A Month of Cultivation, Stirring Waves

But this way...

Lu Qing added another mark to his little book of enemies for that unknown foe, two more for that old Demonic Path bastard, and one for Bai Yunqing.

He was absolutely not someone easy to get along with.

He had now made it onto Lu Qing's list of enemies.

There were still too few clues for him to follow.

As for the Dao Academy, he could only glimpse one corner of it for now.

What if that unknown enemy was someone from the Dao Academy?

In any case, he would absolutely not accept any missions. Whoever accepted one would die.

"Lu Qing, have you finished cultivating? Come join us for a meal. Everyone here is from our original group. Liu Er has changed his name to Liu Yuan, too. I've met a few more people, and I'll introduce them to you."

A message from Li Jiuming appeared in the Jade Token.

Lu Qing had just detected an omen of misfortune. There was no way he could leave the mountain now. Whether it was accepting a mission or anything else, the Calming Hexagram had plainly told him to remain on the mountain for a month.

What did that mean? It meant that if he went down the mountain within this month, there was an extremely high chance he would run into Bai Yunqing.

Lu Qing did not know who the other party was, much less what background stood behind him.

What Lu Qing feared was a tangled, lingering calamity.

Even with Calamity Avoidance, if he was disturbed like this every day, who would have time to cultivate?

Calamity Avoidance was not immortality. Though in a sense it could be considered comparable to immortality by avoiding calamities, what if a Calming Hexagram appeared one day and told him to return peacefully to the mortal world and live out the rest of his life in safety? That possibility was a faint worry hidden in Lu Qing's heart. It was unrealistic to place all his hopes on this one skill.

The methods of the cultivation world were impossible to guard against. Whether Calamity Avoidance could withstand the methods of those terrifying great powers was still a question mark.

More importantly, Lu Qing felt that if this really was the skill from that unscrupulous game developer in his previous life, perhaps its later implementation data had not even been completed yet.

"I've happened to gain some insights in cultivation, so I'll be entering seclusion for a month. I cannot come for the time being. Please forgive me."

After writing those words, the Jade Token stirred, and Spirit Light flew out.

"It's fine. Cultivation is more important, haha. We'll gather again when there's another chance."

After sending that message,

Lu Qing immersed himself in the Jade Token Space once more.

He found that the Mission Hall contained not only missions, but also sold other items.

"Purchase a detailed piece of information on the Outer Academy."

One piece of intelligence cost five Spirit Stones.

Fortunately, new disciples received a discount.

In the end, Lu Qing decided to buy it.

When he had first arrived, Lu Qing had planned to buy it later.

But after purchasing it now, he felt much more at ease.

He still knew only half of what there was to know about the Outer Academy.

As for Li Jiuming, they were merely companions who had entered the sect together. Too much trouble would only wear away at that little bit of goodwill between them.

What Lu Qing wanted to figure out now was Bai Yunqing, as well as who stood behind him.

These were matters out in the open and did not involve personal privacy.

A title, a cultivation level—word of mouth alone meant there would definitely be plenty of people who knew.

But with the condition that he could not go down the mountain, Lu Qing settled down and carefully examined this information.

"The Outer Academy really is tangled and complicated."

Setting down the intelligence Jade Slip,

Lu Qing could only say that wherever there were many people, conflict was unavoidable.

There were those in the Outer Academy devoted wholeheartedly to cultivation, but there were also one faction after another.

Because the information was updated so promptly,

Lu Qing even saw the names of some new disciples who had entered at the same time as him on the rosters of certain groups.

"Bai Yunqing, Yan Langyu's errand-runner. Yan Langyu is an Outer Academy Purple Mansion Realm disciple. He seeks to enter the Inner Academy with Core Formation cultivation and is expected to reach Golden Core within two years."

"Over the years, those with Superior Aptitude have mostly attached themselves to Yan Langyu's side. Some have attached themselves to other older disciples who entered the sect before them."

Fuck.

It was rare for Lu Qing's expression to become so spectacular. He had only just entered Qi Nourishment.

"So that was it."

After reading it all, his train of thought finally seemed to clear.

In truth, Lu Qing still desperately wanted to know what exactly was going on with Bai Yunqing and that unknown enemy.

The Inner Sect prohibited fellow disciples from killing one another, but this was ultimately a world where cultivation reigned supreme.

Lu Qing did not believe sect rules could restrain everyone.

"And this turmoil will last another month. I won't be the first person they try to recruit, so Li Jiuming's side..."

Lu Qing had not seen Li Jiuming's name on any of those lists of dependents.

But Li Jiuming had a relative here, and he had heard that relative had already entered the Inner Sect.

There should not be any problem.

"A month of turmoil before it can be settled."

"He can't possibly stand on that road every day just to block me, can he?"

Lu Qing thought strangely, then hurriedly shook the thought away.

"Forget him. I'll remember this for now. Cultivate, cultivate."

In the blink of an eye, a month passed as Lu Qing cultivated.

Nameless Dao Peak.

The level stones in front had been laid out to form a plaza.

Lu Qing stood in his own cultivation plaza. The Dao Peak's protective concealment formation had long since risen around him. Vast swathes of snow-white mist enveloped the Dao Peak. Anyone from outside who saw it would only assume that the terrain here was too high, merging with the clouds at the horizon.

But this also made cultivation convenient for Lu Qing.

He held his breath and focused his mind, his eyes and consciousness fixed upon his palm.

"Spirit Sword! Condense!"

After a month of cultivation, an additional thread of Spiritual Power had formed within his Dantian. As that Spiritual Power gathered in his hand, a gradual sensation of being drained arose in his heart.

And at that moment, a Spirit Sword formed entirely from spiritual energy appeared in his hand!

It was wholly transparent. A flash of snowy white cold light gleamed along its blade. Sunlight passed through the thin mist and fell upon it, while a halo slowly drifted around it.

Lu Qing's face turned slightly pale. His eyes sharpened. "Go!"

The Spirit Sword in his hand instantly flew free, like an arrow released from a drawn bow, striking a boulder hundreds of meters beyond the plaza in the blink of an eye!

Boom!

The Spirit Sword pierced through the boulder, reducing it to powder.

Having lost its continuing force, the Spirit Sword also dissolved into specks of invisible spiritual energy and scattered into the air.

Lu Qing felt somewhat drained, but the result was still acceptable.

"It has attack power, but the speed is still too slow. Whether condensing the Spirit Sword or launching it, I need to make it as responsive as an extension of my own arm."

"To master the Spirit Sword Technique, the core secret is speed. Right now, my Spiritual Power can only support one strike."

Lu Qing reflected on the shortcomings of that strike.

"So for now, it can only be used as an unexpected means of securing victory."

Over this month, Lu Qing had done nothing but cultivate. Aside from this trump card, he had also practiced the most basic Minor Cloud Rain Technique. It would make accepting missions more convenient. Of the four great arts of Immortal Cultivation, many required a vast expenditure of Spirit Stones in the early stages.

Lu Qing had still chosen the path of Spirit Plants. The main reason was that the Profound Heaven Origin Scripture encompassed all things. It truly deserved to be called a superior cultivation technique. It even contained some spells meant to lay foundations. It was like buying one and getting ten free.

Many of the spells within were suited to Spirit Plants. Aside from the Spirit Plant missions from the Servant Academy, missions in the Outer Academy had also been refreshed. That was why Lu Qing felt much more reassured.

After one month, he had already entered Qi Nourishment, Third Layer. He had now experienced the benefits of Superior Aptitude.

The sect had specially provided ten Fasting Pills in his storage pouch. Eating one Fasting Pill could sustain him for over half a month.

It was not as if the Dao Academy did not provide places for disciples to eat, but all of them required Spirit Stones. Those were no longer ordinary meals, but spirit-nourishing foods specially prepared by culinary cultivators.

Eating them could accelerate cultivation speed and also provide other benefits that strengthened the body.

During the month Lu Qing remained on the mountain and focused on cultivation, the once peaceful life of the Outer Academy had abruptly become a tide of undercurrents due to the arrival of new disciples and the fact that geniuses who should have been in the Inner Academy were also in the Outer Academy.

One month.

No one disturbed him, and he felt wonderfully at ease. Looking again at the Jade Slip's information, the news of the Outer Academy was being refreshed almost constantly.

Lu Qing suddenly understood why this Jade Slip cost more Spirit Stones than some ordinary spells.

If not for the new disciple discount, he would not have been willing to spend that much for the time being.

It turned out the Jade Slip came with an update function. Whether true or false, the other party would directly post any Outer Academy news onto it.

Truth mixed with falsehood, falsehood mixed with truth—he could only distinguish it himself.