Lu Qing looked at the Jade Slip and discovered that quite a few names had appeared among those killed in the massive explosion that had spread so widely.
He recognized several of them. They were Bai Yunqing, Yan Langyu, and the others who had appeared in the Divination before.
"What was this, good and evil receiving their due in the end?"
Lu Qing had not expected those two to die.
And to die so easily.
The enemies recorded in his little notebook had all been wiped clean by this great explosion.
Yet that precisely showed that even Bai Yunqing's backer, a renowned Heavenly Prodigy of the Outer Sect who had cultivated there for many years, had died.
One could imagine just how far-reaching the effects of this massive explosion were.
This was nothing like what had happened in the Trial Microcosm.
Back then, outside the trial, a Dao Academy Elder had kept watch with his own eyes.
Nothing major could happen.
"The Demonic Cultivators were truly ruthless with this move."
Such actions—ravaging heaven and earth, destroying Earth Veins and Spirit Veins—were enough to make one gnash one's teeth. As expected, if that region was not promptly set in order, its Spiritual Power would plummet, and countless disasters would likely follow.
Moreover, this was a province under the jurisdiction of the Profound Heaven Dao Academy.
They could not simply ignore it.
"After reaching Foundation Establishment, there will be a garrison assignment."
"Since beginning my cultivation, I haven't used cultivation methods to fight anyone. It's time I made a trip to the arena."
He cared nothing for fame, but he needed to test his killing techniques in battle before he could gain a deeper understanding of them.
Lu Qing cultivated the Cloud-Riding Water Arrow, which was relatively one-dimensional. However, he also had formations, and he was not dull-witted in that regard. If he could combine the two, the first thing he valued was his own defense.
Defense was currently his weak point.
His thoughts turned.
Before long, he entered the arena.
The Four-Sided Arena stood high upon a mountain cliff. Within each arena lay a small world of Cosmos, mysterious beyond measure.
As Lu Qing stepped inside, a ranking stele appeared at the very top of the arena.
The names displayed upon it were famous on the lips of countless disciples.
Lu Qing saw the names of both veteran disciples and those from the newest batch.
Li Jiuming and Liu Yuan, who had entered the sect before him, were also listed there.
The rankings only recorded the top three thousand three hundred disciples of the Outer Academy.
Lu Qing swept his gaze over it, then began fighting as well.
When battling, every disciple could leave behind an imprint of themselves here.
Even if those who came later could not compete against the main body, they could still fight that imprint.
After all, some disciples entered seclusion for decades. If one wished to spar with them, defeating the imprint they had left behind was also a common method.
A green figure stepped forward, a long spear in hand, invisible killing intent curling around him.
"Shen Chang'an."
"Lu Qing."
Lu Qing's expression was incomparably serious. After they exchanged names,
the next second,
the two struck at the same time.
A point of silver gleamed from the spear, like a snake swallowing clouds and spitting mist—real and false intermingled, until only a threadlike killing intent shook heaven and earth.
"Killing Intent Divine Spear!"
Whoosh—
Countless streams of water rose before him.
Since crossing over, Lu Qing's most perilous experience had been those two years on the road in search of Immortals.
He had not experienced Immortal Path Dharma Combat, but he had seen no shortage of martial struggles in the mortal world.
It was not as though he had never seen blood. At most, after embarking on the path of cultivation, he had yet to contend with anyone.
At this moment, the pent-up breath in his heart spread out from his state of mind.
A hint of excitement appeared on his face. "Again."
The water currents transformed into countless water arrows, shooting toward vital points.
Shen Chang'an flicked his wrist, and his originally fierce offensive swiftly transformed into a softness that could coil around a finger. Water flowed across heaven and earth, while this spear technique became wind that was everywhere—light and free.
Clang— Arrows collided with Golden Spear's long spear.
Countless sparks scattered, Spiritual Power crashing together. The surrounding spiritual energy was instantly churned into turbulent currents.
Several breaths later, Lu Qing suppressed the exhilaration of fighting. "It's over."
The Water Arrow had already reached great mastery. The final sliver of perfection was completed at this moment; after being steeped in the aura of Dharma Combat and battle, it finally attained full perfection.
After Lu Qing finished challenging one opponent, the next to come forward was a disciple named Lei Fa. Lightning danced in his palm, and he looked like the thunder lord of the heavens, imposing and majestic.
After tangling with him for a while, Lu Qing also used sword techniques to sever the Thunder Dragon charging straight at him.
Figure after figure appeared, and figure after figure vanished.
Later on, after Lu Qing successfully killed one disciple, he withdrew his spell.
The lake within his dantian—inside the dantian that had only just advanced—was completely empty, without a single trace of Spiritual Power left.
This thorough arena battle also made Lu Qing, who had just entered the Foundation Establishment realm, more encompassing in body, Divine Consciousness, state of mind, and every other aspect, like water embracing all things.
"Enough."
His name hung among the final hundred places on the rankings, utterly inconspicuous. Those who wished to make the list either challenged those ahead of them, or simply wanted their names listed and challenged the very last-ranked opponents.
Lu Qing had gained what he wanted from this fight, so he did not continue challenging higher ranks.
There were rankings for all four sides of the arena. The arena where he stood ranked disciples purely by Dharma Combat and killing prowess.
The other three arenas also had ranking lists.
However, those were arenas specifically meant for disciples specializing in a particular path.
In other words, this arena had no restrictions whatsoever, while the other three required one to be proficient in a certain discipline before stepping onto them.
Of course, this did not mean mastery of the Great Dao itself, but proficiency in one's methods.
The Great Dao was boundless. How could anyone speak of mastery?
He slowly exhaled, and the aura of Foundation Establishment Spiritual Power surrounding his body instantly withdrew into him.
"Back to farming."
His mind and thoughts were unimpeded. Even the thunderous sound that had made his heart tremble when he left home no longer compared to the pure delight he now felt.
After experiencing several arena battles, Lu Qing underwent a subtle transformation.
His Dao Heart became clearer. His earlier advancement in realm had been swift, yet he had never truly paid attention to his state of mind.
"Immortal Cultivation cultivates life, but it also cultivates the heart. Without one's state of mind to suppress it, strength alone will ultimately bring more loss than gain."
Stillness had reached its limit, and thoughts of movement arose.
After resolving the deadly crisis and breaking through his bottleneck, Lu Qing's trip beyond the mountain gates had brought him far greater gains than before. That trial of the heart through battle had cut away the lingering aura of the mortal world, and also severed the faint unease left behind by the flying sword streaking through the skies, when his life had hung by a thread.
The memories left from what he had seen that day remained within him. Even Lu Qing had not realized that when his head had nearly been severed, a trace of shadow had already been branded into his heart.
Fortunately, through arena combat, he had erased that trace of shadow.
"Truly cause for celebration."
A more calm and natural aura flowed from Lu Qing's entire body.
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