Chapter 0924: Reward
When Li Luo, Li Fengyi, Li Jingtao, and Deng Fengxian walked out of the void vortex, they were back on Dragon's Fang Mountain. Deafening cheers greeted them upon arrival, causing them to feel a little disorientated.
Li Luo massaged his ears with a helpless look on his face as he glanced at the emotional crowd.
He could understand why that felt that way. The position of the Dragon's Head had been monopolized by the Dragon's Blood Lineage for years. As a result, the Dragon's Fang Lineage had been consistently suppressed, and this was a sore point that was often raised during their struggles against them.
It would leave them heartbroken, unable to refute the truth.
As a result, the four banners did not hold much hope for winning the Dragon's Head. Even Li Luo's own people, Zhao Yanzhi and friends, had only expected Li Luo to perform decently, not daring to dream grandly.
Li Qingfeng was akin to a gigantic mountain that blocked his path. The strength of the Heavenly Pearl Tier had created a huge chasm in strength between him and the other Banner Leaders.
However, no one had ever expected that Li Luo would sweep aside the obstacle known as Li Qingfeng. In addition, he had taken on the ninth battle and challenged a projection of one of the three strongest Dragon's Heads of all time, allowing them to watch a confrontation of geniuses across space and time.
Most importantly, Li Luo had even eked out a victory. He had truly demonstrated his strength and worth, setting the stage for the future.
Based on his combat strength, Li Luo had also demonstrated that his abilities were within the top three among all the Dragon's Heads.
Additionally, he was far below the others in terms of cultivation level. This weakness did not stem from his lack of talent, but rather the impoverished circumstances of his upbringing in the outer divine continent. If the Battle of the Dragon's Head had been postponed for an additional six months, he might very well have caught up with Li Qingfeng and the rest in terms of cultivation level. Just how frightening would he have been then?
Many felt a sense of regret upon realizing this.
However, there was no need to split straws. Li Luo's result was already more than sufficient to greatly boost the Dragon's Fang Lineage's morale.
"Congratulations, Banner Leader Li Luo, on becoming the Dragon's Head! The prestige of the Dragon's Fang Lineage has been elevated by your actions!" Countless members of the four banners had composed themselves slightly, their voices chanting in unison with unconcealable excitement and emotion.
This was something that came from the depths of the heart of every member, whether it was the rival Gold Light Banner or his very own Green Nether Banner.
Li Luo smiled and clasped his hands respectfully in return as he watched their passionate gazes. He knew that his position in the eyes of the youths of the Dragon's Fang Lineage had now been brought up another level. In the past, Deng Fengxian might have been able to stand against him, especially when it came to matters of the Gold Light Banner, simply because he was much more influential. However, things had now changed.
That being said, Li Luo was not interested in sticking his hands into the Gold Light Banner's affairs. Additionally, it belonged to the Gold Light Hall, and the Hall Master would not like to see such a situation.
Space rippled behind the four of them, and numerous figures milled out. With the appearance of these individuals, the previously rowdy crowd immediately fell silent, not even willing to let out a fart.
They were none other than the group of elders led by Li Jingzhe.
Li Jingzhe was a stern and serious presence within the Dragon's Fang Lineage. Therefore, whether it was the Hall Masters or banner members, everyone was on their best behavior before him, not daring to do anything.
Li Jingzhe swept his gaze across the group, but he did not speak loudly, only coolly stating, "Your generation can be considered a ray of light for the Dragon's Fang Lineage. You're stronger than the last group of brats by quite a bit."
Most of the crowd glanced at each other before smiling, still afraid to so much as squeak before this legendary existence.
"Li Luo has obtained the position of Dragon's Head, which is a celebratory affair. The Gold Light, Violet Spirit, and Crimson Cloud Banners will be awarded a month's worth of cultivation resources. The Green Nether Banner will be given three times the amount of monthly cultivation resources for the next three months!" As Li Jingzhe's calm voice boomed across the field, the crowd burst into wild cheers!
This was an incredible reward.
With these additional resources, their strength would improve substantially.
"Thank you, Lineage chief!" The crowd respectfully thanked him immediately.
"Thank Li Luo. He was the one who seized this opportunity for you with his achievements," Li Jingzhe continued.
"We thank the Dragon's Head!" The numerous banner members immediately paid their respects to Li Luo.
The group of elders behind Li Jingzhe glanced at each other as well. They knew that this was Li Jingzhe intentionally supporting Li Luo, boosting his prestige within the lineage. They could tell that despite his cold exterior, the Respected Elder was indeed extremely pleased by Li Luo's tremendous performance in the Battle of the Dragon's Head.
Then Li Jingzhe waved his hand and commanded, "You can go."
Without another word, the group receded like the waning tide. Within a few moments, the grounds had emptied out.
Li Jingzhe then turned towards the elders. "Spread the news of Li Luo becoming the Dragon's Head throughout the Dragon's Fang Domain with utmost haste. This is an honor that the Dragon's Fang Lineage has not obtained in countless years, and it will be accompanied with celebration. This can be considered as a way to raise the morale of the younger generation."
The elders' eyelids twitched slightly. Boosting the younger generation's morale? He was clearly trying to brag about his grandson throughout the lands, finding the quickest way to spread Li Luo's influence!
Although the position of Dragon's Head was a commendable achievement, it was not something that would shake the entirety of the Dragon's Fang Lineage and its domains. This was ultimately a battle between Heavenly Pearl Tier youngsters at best and would not attract the interest of the many Dukes that resided in the territory.
The Heavenly Origin Divine Continent was full of geniuses, and they could not be considered significant until they stepped into the Duke Stage.
Of course, this was what they felt in their hearts... They would never dare to ruin Li Jingzhe's moment of happiness. Just who would have the gall to advise him otherwise, even though it was a junior-level competition?
Thus, the rest graciously accepted the command and got to work.
Li Jingzhe then waved his hands and dismissed everyone else, including Deng Fengxian. His gaze then turned towards his three direct descendants, and his stern expression softened slightly. "You three can follow me."
He then turned towards the back mountain, and the trio gingerly followed along.
They then arrived at the bamboo grove and, without a word, Li Jingzhe left to pick some bamboo shoots, leaving the trio in the courtyard to chat.
Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao had followed Li Luo here quite a few times in the past few months. They had gradually grown accustomed to a version of their grandfather that was not as strict, so they were no longer as stiff as they used to be.
After a while, Li Jingzhe returned, preparing a simple meal for the three.
The four drank and ate under the moonlight that penetrated through the leafy grove.
"Your performance today wasn't bad," Li Jingzhe commented as he watched the three brats. His usually unsmiling visage had been replaced with a warm smile.
Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao were so shocked that they stared at each other. It was incredibly rare to see the Respected Elder smile.
"Jingtao, your personality and the Dragon's Fang Lineage do not match. Since you have found your own path, continue down it resolutely," Li Jingzhe advised.
Li Jingtao hurriedly nodded.
He then turned towards Li Fengyi. "Your talent cannot compare with these two, but your sense of responsibility is unmatched. Who knows, you might be the most important one in assisting them with all matters in the future."
Li Fengyi scratched her head with a look of embarrassment.
Following which, he swallowed a mouthful of wine before turning towards Li Luo. "Brat, you're not bad. I know that you did your best to obtain the Nine Marks Sacred Heart Lotus. Otherwise, those other geezers might have taken a pound of flesh from me in return. There is no need to be anxious about this. I will obtain it and safekeep it for you temporarily. When you need it, you can take it. It is an extremely valuable item, something that all Dukes covet. If you keep it yourself, you might very well be targeted by dangerous individuals."
Li Luo grinned. "I will leave it up to you, Grandpa."
Li Jingzhe nodded. "You have brought honor and face to the Dragon's Fang Lineage, so I will not mistreat you."
With a wave of his sleeve, three balls of light flew outwards and turned into three artifacts, each one giving off frightening amounts of energy undulations.
The eyes of the three heated up immediately.
Were they treasured artifacts?
The Respected Elder was truly overjoyed it seemed. Who would’ve thought that he had found a reason to grant them something so precious?