Chapter 1449: Sheng Qiao'er

"Huh?"

When faced with the sudden words from the lady from the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College, Li Luo was left in a daze for several moments and he was unable to react.

“Who is her wife? Isn't she a female?”

When Li Luo finally came to, Jiang Qing'er had a look of helplessness on her fair and flawless face. "Mentor Qiao'er, please stop messing with Li Luo."

"Ha... you're actually protecting him. It must be true love." Sheng Qiao'er pouted and retracted her spear.

Jiang Qing'e glanced at Li Luo and introduced her. "Mentor Qiao'er often guided me when I was cultivating in the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College, so our relationship isn’t bad. She likes to joke around, so don't mind her."

"Qing'e, is our relationship merely ‘not bad?’" Qiao'er feigned a hurt look.

At this point, Ning Meng walked out from behind her, clutching her bamboo cup. She said in a lazy voice, "Mentor Qiao'er, you're no longer young. Stop acting so childishly."

Sheng Qiao'er glared angrily at Ning Meng. "Who's not young? Do you even know how to speak? Are you looking to die?!"

Ning Meng completely ignored her and looked at Li Luo with some shock. "Li Luo, you're pretty impressive. You've actually become a second-grade Transcendent."

He was merely at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier when they first met in the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. It had been barely two years since, and he had become a second-grade Duke, with two Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds to boot.

In terms of talent, he wasn't Jiang Qing'e's inferior.

"Senior Ning Meng, you praise me too much," Li Luo said with a grin.

"Might you have reached the Second Duke Stage as well?"

He could sense majestic undulations of resonant power coming from her, and they were no weaker than those of the fourth-grade Chi Chan.

"Mhm. I'm a second-grade Duke now."

She then chewed on her straw. "However, I’m not as great as you. I've only gotten one Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried."

Li Luo paused. Her words made sense. The fact that her energy undulations as a second-grade Duke were no weaker than those of an average fourth-grade Duke was precisely because of the Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried. Her middle ninth-grade Light Chaser Beast resonance was the highest-grade resonance that Li Luo had seen with the exception of Jiang Qing'e and King Stage experts. When she broke through in the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm, her first Duke Bergfried was a nine-pillar, but it didn't mean that her foundation was insufficient. It was simply that her preparations at that point weren’t adequate, considering the location. Now that she had been bitterly cultivating within the Celestial Mirror Pagoda, she was naturally able to obtain a Ten Pillar.

"Li Luo, what tasty thing are you hiding on your body?" Ning Meng curiously asked as she sized him up.

Li Luo paused.

"Did you happen to bring a delicious bamboo shoot snack? I can smell the scent of Heavenly Thunder Bamboo. Is that a gift for me?" Ning Meng licked her lips and revealed her adorable, tiger-like teeth.

“Is she referring to the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo shoot that Grandpa transformed into? She can sense it? Is it because of the ninth-grade Light Chaser Beast resonance?”

The beast liked things affiliated with the light and enjoyed eating spirit bamboo. The Heavenly Thunder Bamboo in particular could be considered the peak of spirit bamboos.

Li Luo hurriedly shook his head. "This Heavenly Thunder Bamboo shoot is extremely important to me. I can't give it to you."

“She must be joking! This isn't a Heavenly Thunder Bamboo shoot, it’s my grandpa! How could I give it to her as a snack?”

Ning Meng looked a little disappointed, but she could sense that the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo shoot wasn't ordinary. Its alluring fragrance was something she had not smelled before, but since it was very important to Li Luo, she wouldn't ask for it again.

"The Heavenly Thunder Bamboo shoot in your hands seems to have very weak life force. The Light Chaser Beast is great at raising bamboo, so if you need help, you can ask me," Ning Meng said.

Li Luo was a little surprised. The Light Chaser Beast even knew how to raise bamboo? That was quite curious. Could it be that it enjoyed spirit bamboo so much that it took great effort in growing it? However, he kept Ning Meng's offer in mind. After all, the growth of the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo shoot would directly determine whether or not Li Jingzhe could be reborn.

Both sides continued talking for a while. When Jiang Qing'e saw that it was almost time, she said, "Li Luo, the Celestial Mirror Pagoda's trial is about to start. We will have to leave to get ready. Although you're within the outer divine continents’ territories, you will have to deal with some seventh-grade Duke experts. You can't underestimate them."

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Li Luo grinned and nodded. "You can relax. I want to see if my trump cards will allow me to challenge a seventh-grade Duke on my own."

"Oh? You're that confident? Even Jiang Qing'e, a third-grade Transcendent, has to take out all her cards to challenge a seventh-grade Duke. Don't you think you're lacking a bit of firepower?" Sheng Qiao'er asked in amusement, raising her sword-like eyebrows.

She didn't doubt his abilities or his talent, but the gap between him and a seventh-grade Duke was a massive chasm. The way she saw it, his confidence was as good as embarrassing himself.

A Transcendent overcoming a gap of three grades was normal, but Li Luo planned to overcome a gap of five grades! At the very least, these words would be more fitting if he was a third-grade Transcendent.

"I'm just going to try it out. If I can't, I'll leave it to the vice principals of the East Divine Continent." Li Luo didn't feel a need to bicker with Sheng Qiao'er. After all, the mere thought of it was ludicrous and he himself felt that it would be a little too difficult.

Sheng Qiao'er shrugged. "If you can really exchange blows with a seventh-grade Duke and not lose, you will send shockwaves throughout the world."

Jiang Qing'e then turned towards Chi Chan, Cao Sheng, Mi Er, and the rest and greeted them. She then glanced at Lu Qing'er, who had not spoken a word, and left with Sheng Qiao'er, Ning Meng, and the rest, back towards the platform for her college. Upon leaving, the numerous curious gazes also dispersed.

Li Luo wasn't concerned with the looks of the outsiders and returned to his squad. He then looked at the beautiful but cool Lu Qing'er and asked carefully, "Are you alright?"

He felt a slight headache coming. Meeting an old friend was supposed to be a joyous occasion, but it had turned out to be incredibly awkward instead. He simply didn't know how to react.

Lu Qing'er looked at Li Luo. The cautiousness he was showing made her gaze flicker momentarily and her thoughts began to wander, then she finally sighed.

She couldn't blame Li Luo for how things had turned out. Everything had been wishful thinking from the very beginning. Since her personality had been affected by the Permafrost Sacred Seed, she had finally seen through the fog.

However, this wouldn't go on for much longer.

When the Permafrost Sacred Seed was completely unsealed, her emotions would all be frozen and she would no longer have any stray thoughts. That said, they could still be friends. Friends without any unnecessary emotions between them.

Thus, there was no need to make Li Luo feel any discomfort in her presence at this last juncture. After all, he had to focus on the powerful opponents before him.

With this in mind, a faint but cold smile surfaced on her gorgeous face as she met Li Luo's eyes. "I'm fine. You can relax and focus on your goals. I'll assist you."

Li Luo was speechless, because she sounded like she was settling her final affairs.

Dong!

At this point, a loud bell chime reverberated throughout the skies and filled every corner of Celestial Mirror City.

Anticipation welled up in everyone's eyes.

This bell signified that the Celestial Mirror Pagoda's trials were officially starting!