Rise of the Sword Son-in-Law

"Have you seen the rankings?" On their way to the Li Family estate, Li Qingyi asked Xu Ping'an. "Yes, I have. What's the deal with this Grand Sect Competition?" Xu Ping'an inquired. Li Qingyi looked at Xu Ping'an, not surprised that he knew about the Sect Competition, and explained, "The Grand Sect Competition among the four major sects is a customary event held every ten years. Each time we compete, our Beichen Sword Sect always comes in last, and the gap between us and the third place is significant." "How significant?" Xu Ping'an asked. "As far as I know, the Blade Sect, ranked third, already has eight disciples who have reached the Third Rank. And the Li Huo Sect and Tyrant Heavenly Sect probably have even more—definitely no fewer than ten," said Li Qingyi seriously. "Why so many?" Xu Ping'an asked in surprise. "Right, the four major sects have fairly strict age requirements for their disciples. Only those who break through to the Third Rank before the age of twenty-six are considered Third Rank disciples. Those who break through between the ages of twenty-six and thirty become Outer Sect Elders, and those who do so after thirty are usually of lesser talent and are sent away. The Sect Competition also requires participants to be under twenty-six," Li Qingyi explained. Xu Ping'an frowned slightly. In the Beichen Sword Sect, there wasn't a single Third Rank disciple under the age of twenty-six! Those who truly broke through to the Third Rank mostly did so between the ages of twenty-six and thirty. Yet the other sects had more than ten—this difference was truly vast. "However, it seems the Sect isn't planning to give up this time. I've heard that this Sect Competition is somewhat different from the previous ones. There is a huge benefit for the winner, but I don't know the specifics. I've only heard my master mention it," Li Qingyi said. Elite disciples are those who have entered into a master-disciple relationship and are taught by an independent master. The master Li Qingyi was apprenticed to was a female Elder named Song Ruoxi from the sect. Xu Ping'an nodded. If there really is a substantial benefit, he could certainly try to compete for it. After all, the path of cultivation is about defying the heavens and seizing fate. Without competition, where would the cultivation resources come from? In his past life, he had battled his way up to the Immortal Emperor Realm, step by step—it would be the same this time. "Do you plan to participate?" Xu Ping'an asked. "Of course, I will. I fear all the elite disciples will take part, though it seems there are only five spots. Junior Brother Xu, I think you could compete for one," Li Qingyi said, looking at Xu Ping'an. Xu Ping'an smiled, saying nothing. He would! When the time came, if there were benefits, he would definitely fight for a spot. "Did you enter the Xu Family ancestral lands to break through to the Third Rank?" Xu Ping'an asked Li Qingyi. "Yes, but it's not just for breaking through to the Third Rank; there are some even more important matters." Li Qingyi's gaze became intense, this trip to the ancestral lands was very important for her. "Rest assured, I will do my utmost to help you obtain what you desire," Xu Ping'an said. Upon hearing this, Li Qingyi smiled lightly again. At that moment, she suddenly felt that with Xu Ping'an by her side, they would definitely succeed. Seeking Xu Ping'an out initially was truly the right choice. "Actually, the trip to the ancestral lands has benefits for you too. This time, those elite disciples will choose to go all out for a breakthrough, and the competition for these five spots will likely be fierce," Li Qingyi said. Xu Ping'an smiled and nodded. However, breaking through to the Third Rank was not easy; amassing a large amount of resources was one aspect, but some innate talent was also required. Otherwise, the Beichen Sword Sect wouldn't have gone so many years without producing a Third Rank disciple under the age of twenty-six. ... Soon, the two arrived at the Li Family estate. "This is Luoyang City, the Li Family residence," said Li Qingyi. "Luoyang City?" Xu Ping'an walked through the city with a faint look of surprise on his face. Luoyang City was much larger and more prosperous than Tian Wu City. In the Tianlong River region, there are eight cities, three Major Cultivator Clans, and one Major Cultivation Sect. Of these cities, Luoyang was the foremost, and now he could see it truly was extraordinary. "How many Third Rank members does the Li Family have?" Xu Ping'an asked with a smile. "Two, though officially only one is recognized," Li Qingyi responded. Xu Ping'an smiled. Indeed, with the Li Family being the first among the three great families, it would be hard to believe they only had a single Third Rank. Of course, now there were only two great cultivator clans left. Having killed Wang Tianyu, Xu Ping'an wondered if the Wang Family would make a move against him; if they did, the Tianlong River region might then have only the Li Family left. "This is the Li family residence, let's go, we'll meet my father first," Li Qingyi said. After speaking, she led Xu Ping'an towards the Li family residence. The Li family residence was extremely grand, far more splendid than the Zhou Family's, and of course, it also possessed a deeper heritage. Along the way, Xu Ping'an saw many disciples of the Li Family. These disciples' cultivation was not weak either; most had reached the peak of the Qi and Blood Realm, and one or two had broken through to the Sea-Splitting Realm. It must be said that the strength of the Li Family's disciples was quite impressive. From what Xu Ping'an had seen, there were no less than forty in the Qi and Blood Realm and over a dozen in the Sea-Splitting Realm. Moreover, this was not the full strength of the Li Family. "Isn't that Li Qingyi? How come she's back?" "Are you an idiot? Haven't you heard that the ancestral land is about to open? That's the inheritance site of our Li family ancestors, Li Tianqi, Li Changyun, and Li Yuanba all came back already, didn't they?" "This time it's going to be quite a show, the ancestral land is opening, and those four will surely compete for it. Wonder who will be the ultimate victor this time." "Who's that beside Li Qingyi? Isn't she always so proud, never interacting with men? Why did she bring a man back?" "I heard that when the ancestral land opens, the disciples are allowed to bring one external helper. That guy is probably Li Qingyi's helper, should be a disciple from the Beichen Sword Sect. I wonder which of the elite disciples he is." ... The surrounding Li Family disciples kept discussing, each giving Xu Ping'an curious glances. Xu Ping'an didn't mind, but he was somewhat interested in the competition for the Li family's ancestral land. "So in this ancestral land competition, it's not just you?" Xu Ping'an inquired. "Yes, there are four of us from my dad's generation, each with a child. My eldest uncle, Li Changyun, is the oldest at twenty-six years old. Next comes my second brother, Li Yuanba, who is twenty-four. Then there is Li Tianqi, who is twenty-two. Among them, Li Changyun is the strongest. He reached the Ninth Layer of the Sea-Splitting Realm three years ago and is probably now at the Third Rank. Li Yuanba and Li Tianqi, like me, are at the peak of the Ninth Layer of the Sea-Splitting Realm," Li Qingyi explained. Xu Ping'an understood. It turned out that Li Qingyi's father was the youngest, yet somewhat surprisingly, he had become the head of the Li Family. "Qingyi, long time no see. I didn't expect you to come back so late." Just then, a charming voice rang out. Xu Ping'an looked toward the source and saw a stunning woman who bore a resemblance to Li Qingyi. Although she was also very beautiful, she was somewhat inferior to Li Qingyi, and even more so compared to Zhou Mengyue. Following behind her was a handsome young man with a steady gait, his movements easy and unhurried. The woman was at the Ninth Layer of the Sea-Splitting Realm, and the man at the First Layer of the Third Rank Meridian Opening Realm. Xu Ping'an discerned their cultivation levels with just a glance. If he wasn't mistaken, this woman should be Li Qingyi's third sister, Li Tianqi. "I've seen you, Third Sister," Li Qingyi said indifferently. Her face showed no warmth. Clearly, her relationship with Li Tianqi was not good. Li Tianqi wasn't surprised either and smiled, turning her gaze toward Xu Ping'an, "Oh, what a handsome young brother. So this is the external helper little sister Qingyi invited? In the Seventh Layer of the Sea-Splitting Realm? An Inner Sect disciple of the Beichen Sword Sect?" "Seventh Layer of the Sea-Splitting Realm?" Li Qingyi was startled, then looked at Xu Ping'an in surprise. Wasn't he at the Fifth Layer just a few days ago? She hadn't seen through Xu Ping'an's cultivation, so hearing about his realm also amazed her. Li Tianqi, however, surprisingly took a second look at Li Qingyi and asked in confusion, "It seems little sister Qingyi doesn't know about his cultivation level. Could it be that she was deceived by him?" Xu Ping'an looked at Li Tianqi, noticeably surprised. The woman didn't have weak vision. Without even making a move, she could see through his cultivation level? She must have practiced some kind of detection secret technique.