A mysterious army entering Guzhou's borders was no small matter.
To pass through every province, an official travel pass was required. Wanderers of the martial world could bypass checkpoints through mountains and wilderness, but an army—tens of thousands strong—could never move unnoticed.
For such a large force to cross multiple borders, it had to be sanctioned by the imperial court. Yet, there was no public announcement, which could only mean this was a covert military operation.
That very night, Li Qingqiu gathered the Hall Masters to discuss the matter.
Jiang Zhaoxia had already recovered from his injuries. However, losing to Shen Yue had struck him deeply, and he had since locked himself in seclusion, determined to reach the seventh layer of the Nurturing Essence Realm as soon as possible.
Zhang Yuchun spoke in a grave tone, "This isn't something we can afford to take lightly. If the Demonic Sect really is part of the emperor's plan, then we've already offended the throne. Both the emperor and the provincial governor have reasons to move against us—but they'll need a pretext. After all, we were once commended by the court. I'm worried that the matter of the Emperor Xuan Sword might push them past the point of needing excuses."
Li Sifeng hugged the Emperor Xuan Sword to his chest and snorted. "What's there to be afraid of? I can hold off 1,000 men, Fifth Senior Brother can take 1,000, Third Senior Brother can block 3,000, and Senior Brother can take 10,000! We'll just crush their morale!"
Everyone laughed, though Li Dongyue rolled her eyes at him. "Do you think soldiers are chickens and dogs to be slaughtered at will? They train year-round, and they wear armor."
Jiang Zhaoxia, however, said seriously, "He's not entirely wrong. If a large army truly comes for us, all we need to do is strike at their commanders amid the ranks. Once the generals fall, the troops will crumble."
Yang Jueding nodded. Unconsciously, even he felt more confident now. The Qingxiao Sect's growth was truly astonishing.
The threshold to become a True Disciple was the second layer of the Nurturing Essence Realm, already far beyond most first-rate martial experts in the world. A top expert could fight a hundred trained soldiers alone. By that measure, Qingxiao Sect truly didn't need to fear a typical army.
But facing 100,000 troops or more was a completely different story. Just standing before such a massive force was enough to crush a person's will to fight.
"I don't think this army is coming for us," said Zhu Yan, breaking the tension. "If they were, my family would have informed me ahead of time. Not just me—any disciple from an influential clan in the sect would have received word. This force must have another objective."
Everyone quieted, realizing she made sense. Qingxiao Sect was no longer just an ordinary martial group. They had ties with noble families and officials—mutual interests that ran deep. If the imperial court were truly targeting them, someone would have sounded the alarm already.
Li Qingqiu spoke calmly. "Even so, we must stay prepared. Increase the Law Enforcement Hall's disciples by 30."
No one objected. The Law Enforcement Hall had the hardest duties, so allocating more manpower was reasonable.
Excluding the menial disciples, Qingxiao Sect's registered members had already exceeded 1,000, a clear sign of its surging fame—and this was only the beginning.
"Next, reorganize the guest courtyards," Li Qingqiu continued. "Move them closer together to ease the burden on Law Enforcement's patrols."
He assigned the task to Zhang Yuchun, then shifted the topic.
"Now, about the Sword Sect."
"I will oversee it directly," he said. "There will be three elders—for now, Jiang Zhaoxia, Shen Yue, and one more to be chosen from the true disciples based on merit and capability."
This proposal, however, didn't receive full support.
Yang Jueding frowned. "Sect Master, won't creating a separate sect within the sect lead to division in the future?"
Zhang Yuchun, Li Dongyue, and Li Sijin seemed to share the same concern.
Li Sifeng, on the other hand, disagreed. "I think it's a good idea. It keeps power in check. Supervision works both ways."
Li Qingqiu glanced at him in surprise—he hadn't expected such insight from him.
Zhu Yan nodded in agreement. "Indeed. While the Seven Halls have clear duties, some matters—like avenging disciples or dealing with traitors—are inconvenient for them to handle. The Sword Sect could take on those tasks. Its very name distinguishes it from the Seven Halls, symbolizing its unique role."
Jiang Zhaoxia added, "The Sword Sect will be under Senior Brother and me. Nothing will go wrong."
A born sword fanatic, he wasn't opposed to the idea at all—in fact, he was excited.
Though the Thirteen Swords of Qingxiao's Might had made a name for themselves, it wasn't what he truly desired, for most of those thirteen—including Xue Jin—weren't pure sword cultivators.
With several agreeing voices, the remaining hall masters could only yield.
After another half hour of discussion, the meeting concluded.
Li Qingqiu stayed behind with Zhang Yuchun.
When they were alone, Li Qingqiu asked, "How's Chu Jing lately?"
Zhang Yuchun frowned. "He took a task from the Training Hall two days ago and went down the mountain. I'm worried he might be leaking information. Brother, I still think it's better to expel or imprison him."
Ever since learning how Chu Jing had deceived him, Zhang Yuchun's goodwill had completely vanished—replaced with unease.
Li Qingqiu said calmly, "We'll see what happens when he returns. For now, we've got no secrets that would harm us even if he did talk."
Zhang Yuchun nodded. They spoke no further and soon returned to their quarters.
The Law Enforcement Hall's recruitment of 30 disciples caused quite a stir throughout Qingxiao Sect. The disciples of the Seven Halls enjoyed higher treatment than ordinary members—joining one of the halls was like landing an official post, complete with real authority. Naturally, everyone was eager to compete for the chance.
At that time, Xu Ning was in closed-door cultivation, so Li Qingqiu personally appointed Chai Yunshang to handle the selection.
Soon, the other Hall Masters and Elders came to Chai Yunshang one after another, trying to recommend their own disciples. But she rejected them all bluntly, giving no face to anyone.
When Zhang Yuchun mentioned this to Li Qingqiu, he was torn between helplessness and relief.
The reason he'd wanted to slip a few of his disciples into the Law Enforcement Hall wasn't for espionage—it was to give his students better prospects. As the de facto Vice Sect Master, it was the first time anyone had dared to disregard his influence so completely.
But instead of being angry, he was actually pleased. Once Chai Yunshang's reputation for fairness spread, the other disciples would stop pestering him with requests.
Li Qingqiu laughed proudly. "Of course. These eyes of mine see everything. I knew from the start she was perfect for the position of Law Enforcement Hall Master."
A true enforcer of justice—fierce, unbending, and fearless.
Taking full control of the hall for the first time and already daring to offend others—he couldn't help but like her even more.
In his good mood, Li Qingqiu decided to reward Chai Yunshang with three spirit stones.
Her refusal to yield to any Hall Master quickly became the talk of the sect. By personally selecting the disciples herself, she had given many lesser-known members a fair chance—and that made her name spread like wildfire throughout Qingxiao Sect.
By now, the sect's registered disciples had exceeded 1,000, and counting the menial laborers, the total had surpassed 1,200. In all of Guzhou, Qingxiao Sect could now truly be considered a major sect in terms of size.
Where there were people, there would always be politics. A kind of "martial world" had begun forming within the sect itself. Some praised Chai Yunshang's integrity, while others disliked her ruthlessness. Those close to her inevitably found themselves targeted by disciples from other halls.
Li Qingqiu didn't interfere. He believed Chai Yunshang could hold her own.
As the number of disciples approached 10,000, internal friction would only grow. Stepping in personally would only worsen things. What he needed to do was mediate from a higher perspective—balancing conflicts to ensure the sect's growth remained stable and healthy.
As for the Sword Sect, Li Qingqiu kept its founding secret for now. He first ordered the Heavenly Works Hall to construct its headquarters, located right on Qingxiao Mountain, not far from the Mystic Heart Hall. This was to ensure that the Sword Sect would never drift away from the main sect.
The Sword Sect would never be allowed to stand apart from Qingxiao Sect—that was his bottom line.
When selecting disciples for the Sword Sect, he would choose only those with the highest loyalty, especially loyalty toward him personally.
As long as Li Qingqiu lived, the Sword Sect would never fall into chaos, and Qingxiao Sect would never split apart.
Seasons changed—summer gave way to autumn. That was when Zhang Yuchun discovered the first death among their disciples.
A shaken disciple returned to report that five disciples had gone down the mountain together to carry out a commission, only to be ambushed and slaughtered by a group of mysterious martial artists. He alone had managed to escape.
Zhang Yuchun also noticed that several disciples had been gone for over four months without returning.
Every time a disciple left the mountain, they were required to register. If they failed to return within a set period, the sect would issue an investigation mission. It was a safeguard of sorts. Every disciple knew this policy before departing, deciding their own time limit based on their mission. Once the period expired and they didn't come back, the sect would begin a search.
Only now did Zhang Yuchun truly realize how necessary the Sword Sect was.
Investigating a disciple's death wasn't something one person could handle, and the Seven Halls didn't have enough manpower. Worse, if a disciple's death had been part of a conspiracy, openly sending people to investigate might alert the enemy.
He reported the matter to Li Qingqiu, who immediately ordered Xue Jin of the Thirteen Swords and the Seven Sons of Qingxiao to go down the mountain to investigate in secret.
Years had passed, and the Seven Sons of Qingxiao had all reached the Nurturing Essence Realm. With Zhang Yuchun's personal guidance and the sect's heavy investment in resources, even the weakest among them had reached the second layer, while Huang Shan had already advanced to the third layer.
After sending out both the Thirteen Swords and the Seven Sons, Li Qingqiu suddenly realized that his manpower was still far from enough.
Xu Ning, Zhao Zhen, Yuan Li, and Ji Ya all needed to focus on cultivation. Assigning them missions now would only waste their potential.
Still, Li Qingqiu wasn't worried. Each Hall Master was already training their own trusted disciples and promising subordinates. When the time came, he could simply mobilize those carefully nurtured talents.
The Seven Halls might each have independent authority, but all power ultimately rested with the Sect Master. The Seven Halls existed for him to command.
News of the disciples' deaths eventually spread, despite efforts to contain it. Fear rippled through the sect, and many disciples became far more cautious about venturing down the mountain for training.
One evening, Zhu Yan, the Vice Hall Master of the Heavenly Works Hall, came to see Li Qingqiu in private.
"I've learned the origin and purpose of that mysterious army," she said softly once they were alone. "It's a force from Zhongtian Prefecture, moving under an imperial edict. Every checkpoint has been ordered to let them pass, and strict orders have been issued forbidding anyone from discussing it. One of my uncles works in the Ministry of Personnel—he told me this army is headed for a Martial Tomb."
"Martial Tomb?" Li Qingqiu frowned.
Zhu Yan nodded. "Yes. The tomb of the Martial Legend. It's said that he died in Guzhou. Many underground palaces scattered across the region were built as decoys to confuse outsiders. No one knows where the true Martial Tomb lies. But according to rumor, the descendants of his loyal servants still exist—and have secretly guarded the tomb for generations."