From martial arts sects to immortality sects

Chapter 242 The Struggle for Power
After Li Sifeng's return, Li Qingqiu, in addition to his cultivation, turned his attention to the world and began to follow Liu Jing's progress in conquering the world.

Liu Jing did not disappoint Li Qingqiu, quickly seizing power and expanding his influence to various states. He did not rely entirely on the prestige of Qingxiao Sect, but also offered conditions to win over other warlords.

By October, Liu Jing had already seized control of three prefectures and was at the height of his power.

Inside Lingxiao Courtyard, Chu Jing came to tell Li Qingqiu about the affairs of the world.

As Li Qingqiu listened, she glanced at an old tree in the corner of the courtyard, whose leaves were already turning yellow.

"The Li family of Linchuan has already sent people to support Liu Jing. Li Yuzhong, who was famous throughout the land a few years ago, has been conferred a title by Liu Jing."

When Chu Jing recounted this story, his tone was quite emotional.

Before the world descended into chaos, he had dealt with the Li family. The Li family valued martial arts, but they were more experienced in court than the scholars.

Having just plotted to kill Zhu Xian, the Li family surprisingly chose to bow down to Li Qingqiu's support of Liu Jing. This is no small matter.

It's rare for one person to make all the decisions for a powerful family, especially when they are enjoying the benefits of Cangzhou. The fact that the Li family was able to adjust their decision and go south to help Liu Jing impressed Chu Jing.

The Li family seemed to have no regrets. As long as Qingxiao Gate faced east, they would face east. No matter what they had gained, they could abandon it at any time.

"Sect Master, this Li Yuzhong is no ordinary man. He is the number one warrior in the world besides Li Sifeng, with numerous military achievements. If he were to cultivate immortality, he might be able to display even greater talent," Chu Jing added.

Li Yuzhong's son, Li Huaizhen, had already joined the Qingxiao Sect. When Li Huaizhen played with Li Shouzhen and Li Shoumin without being stopped, Chu Jing began to suspect something.

Li Qingqiu casually replied, "So what? He doesn't belong to the Qingxiao Sect after all."

Chu Jing hesitated for a moment and said, "It's strange. The Li family has sent many disciples to Qingxiao Sect, but they haven't sent Li Yuzhong. Li Yuzhong has made great military achievements, but he has no real power. The number of soldiers under his command has never exceeded ten thousand. Perhaps Li Yuzhong is not trusted by the Li family."

"Who would know?"

Li Qingqiu spoke indifferently, but Chu Jing decided to investigate.

Then, Chu Jing inquired about the martial arts tournament. There were only two years left until the next tournament, and the entire sect was preparing for it.

"The second tournament can be held in a more grand manner, and we should strive to make the rewards for the top 100 as good as the rewards for the top 10 in the previous tournament."

Li Qingqiu set the tone, leaving the specifics to his subordinates.

Chu Jing noted it down, asked a few more questions, and then took his leave.

After he left, Xiao Wuqing came again.

He looked quite excited.

"Sect Master, He Jinshu has discovered that the blood of a certain demonic beast can help disabled disciples grow flesh and blood. Although it is not yet fully formed, it is definitely a glimmer of hope."

He Jinshu was a disciple he personally discovered. He had mentioned to Li Qingqiu many times that He Jinshu liked to study flesh and blood and attempted to use acquired methods to create the strongest physique.

Li Qingqiu instructed Xiao Wuqing to start with the disabled disciples. If he could help the disabled disciples recover their limbs, then they could talk about the strongest physique. Xiao Wuqing conveyed this idea to He Jinshu, and then he began to study this direction.

Upon hearing this, Li Qingqiu was surprised and asked, "Are you sure the flesh and blood are continuing to grow?"

"That's right, I observed for three days before I dared to report this to you," Xiao Wuqing replied. He knew the importance of this matter to the sect, and of course, what excited him the most was that he had made the right bet.

He invested a lot of resources so that He Jinshu could conduct his research to his heart's content.

No wonder the sect leader wants to discover unappreciated geniuses; the feeling of proving one's judgment is just too satisfying.

"Good, let him keep up the good work."

Li Qingqiu exclaimed that the Qingxiao Sect now has all sorts of geniuses, but only He Jinshu is a disciple who studies the physical body. However, his ideas may not be accepted by everyone, so Li Qingqiu has not promoted him openly.

Xiao Wuqing agreed and then began to talk about his elder brother, Xiao Wudi.

In the past two years, the three Xiao brothers have occasionally been active in the territory of Guzhou. One reason is to ensure the peace of Guzhou, as their disciples will occasionally sweep away bandits and mountain thieves. The other reason is that the sect needs to fully understand Guzhou to see if there are any hidden opportunities.

Last month, Xiao Wudi went down the mountain alone and offended a powerful family while dealing with a grudge. This family had quite a few disciples cultivating immortality at the Qingxiao Sect.

Although the conflict did not escalate, Xiao Wuqing felt it was necessary to inform the sect leader in advance.

He knew that the other party was not pursuing the matter further, not because of Xiao Wudi's strength, but because they were wary of the sect leader behind Xiao Wudi.

“The sect has its rules, and anyone who crosses the line will be dealt with according to the rules. Your reminder is good. It’s best to resolve this matter before any enmity is formed. I will have Hall Master Chai handle this matter,” Li Qingqiu said calmly.

Such incidents are not uncommon. Wherever there are people, there is a world of intrigue. Families that have risen to prominence with the help of Qingxiao Sect and its many talented disciples are not all kind and honest.

Of course, Xiao Wudi's temper wasn't great either. Although he was chivalrous and righteous and couldn't tolerate any wrongdoing, he was too stubborn and easily offended people.

The poor people he saves are grateful to him, while his fellow disciples and martial arts practitioners who do not need his help think he speaks too bluntly.

For this reason, Xiao Wuqing always had to clean up Xiao Wudi's messes, but this time was different; Xiao Wudi had offended the family of one of the top ten disciples. Gu Changping's cultivation aptitude was excellent, and with the resources of the Enforcement Hall, he had just broken through to the seventh level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm two months ago, enjoying unparalleled fame.

Unlike other talented disciples, Gu Changping was also famous in the secular world because he once beheaded the governor of Yuzhou for the Qingxiao Sect. Like Xue Jin, he may not have been exceptionally talented, but his methods and achievements were real. Even the three Xiao brothers were quite wary of Gu Changping.

The incident stemmed from Gu Changping's cousin's trip to marry his childhood sweetheart, but she reneged on the marriage. The engagement was arranged by the woman's father, who had died before she was old enough to understand. Now, she had someone she loved, which displeased Gu Changping's cousin, who wanted to force her into marriage. However, Xiao Wudi, who happened to be passing by, witnessed the attempt and forcibly stopped it.

Fortunately, no one was injured or killed in the incident. Li Qingqiu had a good impression of Gu Changping and felt that he would also actively resolve the matter.

"Thank you, Master!"

Upon hearing that Li Qingqiu was going to speak with Chai Yunshang, Xiao Wuqing immediately bowed in gratitude.

Li Qingqiu waved his hand, indicating that he could step down.

After he left, Li Qingqiu suddenly felt a pang of emotion.

"Qingxiao Sect has indeed grown stronger; even Gu Changping possesses such power..."

He felt this was both a good thing and a bad thing, but he didn't find it a headache; he would resolve it one by one.

He was the most powerful person in Qingxiao Sect!
This is Li Qingqiu's life now. He spends most of his time cultivating, occasionally teaching disciples, and the rest of his time deciding on sect affairs and resolving conflicts between powerful disciples.

Fortunately, Li Qingqiu has not made any mistakes so far, and no one dares to contradict him when he speaks. However, he is also aware that even if he tries his best to be fair, it may not be fair to some people.

……

Autumn goes and winter comes, and snow falls.

The temperature between heaven and earth was getting lower and lower, but the Qingxiao Sect disciples were getting more and more excited, because news about the next martial arts tournament was beginning to spread, and many disciples were getting ready to fight.

At noon that day, Li Sifeng stepped out of his cave and stretched as he faced the swirling snow.

"It's still better to cultivate in the sect; it's much faster than cultivating down the mountain."

Li Sifeng thought happily that as the hall master, he also had his own cave dwelling. He had now come to enjoy the feeling of cultivation again, because with the spiritual energy of the cave dwelling, he could feel his progress every day.

He turned his head and looked at another cave dwelling several dozen feet away.

The owner of that cave dwelling was Xue Jin.

Thinking of Xue Jin, Li Sifeng felt quite emotional. When he was a child, he never imagined that Xue Jin could grow to such a height. At the beginning of this month, Xue Jin broke through to the seventh level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm. Even through the mountain wall, he could feel the unusual spiritual energy in Xue Jin's cave.

Back at the Training Hall, Li Sifeng was not as smug as he had been years ago. He even felt awkward because there were many voices in the Training Hall now suggesting that he should hand over the position of Hall Master to Xue Jin.

He could clearly sense the dissatisfaction of the disciples in the Training Hall towards him, which was also related to the deaths of Zheng Yunqiao and other disciples. Although the matter of the Ghost King of the Netherworld had been suppressed, the deaths of these disciples could not be hidden. Everyone knew that they had sacrificed themselves when they followed him, Li Sifeng, to the Northern Territory.

This was the first time in the history of Qingxiao Sect that such heavy casualties had occurred. Li Sifeng felt guilty and therefore did not want to hold the disciples' attitudes against him.

Now, apart from spending time with his wife and children, he spends the rest of his time cultivating in his cave and no longer concerns himself with the affairs of the training hall.

at this time.

Xue Jin's cave door opened, and he stepped out. As soon as he came out, he felt Li Sifeng's gaze.

Li Sifeng immediately looked away and gazed ahead.

Xue Jin looked at Li Sifeng, his feelings quite complicated.

Zheng Yunqiao was his closest disciple. Zheng Yunqiao's death made him resentful towards Li Sifeng. Even though he knew that Li Sifeng was not to blame, he still found it difficult to treat Li Sifeng with the same attitude as before.

He also knew Li Sifeng's current situation, and he felt that if things continued like this, it would not be good for him, for Li Sifeng, or even for the Training Hall.

He hesitated for a moment, then walked towards Li Sifeng.

Li Sifeng caught a glimpse of Xue Jin approaching out of the corner of his eye, but he wasn't flustered. In fact, he was also waiting for a suitable opportunity to apologize to Xue Jin.

"Master, there's been trouble caused by evil spirits in Nanchu Prefecture. I'm going to make a trip there myself. You must take charge of all matters, big and small, within the hall to prevent chaos," Xue Jin said earnestly to Li Sifeng.

Since Zheng Yunqiao's death, he has been extremely sensitive to missions involving evil spirits and always takes personal responsibility for them.

Li Sifeng looked at him and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't protect him well."

Xue Jin remained calm and said, "Why are you apologizing? It's because he lacks strength. He has no one to blame but himself. What we need to do is learn from this and prevent more disciples from suffering such a misfortune."

He then changed the subject, saying, "If you are still unable to fulfill your duties as the head of the hall in the future, I will take your place."

(End of this chapter)