From martial arts sects to immortality sects

Chapter 88 Heavenly Net and Earthly Punishment
Inside the deputy head's house in the courtyard of Tiangong Hall.

Su Xiling sat at the table, looking at Zhu Yan, and sighed, "Although I had a feeling that the disciple named Xue Jin was not simple, I did not expect him to become famous in the martial arts world so quickly. After Jiang Zhaoxia and Xu Ning, Qingxiao Sect has produced another peerless expert. This is incredible. Isn't the martial arts of Qingxiao Sect too exaggerated?"

If a disciple becomes famous, it may be because of his talent. If disciples keep becoming famous, then the martial arts heritage of Qingxiao Sect must be extraordinary.

Zhu Yan said, "That Hunyuan Scripture is indeed incredibly powerful. Even I suspect that the Qingxiao Sect has obtained the true teachings of the martial arts legend. However, Yang Jueding doesn't seem that powerful. He can't be so selfless as to not practice it himself and let others practice it."

"His martial arts skills are not weak either. Perhaps he has practiced them, but he just lacks the natural talent."

"Maybe."

Zhu Yan replied that she was not interested in martial arts. She had recently been studying the basic text on formations that Li Qingqiu had passed down to her, and she found the text very interesting.

She had also dabbled in formations, whether military formations used on the battlefield or martial arts formations of martial arts sects. The key was coordination and the focus was on the people involved.

Li Qingqiu's formation was completely different; the focus was on the formation itself, and it didn't even require people, which greatly surprised and intrigued her.

Su Xiling asked, "Miss, what do you think of the sect leader?"

Zhu Yan put down the book in her hand and pondered, "He is both righteous and evil, and it is difficult to judge. Judging from the Qingxiao Sect's attitude towards the common people, he can be considered benevolent and righteous. However, he is ruthless in the struggle for power. I cannot judge whether what he did was right or wrong, but I have to admit that with him, the Qingxiao Sect can go further."

Su Xiling sighed, "Yes, I originally thought that after the battle of the prefecture, Qingxiao Sect would be bound by the so-called number one sect. I didn't expect that Sect Master Li would still be so ruthless and not bound by reputation at all. He directly wanted to destroy the other sect without any mercy."

The domineering nature of Qingxiao Sect naturally aroused doubts and even condemnations, but Li Qingqiu still did it, which is what Su Xiling admires the most.

"That's good. The martial world is the martial world, and the common people are the common people. Throughout history, how many of those who choose to mingle in the martial world are truly clean?"

Zhu Yan said in a nonchalant tone that she never regretted the deaths of people in the martial arts world.

Su Xiling's eyes darted around, and she asked, "Miss, could you introduce me to the Hunyuan Scripture?"

Zhu Yan looked up at her and asked, "Didn't you say that your martial arts skills had reached their limit in this lifetime and could not be improved any further?"

"That was before. I thought that the unique skills of Qingxiao Sect might help me reach a higher level."

"I'll ask the sect leader when I have the chance later. You should focus on doing your job first."

"Thank you, miss!"

……

Su Xiling is just a microcosm. As Xue Jin and others become famous, more and more people realize that Qingxiao Sect is not just about having geniuses; the sect's unique skills and inheritance must be extraordinary.

More and more people came to become disciples, and the disciples' desire for the Hunyuan Scripture grew stronger.

Therefore, Qingxiao Sect officially introduced a new system, dividing disciples below the true disciples into three stages, from lowest to highest: registered disciples, outer disciples, and inner disciples.

Upon entering Qingxiao Sect, one is a registered disciple, whose name is recorded and who can practice basic external skills. One accumulates contributions through labor and will be assessed after a certain number of years. If one fails to become an outer disciple for an extended period, one will be asked to leave the sect and will have no further connection with Qingxiao Sect.

Outer disciples can practice Qingxiao Sect's internal skills, are protected by Qingxiao Sect, and can use the name of Qingxiao Sect when traveling in the martial world.

Inner disciples can take a true disciple as their master and practice the sect's unique skill, the Hunyuan Scripture. Even if they do not achieve success, they can stay in the Qingxiao Sect for life.

The announcement of these three ranks caused a stir within the Qingxiao Sect. Disciples flocked to the Yuling Hall to redefine their identities. Apart from the new disciples who had just joined the Qingxiao Sect this month, everyone else was at least an outer disciple.

With lower-ranking disciples serving as a foil and higher-ranking disciples as role models, the fighting spirit within the Qingxiao Sect was once again heightened.

With a clearer hierarchy, Qitang can handle things much more easily.

Twenty days later, the number of Qingxiao Sect disciples exceeded six hundred. During this period, Li Qingqiu discovered several disciples with decent cultivation aptitude and comprehension. He wrote down the names of these disciples and gave them to different hall masters, instructing them to pay close attention to them.

On this day, Zhang Yuchun sought out Li Qingqiu again.

"A menial disciple?" Li Qingqiu asked, raising an eyebrow.

At that moment, Li Qingqiu was in the woods instructing Xu Ning in her magical practice. When she saw Zhang Yuchun arrive, Xu Ning walked to the side, playing with the lightning-summoning flag in her hand, without disturbing them.

Zhang Yuchun nodded and said, "That's right. They won't be on the roster, and they can't practice any of Qingxiao Sect's martial arts. They'll be responsible for various miscellaneous tasks on a daily basis. It may seem harsh, but there will definitely be people who will sign up. At least we can provide them with food and lodging, and we can also provide them with a place to stay. If they stay in Qingxiao Sect, they will have the hope of climbing up the ranks."

Li Qingqiu could certainly understand what a menial disciple was, but he felt it was a bit too fast.

But then I thought about it again. Qingxiao Sect has hired a lot of craftsmen and commoners to do odd jobs, which costs a lot of money. If we open up miscellaneous disciples, we can save some expenses, and these disciples may be more serious about their work.

This move may seem like exploitation, but it actually gives many people at the bottom of society an opportunity.

“Alright, you can handle it. Anyway, it'll just add more work to your Imperial Spirit Hall,” Li Qingqiu replied.

After the establishment of the Seven Halls, the burden on his shoulders was greatly reduced, and he no longer needed to travel to various industries, allowing him to have more time for cultivation.

After receiving Li Qingqiu's consent, Zhang Yuchun was overjoyed and left without lingering.

Xu Ning walked over and asked, "Master, although I am the head of the Enforcement Hall, I don't manage anything. Is that not good? Should I give my position as head of the hall to someone else?"

Li Qingqiu laughed and said, "It's alright. Even if you don't do anything, you'll still have contributed to the Enforcement Hall."

Among the seven halls, the Enforcement Hall is the most powerful, not only because of its authority, but also because its leader is Xu Ning.

Xu Ning is one of the top three experts in the sect and the sect leader's personal disciple. Her prestige is extremely high. When the disciples of the Enforcement Hall go to other halls to investigate matters, none of the disciples dare to offend her.

After listening, Xu Ning seemed to understand what her master meant. "Master, the seventh level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm is so difficult to reach. How long did it take you to go from the sixth level to the seventh?" Xu Ning wasn't interested in the power struggle, so she changed the subject and asked.

Li Qingqiu replied, "As long as you reach the seventh level within two years, you will be faster than me."

"it is good!"

Xu Ning was inspired to fight, unaware that Li Qingqiu was just talking nonsense.

Then, Li Qingqiu asked Xu Ning to demonstrate the magic she had created.

Xu Ning walked onto the snow, holding Master Wei's lightning-summoning flag, and began to circulate her internal energy.

The Lightning-Attracting Flag is a special magical artifact that can attract lightning without breaking any restrictions or injecting any vital energy.

Of course, without using vital energy, one can only summon lightning during thunderstorms. At other times, when there is no lightning in the sky, one must rely on the transformation of vital energy to summon lightning.

Xu Ning possesses the Heavenly Thunder Spiritual Root, making the Thunder-Attracting Flag perfect for her, as it can help her unleash even greater power.

Xu Ning raised the lightning-summoning flag high with one hand, like a long sword on her wrist. Lightning emerged from the flag, and she waved it in the distance. The lightning spread out like an electric net, with great momentum, sweeping across a distance of ten feet. This caused snow mist to rise in front of her, creating a fan-shaped open space.

"I named it the Heavenly Net and Earthly Punishment Technique. Those who are hit by it will either die suddenly or feel numb all over their bodies and lose their fighting ability, as if they are trapped by the earth and covered by the Heavenly Net."

Xu Ning explained, and Li Qingqiu nodded in satisfaction.

That's a really good spell!

Li Qingqiu said, "I am very satisfied. Find some time to write it down and add it to the Scripture Pavilion later."

Xu Ning nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Master, I named you according to your style, but I really want to ask, are we really practicing martial arts?"

Not to mention the shock to outsiders, even she, after cultivating for a long time, began to waver. The Hunyuan Scripture really didn't seem like a martial arts technique.

Li Qingqiu shook his head and chuckled, "If you're not practicing martial arts, are you cultivating immortality?"

"I think it's possible."

"Then you should live for a few hundred years first."

"That's true. If lifespan doesn't increase, then it's no different from martial arts."

After exchanging a few words, the master and disciple began to spar. Li Qingqiu instructed Xu Ning to unleash all the unique skills he had mastered and attack with all her might, which greatly excited her.

At first, Li Qingqiu was very relaxed, as if he were strolling in a garden, but later he had to take it seriously.

Something's not right with this girl.

That's way too strong!

Without the Hundred Refined Demon Body, Li Qingqiu felt that even at the sixth level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm, he might not be her match.

Is a copy inferior to the original?
As his mentor, he couldn't afford to lose!

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Li Qingqiu led Xu Ning down the mountain.

Xu Ning, her hair disheveled, walked behind, looking dazed, her hand holding the lightning-summoning flag trembling.

……

As the year drew to a close, Xue Jin and the others finally returned, each carrying a large bundle. Li Qingqiu told the others to rest first, while he spoke with Xue Jin alone.

On their journey to the Nine Absolutes Sect, Xue Jin and his group successfully completed their mission, killing the sect leader and driving the sect's members down the mountain. They collected the sect's martial arts techniques and burned down the sect's gates and buildings.

During this period, they also encountered masters from other sects in Dongling Prefecture, but fortunately they were not defeated.

"Sect Leader, we found a letter from the Governor of Dongling Prefecture to the Nine Absolutes Sect. It turns out that the new Governor of Guzhou wants to deal with us, so he asked the Governor of Dongling Prefecture to help arrange things. The Governor of Dongling found the Sect Leader of the Nine Absolutes Sect and offered an official position in exchange."

Xue Jin took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Li Qingqiu.

Li Qingqiu opened the letter and read it, confirming that Xue Jin was not lying.

He looked up at Xue Jin and said, "Well done, I'm very satisfied. In addition to the spirit stone reward, I allow you to go to the third floor of the Scripture Pavilion and choose a unique skill to borrow for ten days."

The third floor of the Sutra Repository is filled with magic.

The magic of Qingxiao Sect is not something disciples can learn at will; they must obtain the sect's permission.

Xue Jin showed no surprise; he remained calm and composed. This experience had given him a more ruthless edge, completely shedding his childishness.

He looked at Li Qingqiu, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

"Is there anything else you want to say?" Li Qingqiu asked.

Xue Jin took a deep breath and gritted his teeth, saying, "Yes, it's about Hall Master Li Sifeng!"

　Thank you Autumn Breeze_Sigh for the 1700 Qidian Coins!
　　Third update!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)