Chapter 933: Setting Off

The next day, while on his way to the departure point, Li Luo made a special trip to Li Rouyun’s residence to pick up Li Lingjing.

"Li Luo, I’m leaving Lingjing in your hands. The Spirit Resonance Cave is fraught with danger, so you must help me take good care of her." Looking at the handsome young men and women standing below the steps, a smile appeared on Li Rouyun’s face as she spoke.

In truth, Li Luo was an outstanding boy in every respect. From the perspective of an elder, Li Rouyun felt that Li Lingjing was quite a good match for him. However, it was a pity that Li Rouyun knew Li Luo already had a fiancée. That girl named Jiang Qing’e was so brilliant and dazzling that it was astonishing that a place as barren as the Outer Shenzhou could produce such a phoenix flower in full bloom.

With a fiancée like Jiang Qing’e, Li Rouyun felt that even the Water Fairy Qin Yi, whose fame spread throughout Tianyuan and who attracted the admiration of countless young prodigies, might not be able to make Li Luo look twice.

Upon hearing this, Li Luo gave a wry smile and said, "Aunt Yun, I think you have it backward. I was counting on Cousin Lingjing to protect me in the Spirit Resonance Cave."

Among the many prodigies entering the Spirit Resonance Cave, those at the Second-Star Heavenly Pearl stage were considered low; only those like Li Lingjing, who were at the Sixth-Star Heavenly Pearl stage and above, could be considered top-tier competitors.

Li Lingjing extended her fair, slender jade hand and gently patted Li Luo’s shoulder. Her bright eyes curved slightly, and a smile played on her lips: "Don't worry, Cousin Li Luo. If anyone wants to do you harm, I certainly won't let them succeed."

"Then thank you in advance, Cousin Lingjing." Li Luo smiled and cupped his hands.

"You're too kind." Li Lingjing covered her mouth and chuckled. It was clear that she was quite looking forward to this trip to the Spirit Resonance Cave; after all, this was the first time she would be encountering the many young prodigies of the Tianyuan Shenzhou since her ordeal years ago.

Li Luo said nothing more, and after bidding farewell to Li Rouyun, he took Li Lingjing to the agreed-upon location.

When the two of them arrived, they saw that Li Fengyi, Li Jingtao, and the others had already arrived. The former saw him and waved at him enthusiastically.

Li Fuling stood beside Li Fengyi. She merely glanced at Li Luo, then her gaze lingered on the slender figure half a step behind him. That face, which still held a hint of familiarity, caused her to lose focus for a moment.

A moment later, she regained her senses, stared at Li Lingjing, and was the first to speak: "Li Lingjing, long time no see."

Nearby, Lu Ze, Li Xuan, and the others also looked at Li Lingjing with strange expressions. They had heard of her; in the younger generation of the Dragon Tooth Lineage back then, Li Lingjing had been very famous. Before she had even entered the Twenty Banners, some said she had the potential to vie for the title of Dragon Head of that generation. Many had been looking forward to her appearance, but after the Twenty Banners selection results were out, Li Lingjing had vanished. Later, it was said she had been contaminated by an Other and her foundation had been damaged, making it extremely difficult to heal, which had caused many to sigh.

Yet today, they were seeing Li Lingjing again, and by the looks of it, she seemed to have recovered from her ordeal.

Facing Li Fuling’s gaze, a faint smile appeared on Li Lingjing’s beautiful face: "Li Fuling, you still remember me?"

Li Fuling said in a deep voice: "How could I not? Do you remember what you promised me? You said you would come to the Twenty Banners to compete with me, but in the end, you broke your promise."

As prominent figures of the younger generation of the Dragon Tooth Lineage back then, Li Fuling and Li Lingjing had met and clashed before, but they had failed to determine a winner. Thus, at that time, Li Fuling had challenged Li Lingjing to a duel in the Twenty Banners to settle the score.

Li Lingjing said: "Is that so? Then I am truly sorry."

However, those flat words held not a shred of apology. Or rather, such a so-called promise seemed somewhat ridiculous and boring to her, having experienced the changes of these past years.

Faced with Li Lingjing’s reaction, Li Fuling frowned slightly. The person before her was clearly completely different from the proud, unyielding noble girl of Xiling she had seen back then.

However, Li Lingjing clearly had no interest in discussing these matters further, instead standing quietly beside Li Luo without speaking to the others.

The atmosphere was slightly awkward, but fortunately, at that moment, ripples suddenly appeared in the void ahead, and figures emerged from thin air.

The leader was Li Jingzhe, followed by Li Qingpeng, Li Jinpan, and a group of other high-ranking members of the Dragon Tooth Lineage.

"Greetings, Lineage Head!"

Seeing this, everyone hurriedly bowed.

Li Jingzhe waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over the crowd: "You will now be heading to the Spirit Resonance Cave. It is a place of great opportunity; I hope you will each make the most of it."

"The Spirit Resonance Cave will attract many elite prodigies from the Tianyuan Shenzhou. The intensity of the competition will be far beyond that of the previous Dragon Head competition, so do not underestimate them."

Facing Li Jingzhe’s warning, everyone nodded hurriedly.

Seeing this, Li Jingzhe said no more. With a wave of his sleeve, streams of light of various colors flew out and landed directly toward the crowd.

Li Luo looked at the golden light landing before him, reached out his palm to catch it, and the golden light transformed into a gold medal in his hand, engraved with a profound rune.

"This is... a Gold Resonance Token?" Li Luo’s heart stirred, recalling the information Li Jingzhe had mentioned earlier. To enter the Spirit Resonance Cave, this so-called "Resonance Token" was the credential. These tokens were divided into three grades: gold, silver, and copper. The Gold Resonance Token was the highest and allowed entry into some core areas to obtain opportunities.

"According to the rules, only those who placed in the top five of the Dragon Head competition were originally entitled to receive a Gold Resonance Token. However, since Li Luo won the title of Dragon Head this time, the four Banner Leaders of the Dragon Tooth Lineage shall all receive a 'Gold Resonance Token'."

Li Fengyi looked at the streak of golden light landing toward her with a beaming smile, then said to Li Luo: "Little brother, I’ve benefited from your light again."

Among the four banners of the Dragon Tooth Lineage, neither she nor Deng Fengxian had placed in the top five, so being able to obtain a Gold Resonance Token was indeed thanks to Li Luo’s performance.

Deng Fengxian also caught the golden light, looked at the token in his hand, and nodded silently at Li Luo.

Li Luo smiled and waved his hand. He then scanned the crowd and discovered that besides the four of them, Li Fuling, Lu Ze, and Li Xuan—the Banner Leaders from the previous generation—also had Gold Resonance Tokens. However, there were several members of the Dragon Tooth Guard who had come with them, but they had only received Silver Resonance Tokens.

Li Lingjing had also received a Gold Resonance Token due to her special circumstances.

"The Gold Resonance Tokens in your hands are highly sought after within the Spirit Resonance Cave. Do not think that just because I handed out so many to you that they are easy to obtain or cheap. It is only because of the status of our Li Tianwang Lineage that we are allocated these Gold Resonance Tokens. You must know that in other factions, many prodigies might have to undergo the most brutal competition just to obtain a single Gold Resonance Token."

"Some small and medium-sized factions will even go to war with each other just to obtain a few more Gold Resonance Tokens."

"Additionally, there are many rogue cultivators. Some of them with a bit of luck might have obtained a 'Copper Resonance Token' or 'Silver Resonance Token'. Once they enter the Spirit Resonance Cave, they might set their sights on the Gold Resonance Tokens in your hands. After all, rogue cultivators are skilled at fighting and are ruthless and decisive. If there is a real opportunity at stake, the status of the Li Tianwang Lineage may not necessarily deter them."

"In short, in the Spirit Resonance Cave, if you want opportunities, rely on your own abilities," Li Jingzhe said indifferently.

Hearing this, everyone immediately became solemn and responded, carefully putting away the tokens in their hands.

Seeing this, Li Jingzhe said no more.

At this moment, the two Great Hall Masters, Li Qingpeng and Li Jinpan, stepped forward, and a dragon-shaped flying boat broke through the clouds, slowly descending toward the mountain peak.

"Let’s set off. My second brother and I will lead the team this time to take you to the outskirts of the Spirit Resonance Cave," Li Qingpeng said with a chuckle.

Everyone nodded, and then a pair of energy dragon wings appeared behind each of them. The dragon wings flapped, and they soared into the sky, landing inside the dragon-shaped flying boat.

Li Qingpeng and Li Jinpan bade farewell to Li Jingzhe and also flew up.

The flying boat roared, tore through the clouds, and quickly sped away.

Li Jingzhe stood on the mountain peak, hands behind his back, watching the flying boat gradually disappear at the edge of the horizon.

He was slightly dazed, as if remembering something, and gave a faint smile.

"Taixuan, I feel that your son’s trip this time will be just like yours back then—he will become famous throughout Tianyuan."

Qin Tianwang Lineage.

A crimson palace stood atop the mountain peak.

At the viewing platform of the palace, a figure as beautiful as an immortal stood gracefully. Her exquisite, jade-like face seemed to make the daylight lose its luster, and her beautiful eyes were like a clear, bottomless mirror lake, swirling with charm.

It was none other than the Water Fairy, Qin Yi.

Footsteps came from behind Qin Yi. She tilted her head slightly and nodded: "Mother."

The person who arrived was the Hall Master of the Fire Lotus Hall, Qin Lian.

Qin Lian came to Qin Yi’s side and said slowly: "Li Luo will definitely participate in the Spirit Resonance Cave this time."

"I heard he obtained the position of Dragon Head of this generation for the Li Tianwang Lineage," Qin Yi’s eyes flickered as she said.

Upon hearing this, a chill appeared on Qin Lian’s face: "The younger generation of the Li Tianwang Lineage is truly a bunch of trash. Li Luo wasted so many years in the Outer Shenzhou, yet less than a year after returning, he has suppressed all those so-called prodigies of the five lineages. I see that the Li Tianwang Lineage is getting worse with each generation; I fear they won't last much longer."

Qin Yi did not speak, for she knew that whenever Li Luo was mentioned, Qin Lian found it unbearable.

Qin Lian turned her head and stared at Qin Yi’s beautiful face: "If you encounter Li Luo in the Spirit Resonance Cave this time, I have a task for you."

"What task?"

Qin Lian’s eyes narrowed, a deep, icy light flashing within them.

"Bring me a piece of Li Luo’s flesh."