"The princ.i.p.al left me something?"
Li Luo had thought that the seal's power was gone when it vanished from his hand. Had it been transferred to the dark-red bracelet instead?
King Stage experts worked in mysterious ways.
And how this bracelet worked was a real mystery to him indeed.
"Maybe you should try channeling your resonant power through it. If the princ.i.p.al left it to you, maybe only you can unlock it," Jiang Qing'e suggested.
Li Luo nodded and sat down in the lotus position. Closing his eyes, he summoned his resonant power and pushed it towards the bracelet.
He felt a strange jolt when his power touched it—a vast consciousness that swallowed up his own.
The princ.i.p.al!
Li Luo jerked within his mind, and he suddenly found himself in a black void.
The only thing present was a stone platform a few meters across, the one that he was currently standing on.
In the middle of the platform sat a cross-legged person, smiling at him.
"Princ.i.p.al?" Li Luo exclaimed with surprise and relief.
"So you pulled off the plan. Not bad," Pang Qianyuan said with a hint of approval.
"You are too kind," Li Luo said modestly. "If not for the Princ.i.p.al's support, I wouldn't have been able to run away from the three-tailed beast for so long.
"My plan was just hare-brained madness. It was full of holes."
"Not everyone could have kept to their method in the madness." Pang Qianyuan chuckled. "It takes a rare combination of courage and coolness. That character trait is more important than any high-grade resonance, mark my words."
On the outside, Li Luo smiled bashfully.
On the inside, he thought, “More, Princ.i.p.al, Sir! Praise me more! I just love to hear those words from you!”
But Pang Qianyuan suddenly stopped talking, fixing him with a penetrating look.
Li Luo squirmed a little, hiding his transparent thoughts with a cough. "So, Princ.i.p.al, Sir, what brings you here? And what's with the bracelet?"
"This is just the last shred of my will I attached. I'll soon fade away." The figure smiled. "As for the bracelet... it's a treasured artifact. It is a special present for you."
"A sealing treasured artifact?" Li Luo marveled at the bracelet anew. Even among treasured artifacts, it was probably quite a high-quality one.
Treasured artifacts were a higher grade of resonant artifacts, and commensurately stronger. Crucially, treasured artifacts had mystical powers that would help one in both cultivation and battle.
Some of the stronger and rarer treasured artifacts could even help build ones' resonances naturally, without spirit liquids and purifying lights.
However, those treasured artifacts were so rare that the Xia Kingdom's Golden Dragon Bank probably had never even seen one. A flash of understanding came to Li Luo soon enough. "A sealing treasured artifact... So what's sealed inside?"
"You’re a sharp one, aren't you?" Pang Qianyuan laughed. "Well, surely you've guessed by now?"
He flicked a finger, sending a little light forth into the darkness. It danced like a drunken firefly out into the blackness, then exploded like a mini firework.
In the brief moment of illumination, Li Luo caught sight of what lay below the platform they were on, and he inhaled sharply.
He could not repress an involuntary s.h.i.+ver. Below him, a huge beast lay in slumber. Its three tails were locked down by huge chains.
The three-tailed beast! Li Luo immediately recognized it. "But you- Wasn't it sealed?" he stammered.
He could not help but doubt what he had just seen.
The three-tailed beast wasn't in the stone statue at all! It was in his bracelet!
"The thing outside's just for show. It’s meant to help you avoid some unwanted attention, is all. Well? Are you happy?" Pang Qianyuan grinned.
"No way..."
Happy? Li Luo was probably closer to tears. He had a literal horror locked away in his wrist. Logically, no seal would hold forever. What if one day the three-tailed beast found a way out?
"Princ.i.p.al, please stop toying with me. I just did the school a favor," Li Luo whined.
"I know my dad scolded you before, but surely you shouldn't take it out on me."
Pang Qianyuan snorted. "Alright, enough faking it, kid. You're just trying to find out what I'm intending...
"This beast's name is the three-tailed heavenly wolf. It's already close to Duke Stage. One day, if it truly reaches that level, it will be quite a force to be reckoned with.
"Currently, I have it sealed, and I can teach you a secret art that will allow you to draw on its strength by utilizing the treasured artifact. For a short amount of time, you will receive tremendous strength.
"Well, what do you think?" he said with a half-smile.
Ulp.
Li Luo swallowed, highly tempted. "The three-tailed heavenly wolf's strength in addition to my own?"
Li Luo would take all the strength he could get. In half a year's time, House Luolan's Housemeet would require every resource he could muster, if he wanted to see the house safely through the crisis.
He would have to partic.i.p.ate in the battles, and there would be strong opponents aplenty. By Li Luo's estimation, only Heavenly Dipper Generals would qualify.
In all likelihood, he would be watching Jiang Qing'e from the sidelines, helpless to do anything for her against the layers of intrigue and plotting that were sure to make an appearance.
That was hard to bear.
He wanted to be with Jiang Qing'e, to fight side by side to protect House Luolan.
But he was too weak. Half a year was too little time. But with Pang Qianyuan's secret art, maybe there was a shot.
Li Luo calmed down quickly enough. This was still too good to be true. Pang Qianyuan wasn't about to give him the three-tailed heavenly wolf's power just as a mere reward.
Surely there was another price to be paid.
Seeing Li Luo move from eager temptation to calm calculation, Pang Qianyuan smiled even wider, pleased with his control.
A steady mind in the face of both danger and riches... this kid was truly of Heavenly King Li's bloodline…
"Indeed. You're not getting it for free. I will give you this, but you need to do something for me in return...
"Do you accept the deal?"