Chapter 846: Half-Finished

Three days later.

Li Luo's breakthrough finally ended.

In the cultivation chamber, Li Luo opened his eyes, and the vast aura swirling around him gradually receded, finally fully absorbed into his body.

Li Luo lowered his head, extended both palms, and activated his aura simultaneously.

Gold light flowed through his flesh and blood, staining his skin a pale golden hue, giving off an impression of invincibility.

As Li Luo continued to push his aura, the gold light grew denser, until faint lustrous glass-like patterns began to appear.

These lustrous glass-like patterns were crystal-clear, flowing through his flesh and bones.

Li Luo stared at these lustrous glass-like patterns, a smile forming on his lips; after previously breaking through to the Golden Calamity Body, he had used all remaining Earth Calamity Mystic Light to refine his Lustrous Calamity Body in tandem with the "Nine Orifices Golden Stone."

Yet in the end, he failed to form a true Lustrous Calamity Body.

Strictly speaking, with the emergence of the lustrous glass-like patterns, he was barely a half-finished Lustrous Calamity Body.

But this half-finished state was just right for Li Luo, because he had previously promised Li Li Jingzhe he would attempt to achieve "Threefold Lustrous."

That was the highest-tier Lustrous Calamity Body; with his current foundation, Li Luo was still insufficient to reach that step.

Thus, this half-finished state could still be meticulously refined later—perhaps, if fortune favored him, he could one day attempt the true complete form.

"This breakthrough has truly been unprecedented."

Li Luo's face was filled with joy; this breakthrough was the swiftest he had ever experienced in his cultivation.

From Great Calamity Palace, he leaped past Silver Calamity Body and Golden Calamity Body, directly becoming a half-finished Lustrous Calamity Body!

Anyone hearing this would be utterly stunned.

Li Luo had spent immense effort accumulating for so long to achieve this promotion, fully exploiting the advantages of his Triple Aura.

Fortunately, heaven does not forsake the diligent.

According to Li Luo's own estimation, under the Saint Zhu Xuan Star Academy's ranking system, he was now at the Second Star Academy level.

At the Second Star Academy stage, his strength had reached half-step Lustrous Calamity Body.

This progress, within the Saint Zhu Xuan Star Academy, would surely cause a storm; Li Luo dared say that, since the academy's founding, he was the first to achieve such a cultivation speed.

Usually, this was the standard for elite students in the Third Star Academy.

Of course, this was merely a comparison; after all, Li Luo was currently in Outer Shenzhou, with the support of the Dragon Fang Vein's resources, so his rapid cultivation was unsurprising—he should compare himself to the top prodigies among the great Heavenly King Veins of Outer Shenzhou.

Yet Li Luo's leap in breakthrough had significantly narrowed the real power gap between himself and peers like Li Li Qingfeng, Lu Lu Qingmei, and Deng Deng Fengxian.

"Looking at it this way, Outer Shenzhou really does seem somewhat stagnant."

Li Luo sighed; he had fallen so far behind Li Li Qingfeng and others not due to inferior talent, but purely because of unequal cultivation resources.

For example, the rare resource "Zhu Xuan Huang Dragon Qi"—not even the entire Great Xia could produce it.

Li Luo stood up, clenched his five fingers, and could clearly feel the immense power contained within his current body; according to his estimate, his flesh's current strength should not be weaker than the state of "Double Thunder Sound" in Thundering Body.

And if the two were combined and amplified, Li Luo's physical strength would reach an extremely formidable level—though he doubted he could match Qin Yi, whose "Water Jade Flawless Body" was a Divine Evolution-level body refinement technique.

His Thundering Body, unless cultivated to its peak state of "Fivefold Thunder Sound," would always remain inferior to hers.

There was no help for it; this was the limitation of the cultivation rank of the body technique.

Li Luo clenched his fist and swiftly punched the air before him, and instantly, shadowy fists appeared—the air before him was violently shattered, emitting a low rumble.

Li Luo was extremely satisfied; this breakthrough had elevated his overall strength by nearly a whole tier, truly worth all the effort he had invested to accumulate thirty-five thousand Earth Calamity Mystic Lights.

With the breakthrough complete, Li Luo did not linger, exiting the cultivation chamber directly; meanwhile, maids had already prepared meals, and Li Luo, having gone two or three days without food, immediately devoured everything in a frenzy.

After resolving his hunger, a maid came to report that the Third Academy Head had come to visit.

"Aunt Yun?"

Hearing this, Li Luo hurriedly went outside to greet her personally.

When Li Li Rouyun first saw Li Luo, surprise appeared on her cheeks: "It seems you've successfully completed your breakthrough these past few days."

"Your body radiates hidden gold light and surging blood qi—did you leap past Golden Calamity Body?"

Li Li Rouyun, being a Marquis-strength cultivator, merely sensed slightly and immediately detected the still-unsettled torrent of blood qi within Li Luo.

"Just lucky, just lucky."

Li Luo invited Li Li Rouyun to sit, smiling humbly.

Li Li Rouyun was not overly surprised, for she knew Li Luo had obtained seven Zhu Xuan Huang Dragon Qi from the Dragon Pool Contest—more than enough to enable this breakthrough.

"Aunt Yun, why have you come?" Li Luo asked after chatting with Li Li Rouyun for a while.

Li Li Rouyun nodded slightly: "I heard your Four Banners will be heading to Xi Ling Jing's Dark Zone?"

During Li Luo's seclusion and breakthrough, the Four Banners' mission had been announced.

Li Luo nodded.

"I haven't returned to Xi Ling Jing in a long time," Li Li Rouyun sighed.

Li Luo exclaimed: "Aunt Yun used to live in Xi Ling Jing?"

"My branch of the Li Shi is a collateral line; Xi Ling Jing is our ancestral home. Over the years, I've managed the Qingming Academy under the Dragon Fang Vein and rarely had time to return."

Li Li Rouyun smiled, then took a jade box from her space orb and handed it to Li Luo: "If you're heading to Xi Ling Jing on your mission, seek out our Xi Ling Li Shi—ask them for any help you need."

"Also, if you reach there, please deliver these herbs and pills to my little niece."

Li Luo's heart stirred—he recalled the day he first met Li Li Rouyun, when she had taken out a rare essence treasure to alleviate Jiang Jiang Qinge's Radiant Heart Burn; from Li Li Zhiqiu of the Dragon Blood Line's words at the time, that treasure had been meant for her little niece.

"Aunt Yun, rest assured—it's a minor matter."

Li Luo nodded, then asked: "What's my cousin's name? What injury does she have? If there's anything I can help with, Aunt Yun, please say so."

Li Li Rouyun sighed: "That little girl is named Li Li Lingjing. She was once the long-awaited prodigy of our Xi Ling Li Shi generation—if not for the accident, she should have been selected for the Dragon Fang Vein's Four Banners, and her future achievements would not have been inferior to mine."

Li Luo was slightly surprised—so Li Li Lingjing was also a top prodigy.

"What accident happened?" Li Luo asked.

Li Li Rouyun's expression turned bitter: "A few years ago, while training in the 'Dark Zone,' she was wounded by an alien entity, damaging her foundation; her progress has been painfully slow for years. Her former prodigy reputation has become a burden—many who once envied her talent now call her a waste, accusing her of squandering the clan's resources on her."

Li Luo opened his mouth; the former genius had fallen to a waste.

I know this script well.

My senior sister from the main branch might not be simple.

(End of this chapter)