From martial arts sects to immortality sects

Chapter 247 Evil Spirits Plague the North
At dawn, Xu Ning, Zhao Zhen, Yuan Li, and Ji Ya arrived at Lingxiao Courtyard one after another. They knew last night why their master had summoned them today, and they wanted to get to know their sixth junior brother.

Zhao Zhen and his two companions were filled with curiosity and excitement about Hu Yan, finally having a junior brother they could bully.

Cough cough, it's actually taking care of you!

Li Qingqiu also arrived at the courtyard early. Times have changed, and conditions are different now. There must be proper etiquette when accepting disciples. This not only represents him but also the solemnity of Qingxiao Sect.

Becoming Li Qingqiu's apprentice means inevitably taking on certain responsibilities within the sect.

Xu Ning is the first person the sect thinks of whenever they encounter a major mission.

Zhao Zhen was the first person to contribute to the Library of Buddhist Scriptures.

Yuanli's path of physical cultivation has already influenced half of his disciples.

In the past two years, Ji Ya has also begun to operate within the territory of Guzhou, resolving problems that ordinary disciples find difficult to handle.

In the future, Li Qingqiu will assign them responsibilities and define their authority.

Li Dongyue, Li Sijin, and Qingxiao Zhenren were also in the courtyard, and they were very interested in Li Qingqiu's newly accepted disciple.

"Before we knew it, Zhao Zhen and Yuan Li were already eighteen years old. Time really flies," Li Sijin remarked.

Zhao Zhen and Yuan Li exchanged a glance and both noticed that they had grown quite a bit taller.

Twenty-five-year-old Ji Ya was even more composed. He had a smile on his face and spoke little, but as his energy grew stronger, his aura was impossible to hide. Sitting there, he resembled a calm and majestic lion.

Li Dongyue looked at Li Sijin and smiled, "You've grown up too."

Li Sijin will turn twenty-five this year. In the eyes of Li Qingqiu and others, she will always be the junior sister, a child. But in the eyes of the sect disciples, she is the dignified head of the cultivation hall.

Li Qingqiu sat in the chair, listening to their reflections, and suddenly felt a great sense of accomplishment.

After his master passed away, he protected his junior brothers and sisters very well.

I hope that a hundred years from now, the seven of them will still be alive, and Li Qingqiu will strive towards this goal.

Everyone chatted and laughed, reminiscing about the past.

Everyone could sense the tremendous changes in Qingxiao Sect.

Based on the current development trend of Qingxiao Sect, the number of registered disciples this year will exceed 20,000, which is no small number.

After a while, Hu Yan arrived.

The disciple who received him only escorted him to the gate of Lingxiao Academy. He carefully entered the academy, and as he entered, everyone's eyes fell on him.

Hu Yan felt immense pressure.

He had already met Xu Ning; she had a powerful aura.

The people who are putting the most pressure on him right now are Zhao Zhen and Ji Ya.

Zhao Zhen was full of pride, and his aura of being the pride of heaven rushed towards him. Ji Ya stared at him seriously. If he hadn't felt no malice, he would have suspected that Ji Ya had a problem with him.

He steeled himself and approached Li Qingqiu, rolled up his robes, knelt down, and said, "Hu Yan greets Master."

Li Qingqiu said with a smile, "Get up, find a seat."

Hu Yan stood up, hesitated for a moment, and then chose to sit next to Yuan Li.

Yuan Li turned his head to look at him, revealing a kind smile, which greatly reduced Hu Yan's pressure.

Li Qingqiu then instructed, "Let's introduce ourselves in order of seniority, from oldest to youngest."

Xu Ning nodded, then took the lead in introducing herself, followed closely by Yuan Li, which surprised Hu Yan.

He hadn't expected Yuan Li to be the third senior brother; the two who seemed the most formidable were actually the youngest.

"My name is Zhao Zhen, your fourth senior brother," Zhao Zhen said with a smile as he looked at Hu Yan.

So he was Zhao Zhen!
Although Hu Yan had only been a disciple of Qingxiao Sect for less than three days, he had already heard of Zhao Zhen's name.

The number one genius of Qingxiao Sect!

As expected, his confidence was truly remarkable.

Ji Ya smiled and said, "My name is Ji Ya, your fifth senior brother. Let's have more exchanges in the future."

He had a different personality from Zhao Zhen and Yuan Li, and they rarely got along. So he was looking forward to Hu Yan and hoped that they could become like-minded friends.

"My name is Hu Yan. Greetings, senior sisters and senior brothers!"

Hu Yan quickly stood up and bowed to everyone.

Afterwards, Li Qingqiu introduced Li Dongyue and Li Sijin to Hu Yan. The two women had prepared gifts in advance and put them in their storage bags, which made Hu Yan feel flattered.

Just as Hu Yan was about to say something, Xiao Wuqing strode into the courtyard, interrupting his thoughts.

Xiao Wuqing approached the table, bowed to Li Qingqiu, and said, "Sect Leader, something has happened again in the Northern Border!"

Upon hearing this, Li Qingqiu's smile vanished, and the others also frowned.

Xiao Wuqing glanced at Hu Yan without leaving a trace, and made a judgment in his mind.

The three brothers all wanted to become Li Qingqiu's disciples, but unfortunately, Li Qingqiu didn't think much of them. So when they learned that Li Qingqiu was accepting disciples, they felt quite disappointed.

Of course, they weren't hostile towards Hu Yan; they just wanted to know why Hu Yan deserved such an honor. "What is it?" Li Qingqiu asked.

When he thought of the North, Ghost King Ridge was the first place that came to mind.

Could it be that the evil spirits who wanted to escape Ghost King Ridge went south?
Xiao Wuqing quickly said, "The Northern Court sent someone to visit you, saying that the Northern Territory needs the help of the Qingxiao Sect. As for the specifics, he said he must tell you in person."

"Sent by Beiting? What are their names?"

He called himself Fang Tianshu.

"Let him in."

Li Qingqiu pondered, he hadn't expected Beiting to come to him for help.

Xiao Wuqing immediately accepted the order and left. Li Qingqiu did not disperse the disciples, but instead made them face the matter together.

Hu Yan immediately tensed up; he had only just become an apprentice and was already facing such a major event.

He knew about Beiting, the dynasty of the Northern Barbarians. Beiting had a long history of conflict with the Nine Provinces. The news that Qingxiao Sect had sent disciples to expel the Northern Barbarians had spread throughout the world. Under such circumstances, what would Beiting ask Li Qingqiu for help?
Soon, Xiao Wuqing brought Fang Tianshu to the hospital.

Fang Tianshu had already disguised himself as a martial artist from the Nine Provinces. He was burly and had a fierce face. Even though he tried his best to hide it, the aura of a great general of the Northern Barbarians was still evident.

When he saw Li Qingqiu, his face lit up with surprise and delight.

The battle at Xuanji Mountain made him unable to forget Li Qingqiu's face.

He strode forward, knelt down behind Xu Ning, looked at Li Qingqiu, and said excitedly, "Sect Leader Li, please save Beiting. Beiting is willing to serve you and Qingxiao Sect for generations to come."

Li Qingqiu looked at him and said, "Shouldn't you state your purpose first?"

Fang Tianshu took a deep breath and said, "Since you left, evil spirits have been causing trouble in the Northern Territory again. There was even a demon that broke into the palace and committed many evil deeds. Now, not only are the people of the Northern Court suffering, but even the emperor is living in fear every day."

How many evil spirits are there?

"It's hard to judge. Ghost soldiers have even emerged among the people of Beiting. They operate at night, and their numbers are constantly increasing. If this continues, the entire Beiting will become a ghost army and will surely march south. If Qingxiao Sect takes action now, it will not only save our Beiting, but also save the future of the Nine Provinces."

He spoke quickly, and seeing that Li Qingqiu was thinking, he then recounted the specific evil deeds committed by those evil spirits.

Villages and tribes were massacred, hearts and intestines were ripped out, and all sorts of horrific things were happening every day. The entire Northern Court was in chaos. Officials and generals in various places were too busy to take care of themselves. Let alone march south to compete for the world, they could not even protect the emperor.

Upon hearing of Bei Ting's miserable state, everyone's expression changed drastically.

Hu Yan's understanding was greatly shocked. He never expected that the Northern Territory was suffering such a terrible disaster. He realized that evil spirits really existed in this world, and that they were extremely cruel.

After hearing this, Li Qingqiu realized that what he had feared had indeed happened.

He admitted that Fang Tianshu was right. If those evil spirits were allowed to run rampant, they would threaten Qingxiao Sect sooner or later. However, this matter could not be taken lightly.

Li Qingqiu knew about the power of the Netherworld Ghost King; just because he could deal with him didn't mean the other disciples could.

After Fang Tianshu finished speaking, Li Qingqiu said, "Our Qingxiao Sect needs to discuss this matter. Why don't you go and stay for a few days?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Tianshu became somewhat anxious, but meeting Li Qingqiu's gaze, he dared not refute and could only agree in the end.

Li Qingqiu gave Xiao Wuqing a look, signaling Xiao Wuqing to take him away.

After the two left, Li Qingqiu looked at his disciples and said, "Did you hear that? Qingxiao Sect is at its zenith in the Nine Provinces, but there are still many hardships waiting for us in this world. The stronger we are, the more enemies and calamities we will face. This is unavoidable. If we were just an ordinary martial arts sect, those evil spirits might not have come south in the next few decades, and we would not have encountered these things in our lives. But we are not a martial arts sect. Pursuing the path of immortality is a path against the heavens."

Xu Ning, Yuan Li, Zhao Zhen, Ji Ya, and Hu Yan remained silent, their hearts heavy.

Li Dongyue and Li Sijin were alright, since they were in charge of internal affairs and had already learned to manage their mindset, which meant doing their own job well and trusting the sect.

Li Qingqiu looked at Hu Yan and said, "Come to me first thing tomorrow morning, and I will teach you our sect's ultimate technique, the Hunyuan Scripture."

Just as Hu Yan was about to speak, Ji Ya said, "Master, why bother you with such a small matter? Why don't I teach him the Hunyuan Scripture instead?"

Upon hearing this, Li Qingqiu's gaze fell on Ji Ya, her eyes filled with satisfaction.

This kid has finally taken a step forward, no longer just revolving around his friends.

“Okay.” Li Qingqiu agreed.

Ji Ya smiled, while Hu Yan was a little nervous, afraid that he would not perform well enough and anger his senior brother.

Afterwards, Li Qingqiu personally explained the sect rules and his requirements for his disciples to Hu Yan for a full half hour before he allowed his disciples to leave.

Regarding the matter of Beiting seeking help, he did not immediately summon the sect's high-ranking members, but instead planned to enjoy a few days of leisure.

The next morning, Ji Ya took the initiative to come to Hu Yan's courtyard and taught him the Hunyuan Scripture.

Hu Yan discovered that this senior brother was not as difficult to get along with as he seemed; he was much better-tempered than he had imagined.

With exceptional cultivation aptitude, Hu Yan's cultivation process was naturally very smooth. In fact, Ji Ya was a little nervous, afraid that he would not be able to teach him well. As a result, Hu Yan cultivated Yuan Qi in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

"genius!"

This was Ji Ya's current assessment of Hu Yan. He was secretly shocked. Uncle Zhang was right. His master's judgment was indeed terrifying. Yesterday, he really hadn't seen that Hu Yan had extraordinary talent.

He looked at Hu Yan, who was meditating and absorbing qi in the courtyard, and could sense that a certain aura was awakening within Hu Yan.

He even had an absurd idea.

This junior brother's talent is probably even greater than his, Yuan Li's, and Zhao Zhen's!
(End of this chapter)