So It Was One of the Ten Kings

Li You was equally dumbfounded. He held up his right hand, staring blankly at the mutated peregrine falcon in his grasp. What the hell? How had the peregrine falcon flown into his hand the moment he raised it?

Brother Ye had only told him to show off. He hadn't said to show off this hard.

At that moment, Li You's figure abruptly became mysterious and towering in everyone's eyes. All they saw was a wastelander effortlessly seize the mutated peregrine falcon that had them running ragged, and in an instant...

This wastelander was a Transcendent too!? What kind of ability was that!? Grasping through the air?

"I thought it was fast, but it turned out to be nothing special..." Having recovered his senses, Li You hurriedly maintained his cold and aloof persona. His tone held thirty percent iciness, thirty percent arrogance, thirty percent mockery, and ten percent disdain.

He loosened his right hand, and the mutated peregrine falcon, barely clinging to life from his grip, fell to the ground.

Bang!

A scarlet bullet shot forth, piercing straight through the mutated peregrine falcon's head with unerring precision. Blood splattered everywhere.

Bai Ye silently put away [Breath of Bones]. This was what he and Li You had agreed on: Bai Ye would land the finishing blow. After all, it was still a mutated beast. Its vitality and blood couldn't go to waste.

A taboo artifact!?

Everyone's hearts skipped a beat. They had never expected these two wastelanders to be anything but ordinary. They had misjudged them.

As fresh vitality and blood surged into him, Bai Ye suddenly froze. He discovered that the vitality and blood provided by the mutated peregrine falcon was off.

There was too little!

By all rights, the mutated peregrine falcon was far stronger than every mutated beast they had encountered before. Even the Hyena King would not have lasted a single exchange against it, yet the vitality and blood it provided was only equivalent to ten gray sparrows, the same as Mister Ying before.

Wait... could it be...

Bai Ye understood at once. This was the upper limit of the vitality and blood [Breath of Bones] could provide. The vitality and blood of ten gray sparrows was already its limit. No matter how much stronger the mutated beast he killed, the vitality and blood it provided would stop there.

[Breath of Bones] was like a bottle, while mutated beasts were sources of water. Whether he filled the bottle from a stream or the ocean, the result was the same. In the end, he could only fill one bottle.

No wonder [Breath of Bones] was merely a Snake-tier taboo artifact. If it could endlessly plunder others' vitality and blood to nourish its user, it would probably have to be Dragon-tier.

"Thank you for lending us a hand, sir. May I ask your esteemed name?" Gao Bancheng was the first to recover. He quickly cupped his hands toward Li You and asked.

Li You gave him an indifferent glance and said flatly, "Magic Hand... Li You."

Magic Hand Li You??

Everyone's minds raced as they searched their memories, but none of them found any information on Magic Hand. That shouldn't have been possible. A powerhouse like him could not possibly be unknown. Was he not from around here?

"Thank you, Mister Li, and this little brother as well, for saving our lives. By the way, may I ask this little brother's name?" Gao Bancheng turned to Bai Ye again.

"Bai Ye."

Gao Bancheng hurriedly said, "I am Gao Bancheng. My father is Gao Shanhe, president of the Fortune Commerce Association. Greetings, Mister Li, Brother Bai."

The others also came to their senses and hurriedly offered their thanks.

The middle-aged man holding twin guns said gratefully, "I am Li Baitian of the Twin Guns, a bounty hunter. Thank you both for saving my life. If you ever need help in the future, I, Li Baitian, will not refuse. I absolutely will not accept any payment."

"I am Hejian Lean Tiger..."

"Gunslinger..."

"Rattlesnake..."

The group scatteredly announced their names, expressing their gratitude.

Only Li Xiao stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze proud.

"With your strength, yet you have not entered the ranks of the Ten Kings. It only shows how blind the people of this world are. Magic Hand Li You, your strength is not bad. One day, there will surely be a place for you among the Ten Kings. It seems this trip to Black Mountain will not be boring." Li Xiao's words carried a hint of mutual appreciation between powerhouses.

His cold, arrogant gaze passed through the black mask on his face and settled on Li You, as though Li You was the only one among them worthy of his attention.

Li You froze. Who the hell are you, man? Do we know each other?

He glanced at Bai Ye from the corner of his eye, hoping to get some guidance from him. Bai Ye had only told him to pretend to be an expert and had not explained many details, so he had no idea how to deal with this seemingly powerful Transcendent.

At that moment, Bai Ye was still brooding over the vitality and blood provided by [Breath of Bones] and had not noticed Li You's silent plea for help.

Li You's scalp went numb. It was his first time pretending to be a powerhouse. Could someone tell him how powerhouses were supposed to talk to each other??

After thinking for a moment, he could only force himself to maintain his ruthless, taciturn persona.

He said coldly, "Who are you?"

A sharp smile curved Li Xiao's lips as he answered proudly, "Shadow Man Li Xiao."

Shadow Man Li Xiao? Never heard of him...

Li You was instantly at a loss. He had only just become a Transcendent himself. Before this, he had been a wastelander who moved in low-level circles, so naturally he did not know any famous Transcendents. There were only two groups he knew of: the Silent Court where the knight girl belonged, and the Ten Kings.

He had only heard about the Ten Kings from Bai Ye.

This Shadow Man Li Xiao was also talking about the Ten Kings. From what he said, he seemed to believe Li You could become one of them too. Could it be...

Li You suddenly understood and immediately replied, "So it was one of the Ten Kings standing before me."

Li Xiao's expression stiffened. His lips trembled, and for a moment, he was utterly speechless.

The others looked at one another, and the atmosphere instantly turned strange.

Li Xiao's expression was hidden behind his black mask, but his eyes shifted again and again. After a long, rigid silence, he finally said in a muffled voice, "I'm not."

Damn it, that was awkward. I even got one of the Ten Kings wrong. My powerhouse persona isn't going to fall apart now, is it?

Not knowing what else to say, the embarrassed Li You could only keep his face cold and stiffly answered, "Oh."

Oh!?? What kind of attitude was that!

He wasn't one of the Ten Kings, and Li You could not even be bothered to say another word!?

In Li Xiao's eyes, Li You's behavior was a blatant provocation. What did he mean? Li Xiao had praised him for being capable of joining the Ten Kings, and Li You had turned around and mocked him?

Knowing full well that Li Xiao's name was not among the Ten Kings, Li You had deliberately called him one. Wasn't the implication simply that if he was not even one of the Ten Kings, what right did he have to judge others?

If Li You knew what Li Xiao was thinking, he would surely feel terribly wronged. He had never meant to provoke him. Li Xiao was the one who kept bringing up the Ten Kings, even saying Li You could join their ranks, as though he could decide who became a Ten King. His words even carried a faint disdain for the Ten Kings. He had built himself up so high, yet he wasn't one of them??