Understanding, Continuing Cultivation

Spirit Terrace County.

The news of the new Immortal Master taking up his post gradually died down after a few days.

For most people, Immortal Master Lu was far too distant from them.

Leaving everything else aside, after the people from the four Lineages presented their prepared gifts, they hadn't even managed to exchange more than a few words with the Immortal Master.

Anyone with eyes could see that he was wholly devoted to cultivation.

Thus, no one dared report those trivial, miscellaneous matters to him.

This Immortal Master's style was completely different from the previous one's.

Chen Sheng needed resources for cultivation, and his aptitude was merely average. Therefore, after arriving in Spirit Terrace County, he would also involve himself in some of the county's affairs.

So there had been plenty of chances to interact with him in daily life.

But this one was different. He was stationed on Spiritual Terrace Mountain, not amid the bustling city.

They wanted to establish relations with him, yet quickly realized that he disliked worldly possessions and mundane affairs.

"Father, weren't you different before? Is the new Immortal Master really that formidable?"

The Bai Clan.

The position of county magistrate rotated every five years, and it was currently the Bai Clan head's turn.

His eldest son, the Bai Clan's eldest young master, wore a puzzled expression.

Bai Shoucai sneered as he stared at his son. "Then you don't know that not only am I no match for him, even if I joined forces with those three old men, we still wouldn't be enough for him to fight."

Afterward, the four of them gathered and concluded that this man was absolutely at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, perhaps even the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

The four of them, working together, could contend against a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator. But the Foundation Establishment Late Stage was another leap in combat power altogether.

"Ah..."

The eldest young master of the Bai Clan gaped in a daze. In his eyes, his father had always been the strongest.

Yet now, even his father had personally admitted that he was no match.

That Immortal Master, whose face looked younger than even his youngest brother's, was actually so formidable.

"Rest assured, that man has no intention of interfering in these matters. Once the new batch of goods is traded away, we'll send Immortal Master Lu another gift."

"At least not interfering is better than meddling recklessly."

Bai Shoucai's voice became nearly inaudible in that final sentence.

After all, every stationed cultivator had a different style, but the Lineages rooted in that place couldn't simply run away.

Fortunately, this newcomer hadn't opened his mouth like a lion. Yet even though he hadn't asked, they naturally still had to reserve his share.

In a sense, this was an unwritten rule.

Spirit Terrace County remained peaceful each day.

Lu Qing sat amid the great mountains, with an open view before him and a vast bamboo grove swaying behind him.

At that moment, his hands formed a seal, while an array disc floated before him on the wind.

Then, following the hand signs, he decisively and swiftly tapped several acupoints on his body. Threads of golden Spiritual Power flowed over his skin.

The array disc suddenly transformed its Spiritual Power into golden light, which continuously flowed along the connection between Lu Qing's mind and the array disc.

Rumble!

It was like thunder rolling through a clear sky.

Countless muscles and tissues within his body pulsed.

A layer of golden radiance emerged over his skin.

Lu Qing lowered his hands. With a thought, he looked down at himself again, and the layer of golden light that had originally shone brilliantly instantly withdrew completely.

Hidden beneath his skin was none other than the Golden Light Formation Lu Qing had obtained earlier.

After repeated study and tempering, he had finally succeeded in engraving it onto his physical body.

It was equivalent to a mobile formation, ever ready to guard against sneak attacks.

Lu Qing had techniques for launching sneak attacks, so naturally he wouldn't forget to guard against the sneak attacks of others.

This Golden Light Formation was currently the most suitable defense Lu Qing knew of for his circumstances.

It could no longer even be considered a formation. Engraved into the flesh, it enhanced his body at all times.

Ordinary formations couldn't achieve this. If there were a cultivation technique for it, then this Golden Light Formation could surely be called a cultivation technique as well.

After several days, Lu Qing had stabilized the realm he had previously advanced through so rapidly. Outside of focused cultivation, he continuously used threads of compressed Spiritual Power to hammer his body.

Foundation Establishment cultivators possessed powerful bodies as well, but compared to cultivators who specialized in the path of Body Refinement, they appeared fragile.

Body and soul were one. Lu Qing naturally wouldn't lag behind in this regard. Even if he didn't specialize in Body Refinement, he would remain wary of others' attacks.

"Ninth Layer of Foundation Establishment. The next step should be opening the Purple Mansion Realm."

His gaze was distant. Recently, the faint coolness between his brows had become increasingly pronounced.

The Purple Mansion Realm was like a Heavenly Eye, located at the center of the leaf that obscured one's vision.

Unlike the Sea of Consciousness, the Purple Mansion Realm nourished the spirit. Even Lu Qing didn't dare claim to fully understand the path of the Divine Soul.

The Divine Soul was mysterious. Lu Qing raised a finger and brushed it over the space between his brows.

That cool sensation was unmistakable.

He wasn't in a hurry to open the Purple Mansion Realm or break through into it. Instead, he continuously compressed the Spiritual Power within his Dantian. A drop of Spirit Liquid from that golden lake had, under such compression, reached an astonishing degree of purity.

There was a distinction between the Innate Realm and the Postnatal Realm. Innate Spiritual Power was even more flawlessly pure. Lu Qing wasn't in any rush to break through now.

He was waiting for that opportunity that would come naturally.

On the journey away from the mountain gate, cultivation was protection. Here, with formations enveloping the place, he had also researched Spirit Terrace County.

According to some records from those Lineages, the beast tides here had nearly vanished. Moreover, the most recent beast tide hadn't come from the mountains, but from the great river Lu Qing had followed here.

That great river had different names in different places, but here, many people also called it the Spirit Terrace River.

This place could be considered safe. At the very least, only cultivators courting death—those who wanted to become rich overnight or ascend overnight—would run into a few demonic beasts.

But the strongest of those demonic beasts were only at the first or second layer of Foundation Establishment. When Lu Qing arrived, he had already carefully searched the surroundings with his Divine Consciousness.

Among those with higher cultivation, the strongest demonic beast was hidden somewhere beneath the waters of the Spirit Terrace River.

However, it seemed to be slumbering.

It was an old turtle.

To put it bluntly, Lu Qing could swagger about here without even being cautious, but that didn't suit his temperament.

As for making a move? There was no need for him to do so.

Who knew whether an old turtle might bring something even older in its wake?

"The year's end will be here again soon."

Lu Qing stepped out of the courtyard and gazed into the distance.

The county city at the foot of the mountain had already begun hanging lanterns and decorations, preparing to welcome the arrival of a new year.

Lu Qing watched the mountain below in silence. Only when night first fell and countless lights glimmered like fireflies did he withdraw his gaze.

"Purple Mansion Realm."

He spoke softly. Just then, he had caught a fleeting flash of inspiration.

For an instant, it was as though he had entered a state of enlightenment.

"Seclusion." His eyes brightened slightly, and a faint smile curved his lips. Hadn't his previous period of stabilization also been a search for inspiration to break through into the Purple Mansion Realm?

Now that it had arrived, how could he not be delighted?

Knowing his own cultivation situation, how could Lu Qing possibly fail to prepare before leaving?

The experience jade slips left behind by his predecessors became nourishment for reference.

And today, at just this moment, after cultivation, he had found the direction for his next step.