"New Five Great Sects? Shouldn't it be Seven?"
Li Dongyue asked in confusion, noticing the look in Yang Jueding's eyes, which made her suspect something wasn't right.
Li Sifeng was nearly jumping in impatience. "Then what happened? Isn't that a good thing? Why do you look like you're holding in your piss?"
Li Qingqiu immediately smacked him lightly on the head and glared. "Watch your mouth."
"Brother, you're so crude!" Li Sijin said with open disgust.
Yang Jueding didn't take offense. He raised a bowl of wine, downed it in one gulp, and said, "At the banquet, the First Alliance Master of the Seven Peaks Alliance, Guang Lantian, and the Peak Master of Iron Peak, Du Mian, insulted our Qingxiao Sect. They claimed we were hiding the mythical martial art of legend and demanded that we hand it over for the good of Guzhou's martial world. Many others at the banquet agreed with them. Even when I explained that Qingxiao Sect didn't have such a technique, they wouldn't back down. Finally, Xu Ning challenged them to a duel to the death. She said if she died, they could have the technique…"
Everyone finally understood why there were only five sects left.
Li Sifeng turned to Xu Ning, his face full of excitement. "Xu Ning, you're insane! That's awesome! Third Senior Brother wiped out one sect, but you—you destroyed two at once!"
Xu Ning's expression didn't change. "They insulted us. I couldn't stand it. Master said when facing enemies, we must cut the weeds and pull out the roots. Be decisive. I only killed the two sect masters. Their sects perished because of the Demonic Sect."
"The Demonic Sect? Them again?" Li Sijin asked in surprise.
Yang Jueding took over. "Right after Xu Ning killed Guang Lantian and Du Mian, the Seven Peaks Alliance and Iron Peak experts were about to attack us when the Demonic Sect appeared. They stood on the roof and declared that the two sects were already finished, then vowed to slaughter the remaining Five Great Sects of Guzhou. The White Emperor Mansion immediately ordered them captured, but those bastards were too fast and escaped. Over the next few days, the prefecture received urgent messages—massacres at both the Seven Peaks Alliance and Iron Peak. Every disciple there was killed. After that, the prefecture declared that only five sects remained."
He paused and then added, "Not only that—the prefectural government issued an official decree recognizing the Demonic Sect as a grave threat. The Five Great Sects are ordered to unite with other martial factions to resist them."
Everyone began to discuss the Demonic Sect.
All those present were Qingxiao Sect's core members and already knew about the sect's prior encounters with the Demonic Sect—the Seven Fiends had appeared before, marking the two groups as mortal enemies.
Unfortunately, neither Yang Jueding nor Xu Ning knew how strong the Demonic Sect was now. But from the tone of their enemies, one thing was clear—the Demonic Sect had absolute confidence in toppling the entire martial world.
Li Qingqiu suddenly asked, "What about the Absolute Saint Sect? Why aren't they listed among the Five Great Sects?"
Yan Wujin's strength was formidable, and with the Tang family of Linchuan supporting him, the sect should have been guaranteed a spot.
Yang Jueding looked at Li Qingqiu and replied, "The Absolute Saint Sect moved north. Their momentum is impressive. Sect Master Yan Wujin swept through every major faction in Dongling Prefecture, gaining huge fame. People were still talking about him at the White Emperor Mansion banquet."
Li Qingqiu nodded slightly. Yan Wujin was one of the few leaders actively resisting both the Emperor and the Demonic Sect. His success could only benefit Qingxiao Sect.
Zhang Yuchun turned to Li Qingqiu. "Senior Brother, since the prefecture is summoning the Five Great Sects to send disciples and hunt the Demonic Sect, should we join the effort?"
Li Qingqiu shook his head. "No need. It's enough if Qingxiao Sect can protect the people around the Taikun Mountain Range. In the past few days, folks have already come up the mountain seeking help. That's going to keep happening. Compared to the other four sects, we still have far fewer disciples—we can't spread ourselves too thin."
Zhang Yuchun nodded in agreement. Though he thought the same, decisions of this scale were for the Sect Master to make.
Li Qingqiu swept his gaze across everyone. "The Demonic Sect has returned to the world. Whether they can truly threaten all of Jianghu doesn't matter—they already threaten Qingxiao Sect. We can't afford to relax. They could attack at any time."
Everyone nodded. None of them were afraid—but all could feel the urgency pressing upon them.
Qingxiao Sect needed time. More time to grow strong enough to stand tall.
After another half hour of discussion, the meeting ended. Li Qingqiu took Xu Ning with him toward the back mountain forest.
Although Yang Jueding had already explained what happened at the White Emperor Mansion, as her master, Li Qingqiu wanted to speak with her privately. He knew Xu Ning craved his approval—especially since Zhao Zhen had become his disciple. The girl clearly felt the pressure.
In truth, Li Qingqiu was deeply proud of her. Xu Ning hadn't only earned glory for Qingxiao Sect but had also won him a Dao Lineage Inheritance Reward.
He had already claimed that reward—it granted him a thunder-element technique called [Heavenly Thunder Step]. It was perfect for Xu Ning, and he intended to pass it on to her.
Though she wielded a sword, her cultivation path wasn't that of a sword cultivator. Unfortunately, Qingxiao Sect had too few techniques, so she had never truly been able to realize her full potential.
Now, without the others around, Xu Ning relaxed, her demeanor lively again. She spoke excitedly about her journey, describing her battles and how she'd felt facing different opponents.
Li Qingqiu listened patiently. Though he now had four disciples, Xu Ning remained his most cherished.
No matter how many geniuses appeared in the future, he wanted Xu Ning to always stand among the best within Qingxiao Sect.
...
The news of Qingxiao Sect becoming one of Guzhou's Five Great Sects spread like wildfire across the prefecture.
Zhang Yuchun publicly posted the announcement so all disciples would know.
At first, most of them didn't feel much different.
But after half a month, when nobles, merchants, small sects, and even government officials began arriving to pay visits, the disciples finally understood what it meant to bear the name of one of Guzhou's Five Great Sects.
As summer passed and autumn arrived, the number of disciples in Qingxiao Sect finally exceeded 300, even after strict selection.
That day, in the Lingxiao Courtyard, Zhang Yuchun came to find Li Qingqiu to discuss forming an internal enforcement system.
"For now, let's call it the Law Enforcement Hall," Li Qingqiu said after some thought. "Xu Ning will serve as the Hall Master. Recruit 20 disciples, and include Chai Yunshang among them."
The name wasn't anything fancy—Qingxiao Sect's laws still needed refining.
Chai Yunshang often sparred on the Martial Arena and gave pointers to junior disciples. Her reputation within the sect had already grown, and Zhang Yuchun was familiar with her.
He nodded. "Once the Law Enforcement Hall is established, the other administrative branches should follow. My authority's gotten too large. Shouldn't we form another hall to keep me in check?"
He saw Li Qingqiu's raised eyebrow and quickly added, "I'm not joking, Senior Brother. I have disciples and connections too. If no one can balance my power, there'll be times when I'm forced by favors or interests to make the wrong choices. There must be rules, or we'll lose order."
Li Qingqiu already had this in mind. "Then let's create another one—the Administration Hall. It'll handle disciple records, personnel transfers, and work contributions. You'll be its Hall Master. Fourth Junior Sister and Yang Jueding will serve as elders. The Administration Hall can recruit 15 disciples. You'll each pick 5."
"Perfect," Zhang Yuchun said, visibly relieved.
Ever since Qingxiao Sect had become one of Guzhou's Five Great Sects, countless people had approached him—some wanted to send their sons into the sect, others wanted promotions for their children, and a few even tried to buy martial arts manuals with piles of gold. The pressure was exhausting. Now that authority would be shared, he could finally use that as an excuse to refuse them.
The two then discussed the compensation for members of both halls. After all, these disciples would be doing administrative work instead of training, and their efforts couldn't go unrewarded. Proper pay would also prevent them from being tempted by outside bribes.
In the end, they settled it: Law Enforcement Hall disciples would earn 10 guan per month, while Administration Hall disciples would receive 8 guan.
Such pay exceeded what many lower-ranked officials earned—reasonable, since the disciples also had families to support.
From that day onward, Qingxiao Sect began standardizing disciple duties, wages, and responsibilities. Order replaced chaos.
The creation of the two halls quickly stirred the entire sect. Many disciples wanted to join, showing off their skills and influence to earn a place.
Guests staying on the mountain also heard about it. They immediately sought out Zhang Yuchun, Li Dongyue, and Yang Jueding, hoping to curry favor.
Li Qingqiu didn't bother himself with these matters. He left them to his juniors while continuing to personally guide Zhao Zhen and Yuan Li in cultivation each day.
Zhao Zhen's progress with the Great Sun Pure Yang Art was rapid, so much so that Li Qingqiu couldn't help teaching him the basic mind technique of the Supreme Purity and Primordial Harmony Sutra ahead of schedule—to see if Zhao Zhen could merge the two arts together.
Yuan Li, despite training frequently with Li Qingqiu in the Underground Spiritual Lake, still couldn't break through to the first layer of the Nurturing Essence Realm. His elder brother, Yuan Qi, who hadn't enjoyed such resources, had already achieved it. The setback left Yuan Li frustrated, but thanks to Li Qingqiu's constant encouragement, he didn't give up.
One day, while inspecting the Law Enforcement Hall, Li Qingqiu saw Chai Yunshang. She had already reached the first layer of the Nurturing Essence Realm.
Only five days had passed since he taught her the first-layer technique of the Supreme Purity and Primordial Harmony Sutra. Such speed was remarkable.
Chai Yunshang didn't thank him publicly, acting no differently from any other disciple.
Before leaving, Li Qingqiu quietly instructed Xu Ning to pass the second-layer technique of the Sutra to Chai Yunshang.
Later, Li Qingqiu visited the Administration Hall's attic to address the 15 new members. After giving a short speech of encouragement as Sect Master, the disciples dispersed. Zhang Yuchun then invited him into his private study.
He took a roster from the wooden cabinet and said, "This is the list of disciples who've reached the Nurturing Essence Realm—46 in total. Only 2 of them have reached the second layer."
Li Qingqiu sat down, opened the list, and smiled. "The second layer of the Nurturing Essence Realm isn't easy to reach. Having 46 disciples reach the first layer already shows great progress. It means they've all been working hard."
Zhang Yuchun chuckled. "True. I'm satisfied, though people always want more."
Those who had reached the first layer could already match second-tier martial experts in Jianghu. The strongest among them could even rival first-tier masters.
In most sects and gangs, such second-tier experts were the backbone—some even counted as the top defenders of their clans.
"From now on," Li Qingqiu said seriously after closing the list, "only those who reach the second layer of the Nurturing Essence Realm will be recognized as true disciples."
Zhang Yuchun's eyes lit up, and he immediately agreed.
The two chatted a bit longer before Li Qingqiu stood to leave. Zhang Yuchun insisted on walking him out. Together they descended from the attic of the Administration Hall—
"Lord Li, just the man I was looking for! I have urgent news!"
The voice made them both turn. Merchant Liu Fanzhou, accompanied by two guards, hurried toward them, drenched in sweat.
He stopped before them, panting as he wiped his forehead. "Something terrible has happened," he said breathlessly. "The Demonic Sect has attacked the prefectural city! The Prefect has been killed—his body's hanging from the city gate! The garrison troops have turned traitor! The entire prefectural city is under lockdown—no one inside can escape!"