Chapter 395: Gathering of the Big Shots

The long-awaited ticket tournament arrived as scheduled.

On this day, the Astral Sage College became the focal point of the entire Great Xia. Numerous factions within Great Xia City mobilized, using various connections to secure viewing spots. Other factions across the country, unable to attend in person, could only watch the battle at designated locations in certain cities, using resonance-tool projections to catch glimpses of the combat within the Astral Sage College.

It could be said that countless people in Great Xia were eagerly awaiting this ticket tournament; such influence was truly rare.

The atmosphere within the college had already boiled over the moment the first rays of morning light pierced the clouds and spilled down, with waves of noisy, vibrant sound spreading out and soaring straight into the sky.

The location for the ticket tournament was set in the mountains behind the college. Here, peaks stood tall, and countless spectator stands had been carved into the cliffs. Layers of stone steps extended up and down; looking down, one could see the battlefield beneath the mountains.

There were no specific arenas, but rather various terrains, including forests, lakes, and even marshlands.

When Li Luo, Bai Mengmeng, and Xin Fu arrived, they saw that the tiered stands were already bustling with noise. Countless figures had gathered, and the roaring sound completely enveloped the usually tranquil mountain range.

"Li Luo!"

At the entrance, Li Luo suddenly heard a familiar voice. Following the sound, he saw the pretty figure of Lu Qinger, who was waving at him. Beside her, surprisingly, stood Yu Hongxi, her red dress bright and moving, full of charm.

However, what surprised Li Luo was not Yu Hongxi, but the fact that besides this mother and daughter, a group of figures with impressive auras stood around them.

To the right of Yu Hongxi was the Master of the Extreme Flame Mansion, Zhu Qinghuo, whom he had met before, and behind him was Zhu Xuan.

The Duze siblings were also there, but what caught Li Luo's attention was a middle-aged man standing in front of them. He was dressed in black, his expression somewhat cold, and his slightly gloomy eyes made one feel uncomfortable. He stood with his hands behind his back, naturally exuding a faint, heavy sense of oppression.

Although Li Luo had never met this person before, he recognized his identity instantly.

The Master of the Duze Mansion, Duze Yan.

Si Qiuying was also in the crowd. In front of her was a man in golden robes. His age was similar to that of Duze Yan and the others, but his appearance was much more scholarly. Li Luo had some impression of this person; he should be the Master of the Golden Sparrow Mansion, Si Qing.

Wow, the group before him consisted of big shots from the top factions in Great Xia. Three of the five Mansion Masters were present, which showed just how eye-catching this Astral Sage College ticket tournament was.

Originally, these big shots had been chatting with each other, but Lu Qinger's greeting caused their voices to pause. Then, with various expressions, they cast their gazes toward the young man walking over.

Facing the gazes of these big shots, Li Luo did not show any fear. After all, he was the Young Mansion Master of the Luo Lan Mansion. Although his strength could not compare to theirs, in the absence of the Mansion Masters, he was the acting Mansion Master, so he could not bring shame to the Luo Lan Mansion.

Looking at Li Luo, who approached with a calm expression, the eyes of the three Mansion Masters present changed slightly, because from the young man's appearance, one could clearly see the shadows of those two people.

At the thought of those two... their pupils could not help but shrink slightly.

When Li Taixuan and Tantai Lan were still around, the entire Great Xia's Marquis-realm experts seemed to be under their suppression.

"President Yu, three Mansion Masters." Amidst their slight distraction, Li Luo had already walked up and greeted them with a smile.

The Master of the Extreme Flame Mansion, Zhu Qinghuo, stared at Li Luo and laughed: "Nephew Li Luo, in less than a year, you have become the number one student in the Astral Sage College's One-Star Hall. It seems that before long, the Luo Lan Mansion will once again have a dragon and a phoenix gathered together. Haha, this reminds me of Li Taixuan and Tantai Lan back in the day. The Luo Lan Mansion truly has profound fortune."

His words caused the eyes of Duze Yan of the Duze Mansion to turn slightly cold. The other mansions were the biggest beneficiaries of the Luo Lan Mansion's decline, so they were likely the least happy to see the Luo Lan Mansion rise again. If the Luo Lan Mansion really produced another Li Taixuan and Tantai Lan, would they continue to be suppressed for many more years?

Li Luo also glanced at Zhu Qinghuo. How could he not detect the malice hidden in the other's words? This was clearly an attempt to put the Luo Lan Mansion on the spot. Although the Luo Lan Mansion was already being targeted by various parties, Zhu Qinghuo's words were undoubtedly meant to add fuel to the fire.

What a sinister old dog.

"Zhu Qinghuo, you are thinking quite far ahead. Li Luo is only at the Resonance Master stage right now. I think you were traumatized by Li Taixuan back then, weren't you?" At this moment, Mansion Master Si Qing, who was in front of Si Qiuying, said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Qinghuo's expression changed, and he sneered: "As if you weren't beaten by Tantai Lan."

"Can't help it if my skills are inferior," Si Qing laughed.

Li Luo's expression was calm. He was neither angered by Zhu Qinghuo's provocation nor moved by Si Qing's assistance. The relationships between the five mansions were complex. As for the current plight of the Luo Lan Mansion, the other mansions had all had a hand in it. The relationship with the Golden Sparrow Mansion was indeed friendlier, but that was mostly due to interests; the Golden Sparrow Mansion needed a Luo Lan Mansion to attract fire from the Extreme Flame Mansion and the Duze Mansion.

It would be too naive to feel grateful to the Golden Sparrow Mansion because of this.

"Alright, Li Taixuan and Tantai Lan might not necessarily be dead." At this time, Yu Hongxi spoke indifferently, stopping the undercurrents flowing between the three Mansion Masters.

The lethality of this sentence was not small. The atmosphere immediately stagnated for a moment. The eyes of Zhu Qinghuo and Duze Yan changed significantly, and in the end, they lost interest, because everyone understood very well that the main reason the Luo Lan Mansion had been able to survive these years was precisely because of this.

They knew better than anyone how terrifying those two were. The Marquis battlefield was indeed terrifying, but if those two could walk out, Great Xia would inevitably face a massive upheaval.

Additionally, they were somewhat surprised by Yu Hongxi's intervention. In the past, Yu Hongxi had been quite cold toward the Luo Lan Mansion, and the two sides had not had much interaction. Why had their dealings become more frequent since Li Luo arrived in Great Xia City?

Was it because of Lu Qinger?

However, since Yu Hongxi had spoken, it was naturally inconvenient for them to say more, and having lost the interest to stay, they headed toward the venue one after another.

After they had all left, Yu Hongxi looked at Li Luo and said: "Li Luo, your growth is astonishing, but to protect the Luo Lan Mansion, this is not enough."

Li Luo nodded and smiled: "I know, but I will work hard."

Yu Hongxi said indifferently: "Compared to Li Taixuan, you are just too reserved. Perhaps this is because of your empty resonance back then, so you liked to hide your edge. But the moment you arrived in Great Xia City, you couldn't hide anymore. Since you can't hide, then you might as well reveal your edge completely."

"Besides, although Jiang Qing'e has astonishing talent, I don't think you are weaker than her, so put in some effort. Your Luo Lan Mansion is always 'strong woman, weak man'; at least change that position with you here, right?"

After speaking, she left directly.

Lu Qinger gave Li Luo an encouraging smile: "Li Luo, good luck today!"

Then she chased after Yu Hongxi.

Li Luo looked in the direction Yu Hongxi had left, his expression a bit strange.

This Yu Hongxi, she seemed to be helping him, but why did it feel like she was also trying to sow discord between him and Jiang Qing'e?

Women, they really are complex.