So It Was One of the Ten Kings

Li You was just as dumbfounded. He raised his right hand high and stared blankly at the Mutated Peregrine Falcon in his grasp. What the hell was that? How did the Peregrine Falcon fly into my hand the moment I raised it?

Brother Ye only told me to put on a show. He never said to put on this big of a show.

To everyone watching, Li You's figure suddenly became mysterious and imposing. All they saw was a Wastelander effortlessly seize the Mutated Peregrine Falcon that had left them scrambling for their lives, 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. Turns out it was nothing special..." Having recovered his senses, Li You hurriedly maintained his aloof persona. His tone held thirty percent coldness, thirty percent pride, 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 crimson bullet shot forth, piercing the Mutated Peregrine Falcon's head with perfect accuracy. Blood splattered everywhere.

Bai Ye silently put away [Breath of Bones]. This was what he and Li You had discussed: Bai Ye would deliver the finishing blow. After all, it was a Mutated Beast. Its Blood Qi could not go to waste.

A Taboo Object!?

Everyone's hearts jolted. They had not expected either of these two Wastelanders to be ordinary people. They had misjudged them.

Feeling fresh Blood Qi flow into him, Bai Ye suddenly froze. He realized that the Blood Qi provided by the Mutated Peregrine Falcon was somewhat off.

It was far too little!

Logically, 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 Blood Qi it provided was only equivalent to ten gray sparrows, the same as Ying.

Wait... could it be...

Bai Ye understood at once. This was the upper limit of the Blood Qi [Breath of Bones] could provide. The Blood Qi from ten gray sparrows was already its limit. No matter how much stronger the Mutated Beast he killed, the Blood Qi it gave would stop there.

[Breath of Bones] was like a bottle, while Mutated Beasts were the water source. Whether he used the bottle to fill water from a stream or from the sea, the result would be the same. In the end, he could only fill one bottle.

No wonder [Breath of Bones] was merely a Snake-Level Taboo Object. If it could endlessly plunder others' Blood Qi and feed it back to its user, it would probably have to be Dragon-class.

"Thank you for lending us a hand, sir. May I ask your name?" Gao Bancheng was the first to recover. He hurriedly clasped 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 through their memories, but none of them could find any information about Magic Hand. That should not have been possible. A powerhouse like him could not 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, how should we address this little brother?" 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 came to their senses and hurriedly offered their thanks as well.

The middle-aged man holding twin guns said gratefully, "I am Dual-Gun Li Baitian, 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 introduced themselves one after another, expressing their gratitude.

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

"With strength like yours, you have yet to rank among the Ten Kings. It seems the people of this world are truly blind. 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 fell upon Li You through the Black Mask on his face, as though Li You was the only person here 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. Bai Ye had only told him to pretend to be a powerhouse and had not explained many details. Li You had no idea how to respond to a Transcendent who seemed so powerful.

At that moment, Bai Ye was still brooding over the Blood Qi provided by [Breath of Bones] and did not notice Li You's plea for help.

Li You's scalp tingled. It's my first time pretending to be a powerhouse. Can someone tell me how powerhouses are supposed to talk to each other??

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

He said coldly, "Who are you?"

Li Xiao's lips curved into a sharp smile as he declared arrogantly, "Shadow Man Li Xiao."

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

Li You was immediately at a loss. He had only just become a Transcendent. Before this, he had merely been a Wastelander who ran in low-level circles, so naturally he did not know any famous Transcendents. He only knew of two: the Silent Court where the Knight Girl belonged, and the Ten Kings.

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

This Shadow Man Li Xiao was also talking about the Ten Kings. From the sound of it, he seemed to acknowledge that I could become one of them too. Could it be...

Li You suddenly understood and immediately replied, "So it was one of the Ten Kings in person."

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

The others exchanged looks, and the atmosphere suddenly turned strange.

Li Xiao's expression was hidden behind the Black Mask, but his eyes shifted again and again. After remaining stiff for a long while, he finally said in a muffled voice, "I'm not."

Damn it, this is awkward. I even mistook one of the Ten Kings. My powerhouse persona isn't going to collapse now, is it?

At a complete loss for what to say, the embarrassed Li You could only keep his face cold and stiffly answer, "Oh."

Oh!?? What kind of attitude was that!?

I'm not one of the Ten Kings, and now you cannot even be bothered to say another word!?

To Li Xiao, Li You's behavior was blatant provocation. What did he mean? I said he could rank among the Ten Kings, and he turned around and mocked me?

Knowing full well that my name is not among the Ten Kings, he deliberately addressed me as one. Wasn't the implication that if I wasn't even one of the Ten Kings, what right did I have to judge him?

If Li You had known what Li Xiao was thinking, he would have felt utterly wronged. He truly had not meant to provoke him. Li Xiao was the one constantly bringing up the Ten Kings, talking about ranking among them as though he could decide who got a seat among the Ten Kings. His words even carried a faint disdain for them. He had built himself up so high, only for it to turn out that he wasn't one of them??