Cultivation: Beginning with the Heart Reflecting Heaven and Earth

When undertaking training missions, people always choose to team up, let alone when going to the Western Continent.

After all, the training mission only lasts for a few days, and it still requires forming a team.

Once you go to the Western Continent, you may not be able to return for a long time, maybe several years or even more than ten years. You will definitely need to find a few like-minded fellow disciples to form an alliance in order to thrive.

Those who want to go to the Western Continent do so not only for resources, but also to make a name for themselves and achieve merit in the process of pioneering and spreading the word.

As the saying goes, "A hero needs three helpers, and a fence needs three posts." It's difficult to achieve anything by going it alone.

Lin Guihai had this very idea in mind when he wanted to recruit Mu Dong.

Lei Yunxing then walked over casually and asked, "Young Mu, you're going, right? If we go together, we should be able to accomplish something great."

He completely ignored Lu Qian because Lu Qian's cultivation level was too low, making it difficult for him to be of much help.

Friendship is friendship, but nobody wants to drag someone into this mess.

In Lei Yunxing's eyes, the only people suitable to be his helpers were Xiong Kaishan and Mu Dong; he didn't even consider Mu Xue.

After all, Mu Xue has only just broken through to the late stage of Qi Refining, and the gap between the late stage of Qi Refining is huge. It will take at least a few years before Mu Xue can have a certain combat power.

Although Mu Dong had just made a fool of himself during the training mission, Lei Yunxing did not look down on him because of it. Mu Dong just hadn't learned the Turbid Wave Corrosion Spell, so it wasn't hard to say that he was really a piece of trash with no combat power.

Such people are practically nonexistent in the Holy Land, and Mu Dong is not that kind of person either.

However, Mu Dong did not give a definite answer to Lei Yunxing's invitation, but said ambiguously, "This... I may need to discuss it with my family first. I'm not sure right now."

Lei Yunxing didn't say anything more after hearing this, he just nodded and left with Xiong Kaishan.

Mu Xue gave Lu Qian a wink, and then she and Mu Dong went to Lu Qian's cave.

As soon as they entered, Mu Xue said with dissatisfaction, "Lei Yunxing completely disregards Brother Lu; he's really looking down on people!"

Indeed, Lei Yunxing didn't really take Lu Qian seriously. Except for the beginning when he was more enthusiastic about Lu Qian because of Tao Pili, their relationship became rather distant later on.

Lu Qian knew this, but he didn't care. After all, he only had three spiritual roots and his cultivation was low, so it was normal for others to look down on him. There was nothing wrong with that.

Moreover, Lei Yunxing is not a bad person; he's just straightforward when he speaks.

Ultimately, people like Mu Xue who value Lu Qian are in the minority; Lei Yunxing's actions are more normal.

Upon hearing Mu Xue's words, Mu Dong simply smiled and said, "He's just not very good at putting on a show! In a battle, he'd be someone you can trust."

Upon hearing this, Mu Xue said with dissatisfaction, "He's such a good person, why didn't you accept his invitation? That way you could be together all the time. Anyway, you trust him, right?"

Mu Dong said with a serious expression, "He's a good person, and I do trust him, but what he really needs is a teammate like Xiong Kaishan, not me!"

Upon hearing this, both Lu Qian and Mu Xue couldn't help but burst out laughing.

What kind of person is Xiong Kaishan?

Although Xiong Kaishan also possessed a Heavenly Spiritual Root, he rarely displayed arrogance, especially in front of Lei Yunxing, where he could be described as humble and subservient.

Sometimes Lei Yunxing's words were completely indirect, and Xiong Kaishan still had to put on a smiling face. It has to be said that it is rare to see a person with such a heavenly spiritual root as Xiong Kaishan.

Mu Dong used Xiong Kaishan as a metaphor to say that he was not a yes-man and could not get along well with Lei Yunxing.

It might work in the short term, but over time, Lei Yunxing has a very strong and domineering personality, and Mu Dong, who seems easygoing, is not someone who will easily give in, so the two will have conflicts.

I don’t know if they have something in common, but the two people Lu Qian knows who practice thunder magic, whether it’s Tao Pili or Lei Yunxing, are both people with very strong personalities.

After all, the power of thunder magic is well known, and most people wouldn't dare to offend such a person. Moreover, thunder magic is extremely violent and can easily injure others or oneself. People who can persist in cultivating thunder magic are rarely weak-willed.

Naturally, under the influence of these factors, it seems entirely reasonable that people who practice thunder magic tend to have a strong personality.

After laughing, Lu Qian still asked, "It seems Brother Mu has decided to go?"

Mu Dong nodded. Facing Lu Qian, he had nothing to hide. "What kind of skills can one cultivate in this holy land? If I want to hone myself, going to the Western Continent should be a good choice."

"Furthermore, don't let our Holy Land disciples' reputations be misleading. In reality, most of us will just blend into the crowd. Even if our cultivation path is smooth sailing, we'll at most reach the Golden Core stage, and the chances of becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator are slim. How can we not give it our all?"

Lu Qian was speechless. For those people in the Canghai Sect, even reaching the Foundation Establishment stage was a pipe dream, yet Mu Dong was saying that the maximum they could cultivate to was the Golden Core stage.

However, Mu Dong is, after all, a person with a fire spiritual root and was nurtured in a holy land. For him, achieving the Golden Core stage is not a difficult thing, provided that no accidents happen.

Mu Dong seemed to remember something and continued, "This time, all four academies will be setting up branches there. There might be some competition between us, so you should be careful about that."

"Moreover, even our classmates might resort to any means to show off; money can be a powerful motivator!"

He seemed to be hinting at something, and Lu Qian naturally understood.

The position of candidate for Holy Son is too important. If it is an easy thing to do, there will definitely be people willing to do it.

Moreover, the Western Continent is different from the Holy Land; it is almost entirely dangerous, so even if something is done, the Holy Land has no way to investigate it thoroughly.

Therefore, if someone wants to do something bad, they can easily avoid being discovered if they remove all traces.

In fact, Lu Qian had thought of more than just these things. The Heart Demon Sect's ability to infiltrate and subvert was so strong, who knew if there were any of their people among the current disciples of the Holy Land?

If we consider the worst-case scenario, it should be said that 100% of the disciples of the Holy Land are from the Heart Demon Sect. These people are bound to cause trouble, otherwise why would the Heart Demon Sect plant spies in the Holy Land?

In short, there are dangers not only externally, but also potentially internally.

The group chatted for a while, and soon after, Mu Dong said he had to go back, while Mu Xue stayed behind.

Mu Xue stretched and complained, "I haven't been going out much lately, and I always feel like someone is watching me."

Lu Qian's heart skipped a beat, knowing that the previous matter was not yet over, but on the surface he just smiled and said, "The training mission is over, but you still haven't moved on?"

Mu Xue nodded, feigning sudden realization. "It seems the danger I faced before left a deep impression on me."

Lu Qian remembered something, "In a few days, take me to the Starfall Land by flying boat. I need to cultivate there for a while."

"Go to the Land of Fallen Stars? Why would we go there for no reason?"

Mu Xue was very puzzled, her eyes widening slightly. Combined with her delicate face, she looked quite innocent, but she still said, "You could have just told me beforehand."

Lu Qian nodded. "Thank you very much!"

Although he could ask someone else to do this, Lu Qian was worried that it might give people unwarranted ideas, so he still chose to choose someone he trusted.

Originally, Lu Qian was looking for Xie Xunzhen, but Xie Xunzhen hadn't shown up for a while, so he didn't want to bother her. He figured it would be the same to have Mu Xue come instead.

Mu Xue suddenly slapped her forehead, ran her hand through her beautiful black hair, and said with a smile, "I almost forgot to mention the important matter. This time when we go to the Western Continent, we will most likely adopt a merit-based system. It won't be that we will receive free resources after we arrive."

Lu Qian was a little surprised to hear this. Most of them had previously thought that there would be extra resources and subsidies after going to the Western Continent, so even if it was dangerous, it would be worth going.

Judging from Mu Xue's words, it seems that the resources provided by Xilu are not free, but must be exchanged for battle merits?

If some precious resources can only be obtained by performing meritorious deeds, then no one can say anything.

But if even daily cultivation resources have to be exchanged for battle merits, it's like going on an adventure with your own provisions, so it's better to stay in the Holy Land.

Seeing Lu Qian's gaze, Mu Xue gently swayed her body, stood up, and stretched her body on the spot. "What the Holy Land needs are disciples who can fight and win battles, not people to go there to retire. It is understandable that they would make this arrangement."

Lu Qian shifted his gaze slightly and sighed, "If this news gets out, there will probably be far fewer people wanting to go to the Western Continent."

Even if it's just dangerous, many people are still willing to go because of the lure of resources.

But given the dangerous circumstances, the fact that one has to work to obtain resources makes many people unwilling to do so.

No matter what, they are still Qi Refining cultivators, and they have received the best training in the past. They can live well even if they don't go to the Western Continent, so there is no need for them to make things difficult for themselves.

Mu Xue took a few steps closer, moved to stand in front of Lu Qian, and leaned down to whisper, "I just learned something, but unfortunately there's no place to use it. The Holy Land is just too inconvenient."

Lu Qian quickly dissuaded her, "Let's wait until we get to Xilu. It's really not convenient here!"

A while ago, Mu Xue said that she had glimpsed the contents of the Heart Demon Manual through Youhuan's split soul, and unexpectedly, she has already started to try to cultivate it.

However, since the Holy Land and the Heart Demon Sect are currently locked in a fierce battle, they must have methods to detect the Heart Demon Manual.

Even inside the cave, separated by an array, Mu Xue's use of the Heart Demon Manual might be detected. Doing such a thing in the Holy Land is truly courting death, so Lu Qian naturally had to stop her.

"How boring!"

Mu Xue snorted, glanced at Lu Qian, and then turned her head away. "I was just joking. Do you really think I can't tell what's important?"

Lu Qian had no choice but to say, "It's best to avoid making jokes like this, and it's really best not to joke about such things."

Mu Xue didn't refute anymore. After a moment of silence, she suddenly said softly, "Lately, I always fall asleep without realizing it, and then I have the same dream. In the dream, I become a different person and see things I've never seen before."

This is most likely due to Mu Xue merging with the influence of You Huan's split soul. It was You Huan who deliberately did this, and now it is indeed changing Mu Xue. Moreover, You Huan plans to refine Mu Xue into an avatar. This matter will be resolved sooner or later.

No wonder Lu Qian felt that Mu Xue was changing more and more, and seemed to be becoming more and more self-centered. Although it could be described as rebellious, she had almost become a different person. Such a big change in personality was obviously not just due to rebellion.

Lu Qian suddenly thought of something and immediately said seriously, "For the time being, don't learn anything new. Take a break and try it out!"

He thought of a saying: When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.

Could it be that Mu Xue has been studying the Heart Demon Manual recently, which is why she is being affected by it more and more?