# Chapter 92: Cultivation (V)
Apart from the color, this rain was no different from any ordinary rain. It was fine, yet because of that eerie hue, it appeared incredibly诡异—like a hazy mist blanketing the entire world.
This rain...
Qi An extended his hand outward. Crimson raindrops fell onto Qi An's palm, the scarlet color spreading along his hand downward. The black-haired youth's eyes drooped slightly, seemingly puzzled by this sudden change, then picked up the bamboo slips from the stone table and walked into the adjacent palace.
[统统统, can you collect one of the raindrops and analyze its composition?] Qi An stood at the palace door preparing to close it, when he suddenly added, [Quietly, if possible. Better not create any energy fluctuations.]
[Ah? Sure.]
Glancing once more at the dense woods near the palace, Qi An's gaze lingered on the storage ring on the stone table and that oppressively gloomy rain.
This rain was strange—not cold, but pleasantly warm.
Qi An had thought it would, like its color, contain some ominous substance. However, when the rainwater touched his skin, Qi An felt his entire body grow warm and cozy.
If he had to use one word to describe this突如其来的 rain, it would be... gentle.
[安安, there's something wrong with this rainwater! It contains a very evil power that can not only numb people's thoughts but also trigger the savagery within everyone's heart!]
That must be a particularly important clue.
Unfortunately, the system heard only a very cold, dismissive hum from its host. He didn't seem surprised by such a result, walking over to the bookshelf. As the system quietly admired its host's stunning features, it suddenly heard his emotionless voice, [Is it easy to detect?]
[Yeah, very easy!] The system replied hastily, [安安, you must have sensed it too, right?]
The youth reading the book didn't answer. His breathing was steady, as if absorbed in the world within the pages. The system noticed its host seemed to frown slightly.
The storage ring that could make everyone scramble for it was left all alone on the stone table. Various eyes hidden in the darkness watched pitifully at the already closed door. After a long while, a hoarse voice finally rang out from the woods.
"The young lord didn't accept this gift."
"I said it before—this is the reincarnated young lord. He's only just begun cultivation now, these things are too precious for him at his current level. Who would casually leave something so important behind? How could he dare accept it?" This voice was noticeably steadier, yet one could still detect a hint of disappointment, "Though the young lord deserves the best, we can't rush things. Don't forget our plan."
"Really can't meet him?" Another voice asked stubbornly once more.
"No. If we told the young lord about his past life identity, it would frighten him." The steadier voice from before spoke again, "We'll just protect the young lord from the sidelines. Once everything is settled, naturally... we'll be able to meet."
"Not telling the young lord about his previous identity, and not making it seem like we specifically sought him out—we'll just... casually keep an eye on him." This was a different voice. After much deliberation, he finally thought of a compromise, "We absolutely won't let the young lord notice anything unusual."
That voice fell silent. When he spoke again, there was clearly a hint of struggle: "...Let me think about it."
Qi An had been staying in the palace assigned to him. The reason he went out again was because he received an invitation from the sect. The grand ceremony for the first meeting between preparatory disciples and sect elders was about to begin at Sharp Horn Mountain. Although Qi An's cultivation was low, his high seniority earned him a place on the guest list.
These past days, he had browsed through many books and probed others for information.
Then he had to admit one thing—his past self had received extremely high praise and evaluation, completely different from the treatment he'd received in his previous world.
The continuous crimson drizzle kept falling, draping a red veil over everything in the world. The brownish-yellow earth was gradually dyed deep red by the rain.
The rain was still fine, but definitely heavier than when he'd first seen it.
Surveying those disciples using spiritual energy to ward off the rain, Qi An held an eye-catching umbrella, led by an inner sect disciple to his assigned seat.
All the preparatory disciples had gathered on the circular platform below the raised stage. Most of them were children with lingering childishness, with only a sparse few young people among them.
Therefore, every action these youths made became more noticeable. One boy dressed in noticeably inferior clothing suddenly stared blankly at the raised stage.
"Who's that? Is he an elder too?" Xu Ke tugged gently at the clothes of the person beside him. The latter gave him a嫌弃 glance—he wouldn't dare behave so disrespectfully like Xu Ke. He only raised his head and secretly glanced at the stage.
Instinctively, the youth understood who Xu Ke was asking about.
There was someone very conspicuous among them.
He had neither flowing white hair befitting an immortal nor the overwhelming aura that made others afraid to look directly at other elders. Instead, he held a solitary umbrella, those hands gripping the umbrella shaft appearing pale and powerless.
"That's Qi An, not an elder. He's just someone who can't cultivate," the youth remembered the explosive news spreading these past few days, quickly connecting the two, "But he was fortunate enough to be taken as a personal disciple by Lian Ruoyu, so he's now on the same level as the sect elders."
"His name is Qi An, huh." Xu Ke watched that frail figure, dazed, "He feels very familiar to me."
For preparatory disciples to become outer sect disciples, they needed the recognition of the elders. All the disciples would gather here, and the elders would divide them into two groups based on their own evaluation standards. So, the waiting was especially agonizing.
This matter had nothing to do with him. Gazing at the increasingly heavy blood-colored rain in the air, Qi An thought for a moment, his gaze sweeping across everyone below one by one.
As if merely looking around boredly, Qi An's line of sight moved from the children to the youths.
Squinting his eyes, Qi An's expression suddenly froze.
One person's skin was especially, especially white. Since he was merely a youth not yet formally cultivating, he hadn't used spiritual energy to ward off the rain.
Crimson raindrops fell on him. Qi An saw those raindrops gradually fading in color as they neared the skin.
The blood-colored water slowly transformed into the same color as ordinary rainwater.