The Spiritual Tree Tide lasted for two hours.

When the Green Wood Portal closed, the gushing torrent of energy turned into a gradual stream and eventually disappeared completely.

Many of the spectators remained quiet for a while after.

They all stared at the highest step. Over there, Li Luo had directly obstructed the front of the Green Wood Portal. His hands were fully extended and he was stationed there like a giant rock bracing against the tide. No matter how the gushing water smashed against it, the rock wouldn't even budge a single inch.

Everyone else was waiting for the Spirit Tide below. Looking at Li Luo, it seemed like he couldn't wait to block off the Green Wood Portal directly.

What a shocking development.

None of them had seen anything like this before.

Even someone as strong as Wu Changkong had remained in his step even though he could withstand the Spirit Tide. He had never gotten such insane thoughts like blocking it directly. This was such a ridiculous idea.

Many eyes turned towards Wu Changkong. His heroic, handsome face had turned into one full of shock and confusion.

Jiang Wanyu turned towards Feng Lingyuan. Beneath her usually cool face, the latter was clearly confused too. "So, you can block off the gate in the Spirit Tide?"

Feng Lingyuan was at a loss for words. After a while, she continued, "No one's tried it before. Amongst all those from the previous generations, no one's even considered such an insane idea."

None of them knew how Li Luo had done it.

Under the strange and quiet atmosphere, Li Luo finally snapped back from his state of full concentration. The first thing that he did was summon the resonant power within his body.

Bzz!

Bright and brilliant Heavenly Pearls materialized behind him one after another.

In the end, there were six complete Heavenly Pearls, rotating at very high speeds and absorbing the worldly natural energy from the surroundings. Beside of the sixth pearl was another half-completed Heavenly Pearl. Its color was clearly dimmer than the rest.

In just a short two hours, Li Luo had not only reached the six-pearl tier but also laid the foundation for his seventh pearl.

This was undoubtedly a huge step. Although the Spiritual Tree Tide was only opened once a year, the only students who managed to make breakthroughs during it were those who were already nearly there. Using the Spirit Tide to give them another push, they were then able to complete the breakthrough.

Getting one and a half Heavenly Pearls like Li Luo was a truly rare sight.

"That's all? Only six and a half pearls?"

Li Luo was a little dissatisfied. He was so close to the seventh pearl. He stretched out his hand and smacked the Green Wood Portal a few times, seeing if anything else would leak out of it.

Naturally, there was no reaction.

Li Luo could only retract his hand angrily. The incomplete Auric Halo was what had allowed him to gain so much. However, it was very mysterious, and Li Luo could not control it at will. When the cultivation ended earlier, he had tried to activate it again. Unfortunately, the Auric Halo seemed to have fallen back into a silent state and there was no response.

"What exactly is this thing?"

Li Luo's heart was full of questions. He could sense that the Auric Halo was extraordinary. It seemed to be connected to his acquired resonances. After all, they were all by products of the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art.

Li Luo made some rough guesses, but there was ultimately no conclusion. He could only suppress his curiosity for now.

The three vice principals recovered from the shock at this point. They looked towards Li Luo curiously. Despite spending so many years as the elders of the college, this was the first time they had seen someone so creative, desperately trying to block out the portal during the Spiritual Tree Tide to maximize his own gains...

"Li Luo has created a new path to success for the Spiritual Tree Tide," Vice Principal Qing Man commented. She did not know whether she should cry or laugh at this.

Vice Principal Lan Lingzi shook her head and said, "I am afraid others will not be able to do the same. The energy right in front of the Green Wood Portal is immense; not even those at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier would be able to refine it in time. They'd be overwhelmed, simply exploding."

"Now I am curious, how exactly did he manage to do it? How did he refine and absorb such an immense amount of energy?" Vice Principal Qing Man asked.

"He's from a Heavenly Emperor power after all. Besides, he's the beloved grandson of the Dragon's Fang Lineage's Lineage Chief. I believe he was given some type of secret art to assist him," Lan Lingzi replied. She was not too surprised by this. Given Li Luo's background, it was only normal that he had a few stunning tricks like this.

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Meanwhile, Wu Yu's face was expressionless. His faint voice echoed throughout the audience. "This is the end of the Spiritual Tree Tide. All students should take a good rest and prepare to set out in the coming days."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around and disappeared from where he had been standing.

Lan Lingzi and Qing Man took a glance at each other. They did not hang around much longer and left the venue too.

In the spectator platform, Wu Changkong's expression had recovered from the surprise. There was a hint of green light flowing in his eyes as he said with a smile, "Junior Li Luo is full of surprises. If I have another chance to participate in the Spiritual Tree Tide, I will try out his method. I wonder if I'll be able to withstand it."

There seemed to be some self-deprecation in his words, which made him appear somewhat magnanimous.

On his side, the beautiful lady named Xu Xi said, "Senior Changkong, don't belittle yourself. You've relied on your own abilities instead of some secret art to take full advantage of the Spiritual Tree Tide. Besides, with your reputation and status, there is no need to take such an unorthodox approach."

Many of the other Heavenly Star Hall students agreed with her.

However, Jiang Wanyu rebutted them. "There are no rules or restrictions in the Spiritual Tree Tide. It all depends on the individual's capabilities. Whoever is better will be able to get more out of it. What's unorthodox about what Li Luo did?"

Xu Xi did not respond to her. She could not be bothered to argue with a Three Star Hall student like Jiang Wanyu.

Wu Changkong grinned when he heard this. He glanced towards Li Luo before turning around and leading the crowd out of the place.

On the other hand, Li Luo was not too bothered by the strange gazes from the crowd. He turned around and happily greeted Lu Ming, Jing Taixu, and Sun Dasheng.

"Li Luo, you're too scary," Lu Ming could not help but comment.

They could sense how immeasurably large the energy flowing into their bodies was even at the far bottom step. Yet Li Luo had moved beyond the topmost step, stand right in front of the portal, and physically obstruct it.

"That reward comes with its risks," Jing Taixu said with only a little hint of envy.

Li Luo's strength had increased drastically; it was comparable to months of cultivation for anyone else. This was the kind of opportunity that could never have been found back in an outer divine continent. Although Jing Taixu had not received as much of a power-up as Li Luo, it was still a considerable boost for him. The Fiend Dipper Energy within him had increased by quite a bit.

"There's no helping it. The mobilization mission is coming, so I have to increase my strength as much as possible to maximize our odds of survial," Li Luo said. He never meant to make himself so conspicuous. If not for that mysterious activation of his Auric Halo, he would really have struggled. However, the upcoming mission was really dangerous, so his priority was to increase his strength.

The rest nodded in agreement. Although they were shocked by Li Luo's actions earlier, they were even more pleased to see that he had once again strengthened himself. After all, Li Luo and Feng Lingyuan were the two main pillars in their team.

Lu Ming patted her chest and commented, "The mission will begin tomorrow. I'm so nervous. I've never felt like this even when delving into the depths of the Umbra Cave in the past."

"I hope we meet Jiang Qing'e soon. I will feel safer with her by our side," Lu Jinci said with a sigh.

Li Luo revealed a smile when he heard this. Lu Jinci's sigh was a reflection of the thoughts in his heart.

He had been missing that person ever since they separated back in the Xia Kingdom.

Thankfully... his lovesick pain would be coming to an end shortly.