Chapter 0515: Two Golden Resonant Tree Brooches
The response to Li Luo's win had been enough to shake the room, but Jiang Qing'e's entry was greeted so enthusiastically that the tower itself shook.
Their cheers reached the skies, ringing far out beyond the tower walls, going on and on.
They had to express their ecstasy—they were drunk on the feeling of vicarious power.
Jiang Qing'e's win had been so straightforward, it was almost boring.
She could be summed up in a single word... invincible!
There was no one who was worthy of equal praise, not even Li Luo.
He had taken them on a rollercoaster journey, pulling off a spectacular upset against Jing Taixu to take the win in an exhilarating and suspenseful manner. It was satisfying to see him win against an opponent he was closely matched with.
But the Three Star Hall fight was satisfying in a different manner.
Jiang Qing'e had fought against four single-handedly, and each of them were the elites of their respective schools. They were the biggest fish in their own ponds, but before Jiang Qing'e, they were juicy carp going up against a shark. She had completely destroyed them in glorious fas.h.i.+on, with overwhelming power that smashed them into submission.
Even over at the Enlightened Sage College's side, there was little to say about this battle.
Jiang Qing'e's power level was perhaps the strongest that the Three Star Hall compet.i.tion had ever seen in the history of the East Divine Continent's Holy Grail Meets.
Absolute power. Before it, all tricks and tactics shriveled away into insignificance.
That was why the response to Jiang Qing'e's win was unanimous and respected by every single student at the Holy Grail Meet, regardless of school.
If they could not even beat her four-on-one, there was really nothing more that could be helped. There was no chance of a rejoinder against a win of that magnitude.
Jiang Qing'e strode into thunderous applause, still warm from the battle. Her light resonant energy was still flickering around her, lending her a saintly yet intimidating aura.
The students near her found it difficult to breathe, and they moved backwards hastily and deferentially, with the exception of a few Four Star Hall students.
Her long hair framed her body perfectly, and her light resonance helped to make her skin glow. Her deep, golden eyes were piercing, and they searched the room for one person, and one person only.
Those eyes softened when she spotted him, and she immediately moved over.
"Li Luo, is the One Star Hall compet.i.tion over?"
Li Luo smiled and nodded.
"And how was it?" she asked, eyes locked on his face.
Li Luo's expression turned grave, and he heaved a bitter sigh.
Jiang Qing'e's stomach dropped with a sick feeling. “He lost?” She felt bad for pressuring him now.
Seeing him dejected, she opened her mouth to console him.
"Jing Taixu's strong. I fought him for what felt like forever, but I managed to take the win as the One Star Hall's strongest student," Li Luo said happily.
She stared at him, nonplussed. Managed... to take the win?
She gaped at him, his face now grinning petulantly. The bitter resignation had been wiped clean away.
Pranked.
Her golden eyes seemed to turn a deeper gold as she stood there angry and happy. She looked at his ear, dearly wanting to reach out and pinch it. But they were in public, so she settled for rolling her eyes at him.
"Ridiculous."
But she smiled despite herself, and her lovely face became even more alluring than before.
"Hey, you look even happier about this than about your own win," Li Luo pointed out.
"Of course," she said, puzzled. "Because I was guaranteed to win, so there was no surprise there. But there was uncertainty for you."
Li Luo somehow felt insulted. The plump swan had just said some really arrogant things in a really normal tone.
Still, it wasn't as if he could say anything about it. Four on one was something that no one else could have accomplished. It had taken every last bit of his strength to fight Jing Taixu. If three more people had jumped on him, he would have been screwed.
He had to admit that there was still a big gap in terms of potential and skill between him and Jiang Qing'e for now.
That was the harsh reality he had to face. Such was the power of a ninth-grade resonance.
Still, Li Luo knew that although the potential of his dual resonances might not be on her level, he had one more big thing on the horizon... his third resonance. Once he reached the General Stage, his third resonance would be activated.
If two couldn't beat nine, then surely three could?
The legendary triple resonances... he could almost feel the drool running down his chin. It seemed like he would need a bit more time before he could hold down things for the house properly with his own strength.
While the two were speaking, Vice Princ.i.p.al Su Xin approached.
"Qing'e, you did very well! You really made a reputation for the Astral Sage College," she said, grasping Jiang Qing'e's hands tightly. It had truly been an astounding performance.
She could just imagine how envious the higher-ups of other schools had to be, that she had a student as strong as Jiang Qing'e.
But each school had their own luck in the draw, and Jiang Qing'e was not the first ninth-grade resonance cultivator to be fielded. There had been many before her, from different schools, but not all of them could boast as spectacular a record as Jiang Qing'e.
Her brilliance was not just because of her resonance.
"You praise me too highly, Vice Princ.i.p.al. I have to thank the school for the resources invested in me, and I hope I fulfilled my duty adequately."
Jiang Qing'e had responded with just the right amount of warmth, neither too cool nor too affectionate. She was as unshakable as ever.
"You two have an uncannily similar way of speaking. No wonder you're engaged." The First Princess laughed.
"Qing'e, congratulations on being the strongest lovebird couple. I'm sure you will go down in the East Divine Continent’s history together as legends."
Jiang Qing'e turned to her, surprised.
"Did Your Highness slip in battle?" Jiang Qing'e asked directly.
The First Princess sighed. "It can't be helped. I'm not as strong as you are. I'm just not strong enough."
"I wouldn't say that, Your Highness," Jiang Qing'e replied seriously. "Perhaps just not as lucky."
The First Princess laughed at her gracious reply, then changed the topic. "But if both you and Li Luo have won the t.i.tles, then we only need one more and the win is ours."
If a school had three strongest student t.i.tles, then they had three golden resonant tree brooches in hand. That would put them in an unlosable situation.
Previously, the Enlightened Sage College was chasing the dream situation.
And now the Astral Sage College was more than halfway there.
Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e nodded thoughtfully. That was indeed the dream.
"The Two Star Hall battle has ended already, won by Ao Bai of the North Sea Sage College...
"The only one left is the Four Star Hall."
Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e both turned to the screen to watch.
The battle was nearing its finale.
The Astral Sage College still had a horse in the race.
The strongest of them all, Gong Shenjun.