Chapter 97: Rising Reputation, The Martial Tomb
There was a mysterious army infiltrating the borders of Guzhou — this was by no means a trivial matter.
To travel across the territories of every province, one must carry official travel documents.
Wanderers of the martial world could evade such inspections by trekking through wild mountains, but for an army of such magnitude, there was absolutely no way to avoid detection.
For this army to pass through every checkpoint, it must have been sanctioned by the imperial court.
Yet, since there was no news spreading, it could only mean this was a secret operation.
That very night, Li Qingqiu summoned all the Hall Masters to discuss the matter.
Jiang Zhaoxia’s injuries had fully healed, yet his defeat at the hands of Shen Yue dealt a heavy blow to his confidence.
He had been in seclusion lately, cultivating tirelessly in hopes of soon reaching the Seventh Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm.
“This matter must not be taken lightly,” Zhang Yuchun said gravely.
“If the Demonic Cult truly is the Emperor’s pawn, then we have already offended His Majesty. The Emperor and the Inspector-General both wish to deal with us, but they still need an excuse. After all, the court has once rewarded us. I just fear that the disappearance of the Emperor Mystic Sword might have driven them past the point of needing one.”
Li Sifeng, holding the Emperor Mystic Sword, snorted, “What’s there to fear? I’ll block a thousand men, Fifth Senior Brother will block another thousand, Third Senior Brother three thousand, and Senior Brother ten thousand — we’ll slaughter through their morale!”
Everyone couldn’t help but chuckle.
Li Dongyue glared at him and scolded, “Do you take army soldiers for chickens and dogs to be slaughtered at will? They’re trained year-round and wear armor.”
Jiang Zhaoxia interjected, “He may have a point. Should an army truly attack, we would only need to slay their commander amidst the ranks, and their forces would collapse in disarray.”
Yang Jueding nodded.
Without realizing it, his confidence had also grown — the Clear Sky Sect’s development had been astonishing.
The requirement to become a True Transmission Disciple was to reach the Second Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm, which was already beyond most first-rate martial experts.
A first-rate martial expert could easily take on a hundred soldiers; by that measure, the Clear Sky Sect indeed had little to fear from an ordinary army.
However, once the number of enemy troops exceeded a hundred thousand, the concept changed entirely.
Just facing such an army would be enough to crush one’s fighting spirit.
“I, however, do not believe this army is coming for us,” Zhu Yan said calmly.
“If they were, my family would have sent word beforehand. Not only mine — disciples from noble families within our sect would also be informed. This army likely has another mission.”
That remark made everyone pause in thought.
Indeed, the Clear Sky Sect was no longer a common organization.
They had connections with many noble clans and officials, even sharing vested interests.
If the imperial court truly intended to strike against the sect, there was no way they would remain completely uninformed.
Li Qingqiu said, “Regardless of their target, we must stay prepared. Add thirty more disciples to the Enforcement Hall.”
No one objected.
The Enforcement Hall disciples bore the heaviest workload, so adding more was perfectly reasonable.
Excluding service disciples, the Clear Sky Sect’s registered disciples had already surpassed one thousand — proof of its growing prestige, and this was merely the beginning.
“Next, consolidate the guest courtyards to ease the Enforcement Hall’s oversight,” Li Qingqiu continued, assigning the task to Zhang Yuchun.
Afterward, he brought up the matter of the Sword Sect Hall.
“The Sword Sect Hall will be under my direct command, with three Elders — tentatively Jiang Zhaoxia, Shen Yue, and one more to be chosen from among the True Transmission Disciples, someone of both qualification and capability.”
This proposal did not receive unanimous approval.
Yang Jueding frowned.
“Sect Master, would establishing a division within the sect not plant the seeds of division?”
Zhang Yuchun, Li Dongyue, and Li Sijin shared the same concern.
Li Sifeng, however, disagreed.
“I think it’s a good idea — checks and balances, mutual supervision.”
Li Qingqiu glanced at him in surprise, not expecting such foresight from him.
Zhu Yan added, “Indeed. Though the Seven Halls have clear duties, if the sect ever needs to avenge disciples or purge traitors, the Seven Halls would be constrained. The Sword Sect Hall could handle such sensitive matters, and its name itself marks it as distinct from the Seven Halls.”
Jiang Zhaoxia said, “With Senior Brother and I overseeing the Sword Sect Hall, nothing will go wrong.”
As a natural sword fanatic, he felt no aversion — only anticipation.
Though the Thirteen Sword Fiends had earned renown, it was not entirely to his liking, for those thirteen were not pure sword cultivators, Xue Jin included.
Seeing many agree, the hesitant Hall Masters could only acquiesce.
After another half hour of discussion, Li Qingqiu dismissed the meeting, asking Zhang Yuchun to stay behind.
When only the two remained, Li Qingqiu asked, “How has Chu Jing been lately?”
“Two days ago, he took on a task from the Training Hall and left the mountain,” Zhang Yuchun said with a frown.
“I’m worried he might be leaking secrets. Senior Brother, I think it’s better to expel or imprison him.”
Ever since discovering Chu Jing’s deception, Zhang Yuchun’s fondness for him had vanished, replaced by deep wariness.
Li Qingqiu replied, “Let’s see what happens when he returns. For now, we have nothing shameful enough to fear being exposed.”
Zhang Yuchun nodded.
They spoke no further and soon retired to their rooms.
——
The Enforcement Hall’s recruitment of thirty new disciples caused quite a stir within the Clear Sky Sect.
The Seven Halls’ disciples enjoyed better treatment than ordinary members — joining one was akin to securing an official post with real authority.
Naturally, competition was fierce.
Xu Ning was in seclusion cultivating, so Li Qingqiu personally appointed Chai Yunshang to oversee the selection.
The other Hall Masters and Elders tried to recommend their disciples, but Chai Yunshang rejected them all without exception, showing no trace of favoritism.
When Zhang Yuchun mentioned this to Li Qingqiu, he was both helpless and pleased.
His intention in sending disciples to the Enforcement Hall wasn’t to plant spies but to secure better opportunities for his own students.
As the Deputy Sect Master in all but name, this was the first time anyone had refused him outright.
Yet he was not angry — instead, he was delighted.
Once word spread of Chai Yunshang’s uncompromising nature, others would stop pestering him with pleas.
Li Qingqiu laughed proudly.
“Of course! My eyes see through all things. I knew she was perfect for the position of Enforcement Hall Master.”
What a talent for upholding justice!
Truly formidable!
To take charge of the Enforcement Hall for the first time and not fear offending others — admirable!
In high spirits, Li Qingqiu decided to reward Chai Yunshang with three Spirit Stones.
News of her rejecting recommendations spread quickly.
Her personally chosen disciples gained wider recognition, earning her a strong reputation within the sect.
Now, the Clear Sky Sect had over a thousand registered disciples; including service disciples, the number exceeded twelve hundred.
Within Guzhou’s martial world, such scale already ranked them among the great sects.
Where there were people, there was a martial world.
Conflicts arose within the Clear Sky Sect as well — some praised Chai Yunshang, others disliked her.
Disciples close to her were inevitably targeted by others.
Li Qingqiu did not intervene, believing Chai Yunshang could hold her own.
Once the sect exceeded ten thousand disciples, internal strife would only grow.
His personal involvement would only worsen matters.
What he needed was to mediate from a broader perspective — to ensure the sect’s healthy development.
As for the Sword Sect Hall, Li Qingqiu kept it secret for now, ordering the Heavenly Works Hall to construct its base atop Clear Sky Mountain, not far from the Profound Heart Hall — a precaution to prevent the Sword Sect Hall from straying from the sect in the future.
The Sword Sect Hall could never detach from the sect — that was the bottom line.
In selecting disciples for it, Li Qingqiu prioritized loyalty, especially toward himself.
As long as he lived, there would be no chaos — and no division within the Clear Sky Sect.
As summer turned to autumn, Zhang Yuchun discovered that some disciples had died.
A surviving disciple reported that five had descended the mountain together to complete a commission but were ambushed by mysterious martial experts — only he escaped.
Zhang Yuchun also found that several disciples had been missing for over four months.
Every disciple who descended the mountain had to register their departure.
If they did not return within the set time, the sect would launch an investigation — a safeguard for its members.
Each disciple was made aware of this policy before leaving.
Only now did Zhang Yuchun realize how necessary the Sword Sect Hall truly was.
Investigating a disciple’s death required more than one person.
The Seven Halls had no manpower to spare.
If the deaths were part of a greater plot, sending ordinary disciples would only alert the enemy.
He reported to Li Qingqiu, who then ordered the Thirteen Sword Fiends and the Seven Sons of Clear Sky to investigate.
Years had passed, and all seven had reached the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm.
Under Zhang Yuchun’s guidance and with abundant resources, even the weakest among them had attained the Second Layer, while Huang Shan had reached the Third Layer.
After dispatching the Thirteen Sword Fiends and the Seven Sons of Clear Sky, Li Qingqiu suddenly realized — he still lacked manpower.
Xu Ning, Zhao Zhen, Yuan Li, and Ji Ya needed to focus on cultivation; assigning them such missions would only waste their talent.
Still, Li Qingqiu wasn’t overly worried — each Hall Master was training their own trusted subordinates.
When needed, he could easily mobilize those cultivated elites.
The Seven Halls operated independently, each with its own authority — but the Sect Master’s will reigned supreme.
All Seven Halls existed to serve him!
Though news of disciples in danger spread, Li Qingqiu didn’t suppress it, allowing the others to grow more cautious during their journeys.
One evening, Deputy Hall Master Zhu Yan of the Heavenly Works Hall came to meet Li Qingqiu in private.
“I’ve learned the origin and purpose of that army,” she said softly.
“It’s a force from Zhongtian Province, carrying an imperial edict.
Every checkpoint allowed them through, and strict orders forbid anyone from discussing it.
One of my uncles works in the Ministry of Personnel — he heard the army was sent to seek a Martial Tomb.”
“Martial Tomb?” Li Qingqiu asked, puzzled.
Zhu Yan continued, “The Martial Tomb of the Martial Legend. Legend has it that he perished in Guzhou, leaving behind many underground palaces across the region to mislead the world. No one knows where the true tomb lies. It’s said that the servants who once attended him passed down their lineage, secretly guarding the Martial Tomb.”