Cloud-Riding Water Arrow, Spell Cultivation

A rare hint of joy appeared on Lu Qing's face.

Making progress on the path of cultivation was naturally something to be happy about.

However, he wasn't arrogant or complacent. After all, his luck was already exceptionally good, with a golden finger at his side. There was no need to worry too much about the rest.

Ample time was enough for him to steady his mind and climb step by step.

"After finishing this one, I'll divide my attention between cultivation and the newly acquired spell."

He planned out his next stage of cultivation.

Other than the day he had first entered, everything Lu Qing had seen and heard in the Outer Academy made him feel that the Dao Academy was genuinely free in how it trained its disciples.

Moreover, the Outer Academy truly had an enormous number of disciples. Nearly a million disciples—when Lu Qing had first seen that number, he had been slightly surprised, yet soon found it unsurprising.

That city he had seen at first glance could easily accommodate a million people.

Yet among so many people, Superior Aptitude had still made the elder in charge of recruitment visibly pleased.

This showed that even when numbers were vast, good quality might not emerge. Still, it wasn't as though Superior Aptitude was exceedingly rare. Looking back, the place Lu Qing had come from was a remote state region, where not a single promising seedling had appeared in more than ten years.

Elder Mo's delight at the time was likely because he had come to recruit and had managed to bring back a disciple above the qualifying line.

Lu Qing didn't continue dwelling on such matters.

He began cultivating there once more.

After another fourteen days passed, the disciple from the Spirit Plant Garden would return.

His temporary assignment would then be complete.

Having become familiar with the work and thus more adept at it, Lu Qing timed his cultivation carefully and replenished the water supply at the proper times.

Before he knew it, a wave of Spiritual Power rippled beneath the valley. Lu Qing successfully broke through once more, entering the Qi Nourishment Sixth Layer.

He opened his eyes, deeply satisfied with this round of cultivation.

Perhaps the previous fourteen days had worn away the final trace of unease in his state of mind. During these fourteen days of cultivation, Lu Qing encountered no obstacles.

Within his Dantian, Spiritual Power rose like the tide, filling every corner. After his breakthrough, an even more tangible sense of fullness flooded both his body and mind.

"With this kind of cultivation speed, it's no wonder Superior Aptitude is considered among the better ranks of geniuses."

After breaking through, the Spiritual Power fluctuations around him showed that he had cultivated the Profound Heaven Origin Scripture to the peak of its second layer. Yet its effect in concealing his aura had become increasingly inconspicuous.

He would likely need to enter the third layer before it became effective.

"Still, compared to my realm, I have pitifully few methods for dealing with enemies. And as expected of a superior cultivation art, I have no clue yet about the mysteries of the Profound Heaven Origin Scripture's third layer."

"Furthermore, comprehending the third layer doesn't rely on aptitude, but on comprehension."

Lu Qing pondered carefully. "Once these fourteen days are over and I submit this assignment, it'll be time to return to the Dao Peak."

"After staying here for almost a month, once I immersed myself in cultivation, time didn't seem to pass quickly at all."

He pinched his fingers and calculated briefly, then realized the time had indeed passed. Today was the day his assignment ended.

Submitting the assignment this time also went very smoothly.

After Lu Qing completed the handover with that disciple and checked the spirit stones in his jade token, he left the Spirit Plant Garden and returned to Nameless Dao Peak.

Nameless Dao Peak was no different from before.

Lu Qing waved his hand, silently recited an incantation, and formed a hand seal. The clouds and mist dispersed again, revealing a path up the mountain.

However, this time Lu Qing didn't need to walk up. With a stir of Spiritual Power, he rode the wind upward, his figure becoming somewhat ethereal.

He returned to his pavilion courtyard.

The formation activated once more.

"Luckily, the formation here is a Dao Academy benefit and doesn't charge spirit stones."

Lu Qing looked over the perfectly clean and orderly courtyard, feeling greatly at ease. Nothing had changed in the slightest.

"I now have thirty contribution points, and with the previous reward, around eleven hundred spirit stones. For the short term, I don't need to worry about spirit stones. Contribution points and spirit stones—neither is dispensable within the Dao Academy."

"Whether it's cultivation arts, magical artifacts, or anything else, buying them requires spirit stones."

"What a pity. The Jade Token Space doesn't seem to be omnipotent. Sect assignment transactions take priority, so if I want to trade things privately, I still have to go offline to the Cultivation Market in the city."

After his cultivation level broke through, Lu Qing spent longer in the Jade Token Space and quickly explored some of its hidden functions.

"Still, that's normal. If a jade token is destroyed, both parties would suffer considerable losses. Offline, within the Dao Academy, there's no need to fear blatant murder, but secret schemes and underhanded methods still need guarding against."

At first, Lu Qing had thought the jade token was simply a medium that gathered numerous functions into a single token. But he soon discovered that it could be said to be so, and it could also be said not to be so.

"The important thing is that I can exchange for cultivation arts directly here without wasting any effort."

Lu Qing stopped thinking about those distracting matters and began comprehending the Cloud-Riding Water Arrow Technique.

"Let me comprehend this spell."

Learning the sword would originally have been a good option, but Lu Qing currently didn't have a suitable magical artifact in hand.

Forming a sword from Spiritual Power, Lu Qing felt, was about as powerful as an explosive Spiritual Power attack—at most, it could serve as a trump card.

What he needed now were conventional methods. Besides, this spell was also a superior-grade spell.

It was only available as a reward. If disciples wanted it themselves, they would likely need contribution points or spirit stones to exchange for it.

"Riding clouds and driving mist, its movement technique is swift. Cultivating this can also make up for my shortcomings in movement techniques."

Lu Qing didn't cultivate inside the cultivation room.

Instead, he went to the dedicated training ground outside the courtyard and began testing this spell.

He immersed his mind in the spell, and another seven days drifted by.

"I've achieved minor mastery."

Lu Qing murmured softly. Then, with a thought, countless watery, mist-like streams of arrows around him burst through the clouds and mist, instantly blasting a clear blue path through layer after layer of cloud in the distance.

The clouds and mist gathered on both sides, revealing a sliver of blue sky in the middle.

"Good." Lu Qing was delighted. The Cloud-Riding Water Arrow came and went without a trace, swift and sharp. Whether in close combat or long-range attacks, it was more than capable.

After cultivating this spell, Lu Qing had truly received a pleasant surprise. It was quick to cast and extremely covert, making it perfect for ambushing others from the shadows.

"The remaining flaws lie with me. If I could conceal my aura even more thoroughly..."

"If I cultivate another spell specifically for concealing aura and pair it with these attacks that can strike from everywhere, could I become even more hidden?"

As Lu Qing's thoughts turned, the Calming Hexagram was not ultimately an auspicious hexagram. Before he began cultivating, he had encountered several situations where there was danger but no disaster.

Back then, Lu Qing had indeed been a mortal, but with martial arts at his side, he had at least possessed the strength to resist.