From martial arts sects to immortality sects

Chapter 246 An Existence to Look Up To

Although he had some doubts about Li Qingqiu, Shen Yue's words made sense. This was Qingxiao Sect, and no one would target a disciple in broad daylight.

And so, Hu Yan and Duan Xiaojuan followed Li Qingqiu and the other person up the mountain.

When Li Qingqiu inquired about their relationship, Hu Yan answered truthfully, while Duan Xiaojuan appeared innocent and naive, seemingly not revealing her girlish thoughts. However, in the eyes of Li Qingqiu and Hu Yan, her true feelings were full of flaws.

"It's great to be young."

Li Qingqiu sighed inwardly, suddenly realizing that he had never experienced love in this life.

However, he had already experienced this feeling in his previous life, so he was not in a hurry.

The four of them walked up the mountain and unknowingly arrived at the martial arts arena halfway up the mountain. Zhu Qingling and the others were watching the battle, and Ye Nan had not left either.

Ye Nan was chatting with the other disciples when his gaze suddenly fell on Li Qingqiu. His pupils dilated involuntarily. He hesitated for a moment, then didn't run over, lest he appear cliché.

Zhu Qingling also noticed Hu Yan, and her gaze then fell on Li Qingqiu and Shen Yue.

Li Qingqiu looked so otherworldly that she was amazed by her appearance. Although Shen Yue was old, he had an air of otherworldly grace. The two of them together were bound to attract attention.

Li Qingqiu did not stop; he merely glanced at it before continuing on his way.

Now that we've come to Ziyang Peak, we should at least see Xu Ning.

Zhu Qingling watched Li Qingqiu and the other three leave, while the Zhu clan disciples around her followed her gaze.

"Huh? Isn't that the sect leader?"

A female disciple of the Zhu family exclaimed in surprise, then covered her mouth, afraid that the sound would be too loud.

Door owner?

Zhu Qingling looked at her in surprise, and she replied in a low voice, "When I visited my elders at Tiangong Hall before, I happened to see him. He is Li Qingqiu, the sect leader of our Qingxiao Sect."

Li Qingqiu!
Zhu Qingling was very familiar with this name. To be precise, the name Li Qingqiu was a household name among the Zhu clan.

Because of Li Qingqiu, the Zhu family has become the most powerful family in the Nine Provinces, and is above the secular world. As a result, Zhu Yan has become the highest-ranking member of the Zhu family. Every Zhu family disciple who is sent to Qingxiao Gate is warned that once in Qingxiao Gate, he must not violate the rules of the gate or bully others by abusing his power.

All members of the Zhu clan understood that Li Qingqiu held their lives in his hands. The Zhu clan may seem powerful, but if they displeased Li Qingqiu, they could fall from grace and fall to the mortal realm within a single day.

Zhu Qingling's eyes were filled with confusion.

Why did Hu Yan follow the sect leader up the mountain?
The other members of the Zhu clan were thrilled. They all admired Li Qingqiu and were naturally excited to meet him.

As he climbed the mountain path, he eventually encountered people who knew Li Qingqiu. If he had come up the mountain alone, disciples would have approached him. However, he was accompanied by Shen Yue, which meant he had something to do. Therefore, the disciples only dared to stand at a distance and bow, and did not dare to approach.

Even though the disciples didn't get close, Hu Yan and Duan Xiaojuan could still see their actions, which made them secretly surprised. Just who were these two people?
Even the head of a branch of the Imperial Spirit Hall doesn't have such a high status.

Hu Yan was overjoyed; it was a wonderful thing to be able to become the disciple of such an important figure.

Duan Xiaojuan was happy for him too. She had no ulterior motives, only curiosity.

Half an hour later, Li Qingqiu led the three of them to Xu Ning's cave. The area became quiet as soon as they arrived, and none of the branch halls dared to build buildings or courtyards nearby, for fear of disturbing Xu Ning's cultivation.

As soon as they arrived at the cave, the stone door opened, and Xu Ning stepped out, bowed to Li Qingqiu, and said, "Master, what brings you here?"

She wouldn't come out to greet anyone who wasn't a stranger, but if there were, she had to be perfectly polite.

Li Qingqiu smiled and said, "I came to see you. May I come in?"

"of course can."

Xu Ning nodded, then turned and led the way.

Li Qingqiu stepped into the cave, followed closely by Shen Yue. Hu Yan and Duan Xiaojuan exchanged a glance before entering the cave as well.

Hu Yan surveyed the cave passage with bright eyes, secretly wondering if this was the cave dwelling the other disciples had mentioned.
Duan Xiaojuan's reaction was even more obvious; her eyes were wide open, and she let out a soft gasp.

The group entered the cave. Xu Ning asked Li Qingqiu and Shen Yue to sit down, and then began to brew tea. She looked at Hu Yan and Shen Yue, and asked curiously, "Who are these two disciples...?"

"This kid is my newly accepted disciple, your sixth junior brother, Hu Yan. The girl next to him is his friend, Duan Xiaojuan."

Li Qingqiu introduced with a smile. Upon hearing this, Xu Ning's eyes lit up. Hu Yan and Duan Xiaojuan were clearly nervous in the face of her gaze.

Xu Ning's aura is simply too strong. If Zhu Qingling is a celestial fairy, then Xu Ning is like the head of all female fairies. In terms of beauty, Xu Ning is no less than Zhu Qingling, but in terms of aura, the two are completely incomparable.

Sixth junior brother?
I have five senior female and male classmates?
Hu Yan couldn't help but feel nervous, wondering how his senior brothers and sisters would view him.

Xu Ning looked at Hu Yan and smiled, "You don't need to be nervous. I'm your senior sister. If you have any questions about cultivation in the future, feel free to come to me anytime."

Hu Yan quickly replied, "Thank you, Senior Sister..."

Shen Yue sat on the stool, observing Hu Yan. He felt that Hu Yan was somewhat introverted, lacking the spiritedness of Zhao Zhen and Jian Du, the composure of Yuan Li, and the obvious talent of Ji Ya.

It seems like it really was a choice based on first impressions.

He had to admit that he found Hu Yan quite agreeable.

"Senior sister, what exactly is Hu Yan's master's identity?" Duan Xiaojuan couldn't help but ask.

These words surprised Xu Ning, who looked at Li Qingqiu with surprise, not expecting that he had not yet revealed his identity.

Li Qingqiu smiled and said, "Since she asked, just answer her."

Xu Ning understood, looked at Duan Xiaojuan, and asked, "Guess who it might be?"

"Hall Master, or Elder?" Duan Xiaojuan asked curiously, not at all shy. "Too low."

"Too low? What kind of status is more powerful than the hall master?"

Who is the most powerful person in the sect?

"Of course it's the sect leader, the greatest hero in the world, Li Qingqiu!"

Duan Xiaojuan's expression brightened, and she clenched her fist, clearly indicating that she also admired Li Qingqiu.

Xu Ning smiled without saying a word, which stunned Duan Xiaojuan.

Hu Yan was equally startled, as if struck by lightning, and stared blankly at Li Qingqiu.

Li Qingqiu smiled and said, "Someone will come to pick you up tomorrow, and you will be moving to Qingxiao Mountain."

Upon hearing this, Hu Yan was immediately excited and quickly thanked Li Qingqiu.

The sect leader actually wants to take him as a disciple!
Is he dreaming?

Hu Yan looked up at Li Qingqiu and asked cautiously, "Why me?"

He had never experienced kindness from others for no reason since he was a child, so it felt unreal to him. Fortunately, he did not sense any malice from the three people in front of him, which made him feel much more at ease.

"I'm in a good mood today and wanted to take on a disciple, so I wandered around. I felt an instant connection with you the moment I saw you. It doesn't make much sense, but it's just the way it is. I took a liking to you at first sight." Li Qingqiu took the teacup from Xu Ning and said with a soft smile.

Cultivators can brew tea very quickly.

Shen Yue nodded and said, "I can attest that this is indeed his plan. I originally thought he had his eye on some unparalleled genius."

Hu Yan knew, of course, that he was not a peerless genius, otherwise he wouldn't have been just a nominal disciple.

He was incredibly excited, with so much to say, yet he didn't know how to express it.

Suddenly, he noticed that Duan Xiaojuan beside him had lost her smile and looked visibly disappointed, which quickly calmed his excitement.

He went to Qingxiao Mountain, and he and Duan Xiaojuan will inevitably drift apart. They have only known each other for two days, and their relationship is not solid, let alone that they will be separated soon.

Hu Yan liked Duan Xiaojuan quite a bit, not out of romantic love, but out of friendship. Duan Xiaojuan was the first friend he made when he came to Qingxiao Sect.

The changes in their expressions were noticed by Li Qingqiu and the other two. They exchanged glances and found it amusing.

The feelings between teenagers are so pure and hard to hide.

“Duan Xiaojuan, I will teach you cultivation from now on. Although I cannot take you as my disciple, you will have plenty of opportunities to see Hu Yan in the future. You don’t expect to pester Hu Yan every day, do you? If you do, he will not be qualified to become the sect leader’s disciple. Every sect leader’s disciple must become a genius recognized by the entire sect.”

Xu Ning stared at Duan Xiaojuan and said. Upon hearing this, Duan Xiaojuan was overjoyed and quickly thanked her.

"I won't bother him. It's enough that I'll have another chance to see him in the future," Duan Xiaojuan replied.

Hu Yan smiled when he heard that Duan Xiaojuan would receive guidance from her senior sister.

Li Qingqiu exclaimed, "This is what a disciple of my Qingxiao Sect should be like. Not just Hu Yan, you should also work hard in your cultivation. Perhaps one day you will be able to fight alongside him."

These words stirred Duan Xiaojuan's blood, and she nodded emphatically.

Afterwards, Li Qingqiu and the other two began to talk about other topics, while Hu Yan and Duan Xiaojuan listened attentively to their words with excitement and anticipation.

Even though they were just chatting, the world of cultivation they talked about filled Hu Yan and his companion with longing.

……

That evening, Li Qingqiu, Shen Yue, and Xu Ning returned to Lingxiao Courtyard to celebrate the festival, and Hu Yan's name quickly spread to the ears of the senior executives.

They silently noted the name down. Shen Yue told them that Hu Yan was only a nominal disciple and did not have outstanding talent, which puzzled the higher-ups.

They simply couldn't believe that Li Qingqiu really chose his apprentices based on mere liking.

Regardless, Hu Yan has become Li Qingqiu's sixth disciple, that's a fact.

Hu Yan will surely become famous in Qingxiao Sect and will also become someone they want to win over.

They trusted Li Qingqiu's vision and his skills; even mediocre talents could be cultivated into capable individuals by Li Qingqiu.

The lively Spring Festival night has passed.

The next morning, Hu Yan was taken to Qingxiao Mountain, which caused a sensation in the courtyard of the registered disciples where he lived. The other disciples did not know why he was allowed to go to Qingxiao Mountain.

Inside the Tiangong Hall on Qingxiao Mountain.

Zhu Qingling followed a group of Zhu clan members to a courtyard. They stood in a row, waiting nervously and expectantly.

Soon, Zhu Yan arrived, and all the Zhu clan disciples quickly bowed to her.

Zhu Yan scanned the more promising juniors and then personally explained the sect rules to them.

She didn't want the Zhu family members to become arrogant, so she made a stern warning in advance: if anyone violated the sect rules, she would personally expel them from the sect.

At the same time, she hoped that these disciples could bring glory to the Zhu family.

"Yesterday, the sect leader accepted a disciple named Hu Yan. He is a disciple of the same generation as you. He will become someone you look up to. In the future, when you meet Hu Yan, try to befriend him, but of course, don't be too deliberate."

When Zhu Yan uttered Hu Yan's name, Zhu Qingling's beautiful eyes widened in astonishment, as if she had misheard.

(End of this chapter)