Chapter 325 : The Path of the Dao Ancestor
Chapter 325: The Path of the Dao Ancestor
Although Wei Tianxiong had been somewhat persuaded by Li Qingqiu, he still insisted on his own view.
“Perhaps you’re right, but spiritual root aptitude truly has differences in quality. Spiritual root testing cannot be omitted. It’s not just for concentrating the sect’s resources, but also to make cultivation more convenient for disciples. Once they understand their own attributes, they can cultivate in a targeted way—practicing techniques and spells suited to their spiritual root attributes will make things easier.”
Wei Tianxiong spoke earnestly, leaving Li Qingqiu unable to refute him.
Li Qingqiu asked, “What if we wait until the disciples have cultivated primordial qi before conducting spiritual root testing? I’m afraid doing it too early will dampen their enthusiasm. Compared to talent, I care more about character.”
Once they had cultivated primordial qi, even if their spiritual root aptitude was poor, the disciples would not give up pursuing immortality.
Becoming immortal and attaining eternal life was something most mortals longed for.
Wei Tianxiong looked deeply at Li Qingqiu and said, “You really are kind-hearted.”
Li Qingqiu chuckled. “I’ll take that as praise.”
Wei Tianxiong did not refute him. In truth, he meant what he said. In the Heavenly Nether Sea, he had never seen a sect master like this.
Having stayed in Clear Sky Sect for so many years, he believed Li Qingqiu was not hypocritical—he truly practiced what he preached.
“By the way, do you want to switch to cultivating the Primordial Unity Scripture? Perhaps it could help you recover your injuries faster and return to the Heaven-Connecting Radiance Realm sooner,” Li Qingqiu suggested.
Wei Tianxiong instinctively wanted to refuse, but then he recalled the sect’s evaluation of the Primordial Unity Scripture. He had indeed once been curious about it.
Seeing his hesitation, Li Qingqiu said, “Think it over. If you decide to cultivate it, come find me anytime.”
Although the number of Clear Sky Sect disciples was steadily increasing, the transmission of the Primordial Unity Scripture required Li Qingqiu’s approval. Thus, every so often, he personally reviewed the list of inner sect disciples.
The Primordial Unity Scripture was of great importance, and Li Qingqiu would not be careless.
He was even considering how to add measures to prevent its leakage. Relying solely on layered transmission could at most prevent others from surpassing him—it could not completely stop information from spreading.
Wei Tianxiong nodded, then changed the subject. “The plan for the Heaven-Mending Grand Formation has been finalized. Next, we just need to prepare the materials. I’ve noticed that the disciples lack a solid foundation in formations, making it difficult for them to cultivate formation techniques. I plan to establish a Formation Academy. I’ll need you to give the order—preferably build the site larger. I’ll first teach a group of disciples, and then they can continue teaching more, just like the spell academy you established.”
His inspiration came from Li Qingqiu’s actions. Clear Sky Sect had established many academies, freely teaching disciples basic spells, basic alchemy, artifact forging, and more. Although it required significant manpower, the results were remarkable.
In Wei Tianxiong’s view, a newly established sect like Clear Sky Sect needed such investment; otherwise, it would be difficult to build a complete cultivation system.
Li Qingqiu smiled. “Since you’re willing to invest your time, I’ll definitely support it. I’ll arrange it tonight.”
Wei Tianxiong appreciated Li Qingqiu’s decisive working style. In the Divine Origin Sect, such matters would require prolonged discussion before a decision was made—and even afterward, further negotiations would take much time.
Within Clear Sky Sect, although Li Qingqiu appeared to consult with the hall masters, once he made a decision, it required no approval—it had to be executed, and no one dared to be careless.
Everyone knew that although the sect master treated others kindly, once angered, he would show no leniency. Moreover, he had killed too many people—no one dared to take that risk.
Afterward, Li Qingqiu continued asking about the Dharma Manifestation of the Heaven-Connecting Radiance Realm. Wei Tianxiong held nothing back and explained the process of shaping his Dharma Manifestation.
Although a Dharma Manifestation required connection with heaven and earth, what one envisioned was not heaven and earth, but the true self—using the power of heaven and earth to shape one’s true self and manifest it upon the soul. That was the Dharma Manifestation.
Once formed, it would possess a degree of the might of heaven and earth. Centered on the Dharma Manifestation, a domain would form, within which the Dharma Manifestation was the absolute ruler.
This was why he said Yuan Li could not defeat a Heaven-Connecting Radiance Realm cultivator. Once within the domain of the Dharma Manifestation, Yuan Li would be like a lamb awaiting slaughter. A great cultivator of that realm could even strip Yuan Li of his senses, rendering his strength useless—unable to even land a hit. Moreover, the great cultivator could directly suppress him with the divine might of the Dharma Manifestation.
After listening to Wei Tianxiong’s explanation, Li Qingqiu gained a direction.
However, he felt Yang Xuan’s idea was even better.
Yang Xuan placed himself within heaven and earth, then observed a world that contained himself. The true self produced in that way would surely be far more grand than the Dharma Manifestation Wei Tianxiong described.
“Could it be that Yang Xuan created a new path of Dharma Manifestation, which is why he is called the Dao Ancestor of the Mortal World?”
A thought suddenly arose in Li Qingqiu’s mind, and the more he considered it, the more plausible it seemed.
The mortal world was not limited to the Nine Provinces. Previously, he had thought there were no cultivation sects in the world, and that Yang Xuan was merely called the Dao Ancestor because he unearthed the path of cultivation. Now, it seemed his thinking had been too shallow.
If there were many cultivation traditions in the mortal world, yet Yang Xuan could still become the Dao Ancestor, then he must have created a newer and stronger path of cultivation.
If that were the case, Li Qingqiu would have to raise his evaluation of Yang Xuan.
Li Qingqiu and Wei Tianxiong discussed Dharma Manifestation for an entire hour. Even after Wei Tianxiong left, Li Qingqiu remained deep in thought.
By evening, Zhang Yuchun, Li Dongyue, Zhu Yan, and other hall masters arrived together at Lingxiao Courtyard.
Li Qingqiu had summoned them to finalize the matter of the Formation Academy.
When he heard Li Dongyue’s voice, his thoughts returned to reality. Turning his head, he said to her, “Fourth Junior Sister, Yang Xuan shows great potential. Increase his resource allocation by another tier—he will receive the same treatment as Yuan Li, Zhao Zhen, and Yun Cai.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the hall masters—who had not yet taken their seats—were all stunned. Recalling the recent rumors within the sect, they revealed strange expressions.
Although Yang Xuan had been among the top ten in the second Dao Combat Tournament, his performance was far inferior compared to Yuan Li and the other three.
However, none of them dared to object. As sect master, Li Qingqiu naturally had the authority to promote someone. Moreover, his vision and ability to nurture talent were exceptional—if Yang Xuan truly soared, they would only end up embarrassed.
……
The entire month of February was the registration period for the Dao Combat Tournament. As expected by the higher-ups, the third Dao Combat Tournament was even more lively than the previous one.
Even before it began, the disciples’ enthusiasm for combat had surged to an unprecedented level. The martial platforms across all peaks were packed with people.
Many began discussing who would take first place. Besides Hu Yan, who had the highest expectations, Li Shouzheng, Li Shoumin, Bai Yutian, Yan Daozong, True Person Baiyan, Xiao Wuqing, and others were also frequently mentioned.
Although True Person Baiyan was already seventy-seven years old, with excellent cultivation aptitude and comprehension, his cultivation had kept pace with Bai Yutian, both reaching the ninth level of the Nourishing Origin Realm just after the new year.
Yan Daozong also participated in this tournament. Though he practiced martial arts, his strength was formidable—he had already defeated a ninth-level Nourishing Origin Realm disciple.
Xiao Wuqing, being busy with affairs, lagged behind the two brothers and remained at the ninth level of the Nourishing Origin Realm. He registered mainly for the sake of joining the excitement.
After much discussion, the disciples realized that Hu Yan might not necessarily secure first place.
Xie Shu, a genius from the Dark Hall favored by Li Qingqiu, had also registered. His illusion techniques could toy with cultivators of the Spirit Sense Realm, but he lacked fame—only Li Qingqiu had high hopes for him.
Li Qingqiu noticed that the intensity of the third Dao Combat Tournament had risen to competition at the ninth level of the Nourishing Origin Realm. This was stronger than the second tournament—let alone the first, where Xu Ning had claimed first place at just the seventh level.
This time, Hu Yan might truly fail to take first place.
Li Qingqiu began to look forward to the results, wanting to see whether Hu Yan could withstand the pressure and fight for first place, living up to his reputation and the treatment he received.
At the start of March, the preliminary matches began, all held by the Xi River at the foot of the mountain. This time, eighteen combat platforms were set up. Even from Clear Sky Mountain, the noise below could be heard.
While Clear Sky Sect was bustling with excitement, far away in Anxuan City of the Great Xia Dynasty, Shen Yue was in an extremely foul mood.
Wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat, he stood in front of the gates of the Yin Residence amid torrential rain.
The Yin Residence had long been abandoned—even its plaque was covered in spider webs.
Anxuan City had suffered heavy losses after being attacked by mysterious demonic cultivators. More than half its population had fled, merchants no longer dared to come, and the city had grown desolate.
The once-bustling Yin Residence was now completely empty.
Shen Yue had already searched inside and learned of what had happened. Returning to the entrance, he looked at the plaque and organized his thoughts.
“Could the mission have failed?”
He found it hard to accept this outcome.
He carefully recalled everything he had seen and heard since entering the city, trying to calm himself.
The demonic cultivators’ attack on Anxuan City must have had a purpose. Earlier, he had discovered traces of spells left behind in the Yin Residence—meaning the demonic cultivators were likely targeting it.
But the Yin family was not powerful nobility—just a wealthy household. In the eyes of cultivators, they were still mortals.
Was such a large operation necessary just to deal with mortals?
“Could it be they were also after Yin Jingxing?”
The moment this thought appeared, a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
If they were targeting Yin Jingxing, then perhaps that boy was still alive—just abducted by demonic cultivators.
The demonic cultivators of the Great Xia Dynasty…
Could they be related to the Myriad Yin Sect that had been pursuing him recently?
Shen Yue had been hunted by the Myriad Yin Sect for a long time, escaping death multiple times. For the sake of his mission, he had been trying to avoid them—and he was still injured.
At this moment, he changed his mind.
He decided to seek out the Myriad Yin Sect instead.
With that thought, Shen Yue turned and walked into the storm. The rain battered him, yet could not shake his body—each step he took was firm and resolute.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, within a perilous land in the Western Region—
Jiang Zhaoxia moved forward through dense fog. Dressed in black, with the Clear Sky Sword and a storage pouch hanging at his waist, he remained unmoved even as shadows of demons darted on both sides. His gaze was fixed ahead.
“When will this place finally end?”
He thought to himself. He still had not found any trace of Shen Yue and had begun to worry that the old man might have died suddenly.
“I haven’t truly defeated you yet—don’t die on me.” His eyes flickered.
Suddenly—
A cold wind blew from ahead, stirring the mist. A sinister voice rang out:
“Another cultivator has come from the east. Could it be you are related to Shen Yue?”