Chapter 7: The Choice

The room was silent.

The jet-black crystal ball emitted a faint glow, its light falling on Li Luo's shifting, unreadable face, lending the scene an eerie quality.

At this moment, he had undoubtedly fallen into an extremely difficult choice.

The empty phase within him, thanks to his parents giving everything they had, had suddenly granted him tremendous hope and a ray of light. He just hadn't expected that this hope would demand So Heavy a price.

Only five years of life remaining.

If within those five years he could not Enter the Marquis Realm and evolve his life form, then his lifespan would come to a complete and utter end.

Five years to reach the Marquis Realm?

He was seventeen now; five years later, he would be twenty-three. In all that Li Luo knew of the history of this Great Xia Kingdom, it seemed no one had ever become a marquis at such a young age.

What kind of talent, fortune, and effort would it take to create such a miracle?

Li Luo did not know. And so at this moment, he felt an immense pressure closing in, making it hard to breathe.

As things stood, he could choose to remain mediocre. The House Luolan Mansion left behind by his parents was no small inheritance; even if he couldn't take full control of it, if he was willing to yield a great deal, living as a wealthy man of leisure on that foundation would certainly not be a problem.

But if he chose the path of the Acquired Phase, he would have to stay wound tight at all times, racing against the clock, squeezing out every last drop of his potential, and wrestling with fate itself for that one desperately hard thread of survival.

Between the two, which should he choose?

Li Luo slowly closed his eyes, his thoughts churning.

At that moment, many things came to mind. He thought of the strange looks from those in the academy, how they loved to say things about "a tiger father and a dog son," wondering aloud why, with such outstanding parents, the child could carry so much water.

He also thought of that pair of pure, beautiful golden eyes. Deep down, toward Jiang Qing, he naturally harbored some fondness and admiration—Li Luo did not deny this. After all, as he himself had said, Jiang Qing's excellence was inherently a powerful attraction to her peers. A fair maiden, a gentleman's pursuit—this was nothing shameful, merely human nature.

In truth, from a young age, Li Luo had been competing with Jiang Jiang Qinge in many areas, but for all sorts of reasons, he had more often lost than won. As the two of them gradually grew up, however, that rivalry had slowly faded.

Especially at the moment his phase palace awakened, Li Luo knew the gap between them was widening.

And from that point on, Jiang Jiang Qinge herself rarely compared herself with him on that front anymore.

Yet the trials of these years had made Li Luo seem much more placid on the surface. Only Li Luo himself knew just how fierce a competitive fire burned deep within him.

That deal with Jiang Jiang Qinge might well have been a way of goading himself.

Under normal circumstances, catching up to Jiang Jiang Qinge, who had already pulled far ahead of him, should have been as hard as scaling the heavens. But now… there was a glimmer of hope.

Was he going to give up that glimmer?

The answer was… impossible!

Li Luo suddenly opened his eyes, and in his gaze was a sharpness unlike anything before.

He stared at the light-figures of Li Taixuan and Dantai Lan before him and said softly, "Old man, old lady, I've actually always had an ambition, though to others it might seem laughable and overreaching."

"I don't just want to catch up to Sister Jiang Qing—I want to surpass her. And not only her—I want… to surpass you both."

He grinned, flashing white teeth: "In the future, when people see me, I don't want them to say, 'That's Li Taixuan and Dantai Lan's son.' I want them, when they see you two, to say, 'So those are the parents of the legendary Li Luo.'"

Li Luo chuckled lowly and said, "Old man, old lady, I'm very grateful that on my seventeenth birthday, you gave me such a gift."

"Don't worry, I won't let you down. Five years to reach the Marquis Realm, so what… Fine, this challenge—I, Li Luo, accept it!"

When the last word fell, Li Luo's gaze turned resolute. Without the slightest hesitation, he stretched out his palm and pressed it directly onto the black crystal ball.

Hiss!

The crystal ball reacted violently at once. At that moment, Li Luo felt a sharp pain in his palm, as though countless long needles had pierced into it.

Then the black crystal ball began to slowly split open, and at its deepest interior, two objects lay quietly.

One was a black jade slip—if his guess was right, it should contain the so-called "Minor Formless Divine Forging Art."

The other was a peculiar object—it seemed like a liquid, yet also like some kind of illusory stream of light. It was an azure blue, and within that blue, a faint sacred radiance refracted.

Li Luo's gaze locked dead-still on that mysterious object that was both like liquid and like a stream of light.

He knew this was the thing that could change his fate—an Acquired Phase that his parents had poured their heart's blood into refining.

Moreover, he could feel that the very instant he first laid eyes on it, a sense of fit had arisen from the depths of his soul.

As if this thing had been born from within him all along.

It seemed, just as his parents had said, that this Acquired Phase had been forged from his own soul and essence blood, so the fit between them was naturally perfect.

"Sigh—"

And as Li Luo stared, entranced, at that mysterious "Acquired Phase," a sigh laden with complex emotions softly rang out.

Li Luo looked up and saw the light-figures of Li Taixuan and Dantai Lan stirring to life once more; their expressions both revealed a certain complexity.

"Xiao Luo, it seems you've still made your choice," Li Taixuan said slowly.

"As your father, your choice pains me a little, but from a man's perspective, it fills me with comfort and pride."

"The road ahead of you will be full of hardship and peril, but how could a son of Li Taixuan ever fear such things?"

Beside him, Dantai Lan's eyes seemed to glisten with moisture. When she had left behind this image, she must have thought of Li Luo making such a choice and felt terribly distressed—after all, as a mother, it was hard for her to accept that her child would have only five years left to live.

Still, she did not try to dissuade him, because she too knew this choice could only be made by Li Luo himself. And since he had made it, she would only give him her full support and believe in him.

"Xiao Luo… since you've made your choice, then let your mother tell you about this Acquired Phase that we refined for you."

Hearing Dantai Lan's words, Li Luo's spirits lifted.

"Your father and I went through countless trials and attempts before finding, among countless materials, the one most suited to you, and finally refined it."

"This phase is of the fourth grade. It takes the water phase as its core, with the light phase as its support."

Li Luo was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then forced a bitter smile: "How could it be a water phase?"

Among the elemental phases, there was no inherent hierarchy, but when it came to attack power and destructive force, naturally fire, lightning, metal, and the like reigned supreme. The water phase, among the many, leaned toward the gentle and yielding—clearly the softer sort.

He had clearly not expected that the very first Acquired Phase his parents refined for him would be of this nature.

"Heh heh, Xiao Luo, do you think the water phase is weak and not what you had in mind? Don't underestimate it. The water phase may be slightly weaker in attack and destruction, but its enduring, majestic intent surpasses that of the other phases. As long as you can bring out its strengths, it won't be weaker than any phase."

"And your water phase is no ordinary one, because it also has the light phase supporting it. The combination of water and light—if you can develop it well, the final result will likely exceed your expectations."

"Of course, the reason your father and I ultimately set your first phase as water and light comes down to two other extremely important reasons."

"After you merge with this first Acquired Phase, you will lose a great deal of essence blood, and the toll on your lifespan will cause you tremendous damage. The water phase is gentle and nourishing; the water-phase power you cultivate can moisten your wounded body and help you recover swiftly."

Li Luo finally understood—it made sense; when it came to nourishing and healing injuries, Water Affinity and Light Affinity were undoubtedly the finest.

"What about the second reason?" Li Luo wondered curiously.

His question did not wait long for an answer; Li Taixuan smiled: "The second reason is that we hope you will become a Refining Affinity Master to assist your future cultivation."

"Do you remember the basic requirement for a Refining Affinity Master?"

Li Luo blinked, then replied without thinking: "The basic requirement for a Refining Affinity Master is possessing Water Affinity or Light Affinity?"

With Affinity Rank dominating, many auxiliary professions have emerged, and the Refining Affinity Master is one of them—his ability is to refine spiritual waters and divine lights capable of enhancing the quality of Affinity Rank.

There are also Alchemists, though they require Wood Affinity, Fire Affinity, and similar types.

There are also Affinity Artificers, who forge various Affinity Tools, requiring Metal Affinity, Fire Affinity, Earth Affinity, and similar types.

The Refining Affinity Master is somewhat similar to the Alchemist, but the essential difference is: the Refining Affinity Master can only enhance the quality of Affinity Rank, while the Alchemist's pills mostly enhance Affinity Power.

Water Affinity and Light Affinity both possess purifying effects, making them the fundamental and necessary conditions to become a Refining Affinity Master.

"But why become a Refining Affinity Master?" Li Luo was puzzled.

Before he could voice the question, Li Taixuan's voice had already sounded: "Because you possess Void Affinity—you can refine your own Affinity Rank without limit. If you become a Refining Affinity Master, you will gain deeper insight, and it will be far more likely that your own Affinity will approach perfection."

"Moreover, other Refining Affinity Masters likely possess only Water Affinity or Light Affinity alone, but you have Water Affinity as your primary and Light Affinity as your secondary—both purifying forces complement each other. Frankly, with such conditions, if you don't become a Refining Affinity Master, it would truly be a waste of heaven's gift."

"The spiritual waters and divine lights you refine will likely far surpass those of other Refining Affinity Masters."

Dan Tai Lan covered her mouth and smiled lightly: "Xiao Luo, this is also a safety net your parents left you—if the Luo Lan Mansion goes bankrupt from your antics, at least you'll have a skill to rely on wherever you go."

Li Luo opened his mouth, then only scratched his head—he could say nothing but that his father and mother were still as cunning as ever; the profession they envisioned for him had maximized the potential of his first postnatal Affinity.

"But Xiao Luo, this first postnatal Affinity is merely an entry point—your parents could forge it for you using your soul and blood. But the second and third are far more profound and complex, and you must explore them yourself."

"Your parents suggest you consider forging the second postnatal Affinity only after you reach the Affinity Master realm. Some forging insights have been left in the jade slip—we hope you'll use them as reference."

"The 'Minor Void Affinity Divine Forging Art' in this jade slip can only forge the second Affinity. As for the Divine Forging Art of the third Affinity, we've stored it in Wang Cheng—full details are in the jade slip. When the time comes, go to Wang Cheng and retrieve it."

As he spoke, Li Luo noticed Li Taixuan and Dan Tai Lan's light forms suddenly dimming—he grew tense, realizing this exchange was about to end.

"Father, Mother…"

Li Luo instinctively reached out, grasping at the light forms—but his hand passed through them.

Li Taixuan and Dan Tai Lan looked down at him, their eyes filled with tenderness and affection.

"Xiao Luo, this may be the end for now."

"Your father and mother believe that since you chose this path, you will surely walk out of the five-year ordeal."

"We know you worry about us, but rest assured—until we see you again, we won't dare let anything happen to ourselves."

"Lastly, Xiao Luo, remember: no matter how much you worry about us, you must not come searching for us until you've been enfeoffed as a Marquis."

The light forms continued to fade until they vanished completely. The room returned to silence and dimness.

Li Luo sat before the black crystal ball, his eyes red, but he did not shed tears—only wiped his eyes and whispered: "Father, Mother, thank you for everything you've done for me."

"Wait for me. When we meet again, I will make you feel awe and pride."

Slowly calming his turbulent emotions, Li Luo reached out and retrieved the black jade slip from the crystal ball, then turned his gaze to the other object—shimmering with azure and sacred light.

"From today…"

"I am someone who possesses Affinity Rank."

In Li Luo's pupils, fierce heat surged—he no longer hesitated, but reached out his palm and seized the postnatal Affinity with force.

Hiss!

The moment he touched it, a chilling sensation surged into his palm, then unbearable agony erupted violently within Li Luo's body.

The intensity of the pain instantly drowned his reason—his vision darkened abruptly, and his entire body slowly collapsed.

(End of Chapter)