Challenge an Inner Disciple

After two rounds of elimination, the remaining hundred could all obtain the status of Outer Disciples.

This was practically the greatest goal for some branch-family descendants!

"This year's youngsters look pretty good, stronger than in previous years."

On the Li Family viewing platform, several elders spoke in low voices. Any lineage could only maintain prosperity by continuously nurturing its descendants. Their task was to unearth talents among these people who could be of use to the lineage!

"They're passable, but there still aren't many who truly surprise me."

One elder shook his head, clearly not particularly satisfied.

"The Third Elder's son is fairly good, isn't he? If I remember correctly, he isn't even eighteen yet, but he has already broken through to the seventh level of the Spirit Martial Realm. Though he broke through only recently, that is still exceptionally outstanding!"

At these words, a trace of pride flashed across Li Huangran's face! As his son, Li Xuan had truly made a name for himself this time. Looking over the previous matches, no one besides him had reached the lofty height of the seventh level of the Spirit Martial Realm.

"Speaking of which, that youth on the sixth arena just now looked awfully familiar."

Someone's casual remark immediately made Li Huangran's face darken.

"Old Ninth, you're not that old, so how can you be this forgetful? That boy is Second Brother's only child. Who would have thought he had grown so much already!"

A loud voice shouted this, instantly drawing everyone else's attention.

"It was actually him?"

Clearly, most of the lineage elders had not known that Li Ye had returned. At this moment, they too noticed that among the crowd of over a hundred people, the thin youth seemed faintly dazed.

On the other side, after the contests, ten groups of ten had now emerged. A specially appointed elder from the lineage stepped forward, his imposing gaze sweeping across Li Ye and the others. "You are the pride of the lineage. For the next year, you may remain in the lineage to cultivate as Outer Disciples. Of course, this year's martial competition has not yet ended. Next, you will compete for your respective rankings. Those who enter the top thirty may become Inner Disciples of the lineage and enjoy higher-level treatment! If you can enter the top ten, the lineage will grant you the treatment of a steward, and may even give you the chance to enter the Martial Arts Pavilion to select a Combat Technique!"

The Martial Arts Pavilion! Selecting Combat Techniques!

Li Ye's eyes immediately lit up. A good Combat Technique was enough to let the weak defeat the strong. With Combat Techniques, the weak could become strong, while the strong would become even stronger!

Even ordinary low-grade Yellow-tier battle techniques and mid-grade Yellow-tier battle techniques were enough to make many people green with envy!

"I never thought we could enter the Martial Arts Pavilion! I heard that only lineage elders may enter and leave at will. Even Inner Disciples can only make an exception to enter once after rendering tremendous service!"

As soon as this condition was announced, many people became wildly excited. Even a young master of the main branch like Li Xuan looked exceedingly eager! Though they could inherit quite a few Combat Techniques from their fathers, that was ultimately limited. Only by personally entering could they select what suited them best.

"Elder, the top ten may enter the Martial Arts Pavilion—but what about the top three?"

No one knew who asked, but everyone's interest was immediately hooked.

Xiao Bailian looked toward the speaker. He was an utterly ordinary youth of fifteen or sixteen, with something of a baby face. After searching his memories briefly, Xiao Bailian immediately recalled him.

Li Yu. He was also a remarkably outstanding member of the branch family. Not yet seventeen and already at peak Spirit Martial Tier Five, he was considered a highly exceptional genius even within the Li Family.

"Good question!" The elder smiled slightly without keeping them in suspense. He continued, "To encourage your diligent cultivation this time, the Patriarch has specially approved that the top three may remain in the Martial Arts Pavilion for three days! Furthermore, each may select up to three Combat Techniques to take out! They will also be recommended to the Supreme Elder and become the Supreme Elder's registered disciples!"

Whoosh! The moment those words fell, it was as though a thunderclap had exploded beside Li Ye's and everyone else's ears!

"Stay in the Martial Arts Pavilion for three days? Select up to three Combat Techniques?! Become the Supreme Elder's registered disciple?!"

One bombshell after another sent everyone's breathing into a frenzy!

Even Li Xuan's gaze burned at this moment, and a terrifying aura spread from him! It forced away several people around him, faintly carrying the momentum of someone ready to contend with the three most dazzling geniuses of the lineage on the viewing platform!

Yet amid his excitement, Li Ye's heart turned cold. That elder had just said it was specially approved by the Patriarch! But Li Ye clearly remembered that, even now, the Patriarch was still his father, Li Kainian! Even though he had been missing for more than ten years!

The Li Family now only had an acting Patriarch! There was no Patriarch!

He swept his gaze over the viewing platform, but did not see the First Elder or the acting Patriarch. Perhaps, to them, such trivial matters below were not worth their attention at all.

"I never expected the rewards to be this generous! Forget staying in the Martial Arts Pavilion for three days, enough time to select Combat Techniques one truly likes and that suit one—being able to take three Combat Techniques out is already enough to drive people mad! And one can even become the Supreme Elder's registered disciple! Heavens! Sadly, I have no chance at all, or I would fight for it too!"

"Exactly. The Supreme Elder is Wuzhou City's foremost expert! A King Tier powerhouse who has entered the Innate Realm! Even as merely a registered disciple, one would be countless times better off than an Inner Disciple!"

"Stop dreaming, all of you. There is practically no suspense over the top three. It will only be another contest among those three. Of course, Young Master Li Xuan has a great deal of hope as well. After all, he has also entered the seventh level of the Spirit Martial Realm and has the capital to contend with those few!"

The last speaker was clearly flattering Li Xuan in secret, and the pride on Li Xuan's face immediately became even more obvious.

However, he soon noticed Li Ye. His expression darkened slightly, but he immediately changed it and offered a friendly smile.

"Hypocrite!" Li Ye snorted coldly in his heart. Compared to his father, this man was even more hypocritical.

Li Ye had little interest in becoming the Supreme Elder's registered disciple. But he was deeply interested in the Martial Arts Pavilion.

"Although my cultivation speed is far faster than ordinary people thanks to the cultivation method within the Moon Dream Heart Sutra, I have a huge gap when it comes to Combat Techniques. The Dream Heart Sutra combined with the Vampire's Blood-Eyed Illusion can only serve as support. I must learn one or two Combat Techniques for direct offense!"

On the Blood Soul Continent, good Combat Techniques were worth a thousand gold yet impossible to obtain. They were generally monopolized by the major lineages and powerful sects, making them difficult for ordinary people to acquire.

With such an excellent opportunity laid before him, Li Ye naturally would not let it slip away.

He still remembered the Profound Yin Palm Li Yue had used. It was enough to let someone at the seventh level of the Spirit Martial Realm stand against an ordinary eighth-level Spirit Martial Realm cultivator without falling into disadvantage! And the Profound Yin Palm was precisely a high-grade Yellow-tier battle technique!

Among the final hundred people remaining, even the weakest possessed cultivation above Spirit Martial Tier Four. In terms of cultivation alone, Li Ye was not outstanding in the slightest among them, and was even near the bottom.

But he believed that with his methods, entering the top thirty would basically pose no problem. He was more than eighty percent confident of entering the top ten! The only thing he found challenging was fighting for the top three!

"Among you, the ten strongest will have the chance to challenge the lineage's three great geniuses! Everyone will have one opportunity!"

After explaining the situation, the elder smiled faintly and stepped aside, yielding a huge arena.

Hearing this, Li Ye's heart stirred. In other words, I must first become one of the ten strongest among these hundred before I can challenge the lineage's three great geniuses and compete for the true top three?

Very soon, the truly intense martial competition began.

"I'll go first!"

A pale-faced youth who resembled a scholar leaped directly onto the arena. He swept his gaze arrogantly across everyone and called out, "Who dares fight me!"

"I will!"

Someone immediately sprang onto the platform. The two instantly began fighting fiercely, exchanging blow for blow without the slightest hesitation!

However, Li Ye could tell that the two were merely appetizers for this round. Both were only at peak Spirit Martial Tier Four and could not possibly go very far.

Sure enough, both were soon eliminated. Gradually, all those at Spirit Martial Tier Four suffered a defeat, while only those at Spirit Martial Tier Five and above maintained undefeated records.

At the same time, Li Ye saw that off to one side, thirty men and women who appeared one or two years older than them were watching coldly.

"Inner Disciples?"

Li Ye pondered this. The number of Outer Disciples in the lineage was unrestricted, but there were always only thirty Inner Disciples! Only after surpassing the age of twenty-five would one cease being a disciple and become a lineage steward.

In other words, after Li Ye and the other hundred determined the thirty strongest among them, they would have to successfully challenge those people to become one of the Inner Disciples. Only then could they ultimately challenge the three great geniuses and become the three strongest among the lineage's disciples!

Boom!

A youth at Spirit Martial Tier Five was blasted off the arena by a single punch! Li Ye looked carefully and saw that the man on the arena was Li Datou, born with divine strength. He still wore an honest smile, but in the eyes of the others, that smile was like a nightmare.

Very soon, he swept through several opponents. Then, he pointed directly at one of the thirty Inner Disciples!

"I challenge you!"

Whoosh! Li Datou became the first person to begin challenging an Inner Disciple. After all, he had just swept through ten people and earned one chance to challenge!

The lineage rules stated that this batch of new Outer Disciples could challenge any Inner Disciple only after achieving ten consecutive victories!

The Inner Disciple Li Datou had pointed at immediately turned cold, a trace of gloom flashing swiftly through his eyes as though he was displeased.

Li Ye looked over. This man ranked near the bottom among the Inner Disciples, at twenty-sixth. Inner Disciple rankings were tied to their respective strengths, and evidently, this man was relatively weak among the Inner Disciples.

But he was still at peak Spirit Martial Tier Six! Being openly challenged by Li Datou, who was at peak Spirit Martial Tier Four, immediately made his expression ugly.

"Since you are courting death, don't blame me!"

In an instant, a terrifying aura erupted from him!