The Heavenly Saber Novel - Chapter 014

Chapter 014 A Party of Fellow Disciples
Li Qing won just like that? Moreover, it was still so clean and neat that he didn’t even use his saber! This result was beyond many people’s expectations. Some people felt that Li Qing’s victory was very strange, believing that the difference in strength between the two sides was not that big.

“He played tricks, sneak attack first!” Someone shouted out in disapproval.

Everyone despised him, it was clear that he could not afford to lose.

Losing is losing. Although Li Qing was suspected of sneak attacking, it was also Chen Jun’s carelessness. He had completely asked for it, and there was nothing wrong with it. It could be said that Li Qing won this competition very beautifully, which was a classic example of winning by the weak.

Chen Jun’s subordinates carefully walked up, lifted Chen Jun up, and fled into the wilderness. The contest was over.

“Let’s go.” Liu Ke’er pulled Li Qing’s hand and passed through the crowd.

“Not bad,” she praised. “I actually won, and it was so easy.”

“Of course.” Li Qing’s nostrils were facing the sky and he was arrogant. “You don’t even look at who I am. This kid actually dares to hit on my woman. Isn’t that looking for a whip?”

Liu Ke’er blushed and said angrily, “You still say it! Who is your woman? Shameless!”

Li Qing showed an innocent look, “Didn’t you say that? Why did you turn around and refuse to recognize someone? It’s too heartless.”

Liu Ke’er rolled her eyes and pinched Li Qing’s waist forcefully. She even spun around, causing him to grin in pain.

“Let’s see if you still dare to take advantage of me.” She tilted her eyes and couldn’t help but laugh when she saw Li Qing’s exaggerated expression.

“Hehe …” Li Qing rubbed his head and smiled foolishly. She sighed in her heart, “Irrationality is a woman’s right.”

“What a wretched smile.” She was unhappy and stretched out her hand to pinch his waist.

“Aiyo, it hurts!” Li Qing shouted.

The two of them fought along the way and returned happily.

…

The crowd gradually dispersed.

A few people gathered together and watched Li Qing and the others leave. They were discussing something. These people were all wearing inner sect costumes and were obviously inner sect disciples.

“What’s his name? Is he really just an outer sect disciple?” A young man in the lead asked.

“That’s right. It’s an outer sect disciple named Li Qing. He’s going to participate in the inner sect examination this year.” Answered a person beside him.

“Are you going to participate in the inner sect exam this year?” The young man frowned and questioned, “Why haven’t you mentioned such a strong person before? You only told me now!”

“This person had always been infamous and very low-key. Furthermore, he seemed to have been brought up the mountain by an elder halfway, so he ignored it,” someone replied.

“Humph!” The young man said with a displeased expression, “Invite him to the party tomorrow evening. I hope he will be more sensible then.”

…

Li Qing did not know that someone was plotting against him. He returned to his courtyard and relaxed. Liu Ke’er had already separated from him and returned to the Secluded Moon Peak.

This battle quickly spread throughout the Flaming Sun Peak. Li Qing was completely famous. His strength was astonishing.

On the other hand, Chen Jun’s performance disappointed many people. With his strength, he was actually defeated by an outer sect disciple. It was truly beneath his standards. Rumor has it that his grandfather gave him a good beating when he returned.

Li Qing ignored the storms outside and closed the door to cultivate quietly. Soon, it was evening, and there was a knock on the door.

Li Qing hurriedly walked out and opened the door. Outside the door stood a few acquaintances. They were the outer sect disciples who had good relations with Li Qing over the past few years. Their names were Shi Wei, Zhou Bo, and Zhang Xiaolong.

“Alright, Li Qing! He can actually defeat Chen Jun and return with a beauty in his arms.” Zhou Bo said with a face full of envy.

Li Qing smiled and didn’t explain anything. He humbly said a few words and then asked, “Why are you here so late?”

“Oh, it’s like this.” Shi Wei said, “There’s a party tomorrow night. We’d like to invite you to join us.”

“A party of the same sect? What is that?” Li Qing was puzzled.

Shi Wei explained, “The five-year period is almost here. The inner sect examination is about to begin. All of us disciples who came in the same year have some affection for each other. Therefore, a friend organized this gathering. Although there weren’t many people, it wouldn’t hurt to communicate with each other and get to know each other.”

“That’s why.” Li Qing did not think too much and agreed, “Alright, I will participate then.”

“It’s a deal. When the time comes, we’ll come find you and go together.” The few of them made an appointment and left.

Li Qing turned around and went back to his room, not caring too much about it. He was very confident in the upcoming inner sect examination. With his strength, not to mention that he would definitely pass this examination, he was at least certain that he would succeed.

Every year, Flaming Sun Peak only provided ten inner sect disciples with promotion spots. The first requirement for participating in the inner sect examination was to be an outer sect disciple for more than five years, and secondly, to reach the Houtian fifth layer.

There weren’t many spots, but considering the actual situation, this was actually reasonable. The reason for that was because there were only a few dozen disciples recruited by Yan Yang Peak every year. Among them, only half, or less than 20 people, were able to reach the Houtian 5th layer within five years.

Choosing ten out of less than twenty people was a very relaxed threshold. As for the selection requirements, they were naturally competing in martial arts. The top ten disciples were promoted to inner sect disciples.

Actually, there weren’t only twenty disciples participating in the exam, and the number would often exceed. The reason for that was because not only were there disciples participating in the exam this year, there were also disciples who had failed in previous years. As they continued to accumulate like this, the number of disciples participating in the exam was quite considerable.

If an outer sect disciple is not able to become an inner sect disciple, there are usually several ways out. Some people will continue to cultivate diligently and strive to take part in the examination next year. Some people felt that they were not a material for cultivation, so they chose to leave the sect and return to the secular world as a wealthy man. The last one was that if he failed the inner sect examination within ten years, the sect would expel him to avoid wasting resources.

Therefore, every year, there would be about thirty to forty people participating in the inner sect examination. With Li Qing’s strength, becoming an inner sect disciple was more than enough. Passing the exam shouldn’t be difficult, so he wasn’t too worried.

…

Soon, it was evening of the next day. Shi Wei and the others came to see Li Qing on time to attend tonight’s party.

The meeting place is in the organizer’s yard. They arrived at their destination and knocked on the door. After a while, the door opened and a person walked out.

When he saw the people in front of the door, his eyes lit up. He cupped his hands and said, “I’ve been waiting for you for a long time. Please come in quickly.”

Li Qing knew this person and had met him once. He knew that this person’s name was Shao Yujin. He was very strong and had the cultivation of the sixth level of the Houtian realm. He is very steady and has a wide range of friends. He is friends with a lot of people. He was the most outstanding outer sect disciple this year.

The few of them entered the courtyard. Li Qing looked around and saw that the scenery inside was very good. There were rockery, pools, flowers, grass, and a few clusters of bamboo. Compared to Li Qing’s messy courtyard, it was really many times better.

There were already more than a dozen people in the room, sitting around a large table and chatting. The table was full of dishes and wine, and the atmosphere was very lively.

Seeing new guests arrive, these people all turned their heads and greeted, “Aiyo, Shi Wei and the others are here. This time, everyone is here.”

“Come, sit down!” They were very enthusiastic.

After a moment of courtesy, Li Qing and the others found a seat and sat down.

Li Qing looked up and saw that the three people sitting at the top were actually wearing inner sect clothes. They were obviously inner sect disciples. He frowned. Why would an inner sect disciple come? Isn’t tonight an outer sect disciple gathering?

Many people looked at Li Qing with curiosity. Someone asked, “Shi Wei, why don’t you introduce this little brother?”

“This is Li Qing. Didn’t you say you wanted to see him before? He’s right in front of you now,” Shi Wei said hurriedly.

“So you are Li Qing. Sure enough, you are extraordinary.” Everyone praised without hesitation.

“You flatter me.” Li Qing said humbly.

The people present introduced themselves to each other and quickly got to know each other. The three inner sect disciples above were Shao Yujin’s friends, so they came to the party on the way. The leader was a young man named Xu Nanrong. His aura was extraordinary and he was lofty. His cultivation had shockingly reached the eighth level of the Houtian realm.

Xu Nanrong stood up, raised his glass, and said to Li Qing, “Little brother Li Qing, I’ve heard a lot about you. I’d like to propose a toast to you.”

Li Qing also raised his wine cup to greet him and drank it down in one gulp.

“I heard that you defeated Chen Jun yesterday. As an outer sect disciple, you were actually able to defeat the geniuses in the inner sect. It really opened our eyes,” Xu Nanrong said.

Li Qing waved his hand and said, “Actually, he underestimated the enemy’s carelessness. Furthermore, he was spoiled and did not have much combat experience. Only then could I win.”

“Victory is not arrogant, defeat is not discouraging. Your heart is truly broad-minded.” Xu Nanrong praised. He slowly sat down and said inadvertently, “You are going to participate in the inner sect examination this year. With your strength, you should be certain.”

Li Qing smiled and said, “If nothing unexpected happens, it is true.” He was very calm and did not conceal his confidence.

Xu Nanrong’s gaze narrowed as he said in a deep voice, “I have a suggestion. May I ask if Brother Li Qing can listen to it?”

“Oh? But it doesn’t matter.”

“Brother Li has only entered the sect for five years. It’s not long. I’m afraid we need to temper ourselves a bit more. We don’t need to rush into the inner sect. We might as well be outer sect disciples for a few more years. I have a friend who is in a hurry to pass the inner sect exam this year. May I ask you to give up your spot? I will definitely repay you generously.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the scene instantly quieted down.

Li Qing frowned, his expression a little ugly. This request was truly unreasonable.

He shook his head and coldly said, “How can we give way to the path of cultivation? I’m afraid I can’t agree to this request.” His tone became impolite.

Xu Nanrong’s expression was indifferent, as if everything was under control. He gently turned the wine cup in his hand and slowly said, “Don’t you think about it? As long as you agree, I owe you a favor and have another rich spirit stone to offer.”

“There’s no need to think about it. I won’t agree.” Li Qing was unmoved and his gaze was like iron.

Seeing that the situation was not good, some people tried to persuade him, “Brother Li, why are you so stubborn? Just agree.”

“That’s right. You’re not at a disadvantage either. You have a reward and you can even temper yourself in the outer sect. How could there be such a good thing in the world? You actually refuse to accept it?”

Shi Wei also said, “Li Qing, you and I are friends. I really don’t want to see you make the wrong choice and go astray. Listen to my advice, don’t take part in this year’s exam.”

Li Qing coldly looked at him and scolded, “Who is your friend?” It was obvious that this gathering was aimed at him. Shi Wei must have colluded with them in order to seize the inner sect disciple spot. To think that he would treat Shi Wei as a friend, he never expected that he would be so sinister.

Shi Wei’s expression darkened as he said, “Don’t go too far!”

“Am I overdoing it?” Li Qing felt that it was a bit ridiculous. It was clearly their unreasonable request, but why didn’t they agree to it? On the contrary, it was his fault.

He suddenly asked curiously, “I have a question that I don’t understand. Even if I agree to give way, how can you ensure that person gets this spot?”

Xu Nanrong said, “There is no need for you to understand this matter. As long as you promise not to participate in the examination, we will naturally settle the rest of the matters.”

“Looks like you can secretly manipulate the examination room!” Li Qing’s heart went cold. He stood up and swept his gaze around. He sneered, “I disdain to be with a bunch of people from the Battalion of Gou.” After saying that, he brushed his sleeves and left.

“Li Qing!” Xu Nanrong stopped him and said with a gloomy expression, “A wise man is a wise man. Let me give you another chance to admit your mistake now. I can forgive your rudeness.”

Li Qing didn’t even turn his head and directly walked out of the door.

Xu Nanrong looked at his back with a cold gaze and said threateningly, “Since you don’t know what to do, don’t blame me for being ruthless. You must be careful when you go out these days. If something unexpected happens, it would be bad to break your limbs.”

Li Qing could hear it clearly outside the door, but he didn’t care. Could it be that they actually dared to make a move on the Flaming Sun Peak? It was a serious crime to kill one another in the same sect. Once they were discovered, their cultivation would be abolished and they would be expelled from the sect. Perhaps they did not have the courage to do so.