Chapter 55: The Siege of Clear Sky Sect
Yan Lan looked toward Li Qingqiu.
The solemnity on his face swiftly faded, replaced by the same warm and sunny smile as before.
He sighed and said, “Ku Yi and Ku Er are not ordinary men. Before they followed me, they were ranked first and second among the Grade A members of the Imperial Guardian Army. Those so-called ‘number ones’ of the various provinces in the martial world are no match for them. Yet you were able to repel one of them in a single strike—your martial skill is truly unfathomable. Could it be that you are the rumored Jiang Zhaoxia?”
He had indeed heard the name Jiang Zhaoxia—a young prodigy who had risen to fame overnight, claiming the title of Guzhou’s second greatest martial artist.
His reputation had even eclipsed that of the long-established Number One, Yu Zhiyi.
Yu Zhiyi had been famous for many years and was already old, so people no longer held much curiosity or expectation toward him.
Jiang Zhaoxia, however, was different—too young, too dazzling.
His talent made people believe that as long as he continued to grow, he would surely surpass Yu Zhiyi one day.
But in Yan Lan’s eyes, a genius like Jiang Zhaoxia was nothing special.
Standing at the very peak of the Great Li Dynasty, he had seen far too many geniuses come forth, all eager to serve him.
Yet today, upon seeing Li Qingqiu—whom he had mistaken for Jiang Zhaoxia—he was genuinely astonished.
It was the first time he had ever witnessed Ku Yi being pushed back in a single exchange.
“I am Li Qingqiu, the Sect Master of the Clear Sky Sect,” Li Qingqiu replied, not bothering to hide his identity.
This was the Clear Sky Sect’s territory—how could the Sect Master conceal his name and hide behind his disciples?
“Sect Master? You are so young!”
Yan Lan exclaimed in admiration, then chuckled.
“Could it be that the rumors are true—that the Dragon-Subduing Hero’s martial arts manual has been passed down to your sect?”
Li Qingqiu asked calmly, “And who spread such a rumor?”
“That I do not know. But throughout my journey, I’ve heard many martial wanderers talking about it,” Yan Lan said with a shake of his head.
Li Qingqiu caught the scent of conspiracy.
It must be the Azure Sect spreading such rumors—for the Azure Sect had long believed that Yang Jueding had obtained a peerless manual, and they had been hunting him relentlessly.
Could it be that the Azure Sect now wished to lure other sects and masters to attack the Clear Sky Sect, waiting until it was gravely weakened before seizing the manual for themselves?
Fortunately, he had already sent Jiang Zhaoxia down the mountain to deal with the Azure Sect.
Otherwise, if the Clear Sky Sect ran into trouble later, they wouldn’t even have the time to retaliate.
Yan Lan spoke again, “Sect Master Li, would you be willing to let my subordinates Ku Yi and Ku Er spar with you? Though my own health is poor, I still love the martial path and would like to witness a battle between experts. Just exchange a few moves—no need to take lives. Afterwards, I would like to stay at the Clear Sky Sect for a while to see if I might be of some help.”
“Of course, if you are unwilling, then forget it. We shall simply stay one night and depart tomorrow.”
His tone was sincere, not forceful.
Qin Ye had come to his senses and now looked toward Ku Yi with deep apprehension.
Facing true masters of the martial world, he finally realized how weak he still was.
Li Qingqiu’s lips curved into a smile.
“Since His Highness has spoken, how could I refuse? Come, both of you—attack together.”
Hearing this, Ku Yi and Ku Er showed no anger.
Ku Yi took the weapon off his back—two silver staves wrapped in black cloth.
He joined them together; the length surpassed even Qin Ye’s iron staff.
Ku Er drew his sword and stood beside Ku Yi.
The two stood shoulder to shoulder, their auras unrestrained.
Li Qingqiu gestured for Qin Ye to retreat.
As Qin Ye stepped aside, Ku Yi and Ku Er moved in unison.
Without exchanging a word, they displayed impeccable coordination.
Their steps were lightning-fast, as swift as startled swans.
In the blink of an eye, they had flanked Li Qingqiu from both sides.
Ku Yi’s silver staff swept across, while Ku Er’s sword thrust forward.
Too fast!
Even standing aside, Qin Ye could barely follow their movements.
He was utterly shocked.
Was this truly the speed attainable by mortal martial artists?
Li Qingqiu drew the Tianhong Sword at his waist with even greater speed.
He swung left and right, his blade deflecting both the staff and the sword.
Ku Yi rolled backward and landed agilely.
One hand raised his silver staff while the other supported his body on the ground—his posture like that of a wild beast.
With a powerful push, he lunged toward Li Qingqiu once more.
Ku Er, flung into the air, followed up with sword strikes.
Blades of sword qi rained down from above as he coordinated his assault with Ku Yi.
Li Qingqiu raised his sword to parry.
He did not use his full strength—he wanted to gauge the true abilities of Ku Yi and Ku Er.
He was curious about what Yan Lan referred to as “entry-level experts.”
Snow mist swirled around them as Ku Yi and Ku Er attacked relentlessly, only to be repelled again and again.
Yet Li Qingqiu stood unmoving, relying solely on the Tianhong Sword to block every strike—his manner identical to when he had instructed Qin Ye.
Li Qingqiu’s composure filled Qin Ye with relief.
His gaze fell upon Ku Yi.
Ten Directions Demon-Subduing Staff!
This man actually knew it too—and his execution far surpassed Qin Ye’s!
Ku Yi’s power embodied the true essence of the Ten Directions Demon-Subduing Staff—grand and unstoppable.
His energy spread for ten meters in every direction, tearing the snow apart with countless cracks.
Though the distance between him and Li Qingqiu grew, his inner energy formed overlapping staff shadows that struck through the air.
The farther they traveled, the larger and stronger those shadows became.
Ku Er, on the other side, did not unleash flashy sword qi.
Instead, he advanced steadily, attempting to find a flaw in Li Qingqiu’s defense through exquisite swordsmanship.
One close, one far—the scene was breathtaking.
Yet in the midst of their pincer attack, Li Qingqiu’s swordsmanship remained calm and effortless.
The faster their attacks became, the slower Li Qingqiu seemed in contrast—but that illusion only made it more shocking, for he parried every single blow.
Wind and snow mixed into a fierce gale, sweeping toward Yan Lan and scattering his hair.
Watching the battle before him, his eyes shone with excitement; his breath quickened.
Even for him, this was the first time witnessing Ku Yi go all out.
Such a Ten Directions Demon-Subduing Staff, unleashed upon a battlefield, would be a nightmare for any enemy army—yet it still failed to shake Li Qingqiu.
After a hundred exchanges, Li Qingqiu had fully gauged their strength.
He suddenly turned, the Tianhong Sword sweeping upward from below.
A single slash of sword qi tore through the ground, ripping apart the massive staff shadows along its path, and struck Ku Yi with the force of thunder.
Ku Yi’s silver staff was cleaved in two, his bamboo hat split down the middle and sent flying.
Blood spurted from his mouth as he was flung backward.
Almost simultaneously, Li Qingqiu turned gracefully and slashed toward Ku Er.
The sword qi swept horizontally; Ku Er’s expression changed drastically.
He tried to defend, but his sword qi could not match Li Qingqiu’s.
“Puh!”
Ku Er followed Ku Yi’s fate—spitting blood and crashing into the snow ten meters away.
He struggled but could not rise.
So strong!
Yan Lan’s eyes widened in awe.
Li Qingqiu’s final two strikes were unbelievably fast—slow to build, yet ending in thunderous fury.
Ku Yi and Ku Er couldn’t withstand even a single blow.
The disparity in strength was enormous.
Qin Ye, overjoyed, couldn’t help but cheer aloud.
Clang!
Li Qingqiu smoothly sheathed his sword, the motion elegant and fluid, the faint glimmer of sword light still flickering.
Turning toward Yan Lan, he smiled.
“Since Your Highness wishes to stay at the Clear Sky Sect for a time, that’s perfect—they’ll need time to recover from their injuries.”
Ku Yi lay on the ground, unable to move, staring at Li Qingqiu with terror-filled eyes.
He had never felt such terrifying sword qi before.
He had no doubt that Li Qingqiu could have killed him in an instant.
How could this man’s mastery of martial arts be so terrifying?
Yan Lan rose and applauded.
“Sect Master Li, your martial skill is truly unmatched—surely the strongest I have ever seen. It seems the rumors were false. If Jiang Zhaoxia is that strong, it must be because of your teaching, not any secret manual.”
A divine art producing a young genius—he could believe that.
But creating a supreme master like Li Qingqiu in just a few years? Impossible.
Li Qingqiu lifted his hand and inserted a needle into each of the two brothers, stabilizing their qi and blood.
Then he asked, “Your Highness, since you are the Crown Prince, why is your surname Yan?”
The Emperor’s surname was Zhao.
How could the Crown Prince bear a different name?
The previous Crown Prince had been named Zhao Yan.
Even if a new prince wanted a pseudonym, he would avoid using the character Yan, lest people gossip.
Yet this man did not.
What did that imply?
It was also the reason Li Qingqiu had not stopped Qin Ye from using the Ten Directions Demon-Subduing Staff.
Though the Emperor was foolish, the current Crown Prince had always been well regarded.
Yan Lan smiled.
“When walking the martial world, one must use an alias. My true name is Zhao Lan—but I prefer the name Yan Lan. Please, Sect Master Li, address me as such. I would rather not have my identity exposed.”
Prefer the name?
Li Qingqiu did not press further.
He already had a general idea in his mind.
He continued conversing pleasantly with Yan Lan.
Once Ku Yi and Ku Er regained their strength, Li Qingqiu led the four of them up the mountain.
“Those rumors about a divine manual,” Yan Lan said softly as they walked side by side, “must have someone behind them fanning the flames. I fear the Clear Sky Sect will soon face trouble. I cannot interfere in the martial world’s grudges—but I can help shield you from political pressure.”
Li Qingqiu glanced at him curiously.
“Why does Your Highness wish to help us? Because of the Ten Directions Demon-Subduing Staff?”
Yan Lan shook his head.
“There are others besides Qin Ye and Ku Yi who know that technique. I help the Clear Sky Sect because I admire its conduct. Though small, your sect aids the common people—healing the sick, giving money and grain. Even if some of that wealth comes from rebels or bandits, your deeds are righteous and true. Tell me—how many sects in the martial world can say the same?”
“I have always believed that the martial world should not be about competition and pride alone. The strong should bear greater responsibility. At least within Guzhou, I find no other sect satisfactory—only the Clear Sky Sect earns my admiration and hope.”
Li Qingqiu, meanwhile, wondered who had leaked the sect’s source of wealth.
Then he thought again—his sect was too small to possess such funds; others could only assume.
Fortunately, they were using the money for good deeds.
When he had first ordered it, it was not for empty fame, but because he truly wished to help the people.
The future Clear Sky Sect would not be a traditional sect that grew strong by exploiting the nearby commoners—it would select talents from among the people, together pursuing the Dao of Immortal Cultivation.
Yan Lan’s views only deepened Li Qingqiu’s respect.
The Crown Prince’s reputation was indeed well deserved—he cared for the people’s welfare.
——
Inside an inn, Li Sifeng, Wu Man’er, Cheng Canghai, and eight disciples sat at two adjacent tables, eating and drinking.
After a year of tempering, sixteen-year-old Li Sifeng’s temperament had changed greatly.
His features were handsome, his demeanor carefree and dashing—he already possessed the air of a young hero.
They said little, weary from half a day of travel.
Bang!
The inn door was pushed open; wind and snow blew in as a group of martial artists entered.
“This time’s siege of the Clear Sky Sect is led by three major sects! Though our Ironbone Sect isn’t first-rate, we can’t miss out on such an event. If we seize the opportunity, we might gain both fame and secret techniques!”
The burly middle-aged man at the front—