Chapter 98: The Sect Master’s Direct Lineage
“Is the Martial Legend really that mysterious? To drive both the martial world and the imperial court into such madness?”
Li Qingqiu frowned as he spoke.
He began to wonder if this Martial Legend might actually have been an immortal cultivator.
The Supreme Sword Controlling Technique had been discovered by Yang Jueding in an underground palace left behind by the Martial Legend.
The technique was indeed a spell, but it was difficult to determine whether the Martial Legend had inherited it from a cultivator or if he himself had been one.
Zhu Yan shook her head.
“I’m not sure either. But you’ve witnessed Shen Yue’s martial prowess—he’s arguably the greatest under heaven—yet no one calls him the Martial Legend.”
“Then do you know why the Emperor seeks the Martial Tomb? Is it for martial arts, or something else?” Li Qingqiu pressed.
Zhu Yan hesitated for a moment before replying.
“You should’ve seen Zhao Linglong, who serves beside Li Yang. She’s so powerful because she cultivates the Mystic Yin Art of the Li Yin Sect. Practitioners of this art can transfer their inner energy to others, and if they die without doing so, the energy condenses into an inner core within the dantian. The Martial Legend holds such a lofty status because the Three Founding Sects of the Great Dynasty once shared his martial inheritance, which included the Mystic Yin Art. This means he must have cultivated it himself, and his energy may have already formed a core.”
“To obtain that core would be to become the next Martial Legend. Even the Emperor himself would find such temptation hard to resist.”
“The Great Li Dynasty values martial power above all. Princes and nobles alike practice martial arts, and even the Son of Heaven trains to the point of obsession.
When the martial path could no longer satisfy him, he turned his gaze toward the immortal path.”
She raised her eyes toward Li Qingqiu, speaking earnestly.
“If I could learn of this, then the other noble families surely can as well. The Martial Tomb will cause a great upheaval—sects across the land will fight for it. Many martial sects are but the blades of the great families, and those families are greedy enough to contend with the Emperor himself. The Clear Sky Sect must not get involved.”
The reason she hesitated earlier was that she feared Li Qingqiu might be tempted.
Li Qingqiu smiled and shook his head.
“That Martial Legend may not necessarily be stronger than me. I trust the strength I’ve cultivated with my own hands.”
Zhu Yan did not argue, for she also believed Li Qingqiu was not necessarily inferior.
But those who practiced martial arts never disliked gaining more power—who would refuse the chance to instantly obtain the Martial Legend’s cultivation?
“How far is the Martial Tomb from the Clear Sky Sect?”
“Seven or eight hundred li. We only need to guard against anyone fleeing this way.”
“Good. Your information is valuable. I’ll remember your contribution.”
“It’s what I should do.”
After speaking, Zhu Yan rose, bowed toward Li Qingqiu, and departed.
Once the door closed, Li Qingqiu tapped his fingers on the wooden table, pondering whether he should transfer some of his power to Zhu Yan.
Her loyalty was already quite high—both to the Sect Master and to the sect—exceeding eighty-five.
But as a daughter of a noble family, her heart could never entirely abandon her clan.
After a moment’s thought, Li Qingqiu felt he was worrying too much.
Many disciples of the sect already came from noble families; Zhao Zhen was even the biological son of the Crown Prince.
In such a world, it was impossible to completely prevent the influence of great families.
Noble families were double-edged swords—it depended on how he wielded them.
He did not walk the path of a martial hegemon, but the path toward immortality.
He should not act timidly.
Once the Sword Sect Hall was established, if anyone dared to leak the Primordial Unity Scripture, it would give the Sword Sect Hall disciples a proper matter to handle.
After the Martial Tomb affair settled, if the Clear Sky Sect remained unscathed, he planned to guide Zhu Yan and Su Xiling onto the path of cultivation.
……
The matter of the Martial Tomb had not yet spread, and the Clear Sky Sect continued its orderly growth.
As disciples increased, the sect’s capabilities grew as well.
All Seven Halls were operating at full capacity; none were idle.
Though some disciples perished during their training journeys, the sect imposed no travel restrictions.
Every disciple, before accepting missions at the Training Hall, was informed of the risks—whether they dared face potential attacks from unknown forces.
This warning reduced the number of disciples venturing out, yet many confident ones still descended the mountain to train, eager to make their names renowned across the martial world like Jiang Zhaoxia, Xu Ning, and Xue Jin, bringing glory to the Clear Sky Sect.
Autumn deepened.
A month quickly passed.
That day, Xu Ning broke through to the Seventh Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm ahead of Jiang Zhaoxia.
She immediately reported the news to Li Qingqiu, asking about Jiang Zhaoxia’s progress.
Learning that he had yet to reach the Seventh Layer, she smiled—but the smile quickly faded.
Li Qingqiu found her reaction amusing.
Not only did Xu Ning care about Jiang Zhaoxia’s progress, but Jiang Zhaoxia also occasionally inquired about hers.
Xu Ning’s breakthrough was a tremendous event—it meant the Clear Sky Sect now had another Number One Under Heaven–level figure.
Li Qingqiu praised her for a long while, and after she left, Zhang Yuchun entered the courtyard to find him.
Being Sect Master came with this inconvenience—he had to allocate time daily for sect affairs, unable to seclude himself in cultivation like Xu Ning or Jiang Zhaoxia.
“Something big happened at Black Wolf Ridge. Many people died—imperial soldiers and martial world figures alike. It turns out that army really was after the Martial Tomb,” Zhang Yuchun said, sighing as he approached Li Qingqiu.
Black Wolf Ridge lay north of Guzhou, named for the many black wolves that roamed its mountains.
Hunters rarely went there, as legends told of wandering spirits haunting those woods.
Li Qingqiu had heard Lin Xunfeng speak of it in his childhood.
“Who obtained the prize?”
Li Qingqiu asked while writing a secret manual—his insights into soul-related spells.
He intended to compile a foundational spell for disciples who wished to study the way of the soul.
As an immortal cultivator, how could he not distinguish spirits and ghosts?
Of course, even if he finished it, he wouldn’t place it freely in the Scripture Repository—learning it would require both sufficient contribution and loyalty.
Zhang Yuchun replied, “It seems the imperial army succeeded.
They’ve already withdrawn from Guzhou.
Had they failed, they’d still be pursuing the matter.”
Li Qingqiu nodded in agreement.
“Keep your people watching. Don’t relax your vigilance.”
Zhang Yuchun nodded and soon departed, visibly in good spirits.
He was well-suited to administration but unfit to be a sect master.
When faced with powers greater than himself, he tended to avoid confrontation.
Though he hadn’t said it outright, Li Qingqiu could sense his fear of opposing the imperial army.
Yet Li Qingqiu was not disappointed—everyone had flaws.
As Sect Master, his duty was to assign the right people to the right roles.
The burdens facing the Clear Sky Sect were his alone to bear.
Li Qingqiu resumed writing.
But before long, he sensed an incredibly sharp sword intent.
The Sword God, Shen Yue!
He also felt another aura—that of Xu Ning.
“This girl…”
Li Qingqiu shook his head with a smile.
A strong sense of rivalry was both a virtue and a flaw.
He did not rise to intervene; he trusted that the two would stop before things went too far.
……
Late at night, within the Spirit Mine.
Jiang Zhaoxia was meditating in a stone chamber, the flickering candlelight stretching his shadow across the wall.
A young boy hurried in and bowed deeply.
He looked thirteen or fourteen, with refined features and a slender frame.
He was Jiang Zhaoxia’s disciple, named Han Lang, gifted in both talent and comprehension—a rare genius.
It was under Li Qingqiu’s guidance that he came to apprentice under Jiang Zhaoxia.
After the Thirteen Sword Fiends became famous, Jiang Zhaoxia had approached Li Qingqiu, expressing a desire to train disciples.
Thus, Li Qingqiu had recommended Han Lang, who was not outstanding at the time.
Han Lang’s thin frame made him easily overlooked among his peers.
“Master, today Senior Sister Xu Ning challenged Senior Shen Yue, the Sword God,” Han Lang said softly.
After speaking, he lifted his gaze cautiously toward his master.
Jiang Zhaoxia opened his eyes, startling Han Lang into quickly lowering his head.
“What was the result?” Jiang Zhaoxia asked.
“They were evenly matched. The Sword God praised Senior Sister Xu Ning as the most gifted person he had ever seen and said her future achievements would surely surpass his. Senior Sister Xu Ning, in turn, exclaimed that he was truly worthy of being called the God of Swords.”
Jiang Zhaoxia frowned deeply.
“She must have reached the Seventh Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm,” he murmured.
Seventh Layer?
Han Lang’s scalp tingled.
He himself was only at the Second Layer and could not yet see hope for the Third.
He had heard that Xu Ning was merely two years older than him.
Even given two more years, he doubted he could reach the Fourth Layer.
The Seventh was beyond imagination.
Seeing his expression, Jiang Zhaoxia sighed.
Han Lang’s aptitude and comprehension were good, but compared with Xu Ning, Zhao Zhen, or Ji Ya, he could not even be mentioned in the same breath.
Besides comparing himself to Xu Ning in cultivation, Jiang Zhaoxia also wanted to compare disciples with Li Qingqiu.
He suddenly realized he shouldn’t harbor such thoughts.
“In the future, the Sect Master will establish the Sword Sect Hall, and I will serve as its elder. You’ll accompany me there. From this day onward, aside from sword techniques, you are not to practice any other external arts. Understood?” Jiang Zhaoxia said sternly.
Han Lang nodded.
“Don’t worry, Master. I’ve always liked using the sword.”
Jiang Zhaoxia closed his eyes and resumed cultivation.
Han Lang did not disturb him further.
He bowed and withdrew.
Passing through winding tunnels, he reached another chamber near the exit, where another disciple was cultivating.
It was Bai Ning’er.
Opening his eyes, Bai Ning’er looked at him and asked softly, “Well? Your master didn’t get angry, did he?”
Han Lang sat opposite him and glared.
“My master wouldn’t get angry—he’d only be happy for Senior Sister Xu Ning.”
“Really?”
Bai Ning’er’s tone dripped with disbelief.
Han Lang ignored him, for truthfully, he hadn’t seen his master smile.
“By the way,” Han Lang said, looking at Bai Ning’er, “my master said the sect will soon establish a Sword Sect Hall. Are you going? If you want, I can speak for you.”
Bai Ning’er immediately shook his head.
“Please, I’m under the Sect Master’s faction. Why would I go to the Sword Sect Hall? I’m part of the Sect Master’s direct lineage!”
“Yeah, right. The Sect Master hasn’t even summoned you.”
“But I get to stay here all the time! I’ve even taken part in major missions. Can you say the same?” Bai Ning’er grinned smugly.
Han Lang was at a loss for words.
Though he was Jiang Zhaoxia’s disciple, he couldn’t remain in the Spirit Mine indefinitely.
He couldn’t quite figure out what made Bai Ning’er so favored by the Sect Master.
Could it be that Bai Ning’er relied on that pleasant, likable smile?