Chapter 8: The Arrival of Xue Qinghe

She wasn’t worried about the money—after all, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had plenty of it. Ning Fengzhi gave Li Xun a monthly allowance of several hundred Gold Soul Coins. Her concern was that Li Xun was still young and might be easily deceived.

“It’s fine, Aunt Xue. I know what I’m doing. No one can fool me,” Li Xun said confidently.

This idea was a sudden inspiration from Li Xun himself. If even Yang Wudi could gather information on immortal-grade items, then with the backing of the wealth of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, it was only natural that he could do the same.

“It’s just a small expense. Once the returns come in, they’ll understand,” Li Xun thought, already imagining the reaction of the others when he distributed those immortal items.

In the days that followed, Li Xun devoted himself to cultivation and spent most of his time holed up in the library.

As one of the top three sects, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect’s collection of books was vast beyond measure. Even skimming through them at a glance took Li Xun a great deal of effort.

Though Ning Fengzhi and the others didn’t quite understand Li Xun’s actions, they silently supported him. They often sent disciples to help move the books.

Gradually, the name Li Xun became known among the sect’s disciples.

“Ninth-grade purple ganoderma, Dew of Longing—finally some progress,” Li Xun said with a smile, holding a book titled “The Journey of the Medicine King.”

He had leafed through most of the sect’s pharmacopeia before finding this rare volume.

“Though the ninth-grade purple ganoderma isn’t an immortal item, its medicinal properties strengthen the foundation and help break through bottlenecks. It’s quite a rare treasure,” he mused.

“Poor Yu Xiaogang—he won’t even reach level thirty now,” Li Xun chuckled quietly as he carefully placed the book into his soul conduit device.

…

Time passed swiftly.

The missions Li Xun issued gradually began to bear fruit. More and more people came to the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect to sell herbal medicine texts. Although no immortal-grade books appeared yet, he still purchased many volumes.

This was all to build a reputation for trustworthiness and attract more sellers.

Through relentless cultivation and aided by the sect’s precious meals and herbs, Li Xun’s soul power had reached level nineteen. Although his total chakra grew slowly, the progress was significant compared to before.

He estimated that his skills were now at the standard of a Genin—a beginner ninja—though his proficiency might be a bit higher than usual. Techniques like water walking and tree climbing posed no challenge at all.

At that moment, he was practicing the Body Flicker Technique in the courtyard.

For someone with the cultivation memories of the legendary Senju Hashirama, ordinary ninjutsu had no threshold, but mastering one to the point of fluid use still required constant practice, until it became second nature.

His figure flickered in and out of view within the courtyard, moving swiftly and leaving behind faint afterimages.

“Phew, that finally looks like something,” Li Xun exhaled deeply. The Body Flicker Technique, an advanced ninjutsu within the Three Body Techniques, had been under his study for some time.

The Three Body Techniques—Substitution, Clone, and Transformation—he could already perform. However, due to unstable chakra, the duration of his clones and transformations was very short.

“Young Master, His Highness Xue Qinghe is here. Master asked me to call you over,” Aunt Xue’s voice came from outside, probably hearing Li Xun finish his training.

“All right, Aunt Xue, just a moment—I’ll go change,” Li Xun replied, narrowing his eyes before heading inside.

He knew well that this Xue Qinghe was actually Qian Renxue in disguise.

“Since the Third Prince’s sudden death last year, Qian Renxue should soon ascend to Crown Prince. Coming here now is likely to secure the Master’s support to solidify her position within the royal family.”

Though Ning Fengzhi was officially Xue Qinghe’s tutor, he had not involved himself in the succession struggles.

That was mainly because the Snow Night Emperor had been relatively healthy until recently, and the power of the Tiandou Empire remained firmly in his hands. Naming the heir was solely his decision.

But things had changed these past few years. The Second and Third Princes had died mysteriously, the Fourth Prince, Xue Beng, was still young, and the seventeen-year-old Xue Qinghe was beginning to show his sharp edge.

In the main hall of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, Li Xun entered to see Ning Fengzhi sitting beside a young man dressed in luxurious robes.

The youth was about sixteen or seventeen, with a gentle face and a slight smile that conveyed warmth and approachability.

“Master,” Li Xun bowed to Ning Fengzhi, then turned his gaze to Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe.

“Come, Xun. I called you here mainly so you could get acquainted with His Highness Xue Qinghe,” Ning Fengzhi said with a smile, hastily introducing the youth beside him.

Li Xun nodded and respectfully cupped his hands toward Xue Qinghe. “Your Highness.”

“Brother, no need for such formality. As fellow disciples under the Master, just call me senior brother,” Xue Qinghe said softly, his face warm.

“I heard from Master that you’re quite interested in medicine and have been gathering medical books everywhere. I happened to find some rare volumes in Tiandou’s library. Consider these a gift for your meeting,” Xue Qinghe added, producing three books from his soul conduit device and handing them to Li Xun.

“Thank you, senior brother,” Li Xun’s heart stirred as he accepted the books, his expression carefully masking genuine delight.

Rare volumes collected by the royal family surely held great value. The fact that Xue Qinghe cared for him so thoughtfully was truly meticulous.

“If you’re still so polite, senior brother might get angry,” Xue Qinghe feigned annoyance.

Seeing this, Li Xun quickly adopted a shy demeanor. “Hehe... all right, senior brother.”

Ning Fengzhi watched this harmonious scene with satisfaction.

“Your Highness, Xun rarely interacts with outsiders. As his senior brother, you should keep in touch more often.”

Stabilizing relations with the royal family should have been the next sect leader’s responsibility.

But Ning Rongrong was a young girl, still immature and unstable in temperament. Putting her forward might invite undesirable speculation.

Though the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was a powerful organization, it was not afraid of the royal family and need not humble itself unduly.

“Master is right. I was just thinking the same,” Xue Qinghe smiled and nodded, then turned to Ning Fengzhi. “By the way, Master, what do you think about Rongrong and Xun entering the academy to study?”

“What exactly do you mean, Your Highness?” Ning Fengzhi’s mind stirred.

In a sect like the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, disciples did not need to enter the academy like common soul masters to gain knowledge. The sect had a complete system for educating its members.

Yet Xue Qinghe mentioned it openly, clearly hinting at something else.

“Master, recently Prince Xue Xing has been meddling frequently in the affairs of the Tiandou Royal Academy. He has also established connections with the Blue Lightning Overlord Sect, inviting their disciples into the academy.”

“Currently, the young generation of the Blue Lightning family, led by Yu Tianheng, is thriving. Many academy students take pride in joining the Blue Lightning Overlord Sect.”

“If this continues, the status of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect in the Tiandou Empire might be affected,” Xue Qinghe said, his brows furrowed deeply, troubled.

Ning Fengzhi frowned and fell into thought.

Everyone in Tiandou knew Xue Qinghe was his student, and this relationship symbolized the close ties between the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and the royal family.

Now, Prince Xue Xing’s actions were clearly aimed at restraining the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect through the Blue Lightning Overlord Sect.

Though the top three sects shared a common lineage, Xue Qinghe was only a step away from becoming Crown Prince. To avoid unforeseen troubles, Ning Fengzhi felt compelled to offer support.

“Your Highness need not worry. Yu Yuanzhen will not act rashly. The Blue Lightning Overlord Sect has been weak in recent years; this is merely an attempt to forge ties with the royal family.”

“However, it is indeed time for the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect to send disciples out into the world, to let others see the genius of our sect.”