Night fell, the moon bright and the stars sparse.
Li Qingchu returned to his room and found it clean.
There were quilts and pillows on the bed; it seemed the investment from the Qin family had arrived, and life at the Clear Firmament Sect was improving.
He had handed the financial power to Zhang Yuchun.
In his view, money was a worldly thing; he only needed to control the spirit stones in the subterranean spirit lake.
Spirit stones could aid cultivation and were surely the hard currency of the cultivation world, much like oil in his previous life.
That was the true foundation of the Clear Firmament Sect.
Li Qingchu meditated on the bed and called up the Sacred Heritage panel.
The inheritance reward from escaping the Seven Peaks Alliance had not yet been opened.
In the wilderness, he didn’t dare act recklessly; only now that he was home and his heart was at ease did he dare to open it.
[Claiming Inheritance Reward]
[Opening Sacred Heritage]
[You have obtained the Spell—Soul-Binding Curse]
[Accept Inheritance?]
Soul-Binding Curse?
‘This name doesn’t sound like a righteous path!’
It seemed the Sacred Heritage panel didn’t define whether he should be righteous or demonic.
‘Not bad, I like it!’
Li Qingchu didn’t want to be bound by too many rules.
Regarding this kind of unorthodox path, he was willing to learn about it.
Thinking this, he immediately began to inherit the Soul-Binding Curse.
The familiar feeling surfaced again, and he quickly became immersed in the inherited memories.
A long time passed.
When he opened his eyes, he was no longer surprised by inheriting a spell.
This time, however, his brow was locked.
This Soul-Binding Curse was cruel!
The Soul-Binding Curse could seize a person’s soul, even if the target was still alive.
During the process of seizure, the victim would suffer indescribable agony.
Thereafter, the soul would be forever controlled by the caster until the caster died.
Once the Soul-Binding Curse was successfully implemented and the target became a ghost, they would be unable to disobey the caster.
This was a suppression coming from the soul itself.
However, this curse also had risks.
If cast across realms against a superior, there was a high possibility of backlash.
After memorizing the Soul-Binding Curse, Li Qingchu did not immediately begin practicing it.
He still had to practice the Ghost-Celestial Rejuvenation Needles, bringing them to a certain stage first.
He adjusted his state and soon entered the cultivation of drawing Qi.
The moon set and the sun rose; a night passed.
Early the next morning, all the disciples woke up.
Those practicing martial arts went to train, and those cultivating immortality meditated together to absorb the essence of the sun and moon.
Li Qingchu had Yuan Qi follow Yang Jueding to learn martial arts, as did the Six Scions of the Qin Family.
From now on, not everyone could practice the Great Purity Primordial Scripture unless they possessed excellent talent or had made outstanding contributions.
After the golden hour of cultivation passed, Li Qingchu and Zhang Yuchun returned to the room to discuss the next steps of development.
“First, organize a group of disciples to start building houses.
Build them in the woods below the mountain gate.
You can call Yang Jueding; after all, he is an adult.
Second, recruit ten more disciples.
As long as they are not over twenty years old, it’s fine.
We can’t always just find children.”
Li Qingchu said while drinking tea.
This tea was also sent by the Qin family.
Its fragrance was overflowing, and he had liked it since having a cup last night.
Zhang Yuchun smiled and said, “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time.
Now that we have money, it’s time to stretch our legs.
By the way, should we hire a teacher?
I heard from Dongyue that you had such a plan.”
“Hire one.
Leave these things to your arrangement.
You don’t have to do everything yourself; you can choose disciples to train to assist you. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
As the sect grows larger, duties will become more detailed,” Li Qingchu nodded.
Zhang Yuchun responded, “Huang Shan and Yu Lin are not bad.
They are attentive despite their rough appearance and consider things comprehensively.
I will train them well.”
“In the future, only by becoming a core disciple can one practice the Primordial Scripture.
For now, the only core disciple is Xu Ning.
Huang Shan and the other seven can also hold the title of core disciples, but their focus will be on martial arts.”
Li Qingchu continued, and Zhang Yuchun took notes.
Regarding the grades of disciples, Li Qingchu had many ideas, but they weren’t suitable to implement yet.
Especially since the treatment of disciples couldn’t be detailed yet, as the Clear Firmament Sect hadn’t formed its own system.
Even now, the sect had no fixed source of income.
Li Qingchu and Zhang Yuchun focused their discussion on this.
They couldn’t just rely on the Qin family.
The observations Jiang Zhaoxia made during his previous trip down the mountain could be considered.
Escorting dignitaries or valuable goods, taking official bounties, and so on—these things could be done by disciples in the future.
First for experience, second to earn money, and third to grow the reputation of the Clear Firmament Sect.
Without reputation, it was difficult to recruit disciples; they could only recruit from villages.
Setting aside talent, such disciples were illiterate.
Even teaching them martial arts required more investment.
Of course, Li Qingchu would have the sect have its own educational curriculum.
He simply didn’t want the recruitment of disciples to be limited to the countryside.
The two talked for a full hour.
After the conversation, the spirited Zhang Yuchun immediately took action.
Li Qingchu stayed a bit longer and then walked out of the house, calling Li Dongyue to go to the back mountain woods to practice the Ghost-Celestial Rejuvenation Needles.
They practiced until near noon before heading back to the sect.
“Senior Brother, don’t forget to choose one person from the Qin family disciples to take as a disciple.
This is what you promised the Qin family, and those children are waiting,” Li Dongyue said softly beside him.
Li Qingchu nodded and smiled, “Don’t worry, I won’t forget.
Yuchun already told me.”
Qin Jue had already designated his own son to be Li Qingchu’s disciple, so Li Qingchu didn’t need to think about it.
He just needed to make the decision early so the six disciples could be at ease.
After lunch, Li Qingchu called Qin Ye and had him follow.
Qin Ye immediately stood up in excitement, his face turning red.
The other five disciples from the Qin family were also excited, as they carried the family’s expectations.
…
After officially accepting Qin Ye as a disciple, Li Qingchu sent him to Yang Jueding.
His talent was too poor for immortality cultivation to yield results.
If he performed well in the future, Li Qingchu could help him.
The existence of the subterranean spirit lake could fill some gaps in cultivation talent.
Yang Jueding thus gained his own title: the Elder of Martial Transmission of the Clear Firmament Sect.
Half a month passed quickly.
Because Li Qingchu had hidden what he did at the Seven Peaks Alliance, Jiang Zhaoxia still went to the mountainside to practice.
Li Qingchu didn’t stop him; after all, besides the Seven Peaks Alliance, there was also the potential trouble of the Azure Cult.
Until one day, Zhang Yuchun brought a piece of news.
Jiang Zhaoxia, Li Dongyue, Wu Man’er, Li Sifeng, and Li Sijin were called to Li Qingchu’s room.
“Something big happened at the Seven Peaks Alliance!
The First Alliance Leader Lu Taidou is dead!
Now the alliance is in chaos.
No wonder they haven’t come to cause us trouble!” Zhang Yuchun said excitedly.
Li Qingchu asked curiously, “Where did you hear this news?”
This was Zhang Yuchun’s third trip down the mountain in half a month.
Li Qingchu hadn’t expected him to be able to gather martial world intelligence.
Zhang Yuchun laughed and said, “On this trip, I encountered bandits robbing people, so I took Huang Shan and Yu Lin to intervene.
Because of that, I made some friends and learned of this shocking event in the Gu Prefecture martial world from them.”
Li Sifeng’s eyes widened as he looked at Li Qingchu and said, “Big Brother, it wasn’t you who did it, was it?”
After all, he had been away for half a month recently.
Li Qingchu rolled his eyes and said irritably, “How could I have that ability?
Ask Third Junior Brother—is the Seven Peaks Alliance that easy to deal with?”
Jiang Zhaoxia nodded and said, “To assassinate the strongest person in the Seven Peaks Alliance’s headquarters is indeed very difficult.
A one-on-one fight is a different concept from fighting against a hundred or a thousand.”
Everyone thought of Jiang Zhaoxia’s previous injuries and understood.
Li Sifeng began to shout and gesture wildly, describing how powerful those experts were.
Jiang Zhaoxia, however, stared at Li Qingchu with a complex gaze, making him feel a bit guilty.
Li Qingchu couldn’t withstand the gaze and let out a fake cough, interrupting Li Sifeng’s performance.
He said, “In any case, the Seven Peaks Alliance shouldn’t come looking for us in the short term.
But we must not be careless.
From now on, no one is allowed to be lazy.
Either practice your skills or help build the sect.”
The expansion plan had begun, and those contributing the most were the boys among the second generation of disciples.
Except for Li Sijin, Li Qingchu had assigned tasks to all his junior brothers and sisters.
After the meeting dissolved, Zhang Yuchun did not leave.
He pulled Li Qingchu and said, “Senior Brother, I have invited a teacher from down the mountain.
He claims to be proficient in physiognomy and divination, and he insists on meeting you.”
“Did you pay him?”
“Yes!
But he said he will decide how much effort to put in based on your facial features.”
“Fine.
I’d like to see what tricks he’s up to.”
Li Qingchu responded, and the two walked out of the house.
As soon as they stepped out, he saw a white-clothed scholar standing behind two disciples, watching them do woodwork.
The scholar looked to be in his twenties or thirties.
He carried a book box and had a refined air—clearly a man of learning.
“Mister Zhang, my Big Brother is here.”
Zhang Yuchun shouted.
Hearing this, the scholar named Zhang Yu turned and walked toward them.
Zhang Yu’s gaze landed directly on Li Qingchu.
As they drew closer, his eyes lit up.
Before Li Qingchu could speak, he stepped forward and grabbed Li Qingchu’s hand.
Li Qingchu originally wanted to dodge, but sensing that the man had no inner Qi whatsoever, he let him take his hand.
“Sect Leader Li, your physiognomy is not simple!
Born into a house of emperors and generals, with a rocky childhood, but your fate is extraordinary.
With the Purple Forbidden Star shining high, you will surely become a true dragon in the future!” Zhang Yu said excitedly, looking as if he were about to kneel.
‘Liar!
Smooth-talker!’
Li Qingchu immediately assigned two fate descriptions to him—this man was truly talking nonsense.
His biological father was not that powerful.
Li Qingchu withdrew his hand calmly and asked, “Thank you for your kind words, Mister.
I wonder where you learned your physiognomy?”
Zhang Yu restrained his expression, took a step back, and bowed to him, saying, “I studied under the Nine-Veined Elder.
You may not have heard of his name; he lives in seclusion and has lived for a hundred and thirty years.
He is preparing to enjoy his last few years of leisure.”
Li Qingchu didn’t question him but asked with a smile, “I wonder if Mister will feel any pressure teaching my disciples alone?”
“No pressure.
Though your sect is small, it hides dragons and crouching tigers.
Literary and martial brilliance are present, and there is already a sign of soaring.
Zhang Yu is willing to contribute his strength to the Clear Firmament Sect.
Of course, if the sect leader could add thirty copper coins to the monthly pay, that would be even better.”
Zhang Yu said with a smile.
His words were articulated clearly and his voice was strong, giving him the air of a talented individual.