by EkkoTheDemon
"The Dragon-Subduing Hero?"
Li Qingqiu and Zhang Yuchun exchanged a glance. Truth be told, they really had heard of him; they had heard it from Jiang Kuotian, who had been in a rush to descend the mountain precisely to see the duel between the Dragon-Subduing Hero and the Vast Ocean Sword Sovereign.
That information was shared right before his departure, so he hadn't given a detailed introduction to the Dragon-Subduing Hero.
There were countless famous figures in the martial world, so Li Qingqiu and the others hadn't taken it to heart.
They never expected that the Dragon-Subduing Hero Jiang Kuotian spoke of would end up at the foot of the Clear Firmament Sect's mountain.
"What are you doing here?" Li Qingqiu asked cautiously.
Yang Jueding smiled bitterly, "Obviously, I came here to hide from an enemy. You needn't worry; that enemy has long since left. Relying on my internal arts, I held my breath for seven days and have not seen him since."
'Holding his breath for seven days?'
'He's that powerful?'
Li Qingqiu and Zhang Yuchun were amazed, though they did not blindly believe Yang Jueding's words.
Yang Jueding continued, "Watching you go up and down the mountain, you don't look like villagers. You must be disciples of the Clear Firmament Sect. I've met your master, Lin Xunfeng, a few times; I quite like his temperament. Why don't you take me back? Once my wounds are healed, I will teach you martial arts. I have a palm technique that can move mountains and drain seas; it will allow you to shake the martial world."
Hearing him mention Lin Xunfeng, the two brothers relaxed slightly.
'It seems Master wasn't just bragging; his reputation in the martial world is actually quite resonant,' Li Qingqiu thought to himself.
He did not immediately agree; instead, he began to weigh the pros and cons.
Yang Jueding added, "After this injury, I want to withdraw from the world. The Clear Firmament Sect is nice—far from the mundane world. If you need a handyman, I can do it. Just give me a bit of food and a straw mat to sleep on."
Zhang Yuchun was somewhat tempted and turned his gaze toward Li Qingqiu.
A plan suddenly formed in Li Qingqiu’s mind. He said, "Since you wish to join the Clear Firmament Sect, there must be a necessary procedure. Kneel toward the direction of the sect and swear three oaths."
"First, you shall never harm your fellow disciples."
"Second, you shall never damage the interests of the Clear Firmament Sect."
"Third, for the development of the Clear Firmament Sect, you are willing to sacrifice everything."
Zhang Yuchun was surprised. When had these rules been established?
Though he was confused, he didn't say a word, and his expression remained unreadable.
Yang Jueding found this quite interesting; these three oaths did not violate his principles, so he struggled to stand up and knelt toward the direction Li Qingqiu indicated.
He raised a hand and began to swear, reciting the three points Li Qingqiu had laid out.
Li Qingqiu immediately called up the panel to check; sure enough, the disciple count had increased by one. He clicked in and found Yang Jueding's avatar.
[Name: Yang Jueding]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: 35]
[Loyalty (Leader/Sect): 50 / 50 (Max 100)]
[Cultivation Aptitude: Above Average]
[Comprehension: Above Average]
[Fate Tokens: Chivalrous Heart, Expert in Extremis]
[Chivalrous Heart: Willing to sacrifice oneself for others, treats righteousness as his guiding principle. A drop of kindness shall be repaid with a fountain of gratitude.]
[Expert in Extremis: When in a desperate situation, he can burst forth with even greater strength.]
Upon seeing the words 'Chivalrous Heart,' Li Qingqiu was instantly relieved.
He was also curious about the 'Expert in Extremis' token.
Was it possible that Yang Jueding's escape from death was because he had fought his way out of an inescapable situation?
Li Qingqiu didn't dwell on it. He closed the panel and said, "Yuchun, help him up. Let's go."
Zhang Yuchun hesitated but still followed the command.
As Yang Jueding was helped up, he grinned and asked, "What are your names, young brothers?"
"I am Li Qingqiu, the current Sect Leader of the Clear Firmament Sect. This is Zhang Yuchun, my second junior brother."
Li Qingqiu answered. The words 'Chivalrous Heart' were so virtuous that he felt the man's face looked different now.
It seemed his title as a hero of the martial world was not without merit.
The only pity was that he couldn't determine exactly how strong Yang Jueding was.
"Sect Leader? Then where is Lin Xunfeng?" Yang Jueding asked in surprise.
"Our master went to search for immortals and abandoned us."
When Zhang Yuchun said these words, his tone was filled with resentment.
Ever since he was brought back to the Clear Firmament Sect, Li Qingqiu was the one who looked after him; he rarely spoke with Lin Xunfeng. Now that he had been abandoned by him, how could he not feel bitter?
"Searching for immortals?"
Yang Jueding clicked his tongue in wonder but didn't say anything more.
The three chatted casually as they walked, never stopping their pace.
A full hour passed before they returned to the Clear Firmament Sect.
Li Dongyue, Li Sijin, and Li Sifeng crowded around; seeing an extra person, they were all very curious.
Li Qingqiu told them to clear out their master's room and let Yang Jueding stay there temporarily.
There were no treasures in Lin Xunfeng’s room; Li Qingqiu had checked it long ago. It was even simpler than his own room—to describe it as "destitute" would not be an exaggeration.
Yang Jueding was not polite; before moving in, he asked Zhang Yuchun to prepare two jars of old wine, saying a chicken would be even better.
Zhang Yuchun did not indulge him, giving him only one jar of wine. For the next half-day, Yang Jueding stayed in the room using his internal arts to heal.
Seeing that he could heal himself, Li Qingqiu felt much more at ease; after all, none of them knew how to treat injuries.
If any of his siblings were injured in the future, they could have Yang Jueding step in. Thinking of it that way, Yang Jueding was indeed a valuable talent.
It wasn't until dusk that Jiang Zhaoxia emerged from the forest with Wu Man’er. Wu Man’er’s robes were torn, and there were bruises on his face.
"What happened?" Li Qingqiu asked with a frown.
Jiang Zhaoxia said dismissively, "How can one practice martial arts without getting hurt? These are just superficial wounds; it's nothing."
Wu Man’er scratched his head and chuckled foolishly.
Li Qingqiu looked at him and said, "If it hurts too much, tell me, and I'll make your third brother go easier on you."
Wu Man’er smiled honestly, "It doesn't hurt. I want to protect Eldest Brother and my siblings. I will become strong."
Li Qingqiu was moved but also felt a bit of heartache; after all, Wu Man’er was only thirteen this year, even if he looked burly.
He decided he would give Jiang Zhaoxia’s chicken leg to Wu Man’er later.
Actually...
'Third Brother is doing this out of good intentions too; I'll just give him my own chicken leg instead.'
Li Qingqiu had them sit at the long table to talk about their afternoon practice.
As for what external technique Wu Man’er was practicing, Jiang Zhaoxia had never said explicitly, claiming he wanted to give them a surprise. Based on his trust in Jiang Zhaoxia, Li Qingqiu hadn't gone to peek.
Once Zhang Yuchun had finished cooking, Yang Jueding emerged, following the scent.
"Who are you?"
Jiang Zhaoxia looked at Yang Jueding with a frown and asked coldly.
Zhang Yuchun quickly introduced Yang Jueding, fearing Jiang Zhaoxia might start a fight; after all, the boy had even dared to clash with Jiang Kuotian.
Faced with Jiang Zhaoxia’s gaze, Yang Jueding also narrowed his eyes.
'This kid isn't old, yet he makes me feel a sense of extreme danger.'
Sitting on a stool, Li Qingqiu watched the scene without moving a muscle, feeling very satisfied with Jiang Zhaoxia.
The third brother wasn't just aggressive toward his own; he was also tough toward outsiders. Li Qingqiu liked this temperament more and more.
If a sect wanted to establish itself, it had to have powerful individuals. While Zhang Yuchun was steady, his nature was a bit soft; Jiang Zhaoxia provided the perfect complement.
"I don't care what reputation you have in the martial world. Now that you've come to the Clear Firmament Sect, if you dare cause trouble, I will make sure you regret it."
After hearing Zhang Yuchun's introduction, Jiang Zhaoxia issued a threat and then sat down.
Yang Jueding was not angry; instead, he looked at Jiang Zhaoxia with admiration.
He had originally been very worried about Li Qingqiu being Sect Leader—how could a bunch of kids run a sect? Now it seemed the Clear Firmament Sect actually had some hidden depths!
After sitting down, Yang Jueding unceremoniously picked up his chopsticks and began to eat, while also observing the other disciples.
Wu Man’er caught his attention especially.
'This kid is clearly a martial arts prodigy!'
Noticing Yang Jueding's gaze, Li Qingqiu said, "Yang Jueding, once your wounds are healed, besides helping Yuchun, you must also teach the disciples martial arts. Teach them that palm technique you mentioned."
Yang Jueding raised an eyebrow and asked, "Can Wu Man’er practice with me too?"
"No need. He's training with me," Jiang Zhaoxia interjected before he could finish.
Yang Jueding looked at Jiang Zhaoxia and said with a chuckle, "Kid, this palm technique of mine is a world-renowned ultimate art."
Jiang Zhaoxia did not back down, "Then how about this: once your wounds are healed, have a spar with Man’er. Use that world-renowned art of yours."
Even with Yang Jueding's good temper, he was provoked. He smiled somewhat coldly, "Fine. I'd like to see just how great your skills are—to think a child could best twenty years of my bitter cultivation."
Li Dongyue looked worriedly at Li Qingqiu; seeing him in a mood to watch the show, she could only hold her tongue.
Li Sifeng and Li Sijin were too young to understand social nuances; they began to cheer, making the dinner table very lively.
That night, the other disciples were very nervous in their rooms, keeping a watchful eye on Yang Jueding.
Li Qingqiu was quite at ease. Furthermore, he no longer needed to sleep; he spent every night practicing his cultivation.
Early the next morning, Li Qingqiu took Jiang Zhaoxia down the mountain, leaving Zhang Yuchun very nervous; he felt that keeping an eye on Yang Jueding by himself was too much pressure.
Unfortunately, Li Qingqiu didn't listen to his pleas and told him to relax.
After arriving at the subterranean Spirit Lake, Jiang Zhaoxia was very excited. After the two of them practiced there for half a day, Li Qingqiu gave him a few instructions and forced him back to the sect.
Tomorrow, Jiang Zhaoxia would bring Li Dongyue to practice.
In this way, half a month passed quickly.
All seven of Li Qingqiu’s group had been to the Spirit Lake, and they had to repeatedly warn one another not to speak of it outside.
Yang Jueding noticed nothing unusual, assuming they were out hunting or working.
On this day, something happened that dealt a blow to Li Qingqiu: Jiang Zhaoxia was the first to step into the second level of the Essence Nurturing Realm. Although he had expected it, when the day actually arrived, he still felt a bit bad—bad that his own aptitude was inferior to others.
To vent, he excitedly hugged Jiang Zhaoxia and rubbed the boy's hair into a mess, while Jiang Zhaoxia was only focused on his joy and didn't see through his brother's petty thoughts.
That night, Li Qingqiu returned to his room. Sitting on his bed and thinking about Jiang Zhaoxia's breakthrough at noon, he still felt somewhat emotional.
'I'm truly afraid of a brother suffering, but I'm also afraid of a brother driving a luxury carriage.' (TN: A modern slang term about wanting siblings to do well, but not so well that they eclipse oneself.)
Li Qingqiu only gave a self-deprecating laugh. He had already adjusted his mindset and was happy for Jiang Zhaoxia's achievement.
Suddenly.
A voice came from outside the window, loud and ringing through the night sky.
"Yang Jueding! As the Dragon-Subduing Hero, do you truly intend to hide behind a bunch of children? Come out and face your death, or I shall slaughter everyone in the Clear Firmament Sect!"