Qian Wan'an had also seen grand scenes; he had seen many powerful Cultivators.

He was not surprised; what surprised him was, "Cousin, you're saying he is a new disciple who entered half a year ago?"

Dazed and confused, he refused to give up, as if gripping a shred of hope.

"That's right."

The older cousin looked with pity at this cousin of his with poor talent.

The other party truly had poor judgment, though he himself hadn't expected this turn of events either.

After all, within the Mountain Gate, the closer to the interior, the better the Spiritual Qi. Of course, the Outer Court did not have such a fractured gap yet; only between the Inner Sect Courtyard and the Outer Court did a true fractured gap in Spiritual Qi exist.

Leaping down from the back of the White Crane and arriving here, the older cousin perceived that aura was not beneath his own.

It even gave him a heart-palpitating feeling.

"Two Senior Brothers, I wonder where the matter of exchanging the Dao Peak you came here to discuss stems from."

The older cousin saw the owner of this aura; the other party looked like a young man with a natural aura, but that Foundation Establishment aura could not be fake.

Almost the moment he saw Lu Qing, looking again at the courtyard surrounding the other party, it was faintly wreathed in clouds and mist.

"Cough cough, Junior Brother Lu, it's like this: this matter is because my cousin here was bewitched, pay it no mind, pay it no mind."

Qian Wan'an's soul was miles away at this moment.

He was merely at the Qi Nourishment stage, while the Foundation Establishment aura was as vast as the sky. Stepping into this courtyard, he quickly admitted, "It is my fault, I was rash towards this Senior Brother."

Lu Qing was stunned; barely two or three sentences had been spoken, why had they lost their spirit right in front of him?

"It's nothing."

As the other party stepped forward with an ingratiating smile, Lu Qing found it impolite to act like an unwelcome host and drive them away, so they chatted for a couple of sentences.

"Junior Brother, your Cloud Mist Array was born from this Cloud-Mist Great Array, appearing half-hidden and half-visible. No wonder I noticed something different upon entering here."

The older cousin smiled, casually bringing up this topic.

"Senior Brother has a good eye."

Lu Qing openly admitted it. With the Cloud Mist Array paired with the Spirit Gathering Array, the circulating spiritual power did not scatter like the Cloud-Mist Great Array; instead, it could be more concentrated in the courtyard and the spiritual field behind it.

Brilliant lights flashed continuously in the older cousin's eyes. He exclaimed in admiration, flipping his hand to pass over an item from his Storage Ring.

"Impressive, impressive! I didn't expect Junior Brother to also have studied the Dao of Formations. Coincidentally, I have a Formation diagram here. Today I brought my cousin to make an abrupt visit, and this Formation diagram is of little use in my hands, so let's treat it as a gift for Junior Brother."

"This? Senior Brother should take it back."

Lu Qing quickly declined. He had absolutely no friendship with the Senior Brother Qian before him; how could he dare accept something the other party presented?

In the Cultivation World, people's hearts are hard to read.

"Hey, Junior Brother, you don't need to worry. I just want to form a good connection with you, and also take it as an apology, seeing as my cousin here is truly good for nothing."

Qian Wan'an kept his eyes on his nose and his nose on his heart, not daring to utter a single word.

Being mocked by his own cousin was still better than getting a beating from someone else. If Lu Qing had a narrower mind, there was no telling if he would have an extra Foundation Establishment enemy right now.

Damn it, if he had known, he wouldn't have been so greedy.

Heh, no wonder they say a Genius is a Genius.

Qian Wan'an clearly forgot his previous thought that a Genius was just a Genius and not necessarily a strong expert.

He wasn't an idiot; seeing his cousin act like this, how could he not understand that the cultivation of the Junior Brother Lu opposite him was definitely not just newly entered into the Foundation Establishment stage?

Until they left half an hour later.

Dazed and confused, Qian Wan'an watched his older cousin and Lu Qing chat to their heart's content. Judging by that posture, calling the two of them friends wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Until descending the mountain.

The smile on the older cousin's face slowly faded.

"Cousin."

Qian Wan'an's voice was weak.

"Hey, Cousin, your temperament needs to be polished a bit. Coincidentally, a disciple on the side of the Red Fox Forest within the Mountain Gate is going out to do a trial mission; you will go replace him."

He settled it with a single word.

Qian Wan'an's expression immediately turned panicked and bitter. "Cousin, the claws of the Red Foxes are sharp; I'm afraid my physical body won't be able to handle it."

His scalp tinged with numbness. Who didn't know there were quite a few Spirit Beasts in their Dao Academy? The Old Ancestor of the Red Foxes was the mount of a powerful academy head.

This one had backing; not only did it need to eat and drink well every day, but occasionally when the mood struck, it would also look for a disciple to fight with.

Those claws were extremely sharp. Quite a few disciples who wanted to eagerly try and seize the opportunity to climb up the social ladder ended up with big flowery faces, fleeing far away from the Red Fox Forest with thoroughly miserable expressions.

"I am also doing this for your own good."

"Junior Brother Lu is certainly not simple. His talent is good, and originally I thought he was just concentrating on his cultivation, but then I discovered his Formation methods are also quite extraordinary. Wasn't there someone before who also wanted to study the Cloud-Mist Great Array, but those without the brains and Comprehension couldn't even cross the threshold?"

"Furthermore, I observed that his aura is peaceful yet contains a pure and spiritual quality, which must be the aura of spiritual plants. With a split focus on Formations and spiritual plants, he still has such cultivation. If he specialized in just one path, your older cousin here would have to change his address and call him Senior Brother right now."

The older cousin's face was filled with emotion.

He worked in the Mission Hall of the Outer Court, so naturally he had trained a pair of discerning eyes.

By now, he had already seen that this Junior Brother Lu's potential was promising.

What he valued was the other party's future.

Through communication with Lu Qing, one's speech and demeanor could reveal a person's inclinations.

This Junior Brother Lu was undoubtedly inclined toward serenity and non-action.

To say there was no envy would be false, but there was even more joy; investing in a Genius was quite a profound study.

No, it should be said that making friends with geniuses is a study.

The older cousin understood this; after all, he was once someone whom others called a Genius, yet he had no hope of entering the Inner Sect Courtyard, but this Junior Brother Lu might not necessarily be the same.

Today's sliver of Karma might just come in handy in the future.

Moreover, thankfully Lu Qing was a person with a pure, harmonious, and natural mental state; otherwise, today's turn of Karma would really be hard to say.

Qian Wan'an's eyes widened in shock upon hearing this, and he nodded up and down very honestly. "Cousin, you're right."

Lu Qing walked out of the courtyard, gazing into the distance at the morning light shining upon the clouds plated with a layer of golden light.

Then he looked at the Formation diagram in his hand.

No ominous situation appeared in his mind; strength was the ultimate foundation after all.

Lu Qing's expression remained calm, and he flipped his hand to take out that Formation Plate from his Storage Pouch.

The quaint Formation Plate was placed in the palm of his hand.

His right hand held the unfolded Formation diagram.

"To make a move and immediately produce a High-Grade Formation diagram, he truly lives up to being a disciple who can work in the Mission Hall."

During their communication, aside from the initial wariness, that trace of estrangement was quickly resolved within a few words.

His Dao Peak relied purely on the effects of the Formation.

When Qian Wan'an passed by back then, the intuitive Spiritual Qi he felt originated from the Formation.

He couldn't see its profound mysteries, but a Foundation Establishment Cultivator could.

Although he didn't practice Formations, being within the Mountain Gate, he would still come into contact with them on ordinary days.

Even if an exchange had taken place, the one who suffered a loss would still be Qian Wan'an.

Therefore, this Formation diagram catered to his preferences; it resolved grievances and also forged a connection.