Chapter 0813: Dragon Fang Essence
Li Luo and Li Jingzhe walked down the mountain, following the small path shrouded in clouds and mist.
“Grandpa, thank you for your help with this,” Li Luo said to Li Jingzhe. Originally, his plan was to obtain a Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art. It was a pleasant surprise for him to get the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation with transcendent potential in the end.
It was all thanks to Li Jingzhe. Otherwise, he would have definitely failed to meet those stringent criteria in his current state.
“The Ancestor left this art in the Dragon’s Fang Lineage because it was appropriate for us when we were at lower cultivation levels. However, no one has been able to unleash its potential after all these years. This is because no one has been sufficiently compatible and able to bring out its true splendor. But you, on the other hand, possess six resonances. In a certain sense, you are the most compatible with it. I am just acting based on what our Ancestor entrusted to us back then,” Li Jingzhe responded with a laugh.
Li Luo nodded excitedly as he replied, “I’ll definitely give it my all to master this art! However, just what grade is this Duke Art?”
At this point, Li Jingzhe pondered for a moment before he responded, “It’s quite hard to say… The Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation was created by the Ancestor with the aim of developing a second Transcendent Duke Art in mind. Sadly, he was not able to finish it before he was required to stand guard at the World Border, becoming too occupied to devote any more time to it. As such, the art was left with us at the Dragon’s Fang Lineage.
“Its upper limit depends on the number of Dragon Fang Swords. With one Dragon Fang Sword, it will just be as strong as a normal Communion-grade Duke Art. With two, it’ll be comparable to a Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art. Based on my estimates, if you can cultivate four Dragon Fang Swords, it should be similar to the power of a Destiny-grade Duke Art. However, if you would like to go even higher, it may become quite a challenge. As I’ve said earlier, this art was not completed, and the sword formation is still lacking in some areas.”
Hearing this, Li Luo gasped in surprise. Four Dragon Fang Swords would be equivalent to a Destiny-grade Duke Art. This far exceeded his expectations.
As for the so-called Transcendent-grade, he had never really considered it before. After all, it was totally out of his league currently.
“Nonetheless, there is still one issue with the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation. It is extremely challenging to cultivate and requires one to be exceptionally gifted in resonance arts,” Li Jingzhe added.
“That should be fine with my aptitude in resonance arts,” Li Luo replied confidently. When it came to natural talent with resonance arts, Li Luo had always been proud of his abilities to quickly comprehend and learn them. This was merely overshadowed by the dazzling point that he possessed triple resonances.
Li Luo was able to come up ahead when he first entered the Southwind Academy all thanks to his exceptional gift with resonance arts. Of course, the resonance arts he had learned back then and the Duke Art he had today were of totally different leagues. Nonetheless, he had still managed to master the Underworld River’s Black Dragon Banner at a stage thought to be impossible for many. There was no doubt about his exceptional talent.
“Yes, it should be fine with your talent in resonance arts. However, there is still one problem. You will need a rare material known as Dragon Fang Essence to forge a Dragon Fang Sword,” Li Jingzhe responded with a laugh.
“Dragon Fang Essence?” Li Luo was stunned when he heard this. As he had not finished studying the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation, this was something totally new to him.
“The so-called Dragon Fang Essence refers to a mystical treasure derived from the real fangs of a true dragon. This item is extremely rare and, as a result, extremely expensive too,” Li Jingzhe explained to him.
“How expensive is it?” Li Luo asked carefully as his heart beat faster.
“In skygold terms, it’ll be about thirty million per drop,” Li Jingzhe answered after giving it some thought.
Li Luo nearly spat out a mouthful of blood when he heard this. He knew it. Such a good art could not possibly be so easy to cultivate, right?
At thirty million skygold per droplet, wouldn’t he need over a a hundred million skygold just for this material alone if he wanted to forge five Dragon Fang Swords?!
He wouldn’t be able to afford it even if he sold off House Luolan in its entirety.
Furthermore, he was far away in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent now, so he would not be able to sell off House Luolan even if wanted to. At present, his total net worth was only a few million skygold at best.
Li Luo was deeply troubled by this. Although he enjoyed two monthly stipends in the Dragon’s Fang Lineage currently, it was only worth a few million in total. The monthly stipend was more for the resources rather than skygold. Moreover, he would need those resources for his cultivation. There was no way he could sell them off in exchange for skygold now.
In other words, how in the world was he going to get the thirty million skygold for a drop of Dragon Fang Essence?
Li Luo could not help but sigh in his heart. Of course, he would not be so thick-skinned as to ask Li Jingzhe for such a large amount of skygold. Moreover, his grandpa had already broken some rules to help him obtain the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation. There was no way he could open his mouth and ask his grandpa again. After all, he still had a certain pride within him.
As Li Luo was deep in thought, Li Jingzhe chimed in from the side and said, “Currently, you hold the Main Hall Master plaque of the Green Nether Banner and possess some authority. When you bring the Green Nether Banner back up as the leader among the four banners in the Dragon’s Fang Lineage, the authority you will have will naturally increase too. At that time, perhaps you can enjoy some benefits that come along as the Main Hall Master.”
Li Luo was taken aback by this. Did this mean that he would have a chance to enjoy the perks of the Main Hall Master?
“How much of a stipend does the Main Hall Master get?” Li Luo asked curiously.
“Excluding the various resources, the stipend should be around eighty million skygold per year total,” Li Jingzhe replied casually.
At this point, Li Luo froze in his tracks. “Eighty million a year… So the Main Hall Master could afford to buy over several House Luolans with just one year of stipends?”
Now that Li Luo thought about it, it did make sense. The Green Nether Hall governed over the two realms that were much bigger and occupied by a much larger population than the Xia Kingdom. The forces in play were more complex and numerous. As such, it was not surprising at all for the Main Hall Master, the leader with the highest authority around here, to enjoy such perks. At this point, Li Luo’s heart started beating faster and faster. Did this mean that he would be able to enjoy such amazing perks once he secured more authority by getting some of the rights of the Main Hall Master of the Green Nether Banner? Even if it was just a portion, it should be enough for him to cultivate the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation, right?
“Grandpa, this is not against the rules, right?” Li Luo asked.
“Your father was originally the Main Hall Master of the Green Nether Banner. Although he has been away for so many years, he has not been removed from his position. As such, it will make perfect sense for you to inherit your father’s position, as long as you have enough credibility to show,” Li Jingzhe replied to his question seriously.
“If you become the head amongst the four banners of the Dragon’s Fang Lineage, you can get a portion of the authority relating to the Main Hall Master. If you can become the Dragon’s Head in the Heavenly Dragon’s Five Lineages, you can become the legitimate Main Hall Master of the Green Nether Banner even if your strength is not there yet. You will be given full authority over the Green Nether Banner then. Although you would be the weakest Main Hall Master in history, it should not be an issue. After all, you’d just be covering for your father. If anyone would like to challenge you, they would have to wait for your father’s return and challenge him instead,” Li Jingzhe further elaborated, throwing the blame onto his wayward son.
At this point, Li Luo merely blinked in surprise. Was this even allowed?
“Then let me make the Green Nether Banner the head amongst the four banners of the Dragon’s Fang Lineage first,” Li Luo responded. He understood that this was an opportunity given to him by his grandfather. With Li Jingzhe’s personality, this was the maximum he could do to help. If he were any more direct in his approach, it would definitely be too much. Furthermore, this was a show of how much confidence he had in Li Luo’s ability.
Li Jingzhe nodded as he continued walking in front. “The birthday celebration for the Lineage Chief of the Dragon’s Blood Lineage is five days away. Are you ready?” he asked.
Hearing this, Li Luo nodded with a smile.
“Qin Lian from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing will also be coming. The Dragon’s Blood Lineage invited her, and I heard that she will be bringing her favorite disciple and daughter along,” Li Jingzhe added.
Li Luo squeezed his eyes a little when he heard about this. With all the enmity between his father and her, he wondered if there would be any trouble.
“You do not need to worry about Qin Lian. She will not be so presumptuous and daring to stir trouble during the birthday celebration. However, you’ll have to watch out for her daughter, Qin Yi. That daughter of hers is well known in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, and many young folks have fallen head over heels for her,” Li Jingzhe said.
“Many noble ladies fell for my handsome looks back in the Xia Kingdom. I will not lose to her in that regard,” Li Luo replied shamelessly.
Li Jingzhe could not help but laugh at his response. “If you can really make Qin Yi fall for you, I think that Qin Lian will be infuriated. That would surely be a good revenge for your parents, ” he said.
“That’s not very nice. After all, I already have a fiancee,” Li Luo said embarrassedly.
“Fiancee? Is that another absurd thing your parents made you do? There are nothing but mediocre people in the outer divine continents. With your talent, you’ll surely find someone better in the future. Sometimes, it’s good to make a clean break with the past,” Li Jingzhe said disapprovingly.
Li Luo smiled bitterly when he heard this. “Jiang Qing’e mediocre? Sorry, Grandpa, but I, your grandson, did not even dare to even squeak before her despite my triple resonances.”
Of course, Li Luo did not debate on this any further. When Li Jingzhe met Jiang Qing’e, he would naturally forget all the words that he had said today.
In the end, Li Luo bade farewell to Li Jingzhe at the foot of the mountain. With a swift turn, the old man disappeared without a trace. All he had left behind were the words for Li Luo to do his best in the upcoming birthday celebration.
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