The impact of Li Qingqiu's slaying of the Demon Emperor Zhao Zhi still rippled throughout the martial world. Even amid the thick winter snow, new disciples came climbing the mountain every day to seek admittance into Qingxiao Sect.
After the lively New Year celebrations, the high council convened as scheduled.
Around the long table sat Zhang Yuchun, Jiang Zhaoxia, Li Dongyue, Wu Man'er, Li Sijin, Xu Ning, Yang Jueding, Zhang Yu, Zhu Yan, Chai Yunshang, Xue Jin, True Person Qingxiao, and Shen Yue—so many that the table seemed crowded.
For Chai Yunshang and Xue Jin, it was their first time participating in such a grand meeting, and both appeared slightly tense. True Person Qingxiao, on the other hand, was perfectly at ease, chatting casually with the hall masters in a tone more befitting a kindly elder than a peer.
Li Qingqiu began by asking each hall master to report their respective affairs.
First to speak was Zhang Yuchun.
"At present," Zhang Yuchun said, "the sect officially has 4,670 registered disciples. Among them, 892 are inner disciples, and 377 are true disciples. In addition, we have more than 1,500 menial disciples."
Those numbers stirred excitement throughout the room.
Now, the bar to become a true disciple had been raised to the third layer of the Nurturing Essence Realm. Anyone who reached that level could already dominate an entire province. Even Immortal Master Jiang, who once manipulated the imperial court, had only been at the third layer.
Of course, not all 377 true disciples were at that realm; some were older disciples with lesser aptitude but long years of service.
"Currently," Zhang Yuchun continued, "there are 892 disciples at the first layer of Nurturing Essence, 457 at the second layer, 289 at the third layer, 25 at the fourth layer, and 3 at the fifth layer. Over the past year, the disciples' cultivation has surged, especially at the third layer."
As he finished, a satisfied smile spread across his face.
True Person Qingxiao was inwardly shocked. Having recently begun cultivating the Supreme Purity and Primordial Harmony Sutra, he knew well what each sub-realm of the Nurturing Essence Realm represented.
If not for cultivating that scripture himself, his strength would barely match the third layer—which meant there were 289 disciples in the sect capable of rivaling him.
It was unbelievable.
Li Qingqiu had led Qingxiao Sect for only nine years!
When Shen Yue heard that three disciples had reached the fifth layer, his brows furrowed slightly. His recent pursuit of enlightenment had delayed his own progress, but as his gaze drifted toward the Tianhong Sword resting behind Li Qingqiu, his expression softened again.
'First, I must perfect my understanding of the sword.'
Inside the Tianhong Sword, Chu Jing also sighed in awe. The more he learned about Qingxiao Sect, the more terrifying it seemed.
Zhang Yuchun went on to report matters of the Spirit Management Hall, followed by the other hall masters.
Each reported their hall's duties and accomplishments in turn, smiles spreading around the table. Every hall had its responsibilities, and over the past year, each had achieved remarkable results.
Under Xue Jin's leadership, the Training Hall's effectiveness had greatly improved.
Though no one said it outright, a quiet competition had already formed among the hall masters—none wished for their department to be the one to hold the sect back.
Next, Li Qingqiu spoke about Mount Tianji's Low-Rank Monster Realm and explained the purpose of the newly established Beast-Taming Hall.
When the hall masters heard that disciples would soon be able to tame and keep their own spirit mounts—like Xiao Ba—their interest was immediately piqued.
"I didn't think true monsters actually existed," said True Person Qingxiao, sighing in amazement. "But then again, the legends of mighty beasts have existed across the lands, and the nine provinces are said to harbor auspicious creatures. It makes sense that monsters are real."
Li Qingqiu smiled. "Auspicious creatures, you say? Qingxiao Sect has one too."
"Truly?"
"Yes. A qilin."
As the number of disciples increased, the Prison Qilin's roaming area had shrunk, and it was inevitable that some would notice it. Though the matter was kept secret, a few disciples had already learned of its existence.
When True Person Qingxiao heard that there was a qilin within the sect, his mouth opened slightly, as if he wanted to speak—but he couldn't find the words.
Forget it.
He mustn't let himself be shocked again. It would tarnish his dignity as an ancestral elder.
He straightened his expression and forced himself to appear composed.
"Since Qingxiao Sect has grown strong enough," Li Dongyue suggested, "why not allow the Prison Qilin to roam the mountain openly?"
Li Qingqiu nodded. The qilin was closest to Li Dongyue, after all—especially since Li Sifeng often went down the mountain on missions.
Zhu Yan, Shen Yue, and True Person Qingxiao all agreed. There was no force under heaven bold enough to steal a qilin from Qingxiao Mountain.
Li Qingqiu's gaze swept across the room. "Each year, we set new goals. Next year marks the tenth year since I became Sect Master. Shouldn't that carry some meaning?"
Yang Jueding chuckled. "It certainly should! Time flies—you've all grown up, yet somehow I still don't look old."
Laughter spread around the table. True Person Qingxiao also learned then that Li Qingqiu had taken over the sect at the age of 16, and he couldn't help but feel deeply impressed.
'What an extraordinary man,' he thought.
"I propose," Yang Jueding continued, "that we hold a grand sect martial tournament to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Sect Master's ascension. It would let disciples understand the sect's true depth and give new talents a chance to make their names known."
Xu Ning, Wu Man'er, Li Sijin, Xue Jin, and Chai Yunshang all voiced their agreement.
Li Qingqiu thought for a moment and nodded. It was a good idea—an opportunity for the disciples to showcase their progress. The popularity of the dueling arena already proved how much they enjoyed sparring.
"We won't call it a martial tournament," Li Qingqiu said. "It will be the Grand Dao Combat Tournament. Registration will open in March, preliminaries will begin in April, the top 64 will be determined before June, the top 10 in July, and the top 3 by August."
Zhang Yuchun's eyes lit up. "Excellent. That way, the sect won't experience a period of stagnation, and our disciples will have more chances to shine. It'll also let the noble families and major clans witness Qingxiao Sect's strength firsthand—and from that, we'll gain tremendous influence."
A stream of ideas filled Li Qingqiu's mind as he listened to the discussions. The hall masters also found the proposal excellent, each already planning to return and push their disciples harder in cultivation—to bring honor to their halls during the Grand Dao Combat Tournament.
They began discussing the details of the tournament, each offering their own suggestions.
Li Qingqiu no longer led the conversation, only setting the general framework.
Mingguang's design for the new cultivation cave dwellings was nearly complete, but the materials needed for the Spirit-Gathering Array were rare, so mass production wasn't yet possible. He wondered whether to award three of these newly designed caves as prizes for the top three finalists of the Grand Dao Combat Tournament.
Those three cave dwellings could be built on other peaks, expanding Qingxiao Sect's territory. Anyone capable of fighting their way into the top three would have at least reached the fourth layer of the Nurturing Essence Realm—strong enough to handle themselves independently.
Li Qingqiu's thoughts grew clearer. He even began to consider how to distribute disciples across different peaks in a proper and justified way.
Though Qingxiao Mountain was vast, much of it needed to be reserved for various industries. With so many disciples living together now, space had become tight.
When the discussion on the tournament concluded, Li Qingqiu spoke. "The Cultivation Hall will select ten disciples responsible for teaching foundational techniques to the general disciples. These will be open lectures, not one-on-one instruction. In time, more basic training courses will be added. For now, these ten disciples should first study the Art of Sword Control under Third Junior Brother."
Jiang Zhaoxia's eyes lit up. "So we're finally introducing the Art of Sword Control?"
True Person Qingxiao couldn't help but ask curiously, "What exactly is this Art of Sword Control?"
Li Sijin eagerly explained, "It's a sword technique created by Third Senior Brother himself! It allows a cultivator to ride their sword and fly. For example, if we want to go to another peak, it normally takes half a day to climb up and down. But if we master the Art of Sword Control, we can fly there directly in just twenty breaths of time."
True Person Qingxiao's eyes widened, and even Chu Jing within the Tianhong Sword was stunned.
"There's actually such a miraculous technique?" True Person Qingxiao exclaimed, unable to remain calm.
Jiang Zhaoxia said with a faint smile, "The threshold isn't too high. To fly across two peaks, one needs at least the third layer of the Nurturing Essence Realm. But even disciples of lower realms can practice it to descend mountains faster. Moreover, the Art of Sword Control isn't just for travel—it can be used in battle as well."
Yang Jueding, Zhang Yu, Chai Yunshang, Zhu Yan, and Xue Jin were already familiar with this technique. They could all manipulate objects with their qi, so they weren't too surprised.
Shen Yue, however, gave a cold snort, his tone full of disdain. Jiang Zhaoxia shot him an annoyed glare but held his tongue.
This plan had been part of Li Qingqiu's long-term vision. As the number of disciples increased, one-on-one instruction from masters would naturally become rare. Many disciples didn't even have personal teachers—when they first joined Qingxiao Sect, they had to perform labor and earn contribution points to exchange for cultivation manuals. Those who didn't understand the teachings could seek guidance at the Cultivation Hall, but even the hall's disciples had other duties and couldn't devote themselves entirely to instruction.
Li Qingqiu didn't want Qingxiao Sect to become a place where disciples merely worked for resources. He wanted it to feel like their home—a place where everyone, once they passed the entrance trial, could learn martial arts and pursue the path of immortality.
To achieve that, he planned to build cultivation plazas on each of the surrounding peaks—a goal set for the coming year.
As he outlined this series of initiatives, everyone present was filled with admiration.
Even Jiang Zhaoxia hadn't expected Li Qingqiu to think so far ahead. He had only considered how useful the Art of Sword Control would be.
"Sect Master, you truly think of every disciple," Zhu Yan said sincerely.
Implementing such a plan wasn't even that difficult—but what set it apart was its generosity. No other sect in the world would teach core techniques so openly. Even great clans tightly guarded their manuals, rarely passing them down to every family member.
True Person Qingxiao looked at Li Qingqiu with newfound respect. In that moment, he understood why Qingxiao Sect had grown so rapidly under his leadership.
Perhaps Qingxiao Sect's strength went beyond martial prowess—it was also a matter of heart and vision.
Shen Yue glanced at Li Qingqiu deeply. Though he said nothing, he too was quietly impressed by the young Sect Master's grand foresight.
The meeting lasted a long time. When it finally ended, everyone left the hall with renewed determination, each feeling that greater challenges—and opportunities—lay ahead.
Even Jiang Zhaoxia was inspired. He decided to create more sword techniques with lower entry requirements to benefit the younger disciples.
…
Winter snow melted, and spring arrived.
Word of the upcoming Grand Dao Combat Tournament spread quickly, igniting excitement throughout the sect. The young elites from noble families were especially eager—their clans and elders had strictly ordered them not to waste this opportunity.
Qingxiao Sect now had too many disciples for personal recognition. To be noticed by the upper ranks, talent alone wasn't enough—one needed visibility. The tournament was the perfect stage for that.
Meanwhile, the sect had started dispatching menial disciples and craftsmen to neighboring peaks for construction, sparking curiosity and speculation among the disciples.
The atmosphere within Qingxiao Sect burned bright with energy and ambition. Every disciple brimmed with motivation and hope.
But beyond Qingxiao Mountain, flames of war had begun to spread across the nine provinces.
The age of chaos had truly arrived.
In early February, deep within the Underground Spiritual Lake, Li Qingqiu finally broke through to the ninth layer of the Nurturing Essence Realm.
At that realm, he could clearly sense the faint stirrings of Awakening Spirit. His absorption and refinement of vital energy had become astonishingly fast. As he stabilized his cultivation, the spiritual energy of the entire underground lake converged toward him, making it impossible for Chu Jing, Nangong E, or Lin Chuan to continue cultivating.
"What is this…" Chu Jing murmured in shock as he looked at Li Qingqiu's figure, surrounded by a vortex of radiant qi.
'Could it be… he's stepped into a higher realm?'