Absolute Resonance

The two Violet Vibrance mentors walked to the front of the crowd.
”Congratulations on surviving this purging mission.

”All of us are very happy to see each of you make it back.
Except…
not all of you are here.
Some students will forever languish in the Umbra Cave. ”

The crowd fell silent immediately, grave expressions on young faces.
Each of them let their sorrow come to the fore.
Many of the deceased students had been familiar to them.

Perhaps a month ago, they had been drinking and making merry together.

Now they would never see them again.

Some sobbed quietly to themselves.

The two Violet Vibrance mentors started to speak again, this time calling out the names of those who had fallen.

”Two Star Hall, Chen Zhen. ”

”Two Star Hall, Liu Ming ’er. ”

”Three Star Hall, Meng Qi. ”

…

As each name was read out, a bit of light flew out from the two mentors ’ sleeves.
It was actually a shining leaf, on which the name was written.

The leaves floated along to the Tree of Resonant Power and fastened themselves to an open branch firmly.

Li Luo understood in a flash.
Each leaf on the tree represented a student who had died in the fight against the Umbra Cave…

Throughout all these years, the Astral Sage College had built its grand yet macabre symbol in the resistance against the Umbra Cave.

Finally, the last leaf was attached to the Tree of Resonant Power, and the two mentors bowed their heads, speaking solemnly together in quiet prayer.

”May fear be gone. ”

”May we live long. ”

The students echoed along obediently after them.

”May fear be gone! ”

”May we live long! ”

Li Luo looked up to the tree.
It was nothing but a gravestone to him now.

”Why doesn ’t the school invite other experts from the Xia Kingdom to deal with the Umbra Cave? Surely the losses would be less that way. ” 

”Firstly, the students that enter the Astral Sage College are the best, and the rest of the Xia Kingdom might not match their standards, ” Jiang Qing ’e replied.
”Besides, students might be younger, but their hearts are usually a bit purer.
We are not impervious to corruption, but compared to the experts outside, who have darkened their personalities in the gritty world, students stand a lower chance of getting corrupted.

”Privately, my mentors told me that the Astral Sage College once reached out to these other experts in times of need.
They were indeed stronger than the students, but they were much more easily corrupted and turned.
Overall, they caused more harm than good.

”That ’s why the school has always been very cautious about inviting external experts to help. ”

No wonder the school would continue to pay this gruesome price each year.
It had no choice.

Of course, while things were largely under control, there was no need for the school to call for aid.

As for the deaths…
They were regrettable but also inevitable.

Li Luo felt sympathetic for the mourners all around him.

”Suddenly, I really want to get the Dragon Bone Holy Grail for the Astral Sage College. ”

With the Holy Grail, they would face no deaths for at least four years.
Although this meant that some other school would then have to go without the panacea, Li Luo was not enough of a saint to care that far.
All he could manage was contributing to the improvement of the Astral Sage College.