Sect Grand Tournament: Brothers Reunite
Two years later.
It was now the fifth year since Qin Changqing had arrived at the Taiqing Sect. In that time, he had fathered over a hundred children with heavenly spiritual roots or better for the sect.
And thanks to the feedback from his children, his own cultivation had successfully broken through to the sixth layer of the Foundation Establishment stage.
"Daddy, my little brother broke my toy!"
A little girl came running over in tears, cradling a shattered doll as she tattled.
Qin Changqing chuckled and scooped her into his arms. "If your brother's being naughty, give him a good spanking. Do it while he's little—once he grows up, you won't be able to handle him anymore. So what if the toy's broken? Daddy'll make you a new one."
"Daddy's the best!"
The girl's tears turned to smiles in an instant. She planted a delighted kiss on his cheek.
Qin Changqing had just stood up, intending to gather some materials for a new doll, when his gaze flickered. Far in the distance, at the edge of the sky, a black speck was hurtling toward them at tremendous speed.
In a mere dozen breaths, it was already hovering overhead above the Taiqing Sect.
"Where is Fellow Daoist Chiyang—?"
A booming voice echoed across the entire sect, drawing every head skyward.
A crowd stood aboard a massive treasure ship of a flying vessel. Leading them was a middle-aged cultivator in a blue robe.
As the words faded, a dozen figures shot out from Chiyang Peak, led by none other than Liu Qinghui.
"Fellow Daoist Zuo, it's been too long."
Liu Qinghui smiled, opening the sect's grand formation to welcome the visitors inside.
"The Taixuan Sect arrived fast!"
A figure appeared at Qin Changqing's side, also gazing upward—Guan Zilan.
Qin Changqing asked curiously, "What's the Taixuan Sect doing here?"
Guan Zilan explained, "It's time for the decennial sect grand tournament. This round, it's our Taiqing Sect's turn to host."
Qin Changqing nodded in realization. He'd been holed up in Qingyun Manor the whole time, rarely venturing out, so he was out of touch with outside events.
Still, after so many years in the sect—and with his trips via teleportation to visit his children—he knew about the tournament.
It was a competition jointly organized by the ten great cultivation sects of Jing Kingdom, a tradition spanning centuries and serving as a friendly rivalry among them.
Each sect sent disciples from the Qi Refining stage up to the Golden Core stage, grouped by cultivation level. They sparred and debated the Dao, vying for rankings that influenced the overall standings of the ten sects. Everyone took it seriously.
As they spoke, more black specks raced in from the horizon—this time, a group riding exotic flying beasts. The creatures came in all shapes and sizes, their massive bodies radiating an oppressive aura that took the breath away.
"Is that the Daotian Sect?" Qin Changqing asked.
Guan Zilan nodded. "The Daotian Sect excels in beast-taming arts. That Snowflame Eagle up front? It's a Golden Core spirit beast."
Qin Changqing clicked his tongue in admiration, a spark of envy in his heart. When could he get his hands on a few flying spirit beasts as mounts?
Before long, another group arrived, swords underfoot. They stood with hands clasped behind their backs, arrogance etched on their faces—the men dashing as jade trees in the wind, the women heroic and poised. Fine specimens, all of them.
"That's the Fengling Sword Sect," Guan Zilan said flatly. "They specialize in sword flight and favor flying swords in combat."
In the hours that followed, the remaining sects arrived one after another: the Azure Sea Sect, Taiyi Sword Sect, Thunder Sword Sect, Ice Snow Palace, Cloud Firmament Sect, and Bright Sun Sect.
…
The Taiqing Sect buzzed with activity.
Once the disciples from the ten sects were settled, Liu Qinghui gathered the higher-ups in a secret chamber to discuss the tournament.
"Sect Master Senior Brother, Nangong Die and the others are all pregnant—they can't compete at all. What do we do?"
"Exactly. We do have some talented disciples left, but not enough in number, and their cultivations are still too shallow. We'd been grooming Nangong Die and her cohort specifically for this tournament... who could've foreseen... Sigh!"
Anxiety creased the elders' faces.
Those key disciples with top talents like Nangong Die were all back at Qingyun Manor, bellies swollen!
Liu Qinghui frowned in worry.
Qin Changqing was just too formidable. Over these years, the women in his manor had scarcely known a moment's rest—either pregnant or on the road to pregnancy.
"It's just a sect tournament," Elder Cao Feng spoke up. "If worst comes to worst, slot in some disciples with lesser talents. We don't need to chase rankings this time. Once those kids we have grow up, we can reclaim everything we've lost and more!"
The elders paused, then nodded. He had a point. With so many elite immortal seedlings in hand, what did fleeting rankings matter?
Liu Qinghui laughed too. "Junior Brother Cao is right. Taiqing Sect seeks only stability now—rankings be damned. Just ensure the tournament runs smoothly without any mishaps."
"Yes!"
"Let's hope it ends quickly!"
—
Taixuan Sect encampment.
Qin Qipeng and Qin Qicheng were visiting the Taiqing Sect for the first time. They stood at a cliff's edge, gazing down at the drifting mists below.
"Big Brother, the Taiqing Sect lives up to its reputation as the top sect. The spiritual energy here's way richer than back home at Taixuan!"
Qin Qicheng took a deep breath, sighing in awe.
Qin Qipeng laughed and swatted at him playfully. "If Master heard that, you'd get an earful!"
Qin Qicheng just grinned sheepishly.
Both were children from Qin Rongrong, sent to the Taixuan Sect in their early years.
"Qipeng? Qicheng?"
A voice called out suddenly.
Qin Qipeng blinked and turned. Three figures—two women and a man—stood nearby, faces alight with joy as they stared at the brothers.
"You three are..."
Puzzled at first, recognition dawned in Qin Qipeng's eyes as he spotted familiar features. Hesitantly, he ventured, "Big Brother? Second Sis? Third Sis?"
It was Qin Qiming, along with Qin Mengrou and Qin Mengxue. They'd been wandering idly, hoping to mingle with promising disciples from the other sects, when they stumbled upon the pair.
"Hahaha, it is you, little Qipeng!" Qin Qiming laughed heartily, striding forward. "I wasn't sure at first—it's been so many years. Good thing you haven't changed too much. Hmm... you've shot up quite a bit!"
The brothers' faces lit with excitement. To meet family here, of all places!
In their minds, they were only cousins with Qin Qiming and the sisters, but they'd grown up together—bonds thicker than blood.
"Little Cheng's grown up too. Used to trail after me begging for candy!" Qin Mengxue teased with a smile.
Qin Qicheng scratched his head, embarrassed. "Third Sis, quit teasing!"
They chatted about life after leaving the family, a touch of emotion in the air.
Qin Mengrou said, "So many of us siblings from back then were sent to the ten great sects. With you two here, who knows—others might be around too."
Qin Qipeng's eyes lit up. "Right! Want to go look for them?"
The group immediately took to their magic tools, departing the encampment to roam the sect.
Though the ten sects competed fiercely, they were all righteous paths at heart—cordial enough. There were few restrictions on visiting disciples, save for forbidden zones; the rest of the grounds were open to explore.