Just how powerful was an Immortal Emperor?
Looking at the terrified Jia Yi, this question surfaced in Li Qingqiu's mind.
An Immortal Emperor's Destiny must be extraordinarily impressive!
He just didn't know which generation would produce this so-called Immortal Emperor. And even if one appeared, that child would still need to cultivate slowly.
Li Qingqiu briefly entertained the thought of killing him—eliminating the root of the problem. But he felt it would be a shame not to be able to copy the Immortal Emperor's Destiny. Besides, he had already spoken; he wasn't the type to go back on his word.
"Do you have any children?" Li Qingqiu asked.
Jia Yi answered numbly, "No."
"You're such a womanizer. How can you be sure?"
In Jia Yi's memories, during his time in Blackstone County, he had already had fleeting romantic encounters with three women. The Imperial Protective Guard title worked wonders.
"With you putting it that way, I can't be certain either. At least, no woman has come to me with a child yet..." Jia Yi said helplessly, not daring to meet Li Qingqiu's gaze, even though Li Qingqiu had decided to spare him.
Li Qingqiu continued, "If you have children in the future, send them to Azure Firmament Sect. If they perform well, they'll have the opportunity to receive my true teachings."
Jia Yi trembled and quickly agreed.
He couldn't tell whether Li Qingqiu wanted to hold more leverage over him or genuinely wanted disciples—perhaps both.
Thinking of Li Qingqiu's methods, his heart stirred with a flicker of hope. Those were definitely immortal arts. If his children could learn them, his misfortune might turn into a blessing.
"Next, you'll take Feng Dai with you and find a way for him to establish himself in the capital. From now on, you two will support each other. If Feng Dai dies, I'll hold you accountable first. No excuses. As an Imperial Protective Guard officer, if you can't protect one person, there's no point in you living."
Li Qingqiu's tone turned icy again, frightening Jia Yi so much he trembled, unsure how to respond.
Seeing this, Li Qingqiu turned to Feng Dai, nodded slightly, and without another word, walked up the mountain.
After Li Qingqiu's three needles, Feng Dai's injuries had rapidly improved—at least the pain had subsided. Watching Li Qingqiu leave, he bowed to his retreating figure.
When the forest was left with only him and Jia Yi, still sprawled on the ground, Feng Dai felt somewhat dazed.
Before coming up the mountain, he never imagined things would develop like this. He looked at Jia Yi, still lying on the ground, and remained silent for a long time.
...
On his way back to the sect, Li Qingqiu's mind was equally unsettled. "Progenitor of an Immortal Emperor" had dealt him quite a shock, and Feng Dai's "Late Bloomer" Destiny also seemed to hold infinite potential.
If these two hadn't encountered him, the advantages of their Destinies would likely have been difficult to realize.
For Feng Dai, living to sixty in the Great Li Dynasty was no easy feat, especially with his rigid temperament that easily attracted trouble. If he died before sixty, his so-called "Late Bloomer" was nothing but an illusory dream.
Jia Yi's "Progenitor of an Immortal Emperor" Destiny was even more illusory. Even if an Immortal Emperor was as omnipotent as Li Qingqiu imagined, they couldn't resurrect all their ancestors. Proximity of relation would matter.
Regardless, this matter was temporarily settled, preventing escalation of the conflict. Li Qingqiu tried not to dwell on it—he couldn't let future uncertainties cloud his judgment.
The key was to grow stronger himself!
All these迂回 tactics were necessary because, in the face of the Great Li Dynasty's enormous power, Azure Firmament Sect currently lacked absolute means to protect itself.
Not only did he need to grow stronger, but Azure Firmament Sect did as well.
In the days that followed, Azure Firmament Sect remained unaffected by the Imperial Protective Guard incident. The commoners who had brought their children to seek apprenticeship, having witnessed Zhang Yuchun's prowess, instead spread the word widely down the mountain, enhancing Azure Firmament Sect's reputation.
For now, in the secular world, Azure Firmament Sect was known more for its chivalry. Jiang Zhaoxia's title as Second in the martial world hadn't spread among the common people. Since they wanted to learn martial arts, they naturally sought out experts. The more experts Azure Firmament Sect had, the more people it would attract.
Half a month later, Jiang Zhaoxia and the Thirteen Sword Ferocities finally returned. Only a few disciples knew what they had gone to do.
Seeing that none of the Thirteen Sword Ferocities were missing any limbs, Li Qingqiu breathed a sigh of relief. The Thirteen Sword Ferocities were the elite disciples in his plans, capable of undertaking major tasks for Azure Firmament Sect. He wanted to keep every one of them.
The Thirteen Sword Ferocities all had changed appearances and temperaments—no doubt the effect of their training.
After Jiang Zhaoxia had the disciples pay respects to Li Qingqiu, he sent them back to rest.
Hearing that Jiang Zhaoxia had returned, Zhang Yuchun quickly came. The three of them conversed in the room.
"Lu Fuhu—I crippled him. I wanted to finish him off, but that bastard had curried favor with the Prefectural Governor. I never found an opportunity." Jiang Zhaoxia spoke after drinking a cup of tea.
This made Zhang Yuchun frown. "Will this offend the Prefectural Governor?"
"To the Governor, Lu Fuhu and the Heavenly Knife Sect were just tools. If a tool breaks, and there's a better one available, he'd only be pleased. He witnessed my strength and was extremely hospitable. In fact, he'd wanted to abandon Lu Fuhu for a while. Lu Fuhu had offended the Linchuan Li clan, and the Governor didn't want to oppose them, but Lu Fuhu kept clinging to him. Over the past decade, he'd taken too many benefits from Lu Fuhu to refuse. He asked me to leave Lu Fuhu alive, to repay the favor he owed him."
Jiang Zhaoxia's tone remained unchanged, as if discussing a trivial matter.
Zhang Yuchun's brow relaxed. He said with emotion, "Third Junior Brother, you've truly grown up. You handled this matter very maturely."
"To appease the Governor, I had no choice but to befriend him. I promised that if he ever needed my help in the future, provided it didn't violate Azure Firmament Sect's principles, I would do my utmost." Jiang Zhaoxia said.
Li Qingqiu nodded. "As long as we engage with the world, dealing with officials is inevitable. Befriending the Governor has both advantages and disadvantages—it depends on how we manage it. This connection was forged by Third Junior Brother. From now on, you're fully responsible for it."
He couldn't monopolize all of Azure Firmament Sect's relationships. He also wanted his junior brothers and sisters to build their own networks. That way, even if monstrous geniuses or ambitious disciples emerged in the future, they couldn't shake their positions.
The larger a sect grew, the more considerations there were. Li Qingqiu had to pursue the healthy development of Azure Firmament Sect as a whole, so he could continue growing stronger through the Daoist Legacy panel.
Jiang Zhaoxia acknowledged the task. This half-year down the mountain had given him many insights. He no longer handled matters as rigidly as before and had begun seeking better strategies.
"That Xue Jin has real grit and values relationships. During our journey, we encountered some Azure Cult martial artists. I wasn't there at the time—they were surrounded by Azure Cult experts. Xue Jin could have escaped alone, but he chose to protect his junior brothers and sisters. By the time I arrived, he was the most severely injured." Jiang Zhaoxia recalled, his tone admiring.
Li Qingqiu had been keeping an eye on Xue Jin's loyalty. After going down the mountain, his loyalty hadn't dropped—in fact, both metrics had risen above 90.
"Yes. You can take him to cultivate at the Thousand Spirit Blessed Land in the future."
Li Qingqiu's reply made Jiang Zhaoxia smile. He didn't say thank you—in his view, Xue Jin wasn't just his disciple, but also half of Li Qingqiu's. Without Li Qingqiu's recommendation, he would have missed this pearl.
Then Li Qingqiu had Jiang Zhaoxia continue recounting his journey.
Over the six months, besides taking revenge on the Heavenly Knife Sect, Jiang Zhaoxia and his group had encountered many other events. He spoke of them lightly, but Li Qingqiu sensed he wasn't as calm inside, especially when Jiang Zhaoxia mentioned a certain woman.
Jiang Zhaoxia was now eighteen, fully grown. Li Qingqiu didn't want to interfere too much in his choices, so he didn't press.
After discussing the training experience, Li Qingqiu's expression turned serious. "Third Junior Brother, there's another matter you need to handle. It's dangerous. Whether to bring the Thirteen Sword Ferocities is your call."
"What is it?"
"I want to destroy the Azure Cult."
Jiang Zhaoxia and Zhang Yuchun's expressions shifted. The Azure Cult was an emerging behemoth in the martial world, with disciples active throughout Guzhou.
Jiang Zhaoxia didn't ask why. He simply agreed. "Alright. When do I leave?"
"The sooner, the better. All of the Azure Cult's high-level members must die."
Li Qingqiu's tone was icy, his eyes radiating killing intent. He explained Jia Yi's dealings with the Azure Cult.
The Azure Cult had long sought to establish connections with the imperial court. When Jia Yi went to deliver the imperial decree, the Azure Cult's leadership curried favor with him, and they formed deep vested interests.
Over the years, Yang Jueding's whereabouts had still leaked out. Learning that the Dragon Subduing Hero was at Azure Firmament Sect, and that Luo Lie, who had pursued him, never returned, they knew Luo Lie was dead.
Later, when Jiang Zhaoxia earned his reputation as Second in the martial world, they dared not act rashly. They concluded that Jiang Zhaoxia's strength must come from cultivating the divine techniques Yang Jueding had obtained.
So they bribed Jia Yi to alter the imperial decree, forcing Azure Firmament Sect's Sect Master to go to the capital. What they planned after that was unknown, but it could be guessed they would take further action against Azure Firmament Sect.
Perhaps they even wanted Jia Yi to clash with Azure Firmament Sect, then reap the benefits.
Whatever their intentions, the Azure Cult had incited Jia Yi to oppress Azure Firmament Sect. The enmity between them could no longer be resolved.
"So that's it. I wondered why that Imperial Protective Guard officer was so aggressive—we hadn't offended him. I overlooked the Azure Cult's existence. I never thought that after all these years, they'd still be watching us hungrily." Zhang Yuchun sighed.
He looked at Li Qingqiu. "The Azure Cult has curried favor with the Imperial Protective Guard. If we destroy them, will it cause trouble?"
Li Qingqiu snorted. "Matters of the martial world are settled within the martial world. If everyone feared backgrounds, there would be far fewer conflicts. As Third Junior Brother said, if the Azure Cult is destroyed, the powerful officials backing them won't avenge them—they'll just find another sect to use. Even if a few individuals insist on making trouble for us, we'll have to confront them head-on."
"In normal times, we can keep a low profile and avoid conflicts with other sects. But you must remember: anyone who provokes Azure Firmament Sect must be eliminated. Only the dead don't talk. Only the dead don't invite more trouble."
"In this world, currying favor with the powerful isn't the true foundation for survival. A strong fist is the real principle."
Zhang Yuchun nodded, then frowned. "I let that Imperial Protective Guard officer go. Did I make a mistake?"
"It's fine. I've already dealt with him."
Li Qingqiu's words made Zhang Yuchun's eyes widen, then he smiled. He'd almost forgotten his senior brother's swift and decisive methods. These past two years, managing the sect's affairs, he'd sometimes overlooked how Li Qingqiu would decide things.
My cultivation in governance still runs shallow.
Zhang Yuchun reflected inwardly. He felt there was much he could learn from Li Qingqiu.
"I understand. I'll take them down the mountain tomorrow. In this battle, I'll forge a fearsome reputation for Azure Firmament Sect!"
Jiang Zhaoxia rose, left these words, and departed, his tone filled with resolve.