Chapter 319: Shock Them All

And during that brief moment when the supervising instructor was lost in thought, the venue had already erupted into an uproar, everyone wearing a face full of confusion, not knowing why that instructor had suddenly fallen silent.

"Could it be that the purification strength is too low to announce?" On the viewing platform, Mei Zhu Xuan'er said with a smile.

The surrounding students of the Material Refining Academy were speechless — surely it wasn't that bad, right?

Li Bi was also somewhat puzzled. What had that instructor seen that would cause such a long delay? She knew the caliber and ability of the Material Refining Academy's instructors very well; if they hadn't seen something truly astonishing, they shouldn't have reacted this way.

But what could they have seen?

Was it too bad, or too good?

Li Bi knew there were only these two possibilities.

"Do you think Li Luo might have performed beyond his usual level?" she asked Bing Tao beside her.

Bing Tao hesitated for a moment, then said, "Even if he performed beyond his usual level, he still couldn't surpass the other five Fifth Rank Material Refiners... that simply defies common sense."

Li Bi nodded. She herself was a Fifth Rank Material Refiner, so she understood very well that under identical conditions, if she were to compete against a Third Rank Material Refiner, she would absolutely crush them.

Moreover... the current Li Luo and the other five Fifth Rank Material Refiners were not operating under identical conditions.

Because Xiyang House only had a Three-Star formula, while the other five top Spirit Water Wonder Light Houses all possessed Four-Star formulas!

There was already an enormous gap in their actual strength, and now the formulas had widened the distance even further — how could anyone possibly catch up?

But if it wasn't too good, could it be too bad? That couldn't be, right? Li Luo didn't just spit out a mouthful of saliva; the instructor had no reason to be this shocked.

And it wasn't just them who were puzzled. Over at Xiyang House, Yan Yan Lingqing, Cai Wei, Tang Yun and others were equally tense, even suppressing their breathing.

Cai Wei's jade hand tightened around her round fan as she complained, "What is this instructor doing? Deliberately keeping us in suspense?"

"Something must have happened," Yan Yan Lingqing said uncertainly.

Tang Yun let out a troubled sigh. He didn't speak, but presumably felt that whatever had happened was most likely not good news...

Jiang Jiang Qinge, on the other hand, remained relatively calm, simply watching the refining platform quietly, waiting for the answer to be revealed.

Their wait didn't last much longer. After the instructor came back to his senses, he raised the verification needle high in his hand, and his complex voice rang out.

"Xiyang House's Li Luo, purification strength... sixty-six percent!"

Although his voice rang out, what it drew in return was absolute silence throughout the venue.

Every gaze stared at him in shock, their expressions seeming to have lost all control at that moment, as they could hardly believe what they had just heard...

Sixty-six percent?!

The Third Rank Spirit Water refined by Li Luo had actually reached a purification strength of sixty-six percent?!

Doesn't that mean he's tied with Han Zhi?!

How could that be possible?

How could that be possible!

"How could that be possible?!"

The heads of the various Spirit Water Wonder Light Houses present all cried out in astonishment. They were people who knew the trade, and precisely because they knew the trade, they understood just how utterly inconceivable this was.

Over at Tiangong House, Master Guixi was also full of bewilderment. He muttered, "Did they make a mistake?"

The Eldest Princess sat gracefully on her chair with an elegant bearing. Her slender jade fingers were crossed, and her phoenix eyes narrowed slightly as she watched Li Luo's figure in the venue. This result had likewise exceeded her expectations, yet for some reason, she also felt as if it were only natural.

Li Luo had indeed come prepared.

She didn't think that instructor had made a mistake, because as a member of the Sacred Mystic Star Academy, she too understood the caliber of these Material Refining Academy instructors — such a low-level mistake could absolutely never occur.

The reason others looked so shocked was simply because they had never imagined Li Luo could achieve such a result. As for her, because of that great Calamity incident in the Dark Cavern, she had a higher regard for Li Luo, so it was easier to accept.

However... even so, the Eldest Princess couldn't help sighing inwardly. This Li Luo — you truly never know until you come into contact with him; once you do, he never stops surprising you.

On him, it was as if there were inexhaustible treasures, endlessly waiting to be unearthed.

Although the House Luolan Mansion had lost its two Mansion Masters, the two young heads of household it had left behind were gradually propping up this tottering situation. If given enough time, the Eldest Princess felt that the future House Luolan Mansion would regain its former glory.

But time... was perhaps what they lacked most.

The Eldest Princess frowned slightly. Half a year... Although within the current royal court, her royal uncle held most of the power and strength, as the Eldest Princess and the King's elder sister, she naturally also possessed some intelligence networks, so she had a rough understanding of the House Luolan Mansion's situation.

The House Luolan Mansion possessed a supreme treasure, something that even Marquis-level powerhouses coveted greatly. Yet the current House Luolan Mansion had no true Marquis-level powerhouse guarding it, and could only rely on that strange formation to protect its headquarters. This inevitably attracted much covetous attention.

The extent and depth of this covetous attention was enough to startle even her.

So as for what ending awaited the House Luolan Mansion half a year later, even she could not predict.

"Sixty-six percent?! What kind of joke is this!"

At the position of the Great Marsh House, Duze Duze Beixuan nearly tumbled off his chair. His face turned ashen, and he couldn't help cursing as he stood up: "That bastard Li Luo must have cheated!"

"Could that instructor have been bought by him..."

Duze Duze Honglian was also momentarily dazed, but quickly came to her senses and swept a cold glance: "Shut your mouth!"

This stupid younger brother — how could he drag the Material Refining Academy's instructor into this? If this angered the Material Refining Academy, how would their Great Marsh House recruit Material Refiners here in the future?

Duze Duze Beixuan was rebuked and finally came to his senses. His face shifting unpredictably, he sat back down in his chair and gritted his teeth: "That Li Luo is nothing but a Third Rank Material Refiner, and Xiyang House doesn't even have a Four-Star formula. On what basis can his purification strength compare with Han Zhi's?!"

Duze Duze Honglian took a deep breath and said expressionlessly: "I don't know why either, but you'd best temporarily rein in your anger, because it serves no purpose."

"I told you before — this kid is freakishly talented, and we must be on guard at all times."

Duze Duze Beixuan felt utterly aggrieved. Even if he were freakishly talented, shouldn't there be a limit? He was a Third Rank Material Refiner with a Three-Star formula — on what basis could he compare with Han Zhi, who was a Fifth Rank Material Refiner and also possessed their Great Marsh House's Four-Star formula?!

Does this thing called logic mean absolutely nothing?!

Waves of uproar rose and fell, echoing continuously throughout the venue, and in turn elevating the atmosphere to an even greater boil.

Seeing Yu Lang suddenly sprang to his feet. He slicked back his hair, then planted his hands on his hips and roared at the entire venue: "All of you, be shocked! Don't hold back your emotions!"

Everyone in the venue: "..."

This guy must be insane.

On the high platform, Instructor Xi Chan stared at the venue for a moment, the thin veil over her face seeming to tremble slightly, then her gaze turned toward Dean Ling Ling Zhaoying and she smiled: "Well? Did it exceed your expectations?"

A smile surfaced on Dean Ling Ling Zhaoying's still-charming beautiful face as she slowly spoke.

"Interesting."

"Why does this Luo Lan Mansion always produce freaks of nature?"