Li Luo felt a lump in his throat which he swallowed. Not an answer he had expected.
When he had learned of the Nobles' Battlefield, where Kings and Dukes marched relentlessly in to die, Li Luo had known the Others were to be feared. And yet there had been this sense of disjunct - the Others were far away, a problem he only had to deal with when he neared Duke strength.
And now Jiang Qing'e was telling him that there were Others in the Umbra Cave under Astral Sage College!
So they had always been nearby?
"The Others are not just confined to the Nobles' Battlefield. They are entering our world through rifts that can be anywhere. Xia Kingdom is quite lucky - there aren't many rifts here, and as a result the common populace is largely oblivious of the problem."
"In other rift-filled regions, Others appear all over, leading to Other Disasters. Many once-rich and powerful countries have been led to ruin because of them. Under Astral Sage College, one such rift point links the two worlds. It's called Umbra Cave."
"Astral Sage College was built in part to contain the rift. Astral Sage College's principal spends most of his time in Umbra Cave, keeping it under control. He also fights the stronger Others, preventing them from escaping into our world."
Li Luo had a sudden lurch of understanding. So that was why the principal was rarely seen. So he had a greater burden to bear.
"Although the principal can suppress the rift, but he cannot completely destroy it. The open connection with the shadow world leaks pollution into our world, which manifests as Others when it grows strong enough. The pollution and Others are endless, and can never be fully eradicated. And yet if they are allowed to grow strong enough, they will rush out of Umbra Cave and wreak havoc."
"The principal alone is not enough - and he is busy dealing with the stronger Others. That is why every once in a while, Astral Sage College opens up Umbra Cave for cleaning duties. Mentors conduct a sweep of pollution and stronger Others."
"Still it is not enough... and so the cleaning duties are also given to the Three and Four Star Hall students. It's also seen as a test of sorts."
"Each cleaning is rewarded generously with school points. Of course..." Jiang Qing'e's voice almost cracked. "It is very dangerous, and each cleaning sees casualties. It's not a surprise if an entire squad is wiped out."
Li Luo felt a chill run down his spine. Astral Sage College had seemed like an idyllic place of cultivation to him. And yet such great dangers lurked closer than he had thought.
Still, destroying the Others was a collective responsibility. If they really escaped, the whole of Xia Kingdom would probably be destroyed.
"At first, only the Four Star Hall students were given the cleaning duties. Later on, Three Star Hall students were involved. In the last few years... Two Star Hall students were also included, albeit the best squads only."
Jiang Qing'e looked straight into Li Luo's eyes. "Do you know what this means?"
He shivered in the night breeze. "It means that the pollution in Umbra Cave is intensifying, so we need more cleaners?"
She nodded. "I don't know why that is. But I do know that the principal has been seen less and less in recent years. Which means that the task demands a King's full attention."
"So there's a chance that One Star Hall students might be involved this time?" Li Luo asked.
"It's not impossible, although it will likely be limited to the Violet Vibrance squads. There might also be changes to the participation format. You will know soon enough. Violet Vibrance squads are usually ordered to take it up, whereas other squads have both reason and permission to refuse. If you refuse, you'll be expelled." Jiang Qing'e said gravely.
Li Luo knew this should be no surprise to him. The Violet Vibrance squads were given the best guidance and the best resources... of course they should have correspondingly heavier responsibilities. He had never thought Astral Sage College was a charity giving handouts.
"Perhaps it wasn't such a good thing entering Astral Sage College after all." Li Luo sighed.
Perhaps only the stronger factions in Xia Kingdom knew about Umbra Cave - it was not public information.
The price for Astral Sage College's favorable cultivating conditions was the threat of Umbra Cave.
"Some things can't be avoided." Jiang Qing'e pointed out.
Li Luo nodded. He had no intention of avoiding it. Quite the contrary - now that he knew about Umbra Cave, there was a strange eagerness building within him.
He wanted to know the enemy that his parents were currently facing.
"As long as one makes it back successfully from cleaning, each squad gets points... ranging in the five-digit range. Of course, there can be more depending on performance." Jiang Qing'e said.
"Five-digit points from one mission..." Li Luo was practically drooling. After all, he had only gotten 5,000 points or so from his hard-won win at the ranking battles.
"If the school does include One Star Hall Violet Vibrance squads in this cleanup mission, I think they will use stronger-weaker pairings. A high-star Hall squad will lead a lower-star Hall squad. In that way, weaker squads won't die so easily due to the lack of experience."
"If that happens," Jiang Qing'e continued, "I suggest your Fairness & Justice squad join our Black Swan squad."
Li Luo's heart leaped. Jiang Qing'e's squad was one of the top ranked squads in Three Star Hall. If they could team up, the risk would definitely be much lower.
He was happy to ride her coattails to success.
"Won't we be trouble?" Li Luo dearly wanted to take up the offer, but still had to ask.
She shook her head. "Heh, you're the first in One Star Hall after all."
Li Luo nodded gratefully.
What she didn't say was that the weaker pairings also included Two Star squads. Which meant that Three Star squads usually picked Two Star squads. A One Star squad like Li Luo's was definitely going to be weaker than the Two Star squads.
But it couldn't be helped, if she was to help Li Luo get points.
Time to go convince her two squad mates. After all this time, they knew her way of doing things. If they didn't agree... they would fight until there was agreement.