Chapter 22: The Price of Rising to the Sixth Grade

The news of Li Luo’s fifth-grade Water Resonance quickly spread throughout the entire Southwind Academy, naturally sparking a frenzy of heated discussion.

"I never expected that Li Luo could actually turn things around and gain an acquired resonance; I’d never heard of such a thing before."

"It’s said to be from the heavenly treasures left behind by his parents; such items are extremely rare."

"Having good parents is truly something to be envious and jealous of."

"It’s not that big of a deal. It’s just a fifth-grade Water Resonance, which isn't all that special. Besides, there’s less than a month until the academy’s grand exam. In such a short time, could he really catch up to those top-tier students?"

"That’s true. The three people he defeated, Bei Kun and the others, couldn't even make the top ten in the first academy. It’s said that the top ten of the first academy are all at the Seventh Seal stage. Song Yunfeng and Lu Qinger are the most terrifying; they are said to have already reached the Eighth Seal, and the latter might even be higher."

"Yeah, Li Luo lost the most critical period of time. I don’t think he can catch up in this last month."

While the academy was buzzing with talk about Li Luo, he himself had already finished his training for the day and quickly left the academy.

"Although I won the fight against Bei Kun today, it was more strenuous than I imagined. If I hadn't used the Light Resonance power within my 'Water-Light Resonance' to cause a visual shift for Bei Kun at the end, the battle would have dragged on for longer."

In the carriage heading home, Li Luo reflected on the day's battle, but his expression was not relaxed; instead, it was one of dissatisfaction and gravity.

By this calculation, even with the unique nature of his "Water-Light Resonance" and his proficiency in resonance arts, he shouldn't fear anyone at the Sixth Seal stage, but if he were to face an opponent at the Seventh Seal stage, his chances of winning would be much smaller.

"Not enough. Far from enough."

Li Luo muttered to himself. His goal was to enter the Saint Profound Star Academy, and the number of spots for students from Southwind Academy to enter the Saint Profound Star Academy each year was countable on one's fingers. If he wasn't among the very best, his chances were likely slim.

With less than a month left until the grand exam, if he wanted to catch up, he not only needed to increase his resonance power level, but this fifth-grade "Water-Light Resonance" would likely need to advance further as well.

Only then would he have the confidence to face someone of Lu Qinger’s caliber.

But as the saying goes, wanting to raise a fifth-grade "Water-Light Resonance" to the sixth grade is no easy task.

"I should go back and talk to Sister Cai Wei first."

Li Luo grinned. He felt that if he said he needed a large amount of fifth-grade Spirit Liquid and Light, Cai Wei might just swallow him whole.

The old residence, accounting office.

Cai Wei sat before the desk, carefully flipping through the account books. Today, she wore a pale yellow long dress, her oval face exquisite and charming, possessing a feminine allure that a young girl would lack.

She read for a long time, seemingly a bit tired, and then, without a trace, leaned forward slightly, letting her somewhat heavy, surging bosom rest gently on the desk.

*Huu.*

Cai Wei’s entire body relaxed a little, and at the same time, she quietly let out a sigh of relief.

*Bang!*

Just at this moment, the door was suddenly pushed open, and Li Luo stepped inside: "Sister Cai Wei."

The sound had barely faded when he saw the scene before him. Cai Wei did not recover her senses for a moment, her beautiful eyes staring at Li Luo with some astonishment.

The atmosphere froze for several seconds.

Cai Wei’s forward-leaning body sat upright as if struck by lightning, a faint blush flying across her fair, oval face, while her beautiful eyes stared at Li Luo with shame and annoyance.

"Don't you know how to knock before coming in?"

Li Luo’s forehead was covered in cold sweat, and he immediately lowered his head: "Sister Cai Wei, I will definitely be careful next time!"

Seeing his extremely proper attitude, Cai Wei’s shame and annoyance eased quite a bit, but she still said crossly: "What does the Young Master have to order now?"

Li Luo looked behind him, then closed the door with his back hand and said: "I want to show you a treasure, Sister Cai Wei."

His voice had just fallen when he froze, because he saw Cai Wei lift one hand, holding a crossbow that flickered with a cold glint, while a dangerous smile appeared on her beautiful oval face: "Young Master, I am at the Resonance Master stage, you know."

Li Luo hurriedly raised his hands, smiling bitterly: "Sister Cai Wei, what are you doing?"

Cai Wei raised her slender willow eyebrows, scrutinizing Li Luo, and said: "Then what is this treasure you speak of?"

Li Luo was a bit baffled, but he didn't say anything more. With a thought, he saw blue resonance power begin to rise from his body, and faintly, there seemed to be the sound of flowing water.

He revealed his fifth-grade resonance.

*Clatter.*

The crossbow in Cai Wei’s hand fell to the floor. Her beautiful eyes widened, and she said in shock: "You, you have a resonance?"

Li Luo nodded and said: "A fifth-grade resonance."

Cai Wei’s oval face was full of shock. After a long while, she finally regained her senses and said: "Was it the means left by the two Manor Lords that helped you solve it?"

Li Luo smiled and nodded.

Cai Wei suddenly realized, and then remembered her previous actions; her cheeks instantly burned. Li Luo’s words just now had been quite ambiguous, and she wasn't some ignorant young girl; for a moment, she had thought Li Luo was going to do something else.

She couldn't help but feel ashamed and angry in her heart. *Cai Wei, oh Cai Wei, you really have embarrassed yourself to death.*

However, Cai Wei had seen her fair share of storms, so she quickly calmed her mood and smiled as if nothing had happened: "Then I truly congratulate the Young Master. If Qing'e knew about this, she would surely be happy for you too."

Li Luo nodded and said: "There is another matter, which I’m afraid Sister Cai Wei has already guessed."

"You still need Spirit Liquid and Light?" Cai Wei’s willow eyebrows knitted together slightly.

"Yes, and this time I’m afraid I need fifth-grade Spirit Liquid and Light. This thing left by my parents needs constant nourishment from Spirit Liquid and Light, otherwise, it might dissipate over time." Li Luo did not say that he could use Spirit Liquid and Light without limit to improve his resonance grade, but told a lie; after all, this matter was too important, and he didn't want to expose it for the time being.

"Fifth-grade Spirit Liquid and Light..." Cai Wei’s brows were tightly locked, her slender eyebrows touching together.

Fourth-grade Spirit Liquid and Light cost about one thousand Heavenly Gold on the market, but fifth-grade ones cost a full five thousand Heavenly Gold.

This definitely belonged to the category of expensive consumables.

If Li Luo only needed a few, it might not be a problem, but with previous experience, Cai Wei understood that what Li Luo wanted was likely over a hundred vials.

That was not a small amount.

Cai Wei’s expression shifted, but to Li Luo’s surprise, she didn't find any reason to decline, but instead nodded: "I understand. I will do everything in my power to meet your needs."

She looked up, saw Li Luo’s slightly surprised face, and couldn't help but smile: "Are you surprised that I didn't refuse you?"

"You are the Young Master of the Luolan Manor. The entire assets of the Luolan Manor belong to you and Qing'e, so as long as you aren't doing anything truly absurd, you can do whatever you want."

"What’s more, if you possess a resonance, the impact on the Luolan Manor will be far greater than the price of these Spirit Liquid and Light. So what reason would I have to refuse you?"

Li Luo said with emotion: "Sister Cai Wei, you are truly so understanding."

"Then can you help me get a few dozen vials of fifth-grade Spirit Liquid and Light first?"

Cai Wei rubbed her brow with her fair, slender hand and said: "I can, but if you need this much next time, our funds won't be enough."

The annual income from the various industries and chambers of commerce of the Luolan Manor in Tianshu County was only about three hundred thousand Heavenly Gold. Previously, purchasing fourth-grade Spirit Liquid and Light for Li Luo had already cost about one hundred and fifty thousand. If they purchased a few dozen more vials of fifth-grade Spirit Liquid and Light now, the remaining funds would basically be exhausted.

Cai Wei pondered for a moment and said: "Young Master, I intend to sell some of the Luolan Manor’s industries and chambers of commerce in Tianshu County."

"The current strength of the Luolan Manor in Tianshu County is limited, which has led to our industries being too bloated. Many industries are actually a burden to us. Plus, the three families in Tianshu County are constantly causing trouble; if this continues, it will only cause greater losses and drain our energy."

"Furthermore, there is the reason of the three families. Now, these three families show signs of uniting against the Luolan Manor because their interests are aligned. If we split off some industries and put them up for sale, as long as we operate it well, it will inevitably cause them to fight over them. At that point, they will develop conflicts among themselves, making it difficult for them to maintain coordination in opposing the Luolan Manor."

Li Luo also looked thoughtful. After a while, he nodded and praised: "Sister Cai Wei is truly 'cutting off the arm to save the body' and using the 'two peaches to kill three warriors' strategy."

"I don't understand these things well, so just leave everything to Sister Cai Wei. No matter what, I support you." Li Luo waved his hand and said directly.

"Then I thank the Young Master for his trust." Cai Wei smiled at the corners of her lips.

Li Luo waved his hand, then remembered something and said: "By the way, doesn't our Luolan Manor have an industry that manufactures 'Spirit Liquid and Light' in Tianshu County? If we could manufacture it ourselves, it should be much cheaper than on the market, right?"

Cai Wei said: "The Luolan Manor has a large foundation, so of course we also manufacture 'Spirit Liquid and Light'. After all, this kind of consumable is in short supply and highly profitable. However, our Luolan Manor generally focuses on third-grade and lower Spirit Liquid and Light. For higher grades, there are very few people who can concoct them, so the output is also very small."

"As for fifth-grade Spirit Liquid and Light, there are probably only a few people in the entire Tianshu County who can concoct them. Most of the fifth-grade Spirit Liquid and Light circulating in the Tianshu County market come from other counties or even the Royal City."

Li Luo realized. Indeed, someone who could concoct fifth-grade Spirit Liquid and Light would be a fifth-grade Resonance Refiner. Such a person would likely have no trouble obtaining a decent position in a place like the Great Xia Royal City, so it was normal that they were rarely seen in Tianshu County.

Li Luo thought for a moment and said: "Sister Cai Wei, can you take me to see the place where our Luolan Manor concocts Spirit Liquid and Light? I have a Water Resonance, and I also want to learn more about Resonance Refiner knowledge."

The price of purchasing Spirit Liquid and Light was too high, and while it was fine for fifth-grade now, if he needed seventh, eighth, or even ninth-grade Spirit Liquid and Light in the future, where would he find them? As far as he knew, in the entire Great Xia Kingdom, the number of Spirit Liquid and Light above seventh-grade produced in a year was extremely small.

At that time, he would mostly have to rely on himself for self-sufficiency.

Therefore, he should also prepare to become a Resonance Refiner.

Cai Wei had no objections to this and nodded slightly.

"Fine, I’ll take you tomorrow."

(End of chapter)