It was quiet in the forest.
It was a shocked silence that filled the air. No one had expected the likes of Zhao Ziyang to have his attack repelled by a mere Third Pattern opponent. Moreover, his resonant power protection had been broken, and now his fist was bleeding.
The wound was not deep, but it was symbolic. His defenses had been penetrated.
A mere Third Pattern against a Second Changing?!
It was unbelievable. Plus, Zhao Ziyang was no slouch. With his eighth-grade lava resonance, he not only had fiery power, but rocky defenses as well. It was a balanced resonance of both attack and defense. There should have been no weakness for Li Luo to exploit.
This handsome, silver-haired youth was a strange one indeed.
“Brother Zhao?”
His teammates called out to him with uncertainty. Both of them were First Changing, and they were having an easy time against the other two. Of course, Lu Qing’er was much weaker, so most of their efforts had been concentrated on Qin Zhulu.
They had also been paying some attention to Zhao Ziyang’s side, and they were shocked by his injury.
As his teammates, they understood Zhao Ziyang’s capabilities well. Back in the Iron Sand Empire, he was among the elites of his generation. He had always been the one challenging those above his class. How had the tables flipped on him today?
Zhao Ziyang bent his head to look at his fist. The wound healed right before his eyes, but the glower on his face did not fade away as quickly.
At his age, he was at the Sage College in the Iron Sand Empire. Those that he respected had always been seniors who were of a higher cultivation level. And even then, they treated him with mutual respect. It had bred a strong sense of pride within him.
Today, this pride had been exposed as arrogance.
“To think that I would one day see dual resonances wielded by one not yet a Duke. This is indeed a wide world we live in. Miracles happen,” Zhao Ziyang said slowly, almost to himself.
The shock deepened for the spectators. Dual resonances?!
A mere Third Pattern youth had dual resonances? What kind of godly luck did he have to be blessed with a second resonant palace so early?
Li Luo felt the watchers in the trees turn to study him.
No wonder he dared to go up against Zhao Ziyang. So he had this strange resonance situation.
Li Luo was not surprised by Zhao Ziyang’s reaction. There was no hiding the truth of it once he used it, and Zhao Ziyang was no fool to overlook it either.
He just stood his ground, shortswords held loosely but ready. There were cracks all over his blades.
These two swords had been forged a long time ago, and they would not last much longer.
He curbed his own irritation. This counter of dual resonances plus four resonant bubbles should have gotten him better results. He wanted to at least wound Zhao Ziyang, and not just give him a scratch across the knuckles.
Still, it was Li Luo’s first time using it in a real battle, so he was a little raw.
If he tried it again, he would probably be able to draw out better effects.
A pity… he wouldn’t have time to try it again.
After his four resonant bubbles burst, the resonant power faded away. There would be no repeat of that attack. Plus, he was in a weakened state after using his dual resonances.
“The cultivation level difference is still too big,” Li Luo lamented to himself. This guy was far stronger than Ji Sun from before. Even with his best moves, he could only barely stand his ground.
However, his true goal was not just to beat Zhao Ziyang. He wanted to bare his fangs to the other wolves watching.
He had to let them know that these three Pattern Genesis Tier cultivators were no easy meat. Sometimes, deterrence was more than half the battle.
Zhao Ziyang took a careful step forward. “What is your name?”
Li Luo looked coolly at him. “I’m Yu Lang.” [1]
Lu Qing’er and Qin Zhulu stared at him.
“Alright, Yu Lang. I’m surprised that the Xia Kingdom has managed to raise such a talent. I assume you’re from the Astral Sage College too? Heh, everyone’s going to pay more attention to you guys at this year’s Holy Grail Meet.”
“I, Yu Lang, fear nothing. Come at me with whatever you have,” Li Luo said haughtily.
Zhao Ziyang said nothing in return. However, his arrogance had been cut back down into guarded pride after seeing Li Luo’s strength and dual resonances today. Neither did he directly demand for Li Luo to hand Lu Qing’er over.
That was one of Li Luo’s goals too—unleash his strongest attack and show them that he was on the same level. Otherwise, there was no chance a bunch of rabbits like them could keep the wolves away.
“Yu Lang, you should know that your dual resonances bring no resolution to this matter,” Zhao Ziyang continued.
“Golden Dragon Qi is rare. Now that it has appeared, we will not let it go. She’s a walking treasure, and you alone cannot possibly keep her safe.”
He waved back his teammates, calling off the attack on Lu Qing’er and Qin Zhulu. It was a gesture of his sincerity to negotiate.
Li Luo grinned at him. “And you can keep us safe?”
Zhao Ziyang’s face was emotionless. Li Luo had lured over many teams. Even as strong as he was, he would be overwhelmed by all of them. He realized that this was not a prize he could take for himself anymore.
From within the woods, a flurry of resonant powers approached. Squads were starting to appear left and right.
“Keke, Iron Sand Empire friends, don’t think you’re going to get that juicy prize all for yourself. You might break your back trying to carry it,” someone called out, their warning dripping with greed.
“The Golden Dragon Qi has to be divided up equally,” someone else called.
Zhao Ziyang’s eyes flashed with anger, but he quelled it. “You got us into this situation,” he said to Li Luo. “How do you propose we get out of it?”
Everyone turned to him. Before, none of them would have paid him any attention, but now his strength and dual resonances granted him some basic respect.
More importantly, they were in a complex situation, and someone had to get the unraveling started.
As the possessors of the Golden Dragon Qi, this youth called Yu Lang and his team were in the best position to do so.
Li Luo smiled at all of them. “Well, since we’re in this mess, I know there’s no way I can have the Golden Dragon Qi all to myself. I guess I don’t mind splitting it.
“But.” His smile grew wide.
“As great a prize as the Golden Dragon Qi is, do you think it can support so many…?”
1. TN: AHA HOW THE TABLES TURN. ☜