Build Up
My disciple's death made me realise something.
If I want to establish a strong reputation, I have to revive the sect. The outer disciples and inner disciples have been doing horse stance and inner training for a long time. It's time I step up their game and impart the Dragon's breath. At the same time, I haven't visited the spiritual pool and checked out the sect's secret martial arts.
I should inform Gaoming to prepare the outer and inner disciples.
As I leave the seclusion cave and proceed back to the sect, I felt a strong presence.
Is someone strong in our sect?
I quickly leap back.
There are workers all around the property, refurbishing and cleaning the walls, floors, and stains to set a good impression for potential candidates on the recruitment day a few days away.
That powerful person is in the main building. Judging that no destruction happened, he or she came in peace?
I can feel vicious pressure.
Entering the building, I came across the main throne room where Li Ye and Li Xing confront a silver-haired and blue-eyed lady wearing luxurious cyan with a golden shoulder ornament. Some translucent pieces of fabric float around her waist to her back. She seems to be older than she looks, a high cultivator. I can't gauge how strong she is.
Three men stand behind her, all at the nascent soul, keeping an alert lookout. Judging by their similar robes, they are likely her subordinates.
...
"Li Ye...you bastard, I knew it was you." Says the lady.
"Lady Li, I don't mean to hide it from you but-"
"Silence!" She shouts. "Li Xing will be following me back to Bu Shuai."
Kunlai has 5 countries. Bu Shuai is the big country next to Tiansu and occupies the majority of the land surrounding Tiansu's border.
If so, that should be Li Ning, a prominent elder of the imperial Li family that governs the entire Bu Shuai country.
Li Ning grabs Li Xing's arm and exerts a pressure that sends Li Ye back and crashes against the wall.
"W-Wait-" Li Ye attempts to speak but coughs blood.
"No!" Li Xing says, she tries to wriggle her hand away but to no avail.
When Li Ning pulls Li Xing away, her departure is blocked by my existence.
"Patriarch...move." Li Ning mumbles.
"..."
I throw a glance at Li Xing. "Li Xing, do you want to leave?"
...
She shakes her head.
"That's your answer. Li Xing is my disciple, she is my responsibility." I grab Li Ning's arm.
!!
"Let her go," I say.
"Y-You dare touch the elder-"
*BOOM!*
I blast the guard away as he collides against the pillar using sword Qi.
"A mere peak core formation dares to act up?!" Exclaims Li Ning.
"I welcome a fight but not here," I reply.
...
"Tch."
Li Ning pulls her arm away, freeing Li Xing. "Li Xing's talent is wasted on you. Even if you are from the upper realm, you know nothing about her bloodline."
Hmm...
I smirk. "Want to make a bet?"
"Huh? A bet?" Says Li Ning.
"Yes, Li Xing will be stronger than your current heir under my hands. If I lose, I will hand over a heaven grade martial arts from the upper realms. Otherwise, I want 50% of your treasury." I say.
!!
It's a tempting offer. The grades of martial art go as follows from the best:
-Divine
-Heaven
-Sovereign
-Master
-Earth
-Mortal
The Dragon's breath can be classified under Master. However, if they obtain a heaven grade martial art that belongs to the upper realm, without a doubt they will conquer the entire Kunlai with ease.
"You are way too confident." Says Li Ning. "Do you have something up your sleeves?"
"Now now, why would I reveal it? You can choose not to accept."
Veins appear on her face, my taunting worked.
Li Ning vowed using her martial soul as I did for the bet.
"Fine. In one month, let's see how much Li Xing can grow."
With that sentence, she swiftly left with her subordinates.
"Ma'am, 50 per cent is a bit..." Her subordinate says.
"Do not worry, the current heir is in the peak Nascent Soul, she can beat Li Xing and crush her. I don't believe that the upper realms can create such impossible miracles in a month." Li Ning says.
...
Li Xing gulps.
"What's wrong?" I ask. "Are you not confident?"
"The current heir to the Li family, Li Hua Mei is in the peak Nascent Soul. She has mastered the Li family arts of divinity and can manipulate the atmosphere. I...can't...not in one month."
...
Her body is trembling as she stares wide open into the ground.
I place my hand on Li Xing's shoulder and give her a bright smile. "Don't worry. Trust me, I will help you."
!
Li Xing gulps and nods. "En."
I go to Li Ye and help him up, taking him to the infirmary. Afterwards, I bring Li Xing to the treasury of the sect hidden deep below Nielong after informing Gaoming to gather all the inner and outer disciples.
To find the entrance, one has to follow a specific path while manipulating the Qi into a torch that "guides" the path. Only then will the array activate and transport some sort of door attached to the rocky walls.
It's space and time martial arts, I see no formation and array on the table which meant it wasn't an illusion. The entire treasury structure wasn't here. I should thank Li Ye for his elaborate guide.
I fold the paper Li Ye passed to me and slide it into the folds in my robe.
Pushing the heavy door aside, it leads to a tall corridor connecting another door at the end.
I nod to Li Xing and she follows me through.
The second door has a space for a small plate to be inserted and is locked. I fit the Patriarch plate nicely into the space and the door rumbles, sliding open instantly.
!!
The empty rows of shelves... Those used to store the martial arts that Zhong Han sold.
We walk to the back of the room to see only a few books.
A blue cover book about cultivation, another purple one about defensive cultivation...
And the last one that caught my eye: A black cover book that emits a burst of golden energy the moment I approach it.
That is?
I grab it and flip through.
!
A martial arts even better than the Sword of Reign, Dragon's wrath. Was this the reason for the salient status this sect possessed?
It is a skill that is difficult to comprehend, with absolutely no pictorial guide, only powerful lines of poems remain.
Such martial arts cannot be comprehended by simply copying the moves from pictures, only by understanding and tenacity can one grasp the essence.
I have much stronger martial arts and have no reason to study this but...
I throw a glance at Li Xing and she jolts.
"P-Patriarch?" She says.
"Here, you can study this martial art."
"Eh? B-But it's one of a kind..."
"I believe you can do it. Rather than letting it rot and collect dust, you should use it." I say.
!!!
Li Xing stares at the book as she takes it from my hand. With tears flowing down her cheeks, she goes into a kowtow. "Thank you so much! I won't disappoint you!"
I smile. I am seeing Li Xing in a new light. Her arrogance and annoyance from her ego have completely diminished even when there is a chance she is purely acting.
I take out a sword in a scabbard, it has a green jewel on its pommel and a golden light texture. This is the reward from the sect tournament together with many containers of pills and loads of money. Azrim is currently stronger than this piece of junk after killing so many people so I have no need for this, I hand it to Li Xing and her eyes widen.
"N-No! Patriarch, I don't need this, just the martial art is enough, you can give this to Yueling. She is stronger than I am."
"Just take it, it is the prize you earned from the tournament," I say.
Li Xing takes the sword with trembling hands and nods.
"Li Xing, I plan to revive the sect. You are the sect's goddess and role model. So I need your help."
"I will do anything the Patriarch tell me to."
--------------------------------
Li Xing and I arrive at the courtyard where every inner and outer disciple has gathered. The size of the sect is small, only about 40 have gathered.
"It's Li Xing..."
"She looks beautiful as always."
Li Xing blushes at the attention she receives, she has been training and rarely interacts with any fellow disciples.
"Stand straight!" Gaoming shouts.
"Greetings, Patriarch." They say in unison and bow.
I walk up the elevated platform. "Greetings, how is everyone doing? First of all, before I talk about the implementation of a new system, anyone who joined the sect on a whim or has no intention to suffer hell, fuck off out of the sect."
?!!!