Chapter 432: The Three Favorites to Win the Championship

After greeting Jiang Qing in the morning, Li Luo returned to the Astral Sage College.

With less than half a month left until the Holy Grail Battle, all students participating were currently engaged in intensive training; having rested at home for a few days, he needed to join them quickly.

Upon arriving at the college, Li Luo headed straight for the residence of Mentor Xi Chan.

He found Mentor Xi Chan leisurely sipping tea in the pavilion within her courtyard.

"Take off your shoes; don't dirty my mat."

Mentor Xi Chan glanced at the impatient Li Luo and reminded him indifferently.

Li Luo hurriedly pulled back his feet, flashed a simple, honest smile, quickly kicked off his shoes, climbed into the pavilion, and sat down obediently before Mentor Xi Chan.

"What are you in such a rush for?" Mentor Xi Chan looked at Li Luo with a hint of curiosity; Li Luo was usually composed, but he was clearly restless now.

"There is something very important to me, and I would like to ask for your help, Mentor," Li Luo said solemnly and sincerely.

Mentor Xi Chan raised her thin eyebrows slightly, her veil fluttering: "You aren't asking me to help your House Luolan deal with some great enemy, are you? Even if I were willing, the college wouldn't agree to such a thing."

"Though you have always been kind to your students, Mentor, how could I be so ignorant of the situation?"

Li Luo shook his head quickly and said: "I am hoping you can help me refine an item. Its refinement requires the assistance of two Marquis-realm experts, and I have already invited President Yu Hongxi of the Long Baoxing to be the other one."

"Yu Hongxi?"

Mentor Xi Chan was somewhat surprised and smiled: "The Long Baoxing has always maintained neutrality in the Great Xia, just like our Astral Sage College. She is actually willing to help you?"

However, she did not press further. After a moment of thought, she said: "Although I don't know what you are refining that requires such a grand setup, I can help you as long as it doesn't violate college rules. Consider it a reward for your excellent performance in the ticket qualifiers."

Hearing this, Li Luo couldn't help but be stunned: "You agreed so easily, Mentor?"

"Are you complaining that I agreed too quickly?" Mentor Xi Chan laughed.

Li Luo hurriedly said: "It's just that I didn't expect you to be even more straightforward than President Yu Hongxi..."

"I cannot be compared to President Yu. She manages the vast Long Baoxing, and every move she makes is under much more scrutiny than mine. That is why her choosing to help you surprises me even more," Mentor Xi Chan said.

Li Luo nodded and sighed: "Although you are kind enough to help me, Mentor, I cannot let you work for nothing."

Mentor Xi Chan looked at him with amusement and said: "You want to pay me a reward? Li Luo, you might have a slight misunderstanding of what the Marquis realm entails. Although you have House Luolan behind you, you might not be able to afford the price of hiring a Marquis-realm expert."

"I am helping you purely because you are my student. If you start talking about rewards, it won't be easy to calculate."

Mentor Xi Chan clearly still possessed the reserve and pride of a Marquis-realm expert.

Li Luo gave a shy smile, then took out a jade gourd and placed it gently on the tea table.

Mentor Xi Chan's gaze also lingered on the jade gourd, the golden substance flowing within it reflected in her pupils.

She tilted her head in slight confusion at first, but soon, her eyes widened abruptly.

She had finally realized what this item was!

Then, the air seemed to freeze at that moment.

After a dozen breaths, Mentor Xi Chan silently reached out and grabbed the thumb-sized jade gourd directly into her hand.

"Time, location," she said calmly.

"Ten days from now. I would like to refine it within the college, so I hope you can arrange a convenient place for me, Mentor," Li Luo said gently.

"Mm."

Mentor Xi Chan nodded slightly.

However, Li Luo noticed that Mentor Xi Chan's hand gripping the jade gourd was a bit tight, and blue veins seemed to appear on the back of her fair hand.

But Mentor Xi Chan quickly noticed his gaze, and her sleeve immediately slid down to cover the back of her hand.

Li Luo quickly swept his gaze over Mentor Xi Chan's face; although it was covered by a thin veil, a faint flush could be seen. He couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. It seemed this "King Marrow" was indeed highly tempting to Marquis-realm experts, causing even the usually composed Mentor Xi Chan to lose her composure.

However, he dared not show his inner emotions, lest his mentor become angry out of embarrassment.

So he quickly took the initiative to change the subject: "Mentor, regarding the First Star Academy level of this Holy Grail Battle, do you think I have the potential to reach the top?"

Even though Mentor Xi Chan's emotions were complex at that moment, she couldn't help but look at him with a strange expression upon hearing this question: "If it were a competition of who has the thickest skin, I think you would have a very high chance of reaching the top."

Hearing this, Li Luo said with immediate dissatisfaction: "What do you mean by that, Mentor?"

Mentor Xi Chan retorted: "Just because you defeated Lu Cang of the Blue Abyss Sage College, do you think you are already the most powerful First Star Academy student in the entire Eastern Divine Continent?"

"Lu Cang can't really be considered an ordinary opponent, can he?" Li Luo muttered.

"Lu Cang is indeed a strong enemy. According to my estimation, among the many First Star Academies across the Eastern Divine Continent, he has a chance of ranking in the top ten. You being able to defeat him shows that you are in the first tier, but if you think you can reach the top and win the title of the strongest First Star Academy student in the Eastern Divine Continent based on this, you are probably underestimating the foundations of those other top-tier colleges," Mentor Xi Chan said.

"Do you have specific intelligence on those top-ranked students?" Li Luo asked.

Mentor Xi Chan shook her head and said: "This is different from the match against Blue Abyss Sage College. You received such precise and detailed intelligence on them before the ticket qualifiers because both colleges agreed to share it after discussions. But even then, both sides held back—for example, the intelligence on that Lu Cang and Lu Cang."

"Everyone hides their cards even during the ticket qualifiers, let alone the more important Holy Grail Battle. Every college keeps the intelligence on their seed students tightly under wraps."

"So if you want detailed and accurate intelligence, you might have to wait until the Holy Grail Battle actually begins and experience it for yourself."

Li Luo looked regretful.

Seeing this, Mentor Xi Chan smiled: "Although there is no detailed intelligence, one can still find out some rough information, such as the three widely recognized favorites to win the championship in the First Star Academy level."

"But among these three candidates, you, Li Luo, do not seem to be included."

Li Luo became curious: "Which three?"

Mentor Xi Chan's leisurely voice sounded.

"The Spear of the Bright King, the Beast of the Holy Mountain, and the Phantom Thunder in the Fire."