Chapter 260: Sneaky Gains

Pattern Genesis Tier, Third Pattern!

Li Luo could feel the new energy coursing through him, building him anew. His resonant power was on a whole new level compared to what it was before.

And as a Third Pattern, he could stand against the top 30 in the Two Star Hall with sheer power alone.

Accomplishing this in less than half a year at the Astral Sage College was not unheard of, but it still classified him as one of the undisputed elites.

Li Luo was pleased with himself. This was one of his largest jumps in recent history.

The onyx lake had been well worth the trip.

All the pain he had been through fell away from memory as his success glowed within him. If he had spent all his time in school, he would have taken two months to get this far.

As for other students, they might not match him even by the end of the first year.

That was how rare and effective the onyx lakes were. To get ahead in this world, both luck and skill were necessary.

Now perhaps only Qin Zhulu could stand against Li Luo in the One Star Hall.

As for Wang Hejiu, Bai Doudou, and the others, they were already eating his dust.

Even at the start of school, Li Luo had been able to hold his own against them in battle. It had always been his resonant power holding him back.

Now that he could stand here comfortably, he continued to absorb what other energy he could. The more the better.

While absorbing, Li Luo looked deeper into the dark abyss ahead.

The 38th step was supposed to be the limit, but if so... what was below?

On impulse, he flicked a Waterlight Bullet forwards.

Whoosh!

A bright, illuminating pellet whizzed off into the murky depths.

After a few moments, it was snuffed out by the energy vortex, but Li Luo could see a stone wall below, where a large, black tree grew.

On the tree, there were black leaves that swayed and rippled with the waves of energy, some of them being ripped off each time.

The onyx tree and its onyx leaves.

Li Luo also noticed that only the top layer of leaves were being blown off by the energy waves. There were many more leaves pressed up against the stone wall that were sheltered against the energies.

No wonder only two or three leaves blew out each time.

"I wonder if I can grab some."

Since onyx leaves were tickets into the onyx lake and cultivation, the students outside were desperate for them. Each time, they fought like lions over the few leaves that were released.

If Li Luo could grab a handful here, he could trade them for Other fragments. Others could get their shot at cultivation, and Li Luo would win a whole bunch of points for himself. Plug a bit of that 100,000 point bank he needed...

Win-win, eh?

His eyes brightened with the thought, and he almost slapped himself on the back. “Great idea, you!”

Without hesitation, he combined his blades and sent a light arrow whistling forth.

Still, dreams were much prettier than reality.

The light arrow had only flown a dozen meters before it was lost to the buffeting energies.

Li Luo frowned. The energy disruption here was too strong for other energies to pass through cleanly.

It was like throwing wooden spears against a wall. No matter how hard you threw the spear, it was always going to bounce away.

So it wasn't such an easy goal after all.

Surely he wasn't the first one to have made it to the 38th step and think of this money-making scheme.

Then again... no one else had his advantages.

Maybe he could make this work.

Still, resisting the environment was tiring, and his dual resonances were more or less depleted for the moment. If he was going to make a move, any move, he probably only had one last shot left in him...

After that, he would have to leave before his defenses expired.

He lifted his bow again, this time with a sense of urgency. His two streams of resonant power flowed upwards, gathering at his bow.

This time his light arrow was much more slender, barely a thread of light that connected bow and string.

Yet on this faint thread danced more penetrative deadly power than Li Luo had ever summoned before.

Hum!

The bow sang, and the light arrow charged with blue and green shot forth. As it passed through the energy field, it flickered and wavered.

Still, this time it made it through without slowing, punching through many of the connections between tree and leaves.

Crack!

As planned, black leaves were separated from the tree.

Whoosh!

The black onyx leaves immediately took flight in the energy current, swiftly ascending upwards.

Li Luo had prepared silk strings, reinforced with resonant power, and was ready and waiting to snag them up.

He roughly counted them. Eight onyx leaves!

He smiled at them with a maniacal grin of greed.

And then a cold chill passed through his spine. Danger. He looked back down again.

He sensed a pure evil, emanating from the depths of the onyx lake. And it was staring at him.

His scalp crawled with a prickling sense of danger.

He could not explain it, but the desire to get out immediately was overwhelming. He hesitated no more, kicking off with the leaves in hand, letting the current take him back up.

Faster, he prayed. The current couldn't get him away fast enough. He didn't even know what lurked below, but he knew that it was something far beyond his abilities!

...

Deep in the mountains of the forbidden zone.

A certain dark cave.

Crimson beast eyes flared open with a feral growl. They were fixed in the direction of the onyx lake.

The onyx lake ran very deep with tunnels, and one narrow tunnel ran directly to the ruby lake that it usually cultivated in.

It could sense a strange power that compelled it.

Could it be... dual resonances?

Had another Duke come to challenge it?

No, this was a Resonant Master kid. But... with dual resonances?

There was thoughtfulness in the crimson eyes, a human-like intelligence that pondered the notion.

It seemed to recall something as its huge body rose out of the lake.

A natural dual resonance user? 

Well then. If it ate the kid, wouldn't it move a step closer to Duke-level power?

Greed filled those eyes, alongside a savage intelligence that would stop at nothing to fulfill its goal.