Hearing the eerie voice echo through the forest, Yuan Li and Zhao Zhen didn't show the slightest fear. Instead, their eyes brightened with excitement. Their master had just said he would teach them how to deal with bad people.
Zhao Zhen suddenly raised his hand and pointed ahead. "Look! Over there—someone's there!"
Yuan Li followed his gaze. On the branch of a distant tree stood three figures—two standing, one crouching. All wore dark robes and conical hats, looking like wandering outlaws. Their weapons differed, but each wore a grotesque demon mask, showing only a pair of cold, gleaming eyes.
The man in the middle crossed his arms and stared icily at Li Qingqiu. "The Seven Fiends of the Demonic Sect died at Qingxiao Sect. I'm curious—rumor says it was you alone who did it?"
Li Qingqiu's expression didn't change. He could sense that these three were stronger than the Seven Fiends, but only slightly.
Zhang Yuchun had already sealed all news about the Seven Fiends' deaths within Qingxiao Sect. For these three to know meant they'd sent spies in advance to gather information.
"Since you already know they died by my hand," he said calmly, "what gives you the courage to come here?"
His tone was utterly flat, without the faintest ripple of emotion.
Behind a nearby tree, Gu Dubao's heart thudded violently.
'The Seven Fiends of the Demonic Sect died at the hands of Qingxiao Sect's master?'
Back in his days roaming the martial world before joining the Chai family, the Demonic Sect had been at its peak. He knew exactly how terrifying their experts were—the Seven Fiends were names that made all Jianghu tremble.
So this Li Qingqiu was even more formidable than he'd imagined. But what frightened him more was the implication—the Demonic Sect was returning.
The man in the middle sneered. "If we dared to come, naturally, it's because we're stronger than they were."
As he spoke, he drew the blade from his back. A sharp chill filled the air, cold light flashing across the forest. Yuan Li and Zhao Zhen shivered involuntarily, feeling the temperature drop sharply.
Li Qingqiu narrowed his eyes at the weapon. The long blade radiated a dense, bone-piercing cold. The blade was about one meter long and palm-wide, its edge glinting like ice, its shape elegant yet severe. From a series of tiny vents along the spine of the blade, white frost seeped out continuously.
'This blade… is extraordinary.'
It wasn't quite a magic weapon, but neither was it a simple forged blade.
He could feel a terrifying power sealed within it—no wonder these three dared to come.
"Kill!"
The man wielding the cold blade roared and leaped forward. The three of them shot through the air like shadows, their lightness skill ghostlike, their speed fierce and sudden.
Li Qingqiu didn't move to shield Yuan Li or Zhao Zhen. He stood where he was, utterly still.
When the attackers closed to within three zhang, the man raised his frosted blade high, ready to strike down.
Whizz!
A sharp silver flash pierced the air—then another, and another. In the blink of an eye, all three men froze mid-leap. A tiny hole appeared in each of their foreheads.
Their expressions stiffened, their bodies convulsed, and then they were thrown backward violently, crashing into the trees behind them.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three dull thuds echoed through the forest. By the time the sound faded, all three were dead.
Li Qingqiu remained in his throwing stance, his face calm, as though he had merely flicked away three insects instead of killing three assassins.
With a slight motion of his hand, the three silver needles flew back to his fingers, glowing faintly with swirling vital energy, unstained by even a drop of blood.
These needles had been purchased by Zhang Yuchun at his request—eighteen in total. After long refinement with his vital energy, they were now comparable to magic weapons. They lacked the spiritual will of true artifacts but had become connected to him, allowing remote control and instant recall.
Watching the scene unfold, Gu Dubao was petrified.
Those three from the Demonic Sect had emanated terrifying power and presence—yet Qingxiao Sect's master had killed them with just a flick of his wrist.
Li Qingqiu turned to the boys. "Did you understand?"
Zhao Zhen blinked. "Understand what?"
Yuan Li answered quietly, "When facing an enemy, strike to kill in the shortest time possible, right?"
He was only five years old, but his words were sharp and precise. Though usually quiet, he spoke freely in front of Li Qingqiu, Li Dongyue, Yuan Qi, and Zhao Zhen.
Li Qingqiu smiled faintly. "Smart as always, Lier. Zhen'er, you'll face more trouble than he will. You'd better remember that lesson well."
Zhao Zhen nodded thoughtfully.
Then Li Qingqiu's gaze shifted to the distance. "You've followed us long enough. Come out."
Gu Dubao froze behind the tree. After a brief hesitation, he stepped out, raising both hands slightly. "I mean no harm. I only wanted to confirm whether you were truly the Sect Master of Qingxiao Sect."
Li Qingqiu regarded him calmly. "That's the only reason you're still alive. Come here—help me identify these three."
Relieved, Gu Dubao exhaled softly and hurried forward. He passed the three bodies and crouched beside them, removing their masks one by one.
As his eyes fell on the first face, his expression changed drastically. He turned to Li Qingqiu, his voice trembling. "I only recognize one of them. He's one of the Demonic Sect's Guardians—named Xu Polu. His martial strength is terrifying. He once destroyed a cavalry troop of several hundred men single-handedly. The blade in his hand is called the Cold Abyss Blade, one of the three great demonic blades under heaven. It's said to carry a will of its own—those who hold it too long grow bloodthirsty and mad."
Li Qingqiu smiled faintly. "For you to recognize such a man, who exactly are you?"
Gu Dubao clasped his fists and bowed. "This old man's name is Gu Dubao. I've been retired from the martial world for twenty years. Now, I work for the Chai family of Jiangzhou."
"Jiangzhou's Chai family? Didn't your people already come here once before?"
"There's been a misunderstanding, Sect Master. I didn't come here on behalf of the Chai family. I only accompanied my young lady—she admires Qingxiao Sect's martial arts and wishes to join as a disciple."
"What's your young lady's name?"
"Chai Yunshang."
Li Qingqiu's eyes flickered slightly. The Chai family's previous visit, the one proposing marriage, had also been for Chai Yunshang. So why send two separate groups?
There was something odd about it, but he didn't really care. He had no intention of marrying or having children—not now. That would only create unnecessary vulnerabilities.
He fixed his calm, unreadable gaze on Gu Dubao. "Elder Gu, since you recognize members of the Demonic Sect, I suppose I can't let you leave. If word spreads, it might bring Qingxiao Sect more trouble than it's worth."
His tone was casual, but his faint smile made Gu Dubao's back break out in cold sweat.
"I swear I won't speak a word of it!" Gu Dubao said quickly, his voice trembling. "And judging from what those three said, the Demonic Sect already knows you killed the Seven Fiends. This grudge won't end here anyway."
The pressure from Li Qingqiu's presence was unbearable.
He took a slow step forward. Yuan Li and Zhao Zhen followed silently beside him.
Seeing the three draw closer, Gu Dubao's heart pounded violently. He knew that if he so much as turned to run, he would end up like Xu Polu—dead in an instant.
He had only one option left—to gamble everything.
When Li Qingqiu was just a few steps away, the tension broke. With a thud, Gu Dubao dropped to one knee and pulled a book from his robe, holding it out with both hands.
"This is a martial manual I obtained in my youth. I've never given it to anyone. I offer it now to Qingxiao Sect—please, Sect Master, accept my young lady as a disciple!"
Li Qingqiu reached him and took the manual.
On the cover were three bold characters: Divine Dragon Transformation.
He flipped through the pages slowly and asked, "If this technique is so powerful, why hasn't your young lady learned it herself? Why come here instead?"
Gu Dubao gave a bitter smile. "This manual isn't an inner cultivation art—it's an external transformation technique. It requires extremely deep vital energy to perform. Even I could never master it, let alone my young lady. But once completed, it's astonishingly powerful. The elder who passed it to me demonstrated it before his death. I've never forgotten that sight for the rest of my life..."
As he spoke, his eyes shone faintly with admiration.
Li Qingqiu slipped the manual into his robe and said, "Leave these three bodies where they are. Go up the mountain and find Zhang Yuchun. Tell him to bring men down to collect them."
With that, he brushed past Gu Dubao.
Yuan Li gave a polite bow before following his master. Zhao Zhen, less formal, only glanced at the man curiously before tagging along.
Gu Dubao exhaled in relief and turned back. He caught sight of Li Qingqiu pulling the Cold Abyss Blade from the ground before walking farther down the mountain path.
After they left, Gu Dubao quickly dragged the three corpses into the underbrush to hide them, then hurried back up the mountain.
Meanwhile, Li Qingqiu led Yuan Li and Zhao Zhen toward the Underground Spiritual Lake for training.
Killing Xu Polu and his companions was nothing more than a minor episode for him. What mattered more now was preparing Zhao Zhen for the enemies yet to come.
...
By evening, Gu Dubao found Chai Yunshang inside her room and told her she could now become a disciple.
But instead of joy, she looked conflicted, her expression uneasy. This made Gu Dubao frown.
"My lady, what's wrong? Don't tell me you're changing your mind again?" he asked.
Chai Yunshang came back to herself and smiled faintly. "No, I won't. You worked hard for this—I won't let your efforts go to waste."
Gu Dubao let out a long sigh of relief. "The Sect Master of Qingxiao truly is a remarkable man. I can't tell if he's really that young or if he practices some longevity art. Either way, his martial strength is definitely among the very best in the world. Following him might really let you change your fate."
He didn't mention the earlier encounter with the Demonic Sect. Nor did he fear their revenge. To him, the Demonic Sect was nothing more than a dying remnant, while Qingxiao Sect was thriving and righteous—completely incomparable.
Most importantly, the Sect Master of Qingxiao was powerful enough to stand above all.
...
Elsewhere, Li Qingqiu returned to the Lingxiao Courtyard with his two disciples. Zhang Yuchun was already waiting at the entrance and immediately stepped forward to greet him. The two of them entered the room and began discussing the matter of the Demonic Sect's reappearance.
At the side, Zhao Zhen sat cross-legged at the long table, studying the martial manual intently. Li Sijin leaned closer, curious. "Hey, little Zhao Zhen, what are you reading? Do you even understand it? Divine Dragon Transformation—sounds really impressive."
Zhao Zhen didn't look up. "Of course I understand. Master already taught it to me. When I've mastered it, I'll show you."
Li Sijin laughed and ruffled his hair affectionately before turning away to chat with Yuan Li.
The incident with the Demonic Sect never spread through the sect. Life at Qingxiao Sect soon returned to peace.
After entrusting the Divine Dragon Transformation to Zhao Zhen, Li Qingqiu focused completely on cultivation.
In the blink of an eye, one month passed. During that time, he trained harder than ever before and successfully reached the seventh layer of the Nurturing Essence Realm. His confidence against the Demonic Sect had grown even stronger.
Upon returning to the sect grounds one afternoon, he was preparing to look for Gu Dubao when Zhao Zhen suddenly came running up to him, his face glowing with excitement.
"Master! I've mastered the Divine Dragon Transformation! It's incredible!" he shouted, even hopping twice in pure excitement.