Chapter 183

At sunset, the high platform outside the arena fell into a quiet among the five Purple Radiance mentors.

Their gazes fixed on the vast forest, as if capturing every thrilling battle within.

Yet, each of their expressions differed slightly.

Shen Shen Jinxiao stared into the distance, his face neither pleased nor angry—he had already seen Wang Wang Hejiu's team defeated, and by Li Luo's trio no less...

Mentor Xi Chan clearly wouldn't pass up this delightful opportunity; she lifted her water cup toward Shen Shen Jinxiao and said, "I should thank you in advance for your investment, Mentor Shen Shen Jinxiao."

Shen Shen Jinxiao raised his wine cup; though the fine liquor had lost its flavor, he drained it in one gulp and said, "Losing to dual-phase power isn't shameful."

He showed no anger—after all, he was a Marquis-strength cultivator, and a good loser knew when to accept defeat; more importantly, in this setting, what could he do by refusing? Storm in and beat Li Luo up? Revoke the "Twelve-Section Brocade" afterward? That would utterly destroy his face.

"This Li Luo is interesting," Mentor Cao Sheng spoke up. "His dual-phase power isn't stable—normally, he shouldn't have been able to overcome Wang Wang Hejiu's trio in their final combined technique... But that 'Plant Trees into Soldiers' technique? Truly unexpected."

Mentor Mi Er nodded in agreement. "He used water-phase power as a source to enhance his wood-phase power, rapidly growing a wood-phase tree. The 'Plant Trees into Soldiers' technique itself isn't particularly offensive—it's practically useless on its own—but when used to stabilize water and wood phase energies, it yields surprising results. The two forces converge at the tree's core, forming a remarkably stable dual-phase power."

"But this technique can only be used by someone with both water and wood phases—without water-phase nourishment, by the time the wood-phase tree grows, the flowers would've long withered."

"Once the wood-phase tree fully formed, Li Luo transformed its heart into an arrow, propelling it with his own phase power—only then could he break Wang Wang Hejiu's trio's technique."

"Though he barely won, achieving this is extraordinary."

The other Purple Radiance mentors nodded, their expressions filled with appreciation. To these Marquis-strength cultivators, Li Luo's dual-phase power might seem crude, but remember—he's still just a Phase Master...

"Li Luo's solo strength is probably second among the freshmen," Mentor Chu Zi said. "I wonder who's stronger between him and Qin Qin Zhulu? Just now, Yi Yi Lisha and Qian Ye teamed up and were nearly crushed by Qin Qin Zhulu—that guy's ferocity in battle is something few can withstand."

Mentor Xi Chan said, "Li Luo's wood-heart arrow is powerful, but unlikely to deliver a fatal blow to Qin Qin Zhulu—if he blocks it, Li Luo has no other moves left."

"The limitations of this one-ax strike are still considerable."

This wasn't modesty—it was fact. Li Luo's arrow was indeed formidable, sufficient against Wang Wang Hejiu's trio, but against Qin Qin Zhulu, if the latter simply endured it, Li Luo would lose all chance to counterattack.

After all, Qin Qin Zhulu's second-rank phase power and his own Upper Eighth-Rank Phase aren't for show.

As the Purple Radiance mentors spoke, the arena entrance began filling with freshmen streaming out, their noise gradually rising.

Among them, teams with satisfactory scores beamed with joy; those dissatisfied wore expressions of regret and gloom. Yet overall, enthusiasm ran high—perhaps because few had ever experienced combat in small-team formats, making it feel utterly novel.

About ten minutes later, nearly all teams had gathered here.

All eyes turned toward the high platform, for it was time to announce the final scores and rankings of every team in this ranking battle.

Under the gaze of thousands, Mentor Xi Chan rose. Even as twilight dimmed, her figure remained tall and graceful; the black veil covering her face added an air of mystery.

"The first freshman ranking battle is now concluded."

Mentor Xi Chan raised her hand; potent phase power swept from her sleeve, forming a luminous screen in midair, displaying hundreds of teams, each marked with their scores and rankings.

The crowd below erupted in commotion, everyone craning their necks to find their own team.

Li Luo, Bai Bai Mengmeng, and Student Xin Fu stood together, looking up—but soon they noticed the screen only listed rankings down to sixth place; the top five were absent.

Moreover, not a single Purple Radiance team appeared on the screen—clearly, the top five were all occupied by the five Purple Radiance squads.

"Didn't expect Wang Wang Hejiu's team could still hold top five—their foundation is truly solid..." Li Luo chuckled.

Student Xin Fu and Bai Bai Mengmeng glanced at him—how well do you think you know how solid their foundation is?

"Do you think we can get first place?" Li Luo asked.

Though he'd just taken a big haul from Wang Wang Hejiu's team, he'd already heard Qin Qin Zhulu's team had also defeated Yi Yi Lisha's team—so Qin Qin Zhulu's squad was also a strong contender for first.

Honestly, the score they'd secured already satisfied Li Luo; he had little interest in who got first—but... he was deeply interested in the extra reward for first place: the "Twelve-Section Brocade"!

It was a crucial part of his upcoming cultivation.

Under the immense pressure of less than five years of life, he had to precisely calculate his annual goals—so he couldn't afford to discard anything that accelerated his cultivation.

Student Xin Fu and Bai Bai Mengmeng could only shake their heads. Facing that ferocious Qin Qin Zhulu, no freshman was without caution.

Fortunately, Li Luo had exploded in power and defeated Wang Wang Hejiu's team—otherwise, first place would've been Qin Qin Zhulu's for sure; others stood little chance of competing.

After displaying the screen, Mentor Xi Chan began announcing the top five teams.

Ye Qiu Team, 2200 points, ranked fifth.

Jinmen Team, 2300 points, ranked fourth.

Fengqi Team, 3900 points, ranked third.

As these three rankings were announced, the crowd erupted in excitement—clearly, the five Purple Radiance teams had been tightly matched, and Ye Qiu and Jinmen had clearly been stripped of points.

That meant Justice Team and Qingyue Team had each defeated a Purple Radiance team.

Qingyue Team's performance, with Qin Qin Zhulu leading, wasn't surprising—his fearsome reputation was well-known—but for Li Luo's team to defeat a Purple Radiance squad? That was astonishing.

After all, on the surface, Li Luo's team was the weakest among the five—had he not previously defeated Du Ze Duze Beixuan to prove his strength, many would've thought some Gold Radiance teams might even surpass them.

All eyes, filled with curiosity and reverence, turned toward Mentor Xi Chan, waiting for her to announce the most crucial rankings.

Under those gazes, Mentor Xi Chan's eyes flickered with a hint of amusement toward Li Luo's trio, then she spoke: "Second place: Qingyue Team, 5200 points."

Before the crowd could react, she continued: "First place: Justice Team, 5300 points."

Whoa!

The announcement triggered a frenzy—every student stared dumbfounded at Li Luo's direction; no one expected Justice Team to surpass Qingyue Team...

Though only by a hundred points, that was first versus second.

Facing those stunned gazes, Bai Bai Mengmeng, after a moment of shock, couldn't help cheering aloud—even Student Xin Fu, beneath his hood, revealed a smile on his pale face.

This first-place finish was slightly unexpected.

Li Luo also froze for several breaths, then a smile curled at his lips—a sense of relief washed over him.

Though there was a touch of luck, at least he'd secured first place...

Nearby, Qin Qin Zhulu's gaze remained fixed on Li Luo, his eyes burning with intensity as he muttered, "This Li Luo... is truly tempting."

Beside him, Lü Qing'er and Yin Yin Yue's bodies jolted sharply.

Lü Qing'er's face darkened with anger, her gaze hostile.

Sensing their stares, Qin Qin Zhulu paused, then quickly explained: "I mean, his dual-phase power is so unique—I really want to fight him."

Hearing this, Lü Qing'er quietly exhaled, her expression blank as she withdrew her gaze from Qin Qin Zhulu.

I'm already exhausted dealing with that giant goose here, and you want to add something strange on top of it?

The goose's momentum is too overwhelming, so I need to temporarily avoid its sharp edge; but as for hammering you, a stupid deer that doesn't know the way, there are still many methods—for instance, finding someone to paint a Hundred Maidens Picture with you as the protagonist and scattering it all over the Holy Profound Star Academy...

One update today.