First Round

The Li Family's annual Year-End Martial Contest was the greatest opportunity for countless Li Family disciples to prove themselves.

Whoever had greater talent would receive greater esteem from the Lineage! Never mind glory and wealth—once they remained within the Lineage, the cultivation resources they received would undergo earth-shaking changes!

Thus, every year at this time, countless collateral Li Family disciples swarmed in, all for those scarce opportunities where there was too little porridge for too many monks.

"Who will go first?"

On the martial platform, the middle-aged man known as Sixth Lord Li called out in a clear voice. At the same time, several burly family servants carried out an enormous slab of Black Obsidian over three meters tall and more than two meters wide.

Black Obsidian! A special kind of stone from the Blood Soul Continent, harder than diamond! Even steel forged a hundred times could not compare to it. Not even a Spirit Martial Tier Nine grandmaster at great perfection could destroy it!

This was also an important tool used by many families and sects across the Blood Soul Continent to test the progress in strength of their disciples.

"The old rule: anyone who can leave a palm print on the Black Obsidian passes the first test!"

Such a huge piece of Black Obsidian was worth at least a hundred thousand gold coins! Yet the wealthy Li Family used it directly as a tool to test its younger disciples instead of forging it into divine weapons.

"I'll go!"

The moment the words fell, a sturdy young man of eighteen or nineteen leaped out of the crowd and landed directly on the martial platform.

"State your name." Seeing the newcomer, Sixth Lord Li nodded, his eyes as still as an ancient well as he took out a small booklet.

Li Ye looked carefully and saw that it was a Li Family genealogy. It could be said that more than ninety percent of the clan members were recorded within it.

"Li Zhong! I just turned eighteen!"

The young man's voice rang with force. Though his appearance was rough, his bearing was quite extraordinary. Seeing his performance, Sixth Lord Li nodded slightly in approval. "The first round is nothing to you. Go on."

Clearly, quite a few people in the Lineage were not participating in such a grand event for the first time, and their performances from previous years had also been recorded.

"Sixth Lord, you flatter me! I dare not accept!"

A flash of delight crossed Li Zhong's face. To be remembered by Sixth Lord Li, even if only from something he had seen in the booklet, was still an honor!

Didn't plenty of people below reveal looks of envy?

"Ha!"

Li Zhong took a fierce breath, then drove his fist straight ahead like a dragon plunging into its lair, smashing it into the enormous Black Obsidian.

Only then did Li Ye see clearly that the massive Black Obsidian was covered in densely packed palm prints and fist marks, clearly left behind by countless testers over the years.

Thud!

Li Zhong withdrew his hand. The crowd then saw a shallow fist print appear on the stone. It was not deep, merely a thin layer, estimated at a little over a millimeter.

"This Black Obsidian is truly hard!"

Li Ye roughly understood the situation. The aura Li Zhong had erupted with just now was not weak, roughly carrying the power of someone newly entered into Spirit Martial Tier Four, yet it had only left such a shallow mark on the Black Obsidian.

"Mm, not bad. You've advanced by one realm compared to last year. Go wait over there."

Sixth Lord Li nodded, his expression unchanged, leaving Li Zhong somewhat disappointed. He had exerted all his strength just now! Yet that was the only reaction he received. Still, he did not dare say anything and quietly walked to one side of the martial platform, a trace of pride appearing on his face as he swept his gaze over the others below.

"Li Zhong was only Spirit Martial Tier Three last year. I didn't expect him to advance by one realm in a single year. This time, he may have a chance to challenge the top five hundred of the Lineage!"

The people nearby immediately began discussing it. It seemed Li Zhong was no ordinary collateral disciple; many people knew him.

"Next!"

Sixth Lord Li still wore that expression that revealed neither joy nor anger. One person after another stepped onto the stage. Some successfully left marks on the Black Obsidian, while others failed.

After watching more than ten people, Li Ye roughly understood the trick behind it.

"It seems only power at least at Spirit Martial Tier Three can leave a mark on it."

In other words, this first round alone directly eliminated everyone below Spirit Martial Tier Three! It was exceptionally cruel. Based on Li Ye's assessment of the several thousand people around him, at least seventy percent would be eliminated in the first round!

Very soon, several hundred people had already gone up to try, but fewer than thirty actually passed!

This result was within reason. Although the Li Family had many disciples and all of them shared the same ancestor, collateral disciples simply could not compare to the main branch in cultivation resources. Coupled with their bloodline gradually thinning out, many were no different from ordinary people.

Being able to condense one's own Blood Soul around the age of sixteen and begin cultivating, stepping into Spirit Martial Tier One, was already quite impressive.

The Li Family's annual martial contest was limited to those who had reached fourteen years old but were under twenty!

"Li Yanyan! Seventeen years old!"

A young girl leaped onto the martial platform. Her crisp, pleasant voice was like an oriole's song, making people unable to resist looking at her a few more times. She was a pretty young girl—not breathtakingly beautiful, but possessing a lively, youthful heroism. Among the crowd, which was mostly male, she was especially eye-catching.

Seeing that she was a woman, Li Ye was somewhat surprised as well.

Although everyone on the Blood Soul Continent valued martial prowess, men were stronger than women at the Innate Realm. This could be seen from the fact that, among the Li Family's several thousand disciples, women accounted for less than a tenth.

A few women had gone onstage earlier, but unfortunately, not a single one had managed to leave a mark on the Black Obsidian.

"Not bad."

Sixth Lord Li looked at the girl before him and actually revealed a faint smile. Though it vanished in an instant, observant people still noticed it. Li Ye was among them; it was obvious that Sixth Lord Li greatly appreciated the girl before him.

With a delicate cry, the girl chopped out with her palm, accompanied by a wave of scorching heat.

"Combat Technique!"

Someone below cried out in alarm! She had clearly used a Combat Technique!

Li Ye's heart stirred as well. This was the first person so far to use a Combat Technique. Even the weakest Combat Technique could increase one's power to some degree, and the Combat Technique in Li Yanyan's hand clearly did not seem to be a Yellow Tier Low-Grade Combat Technique!

That was why everyone cried out in surprise. Few people among the collateral branches possessed a Yellow Tier Mid-Grade Combat Technique! Only the main branch had some! Li Yanyan was clearly the daughter of someone from a collateral branch, so how did she possess such a Combat Technique?

Sure enough, after using her Combat Technique, Li Yanyan left a clear palm print on the Black Obsidian. It was nearly the deepest among everyone so far! It was just under a centimeter deep, making it today's most outstanding result.

She proudly raised her snow-white neck and swept an arrogant gaze over everyone.

"Hmph! What's there to be proud of? It's only a Combat Technique obtained by flaunting her looks!"

Someone below snorted disdainfully. Li Yanyan's expression immediately turned cold.

"Who was that?! Step out!"

That person's voice had not been loud, but quite a few people had heard it. Then, amid a wave of whispers, Li Ye learned that although Li Yanyan came from an ordinary background—her father was a peripheral collateral relative separated from the main branch by four or five generations—she had some beauty and had seduced a young master from the main branch. Relying on her looks, she had obtained quite a few benefits, including the Combat Technique she had just used!

As for which young master of the main branch it was, Li Ye happened to see Li Xuan's livid expression in that direction and immediately understood.

He sneered inwardly. This was reality. It was not only the Li Family; other families were basically the same. Unless collateral disciples possessed monstrous talent, they had very few chances to rise. Some women relied on their own beauty to seduce young masters of the main branch to achieve their aims. After so many generations, there was long since no question of close kinship. On this Blood Soul Continent, they even retained Earth's ancient customs: marriages that strengthened family ties, with cousins marrying one another, were extremely common.

"If she dared to do it, can't others speak of it? How laughable! How shameless!"

It was still the same voice. Only then did everyone see that it belonged to a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old youth, whose handsome face was filled with deep contempt.

"Heh, isn't that Li Ergou? I heard he and Li Yanyan had been childhood sweethearts and were even engaged. Who would have thought that Li Yanyan would latch onto a young master from the main branch and dump him outright? He must hate Li Yanyan to the bone now! I heard that after Li Yanyan cuckolded him, even his elderly parents died from fury, passing from this world!"

The discussions around them did not stop, and Li Ye heard every word. He did not think Li Yanyan had done anything wrong, nor did he think Li Ergou was at fault. Everything could only be blamed on the cruelty of this world!

"Li Ergou! You're spouting bloody nonsense!"

"Whether it's true or not, you know it in your own heart!"

The atmosphere instantly became delicate. At that moment, Sixth Lord Li finally reacted.

"Enough!"

The two immediately fell silent, though they continued glaring at each other with hatred.

Naturally, Li Yanyan passed the first round without suspense. However, she was only at the peak of Spirit Martial Tier Four, not much stronger than several people before her. With her Combat Technique, she had merely caused a brief sensation.

Afterward, Li Ergou also stepped onto the stage. He likewise displayed considerable strength and left a palm print on the Black Obsidian. However, he did not use a Combat Technique and was a notch weaker than Li Yanyan, having only just entered Spirit Martial Tier Four.

Over the course of half a day, more than a thousand people stepped onto the stage to try. Even more gave up their plans. Most of them were below Spirit Martial Tier Three. After someone at the peak of Spirit Martial Tier Two was completely unable to leave any mark on the Black Obsidian, they no longer intended to make fools of themselves and were willing to serve as spectators instead.

"Next!" Sixth Lord Li still wore a calm expression as he called out loudly.

"I'll go!"

A clear child's voice rang out. Then a child was seen stepping onto the martial platform, appearing to be only around ten years old.

"Nonsense!"

Seeing who had gone onstage, Sixth Lord Li frowned for the first time and rebuked him.

"Father, I want to try too!"

It turned out this little boy was Sixth Lord Li's son. His hair was tied in a small topknot, and he looked innocent and adorable, though there was a trace of stubbornness in him.

"Get down! Don't make trouble!"

A flash of indulgent affection crossed Sixth Lord Li's eyes, but he still shook his head. The Lineage rules stipulated that only those who had reached fourteen years old could go onstage!