"Regret? Sure," Li Nian scoffed, his eyes flashing with malice. His expression turned dark and cold. He was determined to make Li Yun regret ever accepting his challenge.
At that moment, a deep voice echoed across the field.
"Both of you, step onto the martial platform. I'll be overseeing this match," Ninth Elder Li Yongfang announced as he landed near the arena.
Li Yun and Li Nian moved forward without hesitation.
'Damn it, him?!' Li Nian cursed inwardly. Of all people, why did it have to be Li Yongfang as the judge?
Though the Ninth Elder and Li Yun weren't exactly close, Li Nian knew they were on somewhat good terms. It was no secret that Li Yongfang had reluctantly agreed to guide Li Yun in the path of potion refining when he started, thanks to persistent requests from Third Elder Li Zhen.
This complicated things. If he went too far, there was a chance Li Yongfang would interfere before he could truly hurt Li Yun.
Meanwhile, Li Yun stood there with a calm smile on his face. He wasn't just here for revenge, he wanted to test his limits. This was his first real battle since breaking through, and more than anything, it was the perfect opportunity.
After all, the system had just issued him a new quest:
---
[Quest Level: F]
– Objective: [Teach Li Nian a lesson]
– Reward: [1,000 gold coins, 100 Experience Points, Dragon Tiger Fist]
---
A smirk crept across Li Yun's lips.
'Be careful, Brother Li Yun... ' Li Yao's eyes narrowed with concern, her brows furrowed as she silently prayed for his safety.
Across the platform, Li Nian sneered coldly. "No matter how much you improve, you'll never be my equal."
With a sharp flick of his wrist, he unsheathed his sword and charged forward. The blade shimmered as he unleashed the Flowing Wind Sword Art, a middle-grade Mortal Rank technique.
His sword weaved through the air like serpents gliding across the earth, elegant yet deadly, aiming straight for Li Yun's chest.
But Li Yun only scoffed. "This sloppy form? You haven't even reached advanced mastery in it."
He had no trouble seeing through Li Nian's swordplay.
Whether it was the recent upgrade to his spirit soul or a boost in his comprehension, he couldn't say for sure, but every move Li Nian made felt slow, predictable and exposed.
As Li Nian's sword swept toward him, Li Yun shifted his weight and narrowly sidestepped the blade.
"Tsk." Li Nian clicked his tongue in irritation, pressing forward with a flurry of slashes from his Flowing Wind Sword Art.
Li Yun danced just outside the reach of each attack, sometimes narrowly escaping a strike, sometimes receiving a shallow scratch, and sometimes evading so cleanly that it looked effortless. But with each passing second, his footwork grew sharper, his reactions faster.
It was as if his body had begun to understand the rhythm.
"Damn it!" Li Nian's frustration was boiling over. He began swinging wildly, executing the sword art's techniques with increasing force and desperation.
But by now, Li Yun had completely unraveled the Flowing Wind Sword Art.
No matter where the attacks came from, high, low, diagonal, straight, he dodged them all with subtle shifts of his stance and quick sidesteps. His legs barely moved more than necessary, yet they carried him just out of harm's way every time.
He hadn't even learned a proper movement technique yet. And still, his natural control over timing and positioning left everyone stunned.
Li Nian had launched well over a hundred attacks by now, but all of them had missed. The realization twisted his face with rage.
"Li Yun, if you've got guts, take my attack head-on!" Li Nian roared, almost frothing at the mouth as he continued attacking Li Yun with his sword attacks.
Li Yun's eyes remained calm, his voice like still water. "As you wish."
With calm confidence, he activated the Blazing Sun Art, circulating internal energy cultivated to the seventh layer. His body surged with heat. He then clenched his right fist tightly, energy coiling around it like rippling waves, before slamming it straight into the oncoming strike.
"Boulder Crushing Fist!"
Boom!
The impact sent shockwaves across the arena.
Li Nian was launched backward, his sword flying from his grasp. He tumbled to the ground, dazed and utterly defeated.
"Impossible!" He screamed in disbelief. One hit. Just one punch… and it was over. The humiliation was unbearable.
From the sidelines, First Elder Li Potian, Li Nian's grandfather, stared in stunned silence before his face twisted with fury.
"Damn this brat!" He muttered through clenched teeth. First his son had lost to Li Tian, and now his grandson had fallen to Li Tian's son. His rage was so intense he nearly coughed up blood.
"This child… is worth cultivating," said Clan Leader Li Jinyun, nodding with a rare smile.
Third Elder Li Zhen's eyes gleamed with quiet pride. "Like father, like son," he whispered under his breath.
And in the crowd, Li Yao's eyes sparkled, her heart swelling with joy as she watched Li Yun stand tall, unshaken, victorious.
"Li Nian, you've lost." Li Yun's voice was calm, but his sneer carried a sting that cut deeper than any blade.
"I refuse to accept this!" Li Nian's eyes burned crimson with fury. He pulled out a blood-red pill and swallowed it without hesitation.
A violent surge of internal energy exploded from his body. His muscles swelled, veins bulged grotesquely beneath his skin, and his expression twisted into something beast-like.
"That's... the Raging Blood Pill!"
"Is he insane?! Doesn't he know that pill damages the foundation? It'll cripple his cultivation in the long run!"
"But forget that, Li Yun's in danger now! That pill boosts power tremendously. He's no match for Li Nian like this!"
The young cultivators surrounding the martial arena erupted into shocked whispers.
Everyone knew what the Raging Blood Pill represented: a last-resort life-saving measure, reserved only for true life-and-death situations. Its power came at a steep cost, debilitating the user's cultivation foundation. And yet… Li Nian had used it against his own clanmate, just to avoid humiliation.
On the platform, Li Potian went pale. He clenched his fists and cursed Li Nian bitterly in his heart.
Li Jinyun's expression darkened. Using a Raging Blood Pill on a fellow family member during a sparring match, this was a direct violation of the clan's code. In serious cases, it was even punishable by death.
"This is madness," Li Jinyun muttered. "Should we intervene?" he asked, glancing toward Li Zhen.
But the Third Elder simply shook his head. "Look at Li Yun. Do you see even a flicker of panic? From the very beginning, he's stood there like an immovable boulder, calm, composed and unreadable."
Li Jinyun turned to observe the boy more closely. Sure enough, Li Yun hadn't budged. His expression remained indifferent, almost bored.
"…You're right," he murmured. "Let's wait. If he truly finds himself in danger, I trust Old Nine will intervene in time."
Li Zhen gave a faint nod, but his eyes never left his grandson. He wasn't worried, not in the slightest.
"DIE!" Li Nian roared like a man possessed, his fist cutting through the air with terrifying force. Empowered by the Raging Blood Pill, all of his internal energy surged into that single strike, creating a monstrous pressure that made the very atmosphere tremble.
But Li Yun simply smiled. 'Now this is more like it,' he thought. Just moments ago, he had felt a twinge of regret, knowing he couldn't go all out with the elders watching. But now? That hesitation had vanished.
He clenched his fist slowly.
Boom!
The air around him warped and trembled. A bright gray light burst from his hand, glowing with raw, primal energy. The ground beneath his feet cracked in a spiderweb pattern, unable to withstand the pressure radiating from his body.
Everyone in the martial field froze.
A suffocating, ominous aura erupted from Li Yun.
"What... what is that?"
Gasps echoed through the crowd.
Even the elders looked shaken, unable to fully comprehend what they were sensing.
Only Li Zhen's eyes widened in realization. 'So he's already...!' The others might not understand, but he did. He knew exactly what that aura meant.
Li Yun stepped forward and finally threw his punch.
BOOM!
The fists collided.
CRACK!
A sickening snap rang out, followed by a blood-curdling scream.
"AAARRGH!!" Li Nian shrieked in agony as his entire right arm twisted into a mangled mess of flesh and bone. He was launched like a cannonball, crashing violently into the boundary wall of the martial arena with a thunderous impact.
And then,
Silence.
An eerie, heavy silence settled over the crowd.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
They could only stare at Li Yun, standing tall and unmoved, his glowing fist still clenched tightly by his side.
'Damn… The Boulder Crushing Fist at the True Meaning stage is on a whole different level!' Li Yun was shaken to his core. He knew the technique would be powerful, he had trained it to the True Meaning stage, after all, but even then, the sheer force behind that one strike had exceeded his expectations.
"Li Nian!!"
A furious roar echoed across the martial arena. First Elder Li Potian dashed forward in panic, his expression darkening the moment he saw his grandson's arm reduced to a mangled, bloody mess.
"You little bastard! Die!" Consumed by rage, Li Potian lashed out at Li Yun.
A crushing pressure, heavy and suffocating, descended upon the arena. The might of a Xiantian Realm expert surged forth as Li Potian's figure appeared before Li Yun like a phantom, his palm striking down with the intent to kill.
Li Yun froze. A wave of despair washed over him. This was the difference between realms. Between heaven and earth. Between life and death. He couldn't even move, let alone defend himself.
But then…
"HOW DARE YOU!"
A thunderous voice exploded, and a powerful figure appeared in front of Li Yun, intercepting the deadly palm.
It was Li Zhen, the Third Elder, and Li Yun's grandfather.
"Li Potian, what do you think you're doing?" The sharp voice of Li Jinyun, the patriarch, followed as he arrived a step later, his expression darker than ever.
First, Li Potian's grandson had used the forbidden Raging Blood Pill in a petty challenge. Now the elder himself had tried to kill a junior in broad daylight. It was beyond disgraceful.
"Patriarch, Li Yun crippled Li Nian's arm!" Li Potian shouted, eyes bloodshot with fury.
Li Jinyun glared at him. "And whose fault is that? Who told your grandson to use the Raging Blood Pill against his own clan member in a sparring match? If anything, Li Yun showed restraint."
He took a step forward, his voice turning colder.
"Consider yourself lucky I haven't punished him already. And now you, an elder of this clan, dare to lay hands on a junior? You and your grandson truly are cut from the same rotten root. Do you want me to strip Li Nian of his family privileges? Suspend you from your position as First Elder?"
Li Potian's face turned pale. The fire in his chest was doused by icy fear. "Patriarch… I understand. I lost control. It was my mistake." Gritting his teeth, he turned back and quickly began tending to Li Nian's injuries, swallowing his rage in silence.
Whoosh!
Suddenly a blur of black streaked across the arena, moving with astonishing speed before landing heavily on the platform.
"Who's the bastard that dared to hurt my brother?!"
The newcomer's voice rang out, laced with fury. His gaze swept across the platform, taking in the scene, then froze the moment it landed on Li Nian's unconscious body.
His expression darkened instantly. His eyes, sharp and cold, shifted and locked onto Li Yun like a predator finding its prey.