Chapter 6: The Top Ten of the Empyrean Ranking

As the morning sun began to rise, Li Qingqiu stepped out of his room early and woke his junior brothers and sisters for their morning practice.

A night had passed, and thick snow had accumulated in the courtyard; Zhang Yuchun and Li Dongyue were already up and clearing it away.

Li Qingqiu told them to set down their shovels and focus on their cultivation first.

The seven siblings climbed onto the eaves of the roof and sat cross-legged in a row, absorbing the purple qi together until wisps of heat began to rise from the tops of their heads.

Li Qingqiu opened one eye and glanced at his siblings, feeling a secret sense of satisfaction.

Though they were still young, they were obedient, which made teaching them effortless; this filled him with great anticipation for the future of the Clear Firmament Sect.

This was the core team for his entrepreneurial venture!

An hour later, the disciples jumped down from the roof to go about their respective tasks, but Li Qingqiu called for Zhang Yuchun to come along with him.

Zhang Yuchun had no objections, though he raised an eyebrow slightly upon seeing Li Qingqiu bring the Empyrean Rainbow Sword along.

The two brothers walked through the mountain forest, chatting casually about the trivial affairs of the sect.

The terrain of the Taikun Mountain Range was steep, so even the two of them had to be careful, especially with the current snow cover making it easy for the ground to collapse underfoot.

After traveling ten li, Zhang Yuchun finally couldn't help but ask, "Eldest Brother, where exactly are we going?"

Walking in front, Li Qingqiu spoke without turning back, "Last night, I dreamed of a sign from an immortal, saying there is a treasure hidden in this part of the mountains. The dream was too vivid, so I wanted to come and check it out."

The Karmic Blessing inheritance had allowed him to memorize the route; it was an illusionary experience so tactile that he had walked the path himself in his mind, and even now, the memory remained crystal clear and wondrous.

"An immortal's sign?"

Hearing this, Zhang Yuchun nearly collapsed, wanting to ask his brother if he took him for a fool.

However, he never dared to disobey Li Qingqiu, so he could only endure it and continue accompanying his brother on this "fool's errand."

Heavy snow covered the Taikun Mountain Range; no matter how far they walked, it felt as if they were treading on the same spot, but luckily Li Qingqiu and Zhang Yuchun had already entered the Essence Nurturing Realm. Their strength had increased significantly, so they did not feel tired.

After traveling another dozen li, Li Qingqiu finally stopped; there was no road ahead, only a mountain wall with thick snow on both sides, making the area feel narrow.

Zhang Yuchun breathed into his palms while looking around, asking in surprise, "Brother, this place doesn't look like it has any treasure at all. It seems the immortal isn't very reliable; should we just call it a day and head back?"

Li Qingqiu did not answer him; instead, he walked to the mountain wall and began to feel around.

Soon, he seemed to find something and began to strike a certain part of the wall forcefully; after only three hits, the wall actually cracked open, leaving Zhang Yuchun stunned as he hurried closer.

After a few dozen breaths, Li Qingqiu stopped once he was certain the wall couldn't be broken further; looking at the hole, which was only about the size of a dog's tunnel, he fell into silence.

The dream had only guided him here; the opening in the dream had been much larger than this.

Zhang Yuchun bent over and peered into the cave; it was pitch black inside, but he could feel a rush of warm air billowing out.

"Let's go."

Li Qingqiu was the first to crawl inside. Zhang Yuchun wanted to persuade him otherwise, but his movements were too fast; Zhang Yuchun gritted his teeth and quickly followed.

The tunnel was dark and sloped downward, but the flowing warm air made them quite comfortable. As they went deeper, the tunnel widened, easing the tension of being in a confined space.

After traveling about five zhang, they finally reached the end.

Zhang Yuchun followed Li Qingqiu as they climbed out of the tunnel. The drop to the ground wasn't high, so he landed easily; he looked up, his eyes widening and his mouth hanging open unconsciously.

Ahead was a vast subterranean space; the mountain walls were embedded with countless blue-silver ores of various sizes and sharp angles. Below them was a lake nearly ten zhang wide; the surface of the water was blue and shimmering with silver light, looking fantastically beautiful.

For some reason, after arriving here, Zhang Yuchun felt refreshed and his spirit became revitalized.

"Brother, it seems this place is filled with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth that we usually absorb. If we practice here, won't our internal energy grow much faster?" Zhang Yuchun asked while gazing around, his tone unable to hide his excitement.

"Indeed, this is truly an excellent place for cultivation. It seems heaven is blessing our Clear Firmament Sect."

Li Qingqiu smiled, speaking with feigned composure.

In reality, ever since he activated the Karmic Blessing, he had been fantasizing about this; his mood had long since been adjusted.

The two began to wander around, observing and discussing.

"Brother, be careful; it would be bad if any poisonous insects or fierce beasts are hidden here."

"Brother, did an immortal really visit you in a dream? It couldn't be that Master told you about this before, right?"

"What a pity; this place is too far from the Clear Firmament Sect. A round trip takes half a day's journey."

"Brother, tell me, if we practice here for ten years, can we become experts who shake the martial world?"

Faced with Zhang Yuchun's non-stop questions, Li Qingqiu answered casually and perfunctorily, but Zhang Yuchun didn't mind.

Though Zhang Yuchun was usually steady, he was still a fifteen-year-old boy after all; in front of Li Qingqiu, he was able to cast aside his mask.

After circling the area a few times and confirming there was only one entrance and no danger, they finally felt at ease.

"What do you think? How should we arrange for our siblings to come here and practice?" Li Qingqiu asked, his gaze fixed on the Spirit Lake.

Zhang Yuchun pondered, "Coming all together definitely won't work; someone has to guard the sect. Furthermore, I still need to recruit more disciples soon. Brother, this place must not be known to anyone besides the seven of us. I suggest we come in pairs to cultivate for a day at a time, rotating in sequence. What do you think?"

Li Qingqiu glanced at Zhang Yuchun and nodded in satisfaction, "Not bad. That's a great suggestion. I am very pleased that you can consider the potential risks."

Zhang Yuchun scratched his head and smiled somewhat bashfully, "In the stories Master told about the martial world, many people and sects without sufficient strength brought disaster upon themselves by possessing divine techniques or treasures."

"Indeed. There is only us in the Clear Firmament Sect, and we are still too young. We must act with caution; we cannot afford to lose even one person." Li Qingqiu remarked with emotion.

Lose one person?

Zhang Yuchun’s expression changed slightly; the thought of Li Qingqiu or his siblings dying before his eyes filled him with terror.

No!

He would never allow such a thing to happen!

Zhang Yuchun was also an orphan; he had been abandoned at the age of six and had been lonely and insecure since childhood. He had long ago treated Li Qingqiu and the others as his family; he cherished these familial ties, which was the reason he was willing to work so tirelessly.

Li Qingqiu picked up a crystal from the lakeside; he could feel that it was filled with dense spiritual energy. He initially wanted to take one out, but on second thought, even a novice cultivator could sense the spiritual energy of that small knife; taking a Spirit Stone like this out might very well invite disaster.

Therefore, he set the stone back down and instructed Zhang Yuchun that no one else was allowed to take the Spirit Stones from this place either.

They did not stay long; after confirming the location, they prepared to return and make arrangements.

After crawling out of the hole, Li Qingqiu spread the surrounding weeds over it to hide the entrance and then covered it with snow; only then did he depart with peace of mind.

"Don't mention this outside either. If an expert happens to pass by and hears us from a distance, it would be troublesome."

Li Qingqiu spoke seriously to Zhang Yuchun, who nodded; he understood the importance of that subterranean Spirit Lake.

The two walked toward the Clear Firmament Sect and began to chat about other matters; Zhang Yuchun planned to wait until the winter snow melted before descending the mountain to recruit disciples, as the snow had been getting heavier recently and he feared accidents while bringing village children up the mountain.

Li Qingqiu naturally had no objections; he was in no hurry to expand the sect, as he first had to raise the strength of his core team to avoid trouble when dealing with outsiders.

The path back was still treacherous, and their footprints had already been covered by the winter snow.

When they were halfway back, Li Qingqiu suddenly stopped.

Zhang Yuchun, following behind, asked in surprise, "What is it?"

"Listen carefully," Li Qingqiu said softly.

Zhang Yuchun immediately held his breath and listened intently; soon, he heard a faint voice coming from deep within the nearby forest.

"Save... save me..."

Having reached the first level of the Essence Nurturing Realm, Zhang Yuchun immediately focused his gaze; peering through the tangled trees, he saw half a human face lying behind a large tree, leaning against a rock and looking at them from afar.

Zhang Yuchun was startled and pointed at the person, saying, "Brother, that person is calling for help. Should we intervene?"

Li Qingqiu didn't need him to point; he had also already discovered the man.

After a moment of hesitation, Li Qingqiu whispered, "Let's go take a look. Be careful; don't let him catch us off guard."

Zhang Yuchun nodded, and the two immediately pushed through the thickets toward the man.

Yang Jueding, whose consciousness was already blurred, felt a surge of immense joy upon seeing the two youths approach.

He had seen Li Qingqiu and his brother descending earlier from a distance, but he hadn't been able to call for help in time, so he had been waiting for them to return.

Just as he was about to lose his grip on life, he finally saw their figures again.

He used all his strength to call out, yet his voice remained faint.

Li Qingqiu and his brother cautiously approached Yang Jueding, maintaining a safe distance while observing him closely.

The man was covered in snow, his robes were filthy and disordered, and his stubble was matted with dried blood. The headscarf tying his long hair was about to fall off; judging from his appearance, the man was likely in his thirties. He had a severe wound on his abdomen, and the blood had already frozen solid.

Zhang Yuchun asked, "Who are you, and why are you here?"

"Give me... water..."

Yang Jueding looked at them weakly and spoke with failing strength, his right hand trying to lift up but finding it difficult.

Zhang Yuchun looked at Li Qingqiu; seeing him nod, he immediately pulled a water skin from his robes and tossed it to Yang Jueding.

The originally weak Yang Jueding suddenly sat up, caught the water skin, tore it open, and began pouring water into his mouth.

Zhang Yuchun was startled and instinctively stepped back.

Li Qingqiu could feel a certain type of energy surging within this man's body, keeping his body temperature at a certain level, which was how he had survived for so long.

'A martial arts expert with refined internal energy?'

After finishing the hot water in the skin in one go, Yang Jueding finally lay back down, his whole body visibly relaxing. He looked at Li Qingqiu and his brother, grinning as he said, "Thank you, young brothers, for saving me... My name is Yang Jueding."

Li Qingqiu and Zhang Yuchun stared at him fixedly.

Yang Jueding was stunned for a moment before asking in surprise, "You haven't heard of my name? I am the Dragon-Subduing Hero, one of the top ten on the Gu Prefecture Empyrean Ranking!"