From martial arts sects to immortality sects

Chapter 6 Top Ten of the Heavenly Ranking

As the sun rose, Li Qingqiu left the house early and woke up his junior brothers and sisters to do morning exercises together.

Overnight, a thick layer of snow had accumulated in the courtyard. Zhang Yuchun and Li Dongyue got up early and were already shoveling snow.

Li Qingqiu told them to put down their shovels and practice their skills first.

The seven brothers climbed onto the roof and sat side by side, absorbing the purple energy together. Gradually, wisps of heat began to rise from the top of their heads.

Li Qingqiu opened one eye and glanced at his junior brothers and sisters, secretly pleased.

Although they are still young, they are obedient and easy to teach, which makes him look forward to the future of Qingxiao Sect.

This is the team he built for his business!
An hour later, the disciples jumped down from the eaves to get ready for their own tasks. Li Qingqiu called Zhang Yuchun over and asked him to come with him.

Zhang Yuchun had no objection, but when he saw Li Qingqiu carrying the Tianhong Sword, he raised an eyebrow slightly.

The two brothers walked through the mountains and forests, chatting casually about trivial matters within their sect.

The terrain of Taikun Mountain is steep, and even Li Qingqiu and his companion have to be careful when traveling, especially now that there is snow everywhere, which makes it easy to step on a landslide.

After traveling ten miles, Zhang Yuchun couldn't help but ask, "Senior brother, where exactly are we going?"

Li Qingqiu, who was walking ahead, said without turning his head, "Last night I dreamed of guidance from an immortal, who said that there are treasures hidden in the mountains around us. The dream was so vivid that I thought I'd give it a try."

The blessing he inherited allowed him to remember the route. It was an illusion, and he actually walked through it. He still remembers it clearly now, which is quite magical.

"Guidance from a celestial being?"

Zhang Yuchun almost collapsed when he heard this. He wanted to ask his senior brother, "Do you think I'm stupid?"

However, he never dared to disobey Li Qingqiu, so he could only endure it and continue to play along with his senior brother's antics.

Heavy snow covered the Taikun Mountains, and no matter how far they went, it felt like they were going nowhere. Fortunately, Li Qingqiu and Zhang Yuchun had already entered the Nourishing Yuan Realm, and their strength had increased a lot, so they did not feel tired.

After traveling another ten miles or so, Li Qingqiu finally stopped. There was no road ahead, only a mountain wall with snow on both sides, making it seem narrow.

While breathing into his palm, Zhang Yuchun looked around in surprise and asked, "Senior brother, this place doesn't look like it has any treasures. It seems the immortals aren't working. Should we just give up?"

Li Qingqiu did not answer him, but walked to the mountain wall and began to feel around.

Soon, he seemed to have touched something and began to pound on a spot on the mountain wall. After only three poundings, the mountain wall actually broke open, which stunned Zhang Yuchun, who quickly went over to investigate.

After a dozen or so breaths, Li Qingqiu stopped once he was certain that he could no longer break through the mountain wall. Looking at the hole in front of him, which was about the size of a dog hole, he fell silent.

The dream only led him here; the cave entrance in the dream was much larger than this.

Zhang Yuchun bent over and looked into the cave. It was pitch black inside, but he could feel the hot air rising out.

"Let's go."

Li Qingqiu was the first to crawl into the cave. Zhang Yuchun tried to dissuade him, but he moved too quickly. Zhang Yuchun gritted his teeth and hurriedly followed.

The cave was dark and slanted downwards, with warm air flowing through it, which made the two of them quite comfortable. Moreover, the further they went in, the larger the cave became, which reduced their tension in the confined space.

After walking about five zhang (approximately 10 meters), they finally reached the end.

Zhang Yuchun followed Li Qingqiu out of the cave. The distance to the ground wasn't high, and he touched the ground easily. He looked up, his eyes wide open, and even his mouth unconsciously opened.

Ahead lies a vast underground space, with countless blue and silver ores of varying sizes and sharp edges embedded in the mountain walls. Below lies a lake nearly ten feet wide, its surface blue and shimmering with silver light, creating a fantastical and beautiful scene.

For some reason, after arriving here, Zhang Yuchun felt refreshed and invigorated.

"Senior brother, this place seems to be filled with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth that we breathe in every day. If we practice here, will our internal energy grow faster?" Zhang Yuchun asked as he looked around, his tone filled with excitement.

"That's right, this is indeed an excellent place for cultivation. It seems that Heaven is blessing our Qingxiao Sect."

Li Qingqiu smiled and said, feigning composure.

In fact, after activating the Blessing, he had been fantasizing and had already adjusted his mindset.

The two began to wander around, observing and discussing as they went.

"Senior brother, be careful. What if there are poisonous insects or ferocious beasts hiding here? That would be bad."

"Senior brother, did an immortal really appear in your dream? Could it be something Master told you before?"

"Unfortunately, this place is too far from Qingxiao Sect. It takes half a day to walk there and back."

"Senior brother, do you think we can become renowned masters of the martial arts world if we train here for ten years?"

Faced with Zhang Yuchun's persistent questioning, Li Qingqiu gave casual and perfunctory answers, but Zhang Yuchun did not take it to heart.

Although Zhang Yuchun is usually calm and composed, he is still a fifteen-year-old boy after all, and he can let his guard down in front of Li Qingqiu.

The two circled around a few times, and only felt relieved after confirming that there was only one entrance and exit and that there was no danger.

"What do you think? How should we arrange for our junior brothers and sisters to practice here in the future?" Li Qingqiu asked, looking at the spiritual lake.

Zhang Yuchun pondered for a moment and said, "It's definitely not feasible for everyone to come together. Someone needs to guard Qingxiao Sect. Moreover, I'm going to recruit disciples soon. Senior Brother, this place can't be known to anyone other than the seven of us. I suggest that from now on, people come in pairs to cultivate for a day, taking turns. What do you think?" Li Qingqiu glanced at Zhang Yuchun, nodded in satisfaction, and said, "That's good. This is a very good suggestion. I'm very satisfied that you've considered the possible risks."

Zhang Yuchun scratched his head and smiled shyly, "In the stories of the martial arts world that Master told, many people and sects with insufficient strength brought disaster upon themselves by possessing divine skills or treasures."

“Yes, Qingxiao Sect only has us. We are still too young, and we must be careful in our actions. If even one of us is lost, we will not be able to bear it,” Li Qingqiu said with emotion.

One person lost?
Zhang Yuchun's expression changed slightly. He felt afraid when he thought of the scene of Li Qingqiu and his junior brothers and sisters dying in front of him.

No!

That kind of thing must never be allowed to happen!

Zhang Yuchun was also an orphan. He was abandoned at the age of six and grew up in loneliness and insecurity. He had long regarded Li Qingqiu and others as family. He cherished family ties, which is why he was willing to work hard without complaint.

Li Qingqiu picked up a crystal from the lakeside. He could feel that the crystal was filled with rich spiritual energy. He originally wanted to take one with him, but then he thought that even the spiritual energy of that small knife could be detected by a novice cultivator. Taking such a spiritual stone with him might bring disaster.

So he put the spirit stone down again and instructed Zhang Yuchun not to allow anyone else to take the spirit stone out of here in the future.

They didn't stay long; once they confirmed the location, they prepared to go back and arrange personnel.

After climbing out of the cave, Li Qingqiu spread the surrounding weeds to cover the entrance, then covered it with snow before leaving with peace of mind.

"Don't mention this matter outside in the future. If a master happens to pass by and hears it from a distance, it will be troublesome."

Li Qingqiu spoke earnestly to Zhang Yuchun, who nodded, understanding the importance of that underground spiritual lake.

The two walked towards Qingxiao Sect and began to talk about other things. Zhang Yuchun planned to go down the mountain to recruit disciples after the winter snow melted. Recently, the snow has been getting heavier and heavier, and he was afraid that an accident might happen when he took the village children up the mountain.

Li Qingqiu naturally had no objections. He was not in a hurry to expand Qingxiao Sect. First, he needed to improve the strength of his core members to avoid trouble when dealing with others.

The road back was still arduous, and their footprints had long been covered by the winter snow.

When they were halfway there, Li Qingqiu suddenly stopped.

Zhang Yuchun, who was following behind, asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"

"Listen carefully," Li Qingqiu said softly.

Zhang Yuchun immediately held his breath and listened carefully. Soon he heard a faint sound coming from the depths of the nearby woods.

"help me……"

Zhang Yuchun, who was already at the first level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm, immediately focused his gaze. His eyes pierced through the intertwined trees and he saw half a human face lying behind a large tree, leaning against a rock, looking at them from afar.

Zhang Yuchun was startled and pointed at the man, saying, "Senior brother, that person is asking for help. Should we intervene?"

Li Qingqiu didn't need anyone to point it out; he had already spotted the person.

After hesitating for a moment, Li Qingqiu said in a low voice, "Let's go take a look. Be careful, don't let him trick us."

Zhang Yuchun nodded, and the two immediately parted the bushes and walked towards the man.

Yang Jueding, whose consciousness was already fading, saw the two teenagers approaching and was overjoyed.

He saw Li Qingqiu and the other person coming down the mountain from afar, but unfortunately he didn't have time to call for help, so he waited for them to return.

Just when he was about to give up, he finally saw the two figures.

He tried with all his might to call for help, but his voice still sounded weak.

Li Qingqiu and his companion cautiously approached Yang Jueding, maintaining a safe distance as they carefully observed him.

The man was covered in snow, his clothes were dirty and disheveled, his stubble on his face was stuck with blood, and the headscarf that tied his long hair was about to fall off. Judging from his appearance, he should be in his thirties. He had suffered a serious injury to his abdomen, and the blood had frozen solid.

Zhang Yuchun asked, "Who are you, and why are you here?"

"Give me...water..."

Yang Jueding looked at them weakly and said feebly, trying to raise his right hand, but it was difficult to do so.

Zhang Yuchun looked at Li Qingqiu, and seeing Li Qingqiu nod, he immediately took out a water bottle from his bosom and tossed it to Yang Jueding.

Yang Jueding, who was originally weak, suddenly sat up, grabbed the kettle, opened it roughly, and poured the water into his mouth.

Zhang Yuchun was startled and instinctively stepped back.

Li Qingqiu could sense a certain energy surging within this person's body, maintaining a certain temperature on his skin, which was why he could endure for so long.

A martial arts master who has cultivated internal energy?
After drinking all the hot water in the kettle in one gulp, Yang Jueding lay down. He was visibly much more relaxed. He looked at Li Qingqiu and the other man and grinned, saying, "Thank you both for saving me... My name is Yang Jueding."

Li Qingqiu and the other person stared intently at him.

Yang Jueding was stunned for a moment, then asked in surprise, "You haven't heard of my name? I am the Dragon-Subduing Hero, ranked among the top ten on the Guzhou Jianghu Heavenly Ranking!"

(End of this chapter)