After introducing Baizhi to the harbor disciples, Li Qingqiu took Jin Lang and the other three demons back to Qingxiao Sect.
He let Jin Lang and the golden monkey lie on his left and right shoulders, while holding the black leopard in one hand, then flew on his sword.
This scared the three demons badly. Their bodies were completely tense, terrified of falling.
He did not return directly to Lingxiao Courtyard. Instead, he landed by the Xi River at the foot of Qingxiao Mountain. He put the black leopard down, then swaggered up the mountain with the three demons.
The black leopard's fur was glossy, mysterious, and handsome. It attracted the attention of disciples along the way. The golden monkey following behind, however, was mostly ignored.
"Sect Master, where did this leopard come from? Is it going to be sent to the Beast-Taming Hall?" a bold disciple stepped forward to ask.
"Found it outside. It will indeed join the Beast-Taming Hall in the future."
Li Qingqiu replied with a smile. Seeing him smile, the other disciples grew bolder as well and gathered around.
When the disciples noticed that there was also a huge mantis on Li Qingqiu's shoulder, they became even more astonished.
Someone tried to touch the black leopard, startling it into shouting, "Get lost!"
Whoosh—
Hearing the black leopard speak human words, the disciples were so frightened that they hurriedly retreated, surging backward like a tide.
The black leopard glared viciously at that disciple, then stayed close behind Li Qingqiu.
Li Qingqiu continued up the mountain. He did not forbid the three demons from speaking human language. This was a good chance for the disciples to broaden their horizons.
The arrival of the three demons caused quite a stir within the sect. Li Qingqiu placed the golden monkey and the black leopard into the Beast-Taming Hall, drawing many disciples to watch. As for Jin Lang, he planned to keep it by his side.
Inside the cave abode.
Li Qingqiu sat cross-legged on a stone bed. He looked at Jin Lang standing at the edge of the spiritual pool, his eyes filled with anticipation.
Chu Jing emerged from the Tianhong Sword and asked in confusion, "Master, why did you choose this insect? The monkey and the black leopard feel like they have more potential."
No matter how one looked at it, an insect seemed unreliable. At least, Chu Jing could not imagine it cultivating to success.
Looking through ancient and modern strange tales, he had never even heard of an insect spirit.
Of course, that was only because he had never heard of it. Li Qingqiu had.
"Maybe it's fate. I feel that bringing it along is more convenient," Li Qingqiu replied in his heart.
Hearing this, Chu Jing followed that line of thought. A mantis like this was indeed easier to carry and could hide itself. At a critical moment, it could deliver a fatal strike to an enemy.
Thinking this way, admiration arose in his heart.
As expected of Master. His thinking was thorough.
Li Qingqiu did not reveal Jin Lang's talent. The more people doubted, the better. Only then could his vision and nurturing ability be proven.
But the urgent task now was to raise Jin Lang's loyalty.
They needed to truly connect heart to heart!
…
The golden monkey was named Yue Shan, and the black leopard was named Hei Li. Because Li Qingqiu had given special instructions, Cheng Canghai treated them very kindly and did not dare to casually boss them around.
The two demons were very nervous when they first arrived. But as time passed, they realized that these people harbored no malice toward them and were even very enthusiastic. Gradually, they lowered their guard and began to like the Beast-Taming Hall.
The Beast-Taming Hall having two demons that could speak human language was truly a rare sight.
Although Qingxiao Sect was already regarded as an immortal cultivation sect, and tree demons existed in the world, neither disciples nor pilgrims had ever seen living demons that could speak.
The Beast-Taming Hall became even livelier, with a large number of visitors every day.
The news also spread down the mountain.
The appearance of the three demons made Li Qingqiu seem even more mysterious in the eyes of the world.
The Sect Master of Qingxiao could slay demons, and he could also subdue demons.
After half a month of interaction, Li Qingqiu finally raised Jin Lang's loyalty to 89, just one step away from 90.
It had to be said, little demons with shallow worldly experience were easy to coax.
That evening, Li Qingqiu walked out of his cave abode. The Tianhong Sword hung at his waist, and Jin Lang stood on his shoulder.
Li Sijin and Li Dongyue were waiting in the courtyard. The two women were holding bottles and jars, chatting excitedly.
Li Sijin turned her head, immediately waved, and said, "Senior Brother, come over quickly. There's something good!"
Li Qingqiu smiled and walked over to sit at the long table.
Seeing Jin Lang on his shoulder, Li Sijin could not help asking, "Why do you bring it with you every time you come out?"
"What? You have a problem with that?"
"It just looks weird."
"What's weird about it? My Jin Lang is handsome."
Hearing this, Jin Lang raised its head, looking extremely proud.
Li Sijin rolled her eyes at Li Qingqiu, feeling that his sense of aesthetics was questionable. Too lazy to dwell on that, she picked up the three small bottles on the table and pushed them in front of Li Qingqiu.
"These are three new pills refined by Chen Huilan: the Youth-Preserving Pill, the Divine Speed Pill, and the Blood-Igniting Pill."
"The Youth-Preserving Pill can keep youth permanent. Appearance won't change, and even the skin can remain in a youthful state."
"The Divine Speed Pill enhances the body's reaction speed. It's suitable for combat."
"The Blood-Igniting Pill is also a combat pill. It burns blood to enhance strength. It's suitable for desperate fights and moments of absolute danger."
Li Sijin said proudly. Over this past one year, the achievements of the Cultivation Hall had exploded, steadily raising her prestige within the sect.
Even someone as fearless as Chai Yunshang would take the initiative try to befriend her, all to secure pill purchase quotas for the Law Enforcement Hall disciples.
After hearing this, Li Qingqiu picked up the small bottle containing the Youth-Preserving Pill, poured out one pill, and directly tossed it into his mouth.
Li Sijin widened her eyes and said, "That's the Youth-Preserving Pill. You just ate it like that?"
"Why can't I eat it?" Li Qingqiu replied.
He savored the taste of the Youth-Preserving Pill. It was crisp. After biting through the brittle outer layer, the pill melted away and slid down his throat, leaving a lingering fragrance in his mouth.
Li Sijin curled her lips and said, "Isn't the Youth-Preserving Pill something women pursue? Men should pursue maturity. The steadier, the better. Senior Brother, you already look young enough, and you still want to preserve your looks?"
"Listen to yourself. Do you want your Senior Brother to turn into an old geezer like our grandmaster?" Li Qingqiu glared at her and said irritably.
"That's true. You look best the way you are now."
When Li Sijin thought of True Person Qingxiao's appearance and demeanor, she immediately felt Li Qingqiu had a point.
Seeing Li Qingqiu take a Youth-Preserving Pill, Li Dongyue followed suit and took one as well.
Li Qingqiu carefully sensed his body but did not notice any changes. He could not help asking suspiciously, "This Youth-Preserving Pill isn't fake, right?"
Li Sijin rolled her eyes at him and said, "Whether it works or not, you'll have to wait a few years."
"Alright then."
Li Qingqiu could only let it go. Although he could not feel the effects of the Youth-Preserving Pill, he could sense the spiritual energy from the Divine Speed Pill and the Blood-Igniting Pill through their bottles.
Chen Huilan really had some skill.
It was worth risking his life to save her back then.
Li Qingqiu looked at Li Sijin and said, "Your Cultivation Hall can't just focus on research. Various classes and cultivation courses also need attention. This has long-term significance for the Cultivation Hall."
Li Dongyue followed up, "That's right. In the future, most disciples will have received favors from the Cultivation Hall. Its status will only rise higher, and you'll benefit as well."
Li Sijin said helplessly, "I want to, but we don't have enough manpower."
Li Qingqiu pondered for a moment and said, "Given the outstanding achievements of the Cultivation Hall, I'll allow you to recruit another 100 people."
"Thank you, Senior Brother!"
Li Sijin immediately beamed with joy. This was exactly what she had come to see Li Qingqiu for.
Although Li Qingqiu doted on her, he would not indulge her when it came to major matters. She could only bring results first.
After getting Li Qingqiu's approval, Li Sijin stood up and left at once, moving in a great hurry.
Li Qingqiu smiled helplessly. This girl had learned to beat around the bush.
He turned to Li Dongyue and asked, "Has the Spiritual Treasury Hall run into any trouble lately?"
Li Dongyue indeed had a lot of grievances bottled up. Hearing his question, she stopped holding back and explained everything one by one.
Li Qingqiu listened carefully. During the sect's rapid expansion, all kinds of problems were bound to arise. He had expected this. Even while preparing to break through to the Awakening Spirit Realm, he still had to spare time to deal with such matters.
Even if he did not intervene directly, just having his stance made clear was enough for Li Dongyue to resolve many issues.
…
The construction of Qingxiao Sect made the sect change with each passing day. All kinds of news flowed into the sect daily. However, for most disciples, what they cared about most were talented peers.
This year, many new geniuses emerged in Qingxiao Sect, across all halls.
They displayed their talent on the Martial Arena Platform, and their fame rose rapidly.
At the mountainside of Qingxiao Mountain, dozens of disciples gathered around the Martial Arena Platform, cheering from time to time.
Bang!
Ye Nan was sent flying and fell miserably off the platform. His face turned pale, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
Yang Xuan quickly rushed to his side, supported him, and used his own vital energy to soothe the turbulent qi and blood in his body.
On the platform, a handsome young man stood with his arms crossed, smiling smugly as he said, "Ye Nan, this is already the 9th time you've lost to me. Still refusing to admit defeat? I'm about to break through to Nurturing Essence Realm Layer 3. After that, you won't even get a chance to fight me again. The sect doesn't allow cross-realm duels."
His name was Ning Shu. He had joined the sect less than 2 years ago and already gained some fame. He achieved the best results in the entry assessment and was recruited early by the Training Hall.
The threshold for the Eight Halls was now very high. Some Nurturing Essence Realm Layer 3 disciples could not even get in. For Ning Shu to enter the Training Hall right after joining the sect naturally drew criticism.
Hearing Ning Shu's arrogant words, Ye Nan grew furious, which caused the vital energy in his body to go into disorder. He began coughing violently.
Yang Xuan looked up at Ning Shu, frowned, and said, "Junior Brother, we're all from the same sect. Is there really a need to humiliate someone like this?"
Although a group of disciples below the platform were Ning Shu's followers, most were just there to watch. They also felt Ning Shu had gone too far, so after hearing Yang Xuan's words, they voiced their agreement.
Ning Shu looked at Yang Xuan and asked, "And who are you?"
He had noticed earlier that Yang Xuan often came to watch Ye Nan's matches, but the two had never interacted.
"Spiritual Treasury Hall, Yang Xuan," Yang Xuan replied calmly.
Now he no longer looked like a hunter. His skin had become fair, and he looked increasingly like an immortal cultivator.
Ning Shu frowned, feeling that the name sounded familiar.
Then he heard someone below exclaim that Yang Xuan was a disciple of the Spiritual Treasury Hall's Hall Master.
A Hall Master's disciple!
Ning Shu took a deep look at Yang Xuan, stopped his taunts, turned around, and prepared to leave the Martial Arena Platform.
Just then.
The Martial Arena Platform began to tremble. More accurately, the entire Qingxiao Mountain started to shake, startling the disciples into looking around.
"What's going on? An earthquake?"
"How is that possible? There's never been an earthquake in the Taikun Mountain Range."
"Why does it feel like the shaking is coming from the mountain?"
"Don't panic. This is Qingxiao Sect, an immortal cultivation land. Even if the sky falls, there's nothing to fear."
Yang Xuan turned his head. He could feel spiritual energy surging upward, which made him curious.
What exactly had happened?