Chapter 0797: Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool
"Five thousand strands of abstruse fiend light?!" Li Luo was completely taken aback by Li Jingzhe's words. What sort of magical object was this, being able to produce five thousand strands of abstruse fiend light upon refinement?!
It was enough for an average person at the Lesser Fiend Palace Tier to vault to the Greater Fiend Palace Tier in a single go.
After the surprise wore off, excitement surged through Li Luo's heart. He knew that someone at Li Jingzhe's position would not be joking. Therefore, wasn't the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath his best shot?
If he was able to obtain a few portions of it, then the target of thirty thousand strands of abstruse fiend light could be attained extremely quickly.
"Grandpa! Why did you not tell me such an important thing until now?" Li Luo's endless joy was then followed by a grumbling complaint.
"Well, that's because the Dragonbreath Pool is only opened once every ten years. It's not time, so there wasn't much point in telling you before." Li Jingzhe smiled.
Li Luo's grin was crushed flat. Opened once every ten years?
"Wait, how far off are we from the next opening?" Li Luo cautiously asked.
"Hmm... around three years," Li Jingzhe nonchalantly replied as he picked up a bamboo shoot with his chopsticks, continuing to eat.
Li Luo felt like a bucket of cold water had been doused over him. Three more years? Well, if he didn't reach the next tier in three years’ time, he might not have a need for anything else...
With a long expression, he shook his head and bitterly said, "It looks like fate simply does not want me to use the Dragonbreath Pool."
He had originally thought that a solution had been found, but alas, his dreams had been extinguished by reality.
As he fell into a bout of depression, he noticed that Li Jingzhe was still grinning mischievously in the corner of his eye. With renewed interest, he asked hopefully, "Could there possibly be a way to bring the timing forward?"
Li Jingzhe swallowed the bamboo shoot he had been chewing before he slowly explained, "The Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool does only open once every decade. However, if the five Lineage Chiefs agree, we can move the opening ahead by three years."
Li Luo was exuberant once again. Wasn't this too coincidental? Was there a chance?
"However, this decision was deliberated two years ago, and after discussion, four of the Lineage Chiefs had chosen to open it after seven years, whereas there was one who opted for ten years. As the vote was not unanimous, the previous rule remained and the opening was not brought forward." Li Jingzhe's next sentence once again caused Li Luo's heart to lurch. This was truly an unrestrained up and down.
Fury suddenly arose in Li Luo's heart, and he smacked the table. "Was it that damn Dragon's Blood Lineage Chief again? Have we not given them enough face already?"
Li Jingzhe then glanced at Li Luo. "The one that rejected the decision is sitting right in front of you."
Li Luo felt a little taken aback before he smiled and hurriedly poured his grandfather yet another cup of wine as he asked in bewilderment, "Grandpa, why did you reject bringing the opening forward?"
"Why would I want to do so?" Li Jingzhe rebutted.
"Do you think that whenever the Dragonbreath Pool opens up, just anyone from the younger generation is able to receive its benefits? Although the competition for the slots has to do with the competition amongst the banners, there are only six Coiling Dragon Pillars. Thus, only six Banner Leaders can enjoy the benefits of the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath. The Dragon's Fang Lineage's younger generation has not been exceptional in the last few years, so if we opened the Dragonbreath Pool, the Dragon's Blood Lineage would be the one reaping the most benefits. Since they’re in the lead, they would naturally be excited to move the opening of the pool forward. At the end of the day, they would be the ones getting fat, so why would I not want to delay things? What if some amazing junior appeared in the Dragon's Fang Lineage during those three years? Then I might have just managed to save him a slot."
Li Luo understood why Li Jingzhe had made that decision. The Dragon's Fang Lineage simply could not obtain any benefits from doing so.
It was a reasonable choice. Ever since his father had left, the Dragon's Fang Lineage had not produced any exceptional juniors. At the very least, they were weaker in every way when compared to the geniuses of the Dragon's Blood Lineage. Even their most outstanding junior, Deng Fengxian, had been suppressed by the Dragon's Blood Lineage. With that in mind, there was naturally no need to accelerate the opening process.
Li Luo sighed helplessly. Now he would also miss the opportunity.
Forget it, he would have to find some other solution.
"Do you want this opportunity?" Li Jingzhe asked.
"Of course! This is a rare opportunity that only comes every ten years in a Heavenly Emperor bloodline! This bumpkin from the outer divine continent has not yet managed to taste such a delicacy!" Li Luo naturally agreed.
When he heard Li Luo mention the outer divine continent, Li Jingzhe fell into a moment of silence. He had felt a sense of guilt ever since Li Taixuan left the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. His grandson had then been born there and never received any of the protection or benefits of the Dragon's Fang Lineage.
He then looked at Li Luo's face, which greatly resembled that of his father. His usually stern expression had unknowingly turned gentle.
"If you really want it, it's not like there's no chance." Li Jingzhe sighed.
"Basically, I was the only one who rejected the idea. If you want to give it a try, I will send a message to the old man in the Dragon's Blood Lineage, and we will directly open up the pool during next month's meeting. This can be counted as a stroke of luck for him, and he will definitely be very pleased."
"Isn't that great?" Li Luo paused for a moment. Li Jingzhe was ultimately the Dragon's Fang Lineage’s Lineage Chief, and if he had to renege on a decision he previously made, would that not affect his prestige?
"It's a minor matter. However, those old foxes aren't dumb. If I tell them that I want to bring the opening of the pool forward, they will know why I'm doing it." Li Jingzhe placed down his chopsticks as he smiled at Li Luo.
"They will definitely know that I am doing it for you. Thus, my reputation will be on the line depending on your results. If you perform splendidly at the Dragonbreath Pool and snatch a Coiling Dragon Pillar for yourself, obtaining a portion of the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath, others will say that I have exceptional courage for taking such a bold risk. On the other hand, if you return empty-handed, people will laugh at me and say that my eyesight has gone bad. Thus, are you willing to bravely snatch away a portion of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath for your old grandpa?" Li Jingzhe asked.
Li Luo was a little taken aback and fell into deep thought before attentively replying, "It will definitely be difficult, but I am willing to give it a shot."
Now that Li Jingzhe had said so much, retreating at this juncture would show a lack of bravery. The fact that the Lineage Chief was willing to stake his reputation on him was something he felt extremely moved by.
Although the difficulty of the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool would surpass the battle against Zhong Ling, the aid of his banner members would give him a chance.
Furthermore, there were six pillars.
"How many portions of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath can one usually obtain?" Li Luo asked.
"Usually, just one portion. Those who are fortunate might chance upon two," Li Jingzhe answered.
"That's a bit too little," Li Luo complained with dissatisfaction. One portion was just five thousand strands of abstruse fiend light. It was significant, but he needed thirty thousand! That wasn't enough.
"You really are greedy. Do you think it's easy to refine a portion of Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath?" Li Jingzhe harrumphed.
If it were that simple, they would not open the pool so rarely.
Li Luo smiled and replied, "Grandpa, if you're willing to give me the chance, I will struggle with all my might."
This was met with a slight nod. "Alright. You can go back now and await my news. When the time comes, I'll let you know."
Li Luo then swept all of the vegetables on his plate into his mouth with a cheery grin before patting his stomach in satisfaction as he got up and left.
The moment he left the courtyard, he paused and turned around to look at the old man who was now tidying the table. Then he said words that came from deep within his heart.
"Grandpa, thank you. Truly."
Although Li Jingzhe had said that the burden of upholding his reputation was placed upon him, Li Luo knew that if it was not for him, he would never have chosen to go back on his decision.
With that, he no longer hesitated and left.
After his silhouette vanished in the distance, Li Jingzhe raised his head and glanced in that direction.
A trace of a smile surfaced on his wizened visage.