Lu Qing was deeply moved as well.
As long as they were handing out Spirit Stones, the rest could be set aside.
"Still, it looks like the losses were severe."
Lu Qing silently watched the Heaven's Pride who had once been bright and splendid, now each covered in dust and blood. Many were visibly grievously wounded at a glance.
Compared to the high spirits they had displayed upon entering the Trial Micro-Realm, all Lu Qing could think of now was the Spirit Light he had seen when he left.
"Could it be that they rushed over there too?"
Thinking of it that way, it was no wonder most of them had suffered serious injuries.
Lu Qing had heard clearly about that Senior Brother Chang. He had some impression of him because the man was an Earth-grade Genius.
Thanks to that intelligence Jade Slip, the names of newly admitted disciples and gifted prodigies were all recorded within.
Lu Qing had seen his own name among those with Superior Aptitude, though few people paid him any attention.
This year's circumstances were simply too unusual.
"Fortunately, I gained quite a bit."
He had broken through a minor realm, so naturally he was in a good mood. His comprehension had also improved, and the speed at which his cultivation technique circulated and absorbed spiritual energy had increased by several degrees.
Adding it all up, he felt that he ought to begin looking early for a Foundation Establishment Spirit Item.
That was a long-term goal for now. In the short term, Lu Qing needed to obtain a batch of Spirit Stones first.
After the purple-robed Elder dismissed them,
Spirit beasts cried out in the sky.
Only then did the many disciples begin discussing matters among themselves.
"Ah, rotten luck to the bone. Who knew there would be such terrifying demon beasts inside?"
One disciple wore an aggrieved expression.
"Exactly. I was quite far away at the time. What exactly happened over there?"
Someone whispered quietly.
"I saw that those geniuses who left earlier all seemed to be injured."
"Well, I heard it was originally because of a guardian demon beast. Its strength aside, a Spirit Light born within its body was actually a Foundation Establishment Spirit Item, one extremely compatible with many of our Dao Academy's superior cultivation techniques."
"So that was it."
There was no need to say the rest. At once, quite a few disciples understood.
Lu Qing immediately understood why a demon beast merely around the First Layer of the Qi Nourishment Realm had caused three sides to confront one another there.
It turned out that what they spoke of and what they truly coveted were likely not the same thing.
"Fortunately, I don't need to worry. The Profound Heaven Origin Scripture is calm and rich in its cultivation, like the flowing waters of all things, ceaseless and ever-renewing. Its requirements for Foundation Establishment Spirit Items aren't demanding; any of the Five Elements—metal, wood, water, fire, or earth—will do."
Though he thought this, he had no intention of summoning the White Crane Boy.
Instead, he headed directly down the mountain. At a turn by a chain bridge halfway down the mountain, he went to the neighboring peak, where a city stood.
It was precisely the city that had filled Lu Qing with amazement when he first arrived.
This was the Dao Academy's Cultivation City.
It was also the place most disciples entered and left on ordinary days.
The city was entirely built from a kind of gray stone whose texture could not be discerned. Under the sunlight, the stone looked cold and stark. Yet the city entrance embodied the meaning of all directions, with no fixed gates for entering or leaving.
As long as one took out a disciple Jade Token and verified one's identity, one could enter and leave freely.
It was Lu Qing's first time here, and he had not come merely in passing.
He had come to claim a mission.
The missions in the Jade Token Space were all synchronized through this Cultivation City.
Yet among the missions listed there, Lu Qing had not found one that was both satisfying and suitable.
Since he had rarely come to the main Dao Peak region of the Dao Academy, he might as well look for offline missions here.
Most disciples hurried along with purposeful expressions. Although there were far more people in the streets and alleys than usual,
Lu Qing did not disturb anyone. Instead, he headed straight for his destination, following the map on the Jade Slip toward the Mission Hall in this Cultivation City.
The Mission Hall looked no different from the Jade Token Space.
As Lu Qing had come all this way, he only looked around when entering, sweeping his gaze across the area. He found that the Cultivation City was not wholly removed from mortal life, nor was it utterly different from the mortal world.
At the very least, inns still existed here. However, spiritual energy was dense within them, so they likely held wonders of their own.
"My purse is embarrassingly empty."
Lu Qing did not look further. After roughly memorizing the layout along the way, he accepted a Spirit Plant mission.
There were only a handful of people in the offline Mission Hall.
When Lu Qing entered, the missions in the Spirit Plant District were enough to dazzle the eye.
[Azure Cloud Blessed Land: Recruiting two Qi Nourishment Realm disciples to weed. Compensation negotiable.] [Water Cloud Grotto-Heaven: Need one disciple proficient in Water Cloud Art to guard my Spirit Field for seven days. Spirit Stones negotiable.] [Outer Academy Mission: Recruiting Spirit Plant disciples year-round. Mission details are as follows...]
With a glance, Lu Qing saw missions issued by the Outer Academy, as well as quite a few clearly posted by senior disciples.
Once one confirmed interest, a trace of aura would appear, allowing them to contact the other party privately through the Jade Token and settle the details.
This place was clearly much richer in options. There were many missions that could not be seen in the Mission Hall over there.
Lu Qing took note of the time and discovered that those were basically missions that had just appeared.
"Looks like even if our Jade Tokens are magical artifacts, they still can't synchronize communications every moment of every day."
Lu Qing looked over a mission. He did not choose somewhere too remote.
From what he had seen so far, the cultivation atmosphere displayed by the Profound Heaven Dao Academy was undoubtedly grand and magnificent.
Yet that previous Divination, along with the situation at the Servant Academy, still made Lu Qing feel that he could not place all his hopes on the Profound Heaven Dao Academy.
It was impossible for it to watch over every disciple at every moment.
After all, in cultivation, disciples and their sects were meant to nourish one another in return. The Profound Heaven Dao Academy was simply too vast. There was a lake one could fly over high in the sky; it was called a lake, but what difference was there between it and a shallow sea? Yet such lakes lay amid the overlapping peaks of the Dao Peak Mountain Range like droplets of water adorning the landscape, making its magnificence all the more apparent.
"This one, then."
Lu Qing looked at a mission.
[Outer Academy Spirit Plant Garden beside Shallowwater Lake: Recruiting several disciples to assist the Spirit Plant Garden in watering the Water Lotus in the outer area.]
Lu Qing opened the mission details and found that someone had already accepted it. Since it was recruiting several disciples, Lu Qing chose to accept it as well.
This Spirit Plant Garden was located at Shallowwater Lake. His Dao Peak was close by, not far away, so traveling there naturally would not require spending any more Spirit Stones.
When he had cultivated before, he had already dabbled in the Minor Cloud Rain Technique. Thanks to his Superior Aptitude, he had already begun to grasp this spell.
"First, the Outer Academy will issue the reward for this mission according to standard procedures, so I don't need to worry about what kind of employer I might encounter. Second, it's nearby. Third, I can take this opportunity to cultivate this spell to minor mastery."
"The spiritual energy in the Spirit Plant Garden is also denser than on ordinary Dao Peaks."
He had only just broken through, so he was not in any great hurry.
After accepting it, Lu Qing summoned the White Crane Boy and left the Cultivation City.
Early the next morning,
After cultivating through the night, Lu Qing felt a faint clarity in his ears, nose, eyes, and senses.
The Spiritual Power in his dantian circulated through his entire body with greater harmony.
After another night of cultivation, the medicinal effects of the spirit fruits he had consumed had completely merged into his foundation.
He selected some items that conflicted with his cultivation technique and were useless for his current realm, then chose to submit them.
Who knew what kind of magical artifact the disciple Jade Token was made from?
Before you continue