"Is the Martial Legend really that mystical? Enough to drive both the martial world and the imperial court into madness?"
Li Qingqiu frowned as he asked, suspicion flickering in his eyes. Could this so-called Martial Legend have been a cultivator?
After all, the Supreme Sword Defense Technique had been found by Yang Jueding in one of the underground palaces said to be left behind by the Martial Legend. That sword art was clearly not mere martial skill—it was a spell. Yet, it was hard to determine whether the Martial Legend had inherited it from a cultivator or had been one himself.
Zhu Yan shook her head. "I don't know either. But you've seen Shen Yue's martial skill. He's undoubtedly the strongest in the world, yet no one calls him the Martial Legend."
Li Qingqiu thought for a moment. "Do you know why the emperor seeks the Martial Tomb? Is it for martial arts, or something else?"
Zhu Yan hesitated briefly before answering, "You've met Zhao Linglong, the one by Li Yang's side. Her strength comes from cultivating the Mystic Yin Art of the Li Yin Sect. Practitioners of that art can transfer their inner qi to another. If they die before doing so, their qi condenses in their dantian into an inner core."
She paused, lowering her voice. "The Martial Legend gained his fame because the Three Founding Sects of the Great Li Dynasty once divided up his legacy. Among them was that very same Mystic Yin Art. In other words, the Martial Legend himself had cultivated it—and his qi likely condensed into an inner core when he died."
"Whoever obtains that core can become the next Martial Legend. Even the reigning emperor couldn't resist such temptation."
"The Great Li Dynasty reveres martial strength. Nobles and princes alike practice martial arts—and even the Son of Heaven is a martial fanatic. When the martial path could no longer satisfy him, he began pursuing the immortal path instead."
She lifted her gaze to meet Li Qingqiu's. "If I can learn this much, then the great families surely can too. That tomb will cause chaos across the land. Every major sect will fight over it. Many sects are but the blades of those noble families, and they're greedy enough to fight the emperor himself for treasure. We must not get involved."
She had hesitated earlier for fear Li Qingqiu might be tempted.
Li Qingqiu chuckled softly and shook his head. "That Martial Legend may not be stronger than I am. I trust in the power I've cultivated myself."
Zhu Yan didn't argue. She too believed Li Qingqiu might well surpass the Martial Legend. But among martial artists, no one ever refused greater power—if one could gain the Martial Legend's strength instantly, who would turn it down?
"How far is the Martial Tomb from Qingxiao Sect?" he asked.
"Roughly seven to eight hundred li. We just need to guard against anyone fleeing this way."
"Good," Li Qingqiu said, nodding. "Your information is valuable. I'll remember your contribution."
"I only did what I should," Zhu Yan replied. She rose, bowed respectfully, and left.
After she closed the door behind her, Li Qingqiu tapped his fingers lightly on the table, lost in thought. Should he pass on some of his cultivation to Zhu Yan?
Her loyalty was already high—both aspects of it had surpassed 85. Yet as a daughter of a noble clan, her heart could never fully detach from her family.
Then again, perhaps he was overthinking it.
Many of the sect's disciples now came from noble houses. Zhao Zhen, after all, was the Crown Prince's own son. In such an age, there was no avoiding noble infiltration.
The great families were a double-edged sword—it all depended on how he wielded them.
He was not walking the path of a martial hegemon, but that of immortal longevity. He couldn't afford to act timidly.
Once the Sword Sect was established, if someone dared to leak the Supreme Purity and Primordial Harmony Sutra, that would simply give the Sword Sect its first real mission.
After the Martial Tomb incident settled, if Qingxiao Sect remained untouched, he planned to guide both Zhu Yan and Su Xiling onto the path of cultivation.
…
The matter of the Martial Tomb had not yet spread. Qingxiao Sect continued to develop in an orderly manner.
As the number of disciples grew, so did the sect's capabilities. All Seven Halls were now running at full force—none sat idle.
Though a few disciples had died during their travels, Qingxiao Sect did not restrict their movements. However, every disciple who took a mission from the Training Hall was warned of the danger and told to carefully consider whether they were ready to face the risk of being attacked by unknown forces.
These warnings did reduce the number of disciples venturing down the mountain, but there were still plenty who brimmed with confidence, eager to shine like Jiang Zhaoxia, Xu Ning, or Xue Jin, and bring honor to Qingxiao Sect.
Autumn deepened.
A month passed in a flash.
That day, Xu Ning broke through to the seventh layer of the Nurturing Essence Realm, ahead of Jiang Zhaoxia.
She immediately came to inform Li Qingqiu, asking about Jiang Zhaoxia's progress. Upon learning he hadn't reached the seventh layer yet, a smile appeared on her face—but quickly vanished, replaced by composure.
Li Qingqiu couldn't help but find it amusing. It wasn't only Xu Ning who cared about Jiang Zhaoxia—he too often asked about her progress.
Xu Ning's breakthrough was a huge blessing for the sect. Qingxiao Sect now had one more warrior standing at the level of "first under heaven."
Li Qingqiu praised her sincerely for quite a while before she departed.
Shortly after, Zhang Yuchun arrived.
That was one downside of being Sect Master—he had to divide his time daily to handle countless affairs, unlike Xu Ning and Jiang Zhaoxia, who could freely focus on cultivation.
"Big news from Black Wolf Ridge," Zhang Yuchun reported as he approached. "They say many people have died—imperial soldiers, martial artists alike. That army really was there for the Martial Tomb."
Black Wolf Ridge lay in the northern reaches of Guzhou, a wild range where packs of black wolves roamed, giving it its name. Hunters rarely dared venture there.
When Li Qingqiu was young, Lin Xunfeng had once told him legends of Black Wolf Ridge—that it was haunted by wandering souls.
"Who got their hands on it?" Li Qingqiu asked, continuing to write as he spoke.
He was penning his reflections on soul-based techniques, hoping to create a foundational manual for disciples to study the Way of the Spirit.
As a cultivator, how could one possibly fail to discern ghosts or spirits? Of course, even if Li Qingqiu succeeded in completing the manual, he wouldn't allow it to be freely read in the Scripture Repository Pavilion. Only those with sufficient contribution and loyalty would be qualified to learn it.
Zhang Yuchun replied, "It should be the imperial army that succeeded. That force has already withdrawn from Guzhou. If they had failed, they'd still be pursuing the matter."
Li Qingqiu found that reasonable and nodded. "Keep your men investigating. Don't get careless."
Zhang Yuchun acknowledged the order and soon took his leave.
From the look on his face, Li Qingqiu could tell he was in a good mood.
Zhang Yuchun was a born administrator, but not fit to be a Sect Master. Whenever he faced an overwhelming power, he tended to yield instead of fight. Though he hadn't said it outright, Li Qingqiu could sense his fear of opposing the imperial army.
Still, he wasn't disappointed in him. Everyone had flaws. As Sect Master, Li Qingqiu's duty was to put every person in the position best suited for them. Whatever pressure the sect faced—he would bear it alone.
He returned to his writing.
Not long after, he suddenly felt an incredibly sharp surge of sword intent.
Sword God Shen Yue.
Alongside it came another powerful aura—Xu Ning's.
"This girl…"
Li Qingqiu chuckled and shook his head. Competitiveness was both a strength and a flaw. He didn't go to intervene; he trusted that the two of them would stop before things got out of hand.
…
Late at night, deep within the spirit ore mines.
Jiang Zhaoxia sat cross-legged inside a stone chamber, cultivating. The flickering candlelight stretched his shadow across the walls, swaying with the dim glow.
A young boy hurried in and bowed respectfully.
He was only about thirteen or fourteen, with delicate features and a slender build. His name was Han Lang, Jiang Zhaoxia's disciple. His Cultivation Aptitude and Comprehension were both fair, making him a rare talent among new disciples.
It was Li Qingqiu who had directed Jiang Zhaoxia to take him in.
After the Thirteen Swords of Qingxiao's Might rose to fame, Jiang Zhaoxia had come to Li Qingqiu personally, saying he wanted to train his own disciple. Li Qingqiu then recommended Han Lang, who at that time was a quiet, easily overlooked boy during martial training.
"Master," Han Lang said softly, "today Senior Sister Xu Ning challenged Sword God Shen Yue."
After speaking, he glanced nervously up at his master.
Jiang Zhaoxia opened his eyes, and the boy immediately lowered his head, not daring to meet his gaze.
"What was the result?" Jiang Zhaoxia asked calmly.
"It was a draw," Han Lang answered quickly. "The Sword God praised Senior Sister Xu Ning as the most gifted person he's ever seen, saying her future achievements will surpass his own. Senior Sister Xu Ning, in turn, said that he truly lives up to his title as the God of the Sword."
Jiang Zhaoxia's brows furrowed slightly.
"She must have reached the seventh layer of the Nurturing Essence Realm," he murmured to himself.
"Seventh layer?" Han Lang's scalp tingled.
He was only at the second layer himself and couldn't yet see hope of advancing to the third. Xu Ning was only two years older than him, yet her cultivation was already at such an astonishing level.
Even if he had two more years, he doubted he could reach the fourth layer, let alone the seventh.
Seeing his expression, Jiang Zhaoxia sighed softly.
Han Lang's aptitude and comprehension were indeed good, but compared to Xu Ning, Zhao Zhen, or Ji Ya, he was far behind.
Besides, Jiang Zhaoxia didn't just want to compare his own cultivation with Xu Ning's—he also wanted to compare the achievements of their disciples.
That thought made him sigh inwardly. Perhaps he shouldn't harbor such rivalry.
"The Sect Master will soon establish the Sword Sect," Jiang Zhaoxia said, his tone suddenly stern. "When that happens, I'll serve as one of its elders. You'll come with me. From now on, aside from sword techniques, you are forbidden to practice any other external martial arts. Do you understand?"
Han Lang nodded firmly. "Don't worry, Master. I like using the sword best anyway."
Jiang Zhaoxia closed his eyes again and resumed cultivation.
Han Lang didn't disturb him further. He bowed and quietly withdrew.
Walking through the winding tunnels, he reached another chamber near the exit, where another disciple was training.
It was Bai Ning'er.
When Bai Ning'er opened his eyes and saw Han Lang, he asked in a low voice, "Well? Your master didn't get angry, right?"
Han Lang sat cross-legged across from him, giving him an annoyed glare. "How could my master get angry? He'd only be happy for Senior Sister Xu Ning."
"Really?" Bai Ning'er raised a doubtful brow.
Han Lang didn't bother replying. Truthfully, he hadn't seen his master smile at all.
After a moment, Han Lang asked, "By the way, my master said the sect will form a Sword Sect soon. Are you going to join? If you want, I can speak for you."
Bai Ning'er quickly shook his head. "Please. I'm one of the Sect Master's people. Why would I join the Sword Sect? I'm part of the Sect Master's direct lineage!"
"Yeah right," Han Lang scoffed. "The Sect Master's lineage? He's never even summoned you."
"But I've been allowed to stay here all this time, haven't I? I even took part in major missions. Can you say the same?"
Bai Ning'er grinned smugly, making Han Lang speechless.
Though he was Jiang Zhaoxia's disciple, he couldn't stay in the spiritual mines permanently. Yet, he couldn't understand what made Bai Ning'er so valued by the Sect Master.
Could it really be because of that easygoing smile that made everyone like him?