Chapter 142: Resonance Dawn

By the lakeside.

Facing Li Luo's "harsh accusation," Jiang Jiang Qinge merely smiled, her gaze fixed on the mirror-like lake, not sparing a single glance at the departing Ye Ye Qiuding.

She knew Li Luo was just teasing her.

"Have you forgotten what it takes to enforce family law in our household?"

"Care to take a trip to the training room?" Jiang Jiang Qinge's lips curved slightly, carrying a hint of anticipation.

Li Luo quickly pulled back his finger and said solemnly, "I'm trying to reason with you properly, and you keep throwing these barbaric things at me. My mother really did set a bad example for this family."

Jiang Jiang Qinge smiled and said casually, "This person is quite well-known in the Two-Star Academy, and his strength is not weak either. He should rank among the top three."

"There was a mission before that required a new student. His strength was decent among the new students, so they recruited him. That's how we got acquainted."

"But that's all there is to it."

"Before, Sister Cai Wei and Sister Ling Qing told me that only after arriving at the Sacred Phoenix Star Academy could one truly experience what it means to be an unstoppable, world-shattering beauty. Now I feel that flavor is right."

Jiang Jiang Qinge shook her head. Such matters were too boring; she couldn't even be bothered to comment.

"The only thing on my mind right now is reaching the Marquis Realm as soon as possible. That way, I can protect you, protect the House Luolan Mansion, and also investigate the matter of Master and Mistress drawing the life-and-death lots."

"As for these boring people and matters..."

She exhaled softly, a fragrant breath, and murmured, "It would be wonderful if they could just vanish from the world on their own."

Li Luo swallowed. Sister Jiang Qinge, although you're putting it very tactfully, can I take it to mean you wish they would all drop dead?

How terrifying.

Jiang Jiang Qinge saw Li Luo looking like that and couldn't help but laugh, then reached out with the habitual intention of patting his hair.

But this time, Li Luo reached out first and held her delicate little hand.

Li Luo's sudden move made Jiang Jiang Qinge pause for a moment, but she showed no panic at all. She simply gazed at Li Luo with a hint of amusement in her golden eyes.

Li Luo said somewhat helplessly, "Sister Jiang Qinge, if you could show a little bashfulness at a moment like this, I feel the atmosphere would be even better."

Jiang Jiang Qinge thought for a moment and said, "Bashful?"

The smile in her golden eyes deepened.

"Li Luo, although I'd love to oblige you, unfortunately, until you defeat me, I'm afraid that scene won't be appearing."

Li Luo was reduced to tears, for once again he tasted the bitterness of having a fiancée who was too outstanding.

While Li Luo Pin was savoring that sorrowful bitterness, Ye Ye Qiuding walked back to the group, the carefree expression on his face having faded considerably.

"Brother Ye, that kid is the legendary young mansion master of House Luolan Mansion who's engaged to Senior Sister Jiang—Li Luo?" someone close to Ye Ye Qiuding asked with a low chuckle.

Ye Ye Qiuding gave a faint nod.

"Pfft, he just got the advantage of proximity. They say that engagement was forced upon Senior Sister Jiang by his parents leveraging a debt of gratitude."

Hearing these classmates' words, Ye Ye Qiuding waved his hand and laughed, "These street rumors aren't worth believing. Those two are at least Marquis-level powerhouses. Although they dote on their son, they probably wouldn't go that far."

Though his words were meant to clarify, there was something subtly suggestive about them.

"Brother Ye, you're better than Li Luo in every way. You have to seize the chance. A top-quality girl like Senior Sister Jiang isn't something you come across every day."

"Right, Brother Ye, if you could win over Senior Sister Jiang, tsk tsk, every guy in our Two-Star Academy would share in the glory. You have to know, Senior Sister Jiang has countless pursuers in the Three-Star and Four-Star Academies too."

"I think Senior Sister Jiang might really go for your type, Brother Ye. Otherwise, why would she have asked you to do that mission together before?"

Hearing this, Ye Ye Qiuding laughed and cursed lightly, saying, "Cut the nonsense and get to training, or we'll get scolded again."

He dispersed the group, then glanced toward the distant lakeside, just in time to see Li Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge laughing and playing. The smile on Jiang Jiang Qinge's breathtakingly beautiful face seemed to carry an exceptionally rare gentleness and indulgence.

This caused a faint shadow to pass over Ye Ye Qiuding's eyes, which quickly cleared as he turned and left with the group.

After parting with Jiang Jiang Qinge, Li Luo returned to the small building.

Entering the room, he saw Student Xin Fu burying his head in the breakfast carefully prepared by classmate Bai Bai Mengmeng. The look in his eyes beneath the hood was calm, but why were his feet trembling slightly?

Li Luo smiled and strolled over.

"Captain, would you like some breakfast?" Bai Bai Mengmeng's big, dewy eyes looked over.

Li Luo raised the half-eaten red glutinous cake in his hand and said with a regretful tone, "Not today. Someone came specially to deliver me breakfast—the kind I couldn't refuse."

Student Xin Fu raised his head, glanced at Li Luo, his gaze somewhat resentful.

Bai Bai Mengmeng said enviously, "Is it Senior Sister Jiang? I just saw her figure. Senior Sister Jiang is really beautiful."

Li Luo smiled and nodded.

At that moment, Instructor Xi Chan pushed the door open and entered. Her gaze swept over the three of them as she said coolly, "After breakfast, I'll take you to the Resonance Force Tree."

The three of them immediately perked up.

Instructor Xi Chan took out three purple jade tokens and handed them to the three: "The Sacred Phoenix Star Academy's Resonance Force Tree has four grades of resonance leaves. The first three are no different from what you've experienced before—distinguished by copper, silver, and gold. But the fourth grade exists only at the Sacred Phoenix Star Academy; we call it the Purple Jade Leaf Platform."

"The Purple Jade Leaf Platform is accessible only to Purple-Glory students. These are your tokens, with the number of the Purple Jade Leaf Platform assigned to you recorded on them."

The three quickly took them. Li Luo looked first—the jade token in his hand had a fine texture, smooth and delicate to the touch, and there were characters inscribed on it.

One-Star Academy District, North Branch Ninety-Seven, Number Five.

"The Resonance Force Tree is immensely grand, covering a vast area. Each academy tier is assigned a different zone. Simply put, the higher the star academy, the more intense the ambient energy in their assigned zone, because as one's strength grows, so does the volume of ambient energy one can withstand."

"Additionally, for your first visit to the Resonance Force Tree, if your talent or fortune is good enough, you may trigger a 'Resonance Dawn.' Don't be alarmed when that happens, because it's considered a gift from the Resonance Force Tree to you new students."

"Resonance Dawn?" Li Luo and the others exchanged glances, all somewhat puzzled.

"Simply put, it's because it's your first time in a place with such dense ambient energy. During cultivation, you may form a resonance with the ambient energy emitted by the Resonance Force Tree, which then leads to the ambient energy pouring into your body."

"This infusion is somewhat like a baptism. If you receive it, your own resonance force will receive a boost. Every year, when new students cultivate at the Resonance Force Tree for the first time, someone triggers a 'Resonance Dawn,' so it's not exactly rare. But regardless, for you, if you can trigger one, it will certainly be beneficial."

"Oh, and the Purple Jade Leaf Platform can actually increase the probability of triggering a Resonance Dawn."

Hearing this, Li Luo and the others immediately tightened their grip on the purple jade tokens, their hearts filled with admiration. So this is the treatment of a Purple-Glory student? Truly a step ahead of everyone else in every way.

"The intensity of a Resonance Dawn also varies from person to person. The main way to judge it is by observing its brightness and duration."

At this point, Xi Chan's gaze flicked to Li Luo, and she seemed to smile as she said, "In the past hundred years of the Sacred Phoenix Star Academy, the most brilliant Resonance Dawn ever triggered belonged to Jiang Jiang Qinge. When she first went to the Resonance Force Tree, the brightness of the Resonance Dawn she triggered was said to be visible from the Daxia City, where people could sense some of the light radiating from here."

Student Xin Fu and Bai Bai Mengmeng also looked at Li Luo in surprise. This Senior Sister Jiang really has left her legend everywhere.

Li Luo, however, was quite calm about this. Over the years, hadn't that big white goose left behind plenty of legends already? One more streak of dawn light was hardly needed...

Only, with things as they were, this trip up the Phase Force Tree would inevitably invite comparisons again. Although Li Luo had long grown used to it, he still couldn't help feeling a touch of melancholy.

Having such an outstanding fiancée really is a lot of pressure.

Could anyone understand his suffering?

(One update today.)