Yuzhou, Liyang City.
Heavy snow fell from the sky, scattering across this prosperous great city. Most of Liyang City's buildings were made of red walls and red pillars, with a unique architectural style that was famous throughout the land.
At this moment, in the eastern district of Liyang City, dust and snow mist filled the air as large numbers of civilians and merchants fled in panic.
Inside a certain residence, buildings had collapsed, rubble was everywhere, and warriors were scattered across the area. Their expressions were extremely grim as they all stared in the same direction.
Following their gaze, Xue Jin stood atop the ruins with a long sword in hand. His eyes were icy cold, and his killing intent was completely undisguised.
"Qingxiao Sect, are you really going to wipe us out completely?"
A black-robed old man with disheveled hair roared in fury. He had fought Xue Jin earlier, but had been defeated in fewer than three moves and had nearly been beheaded.
He was the Great Protector of Ling Tian Sect, Wu Huan.
He had practiced martial arts for forty years and inherited a divine technique. Ordinary entry-level experts would be instantly killed if they ran into him.
Yet despite being so powerful, he had been utterly helpless against Xue Jin. He had attempted a sneak attack and had nearly been counter-killed instead. This was something he simply could not accept.
Standing beside Wu Huan was an imposing man, the Second Protector of Ling Tian Sect, Xiao Wuhui.
Xiao Wuhui was tall, wearing a bamboo hat. His face was weathered, his long hair casually draped over his shoulders. Although his clothes were not as luxurious as Wu Huan's, his presence was no weaker.
At first glance, he looked like a middle-aged version of Xiao Wudi. His gaze was fixed tightly on Xue Jin, his eyes filled with complicated emotions.
Xue Jin was also looking at Xiao Wuhui. He could sense that Xiao Wuhui was the strongest among the remaining Ling Tian Sect members.
More importantly, this man was also a cultivator.
"Nurturing Essence Realm fourth layer. Impressive," Xue Jin said coldly, ignoring Wu Huan entirely as he looked down at Xiao Wuhui.
Being evaluated in the tone of a senior by such a young man naturally displeased Xiao Wuhui.
However, he had to admit that Xue Jin was stronger than him.
Xiao Wuhui's gaze shifted toward the distance, where he saw a figure walking along the courtyard wall. It was Shen Yue.
Looking in other directions, he could also see other Qingxiao Sect disciples. They were completely surrounded with no way to escape.
Xiao Wuhui slowly lowered his head and let out a strange laugh. "Trash. Truly trash. A bunch of useless good-for-nothings. Insisting on provoking Qingxiao Sect, insisting on obeying the Qi clan. No wonder you could never accomplish anything great."
Xue Jin stared at him without making a move. It was not that he was deliberately giving him a chance, but that he was waiting for the other disciples to locate Ling Tian Sect's sect master, Ji Wuye.
Ling Tian Sect had risen suddenly and unified half of the martial world. Everyone knew that its sect master was called Ji Wuye, yet no one had ever seen him in person.
When Xu Ning and Jiang Zhaoxia had swept through Ling Tian Sect before, they had not encountered Ji Wuye either.
Xue Jin would not be as reckless as those two, alerting the enemy prematurely. He had chosen a day when Ling Tian Sect warriors were gathered and moved to wipe them out in one sweep. Yet he still had not found Ji Wuye, which made him extremely vigilant.
His intuition told him that Ji Wuye was hiding inside this residence, deliberately pretending not to be present.
Otherwise, Ling Tian Sect would not have gathered so completely.
When Wu Huan heard Xiao Wuhui's words, he flew into a rage and shouted angrily, "Not provoke Qingxiao Sect? You want to unify the martial world while bypassing Qingxiao Sect? You're dreaming!"
Bang—
Xiao Wuhui suddenly raised his palm and struck Wu Huan from afar, instantly blasting Wu Huan's head apart. Blood and flesh sprayed everywhere, frightening the Ling Tian Sect warriors into retreating a step as they stared at Xiao Wuhui in terror.
Xiao Wuhui ignored the gazes of his fellow sect members. He looked at Xue Jin and stepped forward, saying, "Xue Jin, you are the first person to force me to use the Martial God Secret Art. But facing an expert like you, even losing lifespan is worth it."
Boom—
A violent surge of force erupted from Xiao Wuhui's body, blowing his bamboo hat away. The ground beneath his feet shattered, and streaks of blood energy mixed within the raging force.
The Ling Tian Sect warriors looked at Xiao Wuhui in disbelief. This was the first time they had ever felt such terrifying pressure. Combined with Xiao Wuhui's earlier actions, fear took hold in their hearts.
This was an instinctive reaction to danger.
Xue Jin narrowed his eyes, cold light flashing within them.
He could feel that Xiao Wuhui's aura had already surpassed Nurturing Essence Realm fourth layer. If he wanted to kill Xiao Wuhui next, it would not be easy.
However, with Shen Yue present, Xue Jin was not panicked.
Without another word, he leaped into the air and charged at Xiao Wuhui with sword in hand, like a fierce eagle diving on its prey, unstoppable.
Xiao Wuhui stepped forward with his right foot and struck upward with a palm. Surging vital energy erupted like a mountain flood, sweeping up rolling dust and accumulated snow, like a vast dragon rearing up as it charged toward Xue Jin.
[…]
In mid-December, the first batch of spirit copper was delivered to Qingxiao Mountain. Li Qingqiu directly instructed the disciples to transfer it to the Heavenly Works Hall.
Just three days later, Wu Xingyue came to visit Li Qingqiu.
"Sect Master, this spirit copper is an exceptional material for forging artifacts. Its value is immense. We must strictly control the spirit copper. It absolutely cannot be wasted by others!"
As Li Qingqiu stepped into Lingxiao Courtyard, Wu Xingyue rushed over holding a sword, her tone excited. As she spoke, she handed the sword to Li Qingqiu.
The material of the sword was clearly extraordinary. Strange cold light flowed across it, making it highly eye-catching.
The blade was three fingers wide and nearly four feet long, slightly longer than most swords used in the mortal martial world.
Li Qingqiu grasped the sword and infused vital energy into it. The blade let out a trembling hum, causing his eyebrows to lift slightly.
Ordinary mortal weapons cannot bear the infusion of vital energy. At most, they can only have vital energy coating the surface of the blade during combat.
But this sword could actually contain vital energy. That was anything but simple.
If the blade were filled with vital energy, a cultivator's control over the sword would become much easier. It also proved that the blade could withstand the impact of vital energy and would not shatter at the slightest touch.
"Is it difficult to forge a sword like this?" Li Qingqiu asked.
Wu Xingyue replied excitedly, "It only takes three days. That's why I say spirit copper is extremely important. The forging process is very easy. Spirit copper only needs shaping and is not easily ruined."
"Good. Then forge ten thousand swords like this first. I'll distribute them to the sect disciples later," Li Qingqiu said generously.
Although this sword could not be considered a powerful artifact, it was definitely a divine weapon. Sect disciples carrying such swords while traveling the martial world would find things far more convenient.
"No problem, Sect Master. Do you want to name this sword?" Wu Xingyue nodded and asked.
Li Qingqiu hesitated for a moment, then said, "Call it the Qingxiao Sword. From now on, beneath the sword guard of every blade, the words 'Qingxiao' must be engraved. Preferably in a way that cannot be erased."
Wu Xingyue fell into thought after hearing this.
She had already mastered quite a few basic restrictions, all originating from the Foundational Array Compendium. Her learning speed was not much slower than Mingguang's, though the directions they studied were different.
"I'll give it a try," Wu Xingyue replied, not daring to overpromise.
Li Qingqiu returned the Qingxiao Sword to her, encouraged her with a few words, and then let her leave.
After Wu Xingyue exited Lingxiao Courtyard, a smile appeared on Li Qingqiu's face.
Spirit copper was indeed suitable for forging artifacts. With the spirit copper mountain range, Qingxiao Sect would take a huge step forward.
Even if there were no powerful enemies threatening them for now, Li Qingqiu still planned to equip the disciples with artifacts as soon as possible.
He could not wait until strong enemies appeared before starting preparations.
He wanted to make the sect as strong as possible, giving Qingxiao Sect the confidence to face any trouble.
Because of the Qingxiao Sword forged by Wu Xingyue, Li Qingqiu's mood improved. He headed down the mountain, planning to guide his beloved disciples in cultivation.
Now, the Xiao clan's three brothers and Yun Cai had all stepped onto the path of cultivation. They no longer needed Li Qingqiu watching them constantly and could cultivate on their own, so he usually did not worry much, only giving occasional guidance.
News of the Qingxiao Sword quickly spread. More and more disciples learned that the sect was preparing to forge artifacts for them, which made everyone extremely excited.
They began using connections and asking around about the qualifications required to obtain an artifact.
The sect could not possibly prepare artifacts for every single disciple. After asking around, they finally knew which direction to work toward.
Time soon reached the end of the year.
Shen Yue and Xue Jin returned with their men.
Li Qingqiu summoned the two of them into Lingxiao Courtyard. When he saw Xue Jin, his brows immediately furrowed.
Xue Jin's right arm was actually gone. His right sleeve hung empty. Killing intent surged in Li Qingqiu's heart, and his expression instantly darkened.
Shen Yue stepped forward and said, "The mission is complete, but I've let Xue Jin down."
Xue Jin placed the bundle in his hand on the table and said, "This is the head of Ling Tian Sect's Second Protector, Xiao Wuhui. I used a secret medicine to preserve it. It's still identifiable."
Li Qingqiu looked at him and asked, "Who did this?"
"Xiao Wuhui."
"What happened?" Li Qingqiu's brows knit even tighter.
Shen Yue spoke up and explained, "Xiao Wuhui was also a cultivator, and his cultivation had reached Nurturing Essence Realm fourth layer. He knew that his three sons were cultivating in Qingxiao Sect and were following by your side. After he and Xue Jin both suffered heavy injuries, he begged me for mercy and asked me to bring him back alive, saying that you might not necessarily kill him. I hesitated. As a result, Xue Jin directly swung his sword, trying to behead Xiao Wuhui. But Xiao Wuhui was no ordinary person. Before dying, he struck with a palm and shattered Xue Jin's right arm mid-swing. At the critical moment, Xue Jin actually pulled the sword from the air into his mouth, bit the hilt, and beheaded him with a single strike."
As he recounted this, Shen Yue's expression was extremely strange. Even now, recalling the image of Xue Jin biting the sword still felt absurd.
For the first time, he felt that Xue Jin was not a simple person.
Xue Jin spoke calmly, "It's not Senior Shen's fault. He gave me face by saying it was mutual destruction. If Senior Shen hadn't intervened, I probably wouldn't have been Xiao Wuhui's match. As for losing an arm, it's nothing."
His expression was calm, as if he truly did not take the matter to heart.
Li Qingqiu asked, "Did you bring back your severed arm?"
"Yes. I thought that with your medical skills, you might be able to reattach it, so I personally carried it back," Shen Yue said as he removed the bundle from his back and placed it on the table.
Xue Jin looked at Li Qingqiu and said, "Sect Master, I was afraid it would put you in a difficult position, so I killed him directly. If the Xiao clan's three brothers ask about it, tell them the truth. If they hate someone, let them hate me. Of course, if Sect Master, you yourself did not want him dead, then please punish me."
Li Qingqiu glared at him and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? This matter was something I ordered you to do in the first place. Naturally, I'll bear the responsibility. If those three really want to hate you, I'd rather abandon them than let anything happen to you."
Xue Jin was stunned on the spot.
Throughout the entire sect, who didn't know how highly the Sect Master valued the Xiao clan's three brothers? Though there was no formal master-disciple title, there was master-disciple substance.
Under such circumstances, hearing Li Qingqiu say this, how could Xue Jin not be moved?