Absolute Resonance Chapter 6.2 - Acquired Resonance

Li Luo was momentarily stunned by this revelation. A fourth-grade? This did seem slightly inferior. Compared to Jiang Qing’e’s ninth-grade Light Resonance, there was a difference of more than half the scale!

With such a stark difference in grade, it was very possible that the benefits brought about by the dual elemental resonance would not be able to bridge this gap.

However, his hesitation was short-lived. His current situation was already as bad as it could get, so even a fourth-grade resonance would be considered decent!

Li Luo’s mom spoke dotingly as she reminded him, “Of course, you don’t need to worry. Even though your acquired resonance grade might be low, you can also utilize acquired resonance arts to eventually improve them.” 

Li Luo was once again struck with yet another revelation! That was true indeed. This world contained many wondrous treasures and medicines that allowed one to increase the grade of their resonance. There was a particular profession known as resonance artificer. These people were able to refine and temper spiritual liquids and mysterious treasures that would improve one’s resonance, and as a result, they were widely welcomed by all resonance cultivators.

There were, however, certain constraints to using external means to improve one’s resonance grade. There was usually a limit to the tempering process and, normally speaking, an improvement of a grade or two was the best possible result.

In the case of acquired resonances, as the highest grade was fourth-grade, refinement would lead to a possible peak of fifth or sixth-grade.

“Is Little Luo worried about the physical limitations of refining one’s resonances?” Li Taixuan laughed as though he was reading Li Luo like an open book.  

“Huh?” Seeing his dad’s wide smile, Li Luo’s eyes widened and he couldn’t control himself. Could it be possible that this wasn’t the end? This weakness could still be made whole?

As Li Luo greedily antic.i.p.ated the next round of news, his mother let out a slight sigh and interrupted his father with a disgruntled expression. “You idiot, you’ve just gone ahead and came clean with everything! Just what can I tell Little Luo now? Huh????”

Li Taixuan’s expression changed as he hastily consoled her, “My dear, I was in the wrong, I was in the wrong! Please explain the rest to our son and I won’t do it again! Please forgive me!”

Upon seeing this familiar sight, Li Luo couldn’t help but shake his head with a sigh. His dad’s survival instincts were truly commendable. Was this something that had been beaten and ingrained into him?

“Brat, are you laughing at your father right now?” That apparition seemed to know exactly how Li Luo would react. Snorting with dissatisfaction, he immediately began to speak in a serious tone. “You are still young and have yet to understand. I am deeeefinitely not afraid of your mother. It’s just that my love for her runs too deep! As I’ve often lectured you, loving your significant other is the most important rule of this family. When you eventually get together with Qing’e, you will also have to obey this law! Do you understand?” When Li Luo heard those words, he couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh. Whenever his father said those words, if not for the fact that this explanation was often accompanied by a sight of a reddened palm mark on his face, he would have almost believed in them!  

Yet when he mentioned Qing’e, Li Luo could only sigh. Qing’e had been intimately raised by his mom and hence their personalities were similar… And he was often on the receiving end of a beating without him having a clue why…

How would his life be in the future??

With a heavy heart full of sadness, Li Luo raised his head and looked at his dad. At this moment, it seemed as though their gazes could transcend time. It was as though he could finally understand what his dad was thinking. For a brief moment, this father and son pair could feel a truly fateful connection with their hearts, one of intimate sorrow…  

“Li. Tai. Xuan. Can you stop standing there and making a fool of yourself? You’re wasting my time!” Li Luo’s mom enunciated with a single raised eyebrow, interrupting that brief moment of endearment between the pair. 

Without surprise, Li Taixuan nodded eagerly, demonstrating that he had heard those words clearly.

At the same time, Tan Tailan turned to look at Li Luo, her tone turning gentle. “The refinement limit is only applicable to natural resonances. This is because these external treasures, no matter how pure and pristine they look, inevitably contain some impurities at their core. It is the acc.u.mulation of these impurities that prevent a palace from completely sealing in the resonance’s might. As a result, it makes it difficult to continue refining the resonance past one or two grades.

“However, Little Luo, your blank palaces don’t have this limit. Natural resonances have specific affinities and thus external tempering materials will face some form of rejection from the resonant palaces. Your blank palaces have no affinities, meaning that they can accept anything.

“Thus, your resonances can continually be refined as they will not be rejected by your palaces! Although it will get increasingly difficult to refine your acquired resonances, there is a chance for you to perfect them.

“Hence, it’s as I’ve said. Your blank palaces could very possibly be the world’s mightiest const.i.tution ever! The perceived disadvantages are just a key to greater success.”

Li Luo could feel his heart roiling in waves. He had suffered greatly due to his blank palaces in these past few years. When he had first manifested it, he was unwilling to believe it and even felt angry. His frustrations and furious cultivation still resulted in him remaining powerless. In the end, he could only accept reality as it was.

However, now, with his parents’ words, these blank palaces were not useless. In fact, he might have the world’s best const.i.tution?

This new information brought tears to Li Luo’s eyes.

“Little Luo, for your first acquired resonance, we have already extracted some of your blood essence and a strand of your spirit soul and refined something for you. It is within this crystal ball.

“The Acquired Resonance G.o.dly Forging Art is also within,” Tan Tailan explained.

Li Luo could feel a warm current surging through him as he immediately opened his clenched fists. “Dad, Mom, thank you! Let’s go, I’m ready! Transmit this acquired resonance and the Acquired Resonance G.o.dly Forging Art to me. Let me finally gain the opportunity to be reborn and soar above others!”

At this point, Li Taixuan’s expression became solemn and he became silent for a few breaths before speaking again. “The last thing I want to let you know is that absorbing this acquired resonance is not as easy as you might think it will be.

“As the acquired resonance is a.s.similated, it will require ma.s.sive amounts of blood essence. This is why we had to wait until you were seventeen before allowing you to retrieve this. Only at this age will you barely be able to withstand the loss of your blood essence.

“More importantly, what you will lose is not just blood essence, but also part of your longevity. Once this acquired resonance is absorbed, you will only be able to live for five more years… unless you’re able to break into the Duke Stage and transform your body. Otherwise, that will be the end.

“This has been something that your mom and I have disputed for a long time. The price to pay is too great, but you, my boy, have grown up. So we have decided to lay the facts bare and let you make the choice yourself. Little Luo, will you choose to maintain the status quo and become a rich Young Lord? Or will you choose to a.s.similate with the acquired resonance and cultivate against the heavens, struggling to live while embarking on a path fraught with danger?

“If you choose the first option, then all you have to do is store the crystal ball somewhere and the previous process will revert. If you choose the latter, then reach into the crystal ball. The choice is up to you, but regardless of your decision, the two of us will always support you.” After which, the two apparitions no longer spoke and merely stared at Li Luo with gazes full of concern and love.

Li Luo, on the other hand, gradually eased himself into a sitting position, his eyes focused on the murky, black crystal ball with uncertainty laced within.

Throughout the explanation, he had realized something. Since the benefits were so wondrous, why were there no drawbacks? It seemed that this was left for last.

Now his choices were simple. Did he want to be a weak, little monster? Or a mighty, short-lived beast?