From martial arts sects to immortality sects

Chapter 141 The Ninth Layer
The influence of Li Qingqiu's killing of the Demon Emperor Zhao Zhi continues to exert its effects; even in the midst of winter snow, people still come to the mountain to pay homage every day.

After the festive season, the high-level meeting was held as scheduled.

Zhang Yuchun, Jiang Zhaoxia, Li Dongyue, Wu Man'er, Li Sijin, Xu Ning, Yang Jueding, Zhang Yu, Zhu Yan, Chai Yunshang, Xue Jin, Qingxiao Zhenren, and Shen Yue sat around the long table, making it crowded.

Chai Yunshang and Xue Jin were a little nervous because it was their first time attending such a meeting, while Qingxiao Zhenren was not nervous at all. Instead, he spoke with concern for the hall masters in the tone of an elder.

Li Qingqiu asked the hall masters to report on their situations, starting with Zhang Yuchun.

"Currently, the sect has 4,670 registered disciples, including 892 inner disciples, 377 true disciples, and over 1,500 miscellaneous disciples..."

Hearing these figures, the senior executives were all excited.

Nowadays, the threshold for becoming a true disciple has been raised to the third level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm. Reaching the third level allows one to roam freely throughout a province. Even the corrupt official Jiang Tianshi, who bewitched the court, only had the cultivation level of the third level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm.

Of course, not all of these 377 people were at the third level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm; there were also some disciples with poor aptitude but long experience.

"There are a total of 892 disciples at the first level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm, 457 disciples at the second level, 289 disciples at the third level, 25 disciples at the fourth level, and 3 disciples at the fifth level. This year, the disciples' cultivation has taken off, especially those at the third level."

After saying that, Zhang Yuchun smiled.

Master Qingxiao was secretly alarmed. He had already begun cultivating the Hunyuan Scripture and knew what the minor realm of the Nourishing Yuan Realm represented.

If he had not cultivated the Hunyuan Scripture, he would at most be comparable to the third level of the Yangyuan Realm, which means that there are 289 disciples in the sect whose strength is comparable to his.

too exaggerated!

Li Qingqiu has only been in charge of the Qingxiao Sect for nine years!

Shen Yue frowned slightly upon hearing that three people had reached the fifth level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm. He had been focusing on enlightenment lately, which had delayed his cultivation. However, when his gaze fell on the Rainbow Sword behind Li Qingqiu, his brows relaxed.

You must first understand swordsmanship!
At this moment, Chu Jing was also amazed inside the Rainbow Sword. The more he learned about the Qingxiao Sect, the more terrifying he felt.

Zhang Yuchun then reported on other matters concerning the Imperial Spirit Hall, which were subsequently reported by the other hall masters.

A master of each hall gave a general summary of the affairs under their charge. Everyone had a smile on their face. Each hall had performed its duties and had achieved many results throughout the year.

After Xue Jin took over the Training Hall, its efficiency improved significantly.

Although the hall masters did not show it, the competition between them was already tacit, and no one wanted their hall to drag the sect down.

Li Qingqiu then recounted the low-level demon realm of Tianji Mountain and explained the role of the Demon Control Hall.

I heard that Qingxiao Sect disciples will be able to have mounts and demonic pets like Xiao Ba in the future, and every hall master is very interested in it.

"I never imagined that demons truly existed in this world. Of course, there are legends of powerful and ferocious beasts in every region, and even auspicious omens appear in the Nine Provinces. It's normal for demons to exist," Qingxiao Zhenren remarked.

Li Qingqiu laughed and said, "An auspicious omen? Our Qingxiao Sect also has an auspicious omen."

"really?"

"Yes, it's a Qilin."

As the number of disciples increased, the Prison Qilin's activity range shrank, and it was inevitable that the disciples would discover it. Although the news was suppressed, a few disciples in the sect already knew of the Prison Qilin's existence.

When Master Qingxiao heard that there was a Qilin in his sect, he opened his mouth as if to say something, but then he didn't know what to say.

That's it.

We can't be any more shocked; it would damage the reputation of our ancestor.

Master Qingxiao's expression tightened, and he pretended to be serious.

“Since Qingxiao Sect is already powerful enough, let’s allow the Prison Qilin to roam the mountain openly,” Li Dongyue suggested.

Li Qingqiu nodded. Currently, Yu Qilin and Li Dongyue have the best relationship, mainly because Li Sifeng often comes down the mountain.

Zhu Yan, Shen Yue, and Qingxiao Zhenren all felt there was no problem; no one in the world could possibly steal the Qilin from Qingxiao Mountain.

Li Qingqiu scanned the crowd and asked, "Every year there are new goals. Next year will mark my tenth year as sect leader, so it should have some significance, right?"

Yang Jueding chuckled and said, "That's certainly true. Time really flies. You've all grown up. Luckily, I don't look old yet."

The others echoed his sentiments, and Master Qingxiao also learned that Li Qingqiu had taken over the position of sect leader at the age of sixteen, which filled him with emotion.

This eldest grand-disciple is truly remarkable!

"I propose holding a martial arts tournament among the sects to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the sect leader's tenure, and also to let the disciples learn about the sect's heritage and give more talented disciples the opportunity to make a name for themselves," Yang Jueding continued, something he had long wanted to do.

Xu Ning, Wu Man'er, Li Sijin, Xue Jin, and Chai Yunshang all expressed their agreement.

Li Qingqiu thought about it and decided it was feasible. This would also be an opportunity for the disciples to showcase their skills, and the lively atmosphere on the martial arts arena would demonstrate how much interest the disciples had in sparring.

He continued, "It won't be called a sect martial arts competition, it'll be called a combat tournament. Registration will start in March, the preliminary rounds in April, one-on-one matches, and the top 64 will be decided by June, the top 10 in July, and the top three in August." Zhang Yuchun's eyes lit up, and he said, "That's good. It won't cause a period of weakness for the sect, and it will give the disciples more opportunities to showcase their abilities. It will also allow more powerful families and dignitaries to witness the strength of the Qingxiao Sect. We can gain a huge benefit from this."

A number of plans suddenly came to mind, and the other hall masters also thought they were good. They decided to go back and urge their disciples to cultivate so as to bring glory to their halls.

The group began discussing the details of the martial arts tournament.

Li Qingqiu no longer takes the lead, but only decides on the general framework.

Mingguang's design for the cave dwelling is almost complete, but the materials for the spirit-gathering array are scarce, so it cannot be mass-produced for the time being. He is wondering whether to give the cave dwellings to the top three winners of the martial arts tournament.
These three cave dwellings can be built on other mountains, which would expand the territory of Qingxiao Sect. To be able to fight your way to the top three in the fighting tournament, one's cultivation level must be at least the fourth level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm, which is enough to deal with all kinds of troubles.

Li Qingqiu's thoughts became clearer and clearer, and he even thought about how to legitimately disperse his disciples.

Although Qingxiao Mountain is large, there is still a lot of space to be reserved for various industries. With so many people living there now, it is already a bit crowded.

After everyone finished discussing the martial arts tournament, Li Qingqiu said, "The Cultivation Hall will select ten disciples to teach other disciples martial arts techniques. This is open to all disciples, not one-on-one instruction. Different basic cultivation courses will be added later. These ten disciples will first learn sword control techniques from our third junior brother."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhaoxia's eyes lit up, and she asked, "Are we finally going to implement the Sword Control Technique?"

Master Qingxiao couldn't help but ask curiously, "What is the art of sword control?"

Li Sijin said excitedly, "It's a sword technique created by our third senior brother. It allows people to fly by using a sword. For example, if we go to the mountains next to us, we have to go up and down the mountain, which is very troublesome and takes at least half a day. If we learn the sword control technique, we can fly directly there in just twenty breaths."

Master Qingxiao's eyes widened, and Chu Jing inside the Rainbow Sword was equally shocked.

"Such a miraculous technique exists?" Master Qingxiao could no longer remain calm.

Jiang Zhaoxia said, "The threshold for sword control is not high. However, to achieve the goal of flying over two mountains, one must have at least the third level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm. Other disciples of lower realms can also practice it, which makes it faster to descend the mountain. Moreover, sword control can also be used in battle."

Yang Jueding, Zhang Yu, Chai Yunshang, Zhu Yan, and Xue Jin had heard of this technique before, and they could also control objects with their qi, so they were not surprised.

Shen Yue even snorted coldly, quite contemptuously, which annoyed Jiang Zhaoxia, who glared at him.

This was Li Qingqiu's idea. As the number of disciples increased, the opportunities to receive one-on-one instruction from their master would become fewer and fewer. In fact, many disciples did not have a master at all. They had to work first after entering Qingxiao Sect and exchange their contributions for cultivation techniques. If they did not understand something, they could only ask for guidance at the cultivation hall. However, the disciples at the cultivation hall also had other things to do and it was difficult for them to teach wholeheartedly.

Li Qingqiu did not want Qingxiao Sect to become just a place for disciples to make money. He hoped that Qingxiao Sect could become a home for disciples, where everyone could have a sense of belonging, and that as long as they passed the entrance examination, they would be qualified to learn martial arts and cultivate immortality.

Therefore, Li Qingqiu plans to establish meditation plazas on different mountains, which is also part of his plan for the new year.

He recounted this series of plans, earning the admiration of everyone.

Jiang Zhaoxia hadn't expected Li Qingqiu to consider so much; he simply thought the sword control technique was very useful.

"Sect Leader, you truly care about every disciple," Zhu Yan exclaimed.

Such a plan is not too difficult to implement, but no other sect in the world is as generous. Even aristocratic families strictly control the scriptures and will not pass them on to every disciple.

Master Qingxiao was impressed by Li Qingqiu. He suddenly understood why Li Qingqiu had been able to develop the Qingxiao Sect so well.

Perhaps Qingxiao Sect surpasses secular sects not only in martial arts.

Shen Yue gave Li Qingqiu a deep look. Although he didn't say anything, he was amazed by Li Qingqiu's vision.

The meeting lasted a long time, and when everyone left, they were all full of fighting spirit, feeling that there were more challenges waiting for them.

Even Jiang Zhaoxia was inspired by Li Qingqiu, and he decided to create more sword techniques with lower barriers to entry to benefit his disciples.

……

The winter snow melts, and the New Year arrives.

News of the martial arts tournament spread like wildfire, which excited all the disciples. Those from aristocratic families were especially ordered by their families and elders to make the most of this opportunity.

With the increasing number of disciples in the Qingxiao Sect, it's not enough to rely solely on one's own efforts to reach the higher levels. The martial arts tournament is a great opportunity to showcase one's abilities.

In addition, Qingxiao Sect began sending miscellaneous disciples and craftsmen to the nearby mountains for construction, which aroused the disciples' curiosity and discussion in private.

Inside the Qingxiao Sect, a lively atmosphere prevailed, with every disciple brimming with fighting spirit and hope. Meanwhile, outside the Qingxiao Sect, the flames of war began to spread throughout the Nine Provinces.

The real chaos has arrived.

Early February.

Li Qingqiu finally broke through to the ninth level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm in the underground spiritual lake.

After reaching the ninth level, he could feel the presence of spiritual consciousness more and more. Because the speed and efficiency of absorbing qi had greatly improved, when he was consolidating his cultivation, the spiritual energy of the entire underground spiritual lake gathered towards him, making it impossible for Chu Jing, Nangong E, and Lin Chuan to cultivate.

"This is..." Chu Jing looked at Li Qingqiu, who was surrounded by spiritual energy, with a look of fear on his face.

Has he reached a higher level?
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(End of this chapter)