The black crystal ball with a mirror-like sheen allowed Li Luo to see his countenance within. A trace of antic.i.p.ation, lashed with anxiety, was hung upon his gaze.
He wanted to know just what sort of item would lead his parents to spend so much effort to squirrel away…
“Soooo… just how do I open this?” Li Luo was doing everything he could to quash the feelings of anxiousness in his heart. Cautiously inspecting the ink-black and mysterious crystal ball, he finally decided to… use the most direct method instead. He tentatively pressed his palms against its surface.
Weng!
At the exact moment his palms contacted the crystal ball, the crystal ball emitted a slight shock! That originally s.h.i.+ny exterior liquefied and enveloped Li Luo’s palms.
At the same time, Li Luo could distinctly feel a sensation not unlike acupuncture, as though needles were piercing right into him, into his palms! As this happened, some of his blood was absorbed!
The palms which were covered with the black liquid then began to radiate a bright light. Then, to Li Luo’s surprise, two light apparitions gradually took form.
Looking at the familiar silhouettes, Li Luo could feel a wave of nostalgia and yearning descend upon him.
“Dad, Mom…” The male apparition was handsome, his body upright like a spear whilst clothed in white robes. He possessed an absolute charm and a warm smile, yet hidden within was a lofty and immovable presence that would bend to no one! Just looking at him brought others an indescribable sense of comfort and safety.
On the other hand, the female apparition was garbed in violet, her long hair elegantly pinned up, her two hands leisurely placed within her pockets. She, too, was of incomparable beauty and held an unparalleled, dignified demeanor.
These were Li Luo’s parents, Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan.
As Li Luo stared blankly at the two, the apparition of Li Taixuan began to speak. “Haha, my little boy, now that you’re seeing these imprints, I a.s.sume you are seventeen already. I believe that by this point, we are long gone.”
Tan Tailan, who was smiling happily at the side, also began to speak. “Little Luo must have become even more handsome by now, right? Have any girls begun to court you in school?”
Li Luo rubbed his eyes as he mumbled to himself, “Your son did not only become extremely handsome, he also became absolutely unmatched! Just who would dare to court me…?”
“Are you feeling full of grievances right now? Do you feel that nothing has gone right for you?” At this point, Li Taixuan began to chuckle again, as though he could see right through the frustrations in Li Luo’s heart.
His mom continued, “Perhaps because of the blank palaces within you?”
At this point, Li Luo was shocked. By the time his blank palaces had manifested, his parents had been missing for years. Just how could they have known of his situation?
“Little Luo, don’t be surprised. We used some special methods to observe your body’s situation long before your resonant palaces manifested. In fact, you even have three resonant palaces.” Tan Tailan soothed him with a doting gaze in her eyes.
Li Luo’s jaw dropped. So it seems as though his parents knew of his unique situation a long time ago. Then in this case, did his parents’ disappearance have to do with this? Just where were they now? Were they still doing well? Why had there been no news since then?
“Little Luo, I would first like to tell you that just because you were born with blank palaces, it does not mean that you’re crippled. In fact, based on what I feel, this is the strongest sort of const.i.tution in this world. You don’t have to feel dispirited at this, and instead rejoice!” Li Taixuan’s words were too earth-shattering, leaving Li Luo speechless.
“Dad… even if you want to console me, couldn’t you do it in a less exaggerated way?” Li Luo lamented. The blank palaces had already hampered his ability to cultivate; just what nonsense was he spouting about some mightiest const.i.tution? Dad, just who are you trying to scam?
Li Taixuan had a wry smile as he explained, “Your natural blank palaces cannot absorb or refine worldly natural energy. This has to do with the root of your power, and frankly… we have no solution for this.”
“Since it’s a blank palace, then just find some way to stuff something in!” added his mom, with a beaming smile.
Li Luo was now wrinkling his brows in consternation. This was easy to say but impossible to do! Resonances were determined from birth. Wanting to change this after being born was unheard of. He had even experimented with this idea, but to no success.
“In a normal situation, this would truly be undoable. However, ever since we discovered your situation, we have been working hard to find a solution.”
“If you do your best, you’re bound to succeed eventually! Indeed, the heavens did not disappoint us and we finally found it.” At this point, Li Luo could distinctly hear the thunderous palpitations of the heart, and even his head felt dizzy as blood rushed to his brain in excitement.
“We poured through numerous ancient records and finally found a solution. This art is known as the Acquired Resonance G.o.dly Forging Art. It allows one to forge acquired resonances. At the same time, it allows one to integrate their blood essence and soul, along with a chosen resonance, into the forging process. The resulting acquired resonance can then be absorbed into your blank palace.
“Little Luo, your naturally-endowed blank palaces may not necessarily be a bad thing. As natural resonances are too powerful and hard to control, we cannot pa.s.s the full art down to you. Instead, the Acquired Resonance G.o.dly Forging Art is a much better fit for you, allowing you to forge your path as you see fit.
“If you want an elemental resonance, then you can work in that direction. Conversely, if you want a beast resonance, then go ahead and do just that!
“In future, your three blank palaces will contain three carefully constructed resonances. At that point, you will be greatly superior to those with a natural resonance.”
Li Luo’s eyes shone bright like a diamond under light. The situation seemed salvageable. There were all sorts of resonances, and many people had no choice over the manifestation of their resonances. This was something that could not be changed. On the other hand, although he did not have any natural resonances, he had the benefit of flexibility and could essentially determine what sort of resonance he wanted!
“Little Luo, the acquired resonances produced by the Acquired Resonance G.o.dly Forging Art also have another benefit,” Tan Tailan added.
Although these were just apparitions that were left behind, Li Luo snapped right to attention. Since they had said it was a good thing, then how could he dare to miss this?
“A standard natural resonance is usually only of one element. However, the forged acquired resonances from this art are not the same! They can have two attributes, one main and one supporting.
“These attributes can be fully customizable as you see fit. The power gained is as though giving a tiger wings! I’ve only ever heard of certain natural treasures that have allowed for one’s natural resonance to gain a second minor attribute when taken. However, this effect is miniscule and is just a small additive layer of strength. This is completely different from your acquired resonances, which are forged with two attributes that are supplementary. The difference is worlds apart!
“Oh my gosh, this is just too awesome! Too great!” Li Luo was jubilantly celebrating as he clapped and jumped for joy. He could easily understand the preciousness of this ability. If he chose to forge a fire resonance and then supplemented it with a thunder resonance, the combination of fire and thunder would bring about a multiplicative increase in strength!
At this point, he couldn’t help but become emotional. It looked as though his blank palaces were truly more impressive than those natural resonances!
“Cough. Of course, nothing is ever so perfect. Although your acquired resonances have numerous benefits compared to natural resonances, there is one glaring disadvantage: the forged acquired resonances will not exceed the fourth-grade,” Li Taixuan clarified with a sigh.