Chapter 36

After Li Luo and Song Yunfeng fought to a draw, his score in this preliminary exam was firmly secured within the top twenty.

According to the normal procedure, the top twenty would usually be further ranked, but Li Luo had no interest in this. In his view, such a ranking competition was meaningless. After all, whether it was the twentieth or the first, they all just had the qualification to participate in the academy grand exam.

If he exposed too many of his cards here, it would undoubtedly add difficulty when he met strong opponents in the academy grand exam, as the other party would have too much information on him.

So, why not develop quietly? Even if he got first place in the preliminary exam, the stingy old dean wouldn't give him any rewards.

Even in this match against Song Yunfeng, if the other party hadn't been determined to flirt with death, Li Luo would most likely have chosen to concede.

After all, he didn't think it was shameful to concede when he couldn't win. Li Luo now felt it wasn't worth exposing his improved version of the "Water Mirror Technique" here.

So when Xu Shanyue came to ask if he wanted to compete for a ranking among the top twenty, he directly refused. With this time, he could absorb more spirit water and strange light, and work hard to advance his "Water Light Phase" to the sixth rank before the academy grand exam. Wouldn't that be better?

Xu Shanyue was not surprised by Li Luo's choice; he just encouraged him to work hard and prepare for the academy grand exam.

The ranking competition for the top twenty was settled the next day. In the end, two people from the Second Academy were selected, Li Luo and Zhao Kuo. However, they were both at the bottom, with Li Luo at fifteenth and Zhao Kuo at sixteenth.

Li Luo's ranking clearly had a lot of room for improvement. If he wanted to, entering the top ten would not be a problem, but because he gave up the ranking competition, he was ultimately ranked where he was.

These twenty people would represent Nanyang Academy in the academy grand exam in two weeks, competing for admission spots at the Holy玄Star Academy.

As the most prestigious academy in the Great Xia, the Holy玄Star Academy issued admission quotas to various counties every year. These quotas were contested by all academies within the counties through the academy grand exam. In previous years, Nanyang Academy always secured the most admission spots, gradually solidifying its reputation as the top academy in Tian Shu County.

However, Nanyang Academy was not without rivals. The Dongyuan Academy was a formidable opponent. Although its foundation was not as deep as Nanyang Academy, its rise was rapid, and it had the support of the Tian Shu County Governor's Office. In recent years, it had posed a significant threat to Nanyang Academy in the academy grand exam.

It was rumored that this year, Dongyuan Academy was still eyeing the top academy's reputation in Tian Shu County, and the academy grand exam would undoubtedly be a fierce battle.

After the preliminary exam, Nanyang Academy would have a week-long break. Students could choose to go home or continue training at the academy. Li Luo, of course, chose the former without hesitation.

In the attic of Li Luo's room in the old residence.

Li Luo's eyes were tightly closed, and a faint light enveloped his body. On the tea table in front of him was a fifth-rank spirit water and strange light that had already been used.

The absorption lasted for a long time before Li Luo gradually opened his eyes, a blue light flashing in them.

"This is the last bottle of this batch."

He looked at the empty crystal bottle in front of him and couldn't help but scratch his head. So far, Cai Wei had helped him purchase eighty-three bottles of fifth-rank spirit water and strange light, costing over 400,000 Tianliang gold. This was a huge sum, and if Cai Wei hadn't sold some of the Luo Lan Mansion's assets in Tian Shu County, it would have been difficult to sustain this expenditure.

After absorbing so many bottles of fifth-rank spirit water and strange light, Li Luo's fifth-rank "Water Light Phase" had indeed improved, but it was still some distance from evolving to the sixth rank.

However, he had to advance his Water Light Phase to the sixth rank before the academy grand exam.

Although the battle with Song Yunfeng ended in a draw, Li Luo did not feel complacent. He knew that if it weren't for the time limit in the preliminary exam, he would have lost due to his exhausted phase power.

In the academy grand exam, such a draw would never happen.

To secure an admission spot at the Holy玄Star Academy, he needed to rely on his true strength.

In the academy grand exam, top students from major academies in Tian Shu County would participate, and the competition would be far more intense than the preliminary exam at Nanyang Academy.

Additionally, Li Luo had already chosen an energy guidance technique to cultivate, which required a sixth-rank phase.

So, advancing to the sixth-rank Water Light Phase was urgent.

"Based on the current progress, to evolve to the sixth rank, I will need the last batch of fifth-rank Water Light Phase."

"But recently, Sister Cai Wei seems to avoid me... She doesn't seem to want to see me." Li Luo expressed his distress. In the past few days, Cai Wei even skipped breakfast at the old residence, probably fearing he would ask for dozens more bottles of spirit water and strange light.

After all, fifth-rank spirit water and strange light were not cabbages; they cost about 5,000 gold per bottle. Fifty bottles would cost 250,000 Tianliang gold, which was close to the annual profit of the Luo Lan Mansion in Tian Shu County.

So, Li Luo understood. A good gold medal manager had to resort to selling the Luo Lan Mansion's assets to maintain operations in Tian Shu County, which was a significant blemish on her career.

Cai Wei hadn't resigned yet, and Li Luo already thought she had a broad heart.

But Li Luo had no choice. His acquired phase was like a gold-guzzling beast. If it weren't for the Luo Lan Mansion left by his parents, he felt he would probably die within five years.

"Let's go to Xiyang House first."

Li Luo pondered for a moment. With the Luo Lan Mansion facing internal and external troubles, he couldn't keep depleting its assets. Although Jiang Qing'e had given him free rein over the assets in Tian Shu County, he couldn't really ruin the place. Otherwise, the people under the Luo Lan Mansion would have complaints about him as the young lord.

Most importantly, it would make people suspect that he, the young lord of the Luo Lan Mansion, might be a fool... which Li Luo could not accept.

With some ideas in mind, Li Luo tidied up and left the old residence, heading to Xiyang House.

Upon arriving at Xiyang House, he went straight to Yan Lingqing's laboratory. When he pushed the door open, he saw two familiar figures sitting together, seemingly discussing something, with a hint of worry on their faces.

They were Yan Lingqing and Cai Wei.

Seeing Li Luo, Cai Wei and Yan Lingqing were both surprised: "Young Lord?"

"What are you discussing?" Li Luo smiled and walked in, then saw several bottles of spirit water and strange light on the table in front of the two women, one of which was the first-rank Qingbi Spirit Water he had refined earlier.

"We are discussing Xiyang House's sales performance this year." Cai Wei did not hide anything from Li Luo and said directly.

"Is the performance not good?" Li Luo frowned. Xiyang House contributed nearly half of the Luo Lan Mansion's annual profit in Tian Shu County. If its performance declined, it would affect his evolution plan.

Yan Lingqing pointed to the crystal bottles in front of her and said in a cold voice, "Currently, the first-rank spirit water and strange light in the Tian Shu County market are mainly produced by two companies: our Xiyang House's Qingbi Spirit Water and the Song Family's Songzi House's 'Sunlight Strange Light.' These two products have similar quality, so in recent years, they have together occupied nearly 80% of the first-rank market."

"However, recently, the quality of the 'Sunlight Strange Light' produced by Songzi House has improved, with an average refinement power of 57%, almost matching our Xiyang House's highest quality."

"So, the Song Family has been heavily promoting their 'Sunlight Strange Light,' leading to them occupying a large portion of the first-rank market in Tian Shu County, while our Qingbi Spirit Water's sales have significantly decreased."

"If this continues, Xiyang House will be completely defeated by the Song Family in the first-rank market, which will be a significant loss for Xiyang House. Most importantly, it will affect Xiyang House's reputation in Tian Shu County."

Li Luo's expression turned serious, "What is the production rate of Xiyang House's first-rank spirit water and strange light?"

"Xiyang House in Tian Shu County can produce five bottles of first-rank spirit water and strange light per day, 150 bottles per month. The market price of first-rank spirit water and strange light is around 50 Tianliang gold, so the annual sales revenue from first-rank spirit water and strange light is about 90,000 Tianliang gold. After deducting all costs, the profit is 30,000 gold." Cai Wei said without hesitation, clearly having a thorough understanding of the Luo Lan Mansion's assets and data in Tian Shu County.

Li Luo first gave Cai Wei a thumbs up in appreciation, then estimated and was surprised. The profit from just the first-rank spirit water and strange light accounted for one-tenth of the Luo Lan Mansion's annual income in Tian Shu County, showing the immense benefits of the spirit water and strange light market.

However, this was normal because high-quality spirit water and strange light were not something everyone could afford. More people who bought first-rank and second-rank spirit water and strange light were not necessarily at that phase level but could not afford large quantities of higher-rank spirit water and strange light, so they used lower-rank ones as a substitute.

This method of improvement was clearly much less efficient than using high-quality spirit water and strange light, and the accumulation of impurities would be faster, but not everyone started with the same resources as Li Luo.

After understanding this information, Li Luo's first thought was that he absolutely could not let Xiyang House be affected, as it would impact his future evolution of the Water Light Phase.

"Why has the quality of the 'Sunlight Strange Light' produced by the Song Family's Songzi House improved this year?" Li Luo asked.

"The quality of spirit water and strange light is influenced by three factors: the formula, the refiner's experience and strength, and the quality of the source water and light."

Yan Lingqing said calmly, "I have examined the 'Sunlight Strange Light' and, based on my analysis, the formula has been slightly modified. I think the Song Family likely spent a lot of money to get some experts to guide them."

Cai Wei crossed her left arm over her chest, supporting her right elbow, and then lightly touched her white chin, her eyebrows furrowed, "Additionally, Zhuang Yi has been using this as a reason to attack Lingqing, saying that the result is due to her and demanding that she leave Xiyang House."

Standing together, Cai Wei didn't realize that her unintentional gesture made the already turbulent waves even more noticeable, especially in contrast, making Yan Lingqing look even more pitiful.

Yan Lingqing, sensing something, expressionlessly reached out and pulled down Cai Wei's left arm.

Cai Wei was momentarily taken aback, but soon a blush spread across her oval face, and she angrily pinched Yan Lingqing's side under the table.

Then, the two women's sharp gazes turned to Li Luo, who, after a moment of surprise, said seriously, "Don't make small moves during serious discussions. You're both grown-ups; if it happens again, I will criticize you."

Li Luo's serious words only earned him a cold snort from the two women, who quickly moved on.

"Is Zhuang Yi still causing trouble?" Li Luo asked, returning to the topic.

Mentioning this Zhuang Yi, Yan Lingqing's cold face showed a hint of annoyance, "This guy is always stirring up trouble, causing internal conflicts in Xiyang House. The decline in product quality this year is partly due to him."

"It seems he is a menace. Can we find a way to remove him?" Li Luo frowned, also annoyed. I need a lot of funds, and you're not helping me earn money but causing trouble in my backyard?

Cai Wei's brows furrowed, "Currently, Xiyang House lacks a leader. Lingqing is new and lacks the authority, while Zhuang Yi is an old-timer, and some phase refiners in Xiyang House still trust him. If we forcibly remove him without a proper reason, it could cause unrest."

"Moreover, he has the support of Pei Hao behind him."

Li Luo frowned. Pei Hao, the white-eyed wolf, was the biggest threat to the Luo Lan Mansion. Zhuang Yi was just affecting Xiyang House's sales, but Pei Hao wanted to take over the entire Luo Lan Mansion.

This would cut off his lifeline. If the Luo Lan Mansion was taken over, how would he fill his bottomless acquired phase? Rely on his face?

However, Pei Hao was already established, while he was just starting out, lacking the strength to compete. So, for now, he could only stay low and develop behind Sister Qing'e.

Just as Li Luo was thinking, someone reported.

"Young Lord, Chief Manager, Deputy President Yan... Deputy President Zhuang has suddenly called a meeting of all Xiyang House managers, saying there is an important matter to discuss. He requests the presence of the three of you."

Hearing this, Li Luo, Cai Wei, and Yan Lingqing were all taken aback, then exchanged glances, their brows furrowing simultaneously.

This guy is up to something again.