After becoming Li Qingqiu's disciple, Ji Ya's talent soon began to shine. He often sparred with others on the Discussion Platform, and with his vast reservoir of vital energy, he won every single match. Each victory reinforced his worthiness as the Sect Master's personal disciple.
This made the rest of Qingxiao Sect's disciples admire their Sect Master's foresight even more. Anyone chosen by the Sect Master truly turned out to be a rare genius among thousands.
In the blink of an eye, half a month passed.
Snow grew heavier by the day, blanketing Qingxiao Mountain in white. Li Qingqiu walked up the mountain path, his mood particularly good.
After this period of cultivation, he had gained a deeper understanding of the Hundred-Refined Demon Body. It didn't merely increase one's vital energy—it also allowed one to conceal their aura, suppress their cultivation level, and transform spiritual energy into vital energy several times faster than ordinary cultivators.
However, he also discovered that the Hundred-Refined Demon Body did not enhance comprehension.
This realization made him think that even without the Demon Body, Ji Ya himself was already a double-excellent genius in both cultivation aptitude and comprehension. Perhaps it was precisely because his natural talent was so high that he was able to survive and complete the Demon Body transformation.
With those thoughts in mind, Li Qingqiu continued up the mountain.
As he reached the stone-paved path leading to the upper slopes, he encountered more and more people—disciples, pilgrims, and farmers from the foothills carrying vegetables and fruits. Although Qingxiao Sect had its own farmlands, the increasing number of residents on the mountain had stretched food supplies thin.
Thus, Zhang Yuchun had begun negotiating with local farmers below to establish trade relations, purchasing extra produce and livestock.
Of course, Zhang Yuchun had another motive—he wanted to foster closer ties with the nearby villagers, laying the groundwork for building a future town under Qingxiao Sect's protection.
Since the Battle of Guzhou Prefecture, Qingxiao Sect's fame had grown immensely. More visitors came up the mountain each day, and some had begun offering payment in exchange for disciples' help in various tasks.
Today, Li Qingqiu planned to discuss this new matter with his fellow elders and direct disciples.
After about half an hour, he arrived at Lingxiao Courtyard. Zhang Yuchun, Jiang Zhaoxia, Li Dongyue, Li Sifeng, Li Sijin, Yang Jueding, and Zhang Yu were already waiting.
Through the memories he had obtained from Wei Daozhang, Li Qingqiu had confirmed that the Great Li Dynasty harbored no other immortal sects. After that, he had Jiang Zhaoxia withdraw from the spirit mine and left True Disciples to oversee it instead. Among them was his own disciple, Qin Ye.
After losing to Ji Ya, Qin Ye had been deeply shaken, so this assignment was the perfect chance for him to temper his mind and refine his cultivation.
When Li Qingqiu entered, everyone rose respectfully.
"Sit," he said with a faint smile as he took his seat between Zhang Yuchun and Li Dongyue.
What they were about to decide would determine the long-term structure of Qingxiao Sect—a task that could no longer be delayed, or the organization would soon become chaotic.
Once they were seated, Li Qingqiu asked each person to share their views. Though Zhang Yu wasn't part of the Sect's upper leadership, he had been invited to this meeting to record their decisions and polish the written framework into an official document.
They had already debated the matter many times before—this meeting was to finalize it.
After half an hour of discussion, Li Qingqiu made the final decision: the Sect would henceforth be divided into seven halls.
1. Spirit Management Hall (Yuling Hall) — Responsible for maintaining disciple records, personnel transfers, and registration matters. Hall Master: Zhang Yuchun.
2. Law Enforcement Hall (Zhifa Hall) — Oversees the Sect's laws and ensures proper conduct among all disciples. Hall Master: Xu Ning.
3. Cultivation Hall (Xiuxing Hall) — Manages all martial and cultivation resources, supervises the Scripture Repository, and in time, will oversee spirit plants. Hall Master: Li Sijin.
4. Training Hall (Lilian Hall) — Handles task assignments and field missions. Hall Master: Li Sifeng.
5. Heavenly Works Hall (Tiangong Hall) — In charge of forging weapons, construction projects, formations, and alchemy. For now, Hall Master: Zhang Yuchun (acting), until a suitable specialist is found.
6. Broad Relations Hall (Guangyuan Hall) — Responsible for diplomacy, internal events, and competitions. It will also revise disciple evaluations and ranking systems. Hall Master: Yang Jueding.
7. Spiritual Treasury Hall (Lingcai Hall) — Manages the Sect's finances, including spirit stones, blessed land allocations, and treasury records. Hall Master: Li Dongyue.
Each hall would have 1 Deputy Hall Master, 2 Elders, and up to 15 disciples.
Monthly stipends were established as follows:
Disciples: 5 to 10 guan per month.
Elders: 50 to 70 guan per month.
Hall Masters and Deputies: 100 to 200 guan per month.
(1 guan = 1,000 copper coins; in this era, 10 copper coins could buy a full dou of rice.)
This pay was already more generous than that of many government officials—enough to greatly inspire the disciples.
Li Qingqiu was also considering a contribution system. Eventually, when Qingxiao Sect broke free from worldly constraints, silver and copper would lose all meaning. Spirit stones would become the true currency of the Sect.
But that was a plan for the future. For now, setting the foundation was enough.
Once the structure was decided, Zhang Yu wrote it into record, and Zhang Yuchun reviewed it before posting an official notice the next morning. It announced the establishment of the Seven Halls and explained that detailed rulebooks would soon be issued for each hall so that disciples could study them at any time.
Though the halls wouldn't be fully staffed right away, the announcement alone sent a wave of excitement throughout Qingxiao Sect.
Many disciples didn't even realize they were walking the path of cultivation. To them, training at the Sect wasn't about attaining immortality—it was about learning martial skills, earning a livelihood, and caring for their families.
Now that they could earn regular pay while training on the mountain, they were ecstatic.
Even if they didn't need that much money for themselves, they could take it home to support their parents.
The introduction of monthly stipends boosted morale across the entire Sect. For many, staying on Qingxiao Mountain now seemed far more promising than ever going down again.
Furthermore, disciples could receive additional payment for past contributions. They simply needed to apply at the Spirit Management Hall for a Contribution Certificate and then present it to the Spiritual Treasury Hall to collect their rewards.
From that moment on, Qingxiao Sect's wealth began to circulate actively. Though it seemed like they were spending more, the disciples' enthusiasm grew tremendously, and their efforts in turn brought greater prosperity to the Sect.
The Training Hall was the first division opened to outsiders. Many people came wanting to hire Qingxiao Sect disciples for various tasks. However, not all requests were accepted. The disciples of the Training Hall had to carefully screen every commission—no tasks that could empower evildoers or send disciples into unknown dangers were ever approved.
As word of the Seven Halls spread, discussions filled every guest courtyard on the mountain. Many people sighed with admiration, realizing that Qingxiao Sect was truly rising.
"This division of the Seven Halls is quite reasonable," Zhu Yan said softly. "As the number of disciples grows, power must be distributed properly. Otherwise, it's easy for problems to arise."
Across from her, Su Xiling smiled faintly. "My lady, we've lived here for so many years. Why not simply join Qingxiao Sect yourself?"
Zhu Yan's eyes curved in amusement. "Qingxiao Sect defeated the Demonic Sect and saved countless civilians. They're certainly worthy of my allegiance. But we can't just walk up and declare we want to join—that would seem shameless. Whether they'd even accept us is uncertain. How about this: you make a trip down the mountain, bring back my books and martial manuals, and we'll gift them all to Qingxiao Sect. You may also spread the word that I, Zhu Yan, intend to formally join them."
Su Xiling was stunned. She hadn't expected her lady to take such a bold step. That gesture was equal to giving her own reputation to Qingxiao Sect as a gift.
She didn't object, though. In truth, she found it a good decision—her lady had long since grown weary of worldly fame and competition.
After a bit more conversation, Su Xiling returned to her room to pack her belongings for the trip.
…
That year's cold winter did nothing to slow Qingxiao Sect's growth.
By the end of the year, the number of disciples had surpassed 450, and the Sect's momentum was unstoppable.
With more people came livelier celebrations. When the New Year approached, Qingxiao Mountain was filled with joy and bustling energy.
After Su Xiling returned, she and Zhu Yan went together to meet Li Qingqiu. They expressed their wish to join Qingxiao Sect and presented him with Zhu Yan's collection of rare books.
Li Qingqiu naturally agreed. New disciples of Qingxiao Sect were required not only to practice martial arts but also to study literature. Although several scholars had already been invited to teach on the mountain, they were still far from enough.
Zhu Yan was a renowned scholar. Her joining the Sect would undoubtedly attract many learned individuals, and books were treasures that could never be too plentiful. In the Great Li Dynasty, high-quality books were worth more than gold—entire aristocratic families had survived for centuries thanks to their vast libraries.
In this world, 80 percent of people could not read or write.
Reading nurtured wisdom and broadened understanding, and Li Qingqiu wanted his disciples to possess creativity and intelligence, not just strength.
As a famous scholar who had already lived on the mountain for years, Zhu Yan's gift of so many books and martial arts manuals—along with a personal guard who was an accomplished martial expert—made her an invaluable addition.
Li Qingqiu immediately appointed her as the Deputy Hall Master of the Heavenly Works Hall, to assist Zhang Yuchun, who was already overworked managing both Heavenly Works and Spirit Management Halls.
That same day, Li Qingqiu instructed Zhang Yuchun to spread the news throughout the Sect. The disciples accepted it calmly, but the pilgrims and guests on the mountain were astonished.
To become a renowned scholar required not only immense talent but also noble lineage. The Zhu family was among the most prestigious clans in the realm, and their public support of Qingxiao Sect would encourage other aristocratic families to follow suit.
Though Li Qingqiu had set high monthly stipends for the Seven Halls, that expenditure was trivial compared to the newfound influx of donations. Many wealthy patrons now wanted to give Qingxiao Sect their money.
After the New Year festival, Qingxiao Sect welcomed a tremendous event.
An imperial official arrived from Zhenyang Imperial City. Before hundreds of disciples and pilgrims gathered on the mountain, he unfolded an imperial decree.
By the Emperor's order, Qingxiao Sect was officially recognized as the Number One Sect of Guzhou, and rewarded with 10,000 taels of gold.
Not only that—the official brought with him a large plaque inscribed with the words "First Sect of Guzhou." According to the envoy, those very words had been written personally by His Majesty himself.
The moment the plaque was revealed, the crowd erupted in excitement.
Zhang Yuchun, who was responsible for hosting the imperial envoy, immediately bowed deeply. Though hatred for the Emperor still simmered in his heart, he could not show it here. Before the public, proper decorum had to be maintained—Qingxiao Sect could not afford unnecessary trouble.
Then, a tall man in purple brocade stepped forward, his voice loud and clear. "I am Guo Ziyan of the Martial Enforcement Guard. I began training at the age of three and have practiced martial arts for thirty years. I have heard that the Sect Master of Qingxiao Sect possesses peerless skill. I wish to exchange pointers—just a friendly match, nothing more. I merely want to see whether the martial world of Zhongtian is stronger or weaker than that of Guzhou."
Zhang Yuchun had noticed him from the start—the man's profound cultivation could not be ignored.
And indeed, as expected, he had stepped forward.
The moment those words left his mouth, an uproar swept through the crowd. To challenge Qingxiao Sect's Master right after the imperial recognition—what was his real intention?
Most of those present had never heard of the Martial Enforcement Guard, but from the name, it sounded like an elite corps serving directly under the Emperor.
Guo Ziyan's eyes scanned the assembly sharply. His brow furrowed. "Where is Li Qingqiu?"