From martial arts sects to immortality sects

Chapter 187 Breakthrough to the Spiritual Consciousness Realm!
As the spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged toward Li Qingqiu at an increasingly rapid pace, a fierce wind arose, causing the forests of Qingxiao Mountain to shake violently, like green waves expanding down the mountainside.

Xu Ning's beautiful hair fluttered in the wind, her robes billowed, making her look like an immortal standing atop a tree, facing the wind, unmoving.

Her gaze was fixed on the thunderclouds in the sky, and for some reason, she had an urge to fly into them.

"Am I going crazy? Could this also be part of the tribulation?"

Xu Ning shook her head, thinking warily to herself.

If that's really the case, then this heavenly tribulation is far too terrifying, capable of even bewitching onlookers.

Shen Yue's thoughts were not as complicated as hers; he was simply curious about how strong Li Qingqiu would be after she had survived her tribulation.

Disciples kept going up and down the mountain to spread the word about Li Qingqiu's tribulation. Now the entire sect is concerned about this heavenly tribulation.

Some people are worried about Li Qingqiu's safety, some are curious about why he is undergoing tribulation, and some, like Shen Yue, are looking forward to what will happen to him after the tribulation.

When the ninety-ninth bolt of heavenly lightning struck, the heavenly tribulation came to an abrupt halt, and no more heavenly lightning fell.

The terrifying divine might that had enveloped the mountains began to slowly dissipate.

When a ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds and shone between Qingxiao Mountain and Ziyang Peak, many disciples breathed a sigh of relief, and the noise from the two peaks grew louder and louder.

A notification popped up in front of Li Qingqiu's eyes:
[Given that you successfully survived your first Heavenly Tribulation, which deepened the Daoist lineage's understanding of the path of cultivation and instilled the concept of fighting against the heavens in the hearts of the lineage's disciples, this marks a milestone in the lineage's development. You are hereby awarded a reward for the inheritance of a divine power.]

Rewards for inheriting supernatural powers?
It's not bad, better than the usual inheritance rewards, it's just a pity that it's not a destiny selection opportunity.

Li Qingqiu pondered silently as he began to consolidate his cultivation.

After entering the Spiritual Consciousness Realm, his Yuan Qi reserves doubled. At this time, the [Hundred Refined Demonic Body] destiny began to take effect. His body seemed to be a bottomless pit, frantically absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and converting it into Yuan Qi at a speed far exceeding that before the breakthrough.

The thunderclouds in the sky slowly dispersed, and more and more sunlight shone down, allowing Qingxiao Gate to see the light of day again.

The tribulation lasted less than half an hour, but it felt like a whole day to the disciples.

They were eager to know the sect leader's tribulation progress, so a large number of disciples rushed up the mountain.

Zhang Yuchun immediately ordered Chai Yunshang to lead men to stop the disciples and prevent them from disturbing Li Qingqiu.

Looking around, the mountain path was crowded with people.

Yun Cai and her seven companions stood in the woods, and were all surprised to see them from afar. They knew there were many disciples in the sect, but seeing them today, they realized that they had underestimated the number of their fellow disciples.

"I've only ever heard of tribulations in myths and legends. Is the sect leader truly an immortal?"

"Nonsense! If the sect leader weren't an immortal, could the Qingxiao Sect have developed so rapidly?"

"I'm really worried about him. Will those lightning bolts tear his robes apart?"

"I think you're just lusting after his body."

"Oh dear, don't talk nonsense. You're getting more and more outrageous with your words."

As the seven female disciples talked, they started playfully fighting.

Yun Cai had no interest in listening to their conversation; her heart was filled with worry, fearing that something might happen to Li Qingqiu.

Her right hand rested on the bamboo flute at her waist, her palm turning white, which caused three mountain bees to fly out of the flute.

……

Regardless of the noise below the mountain, Li Qingqiu focused on consolidating his cultivation.

As the sun sets and the moon rises, even as night falls, Qingxiao Mountain remains bustling with activity, and the lights in each courtyard stay on all night.

Li Qingqiu was still absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, but the activity wasn't as significant.

It took Li Qingqiu three days and three nights for her energy to finally reach its peak.

First level of the Spiritual Consciousness Realm!
At twenty-eight years old, at the first level of the Spiritual Consciousness Realm, Li Qingqiu was unsure how his cultivation speed would have been compared to the past, but he believed that no one in the world could match him in the present day.

He felt a slight sense of pride, but once he got up, he quickly dismissed it.

As the leader of the sect, he must not be arrogant and must always be wary of the world in order to lead Qingxiao Sect further.

He walked down the mountain, and Lin Chuan, Nangong E, and Chu Jing immediately floated over to check on him. Jin Lang also jumped onto his shoulder.

“Excellent! I have now reached a higher level. When you reach the ninth level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm, you will be able to admire my great realm.”

Li Qingqiu chuckled softly, captivating the ghosts and demons.

Chu Jing couldn't help but ask, "Master, when the lightning struck you, didn't you feel any pain?"

Li Qingqiu snorted, "How could it not hurt? It's a pain that goes deep into the soul. But I am the sect leader of Qingxiao Sect. How can I scream in pain? No matter how much it hurts, I can endure it."

Chu Jing was filled with respect and admiration for Li Qingqiu.

Nangong E and Lin Chen looked at him with adoration, their eyes burning with admiration. Even Jin Lang tilted his head to look at him. Although Li Qingqiu was boasting, he was doing this for the sake of others. He didn't want them to misjudge the power of the heavenly lightning because of him.

They chatted as they descended the mountain.

It was just past noon when Li Qingqiu arrived at Lingxiao Courtyard, where Li Dongyue was still waiting.

Upon seeing him, Li Dongyue looked up in surprise and immediately went to greet him. She came to Li Qingqiu and reached out to touch him all over.

"Junior sister, what are you doing?" Li Qingqiu asked nervously.

Fortunately, Li Dongyue didn't touch any places she shouldn't have, so she breathed a sigh of relief. She looked up at Li Qingqiu with a hint of resentment and said, "I was just worried about you, Senior Brother. You really are something. You didn't even tell us before you were going through your tribulation. It was all so sudden."

Li Qingqiu felt a warmth in his heart. All his other junior brothers and sisters had gone to do their work, but Li Dongyue was still here. How could he not be moved?
"This is not something I can predict in advance; the feeling of a breakthrough just comes unexpectedly," Li Qingqiu replied helplessly.

Upon hearing this, Li Dongyue's brows relaxed, and she pulled Li Qingqiu to sit down at the long table, then poured him tea.

"Senior Brother, how are you feeling right now?" Li Dongyue asked curiously.

Li Qingqiu said with a smile, "Excellent! I have now surpassed the ninth level of the Nourishing Essence Realm and reached a higher level of Spiritual Consciousness Realm."

Li Dongyue's eyes widened in surprise. "Beyond the ninth level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm? Senior Brother, you're amazing!"

Her expression and tone greatly satisfied Li Qingqiu's vanity.

Li Qingqiu encouraged him, "You will have this day too."

Li Dongyue's expression darkened, and she said, "With my talent, I'm afraid I'll never see the ninth level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm before I die."

These words immediately dampened Li Qingqiu's excitement. He frowned, his joy at the breakthrough overshadowed by worries about the future.

“Lingcai Hall has already developed, so you don’t need to keep a close eye on it. Delegate authority to your disciples. This way, you will have more time to cultivate, and your disciples will be happy. They will also want to fight for more power,” Li Qingqiu said earnestly.

Li Dongyue looked at him and asked, "Even so, my cultivation speed is still not fast?"

"Don't have such pessimistic thoughts. You should think that I must surpass the ninth level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm, put aside my pride as the hall master, and cultivate with determination. Moreover, with me here, even if it means throwing resources at you, I will still help you and your junior brothers and sisters advance." Li Qingqiu said seriously, and his tone became domineering towards the end.

The Qingxiao Sect belongs to him, and he can treat his disciples fairly as much as possible, but he will definitely control the sect's resources. He will naturally favor his junior brothers and sisters and is not afraid of what others say.

Li Dongyue was stunned by his gaze. After a moment of stunned silence, she smiled and said, "Alright, then I really have to work hard to cultivate and accompany Senior Brother as much as possible."

Li Qingqiu raised his hand, and Li Dongyue took the initiative to bend down and lean her head in so that he could massage her.

The two began to reminisce about the past. Even though they were still young, whenever they were alone, they would always talk about their childhood.

On the same day, news spread that the sect leader had consolidated his cultivation. Li Qingqiu did not return to his cave, but waited in Lingxiao Courtyard. One after another, hall masters and disciples came to visit him. Only after seeing that he was really alright did they feel completely relieved.

As evening fell, Li Qingqiu walked out of Lingxiao Courtyard and headed down the mountain so that more disciples could see him.

When a disciple asked Li Qingqiu why he was undergoing tribulation, he answered truthfully.

Another disciple asked him how to overcome the tribulation. He replied that there was no fixed method for overcoming the tribulation, but one thing was certain: the heavenly tribulation could not be avoided and one had to face the heavenly lightning directly. He said that the sect would study formations and magical artifacts in the future to help disciples overcome the tribulation.

His revealed plan greatly excited his disciples.

After wandering around the mountain for an hour, Li Qingqiu finally headed up the mountain.

When he reached a section of mountain path, a person suddenly emerged from the woods. He turned his head and saw that it was Yun Cai.

"What are you doing here?" Li Qingqiu asked in surprise.

This girl doesn't even turn on the light, is she trying to scare people?

Yun Cai walked up to him, looked him up and down, and then breathed a sigh of relief. She took the bamboo flute from her waist and said, "Sect Master, I have already started raising Heart-Eating Bees. At most, it will take another year before they can be put into battle."

Li Qingqiu could feel small things containing faint spiritual energy moving inside the pot. He smiled and exclaimed, "I didn't expect you could actually refine it. You're amazing! I'll have Wu Xingyue from Tiangong Hall specially craft a magic artifact for you to hold your Heart-Eating Bees."

Yun Cai nodded, and she mustered her courage to take a step forward.

Li Qingqiu frowned. What was this girl up to?
"Sect Master, I want to become stronger. I want to share more of your burden. The Heart-Eating Bees aren't enough; they're too easy for me. I want to learn truly powerful spells," Yun Cai said earnestly, staring at Li Qingqiu.

That's it?

Li Qingqiu breathed a sigh of relief, but said seriously, "Your cultivation level is too low. Practicing too many spells now will only delay your growth. Once you reach the sixth level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm, I will pass on all my knowledge to you. I have high hopes for you, and I hope you can become the strongest disciple in the sect. I have confidence in you."

"The strongest...?"

The clouds brought a sense of surprise, and my heart raced.

There are so many geniuses in the sect. Although she is confident, she is not absolutely certain.

But since Li Qingqiu has said so, she must work towards that goal.

She, Yun Cai, is determined to become the strongest disciple of Qingxiao Sect and prove to the world that Li Qingqiu's judgment was correct!
She wanted to protect him in the same way that Li Qingqiu had protected her!
　Third update!!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)