The Ominous Hexagram Appears Again

"Profound Heaven Origin Scripture: from Meridian Opening Realm into the Qi Nourishment Realm, draw the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into the Dantian..."

Following the guidance in the cultivation method, Lu Qing sat cross-legged and began cultivating.

Nameless Peak, where he resided, was rich in spiritual energy. His courtyard stood atop a lofty cliff, where the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was even more abundant.

Lu Qing suddenly felt his vision withdraw from the outside world and return to his own body.

The invisible spiritual energy seemed to turn into specks of light before his eyes.

Lu Qing tried reaching out to touch them, and those specks of light gradually drifted into his body.

Boom!

Another rumble sounded.

He hurriedly steadied his mind.

After the time it took to burn an incense stick.

He opened his eyes, unable to keep a trace of delight from showing on his face. Meridian Opening Realm was merely a foundational transition for the disciples here.

Only by truly stepping into the Qi Nourishment Realm could one be considered a cultivator.

Lu Qing could now confirm that with his aptitude, he had entered the realm so quickly. Those with even greater talent than him would surely be faster still.

"No wonder they say aptitude for Immortal Cultivation is so important."

Even someone as calm as Lu Qing was naturally delighted to have truly taken this step without enduring too many hardships.

"Right, this is the perfect time to see what's inside the Jade Token Space."

The Jade Token Space had previously been a vast expanse of misty whiteness.

Lu Qing had been unable to see it clearly before.

But now that he possessed a shallow level of cultivation, he discovered that the white fog, once like a veil of confusion, had receded.

Before him stood an enormous palace.

Supporting that palace was a vast mountain.

On the palace plaque, four characters danced like dragons and phoenixes: "Mission Hall."

An indistinct prompt arose in his heart.

"Mission Hall. Dao Academy disciples may accept missions here, settle missions here, and conduct transactions here."

"Upon entering the Mission Hall, one may alter one's appearance and conceal one's aura."

"So that's how it is."

With a movement of Lu Qing's mind, his figure changed. Within the Jade Token Space, unaffected by his cultivation level, he directly arrived at the Mission Hall.

He found the Mission Hall bustling with people, all of them Dao Academy disciples. Yet most of their figures were illusory. Only then did Lu Qing understand why the Profound Heaven Dao Academy grounds he had seen after entering the sect were so enormous, while the number of academy disciples did not seem enough to match them.

It turned out that they were all here accepting missions.

It had to be said that this cultivation world differed quite a bit from what Lu Qing had imagined.

At least from what he had seen so far, spells had been applied to every aspect of daily life and cultivation here. No, rather, in order to make cultivation more convenient, all those peripheral trifles had to be handled with greater efficiency.

Yet perhaps one thing remained the same in every world: circulating resources did not lie scattered in the streets like garbage.

At the very least, Lu Qing felt that he needed to start earning Spirit Stones.

Of course, leaving the mountain gates was still impossible. He had studied the sect rules as well. Newly admitted disciples had to complete an internal sect mission before they could go out and carry out missions beyond the mountains.

This was also for the benefit of new disciples. At the very least, they needed to become familiar with the use of Spiritual Power and spells during the early stages of cultivation.

After Lu Qing entered the Mission Hall, Sky Screens like flowing light appeared across more than a dozen large areas. Quite a few disciples stood before them, observing and choosing the missions they wished to accept.

Moreover, in every Sky Screen area, a disciple sat behind a desk. Those wishing to settle missions or collect mission rewards could do so through that disciple.

They could also directly use their Disciple Token to complete the settlement.

The entire process was convenient and efficient, and Lu Qing took note of it.

After watching for a while, Lu Qing left the place, his consciousness returning to his body.

He only possessed Spiritual Power now, without any corresponding means to wield it. Naturally, he would not rush to accept missions at a time like this.

"Spirit Stones, Spirit Stones."

He quietly cultivated on his mountain. The sense of security brought by having Dharma Power and spells at hand was incomparable to anything else.

Although he had not died from that brush with beheading, Lu Qing had no desire to experience such a thing again. It truly had not been pleasant.

Just as he was thinking this.

Whether because the thought had arrived or because he had triggered some condition.

The Ominous Hexagram, which had not appeared since he entered the Dao Academy, emerged once more.

[Greatly Ominous Hexagram: The tree wishes to be still, but the wind will not cease. Because you intend to accept an internal mountain mission to earn Spirit Stones, Bai Yunqing approaches you on the road as you leave Nameless Dao Peak. You refuse, incur his resentment, and are later killed by an unfamiliar enemy while carrying out the mission. Greatly ominous.]

[Greatly Ominous Hexagram: The tree wishes to be still, but the wind will not cease. Because you intend to accept an internal mountain mission to earn Spirit Stones, Bai Yunqing approaches you on the road as you leave Nameless Dao Peak. You agree, but while carrying out an irrigation mission for Spirit Plants, you are killed by an unfamiliar enemy. Greatly ominous.]

[Calming Hexagram: Remain on Nameless Peak and cultivate for one month. No worries, no Killing Tribulation. Calming.]

"What grudge do I even have with you? If I refuse your recruitment, you want to kill me. If I agree, you still want to kill me."

Lu Qing was truly speechless at these people. One after another, instead of earning Spirit Stones or cultivating, they were busy recruiting others—and their hearts were far too narrow.

Lu Qing's eyes settled on the words "unfamiliar enemy."

That familiar description made him think of what had happened in Profound Heaven City last time.

"Are these two unfamiliar enemies actually the same person? The Dao Academy isn't absolutely safe either."

"No, wait."

In an instant, Lu Qing thought of many possibilities, including the possibility that this unfamiliar enemy was the old Demonic Path thief Elder Mo had mentioned before.

Or perhaps some disciple or elder within the Dao Academy.

"The missions I choose all begin with the safest options. This Spirit Plant mission..."

Lu Qing had always possessed a good memory, and after cultivating, his ears and eyes had become even sharper. He had organized everyone he had seen and everything that had happened into a memory palace within his mind.

With a single thought, he quickly recalled the missions concerning irrigating Spirit Plants that he had screened in the Mission Hall.

Those missions were not very difficult, but their basic requirement was that disciples reach the Qi Nourishment Realm.

Without the Qi Nourishment Realm, one had to cultivate the common Cloud Rain Technique.

What caught his attention was not the mission requirements, but the locations.

"Because they involve growing Spirit Plants, they are generally located far from the main peak—farther even than the Outer Academy here. They are probably in the Servant Academy."

"In other words, if I am killed there, that place is definitely dangerous."

What was Lu Qing's current cultivation? At the very least, he was a genuine outer disciple in the Qi Nourishment Realm. Given the aptitude of those in the Servant Academy, they were probably still lingering around the Meridian Opening Realm, if they had even entered it at all.

The Greatly Ominous Hexagram described it so effortlessly. Could this unfamiliar enemy really be that old Demonic Path thief from before?

"There are twenty-eight stewards in the Servant Academy. Never mind their cultivation—I'm certain they are stronger than me."

"Could there be some secret in that Spirit Plant District? No, that's not right. If there were a secret, the Divination would be like last time, saying that I stumbled upon the secret and was killed."

"That old Demonic Path thief."

The person Lu Qing suspected most was still that old Demonic Path thief. That area was the most remote place within the Dao Academy's sphere of influence.

The formations there were probably not as stable as the ones here.

If someone truly caused some trouble over there, then given the methods of an old devil like that, he could surely pull it off.