From martial arts sects to immortality sects

Chapter 4 Guzhou, Baidi Mansion
[Fortune: Within a certain range, it will find the fortune suitable for the development of your lineage]

Li Qingqiu raised an eyebrow as he looked at the prompt in front of him; the words "fortune" sounded like a good thing.

Given Qingxiao Sect's current conditions, it would be too demanding for it to develop into a true immortal cultivation sect; it would inevitably require vast resources.

However, the benefits brought by good fortune may lead to conflict. With the abilities of the seven of them, will they be able to withstand it?

The word "fortune" sounds like a good thing, and it shouldn't mean that the whole army will be wiped out. But even if a junior brother or sister is injured, he will find it hard to bear. This is a deep mountain, and it is extremely difficult to find a doctor.

After much deliberation, Li Qingqiu decided to wait until all his disciples had reached the first level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm before activating the Fortune. After all, the Fortune had no countdown, and different Fortunes would be available for them at different times.

He stopped thinking about it and continued practicing swordsmanship with a wooden sword he had carved himself.

This sword technique was left behind by Lin Xunfeng and is called the Nine Extremes Divine Sword. It sounds very powerful, but it does not actually belong to the realm of cultivation. The sword technique is exquisite, and once mastered, it is quite effective in combat.

Of course, the premise is that the reaction is fast enough, otherwise the sword moves can be easily broken by the opponent, just like the traditional martial arts combat techniques in the previous life.

It is worth mentioning that the Nine Extremes Divine Sword can mobilize internal energy, and he was wondering if he could use primordial energy as a substitute.

Li Qingqiu, who was born with the destiny of a sword fanatic, mastered the Nine Extremes Divine Sword after practicing it only once. With each practice, his swordsmanship improved. After only two days of practice, his sword moves were as sharp as the wind, which made Li Sifeng and Li Sijin, who were not far away, gape and look on with admiration.

Jiang Zhaoxia, who had just emerged from the woods, saw this scene and her expression changed slightly. She then silently turned and walked back into the woods.

These past two days, Li Qingqiu's comprehension of swordsmanship has deeply impressed him.

He had always thought of himself as a genius, just lacking opportunities. But Li Qingqiu mastered the sword technique easily on his first try, so he was certain that Li Qingqiu hadn't practiced swordsmanship at all over the years.

He was able to master the Nine Extremes Divine Sword in one go because he had laid a solid foundation in swordsmanship in his family when he was a child, so he felt that Li Qingqiu's talent in swordsmanship was higher than his.

Li Qingqiu didn't know what Jiang Zhaoxia was thinking, but Jiang Zhaoxia's loyalty to him had increased by two points yesterday, so he wasn't worried.

The Taoist panel is very spiritual and can answer some of his questions, such as loyalty.

The highest loyalty level is 100, while Jiang Zhaoxia's loyalty level has reached 98, making her almost a die-hard loyalist.

Half an incense stick's time later, Zhang Yuchun excitedly found Li Qingqiu and told him about his achievements. Li Qingqiu was very happy and decided to have an extra meal that night to make everyone happy.

Zhang Yuchun was deeply moved, feeling that his senior brother valued him highly.

But when he got to the kitchen to cut the meat, he felt something was wrong.

To celebrate my birthday, why am I the one cooking again?

……

As summer fades into autumn, a light drizzle falls at the foot of Taikun Mountain, where Qingxiao Gate is located, and the mountains are shrouded in mist.

Three months have passed since Lin Xunfeng left. Now, apart from Wu Man'er, all the other junior brothers and sisters have cultivated their own Yuan Qi, which makes Li Qingqiu feel quite content.

As noon approached, Li Qingqiu lay on a bench in the courtyard, his hands behind his head, enjoying the rain. A rain shelter was propped up over his head, and flowers and fruits were placed on the table next to him. He was enjoying a very pleasant day.

Since Li Qingqiu led his junior brothers and sisters to cultivate Yuan Qi, his prestige has reached a new level. Everyone listens to him and obeys him. Even Jiang Zhaoxia, at most, resists verbally, but her body is very obedient.

Wearing a straw raincoat, Li Sifeng ran into the courtyard. He was thin and small, and the hem of his clothes dragged on the ground, leaving a trail of mud.

He quickly came to Li Qingqiu's side and said, "Senior Brother, a man has come to the mountain gate. He says he is an old friend of Master. You told me that if anyone asks about Master, I should say I don't know. That's what I just did to him, but he wants to come in and stay for the night."

Master's old friend?

Li Qingqiu frowned, slowly stood up, and said, "I'll go take a look. Don't run around in the rain; it would be too stupid to fall down the mountain."

After saying that, he picked up the oil-paper umbrella next to him and walked towards the courtyard gate.

Li Sifeng made a face at Li Qingqiu's back. After Li Qingqiu disappeared around the corner outside the courtyard, he immediately stretched out his muddy little hands and began to eat the flowers and fruits on the table.

Leaving the courtyard, one only needs to walk along a winding path several dozen meters long to reach the mountain gate. The mountain gate is located on the mountainside, offering a wide view overlooking the surrounding mountains. Li Qingqiu would stop in front of the mountain gate every day.

Looking from afar, he saw a man wearing a straw raincoat standing in front of the mountain gate with his back to him. Judging from his physique, he looked like someone not to be trifled with.

Although Li Qingqiu had already entered the Nourishing Yuan Realm, he remained vigilant because he couldn't tell how much chance he had of winning against a martial arts master at the first level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm.

Although he thought Lin Xunfeng's martial arts were rudimentary, judging from the stories Lin Xunfeng told, martial artists in this world were quite strong. They could scale walls and subdue tigers and bears, and with the existence of internal energy, they might be as powerful as those in the martial arts novels he had read in his previous life.

Perhaps Lin Xunfeng was also very skilled, but he just never showed it to his disciples.

Without real skills, how could Lin Xunfeng travel down the mountain and rescue orphans from time to time?

Although Li Qingqiu hadn't descended the mountain for sixteen years, he still retained his childhood memories. When he was still an infant, the world seemed chaotic. He remembered Lin Xunfeng carrying him as they fought, his vision obscured, only the sounds of horses' hooves and shouts of battle emanating from him—it must have been a battlefield. The man in the straw raincoat heard footsteps behind him, turned around, and saw a handsome young man in plain clothes approaching with an oil-paper umbrella. A smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

Before Li Qingqiu could speak, he asked first, "Are you Li Qingqiu or Zhang Yuchun?"

When Li Qingqiu heard that the other party could recall his and his second junior brother's names, he became much less wary. This indicated that the other party had a deep relationship with his master, which was why they could talk about them.

"This junior is Li Qingqiu. May I ask how you should address me, senior, and what your relationship is with my master?" Li Qingqiu stopped and bowed, maintaining a distance of seven steps from the man in the straw raincoat.

The man in the straw raincoat had an unkempt appearance and was dressed like a wandering knight. In addition to the bundle on his back, he had a long flute hanging from his waist. He laughed heartily, giving people the impression that he was very generous.

"My name is Jiang Kuotian. I've been your master's sworn brother for sixteen years. I even held you when you were little!"

Upon hearing Li Qingqiu introduce herself, the man in the straw raincoat, who identified himself as Jiang Kuotian, softened his gaze even more.

Li Qingqiu did indeed remember the name. Sixteen years ago, when his master was fleeing with him, they encountered Jiang Kuotian, who escorted them all the way to Qingxiao Sect.

"So it's Uncle Jiang! I've often heard Master mention you!" Li Qingqiu said warmly.

"Senior Uncle? Oh, so your master still acknowledges me as his elder brother in private?"

"That's natural. He often mentions you, saying that there aren't many people in the martial arts world whom he admires, and you are one of them. He takes you as his role model in many ways."

Li Qingqiu made it up without thinking, but of course he was just making it up; Lin Xunfeng had never mentioned Jiang Kuotian at all.

Jiang Kuotian laughed heartily, finding Li Qingqiu more and more pleasing to the eye, and his resentment towards Lin Xunfeng dissipated.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Li Qingqiu invited him to come into the hospital for a talk.

When Li Sifeng saw them coming, he quickly grabbed two fruits and ran back to his house.

Li Qingqiu was already used to his junior brother's behavior. He pretended not to see it, then invited Jiang Kuotian to sit down under the tree and poured him some water.

Jiang Kuotian drank water while glancing around Qingxiao Gate.

The Qingxiao Sect is still in such a dilapidated state; Lin Xunfeng hasn't done anything to properly develop the sect.

Jiang Kuotian put down his bowl, looked at Li Qingqiu, and said directly, "I already know about your master's matter. A month ago, I met him in Guzhou Prefecture. He said he was going to seek immortality and wanted to ask me to take care of you. Come back to Baidi Mansion with me. Baidi Mansion is one of the seven major sects in Guzhou Jianghu. It has a great reputation and is definitely better than you staying on the mountain."

Baidi Palace!
Li Qingqiu had indeed heard Lin Xunfeng mention this sect before. Baidi Mansion was one of the few Jianghu sects with a court background, and its leader's brother held a high-ranking official position in the court.

Joining the White Emperor's Mansion was indeed a good thing for Li Qingqiu and the others.

Unfortunately, Li Qingqiu has already activated the Daoist lineage panel. He must become the sect leader in order to continuously select destiny and obtain inheritance rewards.

If he went to the White Emperor's Palace, he could only do odd jobs, which would certainly not be as comfortable as he is now, nor would he have as great a future.

Li Qingqiu feigned hesitation, but finally made up his mind and said, "Uncle Jiang, thank you for your kindness. My junior brothers and sisters and I do not want to get involved in the grudges of the martial world anymore. Although life on the mountain is hard, it is peaceful and comfortable. So we will not go down the mountain."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Kuotian looked at Li Qingqiu in surprise.

Lin Xunfeng had specifically mentioned that his eldest disciple, Li Qingqiu, had always wanted to roam the world with a sword since childhood. After they went to the White Emperor's Mansion and Li Qingqiu grew up, Lin Xunfeng hoped that he could give Li Qingqiu freedom.

He never expected Li Qingqiu to make such a choice.

Jiang Kuotian felt a pang of pity for Li Qingqiu.

Is this child willing to give up his life's pursuits for the sake of his junior classmates?
"If you're worried about your junior brothers and sisters, there's no need to worry. The White Emperor's Mansion will take good care of them. You can go wherever you want in the future," Jiang Kuotian said earnestly.

Just as Li Qingqiu was about to speak, he suddenly heard a noise from the room next door. The little guys were eavesdropping at the door.

He immediately changed his mind and said seriously, "Uncle-Master, I prefer to take my destiny into my own hands. I feel more at ease taking care of my junior brothers and sisters."

He spoke softly, almost as if afraid of being overheard, but he believed his junior brothers and sisters could hear him.

Jiang Kuotian thought about the struggles within the White Emperor's Mansion and felt that Li Qingqiu's choice was not necessarily a bad thing.

After thinking it over, Jiang Kuotian took off the bundle from his back and placed it on the table. He opened the bundle, revealing clothes, secret manuals, hidden weapons, and a few strange gadgets scattered inside.

Jiang Kuotian picked up a manual and said, "Your master entrusted me to take care of you. I can't just do nothing. I went through a lot of trouble to find this manual. Practice it secretly and don't tell anyone."

Li Qingqiu did not look at the manual in his hand, but instead looked at a small knife in the bundle. The blade was like a willow leaf, covered in rust, as if it had been buried in the ground for thousands of years.

He could actually sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth emanating from this small knife.

(End of this chapter)