Chapter 996

As Li Luo gazed into the distance at the mysterious girl who gave him a sense of familiarity, their eyes met for a brief moment.

Looking at Li Luo’s familiar, handsome face, the girl, whose face was veiled in thin gauze, felt her body tremble slightly, and many emotions she had suppressed in her heart began to surge like a tide, almost beyond her control.

However, just at that moment, a figure walked past, perfectly blocking the line of sight between the two.

With their gazes severed, the girl’s emotions instantly subsided, and the ripples in her ice-lake-like eyes vanished without a trace; she lifted her gaze slightly to look at the figure before her.

It was a tall, handsome young man with a bright smile on his face, who was looking at her with gentle eyes and asking softly, "Miss Qing, what is the matter?"

The young man was named Mu Yao, the grandson of the Grand Elder of the Golden Dragon Bank’s headquarters in the Tianyuan Divine Continent; in terms of status, he was the highest-ranking among the many young people from the headquarters who had entered the Spirit Phase Cave, and his own natural talent was extraordinary, with a reputation among the younger generation of the Tianyuan Divine Continent no less than that of top prodigies like Zhao Yan, Qin Ying, and Li Wuyuan.

The girl addressed as Miss Qing shook her head slightly and said softly, "It’s nothing, I just felt a bit dizzy after being teleported here. Speaking of which, I owe thanks to Brother Mu for escorting me all the way into the Spirit Phase Cave this time."

Mu Yao smiled and said, "Miss Qing is too kind. You have many experts by your side, so you don't really need my protection. However, since we are the hosts, we must do our best; otherwise, if my grandfather finds out I didn't take good care of you after I return, he will surely reprimand me."

His attitude was very enthusiastic, and as he spoke, his gaze always lingered on the girl’s clear, ice-lake-like eyes; the occasional hint of pursuit in his expression was actually quite obvious.

Yet, others found this quite normal; a fair lady is a gentleman's desire, and this "Miss Qing" from the mountains possessed a noble bloodline and extraordinary status, surpassing the women of her generation at the Golden Dragon Bank’s Tianyuan headquarters in both appearance, temperament, and status, so it was only natural for Mu Yao to be moved.

"Miss Qing, now that we have entered the Spirit Phase Palace, let us prioritize your affairs; our Golden Dragon Bank’s Tianyuan headquarters will fully cooperate with you," Mu Yao said.

"I am sorry to trouble you all."

Miss Qing nodded slightly, seemingly unaware of the burning gaze Mu Yao was fixing upon her, and said, "Without further ado, let us proceed directly."

"Sister Jin, let's go."

She turned her head to look at the tall woman who had been following her closely as her personal bodyguard.

The tall woman nodded and led the team, walking quickly toward one end of the white jade plaza.

Miss Qing forced herself not to look back at Li Luo and followed along; the most important thing right now was to complete her mission, and then see if there would be an opportunity to meet with Li Luo.

Mu Yao and his group followed a step behind, but as he left, his gaze swept toward Li Luo’s position in the distance, his eyes flickering; because he was constantly paying attention to Miss Qing’s actions, he naturally noticed that she had actually been looking at Li Luo earlier.

The emotions that surged in her eyes in that instant did not look like she was seeing a stranger.

Moreover, as the grandson of the Grand Elder of the Golden Dragon Bank’s Tianyuan headquarters, he naturally had many informants, so he also knew that on the night before entering the Spirit Phase Cave, Miss Qing had sent Sister Jin to deliver a "Nine-Orifice Qi-Refining Pill" to Li Luo.

This was enough to show that the two actually knew each other and had a deep connection.

"That Li Luo is said to have returned from an outer divine continent, so how could he know Miss Qing?" A faint smile remained on Mu Yao’s handsome face, but a cold light flashed in his eyes.

"I hope you won't ruin my plans."

Li Luo withdrew his gaze, which held a hint of doubt, as the figures disappeared; he wondered if that sense of familiarity just now was merely an illusion.

"Let us also set off. Now that we have arrived at the Spirit Phase Palace, we must visit the 'Heavenly Qi Wheel'; we cannot miss it." At this moment, Li Wuyuan spoke first, drawing everyone's attention.

"Heavenly Qi Wheel?" Hearing these three words, Li Luo couldn't help but ask Li Fuling with a puzzled look.

"The Heavenly Qi Wheel is a unique object in this Spirit Phase Palace. It is said to contain countless 'Pearl-Condensing Arts.' As long as you input some 'Spirit Phase Golden Dew,' you have a chance to obtain a 'Pearl-Condensing Art' that is well-suited to yourself. Many rogue cultivators at the Heavenly Pearl stage enter the Spirit Phase Cave partly because of it," Li Fuling explained.

Upon hearing this, Li Luo’s heart stirred: "Heavenly Qi Pearl-Condensing Art?"

He was aware of this art; just like the Qi-Refining Arts they practiced at the Earth Fiend General stage, this Heavenly Qi Pearl-Condensing Art was a cultivation method unique to the Heavenly Pearl stage.

The function of this art was simple but crucial: it increased the speed of condensing Heavenly Pearls.

Because Li Luo had only just broken through to the Heavenly Pearl stage, he hadn't had time to formally practice a Pearl-Condensing Art, but the Dragon Tooth Lineage had a large collection of them, so Li Luo wasn't in a hurry; he had originally planned to return to the Dragon Tooth Lineage to find one that suited him after the Spirit Phase Cave expedition ended.

"Cousin Li Luo, since you have just broken through to the Heavenly Pearl stage, you might as well try your luck. Although our Dragon Tooth Lineage has a good collection of 'Pearl-Condensing Arts,' in terms of sheer quantity, it likely cannot compare to this 'Heavenly Qi Wheel.' Since 'Pearl-Condensing Arts' require compatibility with one's own nature, and you possess three phases, your requirements for such an art must be extremely demanding. Therefore, if you can obtain one that fits you through this Heavenly Qi Wheel, it would be a significant opportunity," Li Fuling suggested.

Li Luo was somewhat moved by these words; for someone at the Heavenly Pearl stage, a perfectly compatible "Pearl-Condensing Art" was indeed something to dream of.

As they spoke, their group began to move, quickly dashing out of the white jade plaza and following Li Wuyuan in a certain direction.

At the same time, Li Luo saw many other figures rushing in the same direction, clearly all aiming for the so-called "Heavenly Qi Wheel."

After dashing at full speed for about ten minutes, they saw a high platform rising from the ground. On top of the platform, a white jade wheel about a hundred feet wide stood silently. Inscribed on the white jade wheel were countless ancient, obscure light patterns, and a mysterious fluctuation was faintly emanating from it.

At this moment, quite a few people had already gathered beneath the white jade wheel, their burning, greedy gazes scanning it.

"Why aren't they making a move?" Li Luo was puzzled to see that these people had arrived but were not taking action, instead looking at those around them with fierce eyes.

"Because they don't have enough Spirit Phase Golden Dew," Li Wuyuan said indifferently.

"To activate the Heavenly Qi Wheel, one person needs to pay one hundred drops of Spirit Phase Golden Dew to secure a spot, which is not a small amount for many rogue cultivators."

Li Luo realized; one hundred drops of Spirit Phase Golden Dew was indeed a huge number. Previously, activating the Golden Phase Talisman and opening the access to the Golden Dew Terrace only required thirty drops.

"Our Dragon Blood, Dragon Horn, and Dragon Bone lineages can only scrape together two hundred drops of Spirit Phase Golden Dew, which is only two spots. Brother Qingfeng needs one, so don't expect us to give you any spots," Li Hongli suddenly said.

Her tone carried a warning; with two spots, Li Qingfeng took one, and the remaining one was naturally what she coveted, so there was no way she would give it to the Dragon Tooth Lineage.

The "Pearl-Condensing Arts" on this "Heavenly Qi Wheel" were best suited for those who had recently entered the Heavenly Pearl stage, while people like Li Wuyuan and Li Fuling, who had already reached the high-star Heavenly Pearl stage, already had familiar Pearl-Condensing Arts and didn't need to spend time replacing them.

"Who wants it!" Li Fengyi said unhappily.

"Then can you come up with one hundred drops of Spirit Phase Golden Dew?" Li Hongli curled her lip.

Li Fengyi faltered. She wasn't sure about the situation of the other teams, but after unlocking the access to the Golden Dew Terrace, they still had some Spirit Phase Golden Dew left, but it was still a long way from one hundred drops.

Li Jingtao chuckled and said, "If we pool our resources in the Dragon Tooth Lineage, we should be able to scrape together a spot for our third brother."

Li Fuling nodded and said, "Then let's pool them together."

Hearing this, Li Luo frowned: "One hundred drops of Spirit Phase Golden Dew for one spot?"

Li Fengyi sighed and said, "It is indeed quite high."

Li Luo smiled: "It's not that bad, actually."

As soon as he said this, everyone rolled their eyes at him, but then they saw Li Luo slowly take out three jade bottles and toss them to the stunned Li Fengyi, Li Jingtao, and Deng Fengxian.

"Here, here, everyone in our Dragon Tooth Lineage gets a share. One hundred drops each, take them and get a spot."

After saying this, he thought for a moment and looked at Lu Qingmei, asking, "Can you guys scrape together one hundred drops?"

Lu Qingmei hesitated for a moment and looked at Li Guan, who said with some shame, "We are still thirty drops short."

So Li Luo tossed out another jade bottle: "I'll make up the difference for you. We've traveled together for a while, after all; I can't let the Dragon Scale Lineage suffer a loss."

Lu Qingmei quickly caught the jade bottle and said with a happy, soft smile, "Then thank you for your generosity, Dragon Head."

And when Li Luo finished doing this, the atmosphere among the Dragon Blood, Dragon Bone, and Dragon Horn lineages suddenly fell silent.

(End of chapter)