Li Yang's injury and his stay at Qingxiao Sect didn't disturb Li Qingqiu's daily life at all. Everything went on as usual.
He never went to check on Li Yang, though he happened to meet Zhao Linglong while going down the mountain. When Zhao Linglong learned that he was the Sect Master, she quickly apologized and sincerely thanked him. Her polite demeanor left Li Qingqiu with a good impression of her.
Although Li Dongyue had used the Secret Technique — Rejuvenation Ghost-Immortal Needles to treat Li Yang, his injuries were severe. Without at least ten days or half a month of rest, he wouldn't even be able to get out of bed.
The Qingxiao Sect disciples were all fascinated by this imperial Martial Champion and often peeked at him through his window—everyone except Jiang Zhaoxia, who couldn't be bothered.
To Jiang Zhaoxia, anyone who could be defeated by a single strike from Wu Man'er wasn't worth his attention. He figured this so-called Martial Champion must've earned his title through connections.
Half a month later, on the very day Li Yang could finally get out of bed, Zhang Yuchun and his group returned.
They brought back thirteen new disciples—boys and girls, the youngest only twelve years old, and the oldest already twenty.
These were the new recruits they'd gathered on their journey, and their arrival made Qingxiao Sect lively once more.
In the courtyard, Zhang Yuchun had the thirteen new disciples kneel together before Li Qingqiu.
All of them were excited and reverent. None dared to show arrogance—after all, even the young Li Sifeng had proven his strength on their recruitment trip. If someone like him was so powerful, the Sect Master had to be even more formidable.
Li Qingqiu said a few formal words before instructing Yang Jueding to arrange accommodations for the newcomers. Then he went inside with Zhang Yuchun and Li Sifeng for a private talk.
"Wait, I'll go get Third Senior Brother first," Li Sifeng said quickly, rushing out with impatience.
Li Qingqiu smiled faintly at his back. "Seems your journey didn't do much to temper his impulsive nature."
Zhang Yuchun sighed helplessly. "That kid's a little tyrant. Add his martial skill to that, and who could possibly tame him?"
Li Sifeng feared Li Qingqiu and Jiang Zhaoxia but never showed the same restraint toward his Second Senior Brother. During their trip, he had angered Zhang Yuchun several times—only to later coax him back into calm, leaving Zhang Yuchun both furious and amused.
Li Qingqiu chuckled, then asked about the background of the new disciples.
He had already glanced over them earlier—none possessed remarkable Cultivation Aptitude or Comprehension, nor did any have a special Fate. But he wasn't disappointed. What Qingxiao Sect needed right now was manpower, not prodigies.
With talents like Jiang Zhaoxia and Wu Man'er already representing the sect's strength, and Xu Ning and Yuan Li carrying its future, Li Qingqiu wasn't desperate for geniuses.
Especially Yuan Li—Li Qingqiu was extremely intrigued by his Indestructible Tyrant Body.
These new disciples weren't orphans. Zhang Yuchun had recruited them from a county town, thanks largely to Li Sifeng's heroic acts—punishing villains and showcasing Qingxiao Sect's martial prowess along the way.
After chatting for a while, Li Sifeng returned, dragging Jiang Zhaoxia along. He shut the door behind them with a bright grin on his face.
"What's the matter that you had to pull in your Third Senior Brother?" Li Qingqiu asked with a smile.
The boy had grown taller—already reaching past Jiang Zhaoxia's shoulder.
Jiang Zhaoxia looked annoyed as he sat beside Li Qingqiu. "You'd better have something important to say, or I'll beat some sense into you."
He'd been training hard recently, determined to reach the fourth layer of the Nurturing Essence Realm before Xu Ning did.
Li Sifeng clasped his fists before the three senior brothers, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "The Martial Gathering of Guzhou is about to begin! The contest to decide the strongest in Guzhou's martial world—it's the perfect chance for Qingxiao Sect to make its name known across the land!"
Li Qingqiu turned to Zhang Yuchun, who gave a small confirming nod.
"Guzhou is vast," Li Sifeng continued passionately, "and full of masters. The Martial Gathering only happens once every ten years! Third Senior Brother, don't you want to know where you stand among the martial artists of the world? You must go! We should all go together—let Guzhou's martial world know that the heavens are changing!"
His words were fiery, and even Jiang Zhaoxia felt his blood stir.
Naturally competitive by nature, Jiang Zhaoxia found the idea irresistible.
He didn't answer right away but looked toward Li Qingqiu.
Li Qingqiu sat in quiet thought.
In truth, he didn't want Qingxiao Sect to become too famous. Yet being too low-profile wasn't good either—his own growth was tied to the sect's progress.
The faster Qingxiao Sect developed, the more Fate Selection Opportunities he would receive.
However, if the sect became entangled in martial rivalries, peace would become a luxury of the past.
"Senior Brother," Zhang Yuchun said softly, "it's an opportunity that only comes once every ten years. If we miss it, who knows if we'll get another chance in this lifetime?"
Ten years—for mortals, that was a long, long time.
Suddenly, Li Qingqiu realized something.
He was cultivating the path of immortality, but his junior brothers were not.
He sought eternal life, backed by his Dao Lineage Inheritance—but his disciples lacked such blessings.
If Qingxiao Sect didn't grow before their mortal lifespans ran out, they'd never be able to reach immortality with him.
The stronger Qingxiao Sect became, the more Dao Inheritance Rewards and Fortune Opportunities he would earn. Those could one day make up for his disciples' limited potential.
After a moment of reflection, Li Qingqiu finally said, "You may participate—but avoid meddling in other sects' grudges. Qingxiao Sect seeks only reputation, not rivalry. And when recruiting disciples there, make sure you know their backgrounds."
The moment Li Qingqiu gave his consent, Li Sifeng cheered, leaping up in excitement. He threw himself at Li Qingqiu, hugging him tightly while bragging that he could crush every martial expert at the gathering even without Jiang Zhaoxia's help.
Jiang Zhaoxia said nothing, but the faint smile tugging at his lips revealed his anticipation for the upcoming event.
Li Qingqiu looked at him quietly, a mix of pride and concern in his eyes.
'Third Junior Brother… cultivation is about one's heart. The one who endures loneliness the longest walks the farthest.'
Xu Ning, though competitive, wasn't impatient to prove herself.
One day, she would surely surpass Jiang Zhaoxia.
That night, while everyone was eating, Zhang Yuchun announced the news.
Now that Qingxiao Sect had many disciples, not everyone could eat together. Only those with some seniority were seated in this courtyard.
When they heard that Jiang Zhaoxia and Li Sifeng would represent Qingxiao Sect at the Martial Gathering, excitement rippled through the group, and chatter filled the air.
Yang Jueding, chewing on a wooden stick between his teeth, sighed emotionally. "The Martial Gathering, huh? It's really something to look forward to. Ten years ago, my martial skill wasn't what it is now. I was just a small fry back then, but that scene—ha! It was magnificent. Just thinking about it gets my blood pumping again."
Li Sijin looked at him curiously. "So your ranking among the Top Ten on the Heaven List came from that Martial Gathering?"
Everyone turned to Yang Jueding, eager for his answer.
He cleared his throat with a modest cough. "Of course not. The Martial Gathering only crowns a single champion. There's no such thing as a 'top ten' there. The Heaven List is set by the provincial authorities. To make it, you need not only strength but also a reputation for chivalry."
The disciples' faces fell with mild disappointment.
From a corner of the room, Qin Ye spoke up. "Senior Yang, did you ever take part in a Martial Gathering yourself?"
Yang Jueding nodded. "I did—but not the one in Guzhou. I once competed in Beiliang Province, where I was ranked as the number one martial artist."
As he spoke, a distant look filled his eyes. "At that time, the Demonic Sect's Four Great Guardians were unstoppable—each one possessed power that shook the world. Even though Guzhou wasn't targeted by the Demonic Sect, every martial artist across the land heard their names. Each Guardian dominated one province, holding the title of martial champion. Together, they made the Demonic Sect world-famous—no sect before or after ever reached such a peak."
He paused, his tone deepening. "A hundred years ago, the Nine Provinces were divided among nine dynasties. But after the previous dynasty unified the fourteen regions of the Nine Provinces, the martial champion of a single province was often regarded as the strongest under heaven."
The disciples listened with rapt attention, many forgetting to eat.
Even Li Qingqiu, who continued eating calmly, found his thoughts drawn to the story.
The martial world was filled with passion—revenge, justice, and endless struggles between heroes and villains. It stirred the blood and tempted the heart.
But Li Qingqiu felt no longing for it.
Whether righteous or wicked, every path in the martial world ended in death.
He didn't seek to be number one under heaven—he sought immortality.
Unless faced with another catastrophe like the Seven Peaks Alliance, he had no intention of leaving the mountain again.
As the Sect Master, he didn't need to handle every matter personally. His duty was to oversee the grand direction of Qingxiao Sect and ensure its growth.
Listening to Yang Jueding's tales, Li Qingqiu's mind drifted toward thoughts of the sect's future.
…
Five days later, Jiang Zhaoxia and Li Sifeng packed their belongings and prepared to descend the mountain. A crowd of disciples gathered to see them off, cheering them on with excitement.
As they passed by the newly built courtyard, they happened to meet Li Yang and Zhao Linglong. The two exchanged surprised glances upon hearing the Qingxiao disciples mention the Martial Gathering.
"Wait—you're all going to the Martial Gathering?" Li Yang couldn't help asking.
Li Sifeng stopped and turned back, raising a brow. "Got a problem with that?"
"Take me with you," Li Yang said with a grin. He rolled his shoulders; though still recovering, he seemed well enough to travel. "I'm interested too."
Li Sifeng hesitated, glancing at Jiang Zhaoxia, who didn't even slow his pace. The third senior brother didn't spare Li Yang a single glance as he continued forward.
Seeing his senior brother walking away, Li Sifeng hurried to catch up.
"Cousin, leave some money behind and get ready to go!" Li Yang called to Zhao Linglong over his shoulder. His eyes gleamed with the same lively arrogance he had when he first arrived at Qingxiao Sect.
Zhao Linglong sighed helplessly and did as he said.
Half an hour later—
Deep within the forest, Li Qingqiu was training his Secret Technique — Rejuvenation Ghost-Immortal Needles.
Holding four silver needles between his fingers, he flicked his wrist, and they shot forward like streaks of light. The needles twisted midair, changing course again and again as they weaved through the trees like flowing silver threads.
Then—thunk!—they struck a tree more than a hundred zhang away.
Looking closer, all four needles had pierced through the wings of a single moth, pinning it perfectly to the bark as it trembled.
Li Qingqiu raised his hand slightly. The silver needles quivered, detached from the tree, and flew backward, landing neatly in his palm.
He smiled in satisfaction. His mastery of the Rejuvenation Ghost-Immortal Needles had reached a new level. He now had a precise understanding of the human body's acupoints. In real combat, this technique could easily kill with a single strike.
At that moment, Li Dongyue entered the forest and walked up beside him. "Senior Brother," she said softly, "Li Yang and Zhao Linglong have left. They left behind three gold bars, saying they lost fair and square and that this is payment for repairing the mountain gate."
Li Qingqiu smiled faintly. "If they're willing to give it, we'll accept it. Junior Sister, how about a sparring match with the Rejuvenation Ghost-Immortal Needles?"
Li Dongyue immediately waved her hands. "No way. How could I possibly beat you, Senior Brother?"
"It's fine," he said lightly. "I won't mind."
"I will," she said flatly. "I'd rather not get humiliated."
"That won't do. This is an order from your Senior Brother—you must spar!"
Li Dongyue turned and started walking away without looking back.
Seeing that she was serious, Li Qingqiu's expression softened instantly. He put away his strict tone and switched to coaxing, half-teasing and half-pleading until she finally, reluctantly, agreed.