Cai Wei really could not understand why Li Luo was doing this. However, Li Luo was the Young Mansion Master after all, and Jiang Qing'e had explicitly stated that her primary purpose in staying here was to support him. In the end, she gave a slight nod.
"Very well."
"Then I’ll leave it to you, Sister Cai Wei," Li Luo said with a gentle smile before turning and walking into the old manor.
Cai Wei watched his retreating figure and sighed helplessly. This Young Mansion Master seemed a bit reckless. After what happened yesterday, was he truly unaware that Luolan Manor was currently suffering from both internal and external troubles? Even if his physical condition prevented him from sharing Jiang Qing'e's burdens, there was no need to cause extra chaos. With this kind of reckless spending, the annual income generated by Luolan Manor in Tianshu Prefecture might not last long. Would he have to beg Jiang Qing'e for aid when the money ran out? But Luolan Manor was currently in a difficult position and also in desperate need of massive funds.
Cai Wei rubbed her temples gently; it seemed her time in Tianshu Prefecture would not be very pleasant.
Li Luo, however, paid no mind to Cai Wei’s inner turmoil. At this moment, he was filled with excitement and anticipation as he headed straight for the library in the old manor. The library housed many cultivation guides and Resonance Arts collected by Luolan Manor. Although most had been transferred to the headquarters in the Royal City, quite a few still remained here. This place was considered one of the restricted areas of the old manor, heavily guarded by patrols. But as the Young Mansion Master, Li Luo encountered no obstruction as he entered.
"Young Mansion Master."
A steward in the library was startled to see Li Luo but immediately stepped forward to greet him respectfully.
Li Luo nodded and ordered, "Fetch me all the energy guidance techniques in the library suitable for a fourth-grade resonance."
The steward was puzzled. In the past, whenever Li Luo came to the library, he would only look at Resonance Arts; he never touched the energy guidance techniques because he was born with an empty resonance, making those techniques useless to him. However, the steward did not dare to voice any objection. After all, Li Luo was the Young Mansion Master and held the highest authority in this old manor. He immediately agreed and briskly went to search for the techniques as requested.
Li Luo found a quiet room and waited patiently. A short while later, the steward returned, sweat on his brow, carrying a pile of crystal slips.
"Young Mansion Master, these are all the energy guidance techniques in the library suitable for a fourth-grade resonance. There are twenty-eight introductory-level techniques and six general-level ones."
Li Luo nodded, waved him away, and began to carefully flip through the techniques.
In the Great Xia Kingdom, energy guidance techniques were categorized similarly to resonance power levels: Introductory, General, Marquis, and King. Aside from the Introductory level, the other three tiers were subdivided into low, middle, and high grades. Introductory techniques allowed one to complete the cultivation from the Tenth Seal Stage to the Origin Master Stage, while progressing from the Origin Master Stage to the General level required a General-level technique, and so on.
Introductory techniques were everywhere, but General-level ones were only possessed by mid-tier factions. Marquis-level techniques were even rarer, found only in top-tier factions. Li Luo remembered that their Luolan Manor possessed two Marquis-level techniques, left behind by his parents. As for King-level techniques, their value was immeasurable; if one were to appear, it would surely trigger a frantic struggle among the top factions in the Great Xia Kingdom, perhaps even sparking a war between great nations.
Generally, however, the higher the grade of the energy guidance technique, the stricter the cultivation requirements, with many demanding specific resonance grades. Since Li Luo’s "Water-Light Resonance" was only fourth-grade, he could only have the steward fetch the ones he was qualified to practice.
Time passed, and the crystal slips on the table were quickly reviewed by Li Luo. Finally, he selected three:
*Nine-Stage Breath Technique*, General-level low grade.
*Canglan Meditation Chart*, General-level middle grade.
*Spirit Transformation Secret Art*, General-level middle grade.
All three were General-level techniques; if practiced to the highest level, one could break through to the General stage. These three had decent potential—while not the absolute best, they were certainly not common goods. Most importantly, they were perfectly suited for Li Luo’s fourth-grade Water-Light Resonance. If he managed to raise his resonance grade in the future, he could simply switch to a more suitable technique; it wouldn't be much trouble.
Li Luo hesitated for a while between the three, finally choosing the *Canglan Meditation Chart*. The resonance power cultivated by this technique was characterized by a vast, enduring strength like the ocean, which matched his Water-Light Resonance even better.
"You’re the one."
Li Luo gathered the *Canglan Meditation Chart* with a wave of his hand, his eyes burning with impatience. He stood up and left, heading toward the underground secret chamber of the library, where his parents had built a special cultivation room. There, he would begin to experience true cultivation.
Li Luo walked into the lowest level of the library and used a drop of his blood to unlock the heavy door made of special refined iron. Behind the door lay a brightly lit cultivation room. This room was no ordinary space; it was constructed from "Heavenly Quantity Gold," a special metal formed underground over years of tempering by the world’s energy. Because it was not only a hard currency but also possessed a strong affinity for absorbing world energy, cultivation rooms built from Heavenly Quantity Gold were a standard feature in top-tier factions.
"Truly extravagant."
Li Luo stomped on the hard floor, sighing in admiration. As far as he knew, his parents had spent hundreds of thousands of Heavenly Quantity Gold to build this room. Cultivating here yielded twice the result with half the effort. Previously, only his parents and Jiang Qing'e had ever practiced here; this was Li Luo’s first time. It was a golden house in the truest sense.
It had to be said that you get what you pay for; the money spent on this Heavenly Quantity Gold was not wasted. Merely standing here, Li Luo could clearly feel that the world energy was far denser than outside.
Lost in thought, Li Luo went to the center of the room, where two stone platforms with cushions sat—evidently used by his parents. He sat cross-legged on one, held the crystal slip, closed his eyes, and silently recited the cultivation mantra of the *Canglan Meditation Chart*. At the same time, he began to breathe according to the rhythm of the meditation chart.
Six exhales, three inhales, nine light, four heavy—the rhythm shifted continuously.
His initial attempts naturally failed a few times, but Li Luo’s top-tier comprehension soon showed its value. He quickly grasped the key points of the *Canglan Meditation Chart* and began to hit his stride.
With his eyes closed and his mind settled, Li Luo felt as if he could hear the sound of the ocean flowing beside him. The "Canglan" style took its inspiration from the icy, vast expanse of the sea. He visualized himself sitting in the middle of a current, letting wave after wave wash over him.
Soon, he began to feel the world energy around him stirring. Within that energy, the water element was the strongest, containing traces of light energy as well. These energies began to flow through the pores of his skin and into his body with every breath he took.
The gentle, nourishing water energy and the pure light energy flowed happily through his body. Under their influence, his body, which had previously suffered from a depletion of blood and Qi, gradually regained its vitality. After circulating through his body, the two energies finally gathered in his resonance palace, which shimmered with a deep blue light, transforming into his resonance power.
As the resonance power within his palace grew, Li Luo became intoxicated, throwing his heart and soul into this hard-won cultivation.
Time slipped away unnoticed; half a day passed in the blink of an eye.
When Li Luo was jolted from his cultivation state, the first thing he felt was a faint, prickly pain in his body. It was a reminder from within that he had reached his limit for the day. Using a guidance technique to absorb world energy puts a load on the body's meridians, and it is said that the lower the grade of the technique, the greater the burden. Once the limit is reached, cultivation must stop until one rests.
Li Luo was now in that state. This sudden interruption left him feeling unsatisfied but helpless. After all, the *Canglan Meditation Chart* was only a General-level technique; being able to practice for this long was already its limit.
This point alone showed how critical a high-level guidance technique was to cultivating resonance power. If one could possess a high-grade technique from the very start, the accumulation over years would naturally leave others far behind. Unfortunately, high-grade techniques were not only rare and precious, but they also had strict requirements. At the very least, the resonance grade alone was enough to block most practitioners—including Li Luo, for now.
Their Luolan Manor did possess a Marquis-level technique, but as far as he knew, it required at least a seventh-grade resonance. Fortunately, the *Canglan Meditation Chart* was only a temporary choice for him. Once he raised his resonance grade, he would naturally switch to a higher-level technique.
In this light, raising his resonance grade as quickly as possible was truly essential.
Li Luo sighed, then opened his palm, watching as a trail of deep blue resonance power slowly emerged.