Chapter 283: The World in Li Qingqiu’s Eyes
Inside the Cave Dwelling.
Li Qingqiu opened his eyes. Nangong E and Lin Chuan immediately leaned in and asked about his condition.
“This trial was more difficult than I had anticipated. I did not succeed.”
Li Qingqiu spoke calmly, a lingering aftertaste showing on his face.
The Sword Champion’s sword had been far too powerful. He had been completely unable to withstand it. It was the first time he had truly felt the power of a magic implement.
The Sword Champion had suppressed him purely with the sword in his hand—there had been no exquisite spells, no overwhelming Sword Intent. The power of that sword alone had been terrifying.
Although Li Qingqiu had been defeated, he had developed a deep interest in that sword.
He had to obtain that inheritance.
“It was that hard to deal with?” Nangong E raised her brows and asked. In her impression, no one had ever surpassed Li Qingqiu.
Li Qingqiu smiled. “Naturally. After all, the foundation of the Supreme Sword Sect cannot be compared to our Clear Sky Sect.”
He was not discouraged. Having this jade was already good enough—he could use it to test the progress of his strength at any time in the future.
Afterward, he closed his eyes and rested, recalling the great battle from earlier.
…
July ended, and August arrived. The Top Ten Disciples of the Grand Dao Tournament were finally decided.
Xue Jin, Gu Changping, Yun Cai, Xiao Wudi, Sword Solitary, Ji Ya, Li Yang, Lu Qing, Yang Xuan, and Jing Ziling—ranked without distinction in order.
Only five of the previous Top Ten remained. This represented that each generation of the Clear Sky Sect was stronger than the last.
In this session, the lowest cultivation among the Top Ten was the Seventh Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm, far surpassing the first Grand Dao Tournament.
The reputation of the Top Ten had already spread throughout the world. Everyone knew that in a few years, these individuals would become great figures stirring the winds and clouds.
There had also been regret within the Clear Sky Sect over the elimination of certain disciples, but one thing was certain—the Top Ten contained no weak links.
In a sparse mountain forest, Li Qingqiu was leading disciples in cultivation. Li Yang, Li Shouzheng, Li Shoumin, and Yun Cai had also come.
They surrounded Yuan Li and chatted. They had originally intended to comfort him, but the topic quickly shifted.
“That disciple named Jing Ziling—where did he come from? His wood-element spells are incredibly formidable, and his strength is immense. How did we never know the Cultivation Hall had such a disciple?” Li Yang remarked with emotion.
Jing Ziling had been the dark horse of this Grand Dao Tournament, second only to Yun Cai. It was not until the Top Sixty-Four that he began attracting attention.
His Vital Energy was more abundant than others of the same realm. Skilled in wood-element spells, with a clap of his hands countless vines had burst forth from the platform, creating a vast and overwhelming spectacle that shocked many.
Li Qingqiu lay beneath a large tree in the distance, covering his eyes with two leaves as if taking a nap.
Hearing Li Yang’s words, the corners of Li Qingqiu’s mouth lifted.
He was very satisfied with the performance of this Grand Dao Tournament. Many disciples had displayed strength beyond his expectations, giving him a great sense of accomplishment.
The Clear Sky Sect he had built possessed limitless potential.
Thus, he decided to set aside his focus on prodigies and begin cultivating talents in management, research, and intelligence gathering.
He was already contemplating future arrangements.
The Xuan Dynasty had been established. For the time being, the Clear Sky Sect faced no trouble, but he had to prepare early for the future.
As for Sun Moxing, arrangements also needed to be made soon. He had to investigate the background behind him.
What Li Qingqiu did not notice was that Yuan Li was looking at him.
Though surrounded by others, Yuan Li’s mood was low. He had fallen just short of the Top Ten. Even though he had pushed his Gang Essence to its limit, he was only at the Fourth Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm. The gap in cultivation had been difficult to overcome.
This failure had struck Yuan Li hard. He was merely forcing composure.
He could clearly feel that more and more younger disciples were surpassing him.
He had already enjoyed many special treatments, yet no matter how desperately he tried, he could never become the most dazzling presence.
Looking at Yun Cai, Hu Yan, Xiao Wudi, and Ji Ya beside him, then at Li Shouzheng and Li Shoumin, Yuan Li felt that had he not encountered his Master, he would not even have the qualifications to sit among them.
Only…
Whenever he doubted himself, the moment he saw his Master, he felt he could not give up.
Because his Master still believed in him.
He tried to adjust his mindset, but it would not recover so quickly. He could only chime into the surrounding discussions to distract himself.
As they talked, the topic returned again. They asked Ji Ya and Yun Cai whether they had confidence in winning First Place.
Yun Cai was naturally brimming with confidence and even provocatively glanced at Ji Ya.
Ji Ya, however, humbly admitted he did not have absolute certainty. That was indeed how he felt. He had a certain psychological shadow regarding Yun Cai and lacked confidence.
Yuan Li looked at Yun Cai, his eyes filled with envy.
Not only envy of her talent, but also of her all-encompassing confidence.
He had watched Yun Cai grow. Even when she had been weak, she had been certain she would surpass opponents she could not yet defeat.
Ten years ago, who could have imagined that Yun Cai would become the most dazzling figure among their batch of disciples?
In the future, there would surely be geniuses even more formidable than Yun Cai. Yuan Li had to accept this reality.
…
The second Grand Dao Tournament of the Clear Sky Sect concluded successfully. Yun Cai seized First Place with overwhelming dominance. Ji Ya took Second Place, and Third Place fell to Xue Jin.
With the vigorous promotion of the Xuan Dynasty, the Nine Provinces began to revere the Immortal Path. The martial world was no longer solely the domain of martial artists—more and more Immortal Cultivators began roaming it.
In the blink of an eye,
three years swiftly passed.
At the beginning of summer that year, Li Qingqiu stood atop Clear Sky Mountain, overlooking the magnificent mountain ranges.
From there, he could see many disciples flying on swords and spirit boats weaving through the peaks.
After the Grand Dao Tournament three years ago, the Clear Sky Sect’s fame shook the world. People everywhere wished to send their children to the sect, and the entry threshold had greatly increased. Even becoming a Menial Disciple now required certain aptitude.
During these three years, several new Immortal Cultivation Sects had emerged across the Nine Provinces. Their momentum was not fierce, but the banner of immortal cultivation held immense attraction for mortals, allowing them to quickly establish themselves in the martial world.
While the Clear Sky Sect grew ever stronger, Clear Sky Mountain itself underwent dramatic transformation. Magnificent pavilions and towering palaces now stood upon it, grand and imposing.
Standing at the cliff’s edge, Li Qingqiu’s thoughts drifted.
He had originally thought that three years ago would trigger a Dao Lineage evaluation, but it had not. It seemed the cycle was not once every ten years.
Xiao Wuqing hurried up from behind, bowed respectfully, and said, “Sect Master, my elder brother and third brother have already led men to occupy Chengyang Mountain. Using the Clear Sky Token, they informed me personally that the spirit mine there has not yet been mined.”
The Clear Sky Token was a communication magic implement forged by the Heavenly Works Hall, allowing disciples across the Nine Provinces to communicate with the sect at any time. Wei Tianxiong had contributed greatly to this.
“Mm. Add it to the Clear Sky Sect’s resource map.”
Li Qingqiu gazed down the mountain and replied casually, his tone calm as though discussing something trivial.
Xiao Wuqing hesitated briefly before asking, “And how should we handle the He Clan of Jinyang?”
“Have them relocate and provide sufficient compensation. If they refuse, you know what to do.”
“Yes!”
Xiao Wuqing accepted the order and departed.
Such matters were no longer rare. Li Qingqiu had long grown accustomed to them.
He was arranging the world, allowing an immortal cultivation realm to arise within the Nine Provinces. One reason was for the better development of the Clear Sky Sect; the other was to let the people of the world help him search for hidden resources scattered across heaven and earth. The results so far were excellent.
Li Qingqiu could speak of benevolence and righteousness to the common people, but in the struggle between forces, he was never soft-hearted. This path was one of hegemony. He only permitted other sects to develop according to the Clear Sky Sect’s rules—otherwise, they should not cultivate immortality within the Nine Provinces.
He continued overlooking the Ancient Great Mountain Range. From there, he could see the Nine Provinces beneath the heavens.
Rumble—
Thunder sounded in the distance. Li Qingqiu raised his head and saw rolling thunderclouds gathering atop Establishing Snow Peak.
Someone was undergoing tribulation!
In these three years, the Clear Sky Sect had produced two more Spirit Perception Realm cultivators—Yun Cai and Xue Jin.
Xue Jin had officially become Hall Master of the Tempering Hall, while Li Sifeng had transferred to the Cultivation Hall.
Although Li Qingqiu could not see the Tribulation Platform, he could sense the vast Vital Energy of the one undergoing tribulation.
This time, it was Ji Ya.
A smile curved at Li Qingqiu’s lips, and his mood brightened.
With each additional Spirit Perception Realm cultivator, his confidence grew stronger.
He turned and walked down the mountain. With the Clear Sky Sect’s current tribulation methods, nothing would happen to Ji Ya, so he had no intention of assisting.
Next, he would prepare to break through to the Sixth Layer of the Spirit Perception Realm.
Over these three years, his cultivation had advanced from the Fourth Layer to the Fifth Layer of the Spirit Perception Realm, and he was not far from the Sixth.
The cultivation resources obtained and developed by the Clear Sky Sect were increasing steadily. Naturally, Li Qingqiu was the first to enjoy them. He never neglected his own progress, for he was the one who ultimately upheld the Clear Sky Sect.
Walking along the mountain path through the forest, Li Qingqiu arrived before the forest outside his Cave Dwelling and saw Yun Cai waiting there.
After achieving the Spirit Perception Realm, Yun Cai’s presence had grown even stronger—no longer inferior to Xu Ning.
Unlike Xu Ning’s coldness, Yun Cai carried the imposing aura of a heaven-favored genius.
Upon seeing Li Qingqiu approach, Yun Cai immediately stepped forward.
“Sect Master, it is time to assign me a task. I am strong enough now to contribute to the Clear Sky Sect.”
Having reached the Spirit Perception Realm, she was already among the sect’s first-tier experts. What she sought was not power, but merit.
Her goal was the Ten True Lords of Clear Sky.
Becoming one of the Ten True Lords required not only strength but also achievements that convinced the entire sect.
At present, though Yun Cai was famous, she lacked great merit. Many believed she was merely a genius molded by the Sect Master’s resources—far inferior to Xue Jin, who had risen step by step.
Li Qingqiu looked at her and thought for a moment. “There is indeed a task. I have been hesitating over whom to assign.”
“I will go!” Yun Cai responded eagerly.
Li Qingqiu smiled. “Demonic disturbances have appeared in the Northern Border. This time it is not evil ghosts, but a powerful demon of some kind. You know there lies the Land of Demons and Devils in the north. I need you to investigate the origin of this demon. If possible, capture it and bring it back. Of course, do not approach the Land of Demons and Devils itself, lest you bring calamity upon the sect prematurely.”
The Northern Court had already submitted to the Clear Sky Sect and maintained friendly ties with the Xuan Dynasty. With hostilities ceased and trade flourishing, when the Northern Court encountered trouble beyond its ability to resolve, it naturally sent people to seek assistance from the Clear Sky Sect.