Chapter 79: Holiday

Today, Nanfeng Academy held its graduation ceremony, marking the official end of this cohort's studies; they would now depart for other elite academies across Daya, continue their cultivation, or switch to other professions, scattering to the winds and perhaps never meeting again.

After the ceremony, Li Luo, Lü Qing'er, Seeing Yu Lang, and Zhao Kuo were separately summoned to the headmaster's courtyard.

"You four preserved Nanfeng Academy's reputation as the top academy in this year's examination—I truly owe you my thanks," said the headmaster, pruning the garden's flowers and turning to face them with a smile.

Zhao Kuo scratched his head; he knew full well he'd contributed little, merely basking in Li Luo's glory.

Seeing Yu Lang, however, grinned broadly, his carefree demeanor as if he'd truly bled and taken blades for Nanfeng Academy.

Li Luo chuckled. "Headmaster, if you only called us here to thank us verbally, it's hardly necessary."

The headmaster scowled. "In your little brats' eyes, am I just a miser?"

Seeing Yu Lang snapped, "Headmaster, you're the person I respect most—I won't allow you to speak of yourself that way! I suggest you delete the word 'dead'!"

The headmaster raised his shears, aiming to snip at Seeing Yu Lang's lower half; the latter leapt back two steps, face pale with terror.

"Hmph."

The headmaster grunted. "From now on, you're no longer students of Nanfeng Academy. In two months, you'll depart for Shengxuan Star Academy—that's the place you little brats dream of. But no matter how far you go in the future, you'll always be students who walked out of Nanfeng Academy."

"Yet don't grow arrogant because of your decent results—when you reach Shengxuan Star Academy, you'll realize just how vast Daya is, and how deeply hidden its dragons and tigers truly are."

"Of course, if you can match Jiang Jiang Qinge, then ignore everything I just said."

All present nodded at the headmaster's warning; aside from Seeing Yu Lang, who was flighty, the other three remained grounded, especially Li Luo—who, had it not been for this examination, might still be hiding underground, his true depth unknown to all.

After his warning, the headmaster reached into his robe and pulled out four small crystal vials, each containing a pale yellow pill, faintly fragrant.

"These are Bitter Lotus Pills. When your Xiangli reaches Ten-Seal Realm, swallow and assimilate them—they accelerate the formation of the Xiang Seed and increase your chance of success. Consider them an extra reward for your performance in this examination."

Upon hearing this, Li Luo and the others were pleasantly surprised; unlike abundant Consumables like Spirit Water Miracle Light, pills were rarer and far more expensive—now the headmaster handed out four Bitter Lotus Pills, showing real generosity.

Li Luo and the others had heard of these Bitter Lotus Pills—they required sap from a Xiangli Tree as a catalyst, so only major academies could produce them. For beginners in Ten-Seal Realm, they were the finest spiritual medicine.

After all, many failed multiple times to condense their Xiang Seeds, wasting precious cultivation time; the Bitter Lotus Pills reduced such failure rates, making them invaluable.

"Headmaster, if anyone ever tells me you're a miser again, I'll be the first to confront them!" Seeing Yu Lang declared solemnly.

The headmaster shot him a sidelong glance but couldn't be bothered to argue with the notorious rogue of Nanfeng Academy, casually tossing the pills to the four.

"Go now. Though I'm not pleased, I must admit—Shengxuan Star Academy is the true pinnacle academy; no other in Daya can compare."

"And only upon entering Shengxuan Star Academy will you begin to grasp the true nature of this world."

"Your futures will be brilliant—I look forward to hearing more of your deeds from this very academy."

Hearing the headmaster's quiet words, the four felt a surge of emotion, then bowed deeply to him before turning to leave.

As Li Luo was about to step out, the headmaster gazed at his back and suddenly smiled. "Li Luo, good lad—you haven't disgraced your parents."

Li Luo halted. He stared at the clouds drifting above Nanfeng Academy, and suddenly his nose stung. He'd thought he no longer cared what others thought—but those words made him realize his past efforts hadn't been in vain.

He understood: he didn't care about others' opinions—he simply didn't want to become a stain on his parents' names.

Because he loved those two seemingly unreliable parents.

They, clearly, felt the same.

After finishing his studies at Nanfeng Academy, Li Luo returned to his usual hectic rhythm—as he'd said, he hadn't relaxed one bit despite topping the Tian Shu County Academy Examination, for from any perspective, it was merely a minor affair.

After two months' leave, he would depart for Shengxuan Star Academy, where he'd finally learn how many prodigies Daya truly held.

But this time, he vowed: upon reaching Shengxuan Star Academy, he would be far more discreet.

During these two months' leave, Li Luo set himself one goal: reach Ten-Seal Realm, and if possible, attempt to condense his Xiang Seed and enter the Xiang Master Realm!

In other counties, reports said some students had already reached Ten-Seal Realm; after two months, the true top students would surely possess First Stage Xiang Master power—so Li Luo felt he couldn't afford to slack off.

Of course, none of this mattered most—what mattered most was that his lifespan had already entered its final five-year countdown.

After all, discretion was important—but clearly, his own life mattered more!

As the holiday passed leisurely, roughly half a month later, Li Luo found his Xiangli had, unsurprisingly, reached Nine-Seal.

Additionally, his skill with Spirit Water Miracle Light had surged—he could now craft second-grade Spirit Water Miracle Light, qualifying him as a competent second-grade Xiang Refiner.

Overall, Li Luo was quite satisfied with his progress during this half-month holiday.

Yet as his Xiangli neared the Xiang Master Realm, he began studying the "Little Xiang Divine Forging Art" left to him by Li Tai Zhu Xuan and Dan Tai Lan, for he had to consider a crucial question: once he reached Xiang Master Realm, what primary and secondary elemental Xiang should he forge in his second Xiang Palace?

(End of Chapter)