Chapter 141 : The Number One Sect Under Heaven
Chapter 141: The Number One Sect Under Heaven
After reaching the Ninth Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm, Li Qingqiu’s Spiritual Sense had completely formed.
Even with his eyes closed, he could clearly perceive everything around him—his vision was all-encompassing, without any blind spots.
This perception was extraordinary, even clearer and sharper than what his physical eyes could see.
His Spiritual Sense could penetrate through stone and cave walls, distinguishing between different existences—far surpassing what was known as “clairvoyance.”
Possessing such a sense, Li Qingqiu felt even more like a true cultivator.
No matter how strong a martial artist was, their strength merely lay in physical power; their mortal bodies could never transcend the limits of the flesh.
Yet even with his Spiritual Sense, Li Qingqiu was still some distance away from the Spirit Perception Realm.
According to the Supreme Purity Primordial Unity Scripture, that realm was when one could truly develop the Spiritual Sense, granting it combat capability—allowing cultivators to wield not only Vital Energy but also Spiritual Sense in unison during spellcasting, greatly amplifying their power.
As Li Qingqiu began to consolidate his cultivation, the knowledge of techniques related to the Spirit Perception Realm in his mind became increasingly detailed and vivid.
The Supreme Purity Primordial Unity Scripture was vast beyond compare—it wasn’t passed to him all at once, but rather unveiled itself progressively as his realm improved, releasing more intricate memories.
This made the disciples of the Clear Sky Sect feel that each layer of the Primordial Unity Scripture could stand alone as a complete cultivation art.
In this respect, it was far beyond any mundane martial internal art.
For Li Qingqiu, whose body possessed the Hundred Refinements Demonic Body, attaining a state of abundant Vital Energy required longer accumulation—a troublesome yet blessed inconvenience compared to ordinary cultivators of the same realm.
In the days that followed, Chu Jing, Nangong E, and Lin Chuan found it difficult to calm their hearts to cultivate, as the Spiritual Energy of the Subterranean Spiritual Lake beneath them remained violently unstable.
Lin Chuan and Nangong E often sneaked away to play, while Chu Jing stayed behind to observe Li Qingqiu’s condition.
His intuition told him—Li Qingqiu’s current state was far from a simple breakthrough.
The phenomenon was terrifying.
In the blink of an eye, five days passed.
Li Qingqiu opened his eyes—Spiritual Energy seemed to surge from them, giving him an awe-inspiring and oppressive presence.
The Hundred Refinements Demonic Body allowed him to hold a hundred times the Vital Energy of those at the same level.
At this moment, he was akin to a walking Spiritual Lake.
He could distinctly sense that the Subterranean Spiritual Lake’s Spiritual Energy had grown thin, as though half of it had been drained away.
A sudden realization came to him—with disciples’ cultivation continuously advancing, a shortage of Spiritual Energy was inevitable.
If more Blessed Lands could not be discovered, relying solely on the Ancient Great Mountain Range would be insufficient to sustain the sect’s reckless expansion.
It seemed blindly recruiting disciples was not a wise path.
Martial sects needed to consider finances—they couldn’t support too many disciples and were far from the scale of an army.
Immortal cultivation sects, however, had to consider Spiritual Energy.
Vital Energy did not arise from nothing—it came from the transformation of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy.
Thus, Spiritual Energy would become an essential strategic resource.
The Grand Formation to Mend the Heavens had become a plan he must carry out, as it could draw Spiritual Energy from deep underground, greatly enhancing the abundance of energy within the Clear Sky Sect.
Li Qingqiu stood up and stretched his limbs.
Chu Jing floated over curiously and asked, “Master, which layer of the Primordial Unity Scripture have you reached now?”
“The Ninth Layer,” Li Qingqiu answered without concealment.
Chu Jing drew in a sharp breath.
After reaching the Third Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm, Chu Jing had begun to truly feel the immense difficulty of the Primordial Unity Scripture.
His cultivation speed had slowed, and it was clear that the further he went, the harder progress would become.
He could hardly imagine what it felt like to stand on the Ninth Layer.
After some light movement, Li Qingqiu left the Subterranean Spiritual Lake.
Night had fallen.
Chu Jing controlled the Tianhong Sword and followed behind.
Nangong E and Lin Chuan soon returned, wandering close behind.
Stone pillars lined the mountain path, each topped with an oil lamp, giving the Clear Sky Mountain a bright and tranquil atmosphere unlike the eerie shadows of years past.
As Li Qingqiu walked along the path, he noticed many disciples practicing in the forest, and some secretly meeting in pairs.
Whether disciple relationships were beneficial or detrimental was something Li Qingqiu often discussed with the various Hall Masters.
Their conclusion was that there were both pros and cons.
Because of this, the sect had enacted several related regulations.
So far, no trouble had arisen.
Using his Spiritual Sense, Li Qingqiu observed everything along the way.
It was as if he were walking under daylight—his vision stretched far and wide, able to clearly see figures a hundred paces away.
Reaching the upper half of the mountain path, Li Qingqiu suddenly stopped.
Fifty paces away, he saw Zhang Ping practicing a set of sword techniques.
That sword art had been created by Jiang Zhaoxia and was not particularly advanced.
It seemed Zhang Ping was also preparing for the upcoming Grand Dao Tournament.
Chu Jing floated out and asked, “Master, do you know that boy?”
He had once served in the Free Spirit Hall and was on decent terms with Zhang Ping, so the name was familiar to him.
In his impression, Zhang Ping had been ordinary yet sincere.
Chu Jing had only befriended him out of habit, but Zhang Ping’s enthusiasm had left a mark—even now, Chu Jing occasionally thought of him.
He didn’t know that Zhang Ping now regarded him as an evil spirit, dreading ever seeing him again.
“Yes, I have a good impression of him. He seems to be a talent worth nurturing,” Li Qingqiu said softly.
“A talent? Him?”
Chu Jing was stunned.
His tone carried disbelief, though he dared not question Li Qingqiu’s judgment—he was merely curious what potential lay hidden in Zhang Ping.
“His future achievements may surpass that descendant of the Nangong Family.”
Li Qingqiu withdrew his gaze and continued walking casually.
Chu Jing quickly followed, asking, “Master, when will you begin to guide Nangong Yu?”
Nangong E looked at Li Qingqiu too, her eyes full of hope.
“When he can stand before me on his own,” Li Qingqiu replied offhandedly.
Chu Jing sighed helplessly.
Ultimately, it was still because Nangong Yu’s talent was insufficient.
If his aptitude had matched that of the Xiao brothers, Li Qingqiu would have summoned him long ago.
Thinking of the Xiao brothers brought mixed feelings to Chu Jing.
After losing to Xiao Xuanzun, he had always dreamed of defeating him.
Yet he never dared seek him out.
Only after Xiao Xuanzun’s death did Chu Jing dare to dominate the martial world—unexpectedly, three exceptional geniuses had now emerged among Xiao Xuanzun’s descendants.
He even suspected that all three brothers might grow into terrifying powers like Xiao Xuanzun himself, for their talent had already proven extraordinary.
…
Li Qingqiu did not announce his breakthrough to anyone—not even his own junior disciples.
By the third month, the Hall of Vast Fate had opened registration for the Grand Dao Tournament, drawing crowds of eager disciples.
To sign up, one needed to deduct a month’s worth of contribution points.
These were separate from monthly stipends, and every disciple knew that sect contribution points were far more valuable—they could be exchanged for cultivation arts, martial techniques, weapons, or even traded privately for money.
This cost naturally filtered out the idle spectators, yet the Hall of Vast Fate still bustled daily as disciples came to register.
News of the Grand Dao Tournament soon spread throughout the Guzhou martial world and among the noble families.
With Li Qingqiu’s reputation shaking the world, the nobles had come to recognize the Clear Sky Sect’s martial prowess.
When hiring guards or martial instructors, they now prioritized disciples of the Clear Sky Sect—and many even sought to build close relationships with the sect’s geniuses.
Already, a number of disciples were stationed in the lower mountain towns, teaching the scions of noble families—tasks commissioned through the Tempering Hall.
By mid-March, a group of richly dressed figures ascended the mountain.
Leading them was none other than the King of Weizhou, Zhao Qi.
Last year, he had led the Coalition Army of the Seven Provinces in rebellion against the court.
Though ultimately defeated, his fame had soared, earning him the admiration of people across the land.
Following beside him was Pei Clan Patriarch, Pei Zhangzhi.
Behind them trailed younger members and attendants of the Zhao and Pei families.
As they walked, they admired the scenery—seeing laboring Servant Disciples and Registered Disciples, as well as Outer and Inner Disciples diligently cultivating, some even sparring within the forest.
Along the way, Zhao Qi could feel the boundless vitality of the Clear Sky Sect—something no other martial sect possessed.
Anyone could sense the profound heritage and power radiating from every scene upon this mountain.
“No wonder they are called the Number One Sect Under Heaven.”
Zhao Qi sighed sincerely, and the crowd behind him echoed his admiration.
Even the elite martial attendants were awed—for the disciples’ techniques left them shocked.
Such abilities would have made any of these disciples famous in the martial world, yet here in the Clear Sky Sect, they were merely average.
Most striking of all, these disciples were so young—proof they were trained by the sect itself, not famed experts who joined later.
Pei Zhangzhi smiled.
“The Clear Sky Sect refrains from meddling in martial rivalries and focuses solely on its own cultivation. That composure alone surpasses all other sects.”
Zhao Qi nodded.
“Will we be meeting Sect Master Li today?” he asked.
Although a royal with high authority, Zhao Qi dared not show arrogance before Li Qingqiu.
His attitude was humble.
After all, a man capable of killing Emperor Zhao Zhi could just as easily kill him.
None of the nobles under heaven wished to provoke such a being.
“That is uncertain. However, Hall Master Zhang Yuchun of the Free Spirit Hall will receive us. Though only a Hall Master, he is the Sect Master’s second junior brother—his authority is vast, second only to Li Qingqiu himself,” Pei Zhangzhi explained.
A hint of regret flickered across Zhao Qi’s eyes, though he voiced none of it.
The descendants of the Zhao family behind him dared not show any dissatisfaction either.
Even if they felt it, they could only suppress it—for this was the Clear Sky Sect.
Unknowingly, they arrived near the Martial Discussion Platform, where two disciples were currently sparring.
One of them was none other than Xiao Wudi.
After several months of cultivation, Xiao Wudi had already reached the Third Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm.
His opponent, a True Transmission Disciple, was also at the same level.
Neither used weapons—they exchanged fierce blows with fists and feet, each strike resounding with raw force, earning cheers from the watching disciples and patrons below.
Zhao Qi halted, his attention caught by the match.
Pei Zhangzhi likewise stopped to observe.
The combat between Xiao Wudi and the True Transmission Disciple left even Zhao Qi’s elite attendants wide-eyed.
What speed!
What power!
The more Zhao Qi watched, the more he admired.
Pointing at Xiao Wudi, he asked, “Who is that young man? What is his background?”
Pei Zhangzhi shook his head, about to reply, when a passing disciple grinned and said, “He’s called Xiao Wudi—a genius personally nurtured by the Sect Master himself. He only joined the sect earlier this year, and yet already possesses such strength. His talent is truly frightening. Oh, and he has two younger brothers, both no weaker than him. They joined the sect around the same time.”