Chapter 1429: Newest Mentor

"Mentor Chi Chan, are you also here for the Celestial Mirror Pagoda?" Li Luo asked with a grin after the initial exchange of greetings.

Mentor Chi Chan nodded. "The Astral Sage College has a serious shortage of manpower, but Vice Principal Su Xin understands the importance of the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. She thus chose the three of us to come here. Although our lineup seems a little shabby, it is the best the Astral Sage College can produce, considering what we have to spare. With the three of us gone, the other mentors and students will be subject to much more pressure and perhaps even more will be injured."

Her eyes dimmed slightly. The situation of the Astral Sage College wasn't optimistic, and they had engaged in countless battles against the Others throughout the years. Many mentors had perished because of this, and their hearts and bodies were weary. Thus, every single Duke was an important cornerstone of the college's power.

Three of the main mentors had suddenly been taken out of the balance, so the school had weakened significantly as a result.

"Vice Principal Su Xin's decision is the right one. Mentor Chi Chan, if you can obtain suitable opportunities in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda, your strength can rise, and you can better alleviate the pressure on the college when you return," Li Luo said in an attempt to console her. He understood Vice Principal Su Xin's decision. In order to improve the college's strength in the long run, they had to take advantage of any opportunity that came their way.

Mentor Chi Chan continued, "Furthermore, Vice Principal Su Xin asked me to express her thanks to you. Because of your actions, we were able to return from Heavenly Origin Ancient College with a large amount of cultivation resources. This helped relieve some of the pressure, and the many students who received the resources are very grateful to you."

"Ah, I'm also a student of the Astral Sage College, so I would never shirk from my duty as a student. After all, House Luolan has been in the Xia Kingdom for many years and has benefited from the college's care. This is something I'll have to repay." Li Luo smiled. At this point, he asked, "How is the situation of the Other Disaster in the Xia Kingdom? Particularly, where Principal Pang is..."

When the Xia Kingdom experienced an upheaval, Principal Pang had single-handedly sealed two Other Kings, dragging them down with him. Otherwise, they would have descended upon the Xia Kingdom, and with its limited strength, it could very well have been completely reduced to a barren wasteland. The Others would wreak havoc, and the consequences would be horrific.

That said, the seal would not last forever. It would weaken over the years and could already be at its limit. Once the seal wore off, the two Other Kings would appear and the Xia Kingdom would encounter a catastrophe.

"A while ago, we detected that the worldly natural energy in the area had become much more active. Based on Vice Principal Su Xin's guesses, Principal Pang's seal might last just another year." A worried look could be seen on Mentor Chi Chan's face. The two Other Kings in the Umbra Cave were a weight on everyone's hearts that constantly left them in a state of unease.

"A year..." Li Luo sighed.

"I'll return to the Xia Kingdom before that. At that point, I'll figure out a way to deal with the Other Kings."

House Luolan was waiting for him in the Xia Kingdom, and he had many friends there. In the past, he didn't have the strength to avert the disaster, but he had gained strength of his own. Furthermore, the Dragon's Fang Lineage and Tantai Lan stood behind him.

The originally colossal Other Disaster that had afflicted the Xia Kingdom no longer seemed as bleak or hopeless in his eyes.

Especially after seeing the Other Disaster that struck the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin. The one in the Xia Kingdom was merely child's play compared to it.

Chi Chan, Cao Sheng, and Mi Er had looks of joy upon hearing this. If Li Luo had said these words a few years ago, they wouldn't have meant as much, but things were different now. The flightless chick that had joined the Astral Sage College all those years ago had grown up. His strength and background made it possible to resolve the disaster that loomed over the Xia Kingdom.

Mentor Chi Chan wanted to express her gratitude, but Li Luo quickly stopped her by holding her back. "Mentor, the Astral Sage College has helped protect House Luolan all these years. I'm just returning what is due," he explained. Ever since he left, House Luolan had lost its backers, and without a Duke looking over it, it would have undoubtedly been coveted by other powers in the chaos. Despite that, it remained safe and untouched, which was naturally due to the Astral Sage College's intervention.

Mentor Chi Chan smiled. "It wasn't only because of the Astral Sage College. The First Princess has also put in her full effort to support House Luolan. It's grown decently under Cai Wei's guidance."

"First Princess, Sister Cai Wei..." The faces of those two ladies appeared in Li Luo's mind. It had been many years since they met, and he missed those close friends of his. Li Luo then pulled himself back into the present. "Mentor Chi Chan, since you were waiting for me here, what are your plans?"

She paused as though hesitant to speak, whereas Mentor Cao Sheng beside her chuckled. "She has thin skin, so since she is embarrassed to ask, I'll do it. You've seen for yourself. The Astral Sage College dispatched the three of us, and the lineup is relatively shabby when compared to the other sage colleges. As a result, we aren't very competitive. Thus, we won't be able to progress very far in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. As a result, we wanted to know if you're willing to enter under the Astral Sage College's name and form a squad with us."

Mentor Chi Chan's fair face was stained with red. What squad was he talking about? They simply wanted to tag along with Li Luo and grab hold of some opportunities along the way. However, she couldn't bring herself to say all this.

Li Luo was a little surprised. "I can enter the Celestial Mirror Pagoda under the Astral Sage College?"

This was out of his expectations as mentors were the only individuals from sage colleges that were allowed to participate.

Cao Sheng then took out a scroll with a hearty smile. "When we left the Xia Kingdom, Vice Principal Su Xin prepared several unsigned letters of appointment in advance. So long as you agree, with Vice principal Lan Lingzi's approval, you can be considered a mentor of the Astral Sage College."

"Me, becoming a mentor?" Li Luo had an amazed look on his face. It seemed like Vice Principal Su Xin had been very thoughtful, even planning for such a situation in advance.

Meanwhile, Lan Lingzi gave a wry smile at the side. "Although this doesn't fully comply with the rules, I have no issues with it. It's also Old Pang's college, so I should show it some special care. However, this will put you at a disadvantage. You can still choose to enter under the Heavenly Origin Ancient College, and with that, you'll face less obstacles. Thus, you can choose to reject it if you wish."

Li Luo grinned. The Heavenly Origin Ancient College was countless times stronger than the declining Astral Sage College. As a result, the trouble he would encounter would undoubtedly be much less. However, to him, there were things in life that were more important than getting stuck in predicaments. Cao Sheng and Mi Er were a little nervous. If Li Luo were to reject, they would have to grit their teeth and try their luck in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda.

Chi Chan lowered her eyes, focusing only on the ground without saying a word.

Li Luo suddenly scratched his chin and smirked. "I have a question."

"What is it?" Cao Sheng hurriedly asked.

"If I were to accept this letter of appointment... Does this mean that in the future, Yu Lang will have to address me as ‘mentor?’"

Chi Chan, Cao Sheng, and Mi Er were taken aback by his sudden question. They didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this moment. This was the special question in Li Luo's mind? Mi Er revealed a smile.

"Well, in terms of position, that would indeed be the case."

With that, the letter of appointment fell into Li Luo's hands, and he grinned. "I can't say no in that case."

Cao Sheng and Mi Er heaved sighs of relief and looked elated.

Chi Chan slightly clenched her fists and then loosened them.

Li Luo then glanced at the letter of appointment in his hand. The entire question about Yu Lang was just a joke. Even without mentioning how the Astral Sage College had taken care of House Luolan all these years, just Mentor Chi Chan's presence alone would have meant that Li Luo would not have rejected them. During his time of need, Chi Chan had abandoned her title as a mentor to help him. After which, she single-handedly stormed over towards House Lanling to restrain the House Lord. This was a monumental favor, and Li Luo would bring Chi Chan along without any hesitation to the Celestial Mirror Pagoda to obtain opportunities for her.

Li Hongyou, who was beside them, suddenly asked Cao Sheng, "Do you have another one? I'll take one as well." At the same time, she introduced herself. "I'm Li Hongyou, an upper first-grade Duke. I have a lower ninth-grade Crimson Heart Vermilion Fruit resonance and a quasi ninth-grade Pharmacist Jade Dragon resonance. My combat power isn't the best, but I wield great supportive boons."

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Ah!" Cao Sheng and Mi Er gasped in shock. Her two rarely-seen ninth-grade supportive resonances instantly made her value skyrocket. In any case, she was far more valuable than the two of them. "Of course! Of course we do!" Cao Sheng hurriedly pulled out yet another unsigned letter.

"Thank you." Li Hongyou received it respectfully.

Cao Sheng and Mi Er had grins that couldn't be wider. They had basically picked up an excellent teammate for free! However, they also understood that Li Hongyou was only doing this because of Li Luo. They definitely didn't have a simple relationship. Li Luo glanced at Li Hongyou, but he didn't say anything. He knew that she didn't plan to separate herself from him, and this was a good thing as they could now watch over each other.

"Our lineup is starting to look pretty impressive. If Jiang Qing'e was here, that would be even better," Cao Sheng lamented greedily.

"Don't even think about it. She's cultivated in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College for a period of time and has been marked by them. If you were to forcefully recruit her under Li Luo's name, I'm afraid they would make life very difficult for you," Vice Principal Lan Lingzi said.

Cao Sheng smiled sheepishly.

"It doesn't matter, we’re more than enough."

"In that case, the five of us will form a squad under the Astral Sage College for the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. I have a feeling that we will be able to go quite the distance." Li Luo smiled.

Chi Chan shook her head. "Actually, it's not five. There are six of us."

"Six people?" Li Luo paused. Who was the last person?

Chi Chan gave a meaningful chuckle."Lu Qing'er."

"Who?!"