The two towering Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds above Li Luo's head were incredibly eye-catching. Everyone was staring at them, and waves battered their hearts. In fact, they felt even more shell-shocked as compared to when they saw Jiang Qing'e emerge.
It wasn't surprising that Li Luo had reached the Duke Stage, and it wasn't the fact that he had obtained a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried either. After all, this was still acceptable, considering that he had fully completed the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier, obtaining a 100,000 feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram.
No, it was the fact that he had jumped straight to the Second Duke Stage from the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier, and with two Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds to boot! This terrifying jump had exceeded everyone's wildest imaginations. There were many exceptional geniuses amongst this group, including the likes of Qin Beiming and Li Zhihuo. They were all the best amongst their peers and hence had the possibility of becoming high-grade Dukes as well. If things aligned, they could even become Kings! In the depths of their hearts, they had also harbored ambitions to forge a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried, symbolizing unrivaled strength and the highest achievement one could obtain in the Duke Stage. It would allow them to possess unparalleled power!
With just a single Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried, their combat power would rise exponentially, capable of easily fighting foes above their level. This was a normal feat for those who embarked on the Path of Ascension. Even if one had fully completed the earlier stages, whether it was the likes of the Tri-Radiance Glass Fiend Tier or the 100,000 feet Heavenly Resonance Diagram, it was all just a foundational stone on the way to forging their Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried.
However, the Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried was simply in a league of its own. It was incredibly difficult to form one, and even a genius like Qin Beiming, who had worked hard over countless years, had failed to forge one. The difficulty was simply incomprehensible. Thus, when they saw that Li Luo had obtained two Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds at once, they were in complete disbelief.
What sort of terrifying talent and opportunity was required for this to happen? What had happened in the onyx cauldron?
"He formed two Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds starting from nothing. Just what sort of freak is he?" Lu Shuanglu's expression shifted and her mouth was agape. As a genius from Golden Dragon Mountain, she had high expectations of herself. However, such a breakthrough into the Duke Stage was extremely rare even in their long chronicled history.
Meanwhile, Zhang Cuicheng fell silent for a while before he said bitterly, "As expected of the person that Young Mistress Qing'er has taken a fancy to. His potential and talent far surpass mine."
Lu Shuanglu glanced to her side. Although this boorish fellow seemed a little slow on the outside, he was extremely arrogant deep down. Not many could catch his eye, much less make him admit that he was their inferior.
Despite those words, anyone who saw the scene before them could only nod in agreement.
Not far away, Li Foluo, Li Tingyue, and the rest of the survivors from the Heavenly Dragon’s Five Guardian Armies were in a daze. It was only a while later that Li Foluo regained his spirit and said with a complicated expression, "What in the world? That brat soared into the heavens with a single step."
His heart was full of varying emotions. The good news was that Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e had shown them a ray of hope in this despairing situation. The bad news was that his time as the Guardian General was about to come to an end.
"Stop stealing their joy. If we manage to overcome this ordeal, this generation of the Dragon's Fang Guardians might become the most powerful in history," Li Tingyue said with a sigh. Indeed, with two Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried unrivaled geniuses, the Dragon's Fang Guardians’ strength had taken a titanic leap forward. Even Li Zhihuo would find it difficult to stop just one of them.
Li Hongque also looked on with changing expressions. Her heart was filled with mixed feelings as well. Hope had arrived, but the position of the Dragon's Blood Guardians was no longer certain from now on. Most importantly, Li Luo's rise also meant that Li Hongyou's position would correspondingly rise as well. Due to that, it would be difficult for her to hide from the issue that plagued their family. This was an incredibly uncomfortable situation for the young mistress who had always paraded around proudly and arrogantly. However, what could she do at this point? Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e were simply too disgusting. Even if the entire Heavenly Origin Divine Continent's youths were taken into account, there was probably no one capable of stopping them. It was then that Li Hongque was reminded of her sister Hongli's words. She had advised her to not make Li Luo's life difficult. That fellow was a monster after all. Li Hongque had not heeded those words because at that point of time, Li Luo had just entered the Dragon's Fang Guardians and was still at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. She assumed that it would take him a few years to reach the Duke Stage, so how could he possibly ever be a problem?
She finally understood why her sister had given her that piece of advice.
There were truly individuals in this world that had such mind-blowing talent that common sense didn't apply.[1]
Shocked voices and gazes lingered on him.
Meanwhile, Li Luo had no time to be concerned about these minor things. He was immersing himself in the unprecedented power that was surging within his body.
He was filled with both jubilation and excitement.
Only he knew just how long he had awaited this day, how much he had given for this. From the moment he had filled up his blank palace, his life was on a timer with five years remaining. Five years to become a Duke. Anyone else might have collapsed in despair.
However, he never gave up. In fact, he had started off with a mere fourth-grade waterlight resonance. He had started out at Southwind Academy and then entered the Astral Sage College. He then finally made his way to Heavenly Origin Divine Continent.
He had gone through countless tempering experiences and faced death at every corner.
In the end, four years of hard work had culminated in this grand achievement. He had established his foundation to become truly transcendent. With a tight grip on the Dragon Elephant Blade, his heart was filled with surging emotions, in stark contrast to his calm mind.
He turned his head and glanced at Jiang Qing'e, revealing a radiant smile. "Sister Qing'e, I've made it."
Her golden eyes flowed with brilliance and warmth. She was also feeling incomparably elated. The happiness she was feeling right now far surpassed her own when she had reached the Duke Stage and formed her own Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried.
That all-encompassing happiness was condensed into a single reply.
"Congratulations, Li Luo."
This meant that his limited lifespan of five years, the blade that hung over his head, had been dealt with. He was no longer restrained by it. With that, a heavy stone had been lifted off her heart.
Li Luo grinned cheekily. "Actually, it's all thanks to you, Sister Qing'e."
Jiang Qing'e's beautiful and sacred appearance turned a little flushed. This only added to her stunning appearance because she knew exactly what he was referring to.
"Oh right, now that you've reached the Duke Stage, have you obtained a fourth resonance?" Jiang Qing'e asked curiously. He was already in a special situation, considering he had three resonant palaces with six resonance affinities even before breaking through.
Even Jiang Qing'e had only obtained her third resonance upon reaching the Duke Stage.
In an ordinary situation, a fourth resonance should have been born. Four resonant palaces! Just thinking about it was incredibly shocking. Even with Jiang Qing'e's usually taciturn character, she was incredibly curious about it.
A look of helplessness appeared on Li Luo's face. Indeed, a new resonant palace had appeared within him after the breakthrough, as per normal. Within his body, his mind inspected the new resonant palace.
It was incredibly bright and well-built, and it even gave off a majesty that was incomparable to the previous three. Alas... the interior was empty.
Unsurprisingly... it was a blank palace.
1. TL Note: They are called MC's