Chapter 345: Negotiations

In the silent mountain forest.

Many gazes looked upon this scene in the arena with a hint of shock; no one had expected that Zhao Jieyang, in a direct confrontation, would actually be forced back by an opponent at the Third Pattern of the Resonance Pattern Stage, and even have his resonance power protection broken, leaving a bloodstain on his fist.

Although the bloodstain was not deep, it signified that in that previous instant, his defense had been torn open.

A Second Transformation of the Resonance Transformation Stage, yet his defense was torn open by a Third Pattern of the Resonance Pattern Stage?

This was truly inconceivable; after all, Zhao Jieyang was no pushover. He possessed an eighth-grade Magma Resonance and had profound resonance power, making him a standout among his peers. Yet even so, he had suffered a minor loss at the hands of this Third Pattern opponent.

This youth with silver-gray hair and an exceptionally handsome appearance seemed rather strange indeed.

"Brother Zhao?"

Zhao Jieyang's other two teammates had originally been besieging Qin Zhulu and Lu Qinger. Both of them were at the First Transformation of the Resonance Transformation Stage, so they had gained a significant advantage in the exchange. Of course, the most important factor was that Lu Qinger was the weakest, and Qin Zhulu was bearing almost eighty percent of the pressure.

These two were also paying attention to the battle on Zhao Jieyang's side, so when they saw Zhao Jieyang suffer a loss, they were also extremely shocked.

After all, as his teammates, they knew Zhao Jieyang's strength better than anyone. In their Red Sand Empire, Zhao Jieyang's strength among his peers could be considered top-tier. In the past, it was almost always him challenging stronger enemies, so how had the roles reversed today?

Amidst those numerous shocked gazes, Zhao Jieyang was also looking down at the bloodstain on his fist. The bloodstain gradually healed as his resonance power circulated, but his ugly, gloomy expression remained impossible to recover.

At his age, he was also cultivating at the Saint Academy of the Red Sand Empire. Over these years, few among his peers had been worthy of his regard. He had always been a standout in the eyes of others, and even some seniors in the academy with higher resonance power levels were exceptionally polite to him, which naturally fueled his inner arrogance.

Yet today, this arrogance had clearly been dealt a heavy blow.

"I didn't expect... that one day I would encounter the power of dual resonances before stepping into the Marquis Realm. Truly, the world is vast and full of wonders," Zhao Jieyang said slowly, his tone low.

As soon as these words were spoken, they immediately drew many gasps. The power of dual resonances?!

This youth, whose strength was only at the Third Pattern of the Resonance Pattern Stage, actually possessed dual resonances? Did he encounter incredible luck during his breakthrough and open a second resonance palace in advance?!

In the mountain forest, one gaze after another, filled with shock, curiosity, and envy, was cast upon Li Luo.

No wonder he was able to contend slightly with Zhao Jieyang with the strength of the Third Pattern of the Resonance Pattern Stage; it turned out he possessed such a rare resonance.

Facing Zhao Jieyang's blunt revelation, Li Luo was not surprised. After all, once the power of dual resonances was revealed, it could not be concealed. Zhao Jieyang was no fool, so how could he not notice?

His expression was indifferent; he merely held his twin blades, the tips pointing diagonally, and on the blades, there were faint, emerging cracks.

These two short blades he had forged earlier probably wouldn't last much longer.

It was just that at this moment, he was also feeling a bit helpless. In fact, this burst of dual resonance power and four resonance power bubbles should have achieved greater results; at the very least, it should have injured Zhao Jieyang, not just left a bloodstain.

But this was also Li Luo's first time pushing his power to this extent, so he was still a bit unrefined for the moment.

If he could do it again, the effect should be better.

Unfortunately... there would be no chance for that in the short term.

After the four resonance power bubbles were consumed, that resonance power dissipated along with them, so there would be no second time for that level of attack... coupled with the burst of dual resonance power, he was actually in a period of weakness following the outburst.

"The gap in resonance power levels is still a bit too large."

Li Luo sighed inwardly. The gap between him and Zhao Jieyang was too great, and with the opponent's foundation and resonance type far surpassing the previously encountered Ji Sun, even with all his efforts, he could only barely contend with him slightly.

However, his previous burst of power was not meant to decide a winner with Zhao Jieyang, but to show his claws and teeth to the surrounding wolves.

At the very least, he had to let these people know not to think that just because their small team looked like three people at the Resonance Pattern Stage, they could be bullied at will.

At this time, Zhao Jieyang stepped forward slowly, staring at Li Luo, and said, "What is your name?"

Li Luo glanced at him and pondered, "My name is Yu Lang."

Lu Qinger and Qin Zhulu couldn't help but glance at him.

"Good, Yu Lang. I didn't expect the Great Xia Kingdom to produce such a formidable figure. If I'm not mistaken, you must be from the Great Xia Saint Xuanxing Academy, right? Heh, for this year's year-end Holy Grail War, the other Saint Academies should pay a bit more attention to you," Zhao Jieyang said.

"I, Yu Lang, do not fear the wind and waves; whatever tricks you have, just bring them at me," Li Luo said proudly.

Zhao Jieyang didn't say anything more, but it was clear that as Li Luo displayed his strength and dual resonances, his previous arrogant and domineering attitude had converged quite a bit; at the very least, he didn't directly demand that Li Luo hand over Lu Qinger again.

This was precisely one of the purposes of Li Luo's previous burst of his strongest power—at the very least, he had to display power that would make others wary to play at a balance of power. Otherwise, a little white rabbit wanting to balance a pack of wolves? What a joke.

"Yu Lang, today's matter cannot be resolved just because you possess dual resonances; you should understand that," Zhao Jieyang said calmly.

"Golden Dragon Qi is very rare. Since it has appeared, none of us want to give it up. After all, this represents a walking treasure bowl, and you alone cannot guard it."

He waved his hand, signaling the two teammates who had previously besieged Lu Qinger and Qin Zhulu to retreat, which counted as showing his sincerity for the upcoming negotiations.

Li Luo looked at him with a smile: "Then can you protect us?"

Zhao Jieyang was expressionless. This kid had now drawn so many teams to gather here; even if his strength didn't fear anyone, a hero couldn't withstand a crowd. In this situation, even if he were unwilling, he had to admit that he probably couldn't eat this meal alone.

In the mountain forest, waves of resonance power suddenly emerged, and then several figures flashed out, landing on the surrounding large trees.

"Heh heh, friends from the Red Sand Empire, if you want to eat alone, you'd better be careful not to choke to death," someone said with ill intent, their words filled with warning.

"This Golden Dragon Qi still needs to be distributed properly," someone echoed.

A flash of anger crossed Zhao Jieyang's eyes, but he ultimately suppressed it. He looked at Li Luo: "You brought about this situation; tell me, what do you want to do?"

The many gazes in the arena also turned to Li Luo. If it were before, no one would have paid any attention to Li Luo, but since Li Luo had displayed his strength and that rare dual resonance, they had to take him seriously.

And most importantly, the current situation was complex, and someone was needed to break the deadlock.

None of them were suitable for this role, and as the owner of the Golden Dragon Qi team, this youth who called himself Yu Lang was clearly the most suitable.

Under the gaze of many, Li Luo also smiled, his voice calm: "Having reached this state, I also know that the Golden Dragon Qi cannot be enjoyed alone, so I don't mind taking it out to share."

The smile at the corner of Li Luo's mouth gradually became playful.

"It's just that, do you think that even if the Golden Dragon Qi is a treasure bowl, it can support so many people?"