by EkkoTheDemon
After confirming he had inherited a true cultivation technique, Li Qingqiu’s first instinct was to think of Lin Xunfeng and go find him.
But on second thought, he felt that would be unwise.
Leaving aside the fact that a whole night had passed and he had no idea which direction Lin Xunfeng had gone, the revelation of a cultivation technique would surely bring disaster if it were spread.
In the world of martial arts, how many sects and clans had been wiped out simply for harboring a divine manual?
He could not expose the existence of the Sacred Heritage; it was the foundation of his life. He couldn't tell anyone, not even his siblings.
Hearts were separated by skin, and loyalty wasn't something that only went up.
Li Qingqiu stood up, preparing to find a place to practice.
According to the Great Purity Primordial Scripture, early morning was the best time for cultivation. When the purple qi came from the east and the essences of sun and moon converged, it was the golden window for daily practice.
Clang!
The door opened. Jiang Zhaoxia, who was practicing his fist technique, looked over and saw Li Qingqiu emerge. He couldn't help but sigh in relief.
Li Qingqiu’s eyes were bright, and he was clearly in high spirits, not at all discouraged.
"Why practice fists? Don't you like swords? Go into my room and take the Empyrean Rainbow Sword to practice. It's only a temporary loan; don't you dare keep it."
Li Qingqiu said this to Jiang Zhaoxia and then walked toward the back of the mountain.
Jiang Zhaoxia was stunned. Li Qingqiu had never let him touch the sword before; why the sudden change of heart?
He could feel that Li Qingqiu had changed—his mindset had shifted. Their master’s departure had forced the Eldest Brother to mature.
If it were the old Jiang Zhaoxia, he would have been overjoyed to hold the sword. But now, he felt no joy, only a heartache for his brother.
Perhaps he, too, should take his training seriously.
The Clear Firmament Sect was located halfway up a mountain. Behind it was a dense forest, surrounded by steep and treacherous peaks on all sides. The fastest descent to the nearest village took an hour on foot. Though there were wild animals in the forest, there were no wolves or tigers; the main things to watch out for were snakes and insects.
Li Qingqiu navigated the path with ease and arrived at the mountain peak. He sat cross-legged at the edge of a cliff, facing the morning sun with his hands on his lap, and began to breathe according to the manual.
Feeling the Spirit Essence of heaven and earth required a process. Only through repeated practice could one achieve the state where a single breath could draw in the essence.
Back in the courtyard, Jiang Zhaoxia turned his head and caught sight of Li Qingqiu sitting at the cliff’s edge. He felt perplexed.
When Wu Man’er, Li Sifeng, and Li Sijin woke up and saw this, they were incredibly curious and chatted incessantly about it. Sijin even tried to wave at him, but Li Qingqiu was already in a meditative trance and didn't respond.
Unfortunately, after a whole morning, Li Qingqiu hadn't managed to refine a single wisp of essence. However, he wasn't disappointed; instead, his fighting spirit only burned brighter.
After descending the mountain, in the face of his siblings' questions, he said mysteriously, "Actually, I have an internal energy technique that I had even before coming to the mountain. Since Master is gone, I have to practice. Once I've mastered it, I'll teach you all."
"Do you also have a family inheritance?" Jiang Zhaoxia couldn't help but ask.
Li Qingqiu glanced at him. "What do you mean 'also'? You have one too?"
Jiang Zhaoxia hummed but didn't elaborate.
Li Qingqiu didn't care much. Could your martial arts inheritance possibly compare to my immortal cultivation technique?
Over the next few days, Zhang Yuchun led the others in a flurry of activity: expanding the vegetable garden and chopping firewood. Even the youngest, Li Sijin, found it great fun, and laughter constantly echoed through the sect.
Li Qingqiu devoted himself entirely to his training, striving to refine his essence as soon as possible.
After a full seven days, Li Qingqiu finally refined a wisp of Spirit Essence. In a moment of clarity, he felt as if he had stepped into an entirely new realm.
First Level of the Essence Nurturing Realm!
He was ecstatic. He hid in the forest and, facing a large tree, exhaled the refined essence from his abdomen.
Swish—
The wisp of essence shot out like a sharp arrow, piercing through the tree. Li Qingqiu rushed forward to look; the trunk, which was thick enough to require two people to encircle it, had been pierced with a hole the size of a finger. He could see the scenery on the other side through it.
'What terrifyingly dominant essence!'
This was far more powerful than that traveler’s qi from years ago!
Li Qingqiu clenched his fists, beyond excited. The only pity was that the essence was consumed upon use; he would have to continue refining more.
He decided that from tomorrow onward, he would lead his siblings in cultivation.
Empowering everyone as soon as possible was the right way forward. In case any of Lin Xunfeng’s enemies came knocking, or bandits came up the mountain, relying on himself alone wouldn't be enough.
Furthermore, during this time, he had studied the panel. Fate Token selections and inheritance rewards were linked to the sect’s evaluation. The stronger the sect, the more tokens he could select and the more inheritances he could receive.
He planned to tell everyone this evening once they were all gathered.
He sat in the forest, continuing his practice, hoping to refine another wisp of essence.
It wasn't until dusk that Zhang Yuchun, Wu Man’er, and Li Sifeng returned, carrying bamboo baskets and drenched in sweat.
Li Qingqiu, Jiang Zhaoxia, Li Dongyue, and Li Sijin went to meet them and take their baskets.
Zhang Yuchun said excitedly, "Brother, I told the villagers about our situation and helped them with some farm work. In exchange, I got three hens, a rooster, and a lot of vegetables and fruit."
The largest of them, Wu Man’er, rumbled, "And two catties of meat!"
The usually talkative Li Sifeng collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily with his tongue out like a dog.
"The villagers have been good to us; we should help them more in the future," Li Qingqiu said with a smile.
He decided that when the time came, he would recruit disciples from the villages at the foot of the mountain first as a way to repay them.
The group laughed and chatted as they brought the supplies back to the courtyard.
Half an hour later, they were gathered around the long table, and Li Dongyue poured water for everyone.
Li Qingqiu looked around and said, "First thing tomorrow morning, I will pass a technique to you all. You will practice with me."
The disciples were instantly excited, asking what kind of technique it was.
"This technique is called the Primordial Scripture. From now on, it will be our sect’s ultimate hidden art. Without my permission, you are not allowed to share it with outsiders," Li Qingqiu said seriously. He planned to teach the Great Purity Primordial Scripture one level at a time.
In truth, even he hadn't fully received the entire inheritance. Some parts of the memory were blurred, requiring him to reach a certain cultivation level before he could fully recall them.
"The Primordial Scripture? Can it cultivate internal qi?" Jiang Zhaoxia asked skeptically.
Li Qingqiu replied casually, "You'll know once you try."
His attitude frustrated Jiang Zhaoxia, who missed their old bickering.
"Brother, I think we need more martial arts. We can't just practice internal energy, and there's no need for us all to practice the same thing," Jiang Zhaoxia suggested.
Zhang Yuchun said helplessly, "But we don't have any other martial arts."
Jiang Zhaoxia continued, "I won't comment on the others, but let the fifth brother train with me. I'll teach him an external technique to complement his natural strength. He can become a pillar of the Clear Firmament Sect."
Li Qingqiu felt a sense of relief and remarked, "Third Brother, are you finally going to contribute? I'm very happy. You've grown up and started contributing to the sect."
"Contribute? What are you talking about?" Jiang Zhaoxia was confused; his brother always used strange words.
"Never mind. From now on, I'll leave Man’er to you. I'll check on the results. if you teach him well, I'll give you a precious sword in the future."
Li Qingqiu waved his hand. Among the disciples, other than Jiang Zhaoxia, the simple-minded Wu Man’er seemed the most likely to become a high-level combatant.
In the world of martial arts, strength was everything. The Clear Firmament Sect had to have powerful fighters.
Jiang Zhaoxia snorted. "I'll teach him well for sure. Just you wait and see!"
Wu Man’er chuckled foolishly, understanding nothing.
Li Sifeng and Li Sijin also began to make a fuss, wanting their third brother to teach them, but Jiang Zhaoxia couldn't be bothered with them.
...
At dawn, Li Qingqiu brought his siblings to sit before the sect gate. Because there were so many of them, he didn't dare take them to the cliff’s edge.
The seven of them sat in a row—a magnificent sight. Li Qingqiu sat in the center and began explaining the Great Purity Primordial Scripture.
At first, Jiang Zhaoxia didn't care much, but after following the instructions once, his expression changed drastically, and he began to take it seriously.
Teaching Wu Man’er, Li Sifeng, and Li Sijin was difficult. The former wasn't bright enough, and the latter two were too young to understand many concepts. It took Li Qingqiu a full day just to get them to master the breathing method.
By evening, Zhang Yuchun and Li Dongyue began cooking. Li Qingqiu sat under the old tree, holding the three martial arts manuals left by Lin Xunfeng.
Jiang Zhaoxia suddenly appeared before him, his eyes burning. He said clearly, "Brother, I've refined internal qi!"
Li Qingqiu looked up and frowned. "Are you joking?"
It had taken him seven days, and Jiang Zhaoxia only needed half a day?
He didn't believe it!
Without a word, Jiang Zhaoxia raised his right hand and pointed toward the air above the nearby house. A wisp of essence erupted from his fingertip, slicing through a tree branch.
Li Qingqiu’s eyes widened. Not far away, Li Sifeng, who was munching on a roasted sweet potato, also stared in shock.
Jiang Zhaoxia never even looked at the branch he had cut. When he saw Li Qingqiu’s expression, he raised his chin in a proud stance.
After a brief moment of shock, Li Qingqiu looked at Jiang Zhaoxia again, his gaze becoming so intense that the boy felt awkward.
"Third Brother... I didn't realize you were an SSR-tier talent!" Li Qingqiu remarked with sincere emotion.
"What tier?"
Jiang Zhaoxia was confused; his brother was always spouting incomprehensible words.
Li Qingqiu put down the manuals and stood up. He grabbed Jiang Zhaoxia’s shoulders and stared into his eyes. "Third Brother, with a genius like you, I have even more confidence in the future of our sect. It's truly good to have you."
Jiang Zhaoxia’s cheeks flushed. He was, after all, only a fourteen-year-old boy. It was the first time Li Qingqiu had praised him so seriously, and he couldn't help but feel a bit shy.
He turned his head away and curled his lip. "Of course I'm good..."
Li Qingqiu was in a great mood. He sat Jiang Zhaoxia down and discussed his insights into the first level of the Great Purity Primordial Scripture.
Jiang Zhaoxia didn't hide anything and spoke earnestly.
After chatting for a while, Li Qingqiu gained quite a bit. He had to admit that Jiang Zhaoxia’s aptitude truly was 'excellent' and his comprehension 'extraordinary.'
The days passed one by one. Ten days later, Li Dongyue became the third disciple to refine essence. This gave Li Qingqiu some comfort; it wasn't that his aptitude was bad, but that Jiang Zhaoxia was just a freak.
After fifteen days of practice, Zhang Yuchun finally refined essence as well.
Before Zhang Yuchun could report the good news, Li Qingqiu already knew a fourth person had succeeded, because a prompt appeared before his eyes:
[In light of more than half of your disciples stepping into the first level of the Essence Nurturing Realm, the Clear Firmament Sect has truly stepped onto the path of immortality. You have gained one Karmic Blessing opportunity.]