Jiang Zhaoxia and the Thirteen Sword Ferocities had only just returned, yet they went down the mountain again the very next day. This stirred considerable curiosity among the disciples, along with no small amount of envy. They could clearly feel the sect's high regard for the Thirteen Sword Ferocities.
Li Qingqiu had immense trust in Jiang Zhaoxia, who was at the fifth layer of the Nourishing Origin stage, so he wasn't worried about this operation.
After Jiang Zhaoxia and the others departed, Li Qingqiu turned his focus to his own cultivation. He was about to begin striving for the sixth layer of the Nourishing Origin stage.
Autumn passed and winter arrived. This year, the snow came later than before.
In an open forest clearing, Qin Ye gripped his iron staff and attacked Li Qingqiu. His staff techniques were fierce, his strikes heavy and powerful. Each swing melted the falling snowflakes, creating trails of white mist that swirled around him like smoke.
Li Qingqiu used only two fingers to parry the iron staff, condensing spiritual energy onto them so they became harder than the staff itself.
Clang! Clang! Clang!...
A crisp sound like a striking bell rang out continuously. Every one of Qin Ye's moves was blocked. He wasn't discouraged—in fact, he grew more excited.
As his understanding of the Ten Thousand Army Demon-Subduing Staff deepened, he had increasingly dared not use it to spar with other disciples. This left him uncertain of his own strength.
Today, sparring with his master, he had initially been somewhat worried. He never expected his master to receive every strike so easily. Even when he pushed himself to the limit, he couldn't make his master budge an inch.
Li Qingqiu watched the energized Qin Ye and felt secretly satisfied. Though Qin Ye was still only at the first layer of the Nourishing Origin stage, his martial arts were indeed growing by leaps and bounds.
The Ten Thousand Army Demon-Subduing Staff wasn't just about techniques—it also had the marvelous effect of tempering the body. As Qin Ye practiced, he was tempered by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
In a sense, the Ten Thousand Army Demon-Subduing Staff was already approaching a cultivation method.
Li Qingqiu even suspected it was a fragmentary version, originally a cultivation spell similar to the Supreme Sword Control Art.
Though Li Qingqiu hadn't moved his feet, the snow beneath him had already melted, revealing the grass.
Just then, Qin Ye suddenly stopped his staff. Looking behind Li Qingqiu, he said, "Master, someone's coming."
Li Qingqiu turned to look. Three men were approaching from a distance. The one in front wore a large black robe of animal fur and a cloth cap. The two behind him wore straw rain capes and bamboo hats.
These three were clearly not ordinary folk.
Li Qingqiu's hearing far surpassed ordinary people. He had heard their footsteps long before Qin Ye noticed them. He hadn't avoided them—after all, this was Azure Firmament Sect's territory. As Sect Master, why should he retreat from strangers?
Moreover, as Azure Firmament Sect's reputation grew, more and more people came up the mountain to visit. They encountered such visitors every few days.
The man in front, seeing Li Qingqiu and Qin Ye, brightened and called out, "You two there—are you disciples of Azure Firmament Sect?"
Li Qingqiu shot Qin Ye a glance. Qin Ye understood immediately and replied in a clear voice, "That's right. Who are you?"
"I am Yan Lan. I've heard of Azure Firmament Sect's chivalrous deeds and am filled with admiration. I wished to come up the mountain to visit. Might I trouble you two to show the way?"
"You can go up yourselves. Just follow this path all the way up and you'll reach it."
Qin Ye thought to himself, This guy's pretty arrogant, asking for a guide.
Yan Lan quickened his pace upon hearing this, the two straw-robed men following closely.
He came directly before Li Qingqiu and Qin Ye. His features were handsome, his smile very sunny—easy to feel close to.
"Were you two practicing martial arts? Little brother, that iron staff of yours looks quite heavy." Yan Lan asked curiously.
Qin Ye nodded. "It weighs thirty jin."
"Really? Let me try?"
"Sure."
With Li Qingqiu right there, Qin Ye wasn't worried about any tricks. He handed over his iron staff.
Yan Lan reached out to take it, immediately lowering his body and planting the staff on the ground. He exclaimed in surprise, "It really is thirty jin?"
He exerted himself to lift it—he could raise it, but swinging it was very difficult. Just holding it horizontally before his chest made his face flush red.
"Is it really that hard? You're exaggerating." Qin Ye asked skeptically. It was only thirty jin, not three hundred.
Yan Lan planted the staff back on the ground and smiled helplessly. "I've been frail since childhood. I've tried many methods, but nothing works. Forgive my clumsiness."
Li Qingqiu spoke up, "If your body is weak, why climb the mountain? From here to Azure Firmament Sect, you still have another hour and a half to go."
He could tell Yan Lan's qi and blood were indeed weak. The two straw-robed men behind him, however, were no ordinary individuals.
Both were experts comparable to Su Xiling—even more formidable than typical supreme experts.
How could such experts serve as attendants?
This man's surname was Yan. Could he be from the imperial family?
Li Qingqiu pondered this, his face revealing nothing.
Yan Lan looked at Li Qingqiu and smiled. "Precisely because my body is weak, I always feel I don't have many years left. So I want to see as much of the world as I can before I die. That way, even if I die, I'll have no regrets. I've come to this world, I've seen it—that's enough."
This carefree attitude struck Qin Ye deeply. As a martial artist, he couldn't fully grasp Yan Lan's feelings, but anyone hearing such words would feel a sense of sadness.
Li Qingqiu praised him. "Not bad. With such an outlook, you might just outlive most people in this world."
"I dare not hope for that. Are you two going to continue practicing? Could I watch from the side and rest a while?" Yan Lan asked curiously.
Qin Ye frowned. "By your own account, you've traveled far and wide. Don't you know the rules of the martial world?"
Yan Lan took a manual from his bosom and smiled. "I won't watch for free. I'll give you this Demon-Subduing Art manual. How about that?"
"Demon-Subduing Art? Is it any good?" Qin Ye felt the man was mocking him.
Seeing the words "Demon-Subduing Art" on the manual's cover, Li Qingqiu was even more convinced Yan Lan came from the imperial family. This was the supreme technique Jia Yi took such pride in, yet here it was being casually given away.
How ironic.
A single Demon-Subduing Art had enabled Jia Yi's meteoric rise and allowed the Jia clan to redevelop—and the Jia clan wasn't even of common origin.
Such a supreme technique, in the hands of an imperial clansman, seemed insignificant. Truly, no matter the world, class existed, and the gaps between classes were like chasms.
"Of course it's powerful. This absolutely counts as a divine martial art. I was fortunate to obtain it. I've tried practicing, but unfortunately, I'm just not cut out for martial arts. The moment I saw you, I felt a connection, so I'm giving it to you."
Yan Lan smiled as he spoke, casually tossing the Demon-Subduing Art manual to Qin Ye.
Qin Ye caught it and immediately felt conflicted. He turned to look at Li Qingqiu.
Li Qingqiu smiled. "Since he's willing to befriend you, why not accept?"
Qin Ye nodded, then clasped his hands to Yan Lan and thanked him.
Yan Lan waved his hand dismissively, then walked aside and sat down. The two straw-robed men followed closely, never uttering a word the entire time.
"Practice on your own. Your master will rest a while too."
Leaving these words, Li Qingqiu walked in another direction. He came to a large tree, sat cross-legged, and took the wine flask from his waist, beginning to drink.
Qin Ye looked left and right, hesitated a moment, then began demonstrating the Ten Thousand Army Demon-Subduing Staff.
Wu Baoyu had once told him to use this staff technique to serve the dynasty. This suggested the staff technique wasn't something Wu Baoyu alone had learned—or perhaps Wu Baoyu had used a different staff technique when he attempted to assassinate the Emperor. If Qin Ye, upon demonstrating the Ten Thousand Army Demon-Subduing Staff, was immediately identified as connected to Wu Baoyu and punished, how could he ever serve the dynasty?
Wu Baoyu couldn't have overlooked this.
Li Qingqiu had also instructed him: if anyone asked, say it was taught by a mysterious old man he didn't know.
Such stories were common in the martial world.
Qin Ye felt favorably toward Yan Lan. Since the other had treated him sincerely, he naturally wouldn't hold back.
The moment he began his staff technique, his aura abruptly transformed. His entire person radiated strong killing intent.
"Ten Thousand Army Demon-Subduing Staff!"
Qin Ye had only executed seven moves when one of the straw-robed men behind Yan Lan murmured.
Yan Lan's expression didn't change. He watched Qin Ye with appreciation.
The other straw-robed man's gaze remained indifferent, unimpressed by Qin Ye's staff technique.
Li Qingqiu hadn't stopped Qin Ye from demonstrating the Ten Thousand Army Demon-Subduing Staff. He wanted to gamble on a future for Qin Ye. These three clearly weren't here to cause trouble, and Yan Lan's physical condition wasn't faked.
If any incident occurred, Li Qingqiu wouldn't mind applying the Soul-Capturing Curse a second time—consider it practice.
When Qin Ye finished a full cycle of the Ten Thousand Army Demon-Subduing Staff, he turned to Yan Lan and asked, "Can it compare to your Demon-Subduing Art?"
Yan Lan smiled. "The Ten Thousand Army Demon-Subduing Staff naturally compares to the Demon-Subduing Art. In fact, combining these two techniques yields even more miraculous effects. What a coincidence—I never imagined meeting a successor of the Ten Thousand Army Demon-Subduing Staff here. I've given away seven copies of the Demon-Subduing Art, and today I witness the fortuitous encounter of Demon-Subduing and Demon-Seizing."
"How do you recognize my staff technique?" Qin Ye asked in surprise.
Yan Lan continued, "The Ten Thousand Army Demon-Subduing Staff was the supreme technique of our dynasty's Grand General, Lu Chenhai, who swept across the world. It's just that the world doesn't know its name. This staff technique rendered unparalleled service in establishing our Great Li dynasty. General Lu didn't pass it to his own descendants, wishing instead to find a suitable successor. The late Emperor promised him that in the future, whoever mastered the Ten Thousand Army Demon-Subduing Staff, regardless of background, could be appointed a general. Later, he resigned his post and retired to the martial world. Thirty years have passed—I don't know if he still lives."
"Young brother, if you wish to join the army, I can recommend you."
Qin Ye was stunned. In this moment, he finally understood why Wu Baoyu had passed the Ten Thousand Army Demon-Subduing Staff to him—and what kind of path he had paved.
Qin Ye snapped back to reality. Looking at Yan Lan, he asked, puzzled, "Who exactly are you?"
One of the straw-robed men behind Yan Lan spoke, "My master is the Crown Prince of the current dynasty. Why haven't you knelt in thanks?"
Crown Prince!
Qin Ye was shocked. He felt no joy—instead, anger rose within him.
The dog emperor's son!
Qin Ye's expression momentarily twisted with fury, but he quickly realized he couldn't provoke the Crown Prince and suppressed it.
"Audacious! You dare show killing intent toward the Crown Prince!"
The other straw-robed man bellowed. He circumvented Yan Lan and charged at Qin Ye. His movement was extremely fast, leaving afterimages in his wake.
Qin Ye instinctively raised his staff, but his eyes couldn't keep up with the man's movements.
Bam!
A dull collision sound rang out. The straw-robed man abruptly slid backward, carving two several-zhang-long furrows in the snow.
The other straw-robed man immediately drew his sword and frowned at the scene before him.
Li Qingqiu had suddenly appeared beside Qin Ye. His robes billowed in the cold wind, yet he stood as immovable as a mountain.
"Ku Yi, Ku Er, no rudeness."
Yan Lan spoke sternly, his face no longer bearing its former gentle expression. His gaze now carried an oppressive weight—the majesty of the Crown Prince.
The straw-robed man who had attacked, named Ku Yi, straightened up and looked down at his trembling right hand, shock filling his heart.
His gaze shifted to Li Qingqiu, his eyes full of apprehension.