The excitement after the exams continued for many days in the City of Southwind. Such was its influence.
After the exams, the students at Southwind Academy would have a week off before they went to school to get their entrance slots and officially end their term at Southwind.
Because he had gotten first place, Li Luo was being given a lot more attention, which was frustrating for him. For these past few days, he had not even gone outside, instead choosing to stay at home, quietly researching resonance arts. In his free time, he studied spirit liquids and purifying lights.
It was an idyllic but fruitful time.
...
Ting!
in a practice room in the old manor.
Li Luo was throwing a barrage of attacks at full power with his shortswords.
His target: a bodyguard in the old manor. He was at the first tier of the Resonant Master stage, the Sprouting Seed Tier, and he was holding back as he sparred with Li Luo.
In resonance cultivation, the Resonant Master Stage came after the Ten Seals Stage.
The Resonant Master Stage was divided into three tiers. The first tier was the Sprouting Seed Tier, where the resonant power in one's palaces would be gathered into a seed-like lump and then be reborn anew.
The second tier was the Pattern Genesis Tier. At this tier, one's resonant power would start to mature and gain depth. This would create pattern marks across one's resonances, which were called resonance patterns, hence the name of the tier.
The third tier was called the Evolving Resonance Tier. At this tier, one's resonances would begin to change, in preparation for the breakthrough to the next tier.
If Ten Seals Stage cultivators were beginners, then it could be said that those at the Resonant Master Stage had finally taken a step into the door to cultivation.
The difference between them was huge.
As for how huge, Li Luo was all too aware as they crossed swords.
Although the bodyguard was holding back his strength to roughly a Tenth Seal's, Li Luo found that none of his attacks could pose any threat to his opponent, unless he combined his swords and used his most powerful arrow.
Ding!
With a blue sheen of Water Edge on his swords, Li Luo chopped against the bodyguard's metal staff, but the rebounding shock sent him staggering back a few paces.
He stopped, irritated. He flicked his hand towards his opponent, calling an end to it.
"Impressive, Young Lord. You're only an Eighth Seal, but I feel the pressure." The bodyguard cupped his fist in respect.
This was not empty praise. After he suppressed his resonant power, he could feel that Li Luo's attacks were indeed posing a threat.
There were other bodyguards watching the practice arena as well. They were nodding to themselves too, and they looked at Li Luo in a new light now—with respect and satisfaction.
His win at the Tianshu Province final examinations had forever banished his image as a useless cultivator with blank palaces.
Even if Li Luo never reached Jiang Qing'e's level, no one would look down on him anymore.
This young lord of House Luolan was gradually beginning to let his light shine.
Li Luo responded with a smile and a nod, then he walked to the side of the training room. He spotted Cai Wei waiting for him there.
Today she was in a red skirt, adorned with peony designs in lace. It was an intricate piece that only further emphasized her spicy bodyline. She was as alluring as a newly bloomed flower.
In the sweaty heat of the training arena, many of the guys did not dare eye her openly, but they still surreptitiously snuck glances.
The admiring gaze that was the nature of guys.
"Sister Cai Wei." Li Luo greeted her with a smile.
"The Young Lord is very diligent, training so hard even after your win," she said fondly.
"First place in the Tianshu Province doesn't hold much weight. I heard that the champions in the stronger provinces were Tenth Seal cultivators." He shook his head.
His words were true. The Tianshu Province hovered around the middle in the Xia Kingdom. There were stronger provinces elsewhere.
"You were looking for me?" Li Luo asked.
"Lingqing came over, so something's probably up," Cai Wei said.
"Let's go, then," he nodded.
They left the training arena together, walking through a long corridor to a living room where they met Yan Lingqing, currently clad in green. She had on a pair of silver rims, which made her look especially strict.
She started speaking the moment they were seated. "Let me give you the update. Recently, the Suncreek Villa's profits have been huge, thanks to the secret watersource you've been providing. If the current profits keep up, this year's revenue could be one million skygold. Subtracting away the capital, we would still have 300,000 skygold in profits."
Li Luo was exuberant. 300,000 skygold was the entire profit of House Luolan in the Tianshu Province each year. This year, the Suncreek Villa alone had achieved that. It was tremendous.
Of course, this was mainly because of the secret watersource that he had been providing. And now that he was an Eighth Seal, he could provide even more than before. Therefore, the watersource's usage had also expanded to their second-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights, contributing to an explosion in their revenue.
He did some rough calculations. 300,000 skygold should be able to get him about ten sixth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights...
...Too few.
Li Luo was resigned to it. He knew how hard it was to enhance acquired resonances.
Finishing her report, Yan Lingqing continued, "Did you meet Song Qiuyu a few days ago at the Tower Qingfeng? Was there a guy called Mo Ling with them?"
Li Luo nodded, surprised. "That guy was trying to cause trouble. We had an altercation."
"Mo Ling is from the Mo family in theBeiqiu Province. They're one of the major families dealing in spirit liquids and purifying lights. Their Inkwater Villa ranks in the top 10 in the whole Xia Kingdom. Their connections run very deep.”
"According to our information, the Song family might choose to work with the Inkwater Villa and bring them into the Tianshu Province to crush the Suncreek Villa," Cai Wei said softly.
Li Luo frowned. The Song family had called for aid.
"It must have been Song Qiuyu who instigated that meeting at the Tower Qingfeng. She must have purposely set up the clash between Mo Ling and you to help ease their alliance."
"That woman has a calculative mind. There's nothing she won't stop at to get her way," Yan Lingqing said in a disapproving way.
Li Luo gave a helpless smile. So he had inadvertently helped Song Qiuyu. He had underestimated her.
"Song Qiuyu must be back to take part in the Festival of Purifying Spirits next month. She will probably compete to be the best resonance artificer in the Tianshu Province, lending more strength to the Pine Nut Villa," Yan Lingqing said.
"Sister Yan, you're the representative of the Suncreek Villa. Can you beat her?" Li Luo asked.
"We are old rivals—we clashed many times in the Astral Sage College. We had wins and losses. I don't know how this match will turn out, but I will not underestimate her. I'll do my best to prepare," Yan Lingqing said, her fighting spirit glowing from behind her silver-rimmed spectacles. Song Qiuyu had ignited a spark in her.
"Seems like Sister Lingqing's archenemy," Li Luo joked.
"When you get to the Astral Sage College, you'll know just how sour things were between us." Yan Lingqing pulled a face before turning serious again. "But I'm worried that they will force the Inkwater Villa's liquids and lights into our market."
"How good are the Inkwater Villa's products?" Li Luo asked.
"If they enter the Tianshu Province, they're probably targeting third-grade and below. From what I know, the Inkwater Villa's first-grade product is called the Blackstar spirit liquid, tempering strength of 62%.
"Their second-grade product is called the Blackmoon spirit liquid, tempering strength of 61%."
"And the third-grade product, the Blackglory purifying light, has a tempering strength 60%."
Li Luo's eyebrows shot up. That was truly an established shop in spirit liquids and purifying lights. Such products outclassed anything the Suncreek Villa could offer, and they would be even further behind if not for his watersource.
However, he was not too worried. While their formula might not be as polished, Li Luo was confident they had the advantage in watersource.
The first batch of improved Azure Jade spirit liquid that the Suncreek Villa was currently offering was still based on his fifth-grade waterlight resonance. Therefore, if Li Luo wished, he could create an even purer batch of watersource... by far.
Because it had been sufficient so far, he had not brought it up. But if the Inkwater Villa was going to push the issue, then he was going to bring out the big guns.
The three continued to discuss matters for a while, then Yan Lingqing left hurriedly to prepare for the Festival of Purifying Spirits.
After she left, Cai Wei suddenly retrieved three glass phials from her bosom, setting them gently before Li Luo.
"This..."
Li Luo's gaze was drawn to them. There were faint light patterns on them. They were clearly of a much higher quality than any spirit liquids or purifying lights he had seen before.
And he could sense the powerful flowing within the phials.
"Sixth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights?" Incredulous joy spread across his face.
He had been using the remaining fifth-grade ones, but he found them sorely lacking in efficacy after his waterlight resonance reached the sixth-grade. He had been agonizing over it for a long time. He wanted to ask Cai Wei to procure some, but the price made him hold his tongue. He eventually decided to purchase them after he made it to Xia City.
But now Cai Wei had given him a wonderful surprise.
"Young Lord, although I don't know why you can use seemingly unlimited amounts of spirit liquids and purifying lights, I'm not too curious. Your recent performance proves that they are worth it.
"Therefore, even though our cash flow is tight, your sister here scrimped and saved to help you secure these three sixth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights. It's not much, but they should prove useful," Cai Wei said, glowing with pride. Her goose-egg face shone with radiance.
Li Luo eagerly took them. He turned to Cai Wei, moved. "If I wasn't afraid of being beaten by Sister Cai Wei, I would have hugged you already."
Cai Wei laughed cutely, fanning herself with her flower fan as she batted her eyelashes at him.
"Save that talk for the girls at your school. To an older woman like myself, those honeyed words hold less power than that pretty face of yours."
She left, her figure swaying in a stirring fashion.
Li Luo watched her sexy figure go. He absently touched his cheek and sighed.
Damned good looks. Even Sister Cai Wei couldn't help herself.