Chapter 375: The Sacred Wood World Cave

Li Luo's "low-key" self-recommendation drew side-glances from Xin Fu and Bai Mengmeng; the former rolled his eyes, while the latter covered her mouth and chuckled. After all, Li Luo's intentions were completely undisguised—this wasn't for the sake of love, but purely for the Golden Eye Treasure in the academy's treasury.

Instructor Xi Chan gave a soft huff, not bothering to expose Li Luo's thoughts, and instead said, "I said before, if it is only the Fifth Pattern, it may not be enough."

Li Luo argued, "Instructor, don't underestimate me. You have no idea how fierce I am right now."

Instructor Xi Chan ignored him and continued, "The seven battles of the ticket tournament are each of vital importance. If there is any match our Astral Sage College can be certain of winning, it is only the one for the Three-Star Hall."

She seemed to smile as she said, "That's right, it is Jiang Qing'e's match."

"She possesses a Ninth-Grade Resonance, and she is also extremely diligent in her own cultivation. In terms of talent and strength, she is the most outstanding student the Astral Sage College has seen in a hundred years. The college places high hopes in her, and with her ability, not to mention just this ticket tournament, even in the Holy Grail War where many sage colleges from the Eastern Divine Continent gather, she has a great chance of contending for the title of the strongest Three-Star Hall student in the Eastern Divine Continent."

"So, as it stands, our Astral Sage College has effectively won one match already."

"As for the other six, since they haven't been fought yet, the results are hard to say. Although the Blue Abyss Sage College has a gap compared to top-tier sage colleges like the Saint Bright King College, the potential they can unleash after painstakingly accumulating resources cannot be underestimated. Their foundation may not be as deep as our Astral Sage College's, but if they go all out, they are enough to pose a threat to us."

"Regarding the Blue Abyss Sage College, you don't need to focus on the other halls, but you must pay attention to information about their One-Star Hall. According to intelligence obtained by our college, two students with Upper Eighth-Grade Resonances have appeared in the Blue Abyss Sage College's current One-Star Hall."

Li Luo, Xin Fu, and Bai Mengmeng were all startled. Two Upper Eighth-Grades... that is indeed quite strong. After all, looking at their own Astral Sage College's One-Star Hall, only Qin Zhulu has a resonance that reaches this grade—and that is, of course, assuming Li Luo's unique dual resonance is excluded.

The other sage colleges on this Eastern Divine Continent were indeed full of hidden talents; one could not harbor contempt just because their reputation was weaker than the Astral Sage College's.

"However, while the grade of a resonance is important, it does not represent absolute combat power. After all, a person's strength is composed of many parts. When truly fighting, a high-grade resonance certainly provides some advantages, but it is not everything."

"The mastery and application of resonance arts, the resilience of one's mindset, and the ability to seize opportunities are all indispensable."

Instructor Xi Chan paused and said, "It is not yet certain which of the Upper Eighth-Grade One-Star Hall students the Blue Abyss Sage College will send to fight, but in the ticket tournament a month from now, the strength of these two will very likely reach the level of the First Transformation of the Resonance Transformation Stage. In a sense, they are half a step ahead of you. Don't ask me how they did it; every sage college possesses its own unique aspects. As long as they cultivate them with all their might, they will eventually be able to raise some formidable students."

"Therefore, if you want to contend with them, you will likely need to break through to the Resonance Transformation Stage in a month!"

"Because there is a considerable gap between the Resonance Transformation Stage and the Pattern-Growing Stage. Although you possess dual resonances, the opponent's Upper Eighth-Grade Resonance is not just for show. Given their own conditions, they also have the capital to defeat enemies of a higher level."

Upon hearing this, Li Luo nodded. Previously, at the Golden Dragon Dojo, he was at the strength of the Third Pattern. Although he could fear no opponent at the First Transformation of the Resonance Transformation Stage by relying on the power of his dual resonances and the instantaneous burst of the Resonance Bubble Art, such opponents only belonged to the type possessing Seventh-Grade or even lower-grade resonances. If the opponent were a First Transformation of the Resonance Transformation Stage with an Upper Eighth-Grade resonance like Qin Zhulu, he would still be at a disadvantage in a head-on clash. For example, Zhao Jieyang, who had a Lower Eighth-Grade resonance and strength at the Second Transformation of the Resonance Transformation Stage—in his battle with him, even after exhausting all his strength, Li Luo only managed to tear open the opponent's defense while the opponent was caught off guard. If they were to truly collide completely, his chances of winning would be extremely low without using the Three-Tailed Heavenly Wolf."

After all, those capable of possessing an Eighth-Grade resonance are basically the elite among their peers; who doesn't have the ability to defeat enemies of a higher level? Therefore, such opponents cannot be taken lightly.

Moreover, although Li Luo defeated Lin Suo, who had reached the Third Transformation of the Resonance Transformation Stage, Lin Suo's own resonance was only Seventh-Grade, and even then, Li Luo only managed to crush him after borrowing the power of the Three-Tailed Heavenly Wolf.

As for the upcoming ticket tournament, Li Luo did not intend to use this power lightly. Firstly, the power of the Three-Tailed Heavenly Wolf carried will-pollution; even if he could neutralize much of it with the "Holy Light Meditation Bead," that pollution would still leave residues. If Li Luo used it frequently, it would inevitably cause hidden dangers. Secondly, if he exposed this trump card power even in the ticket tournament, how would he deal with the even more intense Holy Grail War?

Therefore, just as Instructor Xi Chan said, if he truly wanted to become a representative of the Astral Sage College's One-Star Hall, he would likely need to break through to the First Transformation of the Resonance Transformation Stage to gain recognition.

"Regarding the matter of being a One-Star Hall representative, it is not up to me alone. The other Purple Glow instructors are all eyeing this spot. Although you and Qin Zhulu are currently the most qualified, everything depends on which of you Purple Glow students is the first to break through to the Resonance Transformation Stage during this month of special training," Instructor Xi Chan said.

Li Luo nodded. The entire ticket tournament consisted of only seven battles, and the outcome of each battle could even relate to whether the Astral Sage College had the qualifications to obtain a ticket to the Holy Grail War. Therefore, the college's top brass would naturally be extremely cautious about the candidates and would not choose him just because he recommended himself.

"Instructor, what is the situation with the upcoming special training?" Li Luo asked curiously.

Instructor Xi Chan chuckled and said, "You could say you are quite lucky. You just entered the college less than a year ago and happened to run into the start of the Holy Grail War. In order to cope with the Holy Grail War, the college has exhausted everything. This time, even the 'Sacred Wood World Cave' will be opened for you."

"'Sacred Wood World Cave'?" Li Luo and the other two asked in confusion, clearly quite unfamiliar with it.

"It is actually just a small space opened up within the Resonance Power Tree, but this place has condensed many of the essences of the Resonance Power Tree. Being inside can greatly increase your cultivation speed without damaging your foundation and background due to forcing growth."

"Especially now that you are all at the level of charging toward the Resonance Transformation Stage, and this realm is the most difficult hurdle of the Resonance Master Stage. Once you successfully transform your resonance, you will have truly reached the peak of the Resonance Master Stage, while simultaneously beginning to accumulate for the future charge toward the 'General-Ranking Stage'."

"The essence energy within the Sacred Wood World Cave is condensed by the Resonance Power Tree over many years. Under normal circumstances, it is not opened. Only when encountering a competition as vital to the college as the Holy Grail War will the college open it, which is considered a way to give the participating students a boost in improvement."

"And only Purple Glow students have the qualifications to enter," Instructor Xi Chan said slowly.

Li Luo and the other two nodded. This world is just like this; there is no absolute fairness. In order to cultivate the most top-tier students, some scarce resources will naturally be piled onto students with good talent and potential, while other Gold Glow and Silver Glow students can only follow the steps.

"Make some preparations. We will set off with me now. The other Purple Glow teams will also go together to enter the 'Sacred Wood World Cave' simultaneously to begin the college's final special training for you."

Instructor Xi Chan stood up and headed toward the door.

Upon hearing this, curiosity and anticipation could not help but rise in the eyes of Li Luo and the other two.