Chapter 1070: Yu Lang's Incident
Li Luo followed Chi Chan into the small building. Although the building appeared shabby, it had been tidied up by Mentor Chi Chan. There was a coffee table next to the window. Delicate flowers were planted in a jade vase, and the faint fragrance of the beautiful flowers lingered in the air. Mentor Chi Chan sat down beside the window. She watched with her beautiful, clear eyes as she waited for Li Luo to take a seat opposite her. With a light smile, she said, "I didn't expect you to be the beloved grandchild of the Lineage Chief from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li's Dragon's Fang Lineage. Although, I really should've known better. How could someone like Li Taixuan come from anywhere other than such a ordinary place?"
Li Luo brushed it off with a wave of his hand and replied seriously, "I've always relied on my own capabilities when I travel outside. I am not the kind that likes to show off his status or background. You know me best, Mentor. I prefer to be ordinary. I don't usually tell people things like 'I am from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li,' 'I'm the beloved grandchild of the Dragon's Fang Lineage's Lineage Chief,' or that 'I'm the Third Young Master of the Dragon's Fang Lineage.'"
Chi Chan found it both frustrating and funny. It seemed like her student was still as witty as ever. She lifted the teapot with her jade-like hands and poured Li Luo a cup of fragrant tea.
"Regardless of all that, I am really grateful to you for today. If not for you, I might really have had to return empty-handed," Chi Chan said in a gentle tone.
Li Luo asked, "How's the situation back in the Astral Sage College? Vice Principal Su Xin gave me a few tasks before I left. I was planning to take care of them today. Who would have thought they'd send you over as well?"
Chi Chan sighed when he heard this. "It's because there's been no news from you for the past year. The situation back in the college is getting worse, and they had no choice but to send me."
"The college has lost the high-grade Tree of Resonant Power. Right now, the students have to borrow the lower grade Tree of Resonant Power from Southwind Academy to cultivate. Such cultivation is naturally less efficient, and most of the cultivation resources we had stockpiled have been exhausted. If we're unable to replenish them, we may not be able to keep the students united for long."
"As you know, cultivation resources are essential for both mentors and students. The college can't expect people to carry out assignments for free. It's not a sustainable way for the college to carry on."
Li Luo nodded. Although the Astral Sage College had met with a catastrophe, there was still a large group of people under it. Such a group would require a lot to maintain. It must have been a headache for Vice Principal Su Xin to figure out how to carry on for the past year.
At this point, Chi Chan took out a scroll and opened it up. It was a map of the Xia Kingdom. Li Luo immediately noticed a crimson line of blood drawn across the map, splitting it into two.
The place where the line of blood started was right at Xia City.
"The area within this line of blood has already been corrupted. There are a lot of unusual Others in the area, and there are barely any living souls left in the two districts beside it.
"In the south of the Xia Kingdom, the First Princess is leading the royal court to fight back against the Regent. The situation has been extraordinarily chaotic over there.
"The Astral Sage College has been very busy. We have formed lines of defense against the Others, but there've been quite a number of casualties over the past year. That is why we need more resources."
As he listened, Li Luo stared at the crimson line that had split the Xia Kingdom. This simple stroke of red on the map represented endless disaster for the people who actually lived there.
Back in the Holy Grail Meet, he had witnessed how the Others invaded the Blackwind Empire. Even now, he could still feel chills when he recalled that terrible scene.
Li Luo pondered quietly for a moment. The Xia Kingdom was a special place to him. After all, it was where he was raised, and House Luolan was there...
There was no doubt that House Luolan was more important than the Dragon's Fang Lineage in his heart.
"Origin Reversion Institute, Regent, Shen Jinxiao..." Li Luo's eyes turned gloomy. Those bastards had turned the idyllic Xia Kingdom upside down. It was nearly on the verge of collapse.
In particular, Shen Jinxiao had caused Jiang Qing'e to ignite her Heart of Light. This score had to be settled some day.
"How's House Luolan?" Li Luo asked.
"The situation with House Luolan is much better. Cai Wei has been taking care of things well. In fact, the Suncreek Villa seems to be on track to become the next top house for liquids and lights after gaining the huge support of President Yu of the Golden Dragon Bank and the First Princess of the royal court. In other words, House Luolan has been prospering," Chi Chan explained.
Li Luo was at a loss for words. He had not expected House Luolan to rise back into power due to the catastrophe. However, it was still mainly thanks to the support from President Yu and the First Princess, both peak forces in the Xia Kingdom. It seemed like House Luolan was doing much better than it was when they left.
Afterwards, Chi Chan continued to share updates regarding Li Luo's friends.
"Yu Lang and the rest entered the Three Star Hall when you left the Xia Kingdom. Qin Zhulu has replaced you as the strongest in the hall. However, there are still people that can stand up to him. Can you guess who?"
Li Luo was surprised. "Bai Doudou?"
Bai Doudou was probably the only one in the same hall who could stand a chance against Qin Zhulu.
Chi Chan shook her head. "It's Yu Lang."
Li Luo was pleasantly surprised. "What did that Yu Lang do? He can stand up to Qin Zhulu now?"
Li Luo was not looking down on Yu Lang, but he possessed just a sixth-grade wind resonance, so the gap between the two seemed hard to close.
Chi Chan sighed a little. "He's been cultivating under the guidance of Mentor Mi Er. Mi Er passed a secret art that he obtained from an ancient ruin to him. This secret art can stimulate his potential, but it comes with a heavy price. Cultivating it makes it so that one's resonance will forever be limited to the sixth-grade. Even if one reaches the Duke Stage later, it's unlikely for their resonance will rise in grade."
Li Luo frowned, and his face turned serious. "Why did Yu Lang choose to take such an extreme measure?"
In his memory, Yu Lang was a carefree and straightforward fellow. He was clearly not the type who would choose such an extreme path.
If things went wrong, he could lose everything.
Chi Chan paused for a moment before she continued, "Half a year ago, Bai Doudou got together with Yu Lang officially. She brought Yu Lang home with her afterwards, but I heard that the elders in her house were extremely dissatisfied with him. They thought he was too poor, had no talent, and came from a weak background. I believe something extremely unpleasant happened. He then decided to follow Mentor Mi Er and train under him."
Li Luo was dumbfounded when he heard this. His expression was complicated. The Bai family that Bai Doudou came from was a well respected family in the Xia Kingdom. Yu Lang was of ordinary upbringing and his resonance was only sixth-grade. His future was uncertain... so the Bai Family looked down on him.
Although Yu Lang usually looked carefree, he possessed a strong sense of self-confidence. This situation must have inevitably caused him to take such drastic measures.
"The Bai family will surely regret this in the future," Li Luo said with a soft voice as he frowned.
He was very close to Yu Lang, so he deeply disagreed with the actions of the Bai family.
"These families are indeed quite pedantic. Fortunately, Bai Doudou has a strong personality. She disregarded her family's objections and is still dating Yu Lang. The Bai family was absolutely incensed. Those two sisters are too much for them," Chi Chan continued.
"How is this related to Mengmeng?" Li Luo asked.
A flash of happiness lit up in Chi Chan's eyes. "Do you think the Suncreek Villa has only been doing so well because of the support from the First Princess and President Yu? If not for the many spirit liquid and purifying light recipes from Bai Mengmeng, how could the Suncreek Villa compete against the established players? Their success should have belonged to the Bai Family. Do you know how mad they are now? They have been constantly trying to entice Bai Mengmeng to come back home. However, Mengmeng chose to hide in the Suncreek Villa under the protection of House Luolan, refusing to leave. In fact, there was one occasion where the matter blew up and the First Princess herself had to step in and mediate the situation."
Li Luo was silent for a while before he let out a sigh. "Mengmeng is truly loyal."
He thought about it for a moment before he took a jade box out of his pocket sphere. It contained quite a few mysterious, black crystals. They were the leftovers from the refinement of the Divine Cultivation Serum, one of the things he had collected in the Spiritual Resonance Cave. Each crystal contained a trace of the Origin Enlightenment Fruit's power.
"Mentor Chi Chan, can you pass these to Yu Lang and the rest upon your return?"
Although these things were not as valuable as Enlightenment Cores, there were a lot of them, so they would surely be of some help to Yu Lang and the rest.
Mentor Chi Chan received the box carefully and examined the contents. She seemed a little surprised when she finally understood what effect these crystals had.
"The inner divine continent is truly full of resources. Such a treasure can hardly be found in the outer divine continents. Don't worry, I'll make sure they get it."
She nodded slightly and then stowed the box away.
Afterwards, she continued, "As for the academic evaluation, are you really planning to represent the Astral Sage College by yourself? Based on your age, even though you'd be in the Three Star Hall by now, the other colleges will definitely send out their best students to fight. Some of them will not be any weaker than the Seven Astral Pillars from our college."
Chi Chan was looking a little worried. Li Luo was not only lagging behind in terms of the time he had cultivated, he was also lacking in numbers. As the only representative, he would be eliminated no matter how one looked at it.
Li Luo gave a warm smile when he heard this.
Since that things had come to this, it was time to show his hand. He straightened his back, and the resonant power in his body surged, emitting a ringing sound. In the next moment, five radiant Heavenly Pearls appeared behind him, continuously absorbing worldly natural energy.
Li Luo looked at the beautiful mentor in front of him. Her charming eyes had clearly widened as her jade fingers tightly squeezed her teacup. With a light click, the handle of the teacup broke in her grasp
At this point, he asked with a bright grin, "Mentor, aren't my five Heavenly Pearls big and round?"