Chapter 30: The Number One Under Heaven
Self-created spell?
Who could be that powerful?
Li Qingqiu was astonished.
At present, the only ones who could truly be considered cultivators, aside from him and his junior brothers and sisters, were Yang Jueding and Xu Ning.
Today, those who went to the Subterranean Spiritual Lake were Jiang Zhaoxia and Li Sijin.
Could it be Jiang Zhaoxia?
With curiosity in his heart, he leaped forward—his body gliding like a startled swan across the snow-covered forest.
The trees were blanketed in white, yet he left no footprints behind, as though treading on empty snow.
From the mountainside back toward the sect gate, he could occasionally see disciples along the way—some practicing martial arts, some working, others sparring.
The sect finally had a trace of that martial world atmosphere.
When he arrived at the new courtyard beneath the mountain gate, Yang Jueding blocked his way just as he stepped in.
“Sect Master, I have something to tell you!” Yang Jueding’s face was full of excitement.
He grabbed Li Qingqiu’s wrist tightly, not realizing his own strength.
Li Qingqiu froze.
Could the one who self-created a spell be Yang Jueding?
That was beyond his expectations—after all, among them, Yang Jueding was the one who began cultivating the latest.
He immediately followed Yang Jueding out.
The two entered a small forest beside the courtyard.
After looking around to ensure no one was nearby, Yang Jueding placed his hands on his waist and said with a proud grin, “Sect Master, I fused the Primordial Unity Scripture with my Nine Heavens Divine Palm—its power has multiplied.”
The Nine Heavens Divine Palm was the technique that made Yang Jueding’s name resound throughout the martial world—fierce and free-flowing, a palm strike that could shatter one’s dantian and break every bone in the body.
Among the many martial arts Yang Jueding mastered, only this Nine Heavens Divine Palm had he passed on to Wu Man’er alone.
Li Qingqiu’s eyes brightened at his words.
He had once thought about using vital energy to perform martial techniques, but he had never succeeded.
He hadn’t expected Yang Jueding to manage it.
“Let me see,” Li Qingqiu urged.
Yang Jueding turned around, took a horse stance, and drew both fists back to his waist.
As he began channeling his energy, the snow beneath his feet began to melt, turning into rising threads of steam.
Li Qingqiu raised an eyebrow, surprised by Yang Jueding’s momentum.
He had only been cultivating for such a short time—yet his strength had reached this level?
What was even more astonishing was that Yang Jueding was still only at the First Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm, not even the second.
Yet in terms of aura, Li Qingqiu felt he was no weaker than Lü Taidou.
Strange… in the Dao Lineage panel, his comprehension wasn’t particularly high either.
Li Qingqiu was puzzled.
He fixed his gaze on Yang Jueding, waiting for him to strike.
Yang Jueding did not keep him waiting.
When his momentum peaked, he suddenly thrust out his right palm, his upper body leaning forward.
The strike went out like a dragon leaping from the abyss—terrifying palm force surged forward as a visible shockwave of air swept ahead, snow exploding upward like a river torn apart.
Boom—!
The palm energy, dragon-like and tyrannical, smashed through an old tree.
Just as the palm force was about to surge farther, Yang Jueding abruptly pulled back, drawing the palm energy inward.
The force reversed, dragging the swirling snow and even leaves and pebbles toward them.
Li Qingqiu’s robes fluttered violently in the wind.
Narrowing his eyes, he found himself thinking—the Nine Heavens Divine Palm looked rather dashing.
That pull—if used in battle—could prevent a severely injured opponent from escaping.
It indeed had something to it.
Yang Jueding swung his arm to disperse the energy, the remaining force spreading outward and tearing fine, several-zhang-long cracks in the snow.
He turned to Li Qingqiu, raising his chin slightly, waiting for his comment.
Li Qingqiu praised, “Not bad, truly formidable. Write down this technique later—it shall be recorded in the Scripture Pavilion as the Clear Sky Sect’s unique secret art. I won’t forget this contribution of yours.”
Yang Jueding instinctively wanted to argue, but held his tongue.
Without the Primordial Unity Scripture, his Nine Heavens Divine Palm could never have reached such power.
“It’s a pity, though—with my current strength, I can only unleash one palm. The consumption is too great,” Yang Jueding said with a bitter smile.
It was strange—his current special inner energy was far greater and stronger than before, yet one strike left him completely drained.
This made him realize the Primordial Unity Scripture’s limit—it was not something ordinary martial arts could compare to.
Calling it a supreme divine art would not be an exaggeration.
If such a technique spread throughout the martial world, it would surely cause a bloody storm.
At that thought, his gaze toward Li Qingqiu changed.
This Sect Master truly treated him sincerely—otherwise, he would never have passed on such a divine scripture.
“You’ve only been cultivating the Primordial Unity Scripture for a short time. Take it slow—ten years from now, you’ll also be a peerless master of the martial world,” Li Qingqiu encouraged.
“Ten years? Are you underestimating the Primordial Unity Scripture or underestimating me? Ten years from now, I’ll be number one under heaven!”
Yang Jueding said loftily, then added, as if recalling something, “Except for our own people, of course.”
Jiang Zhaoxia and Xu Ning’s talents were terrifying, and even Wu Man’er and Li Sifeng had immense potential.
Li Qingqiu didn’t pursue that topic further, instead asking how he managed to merge the Primordial Unity Scripture with the Nine Heavens Divine Palm.
Yang Jueding explained in detail without reservation.
After listening for a long while, Li Qingqiu still didn’t quite understand how Yang Jueding came up with such an idea.
He could only attribute it to Yang Jueding’s rich martial experience.
That was indeed Yang Jueding’s greatest advantage—his experience in martial arts, something the others couldn’t match in the short term.
In any case, Yang Jueding creating a spell for the Clear Sky Sect was a great contribution.
So before dinner, Li Qingqiu asked Zhang Yuchun to slaughter a chicken for celebration and announced the event to the disciples, encouraging them to innovate and create.
As for what technique Yang Jueding had created, Li Qingqiu did not elaborate.
After dinner, Jiang Zhaoxia came to Li Qingqiu’s quarters to inquire.
Li Qingqiu didn’t hide it from him.
Learning that Yang Jueding had drawn inspiration from the Primordial Unity Scripture and modified his martial art into something stronger, Jiang Zhaoxia fell silent for a moment, then said nothing more and took his leave.
If this could motivate Jiang Zhaoxia, that was also a good thing.
Li Qingqiu was looking forward to him creating a spell as well.
For the Dao Lineage—and even for a martial sect—the more techniques there were, the better.
That accumulation was the true foundation of a sect.
——
Late at night, near midnight, Li Qingqiu arrived at the forest where he had agreed to meet Qin Ye and Wu Baoyu.
After waiting a while, Qin Ye came.
He stood in the forest, uneasy and slightly regretful, but his desire to grow stronger outweighed his fear.
He knew well that following Yang Jueding to train in martial arts, his strength would, at best, remain on par with the other disciples—he would never stand out within the Clear Sky Sect.
This was his one gamble for opportunity.
Crack—
The sound of a branch snapping interrupted his thoughts.
He turned to see Wu Baoyu walking out of the darkness, carrying an oil lamp.
Neither of them noticed Li Qingqiu, who was hiding up in a tree.
“Though you’re afraid, you still came—that proves you have ambition in your bones,”
Wu Baoyu’s voice came from the shadows.
Qin Ye couldn’t see his expression, which only made his nerves worse.
Soon, Wu Baoyu emerged from the dark, hung the oil lamp on a branch, and drew two wooden staffs from his back, tossing one to Qin Ye.
Qin Ye almost failed to catch it, but fortunately, the dim night concealed his flushed face.
“Do you know why I chose you?” Wu Baoyu asked, staring at him.
“Because I’m diligent?”
“No. Because your talent is poor—and your master doesn’t value you.”
Wu Baoyu’s words pierced Qin Ye’s heart like a blade.
He had long realized that his master didn’t think highly of him.
Xu Ning’s talent was evident to all, and he was constantly overshadowed.
Behind the tree, Li Qingqiu cursed inwardly—Wu Baoyu was trying to sow discord.
But he couldn’t help reflecting—he had indeed somewhat neglected Qin Ye.
Though Qin Ye had joined him through an exchange of interests, he was still his disciple.
Li Qingqiu decided he would take better care of the boy from now on.
After all, Qin Ye had always been diligent and had none of the arrogance or indulgence of noble sons.
“I can’t reach Xu Ning, so I can only find you. I need you to carry on this staff technique. If I pass it to others, it likely won’t be preserved as the Clear Sky Sect’s legacy. Besides, your Qin Family has ambitions in officialdom—this technique will let you sweep across the battlefield one day. Master it, and you’ll be an army-slaying warrior.” Wu Baoyu’s tone was calm, emotionless.
Qin Ye was puzzled and asked carefully, “Senior, after what you’ve been through, you’d still allow me to use your staff technique in the army?”
Wu Baoyu replied expressionlessly, “The emperor may be foolish, and treacherous ministers may rule—but that’s only temporary. We were born in this land, and protecting it is forever the duty of those who practice martial arts.”
Hearing this, Qin Ye’s blood boiled with passion, and he felt genuine respect for Wu Baoyu.
“Let’s begin. This staff technique is called the Ten Thousand Armies Demon-Subduing Staff. The one who passed it to me was a mysterious expert—I never learned his true name. If you meet him one day, thank him for me. This is without doubt the number one staff technique under heaven.”
As Wu Baoyu finished, he raised the long staff before him.
Hearing this, Li Qingqiu finally relaxed.
He had no interest in the Ten Thousand Armies Demon-Subduing Staff, and since it was Qin Ye’s personal opportunity, he had no intention of interfering.
In the days that followed, Wu Baoyu taught Qin Ye the staff technique whenever he was free.
Seven days later—
Zhang Yuchun came to Li Qingqiu, reporting that Wu Baoyu had gone down the mountain.
Fearing he might bring trouble to the sect, Wu Baoyu had chosen to leave.
Li Qingqiu didn’t send anyone to pursue him.
After all, Wu Baoyu had left behind his own legacy.
“Sect Master, it seems the goal of reaching fifty disciples before year’s end is impossible,” Zhang Yuchun sighed.
Without fame, recruiting disciples was too difficult.
Unless he recruited refugees—but those were mostly orphans, the old, or the weak.
What the Clear Sky Sect needed now were strong young men.
Li Qingqiu smiled.
“It was only a casual goal. Rather than blindly expanding numbers, laying a solid foundation comes first.”
Zhang Yuchun still looked a bit downcast.
After chatting a while, he left, while Li Qingqiu continued cultivating, absorbing vital energy within his room.
That winter passed without major incident.
Since Feng Dai and the others’ departure, no visitors had come—not even travelers seeking lodging.
In the blink of an eye, two months passed.
Xu Ning successfully reached the Third Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm.
Aside from her, no one else in the sect had yet reached the second layer—showing just how difficult cultivation truly was.
As the Spring Festival approached, a visitor finally arrived—Qin Ye’s father, Qin Jue, accompanied by over a dozen servants.
They carried large chests filled with grains, fine wine, and bedding—a sincere gesture.
Li Qingqiu, Zhang Yuchun, and Yang Jueding accompanied Qin Jue for tea and conversation, while Qin Ye swept the courtyard, listening quietly from outside.
After chatting a while, Qin Jue suddenly said, “By the way, something major happened last month. A demonic sect expert who had been in seclusion for over ten years reappeared in the world. That man, wielding an iron staff, stormed into the imperial palace, killed over a hundred guards, and nearly captured the emperor himself. In the end, he was slain by the combined might of the Heaven-Guard Division. His severed head now hangs atop the capital’s city gate as a warning to all.”
“This demonic expert was no ordinary man—he was the Northern Protector of the Demonic Sect, named Wu Baoyu. He was utterly ruthless, killing countless people. They say his death was miserable—his eyes were gouged out, because the emperor hated his gaze.”
Clatter!
The broom in Qin Ye’s hand fell to the ground.
His expression froze, staring blankly at his father.