by EkkoTheDemon
The Fate Token selection was a process of copying; it would not negatively affect Jiang Zhaoxia, so Li Qingqiu felt no guilt.
Once he made his choice, his consciousness was abruptly pulled into a dream.
He had a blurred yet incredibly long dream. In this dream, he practiced the sword incessantly, the blade in his hand constantly changing.
He practiced without a goal and without fatigue, continuing until he felt numb.
When he finally woke up, the dream seemed fleetingly short. He opened his eyes to see that it had grown dark outside; moonlight spilled through the window, providing a faint glow in the room.
"Eldest Brother, dinner is ready."
Zhang Yuchun’s voice came from outside the door, his tone hesitant. He had already called three times and was debating whether he should force his way in.
Li Qingqiu quickly replied, "I'm coming."
"Alright."
Zhang Yuchun let out a sigh of relief, and his footsteps receded.
Li Qingqiu tried to recall the dream from earlier, only to find that he couldn't remember the specific process at all. No new memories had been added to his mind.
He stood up and checked his body, but there were no visible changes.
His gaze fell upon the precious sword resting on a small table nearby. It was the Empyrean Rainbow Sword gifted to him by Lin Xunfeng. Together with its scabbard, it weighed a full six catties; he usually couldn't be bothered to pick it up.
He walked to the table, gripped the scabbard with his right hand, and grasped the hilt with his left.
Li Qingqiu’s eyebrows shot up, a look of wonder crossing his face.
Holding the Empyrean Rainbow Sword, he could actually feel a certain power within the blade, a sensation that felt incredibly intimate.
The feeling was wondrous and entirely new to him. If he had to describe it, it was a sense of spirituality; he could feel the sword’s soul.
"Is this the power of a Born Sword Fanatic?"
Suppressing the urge to draw the blade, Li Qingqiu put the sword back down and walked toward the door.
He could study the Sacred Heritage panel later; he couldn't let his siblings worry.
Their master had just left, and if the Eldest Brother immediately locked himself in his room, the young ones would undoubtedly start imagining the worst.
Li Qingqiu pushed the door open and looked into the courtyard. His siblings were already gathered around the dinner table. Beside them, an oil lamp hung from an old tree, illuminating the surface.
Usually, they ate in the courtyard. In the past, everyone would scramble for food like starving ghosts, but tonight the little ones were exceptionally well-behaved, all waiting for Li Qingqiu.
"Eldest Brother!"
"Brother!"
"Big Brother, come eat!"
The disciples stood up one after another and waved at him. Even the prideful Jiang Zhaoxia quietly let out a breath of relief.
Looking at them, Li Qingqiu felt a warmth in his chest. He felt even more confident about making the Clear Firmament Sect thrive.
As for his thoughts of wandering the world, they were tossed to the back of his mind. With the Sacred Heritage panel, he could surely live a spectacular life through the sect.
He walked over to his youngest sister, Li Sijin, patted her head, and sat down.
"Sit down, everyone. Let's eat and talk," Li Qingqiu said with a smile. Seeing that his expression was the same as usual, the group finally relaxed and began serving food.
Zhang Yuchun, the second brother, served rice to everyone, acting far more mature than his age suggested.
The long table was large enough for the seven of them, but there were only three dishes and a soup. Only the soup had a bit of minced meat; such was life on the mountain. With Lin Xunfeng rarely home, they mostly ate vegetables they grew themselves, occasionally having a fried egg.
Li Qingqiu picked up his chopsticks and said casually, "Master has left and passed the position of Sect Leader to me. I've thought about it for a long time, and I've decided to make the Clear Firmament Sect great. After all, this is our home."
As soon as he said this, the sixth brother, Li Sifeng, immediately stood up and cheered, "Make it great! Make it great!"
With him starting, the fifth brother, Wu Man’er, also began to hoot.
Li Qingqiu looked at the twelve-year-old Li Sifeng, thinking of his Fate Tokens.
'Wolfish Ambition' and 'Ruthless Pragmatism.'
The boy seemed so bright and lively; how could his nature be like that?
"Make it great? Sounds nice, but are we supposed to do that alone?" Jiang Zhaoxia couldn't help but mock.
Li Qingqiu had a great impression of him now, considering the boy had the highest loyalty and the best talent—his future top enforcer.
Faced with the mockery, Li Qingqiu smiled. "We are young and full of infinite possibilities. From now on, we must work hard together to practice our martial arts. Once we are grown, we will descend the mountain to recruit more disciples."
These words excited the others, who began discussing the idea animatedly.
Seeing Li Qingqiu’s attitude, Jiang Zhaoxia’s temper dissipated. He curled his lip and muttered, "What's the use of practicing? With Master’s amateur tricks? He didn't even leave us any real manuals."
His voice was very faint, audible only to himself.
After serving everyone, Zhang Yuchun asked, "Brother, Master only left three manuals: a fist technique, a sword technique, and a movement technique. Which one should we practice?"
Li Qingqiu took a mouthful of rice and chewed while saying, "I will study them carefully and assign them to you. Just make time to practice every day. For now, the most important thing is ensuring our food supply. Once we start serious training, our nutritional needs will skyrocket, especially for meat. So, we need to start raising chickens and pigs, and plant more vegetables..."
He laid out his general plan, causing Zhang Yuchun’s eyes to light up as he nodded repeatedly.
Aside from him and the fourth sister, Li Dongyue, the other disciples weren't particularly interested in the idea. They didn't want more work, but they didn't dare argue; with their master gone, they knew they had to rely on themselves.
Li Qingqiu explained the general requirements to Zhang Yuchun and put him in charge, giving him authority to coordinate the other disciples.
He looked at Zhang Yuchun and said, "Second Brother, you are steady and enjoy reading. The development of the Clear Firmament Sect will depend heavily on you. Go ahead and do what needs to be done. If anyone is disobedient, let me know. I won't say I'll break their legs, but I'll make sure they hurt for three to five days."
At these words, the other disciples shuddered. Even Jiang Zhaoxia looked uncomfortable.
As the Eldest Brother, Li Qingqiu really did strike them when necessary; he had an authority built since childhood, and everyone had been hit by him at some point.
"Brother, don't worry. I won't let you down!" Zhang Yuchun said excitedly.
He had wanted to do something productive for a long time, but he was soft-hearted, and everyone except the fourth sister tended to walk all over him.
Li Qingqiu nodded with a smile and then chatted with them about the world to stir up their expectations.
Though the Clear Firmament Sect was small, their master had some reputation. Every year, wandering martial artists would visit and share stories of the world.
The land beneath them was ruled by the Great Li Dynasty, consisting of nine provinces and fourteen territories. The Clear Firmament Sect was located in the Taikun Mountain Range within the Gu Prefecture. For a hundred miles in every direction, there were only mountains and a few small villages; the nearest city was two hundred miles away.
In this feudal-like dynasty, cold weapons reigned, and martial arts were popular. In the Gu Prefecture alone, there were countless sects and gangs, with seven being world-renowned.
When Li Qingqiu was a child, he once saw a traveler spit out a blast of energy that traveled two zhang and left a mark on a tree trunk. He was mesmerized, and the seed of martial arts was planted then.
This was the wuxia world he had longed for in his previous life; how could he not practice?
Li Qingqiu thought about his remaining Sacred Heritage inheritance and felt his blood heat up.
Would he pull a peerless divine technique?
If the Clear Firmament Sect wanted to become great, it needed a signature ultimate art. Without powerful martial arts, how could they make a name for themselves?
Lin Xunfeng’s amateurish tricks certainly wouldn't cut it.
That evening, the disciples of the Clear Firmament Sect dreamed of the future, devoid of any sadness over being abandoned. As long as Li Qingqiu was there, they weren't afraid.
An hour passed before they dispersed, leaving Zhang Yuchun and Li Dongyue to clear the table.
Li Qingqiu returned to his room and sat cross-legged on his bed. Suppressing his excitement, he called up the panel and chose to open the Sacred Heritage inheritance.
[Claiming Inheritance Reward...]
[Opening Sacred Heritage...]
[You have obtained an Qi Refinement technique—Great Purity Primordial Scripture.]
[Do you accept the inheritance?]
'Great Purity Primordial Scripture?'
It sounded like a cultivation technique. He wondered if it was powerful.
Li Qingqiu immediately chose to accept, and a massive amount of memory flooded into his mind.
That night, Zhang Yuchun, Jiang Zhaoxia, Wu Man’er, and Li Sifeng were unable to sleep for a long time. Li Sifeng was the most excited, talking non-stop about the future and keeping the others awake.
Li Dongyue and Li Sijin were also whispering in their room, encouraging each other to help their Eldest Brother share the burden.
The moon set, and the sun rose.
The first light of dawn broke across the horizon, illuminating the undulating mountains.
Jiang Zhaoxia left his room early and began practicing his fist technique in the courtyard. His gaze frequently drifted toward Li Qingqiu’s room, his eyes tinged with worry.
He remembered Li Qingqiu saying as a child that he wanted to wander the world with a sword, seeking vengeance and settling scores. Now that he was burdened by so many siblings, would he be miserable?
A short while later, a rooster crowed. Zhang Yuchun and Li Dongyue emerged from their rooms, greeted each other, and began their chores.
Jiang Zhaoxia went about his own business, hating chores, but Zhang Yuchun and Li Dongyue were tireless. It was because of them that the others could live so easily.
In his room, Li Qingqiu, who had been meditating all night, opened his eyes. His gaze was instantly clear.
He instinctively stretched; sitting for a whole night had made his body ache.
As he recalled the details of the Great Purity Primordial Scripture, his expression suddenly changed.
'Wait!'
'This is actually a cultivation technique for immortals?'
Li Qingqiu was shocked. The Great Purity Primordial Scripture focused on absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, as well as the essence of the sun and moon, to refine Spirit Essence within the body.
Essence Nurturing, Spirit Sense, Solar Radiance...
Every level of the heart manual granted longevity, even specifying how many years one could live.
Stepping into the Spirit Sense Realm granted three hundred years of life, while the Solar Radiance Realm allowed one to live for six hundred years.
Li Qingqiu was truly stunned. He had always thought this was a wuxia world, at most reaching the level of internal energy or qi.
His master was insane to search for immortals.
Yet, immortality was real?
So the Sacred Heritage panel wasn't for a martial arts sect, but for a Taoist cultivation sect!
Li Qingqiu snapped back to his senses, feeling even more excited.
'If you can cultivate as an immortal, who would ever want to be a mundane martial artist!'