Qian Wanan had seen grand scenes before; he had seen plenty of great cultivators and powerful experts.
He was not surprised. What surprised him was, "Cousin, you said he was a new disciple who entered the sect half a year ago?"
Dazed and bewildered, he clung to a thread of hope, unwilling to give up.
"That's right."
His cousin cast a pitying glance at his untalented younger cousin.
The other man's judgment truly was poor—though, of course, he himself had not expected things to turn out like this either.
After all, within the sect, the closer one got to the interior, the richer the spiritual energy became. Naturally, the gap within the Outer Academy was not yet so drastic; only between the Inner Academy and the Outer Academy was there a true cliff-like divide in spiritual energy.
Leaping down from the White Crane's back, his cousin sensed that aura upon arriving here. It was no weaker than his own.
It even made his heart pound with alarm.
"Senior Brothers, I wonder what you mean by coming here to speak of exchanging Dao Peaks?"
The owner of the aura his cousin saw appeared to be a young man. His aura was natural and unforced, but that Foundation Establishment aura could not be faked.
Almost the moment he saw Lu Qing, he noticed the faint clouds and mist curling around the courtyard behind him.
"Ahem, Junior Brother Lu, it's like this. My cousin was blinded by greed for a moment. It cannot be taken seriously, absolutely cannot be taken seriously."
Qian Wanan's soul was already Beyond the Heavens.
He was merely in the Qi Nourishment Realm. That Foundation Establishment aura was vast and heavy as the heavens. The instant he stepped into the courtyard, he hurriedly admitted, "It was my fault. I offended this Senior Brother."
Lu Qing was taken aback. They had not even exchanged two or three sentences—how had this man already lost all spirit before him?
"It's nothing."
The other man approached with a smile. Lu Qing could hardly act as an ill-mannered host and drive him away, so they exchanged a few words.
"Junior Brother, this Cloud Mist Formation of yours was derived from the Grand Cloud-Mist Formation, wasn't it? Half-hidden and half-revealed—no wonder I sensed something unusual the moment I entered."
His cousin smiled and casually brought up the subject.
"Senior Brother has sharp eyes."
Lu Qing admitted it readily. Combined with the Spirit-Gathering Formation, the Cloud Mist Formation did not disperse Spiritual Power as widely as the Grand Cloud-Mist Formation did. Instead, it concentrated it more effectively within the courtyard and the Spirit Field behind it.
A sharp gleam flashed repeatedly in his cousin's eyes. With a look of amazement, he flipped his hand and passed over an item from his Storage Ring.
"Impressive, truly impressive. I never expected Junior Brother to have studied formations as well. As it happens, I have a formation diagram here. Today, I rashly came calling with my cousin, and this diagram is of little use in my hands. Let it be a gift for Junior Brother."
"This? Senior Brother should take it back."
Lu Qing hurriedly declined. He had no friendship whatsoever with this Senior Brother Qian before him. How could he dare accept something the man offered?
In the Cultivation World, human heart could not recognize human heart.
"Ah, Junior Brother, there is no need to worry. I simply wish to form a good bond with you, and let this serve as an apology as well. After all, my cousin is truly a disappointment."
Qian Wanan watched his nose, his nose watched his heart, and he did not dare utter a word.
Being ridiculed by his cousin was still better than being beaten up by someone else. If Lu Qing had been the petty sort, he might have gained a Foundation Establishment enemy today.
Damn it, if I'd known, I wouldn't have been so greedy.
Heh, no wonder they said a genius was a genius.
Qian Wanan had clearly forgotten what he had thought earlier: a genius was only a genius, not necessarily a powerhouse.
He was no fool. Seeing his cousin behave this way, how could he not realize that this Junior Brother Lu's cultivation was definitely not merely at the initial Foundation Establishment stage?
Only half an hour later did they leave.
Qian Wanan remained dazed as he watched his cousin and Lu Qing converse with great delight. From the look of it, calling them friends would not have been an exaggeration.
It was not until they descended the mountain that the smile on his cousin's face gradually faded.
"Cousin."
Qian Wanan's voice was weak.
"Ah, Cousin, that temperament of yours needs to be tempered. As it happens, a disciple from the Red Civet Clan in the sect is about to leave the mountain for an experience mission. You can take his place."
With a single sentence, he made the arrangement.
Qian Wanan's face immediately turned pale with panic. Wearing a miserable expression, he said, "Cousin, Red Civets have sharp claws. I'm afraid my body won't be able to take it."
His scalp went numb. Who did not know that the Dao Academy had many spirit beasts? The Red Civet Ancestor was the mount of an academy head-level expert.
That was a creature with backing. Not only did it need to be fed and cared for every day, but whenever it was in the mood, a disciple had to be found to spar with it.
Those claws were sharp indeed. Quite a few disciples who had eagerly wanted to try their luck and use the chance to curry favor with powerful connections had ended up with faces like blooming flowers, fleeing Red Civet Forest from afar with misery written all over their faces.
"I'm doing this for your own good."
"Junior Brother Lu is no simple person. He has good talent. At first, I thought he focused solely on cultivation, but then I discovered that his methods in formations are quite extraordinary as well. Didn't someone previously want to study the Grand Cloud-Mist Formation too? Yet those without the brains and comprehension could not even get through the door."
"Furthermore, I saw that his aura was tranquil yet carried Qingling within it. It must be the aura of Spirit Plants. Even while dividing his attention between formations and Spirit Plants, he has attained such cultivation. If he specialized in a single path, I would already have to change how I addressed him and call him Senior Brother."
His cousin's face was full of sighs.
He worked at the Mission Hall of the Outer Academy, so he had naturally developed a pair of piercingly keen eyes.
By now, he had already seen that this Junior Brother Lu's potential was boundless.
What he valued was the man's future.
Through his exchanges with Lu Qing, one could see a person's inclinations from their speech and conduct.
This Junior Brother Lu undoubtedly leaned toward tranquility and non-action.
There was certainly envy, but there was even more delight. Investing in geniuses was an art.
No, it should be said that making friends with geniuses was an art.
His cousin understood this well. After all, he himself had once been called a genius. But he had no hope of entering the Inner Academy, while this Junior Brother Lu might yet do so.
This little bit of fate today might come in handy in the future.
And fortunately, he was someone with a pure and natural disposition. Otherwise, this Cause and Effect today would truly have been difficult to settle.
Qian Wanan's eyes widened as he listened. He nodded up and down with complete sincerity. "Cousin, you're right."
Lu Qing walked out of the courtyard and gazed at the distant clouds, gilded in a layer of gold by the dawn light.
Then he looked at the formation diagram in his hand.
No wonder no deadly omen had appeared in his mind. Strength was the foundation of everything.
Lu Qing's expression remained calm as he drew the formation plate from his storage pouch.
The ancient formation plate rested in his palm.
In his right hand was the unfolded formation diagram.
"One move, and he gave me a high-grade formation diagram. As expected of a disciple who works at the Mission Hall."
During their conversation, aside from his initial wariness, that trace of estrangement had quickly been cleared away in a few words.
This Dao Peak of his was purely the effect of formations.
When Qian Wanan passed by earlier, the spiritual energy he instinctively sensed had come from the formations.
He could not see the mysteries within, but a Foundation Establishment cultivator could.
Though he did not cultivate formations, he lived within the sect and encountered them in daily life.
Even if they had exchanged Dao Peaks, Qian Wanan would have been the one at a loss.
Thus, this formation diagram was both giving him what he liked, dissolving resentment, and forming a bond.
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