Lu Qing acted as soon as he said he would.
Now that his cultivation had reached the mid-to-late Qi Nourishment Realm, it no longer mattered much whether he took Fasting Pills or not. He was gradually fasting already. Spirit Stones could be earned again after they were spent; only his cultivation and spell techniques were the foundation he could truly rely on.
"Choose a spell that conceals one's aura."
Countless orbs of light appeared, each enveloping a Jade Slip.
Lu Qing was already thoroughly familiar with the process. After carefully selecting one, he exchanged for an ordinary Concealment Art.
"Upon reaching the beginner stage, it can conceal one minor realm. At minor mastery, it can conceal three minor stages. From major mastery to perfection, it can conceal one major realm, limited to those below Core Formation."
"A perfectly adequate Concealment Art. This will do."
The realms beyond were still far too distant from Lu Qing's current state. He did not aim too high. It was not as if there were no better or rarer aura-concealing spells, but those came with cultivation requirements. As someone in the Qi Nourishment Realm, Lu Qing naturally did not meet them.
After spending more than a dozen Spirit Stones, Lu Qing soon immersed himself in cultivation once more.
Cultivating, cultivating—Lu Qing had not left Dao Peak at all.
The mountain ranges were shrouded in cold mist, yet the plaza remained unblocked beneath the radiance of sun and moon.
Unlike the others, whenever the time was right for cultivation, Lu Qing chose to cultivate at dawn, bathing in the morning glow. At such times, Spiritual Power was pure and faintly contained a wisp of elusive Purple Tenuity aura. Once dusk passed and the moon climbed above the willow tips, its chilly light spilled across the earth.
Strands of luminous radiance were absorbed by Lu Qing as he immersed himself within them.
Suddenly, his aura flickered in and out of existence. Looking at him again, if one closed one's eyes, then unless one was a cultivator of a far higher realm, it would be difficult to sense his aura.
"The morning glow and evening drum truly have their reasons. The essence of heaven and earth is all gathered at these times, and cultivating Spiritual Power is faster too."
Another three days passed.
"An Elder is giving a lecture. I should go and listen."
After receiving the notification through his Jade Token, Lu Qing quickly prepared to leave Dao Peak and attend the lecture.
Without any spirit artifact or magical artifact to ride, Lu Qing did not need to walk either. Since the journey was distant, he summoned White Crane Boy.
"Boy, these are the Spirit Stones from last time—or this time."
Lu Qing handed the Spirit Stones to White Crane Boy.
"Good, good, good. Boy truly did not misjudge you."
"Where did you run off to before? Could it be that you were cultivating the entire time?"
Since the man and crane got along quite well, they began chatting. Upon hearing that Lu Qing had even been cultivating while tediously taking on missions, White Crane Boy was deeply impressed.
"So that was it. No wonder I hadn't seen you."
"Many disciples from the Outer Academy have been making names for themselves. My ears have practically grown calluses from hearing about them lately. Why don't you go spar on the arena and let others have a taste of your strength?"
White Crane Boy suddenly brought up the matter.
Lu Qing was slightly speechless. He had not expected the turmoil caused by the minor competition nearly a month and a half ago to still be dragging on even now.
"Boy jokes. I have never cared for fighting."
What was contested on the arena was fame. By becoming renowned in the Outer Academy, they might gain the things they wanted.
But Lu Qing had no such intentions.
What he had not expected was that, upon arriving at the lecture site, he found countless cloud couches laid out there. On the raised platform, where the highest cloud couches stood, no Elder had yet appeared.
Yet the place was already packed with people, and quite a few cloud couches were occupied.
Moreover, no one was quietly cultivating. Instead, a hubbub had risen.
Naturally, Lu Qing had not left home intending to arrive at the last possible moment.
Seeing so many disciples arrive beforehand, he had already realized that something was bound to happen here.
Without saying a word, he first observed the situation.
With one look, he immediately understood where the disturbance had arisen.
At the very front, beneath the cloud couches upon the high platform, sixteen cloud couches were arranged on either side.
As Lu Qing looked over, those sixteen cloud couches seemed more like spectator seats.
Among the figures in green robes seated upon them, some had their eyes closed as they cultivated cross-legged. Some were conversing with disciples on neighboring cloud couches. Others watched the disciples beyond those sixteen cloud couches with utter indifference...
The source of the argument was located at one corner of the cloud couches.
Lu Qing counted according to the order and found that it was the fifteenth cloud couch.
"Junior Brother Cheng! Are you certain you refuse to give up that seat?"
"As far as I know, Junior Brother, your cultivation is not sufficient yet, is it?"
The speaker's voice was loud, tinged with indignation.
Lu Qing immediately realized he had arrived at just the right moment.
The moment that voice rang out, the other disciples seated on the sixteen cloud couches all looked over in that direction. Even those who had been cultivating with their eyes closed opened them now.
Some had cold light flash through their eyes, while others watched with great interest. The lively thrill of watching a spectacle and detached indifference—two starkly different attitudes appeared among these disciples.
"These dozen or so people are probably the strongest batch of disciples in the Outer Academy."
Lu Qing did not recognize any of them, but there was no need to think too deeply about it. Those who could sit up there at a time like this were undoubtedly the strongest group of disciples in the Outer Academy.
"Junior Brother Cheng?"
When Lu Qing had arrived, he had been at the edge to begin with. Rather than approach, he chose a seat farther back and sat down, watching the distant situation.
Two people were confronting each other over there.
Both wore green robes.
The burly disciple's aura was bold and extraordinary. Judging by it, he was far stronger than the other man.
Yet the disciple called Junior Brother Cheng showed not the slightest fear. He gave a cold laugh, then lifted his chin arrogantly. "Senior Brother, those with affinity may enter. You could not sit here, but I did. How could this Junior Brother possibly give it up?"
The instant these words were spoken, the surroundings fell silent.
"Good! Very good, Junior Brother Cheng. It seems you truly will not give it up."
A chill flashed deep within the burly disciple's eyes. Gritting his teeth, he laughed loudly. "Since that is the case, I shall yield it to Junior Brother."
"I only hope Junior Brother will be able to sit steadily on that cloud couch in the future."
With that, he gave a cold snort and stepped directly down from the cloud couch, landing on one of the couches in the middle rather than remaining among those sixteen.
"Hmph." Cheng Du sneered mockingly, without the slightest concern.
"Senior Brother Liu actually gave up just like that?"
"You don't know? I heard this Junior Brother Cheng Du is the Direct Disciple of the Inner Academy Elder currently giving the lecture. He has Heaven-Grade Aptitude and was born with Immortal Spirit Qi. Though he has not been in the sect for long, several high-ranking Elders of the Inner Sect hold him in great esteem."
"No wonder. I was wondering how someone who looked like a newly admitted disciple could act this way, but it turns out he has someone backing him."
Lu Qing was in no hurry to voice an opinion. From the whispers coming in waves from the neighboring cloud couches—voices that were supposedly hushed but had not actually been lowered—he had already learned the full story behind this struggle for the cloud couches.
Lu Qing had cultivated for over two months from the moment he entered the sect, unlike others who could speak with complete confidence about every person and event.
The disciples on the cloud couches behind were evidently from the same batch that had entered the sect. Aware that they could not compete with the senior brothers and sisters ahead, they instead began chatting among themselves.
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