From martial arts sects to immortality sects

Chapter 98 Rising to Fame, Martial Tomb

The infiltration of a mysterious army into Guzhou is no small matter.

To pass through any state, one must have a travel document. While江湖人士 (jianghu figures) could evade such checks by navigating through the mountains and wilderness, large groups like the military would absolutely not be able to escape.

The fact that this large army was able to pass through all the checkpoints must have been with the permission of the imperial court, but the fact that no news of it circulated indicates that it was a secret operation.

That evening, Li Qingqiu summoned the hall masters to discuss the matter.

Jiang Zhaoxia's injuries have healed, but his defeat to Shen Yue was a huge blow to him. He has been in seclusion recently, practicing his skills in hopes of reaching the seventh level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm as soon as possible.

“This matter is indeed not to be taken lightly. If the Demonic Sect is indeed the emperor’s pawn, then we have already offended the emperor. The emperor and the governor both want to deal with us, but they need a reason. After all, we have received rewards from the court. I’m afraid that the whereabouts of the Emperor Xuan Sword will force them to stop looking for a reason.”

Zhang Yuchun's expression was solemn, and his tone was heavy.

Li Sifeng, holding the Emperor Xuan Sword, snorted, "What's there to be afraid of? I'll hold off a thousand men, my fifth senior brother will hold off a thousand men, my third senior brother will hold off three thousand men, and my eldest senior brother will hold off ten thousand men. We'll crush their morale!"

Everyone couldn't help but laugh. Li Dongyue glared at him and said irritably, "Do you think the soldiers in the army are chickens and dogs, to be slaughtered at will? They practice martial arts all year round and wear armor."

Jiang Zhaoxia said, "His words may not be without reason. If a large army really attacks, we only need to kill their generals in the midst of the army, and they will be routed."

Yang Jueding nodded. Unconsciously, his confidence grew stronger and stronger because the growth rate of Qingxiao Sect was too astonishing.

The threshold for becoming a true disciple is the second level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm. The second level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm is more powerful than most first-class masters. It is not difficult for a first-class master in the martial arts world to defeat more than a hundred soldiers. According to this calculation, Qingxiao Sect is not afraid of ordinary armies.

However, when faced with an army of more than 100,000, the concept is completely different. Just facing such an army makes it difficult to muster the will to fight.

“I don’t think this army is coming for us. If it were, my family would have informed me beforehand. Not only me, but also the scions of the aristocratic families in the sect would have been notified. This army may have other missions,” Zhu Yan said, bringing everyone back to their senses.

Yes, the Qingxiao Sect is no ordinary gang now. They have connections with many powerful families and officials, and even have vested interests with them. If the imperial court wants to deal with the Qingxiao Sect, they cannot remain silent.

Li Qingqiu said, "Regardless of whether they are coming for us or not, we must be on guard. Let's add thirty more disciples to the Enforcement Hall."

No one objected. The disciples of the Enforcement Hall were the most overworked, so allocating more disciple slots was reasonable.

Excluding menial disciples, Qingxiao Sect already has over a thousand registered disciples, which shows just how famous Qingxiao Sect is, and this is just the beginning.

"Next, we'll adjust the guest quarters and bring them together to reduce the monitoring pressure on the disciples of the Enforcement Hall."

Li Qingqiu continued, "I'll leave this matter to Zhang Yuchun."

He then brought up the matter of the Sword Sect.

"I will take charge of the Sword Sect and appoint three elders. For now, Jiang Zhaoxia and Shen Yue will be chosen. The third elder will be selected from among the disciples, based on their qualifications and abilities."

Li Qingqiu's plan did not receive unanimous approval from the hall masters.

Yang Jueding frowned and asked, "Sect Master, won't establishing a sect within the sect create a hidden danger of division?"

Zhang Yuchun, Li Dongyue, and Li Sijin thought the same thing.

Li Sifeng, however, had a different opinion: "I think it's good. It checks and balances each other and keeps each other in check."

Li Qingqiu glanced at him in surprise, not expecting him to have such a broad perspective.

Zhu Yan continued, "That's right. Although the Seven Halls have a clear division of labor, if the sect needs to avenge its disciples or settle scores with traitors, the Seven Halls are not convenient to take action. Moreover, the Sword Sect can also do some tasks that are not convenient to disclose. The name Sword Sect also proves that this branch is different from the Seven Halls."

Jiang Zhaoxia said, "The Sword Sect is under the control of my senior brother and me, so nothing will happen."

Born with a passion for swords, he was not opposed to the Sword Sect at all, and even looked forward to it.

Although the Thirteen Swordsmen had made a name for themselves, it was not as they wished, because none of them were pure swordsmen, including Xue Jin.

Seeing that many people agreed, the other hall masters who had reservations had no choice but to give up.

After chatting for another half hour, Li Qingqiu finally ended the meeting, leaving Zhang Yuchun behind alone.

Once only the two of them were left in the courtyard, Li Qingqiu asked, "How has Chu Jing been lately?"

“He took on a mission from the Training Hall a couple of days ago and went down the mountain. I’m worried he might betray us. Senior brother, I think it would be better to expel or imprison him,” Zhang Yuchun said, frowning.

Ever since he learned that he had been deceived by Chu Jing, all his goodwill towards Chu Jing vanished, replaced by fear.

Li Qingqiu said, "Then we'll see what happens when he comes back next time. As of now, we don't have any secrets we're afraid of getting out."

Zhang Yuchun nodded, and the two only discussed this matter before quickly returning to their respective rooms.

The recruitment of thirty disciples by the Enforcement Hall caused quite a stir within the Qingxiao Sect. The treatment of disciples in the Seventh Hall is better than that of ordinary disciples. Being able to enter the Seventh Hall is equivalent to having a job with real power. How could the disciples not compete for it?
Xu Ning was busy with her secluded cultivation, so Li Qingqiu personally appointed Chai Yunshang to take charge of the matter.

Other hall masters and elders had approached Chai Yunshang, wanting to recommend disciples, but Chai Yunshang firmly rejected them, showing no mercy whatsoever.

When Zhang Yuchun mentioned this matter to Li Qingqiu, he felt both helpless and gratified.

The reason he wanted to send disciples to the Enforcement Hall was not to plant spies, but to fight for better treatment for his disciples. He was equivalent to the deputy sect leader of Qingxiao Sect, and this was the first time someone had shown him such disrespect.

He wasn't angry; on the contrary, he was quite pleased. Once Chai Yunshang gave him orders and her temper became known, the other disciples would know that she was unapproachable and would no longer dare to plead with him for mercy.

Li Qingqiu smiled smugly and said, "That's right. Senior brother's eyes can see through everything. I saw long ago that she is very suitable for the position of head of the Enforcement Hall."

What a talented executioner!
That's really fierce!
I like that he's not afraid of offending people on his first time in charge of the Enforcement Hall!

In high spirits, Li Qingqiu decided to reward Chai Yunshang with three spirit stones.

The news that Chai Yunshang refused other hall masters spread quickly. She personally selected disciples and gave more disciples opportunities, which made her famous within the sect.

The Qingxiao Sect now has over a thousand registered disciples, and with the addition of miscellaneous disciples, the number exceeds 1,200. In the martial arts world of Guzhou, it can be considered a major sect in terms of size.

Where there are people, there is a world of its own. The world of its own also exists within the Qingxiao Sect. Some people admire Chai Yunshang, while others dislike her. Disciples who are close to Chai Yunshang inevitably face difficulties from other disciples.

Li Qingqiu did not interfere in the matter, believing that Chai Yunshang could stand on her own two feet.

Once the number of disciples in the sect exceeds ten thousand, there will only be more conflicts within the sect. His personal intervention will only exacerbate these conflicts. What he needs to do is to mediate the conflicts from a macro perspective and ensure that Qingxiao Sect develops in a healthier way.

As for the Sword Sect, Li Qingqiu did not have anyone pass on the news. Instead, he instructed the Heavenly Craft Hall to first establish a sect site for the Sword Sect. The Sword Sect was located on Qingxiao Mountain, not far from the Xuanxin Hall. This was also a measure to prevent the Sword Sect from becoming estranged from the sect in the future.

The Sword Sect cannot break away from the sect; this is the bottom line.

When choosing disciples for the Sword Sect, Li Qingqiu would only select those with high loyalty, especially to him personally.

As long as he is alive, the Sword Sect will not fall into chaos, and the Qingxiao Sect will not split.

As summer turned to autumn, Zhang Yuchun finally discovered that one of his disciples had died.

It was a disciple who came back and told him that five disciples went down the mountain together to carry out a mission, but they were killed by a group of mysterious martial artists, and only this disciple escaped back.

Zhang Yuchun also discovered that many of his disciples had been gone from the mountain for more than four months.

Every disciple must register before leaving the mountain. If they do not return within a certain period, the sect will issue an investigation task. This is also a form of protection for the disciples. Every disciple will be informed of this matter when they leave the mountain. The disciples will decide their own training period based on their tasks. If they do not return by the deadline, the sect will initiate investigation measures.

It was only then that Zhang Yuchun realized the necessity of the Sword Sect's existence.

Because it's impossible to investigate the life or death of a disciple with just one person, the Seven Halls simply don't have enough manpower. If the disciple's death is part of a conspiracy, directly summoning a disciple to investigate might alert the enemy.

He informed Li Qingqiu of this matter, and Li Qingqiu then tasked the Thirteen Swordsmen and the Seven Masters of Qingxiao with investigating the matter in the martial world.

Years have passed, and all seven disciples of Qingxiao have entered the Nourishing Yuan Realm. With the cultivation and resource allocation from Zhang Yuchun, their cultivation level is at least at the second level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm, and Huangshan has even reached the third level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm.

After sending the Thirteen Swordsmen and the Seven Masters of Qingxiao down the mountain, Li Qingqiu suddenly felt that he still didn't have enough men at his disposal.

Xu Ning, Zhao Zhen, Yuan Li, and Ji Ya all need to cultivate; assigning them tasks now would be a waste of their talents.

However, Li Qingqiu was not too worried, because the seven hall masters were also cultivating their own confidants and capable assistants, and he could mobilize the talents they had carefully cultivated when the time came.

The seven halls do not interfere with each other and each has its own power, but the sect leader's power is above all else, and all seven halls should be used by him!
News of a disciple's encounter with danger could not be contained and began to circulate within the sect, making more disciples more cautious about going down the mountain for training.

That evening, Zhu Yan, the deputy head of Tiangong Hall, found Li Qingqiu, and the two talked inside the house.

"I already know the origin and destination of that army. It is an army from Zhongtian Prefecture, carrying the emperor's edict. No pass dares to stop them, and they are strictly forbidden to discuss this matter. One of my uncles is an official in the Ministry of Personnel. He heard that this army is going for a martial tomb."

Zhu Yan spoke softly, recounting what she knew.

"Martial Tomb?" Li Qingqiu asked, puzzled.

Zhu Yan continued, "The martial arts legend's tomb. It is said that the martial arts legend was buried in Guzhou, and there are underground palaces in various places in Guzhou. Those are all used to confuse the public. No one knows where his martial arts tomb is hidden. However, it is said that the servant who served the martial arts legend back then has been secretly guarding the martial arts tomb ever since."

　Thank you Ye Chen for the 100 Qidian Coins reward!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)