Outer Sect Affairs

After Lu Qing withdrew his technique and looked again, he could already sense the surging spiritual energy that had gathered in this place earlier.

This valley's Spirit Plant Garden covered a vast area. Judging by the mission details, this was still only its outer perimeter.

Ever since entering, Lu Qing had not seen anyone else.

"There should be a concealment formation here, right?"

Otherwise, aside from disciples and Elders, it would be impossible for there to be nothing but this Water Lotus pond before him, as though this were merely an ordinary valley.

That was naturally impossible.

Since it was a Spirit Plant Garden, there had to be spirit plants.

Yet after Lu Qing finished casting his technique and carefully surveyed his surroundings, all he saw was still a natural pond at the bottom of the valley.

He found no other clues.

"But this has nothing to do with me. It is better if I do not have to deal with them."

"What I need to watch now is that the water level seems to be dropping extremely slowly."

After Lu Qing cast this technique, only a thin wisp of Spiritual Power remained in his dantian. However, the spiritual energy here was abundant. In the blink of an eye, coupled with his decent aptitude, he circulated the Spiritual Power within his body into his dantian, and the Spiritual Power that had been completely drained slowly began to accumulate again.

This recovery speed was much faster than when he meditated on the Dao Peak. One reason was the rare Snow Spirit Fruit's effect; another was that it truly showed how places where spirit plants were cultivated could gather the spiritual energy scattered throughout heaven and earth.

Thinking of it this way, it was no wonder the back mountain of the Nameless Dao Peak he had chosen also contained a large stretch of Spirit Fields.

He stared at the pond. After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he still could not tell that the water level had fallen.

"Forget it. I will cultivate here. Water Lotuses absorb the waters of heaven and earth to grow; someone cultivating beside them will not affect them."

Lu Qing had naturally researched spirit plants such as Water Lotuses. Water Lotuses bloomed after seven days and bore Lotus Fruit after fourteen.

Lotus Fruit could be used in medicinal food. It was a spiritual-energy dietary supplement that sect disciples considered fairly good. After consuming it, one could shorten the time needed to complete a major cycle of Spiritual Power circulation. To put it plainly, it could shave one or two days off cultivation time.

However, these Water Lotuses were not precious. If eaten year-round, one would grow accustomed to them and their effect would become quite minimal. Moreover, Water Lotus seeds were not particularly rare, which was why they were planted on the garden's outskirts.

Once the fruit formed, someone would naturally come to handle it.

In other words, after fourteen days, a designated person would come to collect the fruit. His mission only required him to ensure that the Water Lotuses bore fruit; the subsequent harvesting was not included in this mission.

The spirit plant mission Lu Qing had chosen was also within what he could handle. Why would he joke around by tending anything too precious?

Do not forget that he currently only had the Minor Cloud Rain Technique. Watering plants was nothing, but for most precious spirit plants, watering alone could no longer satisfy their growth needs.

Thus, Water Lotuses were remarkably hardy and easy to raise.

Nor would anyone covet them.

Lu Qing cultivated here with peace of mind.

His heart was tranquil, his mind calm, as he focused on tempering the Spiritual Power in his dantian.

And the Entry Trial Tournament that had only taken place yesterday—

The storm had only just begun.

The rankings had not yet been announced, but every disciple knew his own rank. Some were socially well-connected, and after asking around a little, they could roughly deduce the names of the top ten.

Yet an unexpected upheaval had arisen during this Entry Trial Tournament. No one knew what the final outcome would be.

Those who could be certain of their positions were probably only those Heaven's Prides with Heaven-Grade Aptitude.

On a mountain peak stood elegant pavilions, lofty and solemn, surrounded by countless wisps of spiritual mist and auspicious light.

Inside, several Outer Academy disciples had arranged a small banquet.

"Brother Fu, we actually ranked outside the top twenty. What a huge loss."

Lin Tiannan looked indignant. Among this batch of geniuses, he was a Heavenly Prodigy from the Central Province of the Profound Heaven Domain.

He had originally thought he would be competing for a spot in the top ten, yet he had unexpectedly fallen beyond the top twenty.

Did that not mean quite a few disciples with Superior Aptitude had already squeezed them down from above?

Fu Wuding sneered. "Then what do you intend to do? It is only the ranking from one minor tournament."

Lin Tiannan said, "This is not merely a tournament ranking. I asked around earlier—there was someone who did not know what was good for him, and he obtained a Foundation Establishment Spirit Item."

A Green Robe disciple beside him spoke up. Those who could enter this small banquet were all geniuses who had originally been able to enter the Inner Academy.

Although they were currently in the Outer Academy, every one of them had already taken a master within the Inner Academy.

Even the three Elders of the Outer Academy who oversaw the paths for Outer Sect disciples to rise into the Inner Academy turned a blind eye toward these disciples who, for some unknown reason, had been sent down to the Outer Academy from above.

"A mere Foundation Establishment Spirit Item is not overly precious to people of our strength. Junior Brother Lin, do not be so petty."

At that moment, someone seated above spoke.

"Senior Brother Li, I... I am just somewhat unwilling to accept it. Our cultivation is clearly higher than theirs. If we fought on the arena, they definitely would not be our opponents."

When Lin Tiannan saw the person speaking from above, his eyes flickered before he slowly spoke.

This man was like them, except he had recently been drawn in by Bai Yunqing and, for some unknown reason, gained Senior Brother Yan's favor.

His cultivation had now advanced a step ahead of theirs.

Among cultivators, those who came first were senior. Aside from members of the same master's lineage, most followed this rule, so calling him Senior Brother was not wrong.

Lin Tiannan had refused at first because of the pride in his heart.

Yan Langyu possessed Superior Aptitude. After obtaining some opportunity, he had gradually transformed into possessing Earth-grade Aptitude.

As someone born with Earth-grade Aptitude, Lin Tiannan was unwilling to submit to another.

Not to mention that they had originally been able to enter the Inner Academy.

The disciple seated above did not care. He knew he was responsible for building good relations with these people.

Li Jiao said, "Oh? Then which dark horses ranked near the top does Junior Brother know? I would like to get acquainted with them."

The moment he said this—

Lin Tiannan's gaze flickered, and inwardly he looked down on him a little more. Sure enough, a fine dog.

Yet he immediately smiled on the surface. "There are a few, but because the rankings have not been announced, I cannot know all of them. So these are only my guesses."

"There are several times more Superior Aptitude disciples recruited this year than in previous years. Any of them could be one. I can guess three or four."

"Then that is good. I will make sure to befriend them properly." Li Jiao did not mind.

In the end, this small banquet had been for these disciples to exchange information and build connections. They also happened to discuss the incident from yesterday.

"What exactly happened yesterday?"

"Heh, do not mention it. A Purple Mansion Realm demonic beast caused trouble and had its Divine Soul shattered by the supervising Elder's single sword strike. Unfortunately, quite a few people were too close at the time and are still recovering from their injuries."

The disciple who spoke wore a subtle expression, and the others were the same.

Leaving aside everything else, the Heaven-Grade Aptitude disciples and those few who had begun to stand out in cultivation should have all suffered serious injuries. One could say that nearly everyone in the top ten had been badly hurt.

Naturally, the faint relief and delight in their hearts did not show on their faces.

"I originally wanted to recruit a few with Superior Aptitude, but unfortunately, I could not find an opportunity with several of them."

Li Jiao sat above, holding his wine cup as he thought.

He knew what his aptitude was like, but that was not the truth. His Lineage had simply paid an enormous price, originally thinking it could send him into the Inner Academy, where he could continuously use the Inner Academy's resources to raise his realm and then nourish the Lineage in return.