Qingyu Forms His Core

The turmoil in Cang Province gradually subsided.

The various factions all lay low, but the Cangyun Sect's reckoning continued.

Luo Tian led the Peak Masters in further campaigns, while the patriarch held the fort at the sect. No one coveted the Cangyun Sect anymore.

Who still didn't know that they had wiped out the other two sects in Cang Province?

More importantly, a terrifying expert lay hidden within the Cangyun Sect. He was in the Nascent Soul Realm and had cultivated to the Ninth Layer of Sword Dao. Two Nascent Soul cultivators had been utterly powerless against him.

What did ninth-layer Sword Dao mean? Even someone at the Nascent Soul Fifth Layer would shudder at the sight!

He might not have been invincible in the Yue Kingdom, but he was close enough.

The Cangyun Sect Patriarch gazed over the entire sect, puzzled. Just who was that Nighttime Madman?

He had hidden here all along and saved the entire sect at the critical moment. If someone claimed he had no connection to the sect, probably no one would believe it.

And then there was that formation. Before this, even the patriarch hadn't known such a great formation existed here!

"Could it be the Qingyun Peak Master?"

Probably only he had such ability, but after thinking it over, the patriarch shook his head.

"Surely it couldn't be that little fellow Lu Changsheng!"

The patriarch could sense that the great formation originated from Qingyun Peak, and that Nascent Soul cultivator's presence had first appeared on Qingyun Peak as well.

There were only the three fellow disciples on that peak. With Zhou Qingyu and Ye Tianyi away fighting, only Lu Changsheng and Ning Yuxin remained.

If Ning Yuxin had such ability, she wouldn't have come here, which left only him.

He thought about it and laughed. It was too absurd. Even if Lu Changsheng dared admit it, he wouldn't dare believe it!

In the end, he stopped thinking about it. That person meant no harm, after all.

The Divine Firmament Sect also learned of the incident and sent people over with every show of sincerity. The people involved were already dead, so severe punishment was impossible; they could only offer compensation.

The actions of Zhao Jing and the others ultimately did not represent the Divine Firmament Sect. Besides, with Luo Xianling there, no one would dare act rashly again.

Lu Changsheng, meanwhile, resumed his leisurely life. He exchanged all his possessions for Spirit Stones-three hundred and fifty thousand of them-and refined the whole lot in one go.

Yet all that Spiritual Qi failed to stir so much as a splash. He was still far from the Nascent Soul Second Layer.

The amount of Spiritual Qi he needed was becoming increasingly terrifying.

During this time, no one disturbed him at all. He had originally been thinking about how to get Zhou Qingyu into the Divine Firmament Sect, only to discover that Zhou Qingyu had already entered seclusion for Core Formation.

When the Dynasty War began, geniuses from every sect in the Yue Kingdom would gather, though only the top thirty would ultimately be able to join the Divine Firmament Sect.

But once he reached Core Formation, practically no one could shake his position, saving Lu Changsheng the trouble.

With Zhou Qingyu's aptitude, his future would be limitless if he were properly nurtured. But the Cangyun Sect would struggle to nurture him and could not draw out his greatest potential.

He needed resources, after all, as well as someone to guide him.

Thus, sending him into the Divine Firmament Sect couldn't have been better.

Next, all Lu Changsheng needed to consider was how to cultivate himself.

The only thing he found strange was that Ning Yuxin kept staring at him from time to time, and with a strange look in her eyes.

She had begun to suspect Lu Changsheng.

Only the two of them had been on Qingyun Peak that day. She knew nothing about the Nascent Soul cultivator who appeared later, but the person who saved her had indeed been on Qingyun Peak.

Moreover, there had never been any problems when Lu Changsheng taught her to cultivate. If the person he spoke of didn't exist, wouldn't everything fall naturally into place?

But she had seen everything Lu Changsheng did in his daily life. Could someone like that really be so strong?

All sorts of thoughts surfaced, her state of mind shifting. She wanted to find an answer, yet never reached one.

Aside from his good looks, nothing about him looked the way an expert ought to, no matter how she examined him.

Over the following days, Cang Province settled down, and everything seemed to return to normal.

Lu Changsheng began leaving early and returning late, seeking out a mountain range rich in Spiritual Qi and drawing it in to cultivate, then returning at dusk, repeating the cycle day after day.

Without the torment of cultivation, he became diligent too. But wherever he went, entire stretches of mountains were nearly sucked dry and would struggle to recover without several months.

Time passed, and a month had gone by. The sect was completely stable, and the curtain was about to rise on the Dynasty War.

The various factions of the Yue Kingdom were already rubbing their fists and flexing their palms, urging their respective geniuses to cultivate. As long as someone joined the Divine Firmament Sect, their entire sect would receive its protection.

If that person did well, they could even carry the entire sect to soaring success.

Thus, those factions placed particular importance on this matter.

Some had even prepared for the rain long in advance, pouring all their resources into nurturing the most talented few in their sects, hoping to let them leap out of the barren Yue Kingdom.

The Cangyun Sect was also preparing. They already had their candidates, having selected suitable people from each peak's direct disciples.

There was no need to worry about Zhou Qingyu. He was about to complete Core Formation, and barring any surprises, he would certainly be able to join the Divine Firmament Sect.

The others were also making the most of this time to cultivate, striving to advance another realm.

Ye Tianyi was on the list too and would soon take part.

Only Lu Changsheng lay at ease on Qingyun Peak, watching everyone bustle about, though he wasn't entirely idle.

He was thinking about how to help Zhou Qingyu raise his Sword Dao another layer. After all, preparedness warded off trouble.

That would also earn him greater attention from the Divine Firmament Sect. If he became something like its chief disciple, Lu Changsheng would have to rely on his protection, sparing himself all that constant fighting and killing and racking his brains to seize resources.

Just as he was pondering this question, Ye Tianyi arrived and voiced a question.

"Junior Brother, what are you still doing here?"

Looking at his little junior brother, Ye Tianyi frowned. When others were idle, he was idle. When others were busy, he was still idle, as though he had nothing to do at all.

Lu Changsheng sighed. "I got a fright a while ago, so I'm calming my Dao heart. Did you need something, Senior Brother?"

"Calming your Dao heart?"

Ye Tianyi's brow furrowed. He might really have gotten a fright, but did he even have such a thing as a Dao heart?

"The Dynasty War is about to start. Aren't you going to prepare?"

"Prepare for what?" Lu Changsheng froze.

"To compete, of course!"

"Compete? Me?"

"Yes. Didn't you know you're on the list?"

"I'm on the list? When did that happen?"

Ye Tianyi nodded. "The sect gave you a spot. The patriarch personally selected you. You didn't know?"

"No..." Lu Changsheng froze for a moment, then immediately grew anxious. "Is something wrong with the patriarch? The entire sect only has thirty spots, and he gave one to me?"

"Junior Brother, don't talk nonsense!"

Ye Tianyi rebuked him.

"Has he gone senile, or has he already lost his mind? What's he sending me for? Wouldn't it be better to give that spot to someone else? No, I'm going to have a word with him!"

Lu Changsheng grew frantic and turned to go argue with the patriarch.

He had been living perfectly well. What was the point of making him participate?

"Nonsense!" Ye Tianyi rebuked him loudly, then said, "Whatever the sect's considerations, since they've given it to you, you should work hard!"

"But..."

"I know you're under pressure. After all, participating with your cultivation is too much of a stretch. But isn't it also a chance for you to temper yourself? This also shows how highly the sect regards you. Isn't that right?"

"Is that right?"

Right, my ass!

Lu Changsheng stood dazed for a long time, unable to stop himself from wanting to give that patriarch a beating.