Li Qingqiu was taken aback by Mo Jiujiao's declaration. This was unexpected.
The Azure Firmament Sect had only three small courtyards and a handful of disciples. Who would possibly covet it?
"Who sent you?" Li Qingqiu asked cautiously. If this man was sent by Lin Xunfeng, he'd have to handle things diplomatically. If he had nothing to do with Lin Xunfeng and was just here to seize the sect by force—well, that would be unfortunate for him.
As he spoke, Li Qingqiu's right hand swept lightly over the nine swords laid out before him, his gaze fixed intently on Mo Jiujiao.
Mo Jiujiao walked toward Li Qingqiu as he replied with a smile, "Your master, Lin Xunfeng, announced his retirement from the martial world at the Carefree Tournament in Carefree Prefecture—washing his hands of it all. Since he's stepped down, it'll be difficult for the Azure Firmament Sect to hold onto this fine territory. Might as well let me take over."
Li Qingqiu understood now.
That made sense. The Taikun Mountain Range was vast and rich in resources, yet it had only one sect. Lin Xunfeng must have earned that exclusivity through force. Now that he was gone, naturally other sects would eye the region.
He felt a flicker of resentment toward his master. Master, if you wanted to seek immortality, fine—but why make such a public spectacle?
Then again, Lin Xunfeng might have been trying to ward off old enemies.
If an enemy of Lin Xunfeng came calling, they wouldn't waste time talking. They'd just start killing.
As things stood, Mo Jiujiao only wanted to occupy the Azure Firmament Sect.
Li Qingqiu asked, "If you become Sect Master, what benefits do we disciples get?"
Mo Jiujiao's smile broadened. "Naturally, you become my disciples. To be frank, I'm from the Seven Peaks Alliance. Once I'm Sect Master, the Azure Firmament Sect will join the Alliance. You'll receive our protection—a stroke of luck you couldn't have prayed for. You should understand, in the martial world, contesting territory means bloodshed."
Li Qingqiu nodded slightly. The man had a point.
"True, contesting territory means bloodshed. So... can I refuse?" Li Qingqiu asked calmly. He hadn't even risen from his cross-legged position on the grass.
Mo Jiujiao's expression turned wry. "Aren't you going to ask your Sect Master?"
"I am the Sect Master."
This answer made Mo Jiujiao stop in his tracks. He looked Li Qingqiu up and down, his expression shifting to one of amusement.
"The rumors were true, then. After the bloodbath twenty years ago, the Azure Firmament Sect really was left with only Lin Xunfeng. And now they've made a child Sect Master."
Mo Jiujiao muttered, shaking his head with a chuckle.
If he'd known, he wouldn't have bothered with all this talk.
"In that case, you have no room to refuse. Either submit to me, or I'll cut out your tongue, gouge out your eyes, and make you a slave for life."
Mo Jiujiao's face twisted into a vicious sneer. He stepped forward, closing in on Li Qingqiu.
Li Qingqiu's eyes narrowed. He was about to make his move when his ear twitched. He relaxed again.
"How dare you!"
A thunderous shout rang out. Yang Jueding, using the cliff face for leverage, vaulted over the mountain gate and landed like a swan on the stone steps, placing himself between Li Qingqiu and Mo Jiujiao.
Mo Jiujiao stared at Yang Jueding, frowning. "And who are you?"
He cursed Li Qingqiu inwardly. This brat had deceived him!
No matter how eccentric Lin Xunfeng was, he wouldn't make a child Sect Master!
"Yang Jueding. Heard of me?" Yang Jueding's voice boomed, echoing across the ridge, radiating authority.
Mo Jiujiao's face darkened. He ground his teeth. "Dragon Subduing Hero. I've never heard of you having any connection to the Azure Firmament Sect."
"You see one now. Get lost!"
Yang Jueding's voice deepened as his internal energy surged, causing his robes to billow. He stood over Mo Jiujiao like a crouching tiger.
Mo Jiujiao's expression flickered through shades of uncertainty. His own reputation couldn't compare to Yang Jueding's. Facing a master of such legendary status, he instinctively felt fear.
But to retreat empty-handed after traveling all this way?
After a moment of silence, Mo Jiujiao took a deep breath, raised his hands in salute to Yang Jueding, and said, "I'll take my leave!"
He turned and began walking away.
"Yang Jueding, kill him."
Li Qingqiu's voice came from behind, cold and flat. Mo Jiujiao's expression changed drastically, and he quickened his pace.
Yang Jueding was equally stunned. He turned to look at Li Qingqiu and saw his icy expression. His heart trembled.
This was the first time he'd seen such a look in Li Qingqiu's eyes.
"That's an order. Execute it. Now."
Li Qingqiu spoke again. Yang Jueding clenched his jaw and charged down the mountain. Mo Jiujiao had already vanished into the forest.
Li Qingqiu shook his head at Yang Jueding's hesitation.
If this man weren't so martially skilled, wandering the martial world would have left him chewed up and spat out long ago.
Having lived two lives, plus his childhood experiences in this one, Li Qingqiu understood the way of this world all too well. He was ready to face the challenges of the martial world.
Killing was unavoidable.
He wouldn't kill the innocent. But if someone provoked him, he wouldn't show mercy. That was why he hadn't blamed Jiang Zhaoxia for killing Luo Lie—in fact, he admired his third junior brother's ruthlessness.
He waited patiently, not worried that Yang Jueding might let Mo Jiujiao escape. This was a test.
If Yang Jueding failed it, he could spend the rest of his life practicing martial arts. The Azure Firmament Sect would keep him as a gatekeeper.
As for this Seven Peaks Alliance—if conflict was unavoidable, they'd face it head-on.
Why would an immortal cultivation sect flee from a martial arts faction?
Given the Supreme Sword Control Art Yang Jueding had obtained, there were clearly other immortality cultivators in this world. And where there were cultivators, there were cultivation sects—just hidden from the mortal world, or perhaps outside the Great Li Dynasty.
Li Qingqiu had already begun imagining potential enemies in the cultivation world.
An incense stick's time later.
Yang Jueding emerged from the forest below, Mo Jiujiao's body draped over his shoulder.
Mo Jiujiao's limbs hung limply, his body like a sack of mud. Blood stained his back in a horrific sight.
Yang Jueding's hair was slightly disheveled. He walked up to Li Qingqiu and dropped Mo Jiujiao on the ground.
Li Qingqiu glanced at the body. Mo Jiujiao wasn't dead yet—just unconscious.
"If you let him go, what would happen?" Li Qingqiu asked.
Yang Jueding's expression was grim. He gritted his teeth. "He'd come back with more people."
"He said he's from the Seven Peaks Alliance. He came to seize the Azure Firmament Sect."
Li Qingqiu's tone carried dissatisfaction. The dissatisfaction was aimed at Yang Jueding.
His orders as Sect Master meant nothing!
He'd said kill!
At the mention of the Seven Peaks Alliance, Yang Jueding's eyes shifted.
With twenty years of martial training, his hearing was exceptional. But earlier, he'd only caught Mo Jiujiao's threats to Li Qingqiu, not his origins.
Yang Jueding took a deep breath, raised his right foot, and stamped down hard on Mo Jiujiao's back. Mo Jiujiao's eyes flew open, and he spat out a massive mouthful of blood before expiring.
Li Qingqiu glanced at the body, confirming Mo Jiujiao was truly dead. He gathered his nine swords, stood, and left with a single remark:
"Bury the body. And clean up the blood."
Yang Jueding watched him go, his emotions in turmoil.
He, a renowned master, had been cowed by a teenager.
This kid was something else!
No wonder he could keep Jiang Zhaoxia in line.
Yang Jueding sighed inwardly. Then another thought struck him, and he frowned.
He'd come out to help, so why did he feel like he'd done something wrong? And now he had to bury a body and clean up blood?
Despite his indignation, he dutifully picked up Mo Jiujiao's corpse.
Then he spotted Jiang Zhaoxia and Wu Man'er emerging from the forest below. He froze, and a chilling realization crept over him.
If he hadn't caught Mo Jiujiao earlier, and Mo Jiujiao had run into Jiang Zhaoxia instead, he'd still be dead. In that case, Yang Jueding truly would have failed to follow the Sect Master's orders.
Yang Jueding's mood grew complicated. He realized Li Qingqiu's depth was far greater than he'd imagined.
Most terrifying of all: with Jiang Zhaoxia here, if Li Qingqiu decided to punish him, he had no way to resist.
...
Li Qingqiu made no effort to conceal Mo Jiujiao's death. First, Yang Jueding's shout had already alerted the disciples. Second, he wanted to impress upon them that the Azure Firmament Sect was capable of killing—not some righteous little sect quietly cultivating in the mountains.
As for whether this would be reported to the authorities, he wasn't worried. They'd need a body to prove anything, and this world had no surveillance.
Besides, what martial sect in the world hadn't built its reputation on mountains of bones?
Seven days later, the disciples had already put the matter from their minds.
A gentle breeze blew. The weather was pleasant.
In the forest, Li Qingqiu and Jiang Zhaoxia sat facing each other. Li Qingqiu's arms were crossed over his chest, a smug expression on his face.
Jiang Zhaoxia held the thin membrane recording the Supreme Sword Control Art, his eyes gleaming. After reading it through, he looked at Li Qingqiu. "A supreme art like this, and you're willing to share it with me? As Sect Master, shouldn't you keep something for yourself?"
He was deeply moved. Li Qingqiu clearly didn't harbor any wariness toward him despite their change in status.
Li Qingqiu rolled his eyes. "Do you really think I'm that kind of person? I hope you'll always be the strongest in the Azure Firmament Sect. You promised to support me for life—don't run off halfway."
Jiang Zhaoxia grinned. "I did think about running before. Not anymore. Don't worry, I've got your back forever."
Li Qingqiu had already accepted reality. At this stage, catching up to Jiang Zhaoxia was practically impossible.
Rather than dwell on that, it was better to let Jiang Zhaoxia grow as fast as possible.
Once the Azure Firmament Sect reached the next level, he could copy another Destiny. That would be his chance to overtake Jiang Zhaoxia on the curve.
Having Jiang Zhaoxia as the sect's publicly acknowledged strongest was also a good thing. Li Qingqiu himself would strive to become the sect's greatest hidden trump card.
Li Qingqiu had his own competitive drive; it just hadn't crystallized into a Destiny tag.
"By the way, Senior Brother, have you already mastered it?" Jiang Zhaoxia asked curiously.
Li Qingqiu's smile turned arrogant. "Of course. I understood it after one read."
Jiang Zhaoxia felt the pressure. He didn't doubt his senior brother's claim. Li Qingqiu's comprehension of the sword was the most terrifying he'd ever witnessed.
His gaze dropped back to the thin membrane. He sighed, "Senior Brother, when we practice martial arts and cultivate, we draw on the energy of heaven and earth. But I always feel the spiritual energy we absorb is different from ordinary internal energy. Those training in internal arts can't even perceive spiritual energy. Yang Jueding doesn't even know what spiritual energy is. Why is that?"
Li Qingqiu's eyes widened. Things were getting dangerous. A junior brother this sharp wasn't necessarily a good thing.
He raised an eyebrow. "You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? Fine, I'll come clean. We're not practicing martial arts. We're cultivating immortality."
Jiang Zhaoxia's eyes bulged. "Senior Brother, can you be serious for once?"
Just then, Li Sifeng came running into the forest. Jiang Zhaoxia's hand moved like lightning, stuffing the thin membrane into his pocket.
"Senior Brother! Third Senior Brother! Come quick! Second Senior Brother and the others brought back a whole nest of eagle chicks!" Li Sifeng shouted excitedly, stopping at a distance and waving frantically at them.