It was the spring equinox.
Clouds gathered from every direction. As they piled higher, they turned from white to gray, until they covered the sky above most of the Spirit Fields.
A moment ago, it had been daylight. Now it looked like the dead of night.
Heaven and earth fell silent. Even the insects and birds ceased their cries.
Suddenly, a pale, branching bolt of lightning slashed across the dark sky.
For an instant, everything was lit a ghastly white, stripped of its original color.
Then a rumble rolled in from afar, and the whole world trembled with it.
Rustle, patter!
Fine rain drifted on the wind like threads of silk.
Soon, a hazy curtain of rain hung beneath the sky, like smoke and mist.
In Red Maple Valley, a talisman lit up, illuminating the dim room.
It did not go out. Instead, it hung "frozen" in midair, its light lasting an unusually long time.
Xu Changqing watched the first spring rain outside the window and nodded slightly. "Xiang'er, Feng'er, most of the time, we use the Greater-and-Lesser Cloud-Rain Art to nourish the Spirit Fields and spirit plants.
"But in truth, all we're doing is imitating natural rainfall.
"And changes in nature are often closely tied to the spiritual qi of heaven and earth."
Sun Shangxiang and Lin Feng looked outside curiously.
The rain fell at an easy, unhurried pace. Its sound was soothing and put them at ease.
Unfortunately, with their current abilities, that was all they could sense.
Xu Changqing raised his right hand and pointed toward the Spirit Fields. "In the past, the Spiritual Qi Tide would surge on the first day of spring.
"But after the Dragon Vein of the Azuretide Sea Region was severed, the spiritual qi of the Heavenly Origin Realm changed with it.