Chapter 97: Li Luo Wants to Be the President

When that abrupt voice rang out, many of the Phase Crafters in the crowd were stunned, and then someone impatient immediately cursed aloud: "Who is it? How dare they speak with such a tone!"

Amidst the angry rebukes, eyes turned toward the direction the sound came from, and then their noisy chatter gradually quieted down.

Because they saw a youth with silver-gray hair standing in the back, looking at them with a faint smile.

Beside the youth was Jiang Qing’e, her slender figure and beautiful face fixed upon them with a cold glint.

When they saw Jiang Qing’e, they immediately realized the identity of the silver-haired youth, and their expressions instantly became quite colorful; although they had spoken without thinking in the heat of the moment, now that they were in front of the Young Manor Master, no one dared to maintain their previous momentum.

"Why haven't you paid your respects to the Young Manor Master and the Young Lady yet?!" Elder Zheng Ping shouted angrily at this moment.

The many Phase Crafters hesitated for a moment, and then sparse, scattered voices rose: "Greetings, Young Manor Master, Young Lady."

Pang Qianchi also looked at Li Luo with some surprise; a long time ago, when the Luolan Manor headquarters was still in Fengcheng, he had actually seen Li Luo, but the latter was too young then. Now, seeing him again, the shadows of Li Tianxuan and Dantai Lan could already be seen in his features.

Elder Zheng Ping squeezed out of the crowd, cupped his hands toward Li Luo and Jiang Qing’e, and then frowned: "Young Manor Master, what did you just say?"

Li Luo smiled: "I said, since the position of President of the Xiyang House is vacant, I will temporarily take it on myself."

Elder Zheng Ping was stunned and said in astonishment: "This..."

He wanted to say that this did not seem to follow the rules, but Li Luo was the Young Manor Master, and clearly had the qualifications to break some rules.

Those Phase Crafters of the Xiyang House also looked at each other, subconsciously wanting to object, but hindered by Li Luo's status, they didn't know how to speak for a moment.

At this time, Pang Qianchi smiled slightly and said: "Young Manor Master, your status is noble, there is no need to lower yourself to serve as a President, right? These positions are not worth mentioning in your eyes, but in the eyes of those of us below, they are things that require a long time of hard work to obtain."

"If you decide to occupy it on a whim, wouldn't it be a bit unfair to those of us who have worked so hard for the Xiyang House for so many years?"

As soon as Pang Qianchi spoke, his craftiness was revealed; every sentence seemed to stand from the perspective of these Xiyang House Phase Crafters, while simultaneously harboring the intent to sow discord between the two sides.

And the effect of these words was indeed good; some Phase Crafters already showed indignation and were ready to stir.

Li Luo’s gaze also lingered on Pang Qianchi for a few seconds; this old fox was indeed harder to deal with than Zhuang Yi.

"I am also a Phase Crafter. Although I am only Second Grade and cannot compare with everyone yet, I think that what a President should do is not simply refine Spirit Liquid and Light, but to see if they have the ability to make the Xiyang House stronger," Li Luo said with a faint smile.

"I don't know if everyone is clear about the situation at the Xiyang House branch in Tianshu County. In previous years, the annual profit there was only about 100,000 gold, but with my collaboration, the branch's profit this year will reach 300,000 gold, a full three-fold increase."

"And as far as I know, the annual profit of the Xiyang House headquarters is only about a million gold, right?"

Li Luo’s voice spread out unhurriedly, causing the commotion in the field to gradually subside significantly. Some Phase Crafters looked skeptical; they naturally knew about the Xiyang House branch in Tianshu County, but a branch could actually reach a profit of 300,000 gold a year? That was close to one-third of the headquarters!

At this time, Yan Lingqing stood out and said: "The situation at the Tianshu County branch is indeed as the Young Manor Master said. If any of you have doubts, you can go directly to the branch to investigate."

Seeing that even Yan Lingqing was so adamant, the voices of the Xiyang House Phase Crafters present became even quieter. If these things were really true, then this Young Manor Master’s ability was simply too terrifying, right?

Although one's own ability is important for serving as President, isn't the ultimate goal to make the Xiyang House stronger?

Pang Qianchi’s face twitched slightly, and a trace of annoyance flashed in his eyes; he never expected that Li Luo would actually step in personally.

"Is the Young Manor Master doing this to chill people's hearts?" Pang Qianchi couldn't help but say.

"Vice President Pang, do you feel that me taking the position of President will chill your heart?" Li Luo said.

Pang Qianchi was noncommittal and said calmly: "Everyone has witnessed how much merit I have established for the Xiyang House. Back then, when I competed with Han Zhi, the two Manor Masters chose him, and I had nothing to say. But now, Han Zhi’s betrayal proves that the original choice was wrong. Why can’t the Young Manor Master rectify this mistake?"

Li Luo smiled and said: "Back then, Vice President Pang could wholeheartedly work for the Xiyang House, but what about now? Is it for Pei Hao?"

"Pei Hao is also a disciple of the two Manor Masters, and I am loyal to the Luolan Manor. Everything I do is for it to become better!" Pang Qianchi said in a deep voice.

"Now that Han Zhi has betrayed us, the Xiyang House has already lost a senior Fifth Grade Phase Crafter. If the Young Manor Master really wants to disregard the rules, I fear the Xiyang House will lose even more Phase Crafters." By this point, the words already carried a hint of a threat.

Pang Qianchi, who had Pei Hao’s support behind him, clearly did not fear Li Luo and Jiang Qing’e.

After all, if the other party really wanted to do something to him, Pei Hao would inevitably retaliate, which would only make things worse for the Luolan Manor.

"Pang Qianchi, you are presumptuous!" Elder Zheng Ping shouted with an angry expression.

However, Pang Qianchi was not afraid, and holding his head high, he said: "I just hope the Young Manor Master can be more rational. Everything I do is for the Xiyang House to be better!"

"Everyone, are you willing to support me?" He looked at the other Phase Crafters here and asked.

In the crowd, some Phase Crafters hesitated, and one after another, people spoke up: "Vice President Pang is indeed the best candidate for President in the Xiyang House."

What these people said was actually correct; if one set aside Pang Qianchi’s stance, just looking at his ability and seniority, he was truly the most suitable candidate.

But... how could this stance be set aside?

So hearing these voices, he also understood that compared to him, an unfamiliar Young Manor Master, these Phase Crafters were inevitably more inclined toward the familiar Pang Qianchi in their hearts.

However, he was not angry, but stepped forward, stood on the steps, looked down at the many Phase Crafters present, and said faintly: "Do you all know why I was able to make the Xiyang House branch in Tianshu County improve to its current level in just two months?"

Many Phase Crafters looked at each other, expressing some confusion about this. After all, Li Luo was only a Second Grade Phase Crafter; to say he could change the performance of a Xiyang House branch was truly a bit difficult to believe.

"Actually, it’s very simple. It’s just because I have mastered a type of Secret Method Source Water. I believe that in the future, with the assistance of this Secret Method Source Water, the Xiyang House headquarters will also see a leap in improvement. In time, it might not be impossible to even become one of the top ten Spirit Liquid and Light houses in the Great Xia."

As Li Luo’s voice fell, a shocking uproar erupted in the crowd.

"Secret Method Source Water?! The Young Manor Master actually has a Secret Method Source Water?"

As Phase Crafters, they understood best just how precious this kind of Secret Method Source Water was to a Spirit Liquid and Light house. It could be said without hesitation that the value of a refining method for a Secret Method Source Water would not be an exaggeration at millions or even tens of millions of gold.

The Xiyang House had developed for so many years and had yet to develop a suitable Secret Method Source Water, which showed just how rare they were.

And those Spirit Liquid and Light houses with great reputations in the Great Xia all possessed more than one Secret Method Source Water or Secret Method Source Light. So if the Xiyang House wanted to become a famous Spirit Liquid and Light house in the Great Xia, the primary condition was likely to possess its own Secret Method Source Water or Source Light.

Precisely because of the preciousness of Secret Method Source Water, they were so shocked and lost their composure when they heard that Li Luo had mastered a refining method for one.

Pang Qianchi’s expression was also shifting uncertainly, and then he couldn't help but say: "Even if it is a Secret Method Source Water, it depends on its purity and grade. Ordinary Secret Method Source Water cannot support the Young Manor Master’s big talk."

Li Luo found Pang Qianchi’s stubbornness somewhat amusing, and then he smilingly tossed out a few glass bottles to some of the nearby Phase Crafters.

Being stubborn, are we... no problem, I specialize in treating that.

Elder Zheng Ping also received one. He quickly opened the bottle stopper, dripped out the Secret Method Source Water inside, and sensed it slightly; a look of shock appeared on his aged face.

"This... this Secret Method Source Water, its purity has reached at least the Seventh Grade! And it is a high-Seventh Grade purity Secret Method Source Water at that!"

Whoa!

The other Phase Crafters, after distinguishing the purity of this Secret Method Source Water, also had their faces lose color, and the hands holding the glass bottles were trembling.

High-Seventh Grade purity... this level of Secret Method Source Water could probably only be possessed by those Spirit Liquid and Light houses ranked in the top ten in the Great Xia!

The gazes of the Phase Crafters present, looking at Li Luo again, suddenly became fiery.

Because with this level of purity of Secret Method Source Water, not only was the quality of the refined Spirit Liquid higher, but most importantly, if one used this kind of Secret Method Source Water often during regular refining, it might even lead to an improvement in their own Phase Crafting techniques. With a bit of luck, they might even break through a bottleneck and step into the next level.

This principle was somewhat similar to the experience when Li Luo helped Yan Lingqing refine Fifth Grade Spirit Liquid at the Spirit Liquid and Light Festival in Tianshu County...

Therefore, in this Great Xia, all Phase Crafters wanted to join a Spirit Liquid and Light house that possessed high-purity Secret Method Source Water, because here, it would be easier for them to improve their own Phase Art levels.

So, when Li Luo brought out this Seventh Grade purity Secret Method Source Water, everyone’s hearts were shaken...

And amidst those many eager gazes, Li Luo stared at the ashen-faced Pang Qianchi with a half-smile.

"Vice President Pang, do you have anything else to say?"