Chapter 0506: Ninth-grade Spirit Avatar
"Wow, damn, Li Luo's crazy! Is he a Fourth Changing now as well?!" Yu Lang's eyes were popping out of their sockets in the Astral Sage College tower. He might not be present to feel the power for himself, but the size of the power indicated that he was level with Jing Taixu's strength.
"No, you crazy hype-man," Bai Doudou said, also peering in closely. "Li Luo's still, strictly speaking, a Third Changing. It must have something to do with that pearl he swallowed. The increase is probably temporary, but it'll likely last for this battle."
"This is going to be good. A real battle of the East Divine Continent, fitting of the best of the One Star Hall." Qin Zhulu's laughter boomed out. Such battles were what he lived for, although he had to admit that he had been left in the dust by the likes of Li Luo and Jing Taixu.
Still, he believed this was temporary. After the Holy Grail Meet, he would apply for a permit to go to the Umbra Cave. Only in those harrowing moments would a person's true potential shine through.
He needed more brutal training.
"I still don't know if Li Luo can beat Jing Taixu," Yi Lisha said doubtfully. "This is the last step though. If he beats this final boss, we'll have the strongest One Star Hall student title."
Lu Qing'er was craning eagerly to see the screen, her dewy eyes glowing. "Li Luo will definitely win."
"Have you guys forgotten how strong Jing Taixu is?" Wang Hejiu asked sourly.
"And have you forgotten how you asserted Li Luo would never be the strongest in the Astral Sage College’s One Star Hall?" Lu Qing'er countered testily.
Wang Hejiu flinched. "You're just blinded. Jing Taixu is not on a level we can compare with."
"Jing Taixu's not a god. He just has a quasi ninth-grade resonance, that’s all. He's not the strongest that Li Luo will meet, and he'll be a huge stepping stone once Li Luo beats him.
"And don't forget," Lu Qing'er added, "I saw him climb from his time with blank palaces. Jing Taixu might be strong, but has he ever risen above the hopelessness of blank palaces? If Li Luo can overcome that, he can overcome anything, even Jing Taixu." She finished assertively, her voice radiating with conviction and trust in Li Luo.
Indeed, her trust in him was not unfounded. She had watched him grow from nothing—the way he was back in Southwind Academy, to the leader of their generation that he now was.
He was more than those born with a silver spoon in their mouth.
The others fell silent now, even the naysayers Wang Hejiu and Duze Beixuan. Lu Qing'er was right. Li Luo had tasted despair before, and still his spirit had not been broken.
Perhaps that was what made him resilient enough to break away from the rest of them.
He showed an easy smile and a lackadaisical attitude to both friends and enemies, but he reserved an unyielding, unforgiving drive for himself.
...
Li Luo was reveling in his newfound power, thrumming fiery energy that pounded away inside him.
He had ascended to the Third Changing.
The dragonpearl's boost was something that Li Luo had derived as possible after careful inspection. However, it was a temporary borrowing of energy, and it would fade when he removed the dragonpearl.
In any case, he was now able to take on the Fourth Changing Jing Taixu.
Now they were at the same starting line.
It was a fitting start to the finals.
Weng.
Li Luo gave the Onyx-Elephant Blade a test slash. It sang out gloriously, always craving for more power in its wielder. Li Luo obliged. His halo of Becoming One dual resonance power materialized.
Li Luo had no intention of testing the waters against such a strong enemy.
Whoosh.
Sparkling water moved across his blade in a flowing dance, turning the blade smooth as a mirror. The glistening coat of water on metal was beautiful to behold. Li Luo's Water Edge Art had been honed to a ridiculous level by now.
Its cutting and penetration power were substantial indeed.
Li Luo turned to face his opponent.
Boom!
He slashed out with his blinding, glittering sword, killing intent roaring to life as he aimed for Jing Taixu's head.
His foot left a deep impression on the ground as he violently propelled himself forward.
Jing Taixu watched with a small smile of disdain. He stood his ground, hand wrapped around his green plantain fan, dotted with the pale-golden eye that marked it as a gold-eye treasured artifact.
In truth, this thing had Li Luo scratching his head. Wasn't this guy supposed to be the Spear of Enlightened Sage? What the hell was he doing with a leaf? Was he now the Pear of Enlightened Sage or something?
"I've seen your dual resonance powers before, Li Luo. It's time for you to see my ninth-grade-level power." Jing Taixu closed his wind resonant power around him until it swirled in a protective cyclone.
A faint phantom appeared as Jing Taixu's shadow, shimmering green with pure wind resonant power.
Li Luo had never seen wind resonant power this pure before.
And the phantom behind Jing Taixu made his wind resonant energy even stronger than before.
"That's... the special ability of ninth-grade resonance users! Wind spirit avatar!" Li Luo thought to himself.
Being at the pinnacle of resonance quality, ninth-grade cultivators were privy to a new type of power that enabled them to handle worldly natural energy with ease.
With the wind spirit avatar augmenting his powers, Jing Taixu's strength reached a new height.
That was why these were also known as ninth-grade spirit avatars, the sole domain of those at that privileged level—just like the dual resonance users.
Li Luo was not unfamiliar with such a phenomenon. The swan he had grown up with had a light resonance spirit avatar, and hers was far brighter than this one.
Still, Li Luo had thought only a true ninth-grade resonance user could produce a ninth-grade spirit avatar. But this guy had done it with a quasi?
Things were getting interesting now. A face-off between dual resonant powers and ninth-grade spirit avatar power.