The platform fell into silence once more.
Unlike the tense stillness above, the martial arena below was buzzing with noise. Voices overlapped, excitement and impatience mixing together.
"What's going on? Why hasn't Li Wei shown up yet? I've been waiting forever."
"Same here. This is supposed to be a clash between the two most talented youths of our Li Clan."
"Two geniuses? You're overestimating Li Wei. He's strong but still only an Elite. Mingtian is already far ahead. The outcome is obvious."
"I'm only here to see how powerful Brother Mingtian really is."
"I wasn't there when Li Wei defeated Li Meiran, but I heard he relied on a high-level martial art. His actual strength isn't that impressive."
"If his father weren't the clan head, do you think he'd have reached this level?"
"Exactly. The clan head even gave him special training."
"Watch your mouth."
"Anyway, I don't acknowledge Li Wei as a genius."
"Neither do I."
"If he doesn't use advanced martial arts, I'm confident I could defeat him myself."
"Let's just watch the duel."
As the hour slipped away, impatience spread through the crowd. Ryan still had not appeared.
Murmurs turned sharper, more biting.
"What now? Did Li Wei really flee?"
"Facing Li Mingtian, anyone would be scared."
"Looks like waste is waste after all. Even with talent and martial arts, his martial heart is too fragile."
The arena simmered with anticipation and ridicule, waiting for the final moment when the duel would begin—whether Ryan appeared or not.
"I told you, he wouldn't dare come!"
A burst of mocking laughter rippled through the martial arena.
"Hah, a mere Elite challenging an Upper Elite? Wasn't that just a joke from the start? Of course, Li Wei ran away."
"I heard his courtyard has been empty for three days. Empty! He probably fled long ago."
"What a letdown. I was expecting a clash of dragons and tigers, but that so-called genius turned out to be nothing but a coward."
Disappointment and ridicule piled atop one another, each sentence sharper than the last.
On the high platform, the elders wore stiff expressions. None of them spoke, yet their gazes subtly shifted back and forth between Li Gengxin and the Seventh Elder, as if waiting for something decisive to happen.
The Seventh Elder's face was covered in frost. At this moment, he had no interest in mocking Li Gengxin. What he cared about was far simpler and far more urgent. Would Ryan come or not?
If Ryan truly failed to appear, then even if he spat curses until his throat went hoarse, it would mean nothing. His grandson's vengeance would remain unfulfilled. What meaning was there in empty anger?
Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, the Seventh Elder endured in silence.
Li Gengxin had said Ryan would not flee.
If that were a lie, the patriarch's prestige would collapse. So the Seventh Elder waited, stubbornly clinging to the hope that Ryan would still arrive, step onto the arena, and be cut down by Li Mingtian, thereby avenging Li Meiran.
Li Gengxin, on the other hand, felt unease creeping into his chest. Ryan had said he was tempering his strength. That much he believed.
His son would not lie to him.
But with time slipping away and no sign of Ryan, worry inevitably surfaced. Had something gone wrong? Had he encountered danger?
His expression darkened, though he forced himself to remain composed. There was still a little time left. Perhaps Ryan had simply been delayed.
On the arena itself, Li Fanghua let out a cold snort, her disdain undisguised. "That Li Wei really is a spineless turtle. He was trash before, and he's still trash now. He must be terrified of dying under Brother Mingtian's hands, so he doesn't dare show his face."
"No," Li Mingtian replied, shaking his head. "That doesn't match his temperament. He never struck me as someone who fears battle. Since he agreed, he shouldn't flee without a fight. Something must have delayed him."
"Brother Mingtian!" Li Fanghua snapped, turning sharply toward him. "At a time like this, you're still speaking up for him? He killed my brother! He must be afraid you'll take revenge, so he's hiding. Why should we keep waiting? We should gather people and hunt him down right now. If we move fast enough, he won't have gone far!"
"There's still time," Li Mingtian said calmly. "I believe he'll come."
Li Fanghua's brows knitted together in dissatisfaction. "Brother Mingtian, whose side are you on? His, or mine?"
"Yours, of course," Li Mingtian answered without hesitation.
"Then why do you keep defending him?" Li Fanghua demanded angrily. "He's my enemy!"
"Enemy or not, that's separate from character," Li Mingtian replied patiently. "Let's wait a little longer."
"And if he still doesn't come?" Li Fanghua pressed.
"If he doesn't," Li Mingtian said, his eyes turning cold, "I'll personally lead people to hunt him down and bring his corpse back for you."
"Good," Li Fanghua said, finally satisfied, nodding firmly.
Time continued to pass, yet Ryan's figure remained absent.
At this point, not only the elders on the platform but even the Li clansmen who had gathered to watch were convinced that Ryan would not appear.
"That's it, he's definitely not coming."
"A coward through and through. I don't even know how he reached the Elite realm."
"Calling him the second genius of the Li Clan is a disgrace to the clan."
"Daring to be compared with Brother Mingtian is an insult in itself."
"What a waste of time."
"I waited all this time for nothing. Afraid to death, that's all he is."
Li Fanghua sneered triumphantly. "See? I told you he wouldn't dare come."
Li Mingtian's expression also darkened slightly. Disappointment flickered in his eyes. He had once regarded Ryan as a worthy opponent, someone capable of pushing him further along the martial path. But now, it seemed Ryan was nothing more than a coward who feared death.
"Let's go," Li Mingtian said quietly. "I'll gather people immediately and hunt him down. Meiran's blood debt must be repaid."
Just as the crowd began to stir, preparing to leave, a sharp, piercing sound tore through the air.
Boom!
A figure shot across the sky like a meteor.
Before anyone could react, the shadow had already descended into the martial arena, landing squarely on the ring.
The speed was terrifying. All that remained in the crowd's vision was a blurred afterimage. For a brief moment, no one could even tell whether it was a human, a ghost, or some kind of ferocious beast.
"Who is it?" Li Mingtian shouted, his aura instantly rising.
On the high platform, the elders surged to their feet, eyes sharp and alert. Below the ring, countless Li Clan members craned their necks, staring fixedly at the arena.
Then, as the dust settled, a figure gradually came into focus.
Clothes torn and dusty, hair slightly disheveled, face marked with fatigue and grime, the newcomer looked somewhat battered and unkempt.
"It's Li Wei!"
Someone cried out in shock.
"He actually came!"
"So he really dared to show up!"
"There's going to be a show after all!"
"He looks like he's been wandering for days. Where did he even go?"
"Hahaha, who cares? As long as he came, that's enough!"
"Yes! Fight! We waited all this time for this!"
The crowd, which had been on the verge of dispersing, surged back toward the ring, excitement reigniting like sparks in dry grass.
On the high platform, the elders slowly sat back down. Several of them exchanged subtle glances before shifting their attention to the ring, their expressions unreadable.
Li Gengxin's heart leapt. At a single glance, he realized something astonishing.
He could no longer see through Ryan's cultivation.
Before, when Ryan was at the nine-star Elite, Li Gengxin could perceive it. Even after Ryan advanced, he could still vaguely sense his level. But now, there was nothing. No clarity at all.
What did that mean?
Either Ryan possessed a technique that concealed his cultivation… or his realm had surpassed Li Gengxin's own.
The latter possibility made Li Gengxin's heart pound. Considering Ryan's terrifying rate of growth, it was not impossible.
Hope and anticipation surged within him.
The Seventh Elder, upon seeing Ryan appear, felt a flash of ferocity ignite in his eyes. This time, Ryan had to die in the arena. If Li Mingtian failed, then he himself would ensure it happened.
On the ring, Li Mingtian looked at Ryan and smiled faintly. "You came."