From martial arts sects to immortality sects

Chapter 32 The Martial Arts Champion Arrives

Seeing Feng Dai kneel, Li Qingqiu remained unmoved. He casually replied, "What do you mean? Has the magistrate already found out the truth?"

In his view, the actions of Feng Dai and others were meaningless; they were merely trying to make up for their own guilt.

Even if Wu Baoyu himself harbored the idea of ​​killing the emperor, he would certainly have lived longer without Feng Dai's identification.

Zhang Yuchun taking Wu Baoyu up the mountain only changed Wu Baoyu's fate; it was Feng Dai who truly forced Wu Baoyu to go to the capital.

Of course, Feng Dai was not wrong either; it is only right for officials to catch thieves.

If anyone is to blame, it's that emperor.

He founded the Demonic Sect, erased Wu Baoyu's achievements, and slandered Wu Baoyu as a person who committed all kinds of evil.

However, the emperor is the supreme ruler in this world, and mortals have no right to challenge the heavens.

"I investigated as Senior Xiao instructed, and found that the second young master of the Xiao family was indeed named Xiao Ji. Xiao Ji was selected as a palace guard when he was young and followed the previous crown prince. After the Xiao family was massacred, his records stopped and there was no news of him. Moreover, I found that the former crown prince did send a group of guards to infiltrate the demonic sect, but there are no subsequent records."

Feng Dai gritted his teeth, his face full of regret.

The nine constables also looked grim. After learning about Wu Baoyu's past and hearing that such a hero had died with a bad reputation, their fighting spirit was shaken.

They couldn't tell whether the court they served was as they thought, or whether there was any justice left in the world.

If even the emperor is the greatest evil, what can these lowly clerks, struggling at the bottom of society, do?
Li Qingqiu stared at him and asked, "You believe him based on just this?"

"After Senior Xiao died in the palace, the files on Xiao Ji were also destroyed. I asked the governor about it, but he was also puzzled. He ordered me not to ask any more questions. How could there be such a coincidence?"

Feng Dai spoke through gritted teeth, unable to calm himself down.

Li Qingqiu sighed and said, "After Senior Wu came up the mountain, he became taciturn. I didn't talk to him much, so I can't tell if it's true or not. I only know one thing: he's gone. Let's just pretend he never came. There's no point in regretting it now."

After saying that, he turned and walked up the mountain.

"Wait, Sect Master, do you think this is how things should be?" Feng Dai hurriedly shouted.

"I am just the sect leader of a sect. I only want to protect my disciples. Wu Baoyu never belonged to my Qingxiao Sect. As far as I am concerned, that is indeed the case."

Li Qingqiu neither stopped nor looked back.

Feng Dai's expression shifted between light and dark, but he was unable to speak again.

After Li Qingqiu disappeared at the end of the mountain road, the yamen runners all got up and went forward to help Feng Dai.

“Sir, this concerns imperial power, we can’t interfere, and Qingxiao Sect certainly can’t interfere either,” a relatively older constable said in a deep voice. He had been on duty the longest among them, and his heart was already pessimistic.

Feng Dai took a deep breath, turned to look at the nine constables, his eyes different from before, and said in an unusually resolute tone: "It is precisely because no one dares to interfere that I must intervene. I admit that this path is fraught with danger, but I will not force you to walk with me. Even if we are shattered to pieces, I will clear Senior Xiao's name and expose the truth of his crimes to the world!"

He turned and left, his left hand resting on the hilt of the knife at his waist, gripping it tightly, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.

The nine constables fell silent, not looking at each other, but after a while, they all started walking and followed Feng Dai.

As Xiao Ba circled in the sky, it looked down and saw that Feng Dai and the others were so tiny, like ants.

……

After the Spring Festival, the expansion plan of Qingxiao Sect continued, and Zhang Yuchun became the busiest person. He often took Huang Shan and Yu Lin down the mountain, which made Huang Shan and Yu Lin more mature and their way of speaking and dealing with things was obviously different from other disciples.

Li Qingqiu was only responsible for finalizing major decisions and overseeing the construction progress in various locations.

As spring was drawing to a close, Wu Man'er and Li Sifeng both broke through to the second level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm, which made Li Qingqiu very happy.

A combat power at the second level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm is enough to rival a top-tier expert in the martial arts world, and could even be considered a top-tier expert among top-tier experts.

After achieving the second level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm, Li Sifeng couldn't contain himself and went to find Li Qingqiu, asking Zhang Yuchun to take him with him on his next trip down the mountain.

Li Qingqiu hesitated for a while, but finally agreed. Although Li Sifeng was not yet fourteen years old, his skills were far superior to those of Zhang Yuchun and the other two. Moreover, with Li Sifeng around, Zhang Yuchun had an extra signboard to carry with him when recruiting disciples.

Li Sifeng was overjoyed to receive Li Qingqiu's consent. He went directly to Zhang Yuchun to inform him of the matter. Zhang Yuchun was equally pleased, as he was well aware of Li Sifeng's skills.

As a result, the next day, Zhang Yuchun led Li Sifeng, Huang Shan, and Yu Lin down the mountain.

After noon, Li Qingqiu and a dozen disciples stayed in the courtyard, their eyes fixed on Yang Jueding and Wu Man'er.

The two had a friendly sparring match.

Wu Man'er used to learn martial arts from Jiang Zhaoxia, but later Jiang Zhaoxia was too busy to teach him, so Yang Jueding took over teaching Wu Man'er.

Since taking over Wu Man'er, Yang Jueding has been eager to teach her everything he knows, even more so than he did with Li Sifeng. He even passed on his improved version of the Nine Heavens Divine Palm to Wu Man'er.

The two stood ten paces apart, each taking their stance.

Wu Man'er had just turned fifteen and was already nine feet tall. In the Great Li Dynasty, nine feet was close to two meters. He was burly and even wearing the largest size robe, it still looked tight.

Despite his intimidating size, he has a kind and honest face, always wearing a silly grin, even now.

Yang Jueding couldn't laugh when facing him; he could only feel the pressure when he was truly facing Wu Man'er.

"Such a significant improvement at the second level of the Nourishing Essence Realm?"

Yang Jueding was secretly alarmed. In his eyes, Wu Man'er had no flaws at all. He felt that no matter where he attacked, he would suffer a terrible blow.

Li Dongyue held Yuanli in her arms. The nearly two-year-old Yuanli tilted his head and stared wide-eyed. Cheng Canghai stood at the edge, equally curious about the upcoming battle.

He didn't doubt Yang Jueding's strength; he was mainly curious about how strong Wu Man'er was.

He was terrified when he saw Wu Man'er carrying a giant log weighing two thousand catties up the mountain.

"Man'er, I'm about to make my move."

After saying this, Yang Jueding lunged at Wu Man'er, his palms moving like the wind as he swiftly struck at her.

Despite his seemingly clumsy stature, Wu Man'er easily dodged Yang Jueding's fierce attacks, his feet constantly turning without advancing or retreating.

He dodged Yang Jueding's palms and used his hands to block Yang Jueding's legs, managing to stop them.

The Qingxiao Sect disciples couldn't see Yang Jueding's moves at all; they only felt that Yang Jueding had grown many hands and many legs, which dazzled them.

Even if they can't see clearly, they can still understand the situation.

"Uncle Wu is amazing!"

"Yes, I didn't expect him to be so skilled. I thought he was just strong."

"The wind is so strong, it's blowing right into my face."

"Is this internal energy?"

"This is nothing. True internal energy is extremely lethal. They haven't even gotten serious yet."

The disciples chatted amongst themselves in twos and threes, their eyes never leaving Wu Man'er and Yang Jueding.

Qin Ye gripped his long staff, his eyes fixed on the two combatants.

Since Wu Baoyu taught him the Ten Thousand Army Demon-Subduing Staff, although he has not sparred with other disciples, anyone can see the changes in him. His body has become stronger, his eyes have become sharper, and he has developed a murderous aura, making many disciples afraid to joke with him.

Yang Jueding's aura suddenly intensified, and his body emanated energy. His attacks became even more powerful, stirring up sand and stones. Wu Man'er stopped defending and, as he attacked, the two began to clash.

The sounds of fists and feet clashing and flesh hitting flesh rang out continuously, keeping the disciples on edge.

Wu Man'er, now completely serious, no longer grinned foolishly; his expression was so cold and stern. Combined with his physique, he exuded an extremely strong sense of pressure. Even though Yang Jueding wasn't forced to retreat, it still made people feel that he was not as strong as Wu Man'er.

Cheng Canghai swallowed hard, his heart churning with turmoil.

These two have already surpassed top-tier masters in terms of their imposing presence based solely on their martial arts skills!
The Qingxiao Sect may not have many members, but it is truly a place where hidden talents abound!

Li Qingqiu nodded slightly. In terms of momentum, these two had already surpassed Lü Taidou. Even if the Seven Mountains Alliance launched a large-scale invasion now, Qingxiao Sect would have the confidence to deal with it.

After a brief moment of shock, Yang Jueding became excited.

Wu Man'er made him feel a sense of equal strength, which he hadn't experienced in a long time. Even though he was injured, he felt exhilarated.

This is much more fun than fighting the Sword Saint of the Vast Ocean!
Neither of them used the Nine Heavens Divine Palm technique; they only fought with their fists and feet, which thrilled the disciples watching.

"stop."

Li Qingqiu's voice suddenly came, and the two immediately stopped, remaining in the posture of waving their fists and palms.

Wu Man'er's fist slammed down towards Yang Jueding like a tiger descending a mountain, while Yang Jueding's palm struck out from his waist, rising from below like a dragon emerging from the abyss.

Their expressions changed instantly. Wu Man'er reverted to her innocent demeanor and turned to look at Li Qingqiu.

"We were having a great time fighting, why did you call a halt?" Yang Jueding turned his head and glanced at Li Qingqiu, asking with dissatisfaction.

The other disciples also looked at Li Qingqiu with puzzled expressions.

They've only just started fighting.

Li Qingqiu picked up the hot tea on the table and said softly, "We have guests arriving from afar soon, so let's not disturb them."

A traveler from afar?

Confused, everyone instinctively looked towards the courtyard gate, but saw no one.

Yang Jueding withdrew his palm, about to complain a few words, when a voice came from the direction of the mountain gate:

"My name is Li Yang, the current martial arts champion. I wish to challenge the number one master of all martial arts sects to exchange martial arts techniques. I wonder if the Qingxiao Sect has any experts who dare to accept the challenge!"

Everyone was surprised; someone had actually come.

How did the sect leader discover this in advance?

Li Qingqiu looked at Yang Jueding and Wu Man'er and asked with a smile, "You two go and receive him. It doesn't matter who makes the move, just don't kill him. After all, he's a martial arts champion, and he's someone important."

Yang Jueding nodded and immediately turned to leave, with Wu Man'er and the other disciples following him.

Soon only Li Qingqiu, Li Dongyue, and Yuan Li remained in the courtyard.

The smile on Li Qingqiu's face disappeared, and he frowned slightly, lost in reminiscence.

He seemed to have heard the name Li Yang before; they shared the same surname, Li, so they must be from the same family.

(End of this chapter)