Chapter 296: Dark Red Bracelet

Approximately half a day later, the majority of the dispatched reinforcements steadily streamed in.

The arrival of these saviors greatly strengthened the morale in the stronghold, giving rise to endless cheers.

These reinforcements were led by Gong Shenjun, and they marched in valiantly. However, the first thing that caught their eye was the colossal three-tailed beast statue.

Everyone looked around in confusion.

"Wasn't the call for help due to a Heavenly Disaster Class Other's sneak attack? How did it transform into a spirit beast?" 

"This seal looks extremely complicated. Could this perhaps be Your Highness' doing?"

"Amazing."

"It looks like our effort was for naught. Your Highness has already single handedly dispatched of the danger."

One Four Star Hall student after another began to chime out in praise. Although they could not understand even an iota of the intricacies of the seal, this did not prevent them from intinstictively comprehending its magicalness. 

Gong Shenjun pondered over the situation with an absentminded look on his face, slowly shaking his head. "No. This is definitely not the handiwork of Luanyu. However, the resonant power emitting from the seal clearly originates from her." Yet all these thoughts only brought about even more questions that baffled him. Only the First Princess had the power to deal with such a creature. Who else could have resolved the students' predicament?

Then again, just who could create a seal of such power?

They had many questions but no clear answers. The team of rescuers then swarmed into the stronghold, where they were met with the raucous cries of happiness.

All of the students immediately came up to welcome them. The First Princess, Duze Honglian, and the rest were no exception.

"Luanyu, I had not expected you to snatch away the prize." Gong Shenjun laughed with a warm expression on his face.

Yet a hint of suspicion lurked within his gaze. The First Princess had simply arrived too quickly. The location she had come from was further than him. 

Ultimately, she was the first to arrive, demonstrating that she had truly exhausted herself to respond to these summons. 

Although rescuing a fellow student was their duty, her swift response and the lengths she had gone through to save the students seemed abnormal to say the least.

Based on his estimates, if Purified spot 13 had truly been attacked by a Heavenly Disaster Class Other, this could only have been chalked up to bad luck. Even if they had rushed over, he would only have found rotting corpses, making their journey a complete waste of time and effort.

With this in mind, why would they even bother to rush over?

On the contrary, the First Princess had made her way over with all due haste.

None of this seemed to add up in his mind, especially with his understanding of the First Princess' personality. She might seem amiable and approachable, but beneath that warm exterior hid a cold and steely personality. As members of royalty, they had lived through too much political intrigue, and naturally this resulted in all of them wearing a mask for their own protection.

The First Princess wore one, and so did he.

Hence, everything about this rescue led to countless questions and surprises.

"Could it be that it was due to Jiang Qing'e? Perhaps she's trying to sway her heart?" Gong Shenjun's gaze glinted with curiosity as he continued to guess.

He knew that the First Princess had been striving to pull Jiang Qing'e into her orbit. Her potential was worth the investment.

The First Princess' beautiful face let out a wry smile. "With how dangerous things were, if I had come any later, countless students might have perished. Hence, I did my best to get here, hoping to save whomever I could."

The surrounding crowd's gazes were filled with endless gratitude upon hearing the words of the First Princess.

Although the situation had been resolved by Li Luo's numerous measures, the First Princess' timely arrival had demonstrated her concern and care for the students.

Gong Shenjun smiled in response, unsure if the First Princess was merely trying to rally the crowd. She had indeed arrived quickest and was deserving of praise. "It looks like the credit for being the savior will only belong to you."

Upon hearing those words, an incandescent smile lit up on her face without skipping a beat. "Does Brother Gong believe that I have the capability to overpower a spirit beast that was approaching the Duke Stage?"

"A great spirit beast which has begun to comprehend the path of the Duke?" He immediately focused his attention onto the stone statue. Even he would have difficulty dealing with such a beast's attacks. He was only at the Heavenly Dipper General Stage, far from comprehending the mysteries of the Duke Stage.

"Then just whose handiwork was responsible for the sealed spirit beast?"

Everyone was equally flabbergasted at that realization. If the First Princess had not taken action, how had these students resolved their predicament? 

"To be honest, this was all for nothing. Even if I had not come, this purified spot would have been fine," the First Princess spoke frankly. She had no intention of lowering herself to steal someone else's credit.

"I don't get it. What happened? Only you could have possibly dealt with such a great spirit beast. Which one of these muppets could possibly stand a chance?" Gong Shenjun retorted with a furrowed look on his face.

Jiang Qing'e? She might be overflowing with potential, but ultimately she was merely at the Earth Fiend General Stage. If she had entered the Heavenly Dipper General Stage, things may have been slightly different.

"Li Luo brought about this miracle," the First Princess explained with a complex look on her face.

This bombshell left the Four Star Hall students shellshocked. Even Gong Shenjun's jaw dropped as he looked at the slightly dispirited First Princess.

It took a moment before they were able to compose themselves. "You mean Li Luo had a way of dealing with this great spirit beast?"

Some of the Four Star Hall students burst out in laughter at the outlandishness of this statement. Impossible! Yet their guffaws were met with a somber expression on the First Princess' face. She was not joking, it seemed. The students who had been saved did not retort either, merely nodding their heads in agreement.

Staring blankly at each other, the guffaws gave way to another round of confused looks. Wasn't Li Luo a new One Star Hall student, on his very first expedition to the Umbra Cave? It was mind-boggling to even think about how this newbie could have resolved a situation that the First Princess and Gong Shenjun would struggle with.

"It was truly settled by Li Luo." At this point, Duze Honglian spoke up with a complicated look on her face. She had never expected that there would be a day where she would stand up for Li Luo. This was the cold, hard truth after all.

After which, she briefly explained Li Luo's entire plan and how he had managed to seal the great spirit beast.

With Duze Honglian's narration, Gong Shenjun's expression couldn't help but turn awe-struck, and his gaze seemed to deepen. 

The rest of the Four Star Hall students had incredulous looks on their faces. Their impression of Li Luo had undergone a massive change.

A new student, thrown into a new environment, had achieved so much?

Being able to summon such bravery amidst dire circumstances was truly not a simple feat.

Gong Shenjun gradually snapped out of his trance, immediately sweeping his gaze across the crowd. Surprisingly, Jiang Qing'e and Li Luo were nowhere to be found. "Junior Li Luo is the master of miracles." No one had expected that such an unorthodox plan would resolve their situation. It undoubtedly required a trace of luck, but this was merely one part of it. Being able to come up with this audacious plan and executing it himself demonstrated the mettle of a man.

A hint of respect flickered through Gong Shenjun's eyes. For one, he had never looked down on Li Luo. How could the esteemed Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan give birth to a complete wastrel? 

At the same time, he still seemed to have underestimated that unassuming young lord...

Meanwhile...

"This dark-red bracelet appeared after you sealed the three-tailed beast?" Whilst Gong Shenjun was enjoying his reception, Jiang Qing'e and Li Luo were huddled together in a nondescript stone hut. She was very naturally holding on to Li Luo's hand, her golden irises focused on the bracelet.

Li Luo had taken the initiative to inform Jiang Qing'e of this new development. Furthermore, the two were extremely close, so there was no room for secrets between them.

As the two held hands, Li Luo was once again given the opportunity to fully appreciate Jiang Qing'e's ravishing countenance. It was indeed a soul-stirring sight. Her snow-white complexion gave one the impression of holding the finest polished jade. Taking advantage of this moment, Li Luo couldn't help but give her little hand a tight squeeze. 

"Stop messing around," Jiang Qing'e snapped as she glared at Li Luo, almost causing his soul to fly out of his body in fright.

Releasing her hand, she spoke solemnly. "This bracelet contains some sort of mighty power within, something even my resonant power is unable to penetrate. The strength within is vast and boundless, something I am unable to handle. It should not have been created by the three-tailed beast.

"I'm afraid this has to do with the Principal. Perhaps it's something he left for you."