Chapter 11: Energy Guidance Art

The next day, at the gates of the old mansion.

Li Luo watched Jiang Qing'e's carriage depart into the distance. Beside him stood Uncle Liu, hands respectfully at his sides, and alongside them was the tall, full-figured Cai Wei.

"Hah."

Li Luo watched the convoy vanish from sight, then exhaled a soft breath into the morning glow. Turning to Uncle Liu, he said, "Uncle Liu, please help me take a week's leave from the academy. I'd like to recuperate at home for a while."

In his current state, the fusion with that Acquired Phase had left his qi and blood in terrible condition. Showing up at the academy like this would only invite gossip.

Now that he possessed the Water Phase, the most pressing matter was to find an Energy Guidance Art to cultivate and raise his own Phase Force level.

Although the Southwind Academy did have quite a few Energy Guidance Arts, the exchange conditions were numerous. It was far less convenient than his own family's library.

However, the Grand Examination was next month, and taking a week's leave at this time would surely stir up considerable talk at the academy. Still, at this point, Li Luo clearly couldn't afford to care about that.

"Yes, Young Mansion Master." The honest and dutiful Uncle Liu immediately agreed upon hearing this.

"Sister Cai Wei." After speaking, Li Luo turned his gaze to Cai Wei beside him.

Cai Wei's somewhat narrow, alluring beautiful eyes looked over, and she replied with a reserved smile, "What are your orders, Young Mansion Master?"

"Please help me procure some Spiritual Water and Strange Light, Fourth-Rank Tier grade," Li Luo said with a smile.

Cai Wei's thick lashes blinked. Spiritual Water and Strange Light were used to enhance the grade of one's Phase, but Li Luo seemed to be born with an Empty Phase—what did he need this for?

Though puzzled, she still agreed, asking in a soft, sweet voice, "How many portions does the Young Mansion Master need?"

Li Luo thought for a moment, then said, "Procure fifty portions first."

Even though Cai Wei was a fairly calm and rational mature woman, hearing "fifty portions" left her staring at Li Luo in astonishment, as if she thought she'd misheard.

"Young Mansion Master, you said fifty portions of Fourth-Rank Tier Spiritual Water and Strange Light?" Cai Wei couldn't help repeating.

Li Luo met her astonished gaze and nodded seriously.

Cai Wei's pearly teeth gently bit into her alluring red lips. Spiritual Water and Strange Light was an expensive item, and Fourth-Rank Tier grade was even pricier—on the market, one portion cost roughly one thousand Heaven Measure Gold, so fifty portions would be fifty thousand Heaven Measure Gold.

House Luolan Mansion's various merchant guilds and industries across the entire Tianshu Prefecture brought in roughly three hundred thousand Heaven Measure Gold annually, and this figure was gradually declining along with House Luolan Mansion's situation in recent years.

Of course, the amount of Heaven Measure Gold wasn't really the main issue—House Luolan Mansion was, after all, a wealthy and powerful household, and fifty thousand Heaven Measure Gold wouldn't make Cai Wei lose her composure. But purchasing fifty portions of Fourth-Rank Tier Spiritual Water and Strange Light all at once was genuinely a bit bizarre.

Because the main function of Spiritual Water and Strange Light was to temper one's own Phase nature and raise its grade. But as everyone knew, Spiritual Water and Strange Light contained impurities produced when various materials were fused together. These impurities would gradually erode the Phase Palace, so over time, the Phase Palace would slowly seal itself. Once that happened, any further enhancement of one's Phase nature would have reached its absolute limit.

When using Spiritual Water and Strange Light, most people didn't use it without restraint. Generally, they controlled it within an orderly timeframe—for example, using one or two portions per month. This not only reduced the impurities' impact on one's Phase Palace but also maximized the tempering effect of the Spiritual Water and Strange Light.

So even when others purchased Spiritual Water and Strange Light, they bought in small quantities. Something like Li Luo buying fifty portions at once—was he planning to stockpile several years' worth?

Cai Wei truly couldn't understand what Li Luo's purpose was in doing this.

But Li Luo was, after all, the Young Mansion Master, and Jiang Qing'e had also said that her staying here was mainly to coordinate with Li Luo. So in the end, Cai Wei still nodded gently.

"Understood."

"Then I'll trouble you, Sister Cai Wei." Li Luo smiled warmly, then turned and entered the old mansion.

Cai Wei watched his retreating back and let out a helpless sigh. This Young Mansion Master seemed to be acting rather recklessly. After yesterday's events, didn't he realize that House Luolan Mansion was currently beset by troubles both internal and external?

Even if his physical condition prevented him from sharing Jiang Qing'e's burdens, there was no need to add to the chaos, was there? At this rate of reckless spending, House Luolan Mansion's annual income from Tianshu Prefecture might not withstand much more of this.

Would they have to apply to Jiang Qing'e for aid in the end? But House Luolan Mansion's current predicament was poor, and it too was a time that required massive funding.

Cai Wei gently rubbed her brow. It seemed that during her time in Tianshu Prefecture, things might not go too smoothly for her.

As for Cai Wei's many thoughts and feelings, Li Luo paid them little heed. At this moment, filled with some excitement and anticipation, he headed straight for the library within the old mansion.

The library housed the many Guidance Arts and Phase Arts that House Luolan Mansion had collected. Although most of them had been transferred to the headquarters in Wang Cheng, the old mansion here still retained quite a few.

This place was also one of the old mansion's key areas, with considerable security on a daily basis—patrolling guards could be seen everywhere.

But as the Young Mansion Master, Li Luo entered the library without encountering any obstruction.

"Young Mansion Master."

Inside the library, the steward on duty saw Li Luo enter. Though momentarily startled, he immediately stepped forward respectfully.

Li Luo nodded and instructed, "Find me all the Energy Guidance Arts in the library suitable for a Fourth-Rank Phase."

The steward was inwardly puzzled. In the past, even when Li Luo came to the library, he only looked at Phase Arts—he never touched Energy Guidance Arts at all, because he was born with an Empty Phase, and these Energy Guidance Arts had little effect on him.

But he didn't dare raise any objections. After all, regardless of anything else, Li Luo was the Young Mansion Master and held the highest authority in this old mansion.

So he immediately agreed and briskly turned to search for Energy Guidance Arts according to Li Luo's request.

Li Luo found a quiet room and waited patiently for a moment, after which the steward came in, drenched in sweat, carrying an armful of crystal slips.

"Young Mansion Master, all the Energy Guidance Arts in the library suitable for cultivating a Fourth-Rank Phase are here. Among them, there are twenty-eight Entry-Grade Energy Guidance Arts and six General-Grade Energy Guidance Arts."

Li Luo nodded, waved him away, and began carefully browsing through these Energy Guidance Arts.

In this Great Xia Kingdom, Energy Guidance Arts were also divided into grades. The grading system was similar to that of Phase Force levels: Entry-Grade, General-Grade, Marquis-Grade, and King-Grade. Apart from Entry-Grade, the other three grades were further subdivided into the rather mundane Upper, Middle, and Lower Three Ranks.

Entry-Grade Energy Guidance Arts allowed one to complete the introductory cultivation from the Ten-Seal Realm to the Source Master Realm. To step from the Source Master Realm into the General-Grade, one would need a General-Grade Energy Guidance Art, and so on.

Entry-Grade Energy Guidance Arts could be found everywhere, but General-Grade Energy Guidance Arts began to show distinctions—only mid-level powers could possess them.

Marquis-Grade Energy Guidance Arts were even rarer—only top-tier powers could possess them.

Li Luo recalled that their House Luolan Mansion possessed two Marquis-Grade Energy Guidance Arts, left behind by his parents.

As for King-Grade Energy Guidance Arts—their preciousness went without saying. If one truly appeared, it would surely trigger a frantic scramble among the many top-tier powers of Great Xia Kingdom.

It might even spark a war between great nations.

However, generally speaking, the higher the grade of an Energy Guidance Art, the harsher its cultivation conditions. Many of them had requirements for the cultivator's Phase nature grade.

Currently, Li Luo's "Water Light Phase" was only Fourth-Rank Tier, so he could only have the steward find Energy Guidance Arts he was qualified to cultivate.

Time passed, and the crystal slips on the table were quickly browsed through by Li Luo.

In the end, he selected three Energy Guidance Arts from among them.

Duan Tun Tu Fa, General-Grade Lower Rank.

Cang Lan Meditation Diagram, General-Grade Middle Rank.

Ling Hua Jue, General-Grade Middle Rank.

All three Energy Guidance Arts belonged to the General-Grade. If cultivated to their highest level, one's own grade could break through to the General-Grade.

The grade and potential of these three energy-guiding arts were passable; while they couldn't be considered top-tier, they weren't common goods either. Most crucially, they happened to be suitable for Li Luo's fourth-grade Water-Light Aspect.

And if he raised the grade of his Aspect in the future, he could simply find a suitable energy-guiding art to switch to at that point, and it wouldn't be much trouble.

Li Luo deliberated among the three energy-guiding arts for a while, and finally chose the Canglan Meditation Diagram. The Aspect-power cultivated from this energy-guiding art had a continuous, majestic quality like the great sea, which matched Li Luo's Water-Light Aspect even better.

"You're the one."

Li Luo waved his hand grandly, put away the "Canglan Meditation Diagram," a hint of impatience in his eyes, then he directly stood up and left, heading to the underground chamber of the Library Pavilion, where his parents had specially built a cultivation chamber.

Here, he would begin to experience true cultivation.

(End of chapter)