From martial arts sects to immortality sects

Chapter 27 The Ten Famous Swords of the World
Startled by Xu Ning, Yang Jueding started arguing with Cheng Canghai. Cheng Canghai, who was initially frightened, was about to get up and fight when Xu Ning glared at him, which made him kneel on the ground again.

"Alright, it's no use killing him now. Let's think about how to make amends."

Li Qingqiu spoke up, saying that although stealing is despicable, Cheng Canghai's stolen items were not particularly valuable, and his crime did not warrant death.

Yang Jueding glared at Cheng Canghai, then looked at Li Qingqiu and said, "This man is named Cheng Canghai. His lightness skill is unparalleled, and he is known as the King of Thieves among the martial arts world. He once stole a treasure from the governor's mansion in a prefecture and sold it to other powerful figures. He used the money to help disaster victims. He can be considered a good man. Moreover, his promises are indeed well-known. As long as he promises something, he will definitely fulfill it. He has never let anyone down so far."

He actually admired Cheng Canghai quite a bit. In this degenerate world, there aren't many people in the martial arts world who can still maintain a chivalrous spirit.

Li Qingqiu looked at Cheng Canghai and asked, "Why have you come to Qingxiao Sect?"

Cheng Canghai replied, "I was being hunted down by the government. The newly appointed magistrate of Heishi County was skilled in martial arts and cared for the people, but he specifically targeted me and insisted on capturing me, the King of Thieves. He chased me all the way to Taikun Mountain. I was starving and had no choice but to do something despicable."

"No, the world is vast, why do you insist on running here?" Li Qingqiu's eyes sharpened, and his tone became displeased.

Cheng Canghai's expression changed slightly, and he gritted his teeth and said, "To be honest, the Crown Prince will come to Taikun Mountain to hunt next Spring Festival. I came here in advance to make preparations and plan to steal the Taiping Sword from his waist."

Upon hearing this, Yang Jueding's eyes widened, and he cursed, "How dare you! If you do this, the imperial court will definitely send a large force to search Taikun Mountain, and our Qingxiao Sect will also be affected."

The way the surrounding disciples looked at Cheng Canghai changed; they hadn't expected him to be so bold.

Zhang Yu couldn't help but say, "The Taiping Sword was bestowed upon us by a master when the late emperor pacified the world. It is the second-ranked sword among the ten most famous swords in the world. Your theft of it will likely stir up a bloody storm throughout the world."

Cheng Canghai said smugly, "That's right. If I succeed, my reputation as the King of Thieves will rise to another level. Moreover, I'm going to slap the face of the Tian family. They preach a peaceful and prosperous era, but they're unwilling to look down at the lives of ordinary people. As for whether it will affect the Qingxiao Sect, I originally thought that after Lin Xunfeng retired from the martial world, the Qingxiao Sect would disband. I came up the mountain today just to find a place to stay, but I didn't expect you to be roasting chicken..."

"It smells so good! I'm so hungry, I'm so hungry!"

As he finished speaking, he couldn't help but swallow hard.

After being severely beaten, he became even hungrier.

Li Qingqiu looked at Yang Jueding and asked, "You just said that his lightness skill is unparalleled?"

Yang Jueding suppressed his anger and nodded, saying, "Looking at the martial arts world of Guzhou, his lightness skill is second to none."

He suddenly realized how Xu Ning had managed to capture Cheng Canghai.

He couldn't help but turn to look at Xu Ning.

Cheng Canghai noticed his gaze and quickly said, "If I hadn't been so hungry, how could I have been captured? Of course, her lightness skill is indeed very impressive..."

Xu Ning, who was at the second level of the Nourishing Essence Realm, had already begun practicing the Gale Technique, and she was already familiar with moving quickly through the mountains and forests.

"Since that's the case, I'll punish you by making you stay in Qingxiao Sect for a year to teach my disciples lightness skills, so that you can make up for your mistakes. During this time, we won't let you go hungry. If you don't agree, then we'll send you to Black Stone County."

Li Qingqiu stared at Cheng Canghai and said seriously.

Cheng Canghai's expression changed slightly, and he asked, "Could the time be shorter? I'm afraid I'll miss the next major plan."

"So many people have heard your grand plan, do you think you can still succeed? Stop wasting your time, just give me a straight answer, agree or disagree!"

Li Qingqiu said impatiently, "I'm still waiting to eat."

Cheng Canghai's expression shifted between light and dark, but under the watchful eyes of everyone, he finally nodded in agreement.

"Alright, dinner's ready!"

Li Qingqiu clapped his hands and walked towards the long table. The disciples began to busy themselves and scattered, leaving Cheng Canghai alone kneeling on the ground.

Cheng Canghai was stunned, not expecting Qingxiao Sect to be so straightforward and for Li Qingqiu to trust him so much.

He quickly got up and walked towards Yang Jueding.

He was very curious about Qingxiao Sect; this was completely different from the Qingxiao Sect he had heard about.

After dinner was served, Cheng Canghai shamelessly squeezed next to Yang Jueding and started to freeload.

"Since you have nothing else to do, why don't you tell us about your deeds, so that we can all learn more about you?"

Seeing the somber atmosphere, Zhang Yu smiled and said something that immediately drew everyone's attention to Cheng Canghai.

Cheng Canghai looked at Li Qingqiu, and seeing that Li Qingqiu did not refute him, he drank the wine in his bowl in one gulp, and then began to tell his story.

"Where to begin? Let's start with my martial arts training. I was born in the first year of the founding of the dynasty. That year, the situation was turbulent, and my family suffered a disaster. The emperor ordered the execution of my entire family. My father managed to send me away, but unfortunately, the soldiers discovered me and chased after me. They forced me to the edge of a cliff, and I hardened my heart and jumped off!"

Cheng Canghai's rhythmic and expressive voice quickly captivated everyone, even Li Qingqiu, who became interested in his story.

Dinner that evening lasted a full hour. For the disciples of Qingxiao Sect, such a story was a rare treat. Everyone who heard it was deeply moved and eagerly awaited Cheng Canghai's continuation. Li Qingqiu didn't care whether the story was true or not; as long as the disciples were enjoying it, he didn't stop them.

He had Cheng Canghai share a room with Yang Jueding. That night, he vaguely heard fighting coming from Yang Jueding's room, but it quickly subsided.

The next morning, the disciples noticed that Cheng Canghai's injuries had worsened. When they asked him about it, he only said that he was fine.

Although Cheng Cang Pirate Chicken was despicable, he won the favor of the disciples by telling his chivalrous stories and quickly became one of the Qingxiao Sect disciples. However, he would still choose to take a detour whenever he saw Xu Ning.

In the days that followed, Cheng Canghai, like Zhang Yu and Yang Jueding, became increasingly curious about the Qingxiao Sect.

The immense strength of Wu Man'er made him feel like he had encountered a monster.

What he found most absurd was that Li Sifeng, who was almost thirteen years old, could actually compete with him in lightness skills. Although he won, the difference in skill was not significant.

Does Qingxiao Sect have so many monstrous geniuses?
No, it must be that the Qingxiao Sect is hiding an unbelievable secret technique!

……

Seven days later, Zhang Yuchun and Jiang Zhaoxia finally returned.

Upon receiving the news, Li Qingqiu returned to the sect's courtyard. When Jiang Zhaoxia saw him, she raised her hand, held up three fingers, smiled smugly, and then went back to her room to change into a new sect robe.

Level 3 of the Nourishing Essence Realm!
That kid still caught up, and my cultivation advantage from using cheat codes is gone again.

Li Qingqiu felt a surge of emotion. He was very pleased with this, as at least the Qingxiao Sect had been strengthened.

Zhang Yuchun approached Li Qingqiu, turned and pointed to an old beggar not far away, saying, "Senior Brother, that is the master named Wu Baoyu. Third Junior Brother told me not to tell you. He failed in his first challenge against Senior Wu, then secluded himself for two days to cultivate, and finally won the challenge."

Li Qingqiu raised an eyebrow. Could Jiang Zhaoxia, who was at the second level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm, really be defeated?
This Wu Baoyu is no ordinary person.

Li Qingqiu sensed the internal energy within the other person's body, and he felt as if he were seeing a second Lü Taidou.

"You make the arrangements for him, after all, you're the one who recruited him," Li Qingqiu said with a soft laugh. Zhang Yuchun often came down the mountain, and if he had such a skilled person by his side, he would feel much more at ease.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuchun was overjoyed and quickly thanked Li Qingqiu.

Li Qingqiu patted him on the shoulder, and then went with him to see Wu Baoyu.

Unfortunately, Wu Baoyu was aloof and uninterested in Li Qingqiu. Li Qingqiu, in turn, didn't try to win him over and left after a few awkward words.

He still has to go back and continue practicing the Rejuvenating Ghost Immortal Needle.

……

As summer turned to autumn, the mountains where Qingxiao Sect was located were covered in autumn colors. Down from the mountain gate, after walking up a ten-zhang-long stone staircase, there was a new courtyard with five rooms. In the middle was a simple martial arts training ground where disciples often sparred.

It has been a month since Wu Baoyu joined the Qingxiao Sect, and the sect has gained four more disciples, recruited by Zhang Yuchun from the foot of the mountain.

That afternoon, Li Qingqiu sat in front of the mountain gate, playing with the small knife that Jiang Kuotian had given him last year.

Yang Jueding sat down beside him, his gaze fixed on Wu Baoyu, who was watching his disciples compete in the courtyard below.

After Wu Baoyu changed into the Qingxiao Sect's robe, he exuded the demeanor of a martial arts master. Although he was thin and his back was slightly hunched, even with his hands behind his back, he gave off a very extraordinary feeling.

He is fifty years old this year, and his hair is already gray, but his eyes are still sharp and full of pressure.

"This senior named Wu Baoyu is truly extraordinary. He is likely a top expert. Even though I have cultivated the Hunyuan Scripture and reached the first level of the Yangyuan Realm as recorded in the technique, I am still not confident in defeating him."

Yang Jueding sighed softly, "Every time I make eye contact with Wu Baoyu, I feel uncomfortable all over, so I try to avoid meeting Wu Baoyu as much as possible."

Wu Baoyu was taciturn, but he would occasionally give pointers to younger disciples. A few words from him could enlighten them, so his disciples had a very high opinion of him in private.

Li Qingqiu looked up and smiled, "He is indeed very impressive, but that's a good thing, isn't it? How many people in the Qing Cult do you think are his match?"

"The Qing Sect must have some top experts to have achieved its current status, and it's very likely that their leader is one of them. However, I think you should still be wary of Wu Baoyu. I find him very suspicious. Waiting for experts to come and challenge him in the mountains near Taikun Mountain sounds ridiculous. I suspect that he's after Qingxiao Sect, and it might not be your master, but your grandmaster."

Yang Jueding said with a solemn expression, fearing that Li Qingqiu might easily trust Wu Baoyu.

Li Qingqiu nodded slightly. Wu Baoyu's loyalty was indeed not high after joining Qingxiao Sect, but it was still above sixty, so he didn't interfere much.

It is worth mentioning that Wu Baoyu does not have a special destiny. Although he is a top master in martial arts, his aptitude for cultivating immortality is mediocre.

(End of this chapter)