The lake outside House Luolan was a willing canvas of sun and sky, a rippled rendition of azure-blue and pale yellow.
BOOM!
Terrific blasts of resonant power ricocheted off each other, generating large waves across the lake that splattered back down noisily as they sprayed the surrounding banks.
Two people were fighting on the surface, trading blows back and forth.
Li Luo and Jiang Qing’e.
They were having a sparring match.
However, Jiang Qing’e had restricted her own resonant power to the First Changing Tier. Even so, there was an obvious difference between the two. Li Luo was being pushed back at will. No matter what resonance art he applied, he was easily repelled by Jiang Qing’e.
In this sparring match, Li Luo once again learned the meaning of getting wrecked on all fronts.
Ping!
Li Luo drew water inwards as he activated both his resonant powers. His fist thundered out towards Jiang Qing’e’s face, charged with enough resonant power to create a sonic boom around his wrist as he punched out.
Jiang Qing’e crossed two fingers, coating them in light resonant energy like a glove.
Ping!
Jiang Qing’e’s slim frame held her ground easily, while Li Luo was sent staggering back, his feet scrabbling to find purchase on the lake surface.
“Seems like the strongest One Star Hall student is at his limit,” she said teasingly.
“Limit?!” Li Luo was outraged. How could you tell a man that to his face?!
He whipped out a straight blade with a leathery elephant skin. It held so much power that the water level around him dipped.
Li Luo’s face turned serious.
Jiang Qing’e’s eyebrows shot up when he pulled out the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade.
“Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade, Level One Divine Elephant Power!”
Weng!
The Onyx-Elephant Blade was humming with a faint sound, as if a trumpeting elephant was in the distance. A rush of strength flooded Li Luo’s arms.
The water around him sunk a level further, until he was in a visible water crater.
BOOM!
With a simple stamp of his foot, the water exploded, and he lanced out at Jiang Qing’e with the blade.
The sword flashed out, moving feather-light through the air with the weight of an elephant.
Light flashed in Jiang Qing’e’s golden eyes. She did not retreat, but struck out with a glittering fist, still coated in what looked like molten gold glass.
Clang!
The thin sword struck the translucent, yellow hand, both looking fragile as could be.
Yet the aftershock from their impact was disconcertingly strong, blowing apart the water of the lake.
Li Luo was still sent staggering backwards, while Jiang Qing’e swayed, the impact snapping her upper torso downwards and backwards. Her core struggled to hold the force, and then finally she took two steps back.
“I won!” Li Luo declared proudly, sheathing his sword.
“You won what, exactly?”
“I managed to beat you back two steps. How’s that not a win?” he demanded. “You think you can just limit your resonant power to the Evolving Resonance Tier and we’re even? You clearly used your Glass Fiend Tier body just now! So I’ve won this sparring contest.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said innocently. “That was just physical strength. Even if I stood here with my arms by my sides, you couldn’t hack past my defenses.”
Li Luo’s teeth were itching with irritation. Jiang Qing’e was right. She had passed the Fiend Body Tier, so her physical being was already fortified beyond belief. It was not something that a puny Evolving Resonance Tier cultivator like him could crack. Even if she did not use resonant power at all, her body alone would easily withstand anything he could throw at it.
The gap was too wide.
“Still, the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade is something special. You’ve only gotten the first level down, and already you can push me back.”
“I’ve been studying it carefully for the last few days,” Li Luo said. “I think I can sense three levels to the Divine Elephant Power, but I’ve only unlocked the first one.”
He was satisfied with the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade. It was his first gold-eye treasured artifact, and it was much stronger than the Lambent Hawkeye.
“Still…”
He rolled up his sleeves with some resignation. Both his arms were covered in long, red wounds, the flesh torn up badly.
“The Divine Elephant Power is too strong for me. Even a little use tore both my arms to bits.”
Jiang Qing’e touched his forearms lightly, her cool hands titillating on his skin. He could not resist reaching up with his own fingers to clutch her hand.
Jiang Qing’e dug a finger vengefully into his wound, and he yelped and howled.
“Weak flesh,” she said clinically. “Your body’s not strong enough to hold the Divine Elephant Power. If you unlock the second level of this power, it might eviscerate your arms completely.
“Which means… the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade is a little wasted in your hands,” she concluded.
“I’m only at the Evolving Resonance Tier,” he said defensively. “Of course I can’t compete with what you have.”
She tapped her chin. “Indeed, physical fortitude is not something that Resonant Masters think about… it’s even in the name. If you cannot strengthen your body quickly, then perhaps you can try healing it quickly instead. That’s your strength, isn’t it? After all, you have both water and wood resonances, which amplify healing.”
Li Luo had thought of it himself as well. It was the most straightforward application of his powers to solve the problem. He had done the same before this as well, creating the skill he called Unyielding Form in order to increase his survivability.
However, that sort of rejuvenation was too weak to withstand the Divine Elephant Power.
“Divine Elephant Power is mainly concentrated in your arms, so you can try concentrating your healing there as well. I recall that there should be some relevant resonance arts using wood and water resonances. You can check them out,” Jiang Qing’e suggested.
Li Luo’s eyes lit up. This was good thinking from Jiang Qing’e. Focus his regeneration to strengthen the effects. Perhaps that would work.
“Truly the strongest Three Star Hall student in all of the East Divine Continent,” he said approvingly, holding a quivering thumb up.
She gave him a dry smile at the title, but was cut off from her reply by the sight of a person running towards them.
She gestured with a jerk of her head, and the pair headed to the bank.
“Young Lord, Young Mistress.”
It was Pavilion Master Lei Zhang, who watched over House Luolan’s headquarters’ security.
“What has happened?” Jiang Qing’e asked, noting Lei Zhang’s grave expression with concern.
“Young mistress, I must tell you that Ancestor Yuan Qing has returned.”
“Ancestor Yuan Qing?” Li Luo’s eyes lit up at the name. He was one of the three ancestors of House Luolan, and the only one of the three who had not favored Pei Hao.
The return of this Heavenly Dipper General ancestor was definitely a welcome boost to their ranks.
Jiang Qing’e smiled happily, but it faded quickly enough when she saw Lei Zhang’s uneasy expression.
“Something else?”
He nodded unhappily.
“Ancestor Yuan Qing was ambushed on his way back. He’s unharmed, but his only disciple was hit with a strange poison… it looks like Pei Hao’s doing.”
“He’s threatening Ancestor Yuan Qing to get him to leave House Luolan.”
