From martial arts sects to immortality sects

Chapter 25 Soul-Binding Curse

At night, the moon and stars are rare.

Li Qingqiu returned to his room and found it clean, with bedding and pillows on the bed. It seemed that the Qin family's investment had arrived, and Qingxiao Sect's life was getting better.

He handed over the financial power to Zhang Yuchun. In his view, money was a worldly thing, and he only needed to control the spirit stones in the underground spirit lake.

Spirit stones can aid in cultivation, and they must be a hard currency in the cultivation world, just like oil in the previous world. That is the true foundation of the Qingxiao Sect.

Li Qingqiu sat cross-legged on the bed and brought up the Daoist succession panel. The inheritance rewards from escaping from the Seven Mountains Alliance had not yet been activated. He dared not act recklessly in the wild. Only when he was home and felt at ease would he dare to activate them.

[Claim your inheritance reward]

[Initiating the Inheritance of the Daoist Tradition]

You have acquired the spell – Soul Binding Spell.

Whether or not to accept the inheritance

Soul-binding spell?
This name doesn't sound like the right thing to do!
It seems that the Taoist panel does not define whether he should follow the righteous path or the demonic path.

Great, I like it!

Li Qingqiu didn't want to be bound by too many rules and regulations, and he was willing to learn about such unorthodox methods.

After thinking it over, he immediately began to pass on the Soul-Binding Spell.

A familiar feeling surged up again, and he quickly immersed himself in the inherited memories.

for a long time.

He opened his eyes. Having already inherited magic before, he was naturally not surprised. This time, however, he frowned.

This soul-binding curse is so vicious!
The Soul-Binding Curse can seize a person's soul, even if the person is still alive. During the process of seizing the soul, the victim will suffer indescribable pain. Afterward, the soul will be forever controlled by the caster of the Soul-Binding Curse until the caster dies.

Once the Soul-Binding Curse is successfully cast, the person becomes a ghost. Ghosts cannot defy the caster, as this is a suppression from the soul.

However, this spell also carries risks. If cast across realms, it is considered an act of defiance and could very likely result in a backlash.

After memorizing the Soul-Binding Incantation, Li Qingqiu did not immediately begin his cultivation.

He still needs to cultivate the Rejuvenating Ghost Immortal Needle technique; he needs to master it to a certain level first.

He adjusted his state and quickly entered a state of Qi absorption cultivation.

The moon sets and the sun rises; a night passes.

The next morning, all the disciples woke up. Those who practiced martial arts went to practice, while those who cultivated immortality meditated together to absorb the essence of the sun and moon.

Li Qingqiu had Yuan Qi learn martial arts from Yang Jueding, and the same was true for the six sons of the Qin family.

From now on, not everyone can cultivate the Taiqing Hunyuan Scripture unless they have exceptional talent or outstanding achievements.

After the golden period of cultivation had passed, Li Qingqiu and Zhang Yuchun returned to the house and began to discuss the next steps.

"First, organize a group of disciples to start building houses in the woods below the mountain gate. You can invite Yang Jueding, since he is an adult. Second, recruit ten more disciples, as long as they are no more than twenty years old. We can't always recruit children."

As Li Qingqiu sipped his tea, he said that the tea was also a gift from the Qin family, and its aroma was wonderful. He had enjoyed a cup of it last night.

Zhang Yuchun smiled and said, "I've wanted to do this for a long time. Now that we have money, it's time to make our move. By the way, should we hire a tutor? I heard from Dongyue that you have such a plan."

"Please, these matters are yours to arrange. You don't need to do everything yourself. You can choose disciples to train so they can assist you in the future. As Qingxiao Sect grows larger, the division of authority will become more detailed," Li Qingqiu nodded.

Zhang Yuchun replied, "Huang Shan and Yu Lin are good. They are meticulous despite their rough exterior, and they consider things comprehensively. I will cultivate them well."

"From now on, only those who become true disciples can cultivate the Hunyuan Scripture. Currently, Xu Ning is the only true disciple. Huang Shan and the other seven can also enjoy the title of true disciple, but martial arts will be their priority."

Li Qingqiu continued, and Zhang Yuchun wrote it down.

Li Qingqiu had many ideas about the ranking of disciples, but they were not suitable for implementation at the moment, especially since the treatment of disciples could not be detailed yet, after all, Qingxiao Sect had not yet formed its own system.

To this day, Qingxiao Sect still has no stable source of income.

Li Qingqiu and Zhang Yuchun focused on discussing this matter, emphasizing that they could not rely solely on the Qin family; they could consider what Jiang Zhaoxia had seen and heard when she went down the mountain.

Escorting dignitaries or valuables, accepting government rewards, and so on—these tasks can be undertaken by disciples in the future. Firstly, it provides them with experience; secondly, it allows them to earn money; and thirdly, it enhances the reputation of the Qingxiao Sect.

Without a reputation, it's difficult to recruit disciples; they can only recruit from villages.

Putting aside their aptitude, such disciples are illiterate, and even teaching them martial arts would require a greater investment of resources.

Of course, Li Qingqiu would allow Qingxiao Sect to have its own reading courses; he simply did not want Qingxiao Sect's recruitment of disciples to be limited to rural areas.

The two talked for a full hour, and after they finished, Zhang Yuchun, full of fighting spirit, immediately took action.

Li Qingqiu stayed a little longer, then went out of the house, called Li Dongyue, and together they went to the woods behind the mountain to practice the Rejuvenating Ghost Immortal Needle.

They continued their cultivation until nearly noon, then got up and headed towards the sect.

"Senior brother, don't forget to choose one of the Qin family disciples to take as your apprentice. You promised the Qin family that, and those children are waiting too," Li Dongyue said softly as she walked beside Li Qingqiu.

Li Qingqiu nodded and smiled, "Don't worry, I won't forget. Yu Chun also told me."

Qin Jue had already designated his son as Li Qingqiu's apprentice, so Li Qingqiu didn't need to worry about it. He just needed to make a decision sooner so that the six disciples of the Qin family could feel at ease. After lunch, Li Qingqiu called Qin Ye over and asked him to come with him.

Qin Ye stood up excitedly, his face flushed. The other five disciples from the Qin family were also excited, as they had come carrying the family's expectations.

……

After Li Qingqiu formally accepted Qin Ye as his disciple, he sent him to Yang Jueding. Qin Ye's aptitude was too poor, and it would be difficult for him to achieve anything in cultivation. However, if he performed well in the future, Li Qingqiu could help him cultivate.

The existence of the underground spiritual lake can compensate for some deficiencies in cultivation aptitude.

Yang Jueding thus earned his own title: the Martial Arts Elder of Qingxiao Sect.

Half a month passed quickly. Because Li Qingqiu concealed what he had done at the Seven Mountains Alliance, Jiang Zhaoxia would still go to the mountainside to practice her skills. Li Qingqiu did not stop her, after all, besides the Seven Mountains Alliance, there was also the potential trouble of the Green Sect.

Until this day, Zhang Yuchun brought news.

Jiang Zhaoxia, Li Dongyue, Wu Man'er, Li Sifeng, and Li Sijin were summoned to Li Qingqiu's room.

"Something big has happened to the Seven Mountains Alliance! The First Alliance Leader, Lü Taidou, is dead! The Seven Mountains Alliance is in chaos now, no wonder they haven't come looking for trouble!" Zhang Yuchun said excitedly.

Li Qingqiu asked curiously, "Where did you find out about this?"

This was Zhang Yuchun's third time descending the mountain in half a month, and Li Qingqiu hadn't expected him to be able to gather information about the martial arts world.

Zhang Yuchun laughed and said, "This time, we encountered bandits on our way down the mountain. I took Huang Shan and Yu Lin to help, and that's how I made some friends. I learned about this shocking event in Guzhou from them."

Li Sifeng stared wide-eyed at Li Qingqiu and said, "Senior Brother, you didn't do this, did you?"

The other junior brothers and sisters also looked at Li Qingqiu with nervousness and anticipation, after all, Li Qingqiu had been down the mountain for half a month not long ago.

Li Qingqiu rolled his eyes and said irritably, "How could I have that ability? Ask your third junior brother, do you think the Seven Mountains Alliance is so easy to deal with?"

Jiang Zhaoxia nodded and said, "It is indeed difficult to kill the strongest person in the Seven Mountains Alliance's headquarters. One-on-one is not the same as fighting against a hundred or a thousand people."

Everyone understood when they thought about the injuries Jiang Zhaoxia had suffered earlier.

Li Sifeng started shouting and gesticulating wildly as he described how powerful the experts of the Seven Mountains Alliance were.

Jiang Zhaoxia stared at Li Qingqiu with a complicated look, making him feel uneasy.

Unable to withstand his gaze, Li Qingqiu coughed lightly, interrupting Li Sifeng's performance, and said, "In any case, the Seven Mountains Alliance shouldn't bother us for a while, but we can't be careless. From now on, no one should slack off. Either practice your skills or help build up the sect."

The plan to expand the sect has begun, and the boys among the second-generation disciples are contributing the most.

Besides Li Sijin, Li Qingqiu assigned tasks to all his junior brothers and sisters.

After the meeting adjourned, Zhang Yuchun did not leave. He pulled Li Qingqiu aside and said, "Senior brother, I invited a teacher from the foot of the mountain. He claims to be proficient in physiognomy and divination, and he insists on meeting you."

"No money?"

“I spent the money, but he said he would decide how much effort he would put in based on my facial features.”

"Alright, I'll see what tricks he's up to."

Li Qingqiu responded, and then the two of them went out of the house together.

As soon as he stepped out of the house, he saw a scholar in white standing behind his two disciples, watching them do carpentry.

The scholar in white looked to be in his twenties or thirties. He carried a book box on his back and had a very refined demeanor; he was clearly a scholar.

"Mr. Zhang, my senior brother has arrived."

Zhang Yuchun called out, and upon hearing this, the white-robed scholar named Zhang Yu immediately turned around and walked towards Li Qingqiu and the other person.

Zhang Yu's gaze fell directly on Li Qingqiu. As they got closer, his eyes lit up. Before Li Qingqiu could speak, he stepped forward and took her hand.

Li Qingqiu wanted to dodge, but realizing that he had no internal energy, she let him hold her.

"Sect Leader Li, your face is extraordinary. Born into a family of emperors and generals, you had a difficult childhood, but your destiny is extraordinary. With the Purple Star shining brightly upon you, you are destined to become a true dragon one day," Zhang Yu said excitedly, almost kneeling down before Li Qingqiu.

Scammers and fraudsters!

Slick tongue!

Li Qingqiu directly assigned him two destiny entries, which was utter nonsense.

His biological father wasn't that powerful.

Li Qingqiu calmly withdrew his hand and asked, "Thank you for your kind words, sir. May I ask where you learned the art of physiognomy?"

Zhang Yu composed himself, took a step back, raised his hand to bow to him, and said, "I am a disciple of the Nine Lineages Elder. You may not have heard of his name. He has lived in seclusion for 130 years and is preparing to enjoy his last few years of leisure."

Li Qingqiu did not question him, but instead asked with a smile, "I wonder if you feel any pressure teaching my disciples all by yourself?"

“There is no pressure. Although your sect is small, it is full of hidden talents and brilliant in both literature and martial arts. It has already shown signs of taking off. Zhang Yu is willing to contribute to Qingxiao Sect. Of course, it would be even better if the sect leader could add thirty copper coins per month.”

Zhang Yu said with a smile, his words clear and resonant, his voice strong and powerful, giving him the air of a wise and virtuous person.

(End of this chapter)