Chapter 80: Zhongtian Martial World and Guzhou Martial World
After Ji Ya became an apprentice, he began to display his talent.
From time to time, he went up to the Martial Debate Platform to spar with others.
Relying on his abundant Vital Energy, he won battle after battle, proving himself worthy of being the Sect Master’s disciple.
This once again made the disciples marvel at the Sect Master’s insight.
Those chosen by the Sect Master were indeed peerless geniuses among thousands.
In the blink of an eye, half a month swiftly passed.
The snowfall grew heavier.
Li Qingqiu walked along the mountain path in a pleasant mood.
After this period of cultivation, he had gained a deeper understanding of the Hundred Temperings Demonic Body.
The Hundred Temperings Demonic Body not only increased Vital Energy but could also conceal one’s aura, suppress one’s cultivation, and accelerate the conversion of Spiritual Energy into Vital Energy severalfold faster than an ordinary person.
Furthermore, Li Qingqiu discovered that the Hundred Temperings Demonic Body did not enhance his comprehension.
From this, it seemed that even without the Hundred Temperings Demonic Body, Ji Ya himself was already an exceptional dual-talent genius.
Perhaps it was precisely because his aptitude and comprehension far exceeded the common man that he was able to endure and achieve the Hundred Temperings Demonic Body.
As Li Qingqiu pondered, he continued ascending the mountain.
Upon reaching the stone-paved road up the mountain, he encountered people every few steps.
Apart from disciples and pilgrims, there were also farmers from below delivering vegetables and fruits.
Although the Clear Sky Sect had its own farmlands, as more people came up the mountain, the supply of food became insufficient.
Zhang Yuchun had no choice but to do business with farmers below.
Of course, Zhang Yuchun also wished to build stronger connections with the farmers, preparing for the day when they would establish a town.
After the battle at the State Capital, the Clear Sky Sect’s fame grew significantly.
More and more people climbed the mountain daily, and some began offering money to hire Clear Sky Sect disciples for various tasks.
Today, Li Qingqiu was going to discuss this matter with his junior brothers and sisters.
Half an hour later, Li Qingqiu arrived at Lingxiao Courtyard.
Zhang Yuchun, Jiang Zhaoxia, Li Dongyue, Li Sifeng,
Li Sijin, Yang Jueding, and Zhang Yu had already been waiting for quite some time.
Through Perfected Wei’s memories, it was confirmed that there were no other cultivation sects within the Great Li Dynasty.
Li Qingqiu thus had Jiang Zhaoxia withdraw and assigned true disciples to guard the spiritual mine.
Of course, Li Qingqiu also left trusted aides there — for instance, his disciple Qin Ye.
After losing to Ji Ya, Qin Ye was deeply affected.
It was the perfect time for him to calm himself and cultivate at the mine.
Seeing Li Qingqiu approach, everyone rose to their feet.
"Everyone, sit down。"
Li Qingqiu sat between Zhang Yuchun and Li Dongyue, smiling softly.
They were to discuss the structural framework of the Clear Sky Sect — a matter that could no longer be delayed, lest things spiral into disorder.
Once seated, Li Qingqiu had them each express their opinions.
Zhang Yu, though not among the high-ranking members, was responsible for refining the framework they agreed upon and recording it.
They had already discussed these matters many times — this time was to finalize everything.
Half an hour later, Li Qingqiu finally confirmed the sect’s framework: henceforth, there would be Seven Halls.
The Free Spirit Hall, in charge of disciple registries and personnel assignments, was headed by Zhang Yuchun.
The Enforcement Hall, responsible for upholding sect rules and overseeing all disciples’ conduct, was headed by Xu Ning.
The Cultivation Hall, managing all martial cultivation resources and overseeing the Scripture Repository (and later spiritual plants), was headed by Li Sijin.
The Training Hall, tasked with receiving and assigning missions, was headed by Li Sifeng.
The Heavenly Works Hall, overseeing crafting, construction, and later formations and alchemy, was jointly managed by Zhang Yuchun until a suitable candidate was found.
The Broad Relations Hall, managing diplomacy and internal sect activities (including competitions and assessment regulations), was headed by Yang Jueding.
The Spiritual Finance Hall, in charge of finances, spiritual stones, and Blessed Land quotas, was headed by Li Dongyue.
Each hall could have one Vice Hall Master and two Elders, with up to fifteen disciples.
Monthly pay for hall disciples ranged from five to ten strings of coins, for Elders fifty to seventy, and for Hall Masters and Vice Hall Masters one hundred to two hundred strings.
One string equaled one thousand copper coins; in these times, ten coins could buy a dou of rice.
This was merely the secular wage — in the future, Spiritual Stones and Plants would also be included in the stipend.
Even so, such pay already surpassed that of many officials and was enough to stir excitement among disciples.
Li Qingqiu also considered the sect’s contribution system.
Eventually, the Clear Sky Sect would transcend the bounds of the mundane world — when that day came, money would lose meaning, and Spiritual Stones would become the new currency.
He kept such long-term thoughts to himself, for now was not the time to complicate matters.
After the establishment of the Seven Halls, Zhang Yu wrote everything down while Zhang Yuchun reviewed it.
By the next morning, an announcement was posted for all disciples to see.
They would later compile each hall’s regulations into manuals for disciples to study at any time.
The Seven Halls were far from fully staffed, but their establishment caused a sensation across the entire sect.
The disciples did not know they were cultivating immortality; those who came up the mountain to train merely sought to master martial arts — to feed their families and honor their parents.
Now that they could earn money while training, how could they not be overjoyed?
Even if they did not need so much money on the mountain, they could bring it home to their families.
With monthly pay introduced, morale across the Clear Sky Sect soared.
In their eyes, staying at Clear Sky Mountain now held more promise than descending to the mundane world.
The sect also rewarded disciples for past contributions.
They could apply at the Free Spirit Hall for a contribution certificate and then claim their earnings at the Spiritual Finance Hall.
From then on, the sect’s wealth began circulating — though it seemed much was being distributed, disciples’ enthusiasm grew, and they would, in turn, generate more profit for the sect.
The Training Hall was the first to open to outsiders.
Those seeking to hire disciples of the Clear Sky Sect came in droves.
Yet not all missions were accepted — they had to be carefully reviewed to ensure they did not aid evil or endanger disciples with unknown risks.
As news of the Seven Halls spread, many guests and pilgrims discussed it, sighing in admiration that the Clear Sky Sect was truly rising.
"The division of these Seven Halls is rather reasonable. As the number of disciples increases, decentralizing power is indeed necessary to avoid trouble," Zhu Yan softly praised.
Across from her, Su Xiling smiled.
"Miss, since we’ve stayed here for so many years, why don’t you join the Clear Sky Sect as well?"
A gentle smile appeared in Zhu Yan’s eyes.
"The Clear Sky Sect defeated the Demonic Cult and saved the common folk — indeed, it’s worthy of my joining. But it wouldn’t be proper for us to request entry directly. Whether they accept us or not, such a gesture might appear shameless. Let’s do this — go down the mountain and bring my books and martial arts back here. I’ll gift them all to the Clear Sky Sect. You may also spread word that Zhu Yan intends to become their disciple."
Su Xiling was astonished — she hadn’t expected her mistress to go this far.
This was equivalent to bestowing her own reputation upon the Clear Sky Sect.
She didn’t object; she thought it was for the best — after all, Zhu Yan had long grown weary of worldly struggles for fame and fortune.
After chatting for a while, Su Xiling returned to her room to pack.
That winter’s cold did not hinder the Clear Sky Sect’s growth.
By year’s end, the number of disciples surpassed four hundred and fifty, and the momentum of development became unstoppable.
With more people, the New Year naturally became livelier.
——
After Su Xiling returned, she and Zhu Yan approached Li Qingqiu, expressing their wish to join the Clear Sky Sect and offering their treasured books.
Li Qingqiu naturally did not refuse.
New disciples were to train in martial arts and also study literature.
Several tutors had already been invited up the mountain, but they were still not enough.
As a scholar of renown, Zhu Yan’s arrival would surely attract many more literati.
And books — no one ever complained of having too many.
In the Great Li Dynasty, good books were worth their weight in gold; many noble families stood strong solely through their literary heritage.
In this world, eighty percent of the populace had never studied nor recognized a single character.
Reading enlightened the mind and expanded comprehension — Li Qingqiu wanted his disciples to possess creativity.
As a respected scholar who had lived at the Clear Sky Sect for years, offering so many books and martial manuals upon entry and even bringing with her a Martial Realm expert, Zhu Yan was someone Li Qingqiu greatly valued.
Thus, Li Qingqiu immediately made the decision, appointing Zhu Yan as the Vice Hall Master of the Heavenly Works Hall.
It was fitting, as Zhang Yuchun was already overburdened managing two halls.
That very day, Li Qingqiu ordered Zhang Yuchun to announce the matter.
The disciples felt indifferent, but the pilgrims were astonished.
To become a renowned scholar, one needed not only talent but also noble lineage — and the Zhu Family was a household name throughout the land.
Their support of the Clear Sky Sect would ease the concerns of other families, prompting them to invest as well.
Though Li Qingqiu had set generous stipends for the Seven Halls, that money was trivial for the sect.
Too many now wished to offer wealth to the Clear Sky Sect.
After the New Year festivities, the sect welcomed an auspicious event.
Officials from the Imperial Capital of Zhenyang arrived.
Before countless disciples and pilgrims on the mountain, they read out an imperial decree: The Emperor had learned of the Clear Sky Sect’s deeds and bestowed upon them the title of Number One Sect in Guzhou, along with ten thousand taels of gold.
Not only that, the officials brought a plaque inscribed with “Number One Sect in Guzhou.” According to them, the writing came personally from His Majesty’s hand.
At these words and the sight of the plaque, the crowd erupted in excitement.
Zhang Yuchun, responsible for receiving the officials, immediately bowed low to thank the Emperor’s grace.
Even though he despised the Emperor inwardly, he maintained proper decorum before the masses — he could not risk bringing trouble upon the sect.
"I am Guo Ziyan of the Forbidden Martial Guards. I have trained in martial arts since the age of three — thirty years in total. I’ve heard that the Clear Sky Sect Master’s skills are unparalleled, and I wish to spar. A friendly match, nothing more. I merely wish to see whether Zhongtian’s martial world or Guzhou’s martial world is stronger。"
A man clad in purple brocade suddenly stepped forward, speaking loudly enough for the hundreds present to hear every word clearly.
Zhang Yuchun had already noticed him — the depth of this man’s power was impossible to ignore.
As expected, the man stepped forth at last.
His words stirred a commotion among the crowd — to challenge the Sect Master right after the imperial commendation? What did this mean?
Most had never heard of the Forbidden Martial Guards, but judging by the name, it seemed to be an elite unit directly under the Emperor’s command.
Guo Ziyan swept his gaze over the crowd, frowned, and asked:
"Where is Li Qingqiu?"