Cultivation Advances, Cloud Mist Formation

Lu Qing said, "For Foundation Establishment assignments, becoming a city lord or prefectural lord is out of the question, but I might have a chance at serving as a stationed cultivator somewhere within a county."

"But those places are too remote."

"Ah, it all depends on the arrangements."

After reaching Foundation Establishment, another section concerning the duties and responsibilities of Foundation Establishment disciples had opened within the Jade Token Space.

Lu Qing studied that material for several days before quickly giving up, because the higher-ups basically decided assignments unless one voluntarily chose some troublesome place to guard.

But since those places were troublesome, they naturally had cultivation requirements. If his cultivation wasn't high enough, going there would just be throwing his life away.

"Still, I don't need to rush for now. I've entered Foundation Establishment, but I've been in the sect for less than half a year. Only after a year has passed, after the Outer Academy Grand Tournament, will I truly leave the newbie protection zone."

After entering Foundation Establishment, his Divine Consciousness became clear and bright. The formations on this Dao Peak had also become examples for Lu Qing to study in his daily research into formations.

Before this, he hadn't understood cultivation. He only knew to form hand seals, chant incantations, and activate formations.

Now that he had begun learning formations, Lu Qing found them more and more fascinating.

They drew upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, intercepted a thread of destined opportunity, and joined points into planes. A Formation Eye could anchor a single location, or be everywhere and nowhere.

After reading through an encyclopedia of formations, he discovered that the concealed Cloud Mist Formation on his Dao Peak was one of the simpler concealment formations.

But even among simple formations, the person who laid them made all the difference.

Lu Qing didn't possess any profound formations, but he rather liked this concealed Cloud Mist Formation.

Mist rose in the wild mountains, clouds drifted through the forest.

Hiding within it and combining it with his Concealment Art, it could be called an unmatched divine technique for sneak attacks.

Lu Qing had no defensive cultivation techniques at hand, so for now, he would use formations to muddle his opponents' vision.

"Not simple, not simple. This even includes concealing Divine Consciousness."

After developing Divine Consciousness, Lu Qing discovered that what the eyes saw wasn't necessarily real.

Several more days passed.

It was time for the spirit rice to bear grain.

"Starting today, the order is complete. This is your payment."

Hearing those words, Lu Qing watched the other man clap his palm. Countless grains of spirit rice immediately fell into the other's Storage Ring.

"All right. Thank you, Senior Brother, for taking care of me these past days."

He smiled.

One didn't strike a smiling face. This Senior Brother, whose expression had always been cold, unusually nodded before turning and leaving on his flying sword.

"So he was a sword cultivator."

Lu Qing muttered inwardly.

The man usually departed as a streak of escaping light. Seeing him today and learning that he was a sword cultivator left Lu Qing quite stunned.

Why would someone who cultivated the sword path go to the Spirit Plant Academy?

Still, it had nothing to do with him.

"I've finally completed the quota. After setting aside what I ate, there's still a batch I can sell directly."

Lu Qing checked his storage pouch. There weren't many Spirit Stones inside.

Spirit Stones assisted cultivation. During this period, Lu Qing had bought several formation diagrams, along with jade slips on cultivation methods from the Spirit Plant Academy.

While staying here, he either cultivated or practiced spells.

His days passed in great peace.

But soon, above the sect gates, a brilliant stretch of rosy light came from afar, accompanied by countless cries of cranes.

Ahead of the wind-riding procession were innumerable streams of light like those from before.

"So the demon-slaying mission has ended."

After nearly two months, the mission had finally drawn to a close.

But the impact it caused was undoubtedly widespread.

"Ah, what a pity, what a pity. Those demonic cultivators truly were ruthless and vicious. They destroyed the Spirit Vein and smashed the Minor Realm to pieces."

"Yeah. I originally wanted to go in and try my luck for an opportunity. Well, that's that."

Many disciples discussed the matter atop spirit beasts flying through the sky.

There was no need to avoid others.

News of such a massive explosion had long since spread throughout the entire Profound Heaven Domain. Even the neighboring Grand Heaven Domain had heard of it.

"The Grand Heaven Dao Sect originally wanted to get involved, but one of their true disciples was unlucky enough to die right at the center of the eruption."

That voice carried no small amount of schadenfreude.

After all, this had originally been a matter for their Profound Heaven Dao Academy.

Who knew that the Grand Heaven Dao Sect would have a true disciple come here to train?

After news of the Minor Realm leaked out, perhaps because the two sides were neighbors and had exchanged some unknown benefits, the Grand Heaven Dao Sect and the Profound Heaven Dao Academy jointly developed the Minor Realm.

In the end, this was the outcome.

"They really were unlucky. We were lucky, though. So many people died in the Dao Academy this time. There should be compensation, and the rankings ought to change as well."

"Yeah, who told them to be so unlucky?"

They discussed it openly.

Lu Qing hadn't used his Divine Consciousness, yet he still heard the news with his ordinary ears.

"Looks like the losses this time were rather severe."

Listening to their tone, clearly eager to advance in the rankings, Lu Qing didn't need to think hard. Once most of the disciples returned, the vacant positions would likely spark another round of open and covert struggles.

Lu Qing cultivated peacefully on his Nameless Dao Peak. After finishing his spell practice, he studied formations. Whenever stillness bred restlessness, he brewed a cup of clear tea and savored it slowly.

When the moon climbed above the branches, he cultivated the Profound Heaven Origin Scripture.

At dawn, he absorbed the essence of spiritual energy.

Through patient grinding effort, starting with the simplest Spirit-Gathering Formation, Lu Qing gradually modified it. If there had been a game interface, he probably would have upgraded his Spirit-Gathering Array to level three by now.

It was just enough to cover the entire courtyard.

Such days were tranquil and secluded.

Lu Qing's cultivation also didn't disappoint his talent. He advanced to the Foundation Establishment Third Layer.

That speed was already incredibly fast.

Foundation Establishment laid the foundation for cultivation. Each layer built upon that foundation, testing both talent and comprehension.

If one's heart held obstacles, then even after just entering Foundation Establishment, one might spend several years pondering a single layer.

The White Crane Boy occasionally came by, sometimes bringing news from beyond the mountain, sometimes delivering spiritual meals and spirit fruits.

This day, Lu Qing was setting up the Cloud Mist Formation he had developed himself.

The Cloud Mist Formation on the Dao Peak looked like a single formation, but it was actually connected to countless surrounding Dao Peaks. Above it all, an immense Great Sun Formation suppressed everything.

When Lu Qing first caught a glimpse of it, his heart clicked in amazement.

How could he not understand that the Cloud Mist Formation on Nameless Dao Peak wasn't independent, but connected to the Guardian Formation?

"Fortunately, my Cloud Mist Formation doesn't need to cover an entire mountain range for now. I'll start with a range of several hundred meters beneath my feet."

His gaze blazed as he formed seals with both hands. A formation disk floated before him while he muttered an incantation.

"Set."

Suddenly, wind rose from nowhere, and clouds and mist spread open.

Within a radius of several hundred meters, wind abruptly curled up, clouds gathered, and mist surged forth, turning everything into a vast expanse of white.

At that moment, Lu Qing's figure seemed to merge into the formation itself, making it impossible to tell whether this place was illusion or reality.

"It worked."

Lu Qing was delighted. He formed another set of seals, and spiritual light flashed across the formation disk. "Disperse."

The clouds and mist immediately scattered, revealing the clean, quiet courtyard.