Chapter 330

The next day.

When Li Luo arrived at the Golden Dragon Treasure House, he immediately spotted a towering, fearsome figure standing out sharply amid the bustling crowd.

Qin Qin Zhulu.

He stood there like a pillar, his expression deep in thought.

"What are you doing?"

Li Luo stepped forward and asked.

Qin Qin Zhulu's dull eyes finally moved; he looked at Li Luo's arrival but said nothing, yet his tense body seemed to relax considerably.

"You came but didn't go in to find Qing'er..." Li Luo was puzzled.

At that moment, a pretty young maid from inside the treasure house hurried over and bowed respectfully: "Young Master Li Luo, the Young Lady asked me to wait here for you. When you arrive, please follow me."

She glanced at Qin Qin Zhulu with a strange expression and whispered: "This guest arrived earlier, but when I spoke to him, he ignored me."

Li Luo couldn't help laughing—no wonder this guy stood like a post; he'd been scared off by the young maid.

Qin Qin Zhulu shot Li Luo an angry look and growled with menacing aura: "Walk in front of me."

Li Luo smiled, nodded to the maid, who promptly led the way; he followed, and behind him Qin Qin Zhulu trailed closely step by step.

Entering the rear hall, the noise faded into silence.

Then Li Luo noticed two figures ahead—one was familiar: Zhu Zhu Xuan, who had also earned a spot in the Golden Dragon Arena; the other was unknown, slender-faced, ordinary-looking, with a faint smile on his features.

When Li Luo appeared, Zhu Zhu Xuan heard the footsteps, turned his head, and his gaze lingered on Li Luo.

He gave a faint smile, stayed where he was, and waited as Li Luo and Qin Qin Zhulu approached.

"Young Master Li Luo has been making quite a name for himself in the academy lately," Zhu Zhu Xuan smiled.

Li Luo replied humbly: "You flatter me—I've only earned one hundred thousand merit points. I'm sure Senior Zhu Zhu Xuan, after nearly two years of hard work in the academy, has already accumulated that much."

Go to hell—I haven't seen that many academy merit points in nearly two years.

Zhu Zhu Xuan cursed inwardly but showed no sign on his face.

"By the way, where's Senior Ye Ye Qiuding?" Li Luo didn't dwell on the topic, scanning the area curiously.

"Ye Ye Qiuding was too heavily tainted by dark thoughts in the Dark Cavern, and he also sustained serious injuries—he's still recovering. He won't be able to attend this Golden Dragon Arena," Zhu Zhu Xuan said.

"That's truly unfortunate," Li Luo expressed sincere regret.

Zhu Zhu Xuan chuckled sarcastically: "I heard half of Ye Ye Qiuding's injuries were inflicted by you, Young Master Li Luo."

"Senior Zhu Zhu Xuan, don't spread rumors—I wouldn't randomly attack Senior Ye Ye Qiuding. At the time, I struck a non-human, not a person," Li Luo explained seriously.

Zhu Zhu Xuan could only sneer—he couldn't accuse Li Luo of being cruel, for Li Luo had every justification under the circumstances; Ye Ye Qiuding was just unlucky.

"By the way, who's this?" Li Luo turned his gaze to the unfamiliar young man beside Zhu Zhu Xuan.

Seeing Li Luo look at him, the slender youth smiled slightly in return.

"Lin Suo. Since Ye Ye Qiuding can't come, he's taking his place," Zhu Zhu Xuan said simply.

Then he lost interest in further conversation with Li Luo and walked straight ahead; Lin Suo followed him closely.

Li Luo watched their backs, his gaze lingering longest on Lin Suo—for some reason, he sensed a dangerous aura emanating from the youth.

"This man has strong killing intent—he's a ruthless type," Qin Qin Zhulu suddenly spoke up, having said nothing until now.

Li Luo glanced at him; Qin Qin Zhulu, having grown up alongside his father in the borderlands amid constant warfare, was highly sensitive to killing intent. If he said so, Lin Suo was clearly no good.

Who recommended him anyway?

Li Luo frowned, then shook his head and followed the maid down the corridor, finally pushing open a door into a lavish hall.

Inside the hall were Zhu Zhu Xuan and Lin Suo.

Li Luo also saw Yu Yu Hongxi and Ning Que, the vice-chairman of the Golden Dragon Treasure House.

Each stood beside Lü Qing'er and Ning Zhao.

When Lü Qing'er saw Li Luo arrive, her beautiful eyes sparkled instantly, her clear, lovely face brightening with a deeper smile.

Yu Yu Hongxi caught the glance from the corner of her eye and felt a slight headache—her daughter's expression clearly showed interest in Li Luo, yet she stubbornly denied it whenever asked.

Originally, she had planned to assign two outstanding peers to accompany Lü Qing'er to the Golden Dragon Arena, hoping exposure to other talented youths might make her forget her feelings for Li Luo. But she never imagined Li Luo himself would pass her test and secure a spot.

This kid is really a pain.

Though thinking this, Yu Yu Hongxi showed no emotion on her face, merely giving a slight, graceful nod to the entering Li Luo and Qin Qin Zhulu, her demeanor dignified and composed.

"Thank you all for coming to the Treasure House today."

Yu Yu Hongxi smiled; though her voice lacked the lightness of a girl's, it carried the unique charm of a mature woman.

"I've called you here regarding the Golden Dragon Arena—by my calculations, it will open in just a few days."

"According to the Arena's rules, entrants must form teams of three. With Qing'er and Ning Zhao included, you six can form two teams."

"These two teams must center on Qing'er and Ning Zhao, because the Golden Dragon Arena is essentially a trial and training ground for internal members of the Golden Dragon Treasure House. You four are here as reinforcements."

"Of course, though you're reinforcements, you may still compete for any opportunities within the Arena—except the 'Golden Dragon Mountain Invitation,' you may claim everything else."

"Golden Dragon Mountain Invitation? What's that?" Li Luo asked curiously.

Yu Yu Hongxi glanced at him: "The core of the Golden Dragon Treasure House's headquarters is called 'Golden Dragon Mountain.' Think of it as a private cultivation sanctuary exclusively for internal members. The Mountain periodically issues 'Golden Dragon Mountain Invitations' to its branches—these invitations appear within the Golden Dragon Arena. In short, we've brought you here as reinforcements because you can help Qing'er or Ning Zhao obtain one of these invitations."

Li Luo and Qin Qin Zhulu exchanged glances, both seeing envy in each other's eyes.

The internal benefits of the Golden Dragon Treasure House are too good!

There's even a dedicated high-end cultivation sanctuary?!

Given the Treasure House's immense wealth, it was obvious the so-called Golden Dragon Mountain must be awe-inspiring—far superior to the Sacred Zhu Xuan Star Academy.

This is a direct express ticket to the top.

"Do you have any questions?" Yu Yu Hongxi asked.

Li Luo raised his hand, face earnest.

"Chairwoman Yu, may I ask—is it still possible to join the Golden Dragon Treasure House?"

(Today I posted pictures of Yu Yu Hongxi on WeChat. President Yu is very beautiful, everyone hurry and go look.)