Chapter 266
The Cruelty of the Path to Immortality
Chapter 266 The Cruelty of the Path to Immortality
"A person with ability who lacks ambition is not only letting down his ability, but also letting down the world."
Bai Yutian looked at the black hand on the bed and said seriously.
The sudden emergence of Li Qingqiu and the Qingxiao Sect has indeed made the world a better place.
Although Bai Yutian did not experience the world under the rule of the Great Li Dynasty, one of his uncles died because of his resistance against Zhao Zhi.
The elders of Fengxia Mountain deeply resented Zhao Zhi and had no kind words for him.
He murdered his brother and son, and in his quest for the elixir of immortality, he abducted countless young boys and girls, draining the inner energy of countless martial arts masters.
The wickedness of Zhao Zhi is unparalleled in history.
The period under Zhao Zhi's rule was extremely dark, which is precisely why the Qingxiao Sect is so great.
If it were merely for profit, the Qingxiao Sect, which focused on cultivating immortality, would have been perfectly suited to Zhao Zhi's tastes. However, Li Qingqiu did not do so. He traveled alone to the Zhenyang Imperial City and killed Zhao Zhi amidst a vast army. This event is still talked about today.
Hearing Bai Yutian's words, Black Hand was stunned, clearly not expecting him to have such insight.
The Black Hand continued, "After you return to Fengxia Mountain and become the abbot, your fellow disciples will force you to oppose the Qingxiao Sect. What will you do then?"
These words left Bai Yutian speechless, unsure how to respond.
Ultimately, he was still an eleven-year-old boy with limited experience.
The black hand leaped off the bed and landed on the table. It turned to face Bai Yutian and said, "Within the Qingxiao Sect, geniuses abound. Your talent is definitely not top-notch, and your connections are not worth mentioning. Do you want me to help you?"
Bai Yutian looked at it and asked, "How will you help me?"
From the moment he encountered this mastermind, the mastermind haunted him. He had been wary of it, but the mastermind did not harm him and even helped him on several occasions.
He had developed a certain level of trust in the mastermind, but he would still remain wary until he fully understood the mastermind's origins and purpose.
"The Ten True Lords of Qingxiao sound very impressive. I will help you become a True Lord. To be honest, I have a supernatural power that I can teach you, but whether you can learn it depends on your destiny."
Black Hand spoke in a lighthearted tone, which made Bai Yutian's eyes widen.
The Ten True Lords?
How dare you even think of that?
Although he was the number one genius in Fengxia Mountain, he really didn't have confidence in the Qingxiao Sect. Moreover, others had been cultivating immortality for more than ten years longer than him.
He couldn't even imagine what Zhao Zhen had achieved.
Give him eight years, and he can become a disciple of the Spiritual Consciousness Realm?
If it could really be done...
Bai Yutian's heart began to beat faster than usual.
He felt regretful that Li Qingqiu had not directly accepted him as a disciple or made a promise to cultivate him, since the reputation of Li Qingqiu's ability to judge people had been widely known for a long time, and he had heard about it before he even entered the sect.
……
When July arrived, Liu Jing personally visited Li Qingqiu at Qingxiao Gate, where he first reported on the progress of the great undertaking.
After recounting this matter, he finally revealed the purpose of his visit.
"The title of the dynasty?"
Li Qingqiu was surprised, not expecting Liu Jing to have such intentions.
Liu Jing said earnestly, "This world was given to me by you, and it should be decided by you. Moreover, if it is decided by you, I will always remember this and never forget my original intention."
After pondering for a moment, Li Qingqiu said, "Let's call it Xuan. Immortals are Xuan, and the Dao is Xuan. The people of Xuan Dynasty will pursue the Dao as their life's goal from now on."
"Xuan Dynasty?"
Liu Jing's eyes lit up, and he read it over and over again, becoming increasingly satisfied.
Li Qingqiu couldn't tell whether he was sincere or not, but his attitude made Li Qingqiu feel comfortable.
Following the name of the Xuan Dynasty, Liu Jing continued, saying that he wanted to hold a sacrificial ceremony to Heaven at the end of the year to establish the dynasty, which would coincide with the beginning of the new year next year.
Li Qingqiu naturally had no objection to this, but Liu Jing's wish to hold the sacrificial ceremony at Qingxiao Mountain made Li Qingqiu hesitate.
Ultimately, Li Qingqiu decided to bring the matter to the Lingxiao Academy council meeting to discuss it with the sect's higher-ups.
After Liu Jing left, Li Qingqiu suddenly came to her senses.
This fellow's meddling actually made Li Qingqiu take the matter to heart.
Before this, Li Qingqiu didn't have many opinions about the dynasty, as long as it was unified and obedient.
It has to be said, Liu Jing is quite shrewd.
Li Qingqiu did not reject this point; on the contrary, he was somewhat pleased.
This kind of Liu Jing is more worthy of his expectations.
That evening, a meeting was held at Lingxiao Academy, and it was finally decided that Liu Jing would be allowed to come to Qingxiao Mountain to offer sacrifices to Heaven. From then on, everything in the Nine Provinces belonged to Qingxiao Sect, rightfully and legitimately.
The news spread in the days that followed, which made the disciples of Qingxiao Sect feel proud.
Once the Xuan Dynasty is established, the Qingxiao Sect will become the orthodox immortal path that surpasses the secular dynasties, and their status and position will rise accordingly.
……
The sun was shining brightly, and the sky was cloudless.
The land is covered with rolling hills, and the green mountains are full of life, like a fairyland on earth.
Halfway up a mountain, there was a courtyard. Suddenly, the door of one of the houses was pushed open, and Lin Xunfeng, dressed in a white robe, walked out of the house.
He stretched under the blazing sun, a contented smile spreading across his face.
He is now an outer disciple of the Tianqing Immortal Sect. Although his status is extremely low, he has finally embarked on the path of cultivation and received his own cultivation techniques.
He spent most of his time practicing martial arts, as if trying to make up for the regrets of the past.
Today, he rarely leaves the house, intending to rest and bask in the sun.
As he looked at the flowers and plants in the yard, his smile gradually faded.
Although he became an outer disciple, his apprentice Lin Lingzhou did not get his wish. If they were not master and disciple, Lin Lingzhou would have been expelled from the Tianqing Immortal Sect.
The Tianqing Immortal Sect forbids its disciples from privately passing on cultivation techniques. Lin Lingzhou can only help him with miscellaneous tasks, hoping that as he achieves success in his cultivation, he can secure a chance for Lin Lingzhou to cultivate as well.
This incident made Lin Xunfeng realize the cruelty of the path of cultivation.
The spiritual root test is the first hurdle on the path of cultivation, and it will stop 90% of people.
However, he did not become discouraged because of this; instead, he decided to carry on with Lin Lingzhou's expectations. Just as Lin Xunfeng was lost in thought, Lin Lingzhou entered the hospital carrying a load on his shoulders.
"Master, you've finally come out. How was the experience of cultivating immortality?" Lin Lingzhou asked with a smile.
At twelve years old, he seemed unaffected by the spiritual root test, smiling brightly and cheerfully.
He wasn't too upset. Even though he couldn't cultivate immortality, his life was much better than before, and he had no worries about food or clothing.
Before meeting Lin Xunfeng, he was an orphan who lived a life of hardship and deprivation. He was not jealous of his master's spiritual roots, but was genuinely happy for his master.
"It's good. It's indeed different from martial arts. However, I can't judge whether my cultivation speed is fast enough. I can't see the threshold of the second level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm for the time being."
Lin Xunfeng replied, his face lighting up with renewed enthusiasm when the topic of cultivating immortality came up.
Lin Lingzhou was very interested in cultivating immortality. He put down his burden, came to Lin Xunfeng's side, and began to ask him all sorts of questions about cultivating immortality.
Lin Xunfeng was very open with his knowledge. Although he couldn't pass on his skills to Lin Lingzhou, letting him understand cultivation in advance would be beneficial for his future practice.
The master and apprentice chatted for a long time, and they still felt they hadn't had enough.
The master and disciple only ended their conversation when a woman in green arrived on a sword.
"Miss Xun'er!"
Lin Lingzhou greeted the woman in green with delight.
After landing, the woman in green, known as Miss Xun'er, nodded to him, then looked at Lin Xunfeng, took a blue cloth bag from her waist, and said, "These are cultivation resources prepared for you by the fairy. In addition to pills, there is also a magic manual. Remember to cultivate."
After saying that, she tossed the storage bag to Lin Xunfeng.
Lin Xunfeng accepted it and quickly thanked him.
Miss Xun'er didn't say much to him. She asked Lin Lingzhou a couple of questions, then left on her sword.
Coming and going like the wind, such a demeanor seemed to Lin Lingzhou like that of an immortal in the mortal world, filling him with longing.
His gaze caused Lin Xunfeng a pang of pain in his heart.
For some reason, Lin Xunfeng suddenly thought of the seven disciples he had left behind at Qingxiao Sect.
I wonder if Qingqiu and the others have spiritual roots.
I think so.
When he took in his seven disciples, he examined them and found that each of them had good physique and was good material for martial arts.
In order to focus on his pursuit of immortality, he carefully selected every disciple he took in after Li Qingqiu, and he even chose a wife for Li Qingqiu.
"I really miss them. I hope they are all doing well, and that none of them have died young."
Lin Xunfeng pondered silently, his thoughts drifting to the far, far east.
……
As summer turned to autumn, Li Qingqiu's days became more leisurely, and he spent most of his time cultivating, getting closer and closer to the fifth level of the Spiritual Consciousness Realm.
It was noon that day.
He was still practicing his skills inside the cave when Xiao Wuqing's voice came from outside the stone door:
"Sect Master, Elder Shen Yue has already stepped onto the Tribulation Platform."
Upon hearing this, Li Qingqiu opened his eyes, greatly surprised.
Shen Yue's cultivation speed is too fast; it feels even faster than those with exceptional cultivation aptitude.
Could it be that his sword spirit cultivation method has been improved again?
Why don't you come and talk to me?
Li Qingqiu felt that Shen Yue had changed his mind and was not as generous as before.
"I see."
Li Qingqiu responded, and Xiao Wuqing bowed to the stone gate before turning and leaving.
Li Qingqiu did not intend to watch Shen Yue's tribulation.
He insisted on waiting for Shen Yue to come to him on his own initiative!
Several days later.
Shen Yue did indeed arrive.
"Sect Master, I have successfully transcended the tribulation."
Shen Yue's voice came from outside the stone gate, his tone indifferent, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.
The stone gate opened with a roar, and Shen Yue walked into the cave with his head held high.
Li Qingqiu got up and brewed tea for him.
Shen Yue walked to the table and sat down, perfectly embodying the demeanor of a sword god.
"What supernatural power are you planning to cultivate next?" Li Qingqiu asked with a smile.
Shen Yue calmly said, "Jiang Zhaoxia's Immortal Three Swords are not to my liking, so I will create my own divine power."
This tone made it seem as if he had created his own supernatural power.
Li Qingqiu sat down, looked at him, and asked, "Do you need me to give you some pointers?"
"no need."
Shen Yue waved his hand and said, and Li Qingqiu nodded in response.
Immediately, the two fell silent.
The atmosphere was a little awkward.
After a long while, Shen Yue couldn't help but ask, "Don't you care about me?"
Li Qingqiu asked in surprise, "Didn't you care just now?"
"You should ask me how many bolts of lightning I've withstood."
"No need for that. Could any more of them compare to what I have?"
"..."
Shen Yue's face darkened instantly, and he almost got up to leave.
(End of this chapter)