Chapter 135

After setting the second small goal for Li Luo, Jiang Qing'e left with Yan Lingqing, leaving behind Li Luo, who was protesting in vain and fuming in solitude.

"Too overbearing."

Li Luo watched the two women's retreating figures and muttered to himself, but in the end, he sighed helplessly; he certainly knew that Jiang Qing'e was pushing him so hard mainly because she wanted him to keep striving and not slack off just because he had entered the Astral Sage College.

However, how could he possibly slack off?

House Luolan was beset by internal and external troubles, his parents' situation was unknown, and although he had now entered the Astral Sage College, he had instead attracted the prying eyes of a Marquis-realm powerhouse, while also facing a true romantic rival like Gong Shenjun, who appeared friendly but was actually deeply calculating.

Under these layers of threats, Li Luo wished he could level up once a day, become a Marquis in five days, a King in ten, stomp Shen Jinxiao to death with one foot, and smash Gong Shenjun's teeth with one punch.

Therefore, slacking off was impossible.

"Forget it, let's go meet that future 'thigh' of a mentor."

Li Luo looked at the document in his hand, which clearly marked the residence of Mentor Xi Chan, so he hesitated no longer, identified the direction, and walked off quickly.

Along the way, many young students were coming and going, all wearing the Astral Sage College uniform adorned with stars, the number of which distinguished their Star Academy level.

Some young and beautiful senior students wore short skirts, their long, fair legs swaying amidst the dappled tree shadows, making one feel that the Astral Sage College was truly worth the visit.

While enjoying the scenery of the academy along the way, Li Luo finally arrived at Mentor Xi Chan's residence.

It was a quiet little building with a flower garden in front, lush greenery, and spots of light scattered across the ground.

When Li Luo arrived, he saw a petite and exquisite figure standing at the entrance; her waist was like a willow, her long hair flowed, and there was a special butterfly hair accessory in her locks.

A light breeze blew, lifting the hem of her skirt and revealing her fair, straight calves underneath.

The young girl's face was also extremely beautiful, with large, bright eyes that seemed to speak, a pert nose, and delicate, rosy lips, giving her a pure and moving temperament.

Bai Mengmeng.

Li Luo walked up and greeted her with a smile: "Hello, classmate Bai Mengmeng."

The sudden sound of Li Luo's voice startled Bai Mengmeng; she looked up at him, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment before her cheeks flushed slightly, and she whispered, "Hello."

Then she lowered her head again, her slender fingers intertwined.

Seeing this, Li Luo couldn't help but sigh; she was truly too soft and cute—so this was the type Yu Lang liked, but unfortunately, fate was not on his side, as he didn't end up in the same group as Bai Mengmeng, but rather with Bai Doudou instead.

That Bai Doudou didn't seem to have anything to do with being "soft and cute," and he wondered if Yu Lang would be beaten up every day over there.

"Is this Mentor Xi Chan's residence? Why aren't you going in?" Li Luo asked.

"Mentor Xi Chan said to wait until everyone is here before going in," Bai Mengmeng replied honestly.

Li Luo turned to look around and said, "There's one more classmate, right? Called Xin Fu? This classmate really lacks a sense of time."

Bai Mengmeng was silent for a moment, then pointed a finger toward the shade of a tree nearby and said, "He's over there. Actually, he arrived a long time ago; we were waiting for you."

Li Luo's expression stiffened, and then he looked at the shadow; upon closer inspection, he indeed saw a dark figure hidden within it—a person wrapped entirely in black, wearing a hood that obscured half of his face in shadow.

Their eyes met for a moment before both silently looked away.

For a moment, the atmosphere was awkwardly silent.

Fortunately, the gate opened automatically at that moment, easing the awkwardness, and the three of them looked at each other and walked in silently.

They followed a gravel path through the flowers and saw a spacious pavilion in the middle of a lush, green-covered area; the pavilion had bamboo curtains hanging on all four sides and wind chimes at the corners, and as a light breeze blew, the crisp sound of the chimes entered their ears, making their minds feel much more tranquil.

"Come in."

A faint voice came from inside the pavilion.

The three immediately and obediently lifted the bamboo curtains and walked inside, where it was clean and tidy, with only three cushions placed in the center; opposite the cushions was a low table, behind which sat a woman in a mentor's robe, sitting cross-legged.

The purple starlight on that mentor's robe was dazzling and mysterious, while also giving off an inexplicable sense of pressure.

Because this robe represented the Marquis realm.

Li Luo and the others were also secretly sizing up this purple-badge mentor named Xi Chan; her dark hair was tied loosely behind her head, but Li Luo couldn't see her true face because a black veil covered most of it, leaving only a pair of somewhat cold eyes exposed.

The slightly loose mentor's robe wrapped around her petite body, revealing exquisite curves and a sense of intellectual, cold charm.

"Greetings, Mentor." The three walked up and bowed respectfully.

"Sit." Mentor Xi Chan pointed to the three cushions in front of her.

The three sat down obediently.

"From today on, you are my students. According to the rules of the Astral Sage College, I will guide your cultivation and do my best to help you go further," Mentor Xi Chan's voice was cold and indifferent, giving the impression that she had no great interest in anything.

"Thank you, Mentor," the three said.

"No need to thank me; this is my job. The more outstanding you are, the higher the rating the academy will give me, and I will receive great rewards from it. Otherwise, what do you think we Marquis-realm experts stay at the academy to teach you for? For love?"

Mentor Xi Chan's extremely honest answer left the three of them choking, and they could only offer an awkward but polite smile.

Mentor, you're so blunt that it makes it hard for us to brag about our deep teacher-student bond.

"In the future at the academy, I will strive to secure enough resources for you as much as possible. Of course, you must also strive to be worthy; otherwise, if you get overtaken by some outstanding Gold-badge students and have your resources snatched away, you can't blame me, your mentor, for not having enough influence."

"You only need to focus on your cultivation and ignore everything else; as for any improper targeting, once it violates the rules, I will naturally block it for you."

As Mentor Xi Chan said this, Li Luo felt her gaze linger on him for a moment, and he immediately understood that she was likely referring to Shen Jinxiao.

Li Luo was instantly moved; if he weren't worried about leaving a bad impression on his mentor during their first meeting, he would have wanted to rush up, hug her leg, and beg for protection.

"The three of you each have your own advantages."

"Li Luo has dual resonances, Xin Fu has the rare Shadow resonance, and although Bai Mengmeng's strength is the weakest among the three of you, her Water Nightmare Butterfly resonance is extremely special; it is one of the very few Water-type Myriad Beast resonances capable of refining Spirit Liquid and Light. Of course, most importantly, while she may not be as strong as you, she is a genius in researching Spirit Liquid and Light formulas; the Resonance Refining Academy has been trying to get her admitted to the Astral Sage College early," Mentor Xi Chan said.

Hearing Mentor Xi Chan's praise, Bai Mengmeng felt shy and lowered her head, but she suddenly felt a burning gaze on her; she tilted her head slightly and saw Li Luo staring at her intensely, even swallowing a mouthful of saliva.

He looked as if he couldn't wait to swallow her whole.

Bai Mengmeng was immediately so frightened that she trembled.

Although this classmate is good-looking, he is so scary.

"Next, I will tell you some important information, but before that, each of you may ask me one question." Mentor Xi Chan's voice remained unhurried, making people feel inexplicably at ease.

Li Luo glanced at the other two; the classmate named Xin Fu was like a mute, not saying a word since they met, and Bai Mengmeng was purely shy, so he hesitated for a moment and raised his hand.

"Speak."

Li Luo's eyes sank slightly, but he didn't hesitate to ask the question he had been wanting to know all along.

"Mentor, I want to know what the King-Marquis Battlefield is."

When this was asked, Li Luo clearly felt that the sound of the wind chimes around the pavilion seemed to suddenly go quiet; it wasn't that the wind had stopped, but rather the emotional fluctuation of the Marquis-realm powerhouse before him.

(One chapter today.)