From martial arts sects to immortality sects

Chapter 112 The Battle of Geniuses
Li Qingqiu held an extremely high position in the hearts of his six junior brothers and sisters. Even the proud Jiang Zhaoxia dared not provoke him or anger him. This prestige continued to grow as they grew up.

Zhang Yuchun wanted to speak up to ease the tension, but looking at his senior brother's face, he simply couldn't muster the courage.

Li Qingqiu snapped out of his daze and saw his junior brothers and sisters looking at him nervously. He realized that he had lost his composure.

He smiled and said, "You guys continue your conversation, I was thinking about something else."

Li Dongyue then said, "Senior Brother, you make the decision. Everyone will listen to you. Besides, it's your decision to decide on Sixth Junior Brother's marriage."

The others nodded, having already expressed their opinions, and believed that Li Qingqiu would be able to take all factors into consideration and choose the best solution.

"In that case, let's observe Pei Miao for a year. The world is in chaos right now, and the Pei family might bring about their own destruction."

Li Qingqiu spoke, and everyone nodded. Li Sifeng breathed a sigh of relief.

After they returned to their respective rooms, Li Qingqiu heard Li Sifeng and Jiang Zhaoxia arguing inside.

Jiang Zhaoxia always felt that the Pei family was behind all of this and that it would be best to kill them all. However, Li Sifeng cared about Pei Miao and expressed his belief in her.

Li Qingqiu sat cross-legged on the bed, listening to the conversation between the two, and felt a sense of enlightenment.

He possessed a Daoist chart that allowed him to see his disciples' loyalty and destiny. He once felt he could control the fate of others, but now he suddenly realized that was not the case.

So-called destiny may just be a possibility of fate; it can be broken or followed.

But there is something that transcends his will and prevents him from interfering with fate.

That is the human heart.

Li Qingqiu also realized that he was too arrogant. His pursuit of immortality mainly relied on his ability to replicate destiny. He could not allow those around him to be like him.

If Li Sifeng were to miss Pei Miao and fail to achieve immortality in the future, would he hate him on his deathbed?

Perhaps, he should respect Li Sifeng's wishes, help him pursue what he wants, and remove all obstacles in his path. That would be the best way to take care of him.

After figuring things out, Li Qingqiu felt a sense of relief.

Let nature take its course. To be able to spend a lifetime together is already a blessing. If we can pursue immortality together, that is a blessing. If not, then cherish the fate we have in this life.

……

Pei Miao's arrival did not affect Qingxiao Sect. However, the disciples of the Training Hall noticed that there was a woman by the side of the hall master. The two were always chatting and laughing, and their behavior was intimate.

The arrival of the Spring Festival heralds the start of a new year.

Xue Jin lived up to expectations and became the first true disciple to reach the fifth level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm. This news spread throughout the true disciple circle. It is said that the sect leader personally summoned Xue Jin to commend him, which greatly encouraged the true disciples.

Li Qingqiu was genuinely happy that Xue Jin had reached the fifth level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm.

This indicates that, apart from the seven fellow disciples, Qingxiao Sect has truly cultivated a disciple who can stand on his own. Xue Jin is not a latecomer like Yang Jueding or Shen Yue; Xue Jin was entirely cultivated by Qingxiao Sect and is a true direct descendant.

Under Li Qingqiu's arrangement, Xue Jin became the deputy head of the Training Hall, and the Thirteen Swordsmen were also incorporated into the Training Hall.

Li Sifeng was very pleased with this, feeling that the Training Hall finally had a master in charge, and he could now go down the mountain to train with peace of mind.

After Xue Jincheng reached the fifth level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm, Zhao Zhen and Ji Ya were greatly stimulated and also began to practice diligently.

Behind them were Chai Yunshang, Li Yang, Liu Yan, Han Lang and others, who were in hot pursuit. In addition to them, Li Qingqiu also saw dozens of geniuses poised to make their mark and achieve fame in a single battle.

In early February, Zhao Zhencheng reached the fifth level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm, instantly stealing the limelight from Xue Jin.

Inside the training hall, in the deputy hall master's room, Xue Jin was organizing the training tasks. Zheng Yunqiao, one of the Thirteen Sword Masters, stood in front of the table and exclaimed, "What a Zhao Zhen! His talent is terrifying. He's only nine years old. It's unimaginable how strong he will be when he grows up..."

Xue Jin didn't even look up and laughed, "Of course, after all, he is the sect leader's disciple. Not just anyone can be the sect leader's disciple. I couldn't even become one if I wanted to."

“You can’t say that, senior brother. Look at Yuan Li, his aptitude is very poor. In my opinion, you can replace him.” Zheng Yunqiao spoke up for Xue Jin.

Xue Jin looked up, glared at Zheng Yunqiao, and said, "Don't talk nonsense. If it weren't for the sect leader's appreciation, how could I have achieved what I have today? As for Yuan Li, don't underestimate him. If you observe carefully, you will find that the sect leader's favorite is him. He takes him out more often than Zhao Zhen. Perhaps one day, Yuan Li will surprise everyone."

"Really?" Zheng Yunqiao asked incredulously.

Xue Jin said meaningfully, "Although Yuan Li has not shown any talent in martial arts, he is clearly more intelligent than Zhao Zhen in dealing with people. Anyway, I have high expectations for him."

Zheng Yunqiao seemed to be deep in thought.

Their conversation is a microcosm of Qingxiao Sect. When everyone is marveling at Zhao Zhen's terrifying talent, Yuan Li is inevitably mentioned.

The two were of similar age and were often trained together by the sect leader, but their training results were worlds apart.

At noon that day, Li Qingqiu walked along the mountain path toward the Sword Sect and happened to meet Yuan Li walking towards him.

Nine-year-old Yuanli wore a well-fitting blue robe, with handsome features and bright eyes. His spirit and appearance made Li Qingqiu feel happy and that she had raised Yuanli very well.

"Master."

When Yuanli saw Li Qingqiu, he immediately walked up to her and bowed to her, behaving very obediently.

Li Qingqiu looked at him and asked with a smile, "Where did you come from?"

"I just went to deliver food to my brother."

"Yuan Qi is really something, when he's busy you have to take care of him."

“My brother also wants to do his part for the sect.” “Alright, go back and practice your skills.”

Li Qingqiu patted Yuan Li's head and then continued walking towards the Sword Sect.

Yuan Li turned around and looked at his master's back. His eyes were bright and he looked energetic, but he was heavy-hearted thinking about the rumors he had heard along the way.

The pressure of his master's doting affection and the doubts of his fellow disciples made it hard for him to breathe. He even thought about asking his master to give up on him, but every time he saw his master's smiling face, he felt that he could not give up.

Even if not for his own sake, but for the sake of his master's image, he had to grit his teeth and persevere. He had to cultivate until he made a name for himself and let everyone in the Qingxiao Sect know that his master would never have misjudged him.

Thinking of this, Yuan Li's eyes became firm. What he didn't know was that a golden pattern was faintly appearing on his forehead, appearing and disappearing, as if a third eye was about to open.

He turned and left, preparing to go to the woods behind Lingxiao Academy to practice his skills.

the other side.

When Li Qingqiu arrived at the Sword Sect, he saw fifty Sword Sect disciples meditating and cultivating sword energy.

Shen Yue sat cross-legged at the very front, with a sword floating beside him, exuding the air of a sword immortal.

Even though Shen Yue is old, thanks to his excellent cultivation aptitude and outstanding comprehension, his cultivation speed is extremely fast, and he has now reached the third level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm.

Li Qingqiu could feel him growing stronger, and the vital energy was transforming his sword intent.

He noticed that Li Sifeng had also arrived, sitting on the edge of the first row practicing Qi, with the Emperor Xuan Sword standing beside him.

He did not disturb the Sword Sect disciples' cultivation, but stood still and watched. With the comprehension brought by his innate sword fanatic destiny, he was able to see through the Sword Sect disciples' Qi cultivation methods.

He had never seen this method of refining sword energy before, and he guessed that it was created by Shen Yue. After all, although Jiang Zhaoxia held the position of elder of the Sword Sect, she rarely came to the Sword Sect.

Half an hour later.

Shen Yue opened his eyes. He had noticed Li Qingqiu's arrival long ago, but he didn't expect Li Qingqiu to have been watching for half an hour. He glanced over and found Li Qingqiu standing in the corridor with his eyes closed, surrounded by sword energy.

"Huh? How could he..." Shen Yue was secretly shocked.

Since he began practicing the Hunyuan Scripture, he knew that he was not defeated by the Ten Thousand Swords Returning to the Origin, but by the Yuan Qi. Li Qingqiu was not a pure swordsman either.

Now it seems that Li Qingqiu's comprehension of swordsmanship may be no less than his and Jiang Zhaoxia's.

Li Qingqiu opened his eyes and nodded to Shen Yue from afar. Then, seeing that Li Sifeng was also looking at him, he waved to Li Sifeng.

The other disciples opened their eyes one after another. When they saw Li Sifeng get up and leave, they subconsciously looked in the direction Li Sifeng went and saw the sect leader's figure.

All the Sword Sect disciples were very excited to see their sect leader arrive.

"When did the sect leader arrive?"

"I don't know. He must have been here for quite a while. You can see that the sword energy around him hasn't dissipated yet. He was probably practicing Qi with us earlier."

"Do you think the sect leader might discover my hidden talent and take me as his disciple?"

"Keep dreaming. It's already good enough that the sect leader has made you a disciple he's paying close attention to."

"If I had known the sect leader was coming, I would have been even more serious..."

The disciples discussed amongst themselves, attesting to Li Qingqiu's influence within the Qingxiao Sect. No one held more prestige than him, even though he was usually very low-key.

Li Qingqiu led Li Sifeng away, and the two came to a deserted cliff, where they stood side by side overlooking the magnificent mountain scenery.

Perhaps it was because he had met the person he loved that Li Sifeng had been cultivating very diligently lately. He had not become obsessed with romantic love, but Li Qingqiu knew him well and there must be a reason for his change.

"Marrying the daughter of the Pei family will certainly lead to an eventful future. Have you thought this through carefully?"

Li Qingqiu gazed into the distance and asked softly.

Li Sifeng also looked into the distance and replied, "I've thought it through. The Pei family is indeed ambitious. They betrothed Miao'er to me, hoping that I would help them achieve their ambitions. However, they underestimated my ambition. It's still uncertain who will become whose pawn."

Li Qingqiu glanced at him, slightly surprised.

"Senior Brother, I often think about why our Qingxiao Sect is always provoked by all sorts of forces. Even though we have already demonstrated our strength, new enemies still appear. After thinking about it, I think it all comes down to the fact that our power is not strong enough."

Li Sifeng's eyes became aggressive, and a smile appeared on his face.

Li Qingqiu did not refute this.

"You should be able to sense that Qingxiao Sect's martial arts are different from others. When I told Shen Yue that the Hunyuan Scripture could prolong life, I wasn't lying to him. My goal is the same as the Emperor's—to pursue immortality, only we take different paths. What about you? Do you want to be like me, or do you have other goals?"

Li Qingqiu asked seriously, leaving the choice to Li Sifeng.

Li Sifeng turned to look at him and said with a carefree smile, "Senior brother, immortality is a vague and ethereal thing. Even you probably don't have absolute certainty about it. Rather than chasing after something illusory, I'd rather seize the present moment. Heroes emerge in chaotic times. I want to try my luck. Whether I succeed or fail, I will always be your junior brother."

The two brothers faced each other, their eyes meeting.

Li Qingqiu smiled as well, and said with emotion, "My little junior brother has finally grown up. Now that you have thought it through, then do it. No matter what, Qingxiao Sect will always be your home. You can come back anytime. I, your senior brother, will always protect you. But there is one thing you must remember: do not do anything immoral or immoral, and do not become the person you despise today."

Li Sifeng nodded and said earnestly, "Senior Brother, don't worry. I, Li Sifeng, have wanted to be a chivalrous knight since I was a child, and I will never forget my original aspiration."

Li Qingqiu recalled a scene from many years ago: young Li Sifeng always liked to brandish a wooden sword, claiming to be a chivalrous hero who helped those in need.

(End of this chapter)