I Will Never Give Up

Xiao Zhi's frail little body was already trembling. She pressed tightly against Liu Ding, her small shackled hands clutching the large hand he had placed on her leg.

"Nie Zhengxu, you speak so arrogantly. Aren't you afraid of becoming a laughingstock? There are quite a few youths in the family at the Four Cauldrons Realm and Five Cauldrons Realm. If your grandson truly dominates them all, why would everyone need to prepare for next year's new sect lord?"

Liu Yandong's words won the agreement of many clan members whose younger generations had produced outstanding talents, and they nodded one after another.

Hmph, it has finally come. Today, this old man will make every last one of you back down in the face of difficulty. Nie Zhengxu wore a smug smile as he said to Liu Ji, who was waiting beside him, "Ji, go. Carry over the Six Soulforging Cauldrons."

"Yes!" Liu Ji was overjoyed. He sprinted away and turned into the Ancestral Shrine not far from the hall.

Under everyone's incredulous gazes, he strode over carrying the family's Six Soulforging Cauldrons. Reaching the center of the hall, he raised them again in a show of force, then slowly set them down without stirring a speck of dust.

The hall instantly erupted like a kicked hornet's nest.

"Liu Ji is not even sixteen, yet he has already broken through to the Soul Forging Realm of a Six-Vessel Martial Apprentice. He truly is the family's most promising junior!"

"Perhaps he will one day break through to the Law Soul Realm, become the family's first Law Soul Warrior, and completely shatter the shackles pressing down on the family!"

"This is a miracle for the family. We cannot refuse his request!"

Many clan elders were moved. After all, no one in the Liu Clan had ever broken through to the Soul Forging Realm of a Six-Vessel Martial Apprentice before turning sixteen. This was a minor shackle upon the family, and perhaps it was this very shackle that had prevented the family from ever breaking through to the Law Soul Realm and becoming Law Soul Warriors—the greater shackle.

Moreover, they knew that the Little White Fox, who could take human form, was certainly a spirit beast. That was why Nie Zhengxu wanted his grandson Ji to obtain her. But just as they were preparing to compromise, a young man's voice rang out calmly.

"Liu Ji, even if you're so fucking impressive that bulls go wild, my Xiao Zhi will never let you touch a single hair on her head."

The entire hall suddenly fell silent, and every gaze landed on the small face in the corner, its fury barely restrained.

"What bulls? Liu Ding, how dare you insult us!" One clan elder was the first to understand Liu Ding's mockery and shouted furiously.

"Liu Ding, the Little White Fox has been with you for many years. We know you are hurting, but she stole a family secret treasure first. This is the most reasonable way to deal with it. If you do not want her to die, stop being so stubborn." Another elder spoke coldly.

"Clan elders, if this were your spirit beast, or the spirit beast of one of your descendants, and one day a clan member claiming to be more fucking impressive than you wanted to forcibly take it away, would you happily hand it over?" Liu Ding slowly rose to his feet, sweeping his gaze around the hall with a mocking expression. "Many of you have beast pets. Once I become powerful someday, will you come running to offer them up to me?"

Though Liu Ding's words were unpleasant, they were not without reason. Many clan members nodded inwardly.

"You idiot, you want to become powerful? Keep dreaming!" Liu Ji could not help shouting. "I can crush you to death with one finger!"

"Is that so? Then stick out your finger if you have the guts. Let's see whether you crush me to death, or I snap it off." Liu Ding stepped forward, and a faint yet savage aura suddenly erupted from his body.

"You..." Liu Ji choked on Liu Ding's retort. He knew how monstrously abnormal Liu Ding's body was. If he really extended a finger, it might not withstand the force. Yet he had broken through to the realm of a Six-Vessel Martial Apprentice and considered himself unmatched among the younger clan members. How could he swallow this insult? Gritting his teeth, he said, "Liu Ding, don't think I'm afraid of you. I'm just not as stupid as you are. On the day of the Sect Lord Contention, I'll let you see who the true king is!"

"Then why spout so much nonsense? We'll settle everything at the Sect Lord Contention." Liu Ding raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the young clan members. "Whoever can defeat me in the Sect Lord Contention, if Xiao Zhi is willing—"

He glanced at the Little White Fox and delivered his declaration with resounding force. "That person can form a contract with her."

Liu Ding's impassioned words left the clan members dumbfounded. Only then did they come to their senses. Was this little fellow truly an idiot?

However, Liu Ding's words also gave many clan members hope. Although Liu Ji's realm was formidable, shrinking back in the face of strength was not a cultivator's creed. In an actual battle, no one could say who would win. There were still martial techniques and luck to consider.

"I think this is the best outcome." Most of the clan elders finally nodded.

Just as General Jiang had expected, none of this could be avoided. Liu Yandong sighed inwardly and said to the Little White Fox, "Xiao Zhi, only this can spare you from punishment. Do you accept Ding'er's proposal?"

Forming a contract with a spirit beast was no simple matter. Though great immortals could draw forced contracts, a small family like the Liu Clan did not possess such ability. The only possibility was for the spirit beast to willingly offer up a contract.

"I believe in him." Xiao Zhi lifted her head, her clear, bright eyes gazing deeply at Liu Ding.

"Good. Remove her shackles." Liu Yandong gave the order. A disciple of the Hall of Law Enforcement immediately stepped forward to unlock them, while also placing a sheet of silk paper before Xiao Zhi.

Faced with that sheet of silk, Xiao Zhi's delicate body trembled slightly. At last, she bit through her tongue, dipped her writing in blood, and swiftly wrote out the Spirit Beast Contract.

As Liu Yandong put away the contract, Nie Zhengxu's old face twitched. Unable to resist, he threatened, "Liu Yandong, if you dare play favorites and let your foolish grandson refine that contract, then do not blame me for overstepping my authority. Don't think I don't know that your realm has declined. You can barely contend with even a Six-Vessel Martial Apprentice now."

Everyone was shocked and turned to look at Liu Yandong. Many experts at the Seven Cauldrons Martial Apprentice Realm could indeed sense that Liu Yandong's soul aura was different.

"Enough. Since the matter has been settled, everything else can wait until after the sect lord battle." At that moment, Liu Canglong, who had been resting with his eyes closed and had remained silent throughout, abruptly opened his eyes and looked at Nie Zhengxu with extreme displeasure.

A chill ran through Nie Zhengxu's heart, and cold sweat immediately poured down his back. He had forgotten about that old immortal.

"Grandfather, rest assured. At the sect lord battle, I will make you proud. No one can defeat me!" Liu Ji proudly raised his head and looked at Liu Ding. "And you have even less hope."

Hearing Liu Ji's arrogant words, a cold smile curved Liu Ding's lips. "Liu Chicken, for trash like you to break through to the Six Cauldrons Realm, you must have put quite a bit of effort into it. If trash like you can break through to the Six Cauldrons Realm, how do you know I cannot create a miracle and forge glory anew?"

The family's so-called genius had actually been called trash. Everyone in the hall was so shocked their jaws nearly dropped. Was he really an idiot? His tongue was so sharp, he rivaled even Wang Po.

Unexpectedly, Liu Ji's lips twitched, yet he did not dare retort to Liu Ding's face.

Liu Ding had struck the secret buried in his heart, leaving Liu Ji utterly shocked. He truly thought Liu Ding had seen through him. After all, he had relied on the Murong Family's Golden Lion Soul Forging Pill to break through to the Six Cauldrons Realm. Within the Liu Clan, this was an utterly rebellious act.

"Liu Ji, before so many clan members, let me offer you a word of advice. My direct line was designated by our ancestors as the sect lord's heirs, so we must possess something extraordinary. If you want your fortunes to turn, you should first see whether you have the right to be so arrogant." Liu Ding's words rang like iron, striking the ground with force.

"Good! As expected of my own grandson! The direct line is indeed extraordinary!" Liu Yandong's eyes brightened, and his hand suddenly erupted with force, smashing the other armrest of his grand chair into powder as well.

Liu Ji gnashed his teeth and stared at this idiot who had always been weak, easy to bully, and constantly yielded and retreated. He could not believe that today Liu Ding was so sharp-tongued. Since childhood, he had been treated as the family's genius, praised and fawned over. When had anyone ever mocked him like this? His vision darkened with rage, and he shrieked, "I have no right? Then does an idiot like you have the right? I want to see whether you even have the right to step onto the arena at the Sect Lord Contention!"

"Is a Six-Vessel Martial Apprentice really so remarkable? I can tell you clearly right now: at the family's Sect Lord Contention, I will fight you to the bitter end!"

Though he was only at the realm of a Four-Vessel Martial Apprentice, Liu Ding did not believe he had to lose to anyone in terms of momentum. In the brief life he had lived in his dreams, he had dared to challenge that two-hundred-and-fifty-horsepower motorcycle with a one-hundred-and-fifty-horsepower bike—though that time, it had been for a girl not worth it.

But Xiao Zhi, the Little White Fox who had accompanied Liu Ding through his childhood, had kept his hazy childhood from being lonely. He would never allow anyone to take her from his side. He remembered the final words from that life in his dream.

"If there is another life, I will never give up."