Chapter 27

After leaving the academy, Li Luo didn’t rush back to the old residence but instead headed for Xiyang House.

The guards outside Xiyang House had long become accustomed to Li Luo, who had been frequently visiting recently, so they bowed their heads in salute and allowed him to enter and exit freely.

As Li Luo walked into the Xiyang House, which was filled with a faint fragrance, his spirits lifted slightly. The recent period of study had made him increasingly interested in the profession of a Phase Master.

"Hehe, Young Master has been quite diligent in visiting Xiyang House recently." Just as Li Luo was thinking about the First-Class Spirit Water Light he had been practicing, a laugh suddenly sounded from the side.

Li Luo turned his head and saw Deputy Chairman Zhuang Yi of Xiyang House smiling at him.

"Have I heard correctly that Young Master has awakened a Fifth-Class Water Phase?" Zhuang Yi asked, seemingly curious.

After practicing Phase Mastery at Xiyang House for so many days, news of Li Luo’s Fifth-Class Water Phase had already spread.

Li Luo looked at the deputy chairman who had defected to Pei Hao, nodded slightly, and said, "I am learning Phase Mastery from Sister Lingqing."

Zhuang Yi smiled and said, "Deputy Chairman Yan is a top student from the Holy Profound Star Academy, and her skills are indeed excellent. However, her experience is somewhat shallow. If Young Master truly wants to learn, I, though humble, can also offer some advice."

Li Luo smiled. Zhuang Yi’s kindness made him wonder if he was trying to bring him under his surveillance to confirm his true situation and report to Pei Hao, or if he genuinely wanted to guide him.

However, between Jiang Qing'e’s close friend and this deputy chairman who had defected to Pei Hao, Li Luo’s choice was obvious.

So he shook his head and said, "I think Sister Lingqing is quite good. If I need help in the future, I will come to Deputy Chairman Pei."

"That’s a pity," Zhuang Yi sighed, seemingly regretful.

Li Luo didn’t say more and was about to leave when he suddenly thought of something. "By the way, Deputy Chairman Pei, I heard from Sister Lingqing that the materials for the refining rooms sometimes run short. Since the material procurement is handled by you, can you ensure timely replenishment?"

Zhuang Yi’s brows furrowed, and he replied with some difficulty, "Young Master, this isn’t my problem. Sometimes the procurement of materials can be troublesome, so occasional shortages are normal. However, since Young Master has mentioned it, I will pay more attention to this in the future."

Faced with the seemingly respectful but somewhat indifferent excuse, Li Luo didn’t say anything. He just gave the other person a deep look and walked past him.

As Zhuang Yi watched him leave, the smile on his face gradually faded.

"Deputy Chairman, I didn’t expect Young Master to suddenly awaken a Fifth-Class Phase. It’s quite surprising..." a subordinate loyal to Zhuang Yi whispered beside him.

"Most likely, the two Masters left him some rare treasures. Using such treasures on him is a waste," Zhuang Yi said indifferently.

"However, it’s just a Fifth-Class Phase, not particularly outstanding. So for Young Master to rise, it won’t be that easy."

He waved his hand and said, "Pass this information to Young Master Pei Hao."

"Also... the matter of reclaiming the First-Class refining room should be pushed forward. Yan Lingqing is becoming more and more of a nuisance."

"Yes!"

...

When Li Luo entered the First-Class refining room, he saw that it was divided into dozens of compartments separated by crystal walls. In each compartment, a figure was busy working.

Among them, Li Luo saw the tall and slender figure of Yan Lingqing. She was wearing a long coat, her hands in her pockets, and she was inspecting the area with a cold expression.

At that moment, she stopped in front of a crystal wall and watched as a First-Class Phase Master completed the refinement of a Spirit Water Light.

Under Yan Lingqing’s gaze, the young First-Class Phase Master was somewhat nervous. He then took a fine crystal needle from the side, which had precise markings.

This was a testing needle, used to check the refinement level of the Spirit Water Light.

The crystal needle was inserted into the bottle of Spirit Water Light, and the markings on it gradually rose from low to high.

Finally, it stopped at 46%.

Seeing this, Yan Lingqing said coldly, "If this level of refinement is sold, it will tarnish Xiyang House’s reputation."

The young First-Class Phase Master lowered his head in disappointment.

However, Yan Lingqing didn’t show any leniency and said sternly, "You made at least four mistakes in the refinement process. The White Leaf Fruit was not cooked enough, the Moonlight Juice was too thick, the Smokeless Water was too thin, and during the final mixing, your Water Phase power did not reach the required saturation."

"Refine it again."

After saying this, she turned and left, her cold gaze sweeping over the many First-Class Phase Masters in the room. Everyone fell silent and focused on their work.

Yan Lingqing adjusted her silver-framed glasses, her beautiful face cold. Clearly, she was very dissatisfied with the performance of these First-Class Phase Masters.

A hint of frustration flashed in her eyes. Although she had come to help at Jiang Qing'e’s request, she was ultimately an outsider. If it came to influence within this branch, Zhuang Yi was indeed stronger.

The Xiyang House branch was divided into three refining rooms, from First-Class to Third-Class, each responsible for refining Spirit Water Lights of different levels.

With Jiang Qing'e’s appointment, Yan Lingqing had taken control of the First-Class and Second-Class refining rooms upon her arrival. However, the Third-Class refining room was still firmly in Zhuang Yi’s hands.

The two sides had been openly and secretly competing for control of these refining rooms for a long time. After all, controlling the refining rooms meant controlling most of the Phase Masters, who were the most important assets for Xiyang House, whose sole purpose was to refine Spirit Water Lights.

Recently, Zhuang Yi had become restless and started to make moves on the First-Class refining room. His reason was that a disciple he had trained had refined a First-Class Spirit Water Light with a quality of 53%.

This quality was considered top-notch among the First-Class Spirit Water Lights produced by Xiyang House. So Zhuang Yi used this as a reason to spread the rumor that Yan Lingqing was not good at guiding First-Class Phase Masters. This had caused some动摇 among the First-Class Phase Masters in Xiyang House recently.

If this situation continued, Yan Lingqing felt that the First-Class refining room might really be taken over by Zhuang Yi.

Even with the support of Jiang Qing'e and Cai Wei, they couldn’t easily kick out Zhuang Yi, an old hand at Xiyang House, without him making any obvious mistakes. Doing so would cause unrest within Xiyang House, affecting the refinement of Spirit Water Lights and ultimately harming the Luo Lan Manor.

Feeling frustrated, Yan Lingqing only glanced at Li Luo as he entered the refining room, without any extra thoughts.

Li Luo, however, was quite casual about it. He went straight to an unoccupied refining room. A beautiful young woman whispered, "Young Master, you’re here."

Li Luo nodded with a smile in response. As he was organizing the materials on the refining table, he casually asked, "Sister Sakura, Deputy Chairman Yan seems to be in a bad mood?"

The young woman, whom he called Sister Sakura, stuck out her tongue and said, "We’ve been scolded all morning..."

Then she briefly explained the situation.

After hearing this, Li Luo understood. It was indeed a significant matter concerning the First-Class refining room. If Zhuang Yi succeeded in his bid, it would severely damage Yan Lingqing’s reputation and reduce her influence in Xiyang House.

Thinking about this, Li Luo frowned. He certainly didn’t want to see this happen. After all, this Xiyang House branch contributed about half of the annual income of the Luo Lan Manor in Tian Shu County. He was in dire need of funds, and any problems here would greatly affect him.

Most importantly, Zhuang Yi was Pei Hao’s man. With Pei Hao’s character, he might even swallow the entire Xiyang House branch.

However, thinking about it now wouldn’t help, so Li Luo turned and placed a First-Class formula sheet named "Green Jade Spirit Water" on the table. He then took out the necessary materials and began his practice for the day.

Two hours of practice passed quietly. Just as Li Luo’s refinement became increasingly proficient, the door to the First-Class refining room was suddenly pushed open. Everyone paused in their work, and then they saw a group led by Zhuang Yi enter.

The mere presence of the group was ominous.