Outstanding. Excellent.
A genius on par with Xu Ning!
Li Qingqiu's heart stirred with excitement. The True Martial Physique Destiny appeared exceptionally powerful, though the Doom-Bound Destiny required attention. As long as Zhao Zhen survived to sixteen, it would resolve itself.
Eleven more years.
Li Qingqiu couldn't easily judge how much trouble the Doom-Bound Destiny might bring. His intuition told him Zhao Zhen's difficulties would primarily stem from imperial power struggles.
If Zhao Zhen remained at Azure Firmament Sect the entire time, could that avert the danger?
The concern was whether Zhao Zhen might bring trouble to the sect.
Yet thinking further, as long as the sect kept accepting disciples, there would always be those who brought complications. Every choice had advantages and disadvantages. What he needed to consider now was whether Zhao Zhen was worth the risk.
Zhao Zhen's current talent already rivaled Xu Ning's. And Xu Ning, still a minor, could already effortlessly defeat supreme experts of the martial world.
By the time Zhao Zhen turned sixteen and his Comprehension upgraded again, he would become the most talented disciple in Azure Firmament Sect's history.
Worth taking a chance on!
Besides, Zhao Zhen had already knelt and acknowledged him as master—how could he possibly turn the boy away?
Li Qingqiu's thoughts moved swiftly. A smile spread across his face as he personally helped Zhao Zhen up, then lifted the boy onto his lap.
Zhao Zhen felt somewhat awkward, but seeing Li Qingqiu's smile, he found it difficult to refuse.
Ku Yi, witnessing Zhao Zhen's smooth apprenticeship, saluted Li Qingqiu with clasped hands. "We entrust him to your care, Sect Master."
The more Li Qingqiu looked at Zhao Zhen, the more he liked him. He turned to Ku Yi, smiling. "Both of you should join my sect as well. Stay here for now—in a few days, we'll arrange your duties. You can share a courtyard with Zhao Zhen."
"Thank you, Sect Master."
Ku Yi and Ku Er responded in unison. Ku Er's expression was somewhat complicated, though what occupied his thoughts remained unclear.
Li Qingqiu had no time to chat with them further, so he had Qin Ye escort them to settle in while he focused on building a relationship with Zhao Zhen.
After Qin Ye and the other two departed, Li Qingqiu tried to lift Zhao Zhen again, but this time the boy absolutely refused.
"Master, I don't want to be carried. I'm a man—I'm not so delicate."
Zhao Zhen pulled away from Li Qingqiu's hands, stepped aside, and spoke seriously. His voice was still very young, making the declaration rather amusing, and Li Qingqiu couldn't help but laugh.
"Fine, I'll respect that. Come on, I'll show you something interesting."
Li Qingqiu took Zhao Zhen's small hand and headed toward the back mountain forest. Li Sijin was still waiting for him there, and he also wanted to see how far she had progressed in talisman crafting.
Though Zhao Zhen was young, he showed no timidity on his first visit to Azure Firmament Sect. Held by his master's hand, he chattered endlessly, curious about everything around him. Li Qingqiu answered each question patiently.
He had decided to keep Zhao Zhen close from now on to prevent any accidents.
For now, Zhao Zhen would stay with Ku Yi and Ku Er. Once they felt at ease, Li Qingqiu would adjust the arrangement.
Soon, he would have two little shadows following him everywhere—Yuan Li and Zhao Zhen.
"Indestructible Body and True Martial Physique... tsk tsk. Twenty years from now, when those two shake the world with their fame, won't the disciples' reverence for me be absolutely boundless?"
Li Qingqiu found the prospect exciting. For a sect to flourish, it needed to continuously cultivate pillars of strength. He didn't just want himself and his junior siblings to grow stronger—he wanted the younger generation to follow close behind.
But one question remained.
Should he copy the True Martial Physique?
In Li Qingqiu's view, the True Martial Physique's function was to continuously provide the sect with martial arts transformed into immortal cultivation methods. It wasn't like the Heavenly Thunder Spiritual Root, which directly altered one's physical aptitude and combat ability.
He had no need to specially practice martial arts just to create cultivation methods—that would only slow his own cultivation progress.
Opportunities to copy Destinies weren't triggered as easily as Inheritance rewards. He had to use them carefully.
Observe for now!
Li Qingqiu led Zhao Zhen into the back mountain forest. Li Sijin, who had been waiting, spotted them approaching. Her gaze fell on Zhao Zhen, scrutiny evident in her eyes.
Li Qingqiu had long informed his junior siblings about Yan Lan's identity and his request, so Li Sijin knew who Zhao Zhen was.
She didn't believe Yan Lan's claims. In her view, Yan Lan simply wanted Azure Firmament Sect to protect his son—and for that, the sect might face even more trouble.
For this reason, Li Sijin's first impression of Zhao Zhen was quite negative.
"This kid is so arrogant—really asking for a beating."
Li Sijin stared at Zhao Zhen, thinking silently.
But when Li Qingqiu and Zhao Zhen reached her, the boy looked up and said, "Elder Sister, you're very beautiful."
Hearing this, Li Sijin blinked, then broke into a radiant smile. "Really?" she asked happily.
Not arrogant at all. Actually quite adorable.
Li Sijin's opinion of Zhao Zhen instantly changed.
Zhao Zhen replied seriously, "Really. Much more beautiful than the women in our household."
Li Qingqiu smiled as well. He didn't think Zhao Zhen was flattering Li Sijin—cultivation truly transformed one's temperament. As Li Sijin grew older, she had indeed become increasingly beautiful, with an otherworldly quality most women in the world lacked.
Not just her—Li Dongyue, Xu Ning, and Liu Yan were undergoing similar transformations. The higher their cultivation, the more pronounced the change.
"Such a sweet tongue, little one! From now on at Azure Firmament Sect, Aunt-Master will protect you!"
Li Sijin bent down, ruffled Zhao Zhen's hair, and said cheerfully.
In the Great Li Dynasty, even one's master's junior sister was addressed as Aunt-Master.
"So you're Aunt-Master. No wonder you're so beautiful," Zhao Zhen continued, delighting Li Sijin even more.
Li Qingqiu cleared his throat. "Alright, enough. Show me your talisman craftsmanship now."
Hearing this, Li Sijin straightened up and stepped aside. She produced a yellow talisman from her waist, holding it between two fingers. Glancing at Li Qingqiu and Zhao Zhen, she said proudly, "Watch carefully, Martial Nephew. Don't be scared."
Zhao Zhen's eyes widened as he stared fixedly at her. Though unsure what she was about to do, he obeyed.
Li Sijin didn't delay. She tossed the yellow talisman into the air, then flicked her finger—a bolt of spiritual energy shot from her fingertip, pierced the talisman, and ignited it.
"Scream—"
Accompanied by a piercing cry, a silver eagle shadow emerged from the burning talisman, rapidly expanding as it flapped its wings toward the sky. Mid-flight, it grew swiftly—within moments, its wingspan exceeded three meters.
Li Qingqiu's eyes lit up, genuinely impressed by Li Sijin's talisman.
He had expected something basic—a fireball spell, wind blade—not something this advanced.
The silver shadow clearly mimicked Xiao Jiu's form. Rather than dissipating quickly, it circled above the forest. The sight made Zhao Zhen's mouth drop open.
Li Sijin waved her finger, and the silver eagle shadow followed her direction, changing flight paths accordingly. She proudly explained, "I call it the Spirit Eagle Talisman. Though each talisman can only be used once, it can kill enemies at critical moments."
As she finished speaking, her arm swept downward sharply. The eagle shadow circling overhead immediately dove, snapping branches as it plunged, crashing into the grass. Dust flew everywhere. When it settled, a pit the size of a large basin gaped in the ground.
"Lightning attribute?" Li Qingqiu raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.
Li Sijin lowered her hand, coughed lightly, and admitted, "Fine, I'll confess—I consulted Ning'er. She really is a genius and gave me many ideas."
"How much internal energy does it take to create one Spirit Eagle Talisman?" Li Qingqiu pressed.
Li Sijin shrugged helplessly at the question. "Consumes all my internal energy. But that's fine—I can store them up in advance. It's not like I fight daily; keeping internal energy unused is wasteful anyway."
All the spiritual energy of a second-layer Nourishing Origin cultivator. No wonder it was so powerful.
Li Qingqiu praised, "Excellent work. You've made a great contribution. This Spirit Eagle Talisman of yours might save disciples' lives at critical moments. Write down the method for creating it—we'll archive it in the Scripture Depository."
"Really? So I'm a genius who created a legendary technique too?" Li Sijin asked excitedly.
Jiang Zhaoxia, Xu Ning, and Yang Jueding had all successively created techniques archived in the Scripture Depository—something she had deeply envied.
Though the Scripture Depository wasn't fully built yet, the sect had already begun organizing its techniques. Having a self-created martial art included in the Depository was an immense honor.
"Of course. Your Spirit Eagle Talisman has even greater significance than Third Junior Brother's sword arts."
Li Qingqiu's words made Li Sijin jump up and down on the spot, overcome with joy.
Zhao Zhen stared blankly at the pit not far away. His young mind reeled from the shock.
He had already begun martial arts training and witnessed the Imperial Protective Guard experts' prowess. But he couldn't comprehend how a piece of talisman paper could fly out an eagle—and one with such terrifying destructive power.
Li Qingqiu asked several more questions about the Spirit Eagle Talisman, which Li Sijin answered truthfully.
The talisman wasn't as widely applicable as he had imagined. The Spirit Eagle Talisman Li Sijin created could only be used by her. If other disciples tried using it, they would struggle to control it freely—at most achieving an immediate explosive effect.
Li Qingqiu wasn't disappointed. He believed Li Sijin could improve it; this was only a beginning.
Today marked double happiness for him. Zhao Zhen represented Azure Firmament Sect's future combat strength, while Li Sijin's Spirit Eagle Talisman brought the sect closer to being a true cultivation school.
In the days that followed, disciples gradually learned that the Sect Master had accepted another disciple. This raised expectations for Zhao Zhen—after all, the Sect Master didn't take just anyone.
Five days later, Li Qingqiu transmitted the Great Solar Yang Skill to Zhao Zhen.
With the True Martial Physique Destiny, Zhao Zhen naturally had to practice martial arts. Li Qingqiu eagerly anticipated him improving the Great Solar Yang Skill into a cultivation method—that would give Azure Firmament Sect another immortal cultivation art, immensely significant.
Zhao Zhen proved himself a true genius. Already literate, he memorized the manual after just two readings and developed the unique internal energy of the Great Solar Yang Skill that very day.
From then on, whether ascending or descending the mountain, Li Qingqiu brought Yuan Li and Zhao Zhen with him, ensuring the disciples remembered Zhao Zhen's face.
Zhao Zhen's martial talent exceeded even Li Qingqiu's expectations. His skill progressed substantially each day. Li Qingqiu had Yang Jueding test his martial arts—the result was Yang Jueding exclaiming that Zhao Zhen must be a demon child reincarnated.
In Yang Jueding's eyes, Wu Man'er was a one-in-ten-thousand peerless genius, while Xu Ning's talent defied comprehension entirely.
And now Zhao Zhen's appearance shattered Yang Jueding's understanding once again.