Chapter 83: Entangled Grudges

On the stage, numerous refining chambers were enclosed by transparent crystal walls, and Yan Yan Lingqing was inside one of them, organizing items on the table.

When Li Luo entered, she glanced at him and said, "You really can't go anywhere without running into your little female classmate."

Clearly, she had seen Li Luo with Lü Qing'er earlier.

"Just a chance encounter," Li Luo explained.

"I think she has some interest in you," Yan Yan Lingqing said.

Li Luo hurriedly replied, "Nonsense! I won't allow you to slander our purest classmate relationship!"

Yan Yan Lingqing snorted, "It's none of my business. That girl actually has some skill, but I wonder if she can hold her own at the Sacred Mystic Star Academy when she meets the Empress?"

"You're getting absurd now—Empress? Am I the Emperor then?" Li Luo grumbled.

"Dream on."

Yan Yan Lingqing gave a light huff, then didn't waste words with him; she casually handed him a formula: "This is the Spirit Water I plan to refine later—familiarize yourself with it."

Li Luo quickly took it and studied it carefully. The fourth-rank Spirit Water Yan Yan Lingqing intended to refine was called "Blue Algae Spirit Water," and its refinement difficulty was among the highest for fourth-rank Spirit Waters—clearly, she had resolved to defeat Song Song Qiuyu at all costs.

Li Luo glanced at the list of materials required for the "Blue Algae Spirit Water" and couldn't help but draw a sharp breath, for it demanded over four hundred separate ingredients; perfectly blending them without a single error clearly required extremely high proficiency in her Refining Technique.

"So this is the formula for a fourth-rank Spirit Water? Truly an immense challenge," Li Luo sighed. He could now refine second-rank Spirit Waters, but even the most complex of those required at most a hundred ingredients—nothing compared to this.

Moreover, the fusion of materials in fourth-rank Spirit Waters was exceptionally complex: second-rank Spirit Waters required at most double fusion, but fourth-rank ones demanded sixfold fusion—the difficulty leap was truly exponential.

At this point, people began arriving one after another to deliver refining materials, neatly piled together; as the assistant, Li Luo carefully inspected each one.

Seeing this, Yan Yan Lingqing smiled; she was quite satisfied with Li Luo's meticulousness and seriousness.

As time passed, the top Refining Masters from all Spirit Water Light Chambers across Tian Shu Commandery entered their respective refining chambers, and Li Luo also spotted Song Song Qiuyu entering from the Songzi Chamber.

The moment she stepped in, her gaze immediately turned toward Yan Yan Lingqing's direction; the two girls' eyes met, and faint sparks seemed to flicker between them.

Yan Yan Lingqing's expression remained blank, but faint blue veins had surfaced on her pale, slender hands—evidence of how deeply her emotions were stirred.

"Why do I feel you really dislike her?" Li Luo noticed her mood and asked curiously; after all, Yan Yan Lingqing usually showed no interest in anything beyond Spirit Water refinement, yet she reacted so strongly to Song Song Qiuyu.

Yan Yan Lingqing fell silent for a moment, then said softly, "Originally, my relationship with her was fairly good—I even strongly recommended her to join my teacher's refining team. But during a crucial competition, her clumsy mistake caused us to lose; our teacher was furious, and afterward, she chose to leave our refining team."

"That alone wouldn't have mattered much, but soon after, she joined another refining team—and that very team was the one that had defeated us in that competition because of her mistake."

Li Luo said, "Another White-Eyed Wolf."

Although Yan Yan Lingqing didn't reveal more, it wasn't hard to guess that Song Song Qiuyu's clumsy mistake likely had hidden motives—perhaps she had even been bribed.

As the one who had recommended Song Song Qiuyu, her betrayal would surely fill Yan Yan Lingqing with deep guilt toward her teacher, which explained why her emotions always slipped when she saw Song Song Qiuyu.

Yan Yan Lingqing said nothing more, only lowered her head to organize the materials.

Li Luo didn't press further, continuing to inspect the materials until a bell rang sharply from the center of the arena, instantly raising the atmosphere to a fever pitch.

Staff members entered the arena, announcing the names of each Spirit Water Light Chamber's competing Refining Master.

Each time a Refining Master's name was called, cheers erupted from the crowd—they were all relatively famous within Tian Shu Commandery.

On a viewing platform, Lü Hui, chairman of the Golden Dragon Guild, looked at the refining platform of Xiyang Chamber and chuckled, "Li Luo really shows up everywhere."

Beside him, Lü Qing'er, holding a small umbrella, smiled and said, "He's a Refining Master too—he's just here to gain experience."

The glittering, jewel-encrusted Lü Hui glanced at Lü Qing'er's delicate, beautiful face and probed, "Qing'er, you've been getting rather close to Li Luo lately, haven't you?"

Lü Qing'er's gaze flickered, then she replied calmly, "And?"

Lü Hui chuckled awkwardly, "I just mean, Li Luo is already betrothed."

Lü Qing'er stared at the young, handsome figure behind the crystal wall, fell silent for a moment, then said, "That betrothal must be meaningless by now, right?"

"Who knows?" Lü Hui shrugged.

"Second Uncle, you're overthinking. I don't like Li Luo—I just owe him for helping me and saving me, so we're good friends. You can't forbid me from having friends, can you?" Lü Qing'er said.

"No, no."

Lü Hui quickly shook his head, as if relieved: "But good that you don't like him—you're entering the Sacred Mystic Star Academy and heading to Wang Cheng soon, and your mother is there. Try not to mention Li Luo in front of her."

Lü Qing'er froze, then furrowed her brows: "Why?"

Lü Hui stammered, then finally said, "It's just old grudges between the older generation—don't ask. Just don't mention Li Luo to your mother."

Lü Qing'er's eyes flickered with confusion, and finally she nodded slightly—but for some reason, a sudden wave of irritation welled up inside her.

Ding! Ding!

At this moment, a sharp sound echoed through the arena; everyone understood—the Grand Sacrifice Competition was about to begin.

The atmosphere in the arena instantly grew solemn.

Inside each crystal-walled refining chamber, the Refining Masters' expressions turned solemn.

The next instant, every Refining Master erupted with Water Phase energy or Light Phase energy; amid the roaring cheers, their materials rapidly dissolved.

The Grand Sacrifice Competition has begun.

(End of Chapter)