Chapter 197: Assessment

Inside the headquarters of the Xiyang House.

The spacious hall was packed with people, all wearing the robes of Spirit Refiners, yet they were clearly divided into two distinct groups: those on the left were the personnel from the Xiyang House headquarters, while those on the right were the Spirit Refiners from the Xiling County branch, led by Tang Yun and Lu Xiaofeng.

At this moment, the personnel from the Xiyang House headquarters were staring at Tang Yun and the others with gazes filled with scrutiny and anger.

After all, they had all witnessed the farce at the headquarters entrance earlier.

These guys were clearly Pei Hao's people, yet they had the audacity to come and demand Secret Technique Source Water; wasn't this just aiding the enemy?

In their righteous indignation, they momentarily forgot that some among them had actually once belonged to Pei Hao's faction as well.

But after this period of time, they had directly forgotten about such things.

Who is Pei Hao?

That villain had a malicious heart; he had previously taken advantage of their lack of worldly experience and simple minds to try and lure them into the darkness, but fortunately, after being enlightened by the Young House Master, they had completely severed ties with him.

Now, we only have the Young House Master in our hearts!

And his Secret Technique Source Water!

Facing the gazes of the headquarters' Spirit Refiners, Tang Yun and the others felt quite uncomfortable, but they couldn't say anything and could only play dumb; as long as they could get the Secret Technique Source Water, it would be fine.

Li Luo stood on the steps, with Jiang Qing and Cai Wei standing behind him.

He surveyed the entire room and said with a smile to the Spirit Refiners of the Xiyang House headquarters: "Everyone, there is no need to be hostile toward our colleagues from the Xiling County branch. In my eyes, they have all contributed to the development of the Xiyang House in the past."

Tang Yun, Lu Xiaofeng, and the others had complex expressions; they truly had not expected the Young House Master Li Luo to be so broad-minded. They were stationed in Xiling County and were essentially branded with Pei Hao's mark, and coming to the headquarters to cause trouble was essentially a slap in Li Luo's face.

Yet Li Luo did not lash out with harsh words, nor did he forcibly expel them, let alone remove them directly from the Xiyang House. Instead, he took a step back, allowed them to enter the Xiyang House headquarters, and even promised to provide them with Secret Technique Source Water.

This tolerance made them feel truly ashamed.

"Hmph, Tang Yun, you all better watch yourselves. The Young House Master treats you well, so don't be ungrateful wretches who don't know what's good for you," Elder Zheng Ping said with a stern expression.

Tang Yun and the others gave a bitter smile and remained silent, only nodding in acknowledgment.

Because at this point, what was the use of saying anything?

They were indeed grateful for Li Luo's magnanimity, but... they were indeed Pei Hao's people.

"Over the past month, the performance of the Xiyang House headquarters has been excellent, and I would like to thank everyone here. Previously, the Xiyang House suffered great losses due to Han Zhi's turmoil, but that doesn't matter; I believe the Xiyang House of the future will definitely be even stronger."

"My goal is for the Xiyang House to become one of the top ten Spirit Liquid and Light houses in the Great Xia. When that time comes, some of you will also stand out and become famous Spirit Refiners in the Great Xia!" Li Luo looked at the headquarters' Spirit Refiners with a gentle gaze, speaking with great passion.

The Spirit Refiners at the headquarters immediately showed excitement and inspiration; they had all seen the changes in the Xiyang House over the past month, and they understood that all of this was because of Li Luo's appearance.

Although there was still a long way to go for the Xiyang House to become one of the top ten Spirit Liquid and Light houses in the Great Xia, under the leadership of the Young House Master, it was not impossible; after all, he had already accomplished many miracles.

And when the Xiyang House grew strong enough to reach that point, their status and treatment would undoubtedly rise as well.

This was truly something to look forward to.

Tang Yun and the others looked at the excited and inspired Spirit Refiners of the headquarters, and they couldn't help but feel a sense of envy. They didn't know if what Li Luo said could be achieved, but it was, at the very least, a form of hope.

As for them, stationed in Xiling County, the development of the Xiyang House branch there could only be described as just getting by. Over the years, Pei Hao had no intention of developing it, simply treating the branch as a machine for collecting tribute.

They clearly understood that there was not much of a future for the development of Xiling County.

On the steps, Cai Wei looked at the impassioned crowd with her beautiful eyes, then tilted her head and whispered to Jiang Qing with a smile: "The Young House Master is becoming more and more skilled at swaying people's hearts."

"This shows that he is becoming more and more confident," Jiang Qing said, the corners of her lips curving slightly.

Cai Wei nodded slightly; only those who are sufficiently confident in themselves can truly stir the hearts of others. Because he believes he can do it, others will have expectations of him.

In this heated atmosphere, Tang Yun and the other branch Spirit Refiners felt unnatural, so they coughed dryly and asked: "Young House Master, I wonder when we can start refining Spirit Liquid and Light?"

Li Luo smiled: "You don't need to be restrained. Your refining hours will be the same as the Spirit Refiners at the headquarters, and Elder Zheng Ping will arrange the space for you."

"Will we... also have enough Secret Technique Source Water allocated to us?" Lu Xiaofeng asked after a moment of hesitation.

Li Luo nodded and said: "Your allocation will be exactly the same as the other Spirit Refiners; there will be no difference at all."

The branch Spirit Refiners present all secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Didn't they come to the headquarters for the Secret Technique Source Water? If Li Luo was just going to use them as cheap labor for this month, then who would bother with this so-called assessment?

"There is one more thing..."

Tang Yun gritted his teeth and asked: "I wonder what the specific method of the assessment the Young House Master mentioned earlier is?"

They were worried that Li Luo was setting a trap.

Jiang Qing and Cai Wei also looked over; they also wanted to know what the assessment Li Luo mentioned was, because this was the most important point.

Once Tang Yun and the others passed the assessment, Li Luo would have to supply them with Secret Technique Source Water in the future. But if he intentionally set the assessment to be unreachable, then everyone would understand that Li Luo was intentionally toying with them, and it would be even more impossible for Li Luo to win these people over in the end.

Under the gaze of everyone in the hall, Li Luo smiled calmly and said: "The assessment is actually just something I said..."

"However, to put everyone at ease, I will make it clear."

"The content of the assessment is very simple. You all know that I possess a Water Resonance and am considered a Spirit Refiner. I am currently at the Second Grade and am just in the process of breaking through to a Third Grade Spirit Refiner..."

"Within this month, you can send any Spirit Refiner, including President Tang Yun and President Lu Xiaofeng, to compete with me. The content of the competition will be the refining of Spirit Liquid and Light, but because of my level, it will be limited to Third Grade Spirit Liquid and Light and below."

"The competition will be divided into three rounds, covering the refining of First Grade, Second Grade, and Third Grade Spirit Liquid and Light. The refining materials will be exactly the same, and no Secret Technique Source Water will be provided."

"As long as you can outperform me once in these three rounds, the assessment will be considered passed."

Li Luo looked at Tang Yun and the others, revealing a very gentle smile.

"What do you think of this assessment?"

Tang Yun and Lu Xiaofeng looked at each other in disbelief upon hearing this, and then asked: "We two can also participate?"

They were Fourth Grade Spirit Refiners, after all. Although the Spirit Liquid and Light they refined would be limited to Third Grade and below, with their experience, the refining power of the Third Grade Spirit Liquid and Light they produced would certainly not be low.

And, they only needed to win once?

It was already a question of whether the current Li Luo could even refine Third Grade Spirit Liquid and Light, so how would he compete? Would he just declare them the winners?

Was Li Luo really going to just give it to them for free?

At this moment, the expressions of Tang Yun and Lu Xiaofeng became extremely complex. They looked at the gentle-faced Li Luo: Young House Master, could it be that we were all wrong about you...

Are you stupid?