Chapter 1430: Perfect Po Jing

Regarding Li Luo's loss of composure, Mentor Xi Chan was quite understanding, because the more top-tier a prodigy was, the more shocking this so-called "Perfect Po Jing" would be to them.

For someone like Li Luo who had embarked on the Path of Unparalleled, to take that perfect step forward, the effort and resources required would likely be several times, or even dozens of times, that of others.

Yet this "Perfect Po Jing" could allow them to leap in a single bound, saving a great deal of energy and time.

This attraction was simply fatal.

"However, triggering 'Perfect Po Jing' is extremely difficult. Looking across the hundred years of the Celestial Mirror Tower's openings, the number of people who ultimately triggered 'Perfect Po Jing' can be counted on one hand." Still, Mentor Xi Chan first gave Li Luo a preventive warning, lest his expectations run too high.

Vice Dean Chen Chi beside them also poured cold water: "In the last hundred years, no one from the Outer Shenzhou Holy Academies has ever triggered Perfect Po Jing."

Regarding the two's reminders, Li Luo paid them no mind. He smiled and said, "It's up to the person, isn't it? If from the very start one doesn't even dare to harbor this ambition, then there really wouldn't be a shred of hope."

Vice Dean Chen Chi was stunned for a moment, then nodded slightly and sighed, "What you say isn't wrong either. Young people perhaps do need this kind of spirit."

"With your current talent and achievements, even among the same year in the Four Great Ancient Academies, you would be considered extremely rare. But your disadvantage is that you came to an Outer Shenzhou Holy Academy."

"Why?" Li Luo asked in confusion.

Mentor Xi Chan took over the thread, saying, "Because the number of 'Celestial Mirror Sand' that can be born in each layer of the Celestial Mirror Tower's Heavenly Domains is scarce and limited, and what our Outer Shenzhou can be allocated is even less."

"The second to thirtieth layers of the Celestial Mirror Tower are called the 'Contention Crossing Zone.' The Celestial Mirror Tower's competition is to contest the ownership of these twenty-nine layers of Heavenly Domains."

"Among them, twelve layers belong to the Four Great Ancient Academies—this is the pie they contest."

"Nine layers belong to the Holy Academies of the Four Great Inner Shenzhous."

"The remaining eight layers are the pie contested by the many Holy Academies of our Six Great Outer Shenzhous."

Li Luo frowned and said, "The Six Great Outer Shenzhous possess the greatest number of Holy Academies, yet they only get eight layers of Heavenly Domains as their pie?"

Eight layers of Heavenly Domains—how many 'Celestial Mirror Sand' could they amount to in total? For the Six Great Outer Shenzhous, this was simply too many monks and too little porridge; when the competition came, it would truly be a fight to the death.

The Four Great Ancient Academies were the highest tier, so dividing twelve layers of Heavenly Domains to them was understandable—after all, the other Holy Academies simply lacked the ability to compete with them. But these Holy Academies of the Four Great Inner Shenzhous actually got one more layer of Heavenly Domains than the pie for our Six Great Outer Shenzhous?

Mentor Xi Chan nodded slightly and said, "After all, they are the Inner Shenzhou Holy Academies. Their strength and foundations are generally stronger than those of the Outer Shenzhou Holy Academies."

Li Luo sighed inwardly. In truth, many prodigies of the Outer Shenzhou were by no means much weaker than those of the Inner Shenzhou, but the Inner Shenzhou's cultivation environment and resources far surpassed those of the Outer Shenzhou. Cultivating under such vastly different conditions, even two people of identical talent would ultimately achieve vastly different results.

"Can we contest for Heavenly Domains across zones?" Li Luo asked.

Vice Dean Chen Chi said irritably, "You can't even necessarily finish the pie in your own zone, and you still want to reach into someone else's pie? Where do you want to reach? Do you think those Inner Shenzhou Holy Academies are easy to provoke? Every time, they're the ones eyeing our little pie."

Xi Chan nodded and said, "Let's first think about how to eat our fill within the pie of these eight layers of Heavenly Domains in our Outer Shenzhou. This kind of Heavenly Domain contest takes each Shenzhou as a whole, and then conducts matches and competition."

"Our Eastern Domain Shenzhou has brought thirty-seven Holy Academies this time. Among them, five main roster slots need to be nominated. The so-called main roster slots are the key to contesting the Heavenly Domains—you can think of them as the main players in the match. The main roster slots will bear greater pressure, but when the Celestial Mirror Sand is finally distributed, the main roster slots will also receive more."

"Our Holy Profound Star Academy was the champion of the last Eastern Domain Shenzhou Holy Cup Battle. According to the rules, one main roster slot is automatically allocated to us."

Saying this, Xi Chan paused and said, "However, it seems we may have to yield this position."

They didn't even bring their Vice Dean to participate. If not for Li Luo holding up appearances, they could really only make up the numbers. With this level of strength, they truly weren't qualified to occupy a main roster slot, and the other Holy Academies of the Eastern Domain Shenzhou wouldn't agree to it either.

Li Luo frowned. The Six Great Outer Shenzhous' pie was already only eight layers of Heavenly Domains. If they gave up the main roster slot, then when the spoils were finally distributed, what fell on their Holy Profound Star Academy would probably only be some scraps and leftovers. Could that fill them up?

He had come to the Celestial Mirror Tower not to eat leftovers.

"How many grains of 'Celestial Mirror Sand' can one layer of Heavenly Domain produce?" Li Luo asked.

"Between ten and twenty grains."

"How many grains of Celestial Mirror Sand are needed to trigger Perfect Po Jing?"

"The requirements for Perfect Po Jing are extremely stringent—it's not that once the number of Celestial Mirror Sand reaches a certain point, it can be triggered. However, judging from past Perfect Po Jing instances, generally more than forty grains of Celestial Mirror Sand are needed before there's a possibility." Xi Chan thought for a moment and said.

"More than forty grains?!" Li Luo made a rough estimate. Wouldn't that mean the pie of these eight layers of Heavenly Domains in the Outer Shenzhou could produce at most around one hundred sixty grains of Celestial Mirror Sand? And this still had to be divided among the Six Great Outer Shenzhous—so how much would fall to the Eastern Domain Shenzhou? And in the end, how much would fall to Holy Profound Star Academy and to him?

Xi Chan said with some apology, "Li Luo, I'm sorry."

The Outer Shenzhou's pie was too small. For Li Luo to obtain the resources he wanted here was indeed very difficult. If Li Luo were representing the Heavenly Origin Ancient Academy, then he would be able to contest for that big pie of twelve layers of Heavenly Domains.

Li Luo waved his hand, smiling to comfort her, saying, "Mentor Xi Chan, don't say that. Although the Four Great Ancient Academies' pie is big, isn't the competition stronger as well? My Unparalleled Second Grade may not be that outstanding."

Then he pondered slightly and said, "But looking at it this way, this main roster slot—our Holy Profound Star Academy cannot give it up."

The pie was already not large. If the share was also small, then this opportunity of the Celestial Mirror Tower would truly be wasted. This was something Li Luo could not tolerate.

Vice Dean Chen Chi before him heard this and sighed, "This isn't a matter of whether you yield or not, but whether you can hold onto it."

"Vice Dean Chen Chi, which Holy Academy in the Eastern Domain Shenzhou has designs on our main roster slot?" Mentor Xi Chan pondered slightly and asked.

Vice Dean Chen Chi nodded and said, "Holy Spring Academy."

"Holy Spring Academy?" Xi Chan's willow brows furrowed slightly. She thought for a moment and said, "I seem to have heard of them. They're a newly promoted Holy Academy, right? They haven't been established for too long."

"Mm, but the Vice Dean they've sent this time is a top-tier Upper Sixth Grade Marquis-tier expert, and his foundation is deep—six Marquis Platforms, two of which have been forged into Nine Pillars."

Vice Dean Chen Chi said with some admiration, "Within the many Holy Academies of our Eastern Domain Shenzhou, I'm afraid only Vice Dean Guo Guo Jiufeng of the Holy Bright King Academy can compare to this."

Xi Chan's expression changed slightly. She said, "A Sixth Grade Marquis who has forged two Nine-Pillar Marquis Platforms."

This level of strength was indeed very strong. Even if Vice Dean Su Xin had come, she might not necessarily be a match.

The Xi Chi whom Li Luo had wounded with a single slash previously only had six Eight-Pillar Marquis Platforms. In terms of foundation, he was far inferior to this Vice Dean of Holy Spring Academy.

Li Luo was also slightly surprised upon hearing this. A Marquis-tier expert who had forged Nine Pillars—in terms of foundation and means, would absolutely be considered outstanding among those of the same tier. Let alone the fact that this person also possessed two Nine-Pillar Marquis Platforms.

"Does this Holy Spring Academy see our Holy Profound Star Academy as a soft persimmon to be squashed?" Li Luo said with a faint smile.

That so-called "Perfect Po Jing" had already hooked Li Luo's heart, so regarding the distribution of the 'Celestial Mirror Sand' share, he would not yield even a fraction.

Let alone an Upper Sixth Grade Marquis who had forged two Nine-Pillar Marquis Platforms—even if it were six Nine-Pillar Marquis Platforms, Li Luo would not hand it over.

And just as Li Luo's words fell, suddenly a playful voice came from afar. As the void rippled, several figures appeared ahead.

"What?"

"Your Holy Profound Star Academy, cannot be squashed?"