Lu Qing's flying boat was anchored mid-air.

Rain streamed around them, but the flying boat remained dry and untouched by the moisture.

Although Lu Qing wasn't wet, he habitually cast a Cleansing spell on himself after boarding the boat.

Since coming to Shui Province, a region surrounded by water, marshes, and forests, his water-related spells here were more potent. This was due to the excellent natural advantages of the location.

Combined with the 'human element' of Cultivators themselves, it was undoubtedly a vast blessed land for Cultivators who practiced the Dao of Water.

The air was saturated with moisture. After Lu Qing flew away from the battle zone, the scorching heat was also covered by the cold rain from the high dome.

With the two cycling, and the layers of ice and snow outside blocking them, it was no wonder the Great Marsh's surroundings weren't extensively encroached upon.

Lu Qing pondered for a moment, calculated the time with his fingers, and realized that this mission had kept him busy for over a month.

Traveling by air took time, as did clearing Baleful Qi according to the map. A portion of the time, of course, was reserved by Lu Qing for his unyielding daily cultivation.

Calculating it this way, having spent it in busy work, Lu Qing, immersed in this state, didn't feel that time had passed quickly.

He looked towards the North of the Great Marsh, a direction he had heard about before coming here—the area of the Fengwei Water Kingdom.

Thinking of the strange aura he had sensed earlier, and so many Shui Province Cultivators coming for the excitement, it was absolutely impossible for there to be no conflicts.

In fact, Lu Qing even wondered why a marriage recruitment event would be held at this time? He had also learned that the two daughters of Phoenix Tail Patriarch were already hundreds of years old. If such an event were to be held, it would have happened long ago.

There was always a hint of something not quite right.

The flying boat, like a green leaf, left a trail as it glided through the air.

Lu Qing had completed his mission in Shui Province this time. Since the mission was accepted within the Dao Academy's Mountain Gate, it was like being a temporary Cultivator on assignment, not one of the long-term stationed Cultivators. Thus, he didn't need to go to Phoenix Tail Prefecture to submit his mission report like other disciples.

He immediately changed direction, not leaving Shui Province by the way he came.

Going South from the South of the Great Marsh was not realistic, as it would only lead to varying distances from the battle zone.

Going North was even more impossible; he might encounter groups of clashing Cultivators as soon as he left.

If he were to leave Shui Province by flying through the sky, any direction, North or South, would work. However, the land was not only inhabited by human Cultivators, but also by Demon Race, Yao Cultivators, and Demonic Beasts.

Lu Qing paused briefly when he flew low over a small forest.

After orienting himself, he looked at three forks in the path: one to the southeast, one directly East, and one to the northeast. All three directions would allow him to leave Shui Province without passing through the local Sects of Shui Province's immortal Sects.

He casually plucked a leaf from a nearby plant and tossed it out with a backhand.

The leaf spun gently as it fell, then floated back into his hand, its tip pointing directly to the southeast.

He flicked the leaf away, his brows showing certainty, "Alright, then the southeast it is."

When in doubt, consult the spirits first—this was the most common action used by Jade Mountain disciples when traveling.

In the direct path ahead, a young man dressed in an Azure Dragon robe was squatting on the ground, making gestures.

He held a tortoise shell in his left hand, three gold coins in his right, and a hand materialized from spiritual power was constantly calculating on the ground.

"No, no, it should be this direction."

"Wrong, wrong, this cannot be interpreted this way; I should take this path."

Wang Xingchen had divined for a long time, but was still indecisive.

Just then, a streak of light flashed across the sky.

His eyes lit up with joy, and he quickly shouted towards the sky, "This... Fellow..."

"Fellow, Fellow Daoist—"

Before his words could fully land, that streak of light instantly cast a shadow and vanished before Wang Xingchen.

His smile hadn't even fully bloomed as he stared blankly at the cloud trail that had swept across the sky.

"Have I been out for too long? I didn't mean to do anything, did I?"

He had just stood up, holding the divination artifacts in both hands, "Oh, I almost forgot, he wouldn't think I'm a bandit Cultivator, would he?"

Wang Xingchen looked down at himself again. He didn't look like one, did he?

Regarding this, Lu Qing, who had flown past in the sky, indicated that when encountering unfamiliar Cultivators in the wilderness, one should neither inquire nor interfere, nor speak.

Who knew who was behind that face?

Although he did see what the other person was doing, it was still one principle: avoid unfamiliar Karma as much as possible.

Lu Qing also took out the intelligence Jade Slip on his way.

He could already see the tiny Formations inscribed within the Jade Slip operating, exquisitely intricate. Unless one was proficient in Formations, it would be truly difficult to embed them within such a small Jade Slip.

However, this Formation itself was a reflection of spiritual light between each other, like providing a mirror space. As long as a piece of text was left, it would automatically be seen by others in the mirror space.

There was no new news inside recently.

Just as Lu Qing was about to put it away, a spiritual light message, flashing with brilliance, suddenly appeared among the many messages, rising so quickly that it left observers astonished.

Lu Qing also clicked in to see what this disciple was talking about.

【Summary of Major Events Recently】

The title was straightforward.

【Li Mo is Dead, Was it Premeditated or an Accident?】

Lu Qing's gaze dropped. The flowing light below listed the recent major events.

One of them was about that challenge letter.

degree and the disciple named Li Mo were to fight.

Lu Qing had some impression of these two.

The outcome of the matter would either be one dead, one alive.

However, a piece of news was revealed here.

That Li Mo was actually dead?

And he died before the arena battle.

All of a sudden, the already lively challenge letter incident became an even hotter topic because of this.

It was said that degree had also disappeared.

What a mess.

Lu Qing didn't care who lived or died, but when he saw a slightly familiar name also appear on the death list, he couldn't help but feel a bit surprised.

No other reason than that Senior Brother Ning Shaohua, whom Lu Qing had encountered before leaving and who wasn't quite right in the head, was also among the deceased.

For some unknown reason, he died violently by a river in Central Province.

His aura completely gone.

It was said that a branch of the Evil Cultivator Headquarters in Central Province was uprooted that day, reportedly a retaliatory action by the Ning family.

Senior Brother Ning Shaohua was ambushed by Evil Cultivators, and many Evil Cultivators also died.

Lu Qing: "It couldn't be that divination result, could it?"

He raised an eyebrow, completely surprised that the other party had, among so many missions, specifically chosen this extremely ominous one.

If it were just Zhang Renfeng, the other party would surely handle it with ease, no problem at all.

But Evil Cultivators don't follow normal paths; how could they fight fair when they could swarm and ambush Dao Academy disciples?

This was a cohesive force that Demonic Path Cultivators generally lacked.

Otherwise, the Evil Cultivator Headquarters wouldn't always be hiding, yet still have a slightly better survival environment than Demonic Cultivators.

Well, now, Lu Qing could only say, it was fate.

He took out his small notebook and crossed out the two names that were barely over a month old.

Lu Qing had thought he could seize the script of 'thirty years East of the river, thirty years West of the river, do not bully a poor long-lived one' from these two, and personally take their heads countless years later.

Such is the uncertain number of deaths upon embarking on the path of cultivation.

Lu Qing skipped this message. The deceased are respected, and he was quite magnanimous, so he didn't need to dwell on the dead.

Among the next few messages, there was one related to Shui Province, where he was currently staying.

When he saw that previously strange name, which was now a prominent figure, also appear here, even possibly participating in the Fengwei Water Kingdom's Consort Recruitment Assembly, he immediately calculated the distance.

He was almost at the border of Shui Province.

It was at this moment that a roar suddenly erupted from the sky, countless miles away, shaking the Nine Heavens...