The early morning sun had just risen when Li Qingqiu left his room and roused his junior brothers and sisters for their daily morning practice.
Overnight, a thick layer of snow had piled up in the courtyard. Zhang Yuchun and Li Dongyue, having risen early, were already sweeping it away.
Li Qingqiu told them to put down their shovels and focus on training first.
The seven of them climbed onto the eaves and sat side by side in meditation, absorbing the purple mist of dawn together. Gradually, wisps of steam began to rise from the tops of their heads.
Li Qingqiu cracked open one eye to peek at his junior siblings. He was quietly satisfied.
Though they were still young, their obedience made teaching them easy. It filled him with hope for the Azure Firmament Sect's future.
This was his founding team!
An hour later, the disciples jumped down from the eaves and prepared to go about their various tasks. Li Qingqiu called Zhang Yuchun over and told him to come along for a trip.
Zhang Yuchun had no objection, though he raised an eyebrow slightly when he saw Li Qingqiu bring the Skyrainbow Sword.
The two senior brothers walked through the mountain forest, chatting casually about sect affairs.
The terrain of the Taikun Mountain Range was steep and treacherous. Even for Li Qingqiu and Zhang Yuchun, careful footing was necessary, especially now with snow covering everything, making it easy to slip.
After traveling about three miles, Zhang Yuchun couldn't help but ask, "Senior Brother, where exactly are we going?"
Li Qingqiu, walking ahead, didn't turn around. "Last night, I dreamed of guidance from an immortal. It said there was treasure hidden somewhere in these mountains. The dream was so vivid, I wanted to come and have a look."
The Fortune Inheritance had imprinted the route in his mind. It had come as an illusion, but he had walked it vividly and truly. He remembered it perfectly now. It was quite miraculous.
"Guidance from an immortal?"
Zhang Yuchun nearly broke down upon hearing this. He wanted to ask, "Senior Brother, do you take me for a fool?"
But he never dared to defy Li Qingqiu, so he swallowed his disbelief and continued accompanying his senior brother on this wild goose chase.
Heavy snow blanketed the Taikun Mountain Range. No matter how far they walked, it felt like they were going in circles. Fortunately, both Li Qingqiu and Zhang Yuchun had entered the Nourishing Origin stage; their stamina had increased considerably, so they didn't tire easily.
After advancing another dozen or so miles, Li Qingqiu finally stopped. Ahead, there was no path—only a rock face, flanked by snow on both sides, creating a narrow passage.
Zhang Yuchun breathed into his hands to warm them while looking around, puzzled. "Senior Brother, this place doesn't look like it has any treasure. Maybe the immortal wasn't reliable. Should we just give up?"
Li Qingqiu didn't answer. He walked up to the rock face and began feeling along it.
Soon, he seemed to find something. He started pounding a specific spot on the rock. After only three strikes, the rock face actually broke apart. Zhang Yuchun stared blankly for a moment, then hurried over.
After about fifteen breaths, confident he couldn't break through any further, Li Qingqiu stopped and looked at the opening before him. It was about the size of a dog hole. He fell silent.
The dream had guided him only this far. In the dream, the entrance had been much larger.
Zhang Yuchun bent down and peered inside. It was pitch black, but he could feel warm air rushing out.
"Let's go."
Li Qingqiu crawled into the hole first. Zhang Yuchun wanted to object, but his senior brother moved too fast. Gritting his teeth, he quickly followed.
The tunnel was dark and sloped downward. Warm air flowed through it, which was quite comfortable. The deeper they went, the larger the tunnel became, easing the claustrophobic tension.
After crawling about fifty feet, they finally reached the end.
Zhang Yuchun followed Li Qingqiu out of the opening. The drop wasn't far; he touched ground easily. Then he looked up, his eyes widening, his mouth falling open unconsciously.
Before them was a vast underground space. Countless blue-silver ores were embedded in the rock walls, varying in size, their edges sharp and clear. Below lay a lake nearly a hundred feet across. Its surface was blue, shimmering with silver light—fantastical and beautiful.
For some reason, upon arriving here, Zhang Yuchun felt refreshed and invigorated, his entire spirit lifted.
"Senior Brother, this place seems full of the same heaven-and-earth spiritual energy we absorb during training. If we practice here, will our internal energy grow faster?" Zhang Yuchun gazed around, his voice tinged with barely contained excitement.
"That's right. This truly is an excellent place for cultivation. It seems heaven favors our Azure Firmament Sect."
Li Qingqiu smiled, forcing himself to remain calm.
In truth, he'd been fantasizing about this ever since activating the Fortune Opportunity. He'd already had time to adjust his expectations.
They began exploring, observing and discussing as they went.
"Senior Brother, be careful. What if poisonous insects or wild beasts are hiding here?"
"Senior Brother, did an immortal really appear in your dream? Could Master have told you about this place before?"
"Too bad it's so far from the Azure Firmament Sect. A round trip takes half a day on foot."
"Senior Brother, if we train here for ten years, do you think we could become experts renowned throughout the martial world?"
Faced with Zhang Yuchun's endless questions, Li Qingqiu answered casually, rather dismissively, but Zhang Yuchun didn't mind.
Though usually steady and composed, Zhang Yuchun was still just a fifteen-year-old boy. With Li Qingqiu, he could let down his guard.
They circled the area several times, confirming there was only one entrance and no immediate dangers before finally relaxing.
"What do you think? How should we arrange for our junior siblings to train here?" Li Qingqiu asked, his gaze fixed on the spirit lake.
Zhang Yuchun pondered for a moment. "We can't all come at once. Someone needs to guard the Azure Firmament Sect. Plus, I'll be recruiting new disciples soon. Senior Brother, I think this place should remain a secret known only to the seven of us. I suggest we send people in pairs to train here for one day at a time, rotating through everyone. What do you think?"
Li Qingqiu glanced at Zhang Yuchun and nodded approvingly. "Not bad. That's an excellent suggestion. You've considered the potential risks. This senior brother is quite pleased."
Zhang Yuchun scratched his head, smiling shyly. "In the martial world stories Master told, many people and sects who weren't strong enough came to ruin because they possessed divine techniques or treasures. It invited disaster."
"Exactly. The Azure Firmament Sect is just us. We're still too young. We have to be extremely careful. Losing any one of us would be unbearable." Li Qingqiu spoke with feeling.
Losing one?
Zhang Yuchun's expression shifted. The thought of Li Qingqiu or his junior siblings dying before his eyes filled him with dread.
No way!
He absolutely could not allow that to happen!
Zhang Yuchun was also an orphan, abandoned at age six. He'd grown up lonely and insecure. He already regarded Li Qingqiu and the others as family. He cherished these bonds dearly—that was why he worked so tirelessly without complaint.
Li Qingqiu picked up a crystalline stone by the lake. He could sense it was filled with dense spiritual energy. His first impulse was to take one back with him, but then he reconsidered. If even that small dagger's spiritual energy could be detected by cultivation newcomers, taking a spirit stone like this out might very well invite disaster.
So he put the stone back down and warned Zhang Yuchun that no one else should ever take any of these spirit stones out of this place.
They didn't linger long. Having confirmed the location, they prepared to return and arrange for rotations.
After crawling out of the tunnel, Li Qingqiu covered the opening with nearby weeds, then layered snow over it before finally feeling at ease.
"Don't mention this outside, either. What if some expert passes by and overhears from a distance? That would be trouble."
Li Qingqiu spoke seriously to Zhang Yuchun, who nodded. He understood the importance of that underground spirit lake.
They headed back toward the Azure Firmament Sect, discussing other matters. Zhang Yuchun planned to wait until the snow melted before going down the mountain to recruit disciples. The snow was getting heavier, and he feared accidents might happen if he tried to bring village children up the mountain now.
Li Qingqiu naturally had no objection. He wasn't in a hurry to expand the Azure Firmament Sect. First, he needed to strengthen his core team, ensuring they could handle any trouble that might arise when dealing with outsiders.
The return journey was equally treacherous. Their footprints had already been covered by fresh snow.
Halfway back, Li Qingqiu suddenly stopped.
Zhang Yuchun, following behind, asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"
"Listen carefully," Li Qingqiu said softly.
Zhang Yuchun immediately held his breath and concentrated. Soon, he heard a faint sound coming from deeper within the nearby forest.
"He... help... me..."
With his first-layer Nourishing Origin cultivation, Zhang Yuchun could see clearly through the tangled trees. He spotted half a human face lying behind a large tree, back against a rock, gazing weakly in their direction from a distance.
Startled, Zhang Yuchun pointed. "Senior Brother, someone's calling for help. Should we do something?"
Li Qingqiu had already spotted the man as well.
After a moment's hesitation, Li Qingqiu said quietly, "Let's go take a look. Be careful. Don't let him ambush us."
Zhang Yuchun nodded. They parted the underbrush and made their way toward the man.
Yang Jueding, his consciousness already fading, saw the two youths approaching and felt a surge of immense relief.
He had spotted them from afar when they first descended the mountain earlier, but he'd been too weak to call out. He'd been waiting ever since for their return.
Just as he was about to lose consciousness, he finally saw their figures again.
He used every ounce of remaining strength to cry out, but his voice was still faint.
Li Qingqiu and Zhang Yuchun approached Yang Jueding cautiously, maintaining a safe distance as they studied him.
Snow covered his body. His robes were filthy, his stubble matted with dried blood. The headband tying his long hair was about to fall off. Judging by his features, he appeared to be in his mid-thirties. He had a severe wound on his abdomen, the blood frozen stiff.
Zhang Yuchun called out, "Who are you? Why are you here?"
"Water... give me... water..."
Yang Jueding gazed at them weakly, his voice fading. He tried to raise his right hand but couldn't manage it.
Zhang Yuchun looked to Li Qingqiu. At his nod, he pulled a waterskin from his robe and tossed it to Yang Jueding.
The seemingly feeble man suddenly sat up straight, snatched the waterskin from the air, tore it open roughly, and began guzzling.
Zhang Yuchun jumped back, startled.
Li Qingqiu could sense a certain energy flowing within the man, maintaining some warmth on his skin's surface. That was how he'd lasted so long.
A martial arts expert who had cultivated internal energy?
After draining the waterskin in one long pull, Yang Jueding lay back down, visibly more relaxed. He looked at the two youths and grinned. "Thank you, young brothers, for saving me... My name is Yang Jueding."
Li Qingqiu and Zhang Yuchun watched him warily.
Yang Jueding blinked, surprised. "You haven't heard of me? I'm the Dragon Subduing Hero, top ten on the Gu Prefecture martial world's Heavenly List!"