Everyone's Mockery

"Father, just give me one chance!"

The little boy immediately began to wheedle. His adorable appearance stirred the maternal instincts of quite a few women present, but constrained by the family rules and Sixth Lord Li's presence, none of them dared speak.

"No! Get down!"

Just as the little boy pulled a long face and prepared to leave the stage, a voice suddenly rang out.

"Sixth Uncle, why not let Brother Hao give it a try? He will have to go through this in a few years anyway. Letting him try it now can count as preparation in advance. Besides, I have long heard that Brother Hao is exceptionally gifted. At such a young age, he has already displayed extraordinary talent. Why not let everyone see just how strong Brother Hao is?"

The only one who could address Sixth Lord Li in such a manner was Li Xuan, the young master of the main branch! He was Li Huangran's son, and his words made Sixth Lord Li hesitate. Compared to Li Huangran, his own standing in the family could only be considered ordinary. Otherwise, he would not have been assigned to preside over such a matter.

"Father!" The moment Li Hao heard his cousin pleading for him, his eyes spun, and he began acting cute.

"Fine, but no matter what result you get, it will not count!"

Sixth Lord Li relented, or rather, he used Li Xuan's words to give himself a way out. Li Ye could tell that he too wanted his son to show off his strength!

"Thank you, Father! Thank you, Fifth Brother!"

Li Hao leaped onto the martial stage in delight. In an instant, a trace of solemnity appeared on his formerly childish face, and then he threw a punch!

"Combat Technique!"

At such a young age, Li Hao had actually mastered a Combat Technique! Though it still looked somewhat unpolished, he had clearly practiced it for quite some time! Boom!

A very shallow dent appeared on the Black Obsidian.

"Good!"

Sixth Lord Li could not help crying out in praise, only to realize a moment later that it was inappropriate. A trace of embarrassment flashed across his face.

"Hehe!"

Li Hao scratched his head, made a face at his father, and hopped down from the martial stage.

"Spirit Martial Tier Two, and a Combat Technique!" A sharp light flickered in Li Ye's eyes. Li Hao was clearly only at Spirit Martial Tier Two, yet with the addition of a Combat Technique, he was absolutely no weaker than someone at Spirit Martial Tier Three—he might even have a slight edge!

And Li Hao was only ten years old! This was the difference between the main branch and the side branches!

"Congratulations, Sixth Uncle. Brother Hao's talent is peerless. In the future, he might even compare to Brother Yue. By then, Sixth Uncle's prestige within the clan will only grow greater. Let this nephew offer his congratulations in advance!"

Li Xuan spoke eloquently, while Sixth Lord Li suppressed his delight and nodded. However, he quickly changed the subject. "All right, is there anyone else who wishes to come up and take the challenge?"

Afterward, quite a few side-branch disciples stepped onto the stage to give it their all, but those who could truly reach Spirit Martial Tier Three or above were, after all, few in number.

After more than half a day, only around three hundred people had succeeded. Though that was not a small number, compared with the massive total of several thousand, the difficulty was plain to see.

However, Li Ye noticed that only side-branch disciples had appeared. Not a single member of the main branch had made a move. Of course, Li Hao did not count; he had merely come to join in the fun.

Gradually, seeing that hardly anyone was willing to take the stage, disappointment flashed through Sixth Lord Li's eyes. "No one else? If that is the case, then members of the main branch will now take the stage one by one!"

So the main branch disciples were meant to appear last. No one objected to this. After all, the family was controlled by the main branch, and they deserved this bit of privilege.

Of all the successful side-branch disciples, the strongest had only left a palm print around an inch deep. He was a young man who was still a few days short of twenty, barely catching the last train, and his cultivation had reached Spirit Martial Tier Six. He could be considered one of the best among the many side-branch disciples.

Li Ye also discovered that there were roughly four or five people at Spirit Martial Tier Six, and more than ten at Spirit Martial Tier Five. These people were clearly the representative figures among the side branches.

Only then did Li Ye realize that apart from Li Xuan and Li Hao, very few main-branch disciples had arrived.

As Sixth Lord Li's announcement spread, people began arriving one after another. A trace of mockery flashed in Li Ye's eyes. "They really know how to put on airs."

The main branch was indeed superior to others, but Li Ye could clearly see that among these main-branch disciples, quite a few had low realms and mediocre cultivation, yet all wore arrogant expressions. They looked at the side-branch disciples as if they were household dogs, eager to display the loftiness of their own status.

Many side-branch disciples were angry but dared not speak. Meanwhile, the people on the martial stage who had passed the first round revealed threads of chilliness in their gazes. As the outstanding figures of the side branches, they naturally could not stand this group of people whom they viewed as nothing more than parasites of the main branch.

"You are late!"

Seeing this group stroll over, Sixth Lord Li's voice turned slightly cold.

"Sixth Uncle."

"Sixth Uncle."

Li Ye did not see Li Yue among this group, but he was not surprised.

Li Yue was a genius whom the Li Family focused on nurturing. Naturally, he would not participate in this sort of test. Li Ye even knew that any main-branch disciple whose realm exceeded Spirit Martial Tier Four could be exempted from this round of testing!

This was privilege! The privilege belonging to main-branch disciples!

Those remaining were all main-branch disciples at Spirit Martial Tier Three, and they too had to take the test.

Yet they were like proud peacocks, looking down on everyone.

"Main-branch disciples, everyone below Spirit Martial Tier Four, get on the stage!"

With a cold snort from Sixth Lord Li, more than thirty people immediately stepped onto the martial stage. Clearly, these were the main-branch members whose realms remained at Spirit Martial Tier Three.

With one glance, Li Ye saw that the oldest among them were only fifteen or sixteen, while the youngest had just turned fourteen!

Compared to the side-branch disciples, the main-branch disciples were clearly more outstanding!

"They were just born into better families! What is there to be so proud of?"

Whispers reached his ears, but Li Ye merely pursed his lips and remained silent.

Soon, these young masters and young ladies reluctantly displayed their strength one after another. Without exception, they all passed. Moreover, under Li Ye's careful observation, although their realms were not high, the palm and fist prints they left on the Black Obsidian were no less impressive than those left by some side-branch disciples at Spirit Martial Tier Four. Some even surpassed them!

Among them was a main-branch disciple named Li Hui. At the Peak Spirit Martial Tier Three, one palm strike of his produced a mark nearly as deep as that left earlier by a side-branch disciple who had just entered Spirit Martial Tier Five! Even Sixth Lord Li nodded repeatedly at the sight, looking quite satisfied.

Only then did everyone learn that Li Hui was also Sixth Lord Li's son. He was only fifteen this year. Though his talent was inferior to that of his younger brother Li Hao, he was still considered fairly outstanding among the main-branch disciples.

Soon, they all stood to one side. However, they remained as distinct from the roughly three hundred side-branch disciples as the waters of the Jing and Wei Rivers, completely out of place with one another.

Each one was like a proud peacock, with their eyes perched atop their heads.

"Good! The first round ends here..."

Sixth Lord Li nodded and was about to announce the end of the first round when a voice interrupted him.

"Wait!"

Having been interrupted, a trace of displeasure flashed in Sixth Lord Li's eyes. But when he saw that the speaker was Li Xuan, he frowned. "Li Xuan, what is it?"

Li Xuan smiled faintly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He suddenly said, "Sixth Uncle, there is no need to end it in such a hurry. One person has yet to take part in the test. Why not wait until he has made his move before announcing the end?"

"Oh? Who?"

Sixth Lord Li was visibly stunned. In his mind, all the outstanding side-branch disciples had already appeared, and he knew all the main-branch disciples. They had all finished. Had he overlooked someone?

"That person is..."

Li Ye felt an ill-intentioned gaze converge on him, and immediately knew that someone had noticed his presence.

He looked over, and as expected, it was Li Xuan! Li Xuan gave him a strange smile, with a trace of ridicule flickering in and out of sight in his eyes.

"It's me!"

Li Ye had never intended to simply watch from the sidelines. Li Xuan had merely been the first to break the calm; otherwise, Li Ye would have interrupted Sixth Lord Li himself.

Rather than leap flamboyantly onto the martial stage like the others, he climbed up step by step.

At once, everyone saw him, and quite a few people grew curious.

"Who is this guy? I've never seen him before."

Some were puzzled, but a small number revealed bewildered and disbelieving expressions, as if they could not believe their own eyes.

"Isn't that... the Third Young Master?"

"What Third Young Master? He's just a piece of trash! Who would have thought that after disappearing for several years, he would still have the nerve to show his face? He even went up there. Does he not know the meaning of shame?"

Some of those who recognized Li Ye immediately began whispering among themselves.

Sixth Lord Li's eyes widened as well. The next moment, displeasure appeared on his face, and he barked in a deep voice, "Nonsense! Li Ye, what are you doing here?"

Li Ye did not have much of an impression of this Sixth Uncle—neither good nor bad—but at this moment, a trace of dissatisfaction rose in his heart.

"Sixth Uncle, I am also a member of the main branch. Why can't I come up?"

"Yes, Sixth Uncle. Since Third Brother has already come, why not let him show what he can do? Otherwise, it would be far too heartless."

Li Xuan said in a strange, mocking tone, immediately drawing laughter from the crowd. Li Hao, the youngest among them, laughed the hardest, pointing at Li Ye with a disdainful expression. The other main-branch disciples all revealed contempt and disgust, while even some people on the side-branch side sneered repeatedly.

"This piece of trash actually stepped onto the martial stage. Has his brain gone haywire?"

Li Ye's words left Sixth Lord Li choking on his breath. He took a deep breath, then his face turned cold. "You do not know what is good for you! Since that is the case, do as you please!"

"Courting humiliation!"

"You overestimate yourself! Why don't you take a look at what you are first?"

"A piece of trash wants to show off? Don't end up shattering your hand bones! Hahaha!"

Cold sneers, mockery, contempt, and disdain poured into his ears. Though he had long prepared himself mentally, Li Ye's heart still twisted with pain at this moment.

In these people's eyes, there was no trace of familial affection! There was only ridicule and cold laughter.

Li Xuan stood to one side, watching with a cold smile. He had noticed Li Ye's arrival long ago, but only now had he taken advantage of the moment to guide things in this direction. He sneered inwardly. Rumors outside say this piece of trash somehow condensed a Blood Soul. I never expected him to truly overestimate himself and want to return to prove himself! In a moment, you will learn that even if you condensed a Blood Soul and can cultivate, you are only a tiny bit better than trash!