Breakthrough, Cultivating in Peace

But this new rule introduced this year gave Li Jiao a massive headache.

Where in the world was anything so easy?

"We still need to keep recruiting people. Of these few, Li Jiuding seems to have backing in the Inner Academy. Even Senior Brother Bai Yunqing stepping in couldn't persuade him."

"This Liu Yuan and I were fated to meet. He already joined our side earlier."

"Who else came with them? Oh, there was someone named Lu Qing. Ah, what a pity—he's also a hard-cultivating fool who doesn't understand how to scheme for advantage. Senior Brother Bai Yunqing blocked quite a few people some time ago, but this man hasn't even come down the mountain once in an entire month."

"Forget it, skip him. One look tells you he's a penniless wretch."

Information on this batch of new disciples kept surfacing in his mind.

Lu Qing still did not know that the Calming Hexagram he had chosen back then had only truly reached its conclusion now.

Early on, he had chosen to come to the Spirit Plant Garden to take on tasks.

For one thing, his aptitude was quite good. It was not as though no one wanted to find a way to contact him and come build connections.

But once they heard that he was currently earning Spirit Stones through tasks—and that he had gone to work as a Spirit Planter, traditionally seen as little more than farming in the dirt—they ultimately abandoned that small thought.

Spirit Planter—that was the impression most disciples had.

Even tending spirit herbs sounded better than being a Spirit Planter.

Lu Qing had neither expected nor known of this subtle mentality.

More than ten days passed, and the valley was pleasant.

A Green Robe disciple stood beneath a gathering patch of dark clouds. A drizzling rain perfectly covered the pond, while crimson lotuses below bloomed in shimmering splendor.

Judging from his practiced motions, it was clear that he wielded this spell with effortless mastery.

That Green Robe disciple was Lu Qing. His days in this pond valley had been both comfortable and tranquil.

There was ample spiritual energy here. After completing cycle upon cycle of cultivation, Lu Qing would also watch the movements in the nearby pond before beginning to cast his spell. After more than ten days of casting, his use of it had grown increasingly proficient.

He no longer needed such a long buildup. Instead, he could directly form a raincloud without gathering mist first. In the blink of two or three seconds, great drops of rain would fall into the pond, splashing up sheets of water.

He cultivated here in peace.

He had also successfully tempered his cultivation into the Qi Nourishment Fifth Layer.

His speed at the beginning of cultivation had already been decent. Now that it had slowed, Lu Qing did not find it strange.

Though he was here, after cultivating from time to time, he would immerse his mind and pay attention to the happenings in the Outer Academy.

This Jade Slip could practically be called a communication spirit artifact. Lu Qing guessed that higher-ups in the Dao Academy had intervened behind the scenes.

Otherwise, where would so much detailed information have come from?

And what material could allow so many disciples to leave messages on it?

He cultivated here week after week. In the Outer Academy, he had already seen quite a few people searching everywhere for opponents to challenge on the arena stage.

Arena stages existed on every major peak.

Lu Qing read carefully. "So they want to prove themselves? Or are they trying to do something else?"

"Probably venting their anger? Exposing their rankings—looks like only the people at the very top revealed theirs. They aren't afraid of challenges from others."

"Ah, looks like there'll be more excitement to watch."

[Outer Academy's Li Xuan challenges Su Xinyue, suffers a crushing defeat.]

[Outer Academy's Gu Xuantian and Cheng Du challenge each other on the arena stage, ending in a draw.]

"Looks like their injuries have healed."

That made sense. More than ten days had passed; any injuries that needed healing had healed.

Lu Qing gave a slight shake of his head, put away the Jade Slip, and returned it to his storage bag.

This trend of challenges in the Outer Academy had nothing to do with him.

"My strengths are Calamity Avoidance and Lifespan."

What was the point of abandoning his strengths to compete with them?

He had no contest of pride to settle.

Besides, because he had accepted a task from the Spirit Plant Garden, this was not somewhere just any disciple could enter. It concerned the Dao Academy's property.

Only disciples on assignment, or others carrying tokens, could enter.

That was why Lu Qing merely treated the commotion as something entertaining to watch.

"Would you like to continue accepting tasks?"

"Accept, accept."

During this time, he could just finish cultivating this spell to perfection.

And if it were not unsuitable, Lu Qing even felt like building another cultivation courtyard nearby. Cultivating in the Spirit Plant Garden would be even more satisfying.

Of course, that was not very likely.

"Ah, I hope the disciple guarding this Spirit Plant Garden hasn't returned from outside so soon."

The Dao Academy had countless tasks. Tasks in the Spirit Plant Garden were originally given priority to Spirit Plant disciples.

It was simply that not every disciple wanted to become a Spirit Planter here, so the Dao Academy tacitly allowed others to come complete the tasks instead.

As long as the spirit plants successfully flowered and bore fruit, that was enough.

After completing another cultivation cycle, Lu Qing did not continue cultivating.

In his perception, someone was already approaching.

He glanced at the fist-sized fruits that had formed in the centers of the lotuses.

Today was the day someone would come to settle the account.

The newcomer was also an Outer Academy disciple in a green robe.

"Fellow Daoist, I've come to collect the Water Lotus fruits."

The newcomer first explained his purpose.

"Mm, this patch of Water Lotus has already borne fruit."

"Haha, that's good." Lu Qing was not one for many words, and that disciple had his own task to complete. Besides this place, he still had other locations to collect from.

The disciple glanced at the pond, and a trace of surprise flashed through his eyes. "Fellow Daoist, the fruits here grew remarkably well."

He said readily, "Excellent completion. The reward and contribution points have already been transferred to your Jade Token. Fellow Daoist, please check them."

"Alright, no problem."

The exchange was brief, without excessive small talk.

They both wore green robes and were both from the Outer Academy. Lu Qing had kept his aura restrained at all times, and the disciple came and went in a hurry. After only a sentence or two, he did not pay much attention to Lu Qing's cultivation.

Water Lotus fruits were, after all, an affordable dietary supplement.

Thus, there was not the slightest possibility of conflict arising.

Lu Qing continued to stay there.

"If I can keep doing this task for the long term, that would be nice."

"One step at a time. There are as many tasks as mountains and seas; there's no need to worry about not finding tasks like this."

Lu Qing relaxed. After finishing this period of peaceful cultivation, he also exchanged his reward for a cultivation art, selecting a powerful offensive spell called Cloud-Riding Water Arrow. It transformed spiritual energy into water and changed it into arrows, taking the sharpness of an arrow and the speed of clouds and mist, with the core principle of shattering souls and piercing flesh at terrifying speed.

To sum it up in one word: fast.

But he could not truly unleash it in the Spirit Plant Garden.

His Minor Cloud Rain Technique and this cultivation art had two points of similarity.

One formed clouds and brought rain; the other was for slaughter. Yet both were connected to the speed of riding clouds.

His Minor Cloud Rain Technique here was only a final thread away from perfection. Having adapted to it for more than ten days, he had only cast the spell two or three times. To avoid too much rainwater, he had also cultivated for a while at Shallowwater Lake outside.

The lake was like a shallow sea. Usually, whether high in the air or on the water's surface, there was no one else around apart from a few White Cranes that would stop here midway to frolic and sleep late.

Lu Qing had tested the Minor Cloud Rain Technique here several times, but the cloud's range could currently only spread enough to cover an area roughly three times the size of the pond.

"No wonder it's called the Minor Cloud Rain Technique." In an instant, a trace of enlightenment broke through his heart. As naturally as water reaching a channel, Lu Qing successfully mastered this spell.