Chapter 1089: Refusal

Over the past two days, the hottest topic in the Ancient Tianyuan Academy was the formation of conscripted squads. According to the academy's squad structure, each squad needed to be led by a student of the Celestial Star Hall, with no more than ten members. So now, all those squads from the Holy Academies were racking their brains to find a suitable leader.

Li Luo had the same plan.

After all, this conscription mission was extremely difficult. Even an institution as powerful as the Ancient Tianyuan Academy had to bring in the Ancient Light Academy as reinforcements, and even squads from their own Holy Academies were forcibly conscripted. With such a lineup, who would dare underestimate it?

Although Li Luo's final combat power in the House-level Review was enough to rival some Celestial Star Hall students who had reached the True Seal level, there was still a non-negligible gap between him and those who held Upper House seats — after all, those were genuine Da Tian Xiang Jing powerhouses.

That was the final realm below the Marquis rank.

However, Li Luo didn't know a single Celestial Star Hall student in the Ancient Tianyuan Academy, so he could only go find Senior Zong Sha and Jiang Jiang Wanyu again, planning to ask them to help with an introduction.

"Haha, Junior Li Luo, if you need introductions to seniors in the Celestial Star Hall, then Junior Jiang is definitely the right fit — her connections are far better than mine." After witnessing Li Luo's performance in the House-level Review, Senior Zong Sha grew even warmer toward him and offered his suggestion.

Jiang Jiang Wanyu didn't refuse, but her beautiful eyes glanced at Lu Ming, Jing Jing Taixu, and the others trailing behind Li Luo, and she hesitated. "You've already recruited team members?"

Li Luo nodded. "They're all friends I've known for a while. The trust level is higher."

Jiang Jiang Wanyu said nothing more, because in the eyes of students from these Ancient Academies, students from the Holy Academies of the Outer Shenzhou were almost the bottom-of-the-barrel choice for this kind of mission. Recently, the mentors who had accompanied the Holy Academies had even privately offered generous conditions just to find a reliable captain for their students.

The Celestial Star Hall students mockingly called this "protection fees."

"I do indeed know some seniors in the Celestial Star Hall. I'll take you to meet them. Li Luo, you yourself actually have no problem — the results of the House-level Review have already reached the ears of Celestial Star Hall students. By all rights, you're a pretty good candidate for a team leader."

Jiang Jiang Wanyu chatted lightly with Li Luo along the way, taking them aboard a "Flying Leaf" as they gradually entered some of the inner areas of the Ancient Tianyuan Academy.

The world's natural energy here was far denser — this was where Celestial Star Hall students usually cultivated and resided.

Once they arrived, Jiang Jiang Wanyu took Li Luo and the others to visit some Celestial Star Hall students she had past connections with.

However, the final result was somewhat beyond Jiang Jiang Wanyu's expectations.

Those Celestial Star Hall students, who had originally been warm, upon hearing that they were to team up with Li Luo, began dodging eye contact one after another, and finally made various excuses to politely decline.

At first Jiang Jiang Wanyu didn't mind, but after several Celestial Star Hall students did the same, her willow-leaf brows gradually furrowed.

"Something seems off." She murmured to herself. Although Li Luo was registered under the name of the Holy Xuanxing Academy, who didn't know he was now a member of the Dragon Fang Branch of Li Li Tianwang's lineage? So there was no reason anyone would look down on him based on identity alone — not to mention that Li Luo had also displayed outstanding strength in the House-level Review.

In terms of strength, Li Luo was even enough to rival some ordinary students in the Celestial Star Hall.

Jiang Jiang Wanyu exchanged a covert glance with Senior Zong Sha, who was accompanying them; both saw the confusion in each other's eyes. But she didn't give up, and continued taking Li Luo on visits.

This time, she approached two seniors who carried considerable weight in the Celestial Star Hall — both held fairly high seats in the Upper House.

In a lakeside Shi Ting, two rather imposing young men greeted the arriving Jiang Jiang Wanyu with warm smiles. Although the latter was currently only a Three-Star House student, both her appearance and her talent were quite renowned within the academy.

"Li Luo, this is Senior Meng Zhou. He holds the forty-ninth seat in the Celestial Star Hall Upper House." Jiang Jiang Wanyu introduced, pointing at a short-haired young man.

"This is Senior Zheng Song Yunfeng. He holds the fifty-second seat in the Celestial Star Hall Upper House." This one had long hair flowing loose, giving him a somewhat arrogant air.

"Both seniors are extraordinary figures, and in the future they may well enter the ranks of the top twenty seats."

"Hehe, Junior Jiang, you flatter us too much. The top twenty seats are all monsters — how could we ever catch up?" the Celestial Star Hall student named Meng Zhou said with a smile.

Zheng Song Yunfeng, meanwhile, sat upright, raised his eyes to glance at Li Luo, and said, "So you're that Li Luo from the Holy Xuanxing Academy who made some showing in the House-level Review?"

Seeing his attitude, Lu Ming, Jing Jing Taixu, and the others trailing behind slightly furrowed their brows. These Celestial Star Hall people really were awfully arrogant.

"If you don't like the Holy Xuanxing Academy, I don't mind you saying I'm from Li Li Tianwang's lineage, the Dragon Fang Branch Head's legitimate grandson, Acting Grand Hall Master of the Qingming Hall, Dragon Head of the Twenty Banners, creator of the Evil Demon Cave record — Li Luo." Li Luo showed a gentle smile. He just loved dealing with arrogant people.

At such a long self-introduction, the corner of Zheng Song Yunfeng's mouth twitched slightly. Damn it — so what if your background is strong? Always pulling out Li Li Tianwang's lineage to pressure people. These noble sons are the most annoying. Can't they rely on themselves? What's the skill in leaning on background? Not inspiring at all!

Although he was unhappy, it was clear the Li Tianwang lineage was indeed intimidating. After all, even Wu Yu had been forced to grant Li Luo an audience when faced with the Dragon Fang Branch's visiting card — let alone someone like him, a mere Da Tian Xiang Jing?

"Hmph, what grand titles." Zheng Song Yunfeng's expression darkened as he snorted softly, but he didn't dare belittle those titles, lest he invite greater trouble. Right now he was a student of the Celestial Star Hall, and borrowing the tiger-skin of the Ancient Tianyuan Academy didn't matter, but once he left the academy in the future and roamed the world, the Li Tianwang lineage would truly be an immeasurable behemoth in his eyes.

Beside him, the young man named Meng Zhou smiled and said, "Junior Li Luo, are you here to form a squad with us? Sorry, but we already have a squad."

Although he appeared far more polite than Zheng Song Yunfeng, before Jiang Jiang Wanyu could even speak, he had already shut the matter down completely.

Faced with such words, even Li Luo's eyes narrowed slightly. This kind of rejection seemed a bit too frequent today — it wasn't normal.

Because from a strength standpoint, he himself was absolutely a good teammate. Even if Lu Ming and the others had some gap, compared to others at the same level, they weren't necessarily that much worse. After all, no matter how you looked at it, they weren't meant to be the main force — just some assistants, whose role wasn't that significant to begin with.

Jiang Jiang Wanyu's expression also turned somewhat unpleasant. She stared at Meng Zhou and asked directly, "Senior Meng Zhou, why is that?"

Faced with her pressing question, Meng Zhou looked a bit helpless. After hesitating, he offered a hint: "Junior Jiang, why don't you take him to ask Brother Wu?"

Jiang Jiang Wanyu was stunned. "Senior Wu Changkong?"

In this Celestial Star Hall, the only person Meng Zhou would respectfully address as Brother Wu, besides the Upper House Chief, was probably impossible to find a second.

Meng Zhou nodded, said nothing more, and pulled Zheng Song Yunfeng away directly.

Jiang Jiang Wanyu stared at their retreating backs, her pretty face shifting between cloudy and bright. She looked at Senior Zong Sha, who was also frowning tightly.

"Li Luo, do you have some grudge with Chief Wu Changkong?" Jiang Jiang Wanyu asked.

So the problem lay here. No wonder these Celestial Star Hall students were unwilling to team up with Li Luo — was this Wu Changkong's doing?

"I don't know him." Li Luo shook his head calmly. Then, recalling something, he asked, "What is the relationship between this Wu Changkong and Vice Principal Wu Yu?"

"Vice Principal Wu Yu is his great-grandfather," Senior Zong Sha said.

Only then did Li Luo realize. Jiang Jiang Wanyu and the others didn't know that he had a wager with Vice Principal Wu Yu here, and had ultimately won it. That was somewhat of a slap in the face for this Vice Principal. So now, the Vice Principal couldn't step in personally, and had hinted to Wu Changkong to throw some obstacles in his way?

This Vice Principal Wu Yu was awfully petty.

Was that Wu Changkong trying to force him to come seeking him out, so he could vent some of his great-grandfather's frustration?

Li Luo chuckled lightly. Dream on — let that old thing Wu Yu choke on his frustration and die.

"Jiang Wanyu, Senior Zong Sha, if we can't find anyone from the Celestial Star Hall, forget it. I can lead the team myself, it doesn't matter." Li Luo smiled. After all this, he was too lazy to keep looking. Although not having Celestial Star Hall teammates would weaken the squad's strength considerably and affect the merit evaluation, his greater purpose in entering the "Little Chen Heaven" was to reunite with Jiang Qing.

Once he found Jiang Qing, what damn Celestial Star Hall — none of them could be as sweet as the big white goose of my Lu Lan Mansion.

Jiang Jiang Wanyu's willow-leaf brows furrowed tightly, but she was somewhat unwilling to give up just like that. She thought for a moment, then said to Li Luo, "If it really is Chief Wu Changkong throwing up obstacles, I think there's still one person we can try. She actually never gives Wu Changkong any face."

"Who?"

"Senior Feng Lingyuan, the second seat of the Celestial Star Hall Upper House."