Guarding the Tianshan Spirit Pool was not troublesome. One only needed to stay at the edge of the pool.
The Tianshan Spirit Pool was rich in spiritual energy, making this assignment a highly sought-after one. Before anything was finalized, rumors had already spread, drawing many disciples to start pulling strings and exerting themselves.
When a sect grows large, this is how things inevitably become. As long as a matter is not personally finalized by Li Qingqiu, once there is a buffer of time, such a situation will form. Li Qingqiu took it in stride and allowed such gray areas to exist.
Spring passed and summer arrived, and Qingxiao Mountain took on new scenery once again.
As the main mountain of Qingxiao Sect, Qingxiao Mountain had been under constant renovation. The main road was broad and majestic, while many buildings on the mountain had been rebuilt into palace-like courtyards. Mystic Heart Hall in particular was growing larger and taller by the day—so much so that its silhouette could already be seen from halfway up the mountain.
More and more people came up the mountain to burn incense. The Innate Five Ultimates that Li Qingqiu had established were spreading more widely among the common folk, drawing worshippers from all across Jiuzhou. The incense money had also become a major source of income for Qingxiao Sect.
At the mountain peak, Li Qingqiu sat cross-legged facing the blazing sun, his palms turned upward.
He was comprehending the Immortal Severing Three Swords that Jiang Zhaoxia had taught him.
The Immortal Severing Three Swords possessed devastating large-scale killing power, making them an attack method Li Qingqiu greatly needed, so he devoted time to cultivating them.
With the aid of the Born Sword Maniac and Hundredfold Tempering fates, although he could not directly master them as Jiang Zhaoxia had, his rate of comprehension was extremely fast—far beyond what Xu Ning or Shen Yue could match.
Now, he devoted most of his time to absorbing qi and cultivating, setting aside some time to train divine abilities. As for sect affairs, he had already let them go.
He had established the Eight Halls, the Sword Sect, Shadow Hall, Guardian Immortal Guard, and other power structures precisely so they could check and balance one another, using rules to drive the sect's development. For now, there were no issues, allowing him to cultivate with peace of mind.
Of course, the systems and rules of a power could never remain unchanged forever. They could only be adjusted as problems arose.
A figure flew up from the cliff ahead and landed beside Li Qingqiu. It was Li Sijin.
With the distribution of Qingxiao swords, sword-riding flight had become a commonly used technique among Qingxiao Sect disciples. Now, even the martial world could see the sight of Qingxiao Sect disciples flying on swords at high speed, a development that had caused a massive shock to the jianghu.
Going to Qingxiao Sect to cultivate immortality had become the dream of countless martial artists.
Because of this, the Spirit Management Hall had set up recruitment locations in Seeking Immortal Town. At present, there were no longer any places on Qingxiao Mountain itself for recruiting new disciples.
"Senior Brother, why hasn't my application been approved yet? Will it work or not? Just give me a definite answer."
Li Sijin spoke resentfully, like a little tiger—cute yet fierce.
Li Qingqiu kept his eyes closed and asked, "What application?"
"I want to arrange for a batch of disciples to go to various parts of Jiuzhou to search for heavenly materials and earthly treasures. Didn't Lord Jing tell you?"
"For something like this, do you even need to ask me?"
"Once they go down the mountain, it'll be a long time before they return. I need to equip them with Spirit Qi Pills and spirit stones. This is contributing to the sect—surely we can't make the Cultivation Hall pay for it, right?"
Hearing this, Li Qingqiu could not help but open his eyes. He looked at Li Sijin with a surprised expression.
Li Sijin felt guilty under his gaze. Her eyes darted away, and she lost the momentum she had earlier. Bracing herself, she asked, "Am I wrong?"
Li Qingqiu laughed and said, "You're not wrong. It seems there are capable people around you helping you plan. I approve it. Go discuss it with your Fourth Senior Sister."
"Thank you, Senior Brother!"
Li Sijin excitedly hugged Li Qingqiu, gave his back a firm pat, and then hurriedly left.
Li Qingqiu found it amusing and felt quite gratified.
Seeing Li Sijin begin to seek greater benefits for the Cultivation Hall, Li Qingqiu knew she had truly grown up—at the very least, her thinking was no longer so simple.
He did not dislike this at all. After all, every other hall had to seek his or Lord Jing's approval for such treatment whenever they went down the mountain. The Cultivation Hall, in contrast, had always been the hall that troubled the sect the least.
However, Li Qingqiu felt somewhat puzzled. Chu Jing had a very good relationship with Li Sijin. Ever since Chu Jing took power, he had intentionally or unintentionally made things easier for the Cultivation Hall. In his own words, when he first entered Qingxiao Sect, it was Li Sijin who showed him the way, so he held great affection for her.
Of course, the most important reason was that Li Sijin resembled his daughter. Every time he saw her, he could not help wanting to make up for things and curry favor.
So why had Chu Jing not agreed to Li Sijin this time?
Li Qingqiu decided to ask Chu Jing about it that evening.
The sun set and the moon rose.
After spending half a day cultivating divine abilities, Li Qingqiu returned to Lingxiao Courtyard in high spirits. Chu Jing happened to be discussing matters there with Yuan Qi and Xiao Wuqing.
These three had already become the leaders under Li Qingqiu's command. Each held their own authority, and they occasionally communicated with one another to stay aligned.
Seeing Li Qingqiu arrive, they immediately stood up and saluted.
Li Qingqiu sat down and asked directly, "Lord Jing, why didn't you agree to Sijin's application, and why didn't you tell me?"
At this, Yuan Qi and Xiao Wuqing both looked at Chu Jing in surprise.
Chu Jing was meticulous in his actions, with many qualities they admired, and they were now learning from him. They had not expected him to make a mistake on this matter.
Who didn't know how much Li Qingqiu doted on Li Sijin? Calling her the apple of his eye would not be an exaggeration.
Chu Jing replied helplessly, "I only wanted to delay the process a bit, letting her send disciples down the mountain later. Recently, the sect's demand for Spirit Qi Pills has been increasing. If she sends a batch of disciples down now, I'm worried there will be a shortage of Spirit Qi Pills."
This caught Li Qingqiu by surprise. He asked, puzzled, "Isn't the Cultivation Hall's output of Spirit Qi Pills quite high?"
"Someone is buying Spirit Qi Pills in large quantities."
"Who has that kind of capacity?" Li Qingqiu asked curiously. Spirit Qi Pills were not something that could be purchased with money alone; Dao Fate was also required.
Chu Jing looked at Li Qingqiu and said, "The Zhu clan."
After hearing this, Li Qingqiu was no longer puzzled.
Because of Zhu Yan's contributions, the Zhu clan had already become the number one force within the sect. They indeed possessed the influence to mobilize large numbers of disciples to purchase Spirit Qi Pills. Although Dao Fate could not be transferred, it could be acquired through private barter, exchanging goods to fulfill the demand for Dao Fate.
Li Qingqiu had not expected the Zhu clan to have reached the point where they could shake the sect in certain aspects.
"According to my investigation, the Zhu clan has encountered trouble in the secular world. They need Spirit Qi Pills to prepare for battle. In addition, I believe the core issue is that the Cultivation Hall simply doesn't have enough disciples, so I didn't reprimand them," Chu Jing said seriously.
Only then did Li Qingqiu understand.
So this was where he had been waiting for him!
Li Qingqiu shot him a look and said, "If you want to help Li Sijin expand her disciples, just say it directly. Why beat around the bush?"
Chu Jing replied helplessly, "Master, I wasn't deliberately scheming. It's just that the various halls cannot expand recruitment at will; there must be a need. Without the Zhu clan's actions, the Cultivation Hall would not need to recruit more disciples."
Yuan Qi and Xiao Wuqing exchanged glances, both feeling astonished.
So it could be done like this?
They had thought Chu Jing made a mistake, but seeing it this way, he was entirely acting for Li Sijin's sake, which would surely align with Li Qingqiu's intentions.
Li Qingqiu pondered for a moment and said, "Let the Cultivation Hall recruit another 50 disciples."
"Wise decision, Sect Master!" Chu Jing immediately said. When it came to official matters, he addressed Li Qingqiu as Sect Master.
Li Qingqiu had indeed been looking for an opportunity to elevate Li Sijin. This matter came at just the right time. The various halls would certainly not dare to voice objections toward the Cultivation Hall—at most, they would be dissatisfied with the Zhu clan.
Dissatisfaction with the Zhu clan was a good thing. It added more restraints to them.
"The Zhu clan did cross the line and still needs to be reprimanded. Lord Jing, if something like this happens again and you don't handle it promptly, then no matter how good your reasons are, I will punish you severely," Li Qingqiu said sternly.
Hearing this, Chu Jing immediately gave his assurance.
This was said for Yuan Qi and Xiao Wuqing to hear, and through them, it conveyed his stance to the entire sect.
Of course, in private, Li Qingqiu and Chu Jing did not have so many twists and turns.
Chu Jing was already his sword soul. With a single thought, Li Qingqiu could make him vanish into ashes. Coupled with the loyalty displayed on the Dao Lineage panel, Li Qingqiu had no worry at all that Chu Jing would betray him.
Afterward, Li Qingqiu stood up and left, letting the three of them continue discussing sect affairs.
…
In June, Zhao Zhen and Shen Yue successively broke through to the eighth layer of the Nurturing Essence realm. When the news reached Li Qingqiu, he directly had Yuan Qi post a notice to inform the entire sect.
As expected, the cultivation atmosphere within the sect was reignited by the two of them.
Zhao Zhen breaking through to the eighth layer of the Nurturing Essence realm was not particularly surprising to Li Qingqiu. Zhao Zhen was currently cultivating like a madman—if Li Qingqiu did not summon him, he would not even leave his cave dwelling.
Shen Yue, on the other hand, left Li Qingqiu unable to understand him.
Although Shen Yue possessed Excellent-grade cultivation aptitude, his cultivation speed was far too exaggerated, actually keeping pace with Zhao Zhen, who had Exceptional-grade cultivation aptitude.
Li Qingqiu could not help but summon Shen Yue to ask about the reason.
"It's related to my sword soul and sword intent. I infused my sword intent into my sword soul, allowing it to cultivate alongside me during cultivation. The qi it absorbs is converted into vital energy and enters my body," Shen Yue said calmly as he sat before Li Qingqiu and lifted his hot tea.
Good heavens!
How was this any different from cheating?
Opening a personal cultivation cheat for himself?
Was this the bonus of Sword Dao Grandmaster and Number One Under Heaven? Shen Yue's comprehension in the sword dao was truly unmatched. Others not only couldn't do it—they wouldn't even think of it.
Li Qingqiu once again checked Shen Yue's panel.
[Number One Under Heaven: Achieve the title of Number One Under Heaven in mortal martial dao, gain enlightenment from heaven and earth, sword intent undergoes transformation and becomes worthy of the title. If one becomes Number One Under Heaven in the cultivation world, one's sword intent and sword dao comprehension will undergo another transformation.]
Just becoming Number One Under Heaven in the mortal world had already brought Shen Yue's sword intent to this level. If he were to become Number One Under Heaven in the cultivation world, just how strong would his sword intent and sword dao comprehension become?
This old fellow's potential still hadn't been fully tapped—truly astounding!
Li Qingqiu's view of Shen Yue changed, and at the same time, his interest was piqued. "Teach me?"
"Sure!"
Shen Yue agreed without hesitation, the corners of his mouth lifting.
Finally, it was his turn to teach Li Qingqiu!
He felt indescribably exhilarated. If Li Qingqiu hadn't been present, he would have pumped his fist and laughed out loud.
Thus, Shen Yue began to teach the method of cultivating the sword soul.
However, even Li Qingqiu, who possessed the Born Sword Maniac fate, could not understand it.
Why would infusing sword intent into the sword soul allow the sword soul to cultivate on its own?
If he didn't know Shen Yue's character, he would have almost suspected Shen Yue of teaching nonsense.
He had to admit that in the sword dao, there was actually a gap between himself and Shen Yue.
But that was fine—I still have Hundredfold Tempering!
Li Qingqiu grabbed Shen Yue and had him teach personally.