by EkkoTheDemon
[Karmic Blessing: Searches within a certain range for an opportunity suitable for the development of your Sacred Heritage.]
Li Qingqiu looked at the prompt and raised an eyebrow. The words 'Karmic Blessing' sounded like a good thing.
Given the current conditions of the Clear Firmament Sect, growing was extremely difficult. To become a true immortal sect, they would inevitably need massive resources.
However, the benefits brought by a Karmic Blessing might lead to conflict. Could the seven of them handle such a burden?
The term suggested a positive outcome, so it likely wouldn't lead to their annihilation, but even a single injury to his siblings would be hard to bear. This was deep in the mountains, where medical help was nearly impossible to find.
Li Qingqiu thought it over and decided to wait until all the disciples had reached the first level of the Essence Nurturing Realm before activating the blessing. After all, there was no timer; different times might yield different blessings suited to their current needs.
He stopped thinking about it and picked up a wooden sword he had carved himself to continue his practice.
This sword technique was the one left by Lin Xunfeng, called the Nine Extremes Divine Sword. It sounded grand, but it didn't belong to the realm of immortal cultivation. However, the technique was intricate, and if mastered, it would be effective in combat.
Of course, that was assuming one’s reactions were fast enough; otherwise, the moves could be easily broken by a direct strike, much like traditional martial arts versus modern combat sports in his past life.
It was worth noting that the Nine Extremes Divine Sword could utilize internal qi. He wondered if he could substitute it with Spirit Essence.
Possessing the Born Sword Fanatic token, Li Qingqiu mastered the Nine Extremes Divine Sword after only one run-through. With each practice, his mastery improved. After just two days, his moves were as sharp as the wind, causing Li Sifeng and Li Sijin to watch with wide eyes and open mouths in worship.
Jiang Zhaoxia, emerging from the forest, saw this, and his expression flickered before he silently turned and walked back into the trees.
Over these two days, Li Qingqiu’s comprehension of swordplay had deeply shaken him.
He had always thought he was the genius, just lacking opportunity. But Li Qingqiu had mastered the sword technique on his first try. He was certain that Li Qingqiu had never practiced the sword in all these years.
Jiang Zhaoxia himself could master it because he had built a solid foundation in his clan as a child. Thus, he felt Li Qingqiu’s innate sword talent was even higher than his own.
Li Qingqiu had no idea what Jiang Zhaoxia was thinking, but since the boy’s loyalty had gone up by two points yesterday, he wasn't worried.
The Sacred Heritage panel was very intuitive and could answer some of his questions, such as regarding loyalty.
The maximum loyalty was 100, and Jiang Zhaoxia’s was already at 98—essentially absolute devotion.
Half a double-hour later, Zhang Yuchun excitedly found Li Qingqiu and reported his success. Li Qingqiu was delighted and decided to have a special dinner tonight to celebrate.
Zhang Yuchun was deeply moved, feeling that his Eldest Brother truly valued him.
However, when he got to the kitchen to start cutting the meat, he felt something was slightly off.
'If it's a celebration for me, why am I still the one cooking?'
...
Summer passed and autumn arrived. A fine, persistent rain began to fall over the Taikun Mountain Range, and the peaks were shrouded in mist.
It had been three months since Lin Xunfeng’s departure. By now, everyone except Wu Man’er had refined Spirit Essence, much to Li Qingqiu’s satisfaction.
Near noon, Li Qingqiu was lying on a long chair in the courtyard, hands behind his head, enjoying the rainy scenery. He had a canopy overhead, and a table beside him held fruit; life was quite pleasant.
Since he had led his siblings into the Essence Nurturing Realm, his prestige had reached new heights. Everyone followed his orders without question; even Jiang Zhaoxia would at most grumble, but his body remained obedient.
Li Sifeng, wearing a grass raincoat, ran into the courtyard. His small frame meant the hem of the raincoat dragged in the mud.
He hurried to Li Qingqiu’s side and said, "Brother, there's a man at the gate. He says he's an old friend of Master’s. You told me that if anyone asks about Master, I should say I don't know, so that's how I answered him. But he wants to come in and stay for a night."
'An old friend of Master’s?'
Li Qingqiu frowned and slowly stood up. "I'll go see. Don't run around in the rain; it would be too stupid if you fell off the mountain."
After saying that, he picked up a nearby oil-paper umbrella and walked toward the courtyard gate.
Li Sifeng made a face at his brother’s back. Once Li Qingqiu disappeared around the corner, the boy immediately reached out with a muddy hand and started eating the fruit on the table.
Coming out of the courtyard, one only had to walk down a winding path of a few dozen meters to reach the sect gate. The gate sat halfway up the mountain, offering a wide view of the surrounding peaks. Li Qingqiu came here every day to stand and watch.
He looked into the distance and saw a man in a grass raincoat standing by the gate, his back turned. From his physique, he looked like he wouldn't be easy to provoke.
Though Li Qingqiu had stepped into the Essence Nurturing Realm, he remained cautious, as he couldn't gauge how a first-level cultivator would fare against a martial arts expert.
He might think Lin Xunfeng’s martial arts were amateurish, but from his master’s stories, the martial artists of this world were quite strong, capable of walking on walls and fighting tigers and bears. With the existence of internal qi, they might be as powerful as the characters in the wuxia novels he had read.
Perhaps Lin Xunfeng was very powerful but had never shown it to his disciples.
Without real skill, how could he have wandered the world and periodically saved orphans?
Though Li Qingqiu hadn't been down the mountain in sixteen years, he still had memories of his infancy. When he was still in swaddling clothes, the world seemed chaotic. He remembered Lin Xunfeng carrying him while fighting; his vision had been covered, but he could hear the sound of hooves and shouting—it must have been a battlefield.
Hearing footsteps behind him, the man turned around. When he saw a handsome youth in plain clothes approaching with an umbrella, he couldn't help but smile.
Before Li Qingqiu could speak, the man asked first, "Are you Li Qingqiu, or Zhang Yuchun?"
Hearing the man say his and his second brother’s names, Li Qingqiu’s wariness dropped significantly. This meant the man was indeed close enough to his master to have discussed them.
"This junior is Li Qingqiu. May I ask for senior’s name and your relationship with my master?" Li Qingqiu stopped and bowed, keeping a distance of seven paces.
The man had an unkempt appearance, dressed like a wandering traveler. Aside from a bundle on his back, he had a long flute hanging at his waist. He laughed heartily, giving off a generous vibe.
"My name is Jiang Kuotian. I've been your master’s brother-in-arms for sixteen years. When you were a baby, I even held you!"
Hearing Li Qingqiu introduce himself, the man named Jiang Kuotian looked at him with even softer eyes.
Li Qingqiu did indeed remember this name. Sixteen years ago, when his master was fleeing with him, they had met Jiang Kuotian, who had escorted them all the way to the foot of the sect’s mountain.
"So it is Uncle Jiang! I often hear Master mention you!" Li Qingqiu said warmly.
"Uncle? Oho, so your master actually recognizes me as his elder brother in private?"
"Of course. He mentions you often, saying there aren't many in this world he admires, but you are one of them. He looks up to you in many ways."
Li Qingqiu lied effortlessly. Of course, he was making it all up; Lin Xunfeng hadn't mentioned Jiang Kuotian once.
Jiang Kuotian laughed uproariously, looking at Li Qingqiu with more and more favor, and his resentment toward Lin Xunfeng vanished.
The two exchanged pleasantries for a while before Li Qingqiu invited him into the courtyard to talk.
Li Sifeng, seeing them coming, quickly grabbed two fruits and ran to his room.
Li Qingqiu was already used to his junior brother’s behavior and pretended not to see it, showing Jiang Kuotian to a seat under the tree and pouring him water.
Jiang Kuotian drank while scanning the sect grounds.
The Clear Firmament Sect was as dilapidated as ever; Lin Xunfeng clearly hadn't bothered to develop the place.
Jiang Kuotian set down his bowl and looked at Li Qingqiu, speaking directly: "I've already learned about your master’s situation. A month ago, we met in the Gu Prefecture capital. He said he was going to find immortals and asked me to look after you all. Come back with me to the White Emperor Manor. It's one of the seven great sects of Gu Prefecture, far better than staying up here on this mountain."
'White Emperor Manor!'
Li Qingqiu had indeed heard his master mention this sect. The White Emperor Manor was one of the few martial arts sects with a background in the imperial court; the manor lord’s brother was a high-ranking official.
Joining the White Emperor Manor would certainly be a good thing for them.
Unfortunately, Li Qingqiu had already activated the Sacred Heritage panel. He had to be a sect leader to continue selecting Fate Tokens and receiving inheritance rewards.
At the White Emperor Manor, he would just be a lackey; his freedom and prospects wouldn't compare to what he had now.
Li Qingqiu feigned hesitation before finally setting his resolve. "Uncle Jiang, I thank you for your kindness. But my siblings and I don't want to be involved in the struggles of the world anymore. Though life on the mountain is hard, it is stable and free. We won't be descending."
Jiang Kuotian looked at Li Qingqiu in surprise.
Lin Xunfeng had specifically mentioned that his eldest disciple had always wanted to wander the world. The master had hoped that once they were at the White Emperor Manor and the boy was grown, Jiang Kuotian would give him his freedom.
He hadn't expected Li Qingqiu to make this choice.
Jiang Kuotian felt a pang of pity for the boy.
'Is this child giving up his own dreams for the sake of his siblings?'
"If you're worried about them, don't be. The White Emperor Manor will take good care of them, and you'll be free to go wherever you want," Jiang Kuotian said earnestly.
Li Qingqiu was about to speak when he heard a noise from the nearby room; those little rascals were pressing their ears against the door to eavesdrop.
He immediately changed his tone, saying seriously, "Uncle, I prefer to hold my fate in my own hands. I feel more at peace looking after my siblings myself."
He didn't speak loudly—in fact, he was very quiet as if afraid of being heard—but he knew his siblings would hear him.
Jiang Kuotian thought about the infighting within the White Emperor Manor and felt that Li Qingqiu’s choice might not be a bad one.
After some thought, Jiang Kuotian took off the bundle from his back and placed it on the table. He opened it to reveal clothes, manuals, hidden weapons, and a few strange gadgets.
Jiang Kuotian picked up a manual and said, "Your master asked me to look after you, so I can't just do nothing. This manual is something I found after much hardship. Practice it quietly, and don't tell anyone."
Li Qingqiu didn't look at the manual. Instead, his gaze was fixed on a small knife in the bundle. The blade was shaped like a willow leaf, rusted and looking as if it had been buried for a thousand years.
He could actually feel Spirit Essence within that small knife.