward.
After quite a while, Shen Yue could not help asking, “You’re not worried about me at all?”
Li Qingqiu asked in surprise, “Wasn’t I just worried?”
“You should ask how many bolts of heavenly lightning I withstood.”
“There’s no need. No matter how many, could it be more than me?”
“……”
Shen Yue’s face instantly darkened, and he nearly stood up to leave.
……