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"Previously, when my Minor Cloud Rain Technique was cultivated to Perfection, although the covering range could become larger as my cultivation base rose, after all, this was still just gathering clouds and dropping water, and could not be considered a true Cloud Rain Art."

Lu Qing could not see clearly before, but once he entered the Purple Mansion, his Purple Mansion nurtured a Divine Soul, and after experiencing another baptism of Dao enlightenment, when he looked up at the firmament again, what he saw was no longer the clouds and rain on the surface, but strands of Heavenly Laws flowing and operating through heaven and earth within them.

"The Heavenly Laws themselves are right here. The Small Cloud Rain has not yet touched the Laws, but this Cloud Rain Art is different." Lu Qing held a patch of thunderclouds in his palm, and the pitch-black thunderclouds rotated leisurely in the center of his palm. Although their appearance was extremely exquisite and dainty, the interior contained traces of something that was no longer just Spiritual Qi, but had an extra trace of an unknown charm.

The two major Laws of clouds and rain were simplified by this spell, providing a shortcut to contact the Heavenly Laws faster. Once Lu Qing got his hands on it and began to cultivate, he could not help but sigh that the Great Dao is simple. The profound principles of cultivation Laws contained within such a simply named Cloud Rain Art were something countless people found hard to touch, and spending hundreds of Contribution Points was well worth it.

"I do not know just how powerful a Divine Ability like Call the Wind and Summon the Rain really is." The more he cultivated, the more awe he felt. Lu Qing was likewise curious about the scenery at the higher heights, but compared to others, he was not all that anxious. Still, seeking a means of self-preservation was also necessary.

With a thought from Lu Qing, the thunderclouds on his hand drifted out along his palm, and soon, in broad daylight under the winter clear sky, a layer of thunderclouds suddenly appeared.

The sound of thunder appeared within, but no lightning or thunderbolts were seen.

It covered roughly the surrounding area, and many people looked up at the weather, failing to see any difference from real weather.

"It is the middle of winter. Is winter thunder coming, or is it going to snow and rain heavily again?"

"Heh, you had better not rain. The rainwater is ice-cold and hurts the faces of people when it hits."

"Whoa! Just prop up a Spiritual Power barrier, or else go buy an umbrella. You are a Cultivator after all."

Beneath the thunderclouds, someone looked at the sky and laughed, while some Cultivators also complained with puzzlement.

Lu Qing would not go so far as to pour a heavy rain on Lingtai County in such a cold winter. Although what he brought down was indeed rain, when it fell to the ground, it turned into ice-cold ice cubes.

He could change it for a moment, but he could not manipulate every inch of changes in weather and terrain, nor could he freeze it eternally. After all, he did not possess any profound Divine Ability power yet.

When his cultivation was about done, Lu Qing flicked his sleeve again, and the thunderclouds in the sky rapidly dissipated, revealing the daytime sun behind once more.

The sunlight was not warm. Lu Qing stepped on the snow-covered ground, not displaying his movement technique at every moment, yet the wind passed without a trace, and the snowfield found it hard to leave any marks.

"The second realm of the Purple Mansion, cultivation is like climbing high; every step is a ladder, and each ladder is higher than the last."

With a wave of Lu Qing's palm, the teapot and teacups on the jade table here were not affected by the heavy snow.

The clear water boiled automatically, and two pinches of tea leaves likewise consciously drifted down from the tea tree, falling into the open mouth of the teapot. In an instant, a rich tea aroma suddenly surged, and even the surrounding chill was dispelled three zhang away by this fragrant, hot steam.

The Token flashed with spiritual light, signaling the arrival of a message.

White Crane Boy: "Lu Qing, the Outer Court Grand Competition starts at the beginning of April. Are you not planning to sign up?"

Ever since the last communication, White Crane Boy had known that Lu Qing's current situation was leisurely. Whenever he occasionally ran into Lu Qing being in seclusion, he would leave a few messages.

What he wanted to talk about now was the Outer Court Grand Competition.

Lu Qing: "My cultivation is shallow and I am powerless; I will not go join in the bustle."

White Crane Boy did not know where he was on the other end, but the speed of replying to messages was much faster.

White Crane Boy: "Tsk tsk, what a pity, what a pity. The Outer Court Grand Competition has always been very lively. But I suppose it is as it should be; you are currently stationed outside, and coming back and forth would be troublesome anyway."

Lu Qing did not feel any pity. There is gain and loss; since that insider disciple originally swore up and down that it was set for the blazing summer, now it was obviously the spring peach season, which could not be connected to a hot summer no matter how one looked at it.

He did not know if some change had occurred above, or what considerations were made. In short, its early arrival completely freed Lu Qing from any misgivings.

The Purple Mansion Realm was the starting baseline for registration. To enter the Inner Sect Courtyard, currently speaking, one could choose to take a master, or pass through the grand competition, or choose Core Formation, or possess monstrous Aptitude, rare Physiques such as celestial roots, Dao bones, and divine bodies that were even more monstrous than heavenly grades. It looked like there were many routes, but in reality, they could not escape the two aspects of strength and Aptitude.

Lu Qing was currently at the second realm of the Purple Mansion, and his cultivation was too low. The grand competition selected the top one hundred. Judging from past sessions, even the lowest-ranked among them had a cultivation base of the eighth realm of the Purple Mansion, and quite a few near the front even had Core Formation cultivation. The reason they did not directly enter the Inner Sect Courtyard was, firstly, perhaps for reputation, secondly, perhaps for ranking rewards, and another point was that if there were any who had not taken a master, it was not impossible for them to be valued by a certain Elder during the grand competition and taken in as a Direct Disciple.

Lu Qing: "There is nothing to regret. Even if I wanted to sign up, if my luck were bad, I would be eliminated in the first round."

White Crane Boy: "I knew you would not participate. Heh, but it does not matter, the grand competition is just a bit lively. Cultivating in that Lingtai County is also much freer than me..."

Lu Qing chatted with White Crane Boy for a while longer about the current news of the Outer Court. The Outer Court was too large, so even White Crane Boy could only say that nothing much was happening in the Dao Academy currently. After the last Demon Subduing Mission, a batch of disciples had also been sent to that place, and a Purple-robed Elder had even taken action, seemingly planning to transform that area into a trial Secret Realm to provide cultivation for disciples of the Body Refining lineage.

Lu Qing had not expected the follow-up to turn out like this, but upon pondering it, he felt that after all, this was the Cultivation World; transforming something into a Secret Realm did not seem to be a difficult point?

Of course, after putting down the Token, Lu Qing also looked at the Jade Slip representing intelligence.

Unlike his indifferent nonchalance, the messages inside showed that quite a few disciples had directly broken out of seclusion because of this piece of news.

The number of prominent disciples appearing was even more grand than during the Demon Subduing Mission. Without needing to think, Lu Qing only had to recall the time of the Demon Subduing Mission, with white lights of escaping light flying all over the sky, to know what kind of magnificent scenery there would be over at the Mountain Gate.

After the senior disciples appeared, the disciples who entered last year—meaning Lu Qing's batch of disciples—hardly had any limelight left. Only those with high Aptitude could still arm-wrestle with some senior disciples before the confirmed date of the grand competition.

But after the grand competition was confirmed, many unfamiliar faces appeared in the Outer Court.

Facing the grand competition, this was an opportunity to make a name for oneself and enter the Inner Sect Courtyard. Every disciple was not someone to be trifled with; mental state, practical combat experience, external equipment, and various other factors all played significant roles in the grand competition.

【What the hell, I thought I could get on the leaderboard coming out of seclusion today, why are all the ones at the top Purple Mansion disciples?!】

【So unlucky, I could still be near the front before, but as a result, I dropped off the leaderboard now, my Spirit Stones!】

【Yeah, why can not they open a separate leaderboard just for them, it is unfair.】

【It is the grand competition again, I am dying of envy, when will I ever reach Foundation Establishment?】

【Stop bickering above, every grand competition has this episode, stay calm and steady. Just go up the ring after the grand competition, it will be a bit easier then.】

【Experienced veteran disciples gave advice with the experience of those who had been through it.】

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