Chapter 83

On the platform, there were several refining rooms enclosed by transparent crystal walls. Yan Lingqing was inside one of these rooms, tidying up some items on the table.

When Li Luo walked in, she glanced at him and said, "You really seem to run into that little female classmate of yours wherever you go."

Clearly, she had seen Li Luo with Lu Qing'er earlier.

"Just a coincidence," Li Luo explained.

"I think she has a bit of a thing for you," Yan Lingqing said.

Li Luo hurriedly replied, "Nonsense, I won't allow you to defame our pure classmate relationship!"

Yan Lingqing chuckled and said, "This has nothing to do with me. That little girl actually has some skills, but I wonder if she can stand up to the 'Empress' when she gets to the Holy玄Star Academy."

"Getting more and more ridiculous, calling her the 'Empress,' what does that make me, the Emperor?" Li Luo said irritably.

"Daydreaming much."

Yan Lingqing huffed lightly, then without further ado, handed him a formula: "This is the spirit water I plan to refine later. Familiarize yourself with it."

Li Luo quickly took it and examined it carefully. The spirit water Yan Lingqing planned to refine was a fourth-grade spirit water called "Blue Algae Spirit Water." Its refinement difficulty was considered quite high among fourth-grade spirit waters. Clearly, she was determined to outdo Song Qiuyu.

Li Luo glanced at the materials required for the "Blue Algae Spirit Water" and couldn't help but draw a sharp breath. It required over four hundred materials, and to perfectly blend them without any errors clearly demanded an extremely high level of proficiency in the Quexiang technique.

"This is the formula for a fourth-grade spirit water, indeed very challenging," Li Luo sighed. Currently, he could refine second-grade spirit water, but that required at most a hundred materials, which was nothing compared to a fourth-grade spirit water.

Moreover, the blending of materials for a fourth-grade spirit water was particularly complex. While second-grade spirit water materials required at most a double blend, fourth-grade spirit water materials needed a sixfold blend, a significant leap in difficulty.

People began to bring in the refining materials one by one, neatly stacking them together. As an assistant, Li Luo carefully checked them.

Seeing this, Yan Lingqing smiled, quite satisfied with Li Luo's meticulousness and seriousness.

As time passed, the top Quexiang masters from various spirit water and light houses in Tian Shu County entered their respective refining rooms. Li Luo also saw Song Qiuyu from Songzi House enter.

The moment she entered, her gaze fell on Yan Lingqing. Their eyes met, and there seemed to be a spark of tension between them.

Yan Lingqing's face was expressionless, but her tightly clasped white hands revealed faint veins, indicating the intensity of her emotional turmoil.

"Why do I feel you really dislike her?" Li Luo, noticing Yan Lingqing's emotions, asked in confusion. After all, Yan Lingqing usually showed little interest in anything outside of refining spirit water and light, yet she reacted strongly to Song Qiuyu.

Yan Lingqing fell silent for a moment before saying lightly, "Actually, we used to get along quite well. I even strongly recommended her to join my teacher's refining team. But later, during a crucial competition, her clumsy mistake cost us the win. My teacher was very angry, and she chose to leave our refining team afterward."

"That's not all. Soon after, she joined another refining team, the very team that won against us due to her mistake."

Li Luo said, "Another ungrateful person."

Although Yan Lingqing didn't provide more details, it wasn't hard to guess that Song Qiuyu's clumsy mistake was likely orchestrated, possibly even bought off by the other team.

As Song Qiuyu's recommender, Yan Lingqing undoubtedly felt extremely guilty towards her teacher, which explained why she struggled to control her emotions when she saw Song Qiuyu.

Yan Lingqing didn't say anything more, just lowered her head to organize the materials.

Li Luo didn't press further but continued checking the materials. Soon, a bell rang in the center of the venue, and the atmosphere suddenly became intense and lively.

Staff members entered the venue, announcing the Quexiang masters from each spirit water and light house one by one.

Each name was met with cheers from the audience, as they were all relatively famous in Tian Shu County.

On a viewing platform, President Lu of the Golden Dragon Chamber of Commerce looked at the refining platform of Xiyang House and smiled, "This Li Luo really seems to be everywhere."

Beside him, Lu Qing'er, holding a small umbrella, smiled and said, "He's a Quexiang master too, so he's here to gain experience."

President Lu, adorned with jewels, glanced at Lu Qing'er's clear and beautiful face and probed, "Qing'er, you seem to be getting quite close to Li Luo lately."

Lu Qing'er's eyes flickered, and she said calmly, "So what?"

President Lu chuckled dryly and said, "I just want to say, Li Luo is already engaged."

Lu Qing'er stared at the young, handsome figure behind the crystal wall in the venue, fell silent for a moment, and then said, "That engagement is probably just in name, right?"

"Who knows," President Lu shrugged.

"Uncle, you're overthinking it. I don't like Li Luo. He's helped me and saved me, so we have a good relationship. You can't stop me from making friends, can you?" Lu Qing'er said.

"No, no."

President Lu hurriedly shook his head, seeming to breathe a sigh of relief, "But it's good that you don't like him. Now that you're entering the Holy玄Star Academy and going to the capital, your mother is there. Try not to mention Li Luo in front of her."

Lu Qing'er was taken aback, then frowned, "Why?"

President Lu stammered, finally saying, "It's just some old grudges between the previous generation. Don't ask, just try not to mention Li Luo in front of your mother."

Lu Qing'er's eyes filled with doubt, and she finally nodded lightly, but for some reason, a sense of annoyance suddenly welled up in her heart.

Ding! Ding!

At that moment, a rapid sound echoed in the venue, and everyone understood that the grand competition was about to begin.

The atmosphere in the venue instantly became tense.

In the refining rooms enclosed by crystal walls, the Quexiang masters also became serious.

In the next moment, all the Quexiang masters suddenly burst with Water Phase or Light Phase power, and their materials dissolved rapidly amidst the cheers.

The grand competition had begun.