Founding a sect and spreading a new Dao Lineage influence?
Was that a good thing—or a bad one?
Instinct told Li Qingqiu that it carried both advantages and risks, though the benefits likely outweighed the drawbacks. Otherwise, the system wouldn't have triggered a reward.
Still, this matter had to be investigated thoroughly. If not properly managed, or if new rules weren't set, wouldn't the Qingxiao Sect's teachings eventually be spread around like a sieve full of holes?
He pondered quietly while waiting for Li Sijin to finish brewing the medicinal decoction.
After half an hour, Li Sijin finally wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Li Qingqiu looked into the cauldron at the boiling liquid and nodded. "Alright, you can leave. I'll soak myself slowly."
Li Sijin blinked in surprise. "Senior Brother, you don't need me to stay and keep watch?"
"No need. Even if it's poisonous, this little concoction won't be enough to kill me."
"I think you're just embarrassed."
"Men and women should keep their distance. Perfectly normal, isn't it?"
"When we were little, you bathed me yourself. You didn't say that then."
"What nonsense are you spouting? Besides, could your Fourth Senior Sister even lift you back then?"
Seeing that Li Sijin was about to retort again, Li Qingqiu quickly pushed her toward the stone door. After much coaxing, he finally managed to usher her out of the cave.
Only then did he return to the cauldron. Staring at the steaming brew, he took a deep breath, removed his clothes, coated his body with vital energy, and slowly stepped in.
Chu Jing, Nangong E, and Lin Chuan appeared nearby, all watching curiously.
Once submerged, Li Qingqiu didn't feel scalded. Gradually, he reduced the layer of vital energy around his skin, letting the heat seep in naturally.
"Master, how does it feel?" Nangong E asked curiously.
Li Qingqiu kept his eyes closed. "This kind of body-tempering method won't show results right away. I need to get used to it first."
Chu Jing nodded. "Tempering the body with medicine may not work as fast as pills, but it causes less damage to the body and won't permanently harm your meridians."
Li Qingqiu ignored their chatter, focusing entirely on the sensation of the liquid surrounding him.
Time passed.
Soon, his entire layer of vital energy dispersed. His skin flushed red, the heat stinging slightly, but he had adapted.
Seeing that his body showed no signs of rejection, Li Qingqiu summoned his Dao Lineage Interface and prepared to claim the Divine Ability Reward.
He was genuinely curious—what truly separated a divine ability from a mere technique?
[Claim Divine Ability Inheritance Reward]
[Initiating Dao Lineage Divine Ability Transmission]
[You have obtained the Divine Ability — Supreme Movement Art]
[Accept Inheritance?]
Accept.
The moment that thought formed, a flood of memory unlike any prior inheritance surged into his mind. This one was far deeper—vaster, more ancient, and far more chaotic.
…
On the vast barren plains, smoke curled skyward from the Pei Clan's army camp. Within the sprawling encampment, tents had collapsed, flames raged everywhere, and countless corpses lay strewn across the ground.
Li Sifeng stood side by side with his ten fellow True Disciples, facing ten figures dressed in white robes. Each wore a wooden mask—the masks split with delicate, branch-like protrusions spreading like dragon horns from both sides. The masks covered only the upper half of their faces, leaving only their eyes visible.
Each of the ten strangers held a different weapon. The one in front wielded a wooden staff, his robe fluttering in the hot wind.
"Who are you people?"
Li Sifeng frowned. He hadn't expected anyone to be bold enough to infiltrate an entire army camp just to seize him.
Yang Dong and the others stood ready for battle. From the aura these ten emitted, they could tell they were no ordinary foes—and the spiritual energy around them carried a disturbing, unnatural resonance.
The man with the staff spoke. "Li Sifeng, where is your Qilin?"
Li Sifeng's brow furrowed even tighter. The fact that these people knew about the Prison Qilin meant there was a traitor inside the sect. He had never publicized that detail himself.
Before he could respond, the staff-wielding man suddenly slammed his staff into the ground.
With a thunderous boom, the earth split open from beneath him, cracks racing outward like a spiderweb expanding across the field—straight toward Li Sifeng and his group.
Li Sifeng swiftly drew his Emperor Xuan Sword and plunged it into the ground before him, channeling his vital energy to form a protective barrier.
Boom!
A visible energy shield flared into existence, halting the oncoming shockwave. The web of cracks stopped just short of him, though the ground continued splitting wider, deeper.
Then, one after another, thick vines erupted from the ground like a swarm of serpents, wrapping around the barrier in an instant.
All around, soldiers who witnessed this stared in horror, eyes wide with disbelief.
"What… what is that?"
"Demon magic! It has to be demon magic!"
"Who the hell are these people? That's not martial arts!"
"Someone's actually attacking General Li—could this be related to the Ling Tian Sect?"
"Maybe! The Qingxiao Sect and Ling Tian Sect have been clashing for half a year now. Maybe they want to capture General Li to threaten the Sect Master!"
Panic spread through the camp as soldiers shouted in terror, none daring to approach the battle.
Dressed in armor, Pei Zhangzhi strode forward surrounded by his strategists and generals, but when he saw the scene before him, his steps faltered.
His face turned grim, and beads of sweat gathered on his forehead.
Every time he witnessed such a display of supernatural combat, unease crept into his heart.
More and more, he was convinced—there truly existed a power beyond mortal martial arts, a force no ordinary man could resist.
"If we can't master this power, even if we conquer the world, we'll still be nothing but puppets of the Qingxiao Sect."
His eyes flickered coldly. Before him, Yang Dong and the other nine True Disciples slashed through the writhing vines, charging from all directions toward the ten masked figures in white.
The battle erupted in full force!
One True Disciple chanted an incantation, summoning a massive White Tiger Mountain Lord that roared into being. Another shrouded himself in fierce gales, manipulating two flying swords that darted like lightning. A third leapt high into the air, descending in a powerful strike. Each of the disciples unleashed their techniques in unison, their combined aura instantly overwhelming the ten mysterious figures in white.
The soldiers of Pei's army were stunned.
Though they had already been impressed by the calm strength of these True Disciples on the battlefield, this was the first time they had truly witnessed them fight.
Each disciple radiated a might that surpassed even the most legendary of generals.
As expected of the top sect in the world—the True Disciples of the Qingxiao Sect were on a level of their own!
Li Sifeng drew his sword, slicing through the thick web of entangled vines before him. Watching the fierce battle unfold between his fellow disciples and the white-clad enemies, he raised an eyebrow.
He'd heard that the sect's Dao Combat Tournament had produced many new prodigies. Seeing it with his own eyes today, he realized he had underestimated them.
Why did it feel like his progress since descending the mountain had slowed down instead?
He took a deep breath, dismissing the thought. Raising his sword, he charged forward.
Only one needed to be captured alive—for questioning.
…
Near noon, Yuan Qi led Han Lang through the courtyard of Lingxiao Hall.
Han Lang was visibly nervous. After all, he was about to meet the Sect Master alone. Even though he was now the chief disciple of the Sword Sect, his respect and awe for the Sect Master had never lessened.
As they entered the courtyard, Han Lang saw Li Qingqiu sitting at the long table, sipping tea. Quickly, he hastened forward, bowed deeply, and greeted him. Yuan Qi quietly turned to leave, waiting for instructions outside.
"Not bad," Li Qingqiu said with a faint smile. "You've already reached the fifth layer of the Nurturing Essence Realm. You're living up to the title of chief Sword Sect disciple."
Han Lang was only eighteen years old—reaching the fifth layer at his age was no small feat.
His Cultivation Aptitude and Comprehension were both rated as fair, placing him among the top-tier geniuses in the sect. With Li Qingqiu's support and resources, his current level of achievement was exactly what the Sect Master had expected.
As the sect's cultivation resources and blessed lands increased, the disciples' progress grew faster by the day—especially those in the upper ranks.
Since its founding, the Sword Sect had focused entirely on cultivation. In terms of raw strength and heritage, it still trailed behind the Seven Halls, but its growth rate far surpassed them.
Han Lang's voice trembled slightly as he said, "I just broke through a few days ago. If not for your generosity, Sect Master—granting me so many spirit stones and allowing me extended cultivation within the Thousand Spirits Blessed Land—I could never have come this far."
Li Qingqiu shot him a glance. "What 'Sect Master'? Shouldn't you be calling me Grand Martial Uncle?"
Han Lang, the personal disciple of Jiang Zhaoxia, had inherited much of his master's sword intent. During the last Dao Combat Tournament, he'd even taken fourth place, a remarkable achievement.
Hearing this correction, he quickly brightened and bowed again. "Yes! Grand Martial Uncle!"
He couldn't possibly pass up the chance to strengthen his personal connection with the Sect Master.
Li Qingqiu then asked in detail about the Sword Sect's development, and Han Lang gave a full report.
Under Shen Yue and Jiang Zhaoxia's leadership, the sect had been thriving. Many Sword Sect disciples were eager to take on external missions to test their skills.
After the small talk, Li Qingqiu got straight to the point.
"Some disciple has gone out and founded a sect on his own. I want you to take ten Sword Sect disciples down the mountain and bring him back to me."
Every Sword Sect disciple's loyalty rating was above 90, so Li Qingqiu trusted them completely.
Han Lang's face darkened. "Someone dared to do such a thing? Don't worry, Grand Martial Uncle—I'll find him and drag him back myself!"
He didn't know how Li Qingqiu had discovered it, but in his eyes, his Grand Martial Uncle always knew everything.
Li Qingqiu gave him a few more instructions before letting him go to choose his team.
Anyone founding a sect would eventually have to recruit disciples—and word would spread soon enough.
After settling the matter, Li Qingqiu made his way toward the back mountain to continue cultivating the Supreme Movement Art.
The Supreme Movement Art was a spatial maneuver technique that allowed instant repositioning within a certain range—almost like teleportation. The most remarkable thing was that it required no chanting. The body simply followed the mind. The faster his reaction, the faster his movement.
At present, Li Qingqiu could shift freely within a hundred-zhang radius, and as his mastery deepened, that range would only expand further.
This divine ability would dramatically increase his combat effectiveness.
He had already grasped the difference between divine abilities and spells—divine abilities required no channeling, no buildup. Once the divine imprint was formed, he could activate it instantly, purely by intent, as though it were instinct.
What amazed him most was how divine inheritance differed from spell inheritance. The process was far more grueling—a long, lucid dream filled with pain and repetition—but once it ended, the divine ability could be used immediately.
Spell inheritance, on the other hand, still required practice and the search for an entry point afterward.
While Li Qingqiu immersed himself in mastering the Supreme Movement Art, a commotion erupted within the Qingxiao Sect.
Countless disciples were rushing toward the Martial Arena halfway up the mountain.
Jiang Zhaoxia was challenging Xu Ning!
At the same time, shocking news spread through the sect—Jiang Zhaoxia had broken through to the eighth layer of the Nurturing Essence Realm!
Everyone who heard it was stunned.
The eighth layer!
That was outrageous!