Chapter 303: Li Bi

Under the night sky, the Holy Sacred Starlight Academy was bathed in a cool, gentle breeze.

Inside the academy stood a tavern.

Such taverns generally only operated during the period when the Dark Cave was open, serving as a place to ease and release the tension of some students. The unique item sold at the tavern was called "Green Ant Brew." The green ants were a type of ant insect that lived on phase-power trees; their tree sap was collected and brewed into this item, then processed further, making it a unique specialty of the academy with a calming effect on the spirit.

By the window of the tavern, Li Luo, Jiang Jiang Qinge, and Yan Yan Lingqing sat together.

Li Luo held the pot, and green brew poured from its spout, filling the cups of the two women. Then he himself lifted his cup and took a small sip, feeling that peculiar sensation, and gently exhaled.

The taut nerves built up inside the Dark Cave were also slightly eased.

"I heard a great calamity-level aberration appeared at your Outpost Thirteen this time. I was worried sick about you." Yan Yan Lingqing, on her side, held Jiang Jiang Qinge's hand, her face full of concern.

Jiang Jiang Qinge smiled and soothed her.

"Sister Yan Lingqing, which top student from the Refining Phase Institute did you invite?" Li Luo asked with a smile, getting to the purpose of tonight's gathering.

"Senior Sister Li Bi. In today's Refining Phase Institute, she's one of the few fifth-grade Refining Phase Masters, and her reputation there is not low. If you can pull her into Xiyang House, there will surely be many who follow." Yan Yan Lingqing said with a smile.

"Fifth-grade Refining Phase Master..."

Li Luo couldn't help clicking his tongue. As expected of the Refining Phase Institute—even a fifth-grade Refining Phase Master could be brought out. One had to know that a Refining Phase Master of this level, no matter where in the Great Xia, would absolutely be the target of full recruitment by every major Spiritual Water Marvel Light House.

"If she's willing to come to Xiyang House, I'd even give her the president's seat." Li Luo made no attempt to hide his covetousness toward the other party.

After all, the previous Xiyang House president Han Zhi, who had been poached by Da Ze House and defected, was only fifth-grade as well.

A Refining Phase Master of this level could squeeze into the upper echelons even of those Spiritual Water Marvel Light Houses ranked among the top ten in Great Xia.

"I'm just afraid she won't think much of the president's seat at Xiyang House." Jiang Jiang Qinge took a small sip of the green brew and said with a light smile.

"Hey, to tell the truth, with Xiyang House's current scale, it really doesn't hold much attraction for others."

Yan Yan Lingqing, however, spoke frankly: "Senior Sister Li Bi only agreed to come over for a chat. I feel the only thing she might be slightly interested in about Xiyang House is that one batch of secret source water with Dao Shang Qi Pin purity we have."

"But although secret source water of this level is rare, it's not as if those top-ten Spiritual Water Marvel Light Houses don't have any either, so..."

She didn't finish the rest of her sentence, but Li Luo understood perfectly. Put bluntly, Xiyang House's temple was still too small; whether they could keep this great Buddha was truly an unknown.

After all, the other party was neither kin nor kin to them, and could not possibly risk their future prospects to stay at Xiyang House.

And in those top-tier Spiritual Water Marvel Light Houses, they could exchange insights with higher-grade Refining Phase Masters, improving themselves, and there were also higher-grade formulas there, giving them more opportunities to learn.

Compared to that, Xiyang House indeed lacked appeal.

"We'll do our best." Jiang Jiang Qinge could only say so, after all, if the other party truly had no interest, they couldn't force the issue.

"It's all your fault." Yan Yan Lingqing complained to Jiang Jiang Qinge.

"Blame me for what?" Jiang Jiang Qinge said with amusement.

"Your ninth-grade Light Phase—if you had also become a Refining Phase Master, you might already be sixth-grade by now, and in the future you'd surely be Great Xia's number one Refining Phase Master. At that point, would you still worry about Xiyang House not flourishing? You're simply wasting your Refining Phase talent." Yan Yan Lingqing was a little frustrated at her failure to live up to expectations.

Jiang Jiang Qinge smiled, but did not argue with Yan Yan Lingqing. What good would being a sixth-grade Refining Phase Master do? Could it change the perilous situation of Luo Lan House? And although Refining Phase Masters certainly had status, when it came to actual power, it still couldn't compare to one's own cultivation.

What she wanted was absolute power, not to hold people in check by leveraging Spiritual Water Marvel Light—that didn't suit her temperament.

Therefore, even though she possessed a ninth-grade Light Phase, she still chose, without the slightest wavering, to focus on her own cultivation.

Li Luo, for his part, said nothing, because he understood the reason for Jiang Jiang Qinge's choice. If his father and mother hadn't had their accident and were still at Luo Lan House, perhaps Jiang Jiang Qinge would have chosen to try cultivating as a Refining Phase Master on the side. But ever since they had gone missing, the burden of Luo Lan House had fallen on her shoulders—after all, Li Luo at that time was rumored to have an Empty Phase, and simply couldn't shoulder that burden.

Under those circumstances, Jiang Jiang Qinge was even less likely to have the time and energy to try anything like becoming a Refining Phase Master.

The reason he had actually taken the path of a Refining Phase Master was, in fact, more because of his own special Acquired Phase. If not for that reason, he most likely would never have touched Refining Phase Mastery either.

While they were talking, Li Luo suddenly noticed a tall figure coming up the stairs—a girl in blue clothes, with a pretty face and short hair that gave her a capable look.

When she appeared, Yan Yan Lingqing spotted her too and immediately stood up to wave her over.

So the girl in blue walked over, and Yan Yan Lingqing smiled, took her arm, and led her to a seat.

"This is Senior Sister Li Bi."

"Well, Jiang Jiang Qinge needs no introduction, right? This is Li Luo." Yan Yan Lingqing briefly introduced both sides.

Li Bi first smiled at Jiang Jiang Qinge, nodded in greeting, and said, "Junior Jiang's name is like thunder to my ears."

"Senior Li is too kind." Jiang Jiang Qinge returned the smile. Li Bi was a student of the Four Star Court, one level above her.

Li Bi then turned to look at Li Luo and gave a slight nod: "Junior Li Luo."

Her attitude was neither cold nor particularly warm.

"Senior Sister Li Bi." Li Luo didn't mind, and put on a bright, frank smile. Since he had come seeking talent, his attitude naturally had to be properly presented.

Regardless of whether it had any effect, the proper thing still had to be done.

Both sides took their seats, and with Yan Yan Lingqing livening the atmosphere, it was fairly harmonious.

After chatting for a while, Li Bi finally steered the topic back. Her gaze turned to Jiang Jiang Qinge and Li Luo, and she asked, "I heard Xiyang House has a kind of secret source water with Dao Shang Qi Pin purity?"

Jiang Jiang Qinge glanced at Li Luo. The latter gave a slight nod, took a bottle of secret source water from his chest, pushed it toward Li Bi, and said with a smile, "What Senior Sister Li Bi said is true, and it's no secret either."

Li Bi took the bottle of secret source water, opened it, wrapped a drop of the secret source water in phase power, and carefully sensed it for a moment. Then, with some surprise, she said, "It really is secret source water that reaches Dao Shang Qi Pin purity. This must be Xiyang House's secret weapon. Xiyang House's rise over the past half year is largely thanks to this."

She set the bottle down, looked at Li Luo, and said, "But Xiyang House's disadvantage is too obvious. It has no high-grade Refining Phase Master holding the fort, and it lacks high-star Spiritual Water formulas. Even with this one batch of secret source water, it's very hard for Xiyang House to compete with those top-ranked Spiritual Water Marvel Light Houses in Great Xia."

"After all, the top-ten Spiritual Water Marvel Light Houses aren't lacking in secret source water of Dao Shang Qi Pin purity either, so I'm actually not very optimistic about Xiyang House's future. And even if I went to Xiyang House, it wouldn't be of much help to you."

She spoke very frankly, without any beating around the bush, and then she gave Jiang Jiang Qinge and Yan Yan Lingqing an apologetic smile.

"I know the purpose of Junior Yan Lingqing's invitation today, but I'm truly very sorry."

She shook her head.

"I probably can't join Xiyang House."