After confirming that the technique he inherited was truly a cultivation method, Li Qingqiu's first thought was of his master, Lin Xunfeng. He wanted to find him immediately.
But after a moment of reflection, he dismissed the idea.
Not only had a whole night passed—he had no clue where Lin Xunfeng had gone—but more importantly, once the art of cultivation was revealed to the world, it would surely bring disaster.
In the jianghu, countless sects and clans had been destroyed simply because they possessed a powerful technique.
He couldn't afford to expose the existence of the Dao Lineage interface. That was his foundation, the root of his survival. No one could know about it—not even his junior brothers and sisters.
After all, people's hearts were hard to read, and loyalty could rise or fall.
Li Qingqiu stood up, planning to find a quiet spot to cultivate.
According to the Supreme Purity and Primordial Harmony Sutra, dawn was the best time for cultivation. When the purple qi rose from the east, merging the essence of the sun and moon, it formed the golden hour of daily practice.
Clang!
The door creaked open. Jiang Zhaoxia, who was practicing his punches in the courtyard, turned to see Li Qingqiu step outside and let out a breath of relief.
Li Qingqiu's eyes shone bright with energy. His spirit was steady and sharp—clearly, he hadn't been broken by their master's departure.
"Why are you practicing fists? Don't you like swords? Go to my room and take the Tianhong Sword to practice with. I'm just lending it to you, so don't forget to return it," Li Qingqiu said casually before heading toward the back mountain.
Jiang Zhaoxia froze. Li Qingqiu had never allowed him to touch that sword before. What happened today?
He could feel that Li Qingqiu had changed—not in temperament, but in mindset. Their master's departure had forced him to mature overnight.
If this had been the old Jiang Zhaoxia, he would have been overjoyed. But now, instead of excitement, he only felt a dull ache in his chest.
'Maybe it's time I got serious about training too.'
Qingxiao Sect sat halfway up the mountain, with dense forests behind it and rugged peaks all around. The terrain was steep and dangerous. The nearest village was at least one hour's walk downhill. The mountains were filled with wild beasts, though fortunately not wolves or tigers—the main threats were snakes, ants, and spiders.
Li Qingqiu followed the familiar path to the summit and sat cross-legged at the edge of a cliff. Facing the rising sun, he rested his hands on his knees and began to breathe according to the Sutra's method.
Sensing spiritual energy from heaven and earth required time and patience. Only after repeated practice could one learn to draw in spiritual qi naturally.
Down below, Jiang Zhaoxia noticed Li Qingqiu's silhouette on the cliff and frowned in confusion.
Soon, Wu Man'er, Li Sifeng, and Li Sijin woke up and also spotted him. They whispered and chattered, clearly amazed. Li Sijin even waved and called out to him, but Li Qingqiu was already deep in meditation and didn't respond.
The morning passed quietly. Despite hours of focused effort, Li Qingqiu failed to condense even a trace of spiritual energy. Yet he wasn't discouraged—only more determined.
When he descended the mountain, his younger siblings gathered around with questions.
He smiled mysteriously and said, "Actually, I already had a cultivation method before I came up the mountain. Now that Master's gone, I have to train hard. Once I master it, I'll teach all of you."
"You have a family inheritance too?" Jiang Zhaoxia asked suspiciously.
Li Qingqiu glanced at him and said, "What do you mean too? Do you have one as well?"
Jiang Zhaoxia just snorted and didn't answer.
Li Qingqiu didn't bother pressing further. 'Whatever inheritance you have can't compare to my immortal cultivation technique anyway.'
In the following days, Zhang Yuchun led the group in expanding the vegetable garden and chopping firewood. Even the youngest, Li Sijin, found it fun, her laughter echoing through the courtyard. Qingxiao Sect was once again filled with lively voices.
Meanwhile, Li Qingqiu devoted himself entirely to cultivation, determined to refine his first trace of true qi.
After seven full days, success finally came. He condensed a faint thread of energy in his dantian. For a moment, he felt as if the heavens themselves had opened before him.
He had reached the first layer of Nurturing Essence!
Excitement surged through him. Alone in the forest, he took a deep breath, aimed at a nearby tree, and released his energy.
Whoosh!
A stream of pure vitality shot forth like an arrow, piercing clean through the thick trunk.
He walked closer and saw that the tree—thick enough that two people would need to wrap their arms around it—had a hole the size of a finger clean through it. He could even see the sunlight from the other side.
'So powerful!'
This was far beyond any internal energy he had seen before—far stronger than that traveling swordsman from his childhood!
Li Qingqiu clenched his fists in excitement. The only downside was that the qi he released was gone; he'd need to refine more before using it again.
Still, his path was clear. From tomorrow onward, he would begin teaching his juniors.
'The sooner everyone grows stronger, the better. If Lin Xunfeng has enemies—or if bandits ever come up the mountain—one person alone won't be enough to defend us.'
During these days, he had also explored the Dao Lineage interface in depth. He discovered that Fate Selection and Inheritance Rewards were linked to the sect's evaluation rank. The stronger Qingxiao Sect became, the more fates he could copy and the greater inheritances he could receive.
He decided to discuss this with everyone once they were gathered.
As the day passed, he stayed in the forest cultivating, determined to refine another wisp of qi before nightfall.
By dusk, Zhang Yuchun, Wu Man'er, and Li Sifeng finally returned, each carrying a bamboo basket, their clothes drenched in sweat.
Li Qingqiu, Jiang Zhaoxia, Li Dongyue, and Li Sijin rushed over to help them unload.
Zhang Yuchun's face was glowing with excitement. "Senior Brother, I told the villagers about our situation. We helped them with some farm work in exchange for three hens, one rooster, and plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit!"
The large-framed Wu Man'er added in his deep voice, "And two jin of meat!"
Beside them, Li Sifeng collapsed on the ground, panting heavily with his tongue sticking out like a dog.
"The villagers were kind to us. We should repay them whenever we can," Li Qingqiu said with a satisfied smile.
Li Qingqiu decided that once the sect grew stronger, he would begin recruiting disciples from the nearby village as a form of repayment for their kindness.
The group carried their supplies back to the courtyard, chatting and laughing as they unpacked and tidied up.
After half an hour, they gathered around the long table in the courtyard while Li Dongyue poured water for everyone.
Li Qingqiu looked around the table and said, "Tomorrow morning, I'll pass on a cultivation method to all of you. From then on, we'll train together."
At those words, the disciples instantly perked up, their faces lighting with excitement. They started bombarding him with questions about the technique.
"This method is called the Primordial Harmony Sutra. From now on, it'll be the sect-defining technique of Qingxiao Sect. Without my permission, no one is allowed to teach it to outsiders," Li Qingqiu said seriously. He planned to teach them the Supreme Purity and Primordial Harmony Sutra layer by layer.
In truth, he hadn't even absorbed the entire inheritance himself. Some of the transmitted knowledge remained hazy in his mind—fragments locked away until he reached a higher realm.
"Will this Primordial Harmony Sutra let us cultivate inner qi?" Jiang Zhaoxia asked skeptically.
"You'll know once you practice it," Li Qingqiu replied casually.
His indifferent tone made Jiang Zhaoxia sulk. He actually missed the days when they used to argue.
"Senior Brother, we can't just focus on internal cultivation. We need more martial techniques too. There's no need for everyone to practice the same thing," Jiang Zhaoxia said after a moment.
Zhang Yuchun sighed. "But we don't have any other martial arts."
Jiang Zhaoxia leaned forward. "Forget the others then. Let Fifth Junior Brother train with me. I'll teach him an external technique that matches his natural strength. He could become one of Qingxiao Sect's main fighters in the future."
Li Qingqiu's eyes softened with satisfaction. "Third Junior Brother, you're finally showing some initiative. I'm proud of you. You've grown up and started contributing to the sect."
"Initiative? What initiative?" Jiang Zhaoxia frowned in confusion.
"Don't worry about it. From now on, Man'er will be your responsibility. I'll check on his progress. If you teach him well, I'll reward you with a treasured sword," Li Qingqiu said with a wave.
Among the disciples, Jiang Zhaoxia had the strongest talent and Fate, while the simple-minded Wu Man'er had immense potential in physical strength.
In the martial world, strength meant survival. Qingxiao Sect needed powerful combatants.
Jiang Zhaoxia snorted. "Of course I'll teach him well. You'll see!"
Wu Man'er just grinned foolishly, not understanding a word.
Li Sifeng and Li Sijin began clamoring for Jiang Zhaoxia to teach them too, but he didn't bother humoring them.
…
At dawn, Li Qingqiu led his disciples to sit in meditation at the mountain gate. Since there were too many of them, he didn't dare bring them to the cliff's edge.
All seven sat in a neat line, forming an impressive sight. Li Qingqiu sat in the center, explaining the first principles of the Supreme Purity and Primordial Harmony Sutra.
At first, Jiang Zhaoxia didn't take it seriously. But after following one full cycle of breathing, his expression suddenly changed, and he became completely focused.
Teaching Wu Man'er, Li Sifeng, and Li Sijin proved far more troublesome. The first was not bright enough, and the latter two were still too young to fully understand. It took Li Qingqiu an entire day just to get them to grasp the breathing rhythm of absorbing qi.
By dusk, Zhang Yuchun and Li Dongyue began cooking dinner while Li Qingqiu sat beneath the old tree, holding the three martial manuals Lin Xunfeng had left behind.
Then, Jiang Zhaoxia approached him, eyes blazing with excitement. "Senior Brother, I've cultivated inner qi!"
Li Qingqiu looked up sharply, frowning. "Don't joke around."
He had needed seven days to condense a single thread of qi, and Jiang Zhaoxia had done it in half a day? Impossible.
Without another word, Jiang Zhaoxia raised his right hand and pointed toward the roof of a nearby house. A streak of qi burst from his fingertip, slicing through the air and severing a tree branch cleanly.
Li Qingqiu's eyes widened. Even Li Sifeng, who had been roasting sweet potatoes, froze mid-bite, staring in disbelief.
Jiang Zhaoxia didn't even bother looking at the tree. Instead, he turned his gaze back to Li Qingqiu with a proud tilt of his chin, his expression smug.
After a few moments of stunned silence, Li Qingqiu's astonishment shifted into something fiery and intense.
"Third Junior Brother," he said, eyes gleaming, "I didn't expect you to be an SSR card!"
"What's an 'ess-ess-ar card'?" Jiang Zhaoxia asked blankly. His senior brother always threw out strange words that made no sense.
Li Qingqiu set the manuals aside, stood, and gripped Jiang Zhaoxia's shoulders firmly. "With a genius like you in our sect, I'm even more confident about Qingxiao Sect's future. It's great to have you, truly."
Jiang Zhaoxia's face flushed. He was only 14, and this was the first time Li Qingqiu had ever praised him so sincerely. He turned his head to the side, hiding his embarrassment. "Of course I have confidence in myself..." he muttered.
In high spirits, Li Qingqiu pulled him down to sit and discuss their insights into the first layer of the Supreme Purity and Primordial Harmony Sutra.
Jiang Zhaoxia, equally earnest, shared his experience in detail.
Their conversation lasted long into the night, and Li Qingqiu learned a lot. He had to admit—Jiang Zhaoxia's cultivation aptitude truly deserved to be called Excellent, and his comprehension was Exceptional.
Days passed quickly. After ten days, Li Dongyue became the third person to cultivate qi, which greatly comforted Li Qingqiu. It wasn't that his own talent was poor—it was just that Jiang Zhaoxia's was monstrous.
After fifteen days, Zhang Yuchun finally succeeded as well.
Before he could even report the news, a message appeared before Li Qingqiu's eyes:
[ Because more than half of your sect's disciples have reached the first layer of Nurturing Essence, Qingxiao Sect has officially stepped onto the path of immortal cultivation. You have received 1 Fortune Opportunity. ]