"It's fine. His eyes look quite intelligent to me. Maybe he just doesn't want to talk."
Li Qingqiu looked at Yuan Li and smiled gently. He beckoned to Yuan Li, who immediately toddled around the table, came to his side, and climbed onto his lap.
He wasn't worried about Yuan Li's development. After all, Yuan Li possessed the Grandmaster's Heart Destiny, which meant he was certainly intelligent.
He chatted casually with Zhang Yuchun and Li Dongyue while waiting for the disciples to serve dinner, but his mind had long since wandered to the Fortune Opportunity.
Night fell. Just as the dishes were being served, Yang Jueding and the others finally returned.
Yang Jueding walked at the front, his expression peculiar. Behind him came Xu Ning and Qin Ye. As for the other disciples, they had gathered at the new courtyard below the mountain gate and were enthusiastically discussing the afternoon's battle.
Zhang Yuchun rose and asked, "Elder Yang, how did it go?"
The others also looked at Yang Jueding, their expressions somewhat tense. This was the first time Azure Firmament Sect had been so openly provoked. If they had lost, endless trouble would surely follow.
Yang Jueding replied, "We drove them off. Thanks to Xu Ning making a move."
Upon hearing this, everyone in the courtyard breathed a sigh of relief.
"Xu Ning made a move? What about you? Couldn't you defeat those Juesheng Sect people?" Li Sifeng seized on the key point and immediately asked.
Yang Jueding's expression turned somewhat awkward. He cleared his throat and said, "This Juesheng Sect is no simple matter. Not only do they have the support of the Linchuan Tang clan, but their Sect Master is also a supreme expert. Even Zhu Wuliang, the number one in Cangzhou's martial world, was defeated by him. I really am no match for him."
"Zhu Wuliang? The Crimson Flame Divine Palm Zhu Wuliang?" Cheng Canghai's eyes widened as he pressed, his voice trembling. He looked at Xu Ning as if he'd seen a ghost.
Seeing his expression, Yang Jueding's demeanor relaxed. "That's right, the Crimson Flame Divine Palm Zhu Wuliang. The Juesheng Sect Master is named Yan Wujin. He had no reputation before, but I imagine it won't be long before he shakes the martial world."
Hearing this, Li Qingqiu had already lost interest. He spoke up, "Sit down. Let's eat and talk."
Yang Jueding and the other two immediately took their seats. The others began pressing for details about the battle between Xu Ning and Yan Wujin.
"That Yan Wujin's inner power was truly remarkable. I've never seen anyone with such profound internal energy. He could even make an entire lake boil. But Xu Ning's sword was stronger. Her sword energy actually carried lightning, capable of penetrating Yan Wujin's inner force. You should have seen Yan Wujin's expression—his eyes went wide..."
The more Yang Jueding spoke, the more excited he became. Everyone gained a deeper understanding of Xu Ning's strength.
From the sound of it, Xu Ning seemed even more powerful than Jiang Zhaoxia?
They looked at Xu Ning again, seeing her sitting beside Li Dongyue, obediently eating her meal. It was hard to connect her with the person who had defeated Yan Wujin.
The dinner was lively. Xu Ning's victory over the Juesheng Sect greatly boosted Azure Firmament Sect's morale.
In a guest room, Su Xiling was also recounting the battle to Zhu Yan. Her shock far exceeded Yang Jueding's, because she understood better just how strong Yan Wujin was.
"A supreme expert defeated by a little girl—unbelievable! Does Azure Firmament Sect truly have the blessings of immortals? I never imagined there was someone in the sect even more formidable and younger than Jiang Zhaoxia. How did she cultivate such power?"
As Su Xiling spoke these words, the hand holding her tea cup trembled.
Zhu Yan, however, remained quite calm. She said softly, "There is always someone stronger, and always heavens beyond heavens. The world holds countless fortune opportunities beyond our reach. For Xu Ning to be this powerful shows that her master, Li Qingqiu, is even more so."
Su Xiling came to her senses. "Could it really be as the Azure Firmament Sect disciples say—that Li Qingqiu received teachings from immortals in his dreams?"
Zhu Yan didn't respond, because she couldn't judge whether such claims were true or false.
Many people would surely have difficulty sleeping tonight.
After dinner, Xu Ning followed Li Qingqiu back to his room and gave a detailed account of Yan Wujin's strength.
"Master, though I could defeat him, I couldn't kill him. His martial arts are truly formidable. If Elder Yang had fought him, he would have been severely injured within three moves."
Xu Ning said somewhat dejectedly. After reaching the fifth layer of the Nourishing Origin stage, her confidence had soared—after all, this was a realm Jiang Zhaoxia hadn't yet attained. The gap between her and the other disciples had widened dramatically. She hadn't expected to fall short in her first battle after breaking through.
Li Qingqiu sat on a stool, looking at her unconvinced expression. He couldn't help pinching her cheek and smiled. "What more do you want? You said it yourself—Yan Wujin is very strong. Perhaps without you, Yan Wujin and his Juesheng Sect would have become the overlords of Guzhou's martial world. He must be utterly devastated."
"Master, I feel my comprehension of swordsmanship isn't quite there. But the attributes of my inner energy have given me many ideas. From now on, I want to focus on researching my inner energy's properties. Is that alright?" Xu Ning didn't dodge her master's hand. She looked at him earnestly and asked.
Li Qingqiu said with satisfaction, "Of course. Finding your own path—that's what true graduation means."
"I don't want to graduate, Master. I want to stay with you forever, stay at Azure Firmament Sect forever."
"Haha, if that's the case, your master would naturally be happy. But if someday your heart stirs, if you have someone you love and want to go down the mountain, your master won't stop you."
"Tch, I'm not that vulgar."
Candlelight cast the shadows of master and disciple obliquely on the wall. Looking at Xu Ning, Li Qingqiu remembered her when she first came up the mountain—dirty, thin and frail. Now she was completely transformed, already bearing the bearing of a cultivator. He sighed inwardly at how quickly time passed.
Master and disciple chatted a while longer, then Li Qingqiu sent Xu Ning away.
After she closed the door, he waited another dozen or so breaths, then called up the Daoist Legacy panel and activated the Fortune Opportunity.
[Claim Fortune Opportunity Reward]
[Activating Fortune Opportunity]
[Beginning Fortune Opportunity Detection]
[Fortune Opportunity Captured. Heavenly Treasure detected. Accept Fortune Opportunity guidance?]
Heavenly Treasure?
Li Qingqiu grew interested and immediately accepted. In the next instant, his consciousness was drawn into a dream.
In the dream, he couldn't control his body. He could only watch as he moved through mountain forests, heading toward an unknown destination.
The Taikun Mountain Range was vast, located in the southeastern region of the Great Li Dynasty. To the east lay several hundred li of deep mountains, shrouded in miasma, untouched by human feet. It was said that beyond those mountains lay an endless ocean, but no one could cross that deep mountain region. Lin Xunfeng had warned them before never to go east, and to retreat immediately if they encountered thick fog.
Azure Firmament Sect's mountain was still several dozen li from that deep mountain region. For ordinary people, Azure Firmament Sect itself was already deep in the mountains—finding it was difficult enough. As for the boundless mountains behind the sect, they were truly daunting.
In his dream, Li Qingqiu passed through layer upon layer of miasma, traveling who knew how far, until he saw a massive tree. It was a tree a full hundred zhang tall, with countless branches and innumerable vines hanging down. The surrounding forest seemed to worship it like subjects paying homage to their king. But the image was somewhat blurry—he couldn't clearly see the tree's true appearance.
When Li Qingqiu woke and recalled the tree's stature, he was shaken by it.
It was the first time he had seen such a tall tree.
Since it was a Fortune Opportunity, this tree would surely bring him unimaginable benefits.
Li Qingqiu decided to set out before dawn, departing as early as possible.
...
Beneath the night sky, Tang Ziqi supported the disheveled Yan Wujin as they walked.
"Stop here for now. I must circulate my energy to heal."
Yan Wujin said through gritted teeth. Tang Ziqi quickly helped him sit beneath a nearby tree. Seeing him begin meditating, Tang Ziqi's expression remained somewhat dazed.
Even now, recalling Xu Ning made him shiver involuntarily—he couldn't tell if it was from fright or just the night's cold.
He walked aside and sat down, taking the waterskin from his waist. As he drank to quench his thirst, he calmly thought.
The disciples recruited from under Zhu Wuliang had all fled. If they wanted to reestablish their sect, they would need to choose another faction as a stepping stone.
Next time, they must stay far away from the Taikun Mountain Range!
The forest was silent, with occasional cold winds blowing.
Tang Ziqi, having traveled one or two hundred li, was already exhausted. He actually fell asleep leaning against a tree trunk.
He didn't know how long he slept before he heard someone calling him. He opened his eyes and saw Yan Wujin sitting across from him, warily scanning their surroundings.
"What's wrong?"
Tang Ziqi rubbed his eyes and asked weakly. His gaze instinctively swept their surroundings, and soon he too became alert.
He didn't need Yan Wujin to answer—he already noticed something wrong.
Since when had thick fog surrounded them on all sides?
When he fell asleep, there hadn't been nearly this much fog.
"This place is wrong. I suspect we fled in the wrong direction." Yan Wujin said in a low voice. After resting for three hours, his condition had somewhat recovered—his speech carried more strength.
Tang Ziqi frowned deeply, his expression shifting dramatically. "Legend has it that deep in the Taikun Mountain Range lies a no-man's land, crisscrossed with miasma. Living people who enter never return. This uninhabited region hides demons—even wild beasts dare not tread there."
Yan Wujin slowly rose to his feet. "It seems the legends are true. We must leave. Something feels wrong."
Tang Ziqi quickly stood. After scanning their surroundings, they decided to flee back the way they came.
By now, a whole night had passed—surely the Azure Firmament Sect people had given up pursuing them.
However, after fleeing several li, they still couldn't escape the thick fog. This made them increasingly uneasy, as if something in the fog was watching them.
"Wait!"
Yan Wujin suddenly called out to Tang Ziqi. Tang Ziqi stopped and looked at him nervously.
"This is where we rested earlier." Yan Wujin said, his expression grim. He raised his hand to point at a large tree. Tang Ziqi looked closely and saw a character carved into the trunk.
Tang Ziqi panicked completely. Though well-read, he had never encountered such a dangerous situation.
*Crack!*
The sound of a branch snapping came from nearby, startling them both. They turned to see a figure emerging from the thick fog. They braced themselves for battle.
Li Qingqiu walked out of the fog, his left hand resting on the sheath of the Flying Fish Dagger, his posture relaxed. He approached Yan Wujin and the other man, looking them up and down.
Yan Wujin and Tang Ziqi recognized his Azure Firmament Sect robes. They exchanged glances but didn't act rashly.
"Who are you? Lost out here?" Li Qingqiu asked.
Tang Ziqi quickly clasped his hands. "We were pursued by enemies and fled here. We've been lost for days. Young friend, do you know the way out?"
Before Li Qingqiu could answer, Yan Wujin suddenly turned to look in another direction. "I didn't expect this place to be so lively. Stop hiding and come out."
Hearing this, Li Qingqiu and Tang Ziqi turned to look.
Among the thick fog, a patch of grass began to rustle. Soon, a disheveled old man staggered out. His hair was gray and messy, his robes dirty and worn. He carried a gourd in his hand, appearing as if drunk.
Li Qingqiu looked at this unkempt old man, lost in thought.