Dominator Emperor

Chapter 45: If You Won’t Submit, I’ll Beat You Until You Do (Part 1)

Back on Solitary Peak, Li Qiye immediately summoned Nan Huairun and his master, Guardian Mo. Once they had both arrived, Li Qiye asked, ”What exactly is the Sect Leader’s background?”

Li Qiye found the matter interesting. The Great Elder wasn’t the type to be jealous of the worthy. It was also clear he had no ambition to compete for the Sect Leader’s position. So why did he seem to dislike Sect Leader Su Yonghuang so much?

Nan Huairun and his master exchanged a glance. Nan Huairun knew even less. He scratched his head and said, ”Uh, I don’t know about that. The Sect Leader was already the Sect Leader before I joined the sect. I can count the number of times I’ve seen her on both hands.”

Li Qiye looked at Guardian Mo, who gently shook his head. ”I’m not clear about the Sect Leader’s background either. In fact, very few people in our Xiyan Ancient Sect know her true origins. You could say she appeared out of nowhere overnight.”

”Appeared out of nowhere overnight? Someone who appeared out of nowhere overnight can become the Sect Leader?” Hearing this, Li Qiye found it strange.

Guardian Mo pondered for a moment before speaking. ”Back when the previous Sect Leader was still around, I heard that the Supreme Elder hadn’t passed on yet either. I don’t know the exact details, but the story goes that overnight, the previous Sect Leader summoned only the Great Elder. That’s when the current Sect Leader appeared. It is said that the previous Sect Leader and the Supreme Elder, who was still alive at the time, entrusted the sect’s future to the Great Elder and appointed her to lead the Xiyan Ancient Sect.”

Li Qiye was surprised to hear this. He had assumed his master, Su Yonghuang, had always been a disciple of the Xiyan Ancient Sect, but now it seemed that wasn’t the case at all.

”Does that mean my master was a disciple secretly trained by the previous Sect Leader and the Supreme Elder?” Li Qiye asked.

Guardian Mo shook his head. ”We don’t know the specifics. All we know is that after the Great Elder was summoned, he announced the new Sect Leader. In fact, it wasn’t just Cao Xiong at the time; even the other four elders strongly objected. However, we heard the Great Elder went to great lengths to persuade them. Later, he personally intervened, suppressing the disciples and mid-to-high-level Guardian Hall Masters who were most vehemently opposed...”

”...At the time, the previous Sect Leader was still alive, and the Supreme Elder hadn’t yet passed on. The Great Elder had their full support, and his own status within the Xiyan Ancient Sect has always been very high. In fact, many people at the time assumed the Great Elder would be the one to succeed as Sect Leader. Everyone was shocked when a new Sect Leader appeared out of nowhere. But since even the Great Elder supported the new Sect Leader and didn’t contest the position, the other four elders eventually accepted the decision.” Having said this, Guardian Mo fell silent for a moment.

”But the new Sect Leader wasn’t welcome.” Li Qiye could imagine the scene. ’A new Sect Leader appearing out of nowhere... Even with the support of the previous Sect Leader and the Supreme Elder, and with the Great Elder himself suppressing dissent, the other Elders of the Xiyan Ancient Sect must have been secretly displeased.’

Guardian Mo nodded lightly. ”Not long after the Sect Leader took office, she took a small group of disciples and went to stand guard over the Border Desolation. She rarely returned. After the previous Sect Leader and the Supreme Elder successively passed on, the Sect Leader never returned to the Xiyan Ancient Sect at all.”

Li Qiye rubbed his chin. ’This is a bit strange. What exactly are the Sect Leader’s origins?’

”If anyone truly understands the Sect Leader, it would have to be Tu Buyu,” Guardian Mo finally said in a low voice.

Li Qiye smiled and shook his head. ’It would be stranger if Tu Buyu actually said anything. He’s clearly Sect Leader Su Yonghuang’s confidant, otherwise she wouldn’t have sent him back here.’

Since Guardian Mo couldn’t explain Sect Leader Su Yonghuang’s origins, Li Qiye dropped the subject. He slowed his cultivation pace and turned his attention to teaching at the Martial Arts Hall on Washing Stone Peak.

When it came to being a teacher, there was no one more suitable than Li Qiye. He had weathered countless ages, tempered over millions of years. What kind of person had he not met? How many conquerors and Overlords had he raised? How many giants and Emperors had he suppressed?

Never mind that he had personally groomed Mingren Immortal Emperor; even a Supreme Giant like the Black Dragon King—an existence revered by three successive generations of Immortal Emperors—was a product of his tutelage.

For Li Qiye, teaching a group of greenhorns was as easy as flipping his hand. However, he took the task seriously.

The reason was simple: no one he trained was ever weak. Now that he had finally reclaimed his body in this life, he had no intention of ruining his own illustrious reputation.

Li Qiye had a much more profound view on Cultivation. In his eyes, talent was unimportant. Physique was unimportant. Even one’s Cultivation Technique could be unimportant.

What mattered was an unwavering Dao Heart. A Dao Heart that thirsted for knowledge. A Dao Heart that could embrace all things, like the ocean accepts all rivers. A tireless, unremitting Dao Heart. That was what truly mattered.

If talent is lacking, diligence can compensate. As long as you earnestly seek enlightenment, it doesn’t matter how poor your talent is. If it takes others one day to comprehend something, you can take one hundred days; you will eventually reap the rewards. With a Dao Heart that embraces all things, your vision can span the eight directions, and you will not be blinded by your own myopia!

If your Cultivation Technique is subpar, as long as you thirst for knowledge, you can take even the most common technique and, through tireless pursuit, one day cultivate it to its absolute limit, forging a completely new path for yourself!

Throughout the ages, how many titans have carved out new worlds for themselves from old, common Cultivation Techniques, comprehending their own Daoist Techniques and paving their own Great Dao!

The Dao Heart—that is the true foundation of Cultivation. Throughout history, countless Ancient Countries and Holy Sects have nurtured innumerable geniuses, but ultimately, very few have ever become an Immortal Emperor.

Li Qiye carefully read the profiles of the three hundred disciples in the Martial Arts Hall of Washing Stone Peak. He committed each disciple’s cultivation status to memory and also meticulously reviewed the Cultivation Techniques available in the hall.

In truth, the three hundred disciples of the Martial Arts Hall practiced only a handful of Cultivation Techniques. This was because the longest-serving among them had been with the sect for less than five years. They weren’t yet considered official inner disciples of the Xiyan Ancient Sect. Only by passing a final assessment could they earn that title.

The three hundred disciples of the Martial Arts Hall, split evenly between male and female, had access to only a meager dozen or so Cultivation Techniques in total.

Among these techniques, some were entry-level methods created by past Elder Sages of the Xiyan Ancient Sect. Older still were those left behind by Mingren Immortal Emperor. And the most ancient of all were the techniques Li Qiye himself had bestowed upon the sect back when he was the Yin Ya.

These were all relatively common Entry-level Techniques, hardly anything world-shaking. However, these Ancient Techniques had been carefully selected as fundamental methods for building a solid foundation.

Aside from the common techniques he himself had introduced to the Xiyan Ancient Sect, Li Qiye had never seen the others before. However, over millions of years, he had seen, comprehended, and studied far too many Cultivation Techniques. Even if his memories of specific techniques had been wiped clean, his perspective when analyzing them was far beyond anyone else’s. His understanding of any given Cultivation Technique could be considered truly profound!

In addition to reviewing all the techniques in the Martial Arts Hall, Li Qiye also browsed many others from the first two floors of the Scripture Pavilion. He didn’t intend to practice these techniques himself; he was simply searching for suitable methods for the Martial Arts Hall disciples.

The Great Elder also hoped Li Qiye would be able to earn some merit, so he had granted him special permission to review these techniques.

As a teacher, Li Qiye was indeed responsible. He wasn’t just using these three hundred disciples as a stepping stone to gain some prestige and easy merit.

Since he had taken on the role of a teacher, he would see it through to the very end. That was Li Qiye’s way. He would never allow his own reputation to be tarnished by his own hands.

Li Qiye made thorough preparations for his teaching duties. He was fully confident he could teach this batch of disciples well. In his mind, when the day of the assessment came, not a single one of his disciples would fail to become an inner disciple.

The Washing Stone Peak branch was one where Cao Xiong held significant influence. Master Zhou, for instance, stood with him.

However, to Li Qiye, this hardly constituted a challenge. Even with Cao Xiong’s immense influence over this branch, Li Qiye was confident he could seize control of Washing Stone Peak. For him, it wasn’t an issue!

The Martial Arts Hall of Washing Stone Peak was built inside Washing Stone Valley. The valley itself was vast, filled with sprawling buildings and intersecting courtyards. The three hundred disciples who resided here had all joined the sect within the last five years. Including the servants who tended to their daily needs, there were over four hundred people in Washing Stone Valley.

Li Qiye entered Washing Stone Valley early in the morning. Master Zhou, naturally, offered no assistance. Nan Huairun, however, was thoughtful and meticulous. Since it was Li Qiye’s first day of teaching, he took it upon himself to gather the three hundred disciples of the Martial Arts Hall after Li Qiye arrived.

Three hundred male and female disciples gathered on the Martial Arts Hall’s training grounds. At that moment, three hundred pairs of eyes were fixed on Li Qiye.

Li Qiye’s gaze swept over the assembled disciples. The three hundred students before him were split about evenly between male and female. The oldest was younger than eighteen, while the youngest was likely thirteen.

Li Qiye himself was only thirteen or fourteen. The thought of him teaching three hundred disciples made Nan Huairun worry that Li Qiye wouldn’t be able to keep them in line.

But then he saw Li Qiye, sitting calmly in the high seat. Though only thirteen or fourteen, he had the bearing of a great Grandmaster. Li Qiye’s confidence made Nan Huairun inwardly breathe a sigh of relief.

Sure enough, trouble began as soon as the three hundred disciples were assembled. Among them, some were immediately dissatisfied with Li Qiye as their new teacher, even with his title of Chief Disciple.