Li Wei had actually known that Aili had done it on purpose from the moment she attacked Huozi.
To some extent, despite coming from the Abyss, she was still a demon through and through, firmly belonging to the Chaotic Evil alignment. But she was a clever demon.
To prolong her life and keep her "parent" from deciding she was too weak and either eating her or "reworking" her, she had made the most of her natural talents and advantages as a Succubus. She hoped to show Li Wei her Combat Strength and worth.
That was exactly why Li Wei hadn't made her stop in time.
Because Aili had already held back.
And after Li Wei had forcibly put a suit of armor on her, her strongest attributes and abilities had, in a sense, been suppressed as much as possible.
Abyssal Succubi were all born Sorcerers!
Many of their Spell-like Abilities relied on their Charisma. While Charisma wasn't entirely determined by looks and figure, any Sorcerer's Spell-like Abilities would be severely weakened once she was clad in thick metal armor.
Even Malkanth, the Abyssal Succubus Queen, was no exception. This "fundamental rule of the world" was downright mystical.
But what the hell was happening right in front of him?!
By Li Wei's estimate, after Huozi had been elevated to a Deeply Alienated Gnoll through the Dragonborn Ritual, he had reached the peak of a mid-tier warrior by the standards of humans during Netheril's time on the Material Plane. He'd touched the threshold of the high tier—at least level 12, with a chance of pushing himself to level 13 when fighting on the brink of death.
With that kind of strength, a Dragonblood Gnoll could grapple with an ordinary young dragon through sheer strength, and hold his own against an adolescent dragon