Chapter 323 : Friend of the Earth Immortal
Chapter 323: Friend of the Earth Immortal
After returning to the Cave Dwelling, Li Qingqiu waited for half an hour before Yan Qing’s profile finally appeared on the Dao Lineage Panel.
【Name: Yan Qing】
【Gender: Male】
【Age: 43】
【Loyalty (to Sect Master / Sect): 0 / 12 (Max: 100)】
【Cultivation Aptitude: Outstanding】
【Comprehension: Excellent】
【Fate Traits: Child of the Ocean, Friend of the Earth Immortal, Unruly and Untamable】
【Child of the Ocean: Naturally possesses extraordinary comprehension toward water-attributed cultivation techniques, spells, and divine arts; excels in combat within the sea】
【Friend of the Earth Immortal: A close friend of an Earth Immortal, blessed by the fortune of an Earth Immortal】
【Unruly and Untamable: Possesses a rebellious temperament and refuses to submit to anyone; however, once subdued, his mindset will change, and he will become extremely loyal】
……
Good heavens!
Quite luxurious indeed!
Just his cultivation aptitude and comprehension alone placed him among the top tier of the Clear Sky Sect, and he even possessed three special Fate Traits.
Li Qingqiu was particularly interested in 【Friend of the Earth Immortal】.
To become friends with an Earth Immortal, their levels should be relatively close—at the very least, their ages would not differ much. In other words, one of Yan Qing’s close friends would eventually become an Earth Immortal.
The existence of 【Unruly and Untamable】 gave Li Qingqiu a new idea.
Originally, he had planned to eliminate Yan Qing after making use of him, but now it seemed there was still room for maneuver.
With the Life-Control Talisman in place, Li Qingqiu was not in a hurry to win Yan Qing over. He had already arranged for Chu Jing to keep a close watch on him.
Chu Jing was now at the Third Layer of the Spirit Perception Realm. Coupled with his 【Human Ghost-God】 Fate Trait, his combat strength far surpassed his martial arts days.
During his time practicing martial arts, Chu Jing had been unable to fully display the power of his Fate Trait. Only after stepping into immortal cultivation was it truly unleashed. Moreover, Chu Jing was a peerless genius with dual Outstanding-level talents—on paper, his aptitude even surpassed Yan Qing’s.
“First an Immortal Emperor, and now an Earth Immortal… life truly gives one something to look forward to.”
Li Qingqiu’s lips curled upward as he thought to himself.
Afterward, he closed his eyes and continued cultivating.
……
A month after Zhao Zhen and the others headed north, reports gradually returned. Outside the Demon-Repelling Immortal City, there were indeed many demonic creatures roaming about. They had captured quite a number of them, but all of their souls had restrictions placed upon them, making soul-searching impossible.
After capturing over a hundred demonic creatures, they finally managed to extract some information through interrogation.
These creatures did not originate from the Land of Demons and Devils, but rather from the surrounding regions. Having received assistance from mysterious demonic power, they gradually gained intelligence. Guided by some unseen force, they each began moving southward.
They had not been assigned any specific mission—on their way south, they were simply drawn to the Demon-Repelling Immortal City and came closer to take a look.
These pieces of information made Li Qingqiu suspect that this was the work of that Demon Teacher.
Perhaps the Land of Demons and Devils had not yet opened, or perhaps the Demon Teacher was occupied with other matters. Sending these creatures southward might have been a way to gather intelligence.
It was even possible that these demonic creatures had already become the Demon Teacher’s eyes.
Such a situation made Li Qingqiu even more eager to break through to a higher realm.
Zhao Zhen, Ji Ya, and fifteen other Spirit Perception Realm disciples were ordered to remain stationed at the Demon-Repelling Immortal City. The sect would arrange for disciples from the Heavenly Works Hall to head north and construct Cave Dwellings for them within the city.
Autumn passed, and winter arrived.
Falling snow blanketed the Clear Sky Sect.
After accepting the Life-Control Talisman, Yan Qing saw the light of day again and officially became a disciple of the Clear Sky Sect.
Life turned out to be far better than he had expected. He had thought the Clear Sky Sect would exploit and abuse him, yet they merely had him stay within the sect and did not even restrict his freedom.
Although he could sense that someone was secretly watching him, it was still far better than being confined in the Suppressing Evil Tower.
The vitality of the Clear Sky Sect also surprised him. Though there were many Immortal Cultivators in the Spiritual Sea, most of them were indifferent. Unless they were acquainted, they would not greet one another. Unlike the disciples of the Clear Sky Sect, who were so warm and lively.
He even saw lower-cultivation disciples arguing with higher-cultivation ones. Even when the argument turned heated, the stronger disciple did not resort to violence.
Most importantly, the Clear Sky Sect had no kneeling etiquette. When disciples encountered Hall Masters or Elders, they only needed to raise their hands in salute. Even without bowing, those in power would not be angered.
Gradually, he began to grow curious about the Clear Sky Sect.
What kind of sect was this?
At the same time, he was very eager to know who it was that had knocked him unconscious with a single punch that day.
Hearing that the Grand Dao Tournament was about to begin, his interest was piqued. He decided to take a look and see what level the geniuses of the Clear Sky Sect had reached.
Yan Qing only occasionally wandered around the sect. Most of his time was spent cultivating. He needed to restore himself to peak condition so that he could deal with any trouble.
He lived alone in a courtyard, with several others nearby. He could sense that the disciples around him were all at the Spirit Perception Realm.
On this day, Yan Qing walked out of his house and into the courtyard.
Looking at the thick layer of snow, he felt a bit dissatisfied. The Clear Sky Sect was not exactly small, and it had so many disciples—why not capture some servants from the mortal world?
He decided to head down the mountain today to take a stroll, clear his mind, and see what excitement the sect currently had.
After leaving the courtyard, he walked down the mountain path. Along the way, many disciples were cultivating in the forest. This did not make him feel that the sect had a good cultivation atmosphere; instead, he felt that the Clear Sky Sect lacked sufficient foundation—it could not even provide every disciple with a Cave Dwelling.
Before he knew it, he arrived at the Martial Arena at the mountainside midway. He saw that the area around it was packed with people.
From a distance, his gaze landed on the Martial Arena. Two disciples were engaged in a Dao duel on the stage. He had not paid much attention at first—just a casual glance—but that single glance caused his brows to furrow.
The two fighting were Hu Yan and Bai Yutian from Fengxia Mountain.
Bai Yutian possessed Excellent-level cultivation aptitude and Outstanding-level comprehension. At twenty-one years old, his cultivation had already reached the Eighth Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm. His cultivation speed was actually not slower than Hu Yan’s—he was simply not well-known.
He also possessed two major special Fate Traits: 【A Once-in-a-Millennium Genius】 and 【Innate Spiritual Root】.
Hu Yan had never interacted with Bai Yutian before and had not expected him to be so formidable.
Although Bai Yutian was only at the Eighth Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm, he forced Hu Yan to use his Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity.
Once the Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity was unleashed, Bai Yutian was completely suppressed and could only defend passively.
Hu Yan’s Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity was too scorching, causing exclamations of shock from the spectators below—and also stirring a storm within Yan Qing’s heart.
“What is that…”
It was Yan Qing’s first time witnessing the Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity. He could tell that this energy was extraordinary and immensely powerful. Even cultivators who had just entered the Spirit Perception Realm might not be able to break through its defense.
Was this a spell, or a divine art?
Could someone in the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm cultivate divine arts?
Yan Qing stared fixedly at Hu Yan. Before long, his attention was drawn again to Bai Yutian.
Bai Yutian’s strength clearly exceeded his realm, and Yan Qing could tell that his Spiritual Root was far from ordinary. When he cast metal-attributed spells, their power already surpassed that of the Ninth Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm.
Both of them were one-in-ten-thousand geniuses. Even in the Spiritual Sea, they would be able to make a name for themselves. If they had the same resources and treatment, and were of the same age as him, Yan Qing was not confident he could definitely surpass them.
In the end, Bai Yutian was defeated, but it was not disgraceful—he received cheers from many disciples below.
“Impressive. I am indeed not your opponent,” Bai Yutian said sincerely as he looked at Hu Yan.
Hu Yan stared at him, equally filled with emotion. This young man was four years younger than him, yet had forced him to such a degree. He truly could not underestimate the geniuses within the sect.
“You are also very strong. If I were your age, I might not be your opponent,” Hu Yan said seriously.
Bai Yutian smiled freely. “Strength is strength—it has nothing to do with age.”
After speaking, he cupped his hands in salute, then leaped off the stage. As soon as he descended, many disciples gathered around him.
Hu Yan turned and walked off the stage in the opposite direction.
He came before Yuan Li. Yuan Li looked at him and said, “Your use of the Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity is still not sufficient. You should think more about it.”
Hu Yan nodded. “I’ve realized that as well. My Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity lacks variation in offense.”
“Come. I’ll guide your cultivation.”
“Thank you, Third Senior Brother!”
Hu Yan was instantly overjoyed. He deeply admired Yuan Li. He had even heard his Master say that Yuan Li was the strongest among all their fellow disciples. Looking across the entire sect, aside from their Master, no one was his match.
Hu Yan had long heard of Yuan Li’s growth journey. In his eyes, Yuan Li was incredibly inspiring. Both of them were born into hardship, yet Yuan Li’s cultivation path had been even more arduous. In the end, he persevered, achieved sudden enlightenment, and surpassed everyone in the sect.
The two of them walked away, and no disciple dared to block their path.
Hu Yan was the sect’s number one genius, while Yuan Li was a True Lord—one of the top three strongest in the sect. Who would dare obstruct them?
As they walked out of the crowd, Yan Qing caught sight of Yuan Li at a glance.
“It’s him…”
Yan Qing’s pupils dilated. He could not forget that punch from Yuan Li. Even recalling it now made him shudder, his body trembling instinctively.
Yuan Li sensed his gaze and glanced over directly.
Their eyes met, and Yan Qing’s entire body stiffened.
After regaining his freedom, he had once thought of finding Yuan Li to wash away the humiliation of defeat. But upon truly seeing him, his courage completely dissipated.
Fortunately, Yuan Li merely glanced at him before continuing on his way with Hu Yan, showing no intention of approaching him.
Hu Yan noticed Yuan Li’s gaze and followed beside him, asking curiously, “Third Senior Brother, who was that person? Do you know him?”
“A cultivator from overseas. I captured him and locked him in the Suppressing Evil Tower for several years. I didn’t expect him to become a disciple of the sect now,” Yuan Li replied without hiding anything.
“An overseas cultivator? What is his cultivation?”
“Probably in the Spirit Perception Realm. I’m not sure which layer, but in any case, it’s higher than my current cultivation.”
Hearing this, Hu Yan was stunned.
Several years ago?
Did that mean that Third Senior Brother had defeated a high-level Spirit Perception Realm cultivator while still in the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm?
This made Hu Yan admire Yuan Li even more.
After Yuan Li and Hu Yan left, Yan Qing finally let out a breath of relief.
From the surrounding disciples, Yan Qing also heard Yuan Li’s name. He secretly memorized it, planning to investigate further later.
Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly saw someone leap onto the Martial Arena.
“Come, come! Who dares to fight me!”
The man’s tone was extremely arrogant, immediately drawing Yan Qing’s attention.
The one shouting was sixteen-year-old Li Shoumin. After ten years of cultivation, he had already reached the Ninth Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm—this was the terrifying aspect of Outstanding-level cultivation aptitude.
With a single glance, Yan Qing saw through Li Shoumin’s cultivation, which shocked him. Li Shoumin still had traces of childishness—clearly just a boy.
Could it be that the Clear Sky Sect had even more monstrous geniuses?