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During this period of time, the headquarters of House Luolan had increased their defenses and vigilance. The pavilion masters who had thrown their lot in with Jiang Qing\' e and Li Luo had also arrived at Xia City, bringing their most elite forces with them.

Manager Cai Wei had also allocated a significant amount of funds to hire external aid. Most of these individuals were at the Earth Fiend General Stage, while a few were at the Heavenly Dipper General Stage. Unfortunately, they were all at the Heavenly Pearl Stage as anyone stronger than that would likely have built a reputation of their own within the Xia Kingdom, and they would have an understanding of the terrifying maelstrom that was the House Luolan Housemeet. Even with excellent conditions, they would not willingly involve themselves.

Regardless, House Luolan was the strongest it had ever been since the two House Lords had left.

……

Within House Luolan\'s Discussion Hall.

Li Luo and Jiang Qing\'e were sitting at the head as fevered discussions took place. The usually spread-out higher echelons of House Luolan had all gathered within this very location, greeting the duo and also reporting upon the situation over the past year.

Li Luo was full of smiles, and he treated everyone with the warmth of spring air. Jiang Qing\'e, on the other hand, remained serene without expression. However, everyone knew that this was her personality and did not take it personally, instead only demonstrating their complete respect for her.

In fact, the entire group of House Luolan\'s upper ranks also treated Li Luo with sincere respect as well.

This was a complete change from the mentality they had towards him when they were at the old manor in the City of Southwind.

They might have been respectful towards Li Luo on the surface, but that was because of his stature and Qing\'e\'s backing. No matter what, it was indeed a difficult thing to sincerely respect a blank palace Li Luo when the law of the jungle reigned supreme, even though he was the son of the two House Lords. However, in the short span of a year, Li Luo\'s power and influence had undergone heaven-shaking transformations.

He had not only shed his blank palaces but turned into a dual resonance user. At the same time, he entered Astral Sage College, becoming a figure of repute within. In fact, during the recent Holy Grail Meet, he had even managed to achieve the title of the strongest One Star Hall student, the significance of which was not lost upon them. It demonstrated that Li Luo did possess overwhelming power and potential amongst his peers. Furthermore, they had found out just yesterday, their young lord had even reached the Fiend Palace Tier.

A single year of time was all he had needed to go from a blank palace to the Earth Fiend General Stage.

This exceptionally swift cultivation speed shocked anyone who heard of it. It was even quicker than the likes of Jiang Qing\'e\'s. It seemed his dual resonances weren’t famous for nothing!

Thus, Li Luo\'s transformation had brought about greater relief and joyful surprise to the upper ranks of House Luolan. Li Luo was also the rightful young lord. His massive potential would mean that if House Luolan could overcome the trial of the Housemeet, it would undoubtedly be propelled to new heights in the future. It was possible that they could achieve a greatness that surpassed that of the previous House Lords. As a result, even though the Housemeet loomed overhead, Li Luo\'s demonstration of talent and might had reassured the skittish and perturbed elders, giving them peace of mind. This was exactly what was expected of the House Lords’ lineage!

Li Luo was able to discern the changes in their thoughts, so he knew that his goals had been achieved. With the Housemeet tomorrow, ensuring that his side remained convinced and composed was critical. This would allow them to demonstrate their full prowess. If not for wanting to hide his remaining cards, he might have even shown off his triple resonances.

Although triple resonances didn\'t mean much in terms of combat strength, they symbolized a rarely seen genius and potential. This would not only incite and inspire his men, but also get them to follow him loyally, with little chance of betrayal.

Li Luo and Jiang Qing\'e continued to spend the better part of the afternoon greeting the endless stream of people, only concluding near lunch.

When the crowd gradually dispersed, Li Luo stretched tiredly. But then he saw a small smile appear on Jiang Qing\'e\'s small, white cheeks, indicating her happiness.

"What are you smiling at?" he asked

"In their minds, you\'ve become the actual young lord of House Luolan. This is the result you have carved with your own hands after a year of painstaking effort. I\'m happy for you," Jiang Qing\'e replied.

Li Luo smiled. "Let\'s leave the celebrations for tomorrow."

Jiang Qing\'e nodded slightly and then stood up. "Let\'s go to Uncle Biao. We need to discuss tomorrow\'s business with him."

Li Luo nodded as well, and as Uncle Biao was House Luolan\'s only Duke member, he was a critical part of any plan.

The two left the discussion hall and headed to the inner courtyard, arriving at Uncle Biao\'s kitchen.

Upon entering, they saw Uncle Biao sharpening his pig-butchering knife, which had been stained with numerous red grooves. The blade glinted in the rays of the sun, reflecting a chilly light that caused one\'s heart to palpitate in nervousness.

Noticing that the two had arrived, he paused and hefted his knife towards the light with a sigh. "I would never have thought that my blade would see the light of the sun after so many years."

"We will finally be able to see Uncle Biao reveal his true might. It has been a long time waiting." Li Luo grinned.

Uncle Biao shook his head as he replied, sounding a little crestfallen, "It\'s unfortunate that I\'m no longer in my prime."

Jiang Qing\'e directly asked, "Uncle Biao, could you let us know just what sort of stage you\'re at? What sort of strength do you possess and what grade of Duke are you able to handle?"

Li Luo stared attentively at Ox Biaobiao. Since the Housemeet was tomorrow, Dukes from the Xia Kingdom would inevitably intervene, so they would have to deploy their own Duke in response to preserve their side\'s morale. Otherwise, their side might very well turn tail and run rather than fight an impossible battle.

Ox Biaobiao stroked his chin and smiled. "Dukes have nine grades, and most of those that you have seen in the Xia Kingdom are at the first or second grade at best. I may not have clashed with many of them directly, but from the information your parents provided, the Xia Kingdom\'s Dukes are merely average. However, that\'s not unexpected, considering we are in the outer divine continent and are therefore unable to compare with those in the inner divine continent. At the same time, this doesn\'t mean that they are complete trash. The Golden Dragon Bank\'s President Yu, the Astral Sage College\'s Vice Principal Su Xin, House Jiyan\'s fiery brat, and the royal court\'s Regent—these are the four your parents have said are the strongest Dukes in the Xia Kingdom. They are all at the fourth-grade. The Regent is the most notable one—he is someone who has concealed himself deeply and possesses an ambitious heart... There is a saying about the nine grades of a Duke: one grade, one layer of heaven. Every grade indicates a massive gap between the next. All are equal below the might of a Duke. A single grade will allow them to massacre all."

At this point, Ox Biaobiao hefted the pig-butchering knife in his hand once again. "So long as they are within House Luolan\'s headquarters\' vicinity, not even those four I mentioned would be able to do anything with me around."

"Wow, Uncle Biao! You\'re truly amazing!" Li Luo cheered as he praised him.

This was his first time learning that President Yu and Vice Principal Su Xin were at the fourth-grade. House Jiyan\'s fiery brat... that should be House Jiyan\'s House lord, Zhu Qinghuo. That was slightly surprising as well.

"Now that I think about it, my parents were already fourth-grade Dukes when they left, right?" Li Luo asked. Ox Biaobiao smiled and nodded.

"I thought so. They broke the record for being Xia Kingdom\'s youngest Dukes, but I think their record is going to be surpassed by Sister Qing\'e and I in a few years," Li Luo confidently bragged.

Jiang Qing\'e helplessly replied, "Cultivation before the Heavenly Resonance Stage can be quick, especially if one\'s body is particularly talented. However, the Heavenly Resonance Stage is a huge gulf, and many of those who easily rose to that stage were forcefully halted from any further progress. At the Heavenly Resonance Stage, one requires a period of accumulation and opportunity. Breaking into the Fiend Palace Tier from the Resonant Master Stage within a year doesn\'t mean much."

Ox Biaobiao smiled as well. "Common sense dictates so as well. However, our Young Lord lacks neither potential nor opportunity. Breaking his parents\' records is not impossible. However..." He paused, and a smile that was not a smile appeared on his face. "The only problem is that... Young Lord, do you think your parents only broke into the Duke Stage after they arrived at the Xia Kingdom?"