Li Ye's Weakness

Over the next several matches, a number of Outer Disciples stepped onto the stage, hoping to defeat Li Ye. Yet every single one was blasted away by Li Ye's fist. None could even withstand one exchange!

"Who is this kid? He's clearly only at peak Spirit Martial Tier Four—how can he be this terrifying?!"

If it had only been one or two matches, people might have thought it was luck. But after four or five straight victories, many no longer dared to go up casually. Without exception, those who became Outer Disciples were the cream of the Lineage. The weakest possessed Spirit Martial Tier Four cultivation, while the strongest had broken through Spirit Martial Tier Five and entered the sixth level.

Yet at this moment, no one dared to step forward again.

"He seems to be that good-for-nothing everyone was talking about three years ago. But could that be possible? A good-for-nothing actually has such strength now?!"

Among the Outer Disciples, the strongest few were all somewhat hesitant.

Of the people Li Ye had defeated earlier, aside from Li Gua at the beginning, the rest had only possessed Spirit Martial Tier Four strength. With their cultivation of at least Spirit Martial Tier Five, there should have been no problem at all.

But the key issue was that if they won, defeating someone at least one realm below them would be perfectly natural. If they lost, however, they would become a laughingstock just like Li Gua!

"A bunch of cowards! He's just a good-for-nothing, yet he's scared you all into this state!"

A particularly discordant voice of mockery rang out. The strongest Outer Disciples all glared furiously toward the speaker. "Who is it? Get out here!"

One of them snorted coldly. They might have hesitated to fight Li Ye, but that did not mean others could insult them!

Yet when he saw who it was, he immediately did not dare say another word. His expression turned awkward. "So it's Young Master Yuan. But Young Master Yuan, what you said just now was a little excessive. It isn't that we refuse to fight; it's simply that Li Ye is not worthy of us making a move yet!"

Everyone looked over and saw that the speaker was the strongest person among the current Outer Disciples. Spirit Martial Tier Six! He might even have a chance of fighting an Inner Disciple.

"Li Yijian, and you call yourself the number one Outer Disciple? Being so timid and hesitant now has utterly disgraced sword cultivators!"

It turned out that Li Yijian was a martial cultivator who had taken the path of the sword. The sharp green sword on his back was no ordinary weapon either, forged from Hundred-Forged Steel.

"So he is Li Yijian. I heard that a year ago, he exchanged blows with Li Huo, who ranked sixteenth among the Inner Disciples, and lost by merely half a move. His fame soared from then on! A year has passed now—I wonder what level his strength has reached."

Li Ye knew something of Li Yijian as well. His strength could absolutely place him among the Inner Disciples, and even challenging the top twenty would not be a problem.

As for the other person who had spoken mockingly, Li Ye could not help sneering inwardly when he saw him. It was Li Yuan! Though still young, his words were venomous. Moreover, who knew what stroke of fortune he had encountered over the past few days, but his strength had clearly improved greatly compared to several days ago.

Li Yuan's words made Li Yijian unable to save face, but considering Li Yuan's status, he did not show it. After all, Li Yuan was the Third Elder's son. His status was even much higher than that of ordinary Inner Disciples. Li Yijian might have been the number one Outer Disciple, but compared with Li Yuan, he was still far behind.

"Hmph! Since you won't make a move against a good-for-nothing, I'll kick him out myself!"

Li Yuan leaped onto the arena. At this moment, he stared viciously at Li Ye and said in a low voice with a sinister grin, "Good-for-nothing, I heard your old man once swept through all of Wuzhou City without meeting a single rival. I wonder how much of his skill you inherited! Don't let Young Master me kick you off the stage in just two or three moves. That would utterly disgrace your old man!"

Hearing those words, Li Ye's face turned slightly cold.

"Are you ready, good-for-nothing? Watch how Young Master me toys with you! A good-for-nothing like you dared to come back—do you really think you're something? This is no longer the era when your old man was around!"

Boom! A powerful aura erupted directly from Li Yuan's body.

"Spirit Martial Tier Six! How is that possible?!"

The crowd below cried out in shock, disbelief filling their eyes.

Even Li Ye was startled. Several days ago, Li Yuan had only been at Peak Spirit Martial Tier Three, yet he had crossed three whole realms in one stroke! This was absolutely abnormal!

Even Li Yijian, the number one Outer Disciple, revealed a grave look in his eyes.

On the viewing platform, Li Huangran wore a faint, inscrutable smile. No one could tell what he was truly thinking. However, an elder beside him seemed to have thought of something and said softly, "Could it be the Millennium Snow Ginseng?"

Li Mo, who had also witnessed the scene from the side, snorted inwardly. Relying on external help to raise one's realm is ultimately a crooked path. Nothing to worry about! Still, the Millennium Snow Ginseng's effects truly are overbearing—it actually forced someone to rise three realms in one go!

Xiao Qing and Li Yating, standing elsewhere, exchanged a glance. Both saw the surprise in the other's eyes.

"There were indeed three Millennium Snow Ginseng plants within the Lineage back then, all kept by the Supreme Elder. I never expected Li Yuan to obtain one of them! Pity his realm was too low. Otherwise, if someone at the seventh level of the Spirit Martial Realm consumed it, they could at least directly enter peak Spirit Martial Tier Nine!"

Clearly, with Li Yuan's realm, consuming the Millennium Snow Ginseng wasted much of its medicinal power.

"Third Elder, with Li Yuan's current strength, it seems he has hope of challenging for a place among the Inner Disciples."

Several elders close to Li Huangran offered their congratulations one after another.

If both of his sons entered the ranks of the Inner Disciples, that would absolutely be something Li Huangran could boast about.

At this moment, Li Yuan had already attacked. An icy-cold aura burst forth from his body.

"Frost Fist! Though it isn't as terrifying as when Li Xuan uses it, it is still enough to slow the movements of anyone below Spirit Martial Tier Six, or even injure them with the frost chill within it!"

Seeing Li Yuan attack, many people began analyzing the situation inwardly. They did not believe Li Ye could defeat Li Yuan; even protecting himself would be difficult.

After all, one side was at peak Spirit Martial Tier Four, while the other was at Spirit Martial Tier Six. Though Li Yuan's aura showed that he had only just entered the realm and was somewhat unstable, the gap of two realms, combined with the suppression of a High-Grade Yellow-Tier Combat Technique, left Li Ye with no room to fight back.

Sure enough, Li Ye discovered that the frost aura affected his movements to some extent, reducing his speed by at least thirty percent. Yet the crowd had underestimated his advantage in speed. Everyone merely saw a blur before their eyes, and the next instant, Li Ye had appeared behind Li Yuan!

"What incredible speed! He can still move this fast within Frost Fist's range of attack?!"

"In terms of speed alone, Li Ye is no weaker than any Spirit Martial Tier Six expert. He may even rival a seventh level of the Spirit Martial Realm expert!"

Li Yuan had not expected Li Ye to escape his attack so easily. By the time he wanted to turn and block, it was already too late!

Bang!

Li Ye's fist struck Li Yuan squarely in the back, yet it felt as though he had hit a piece of frozen meat that had been chilled for ages, hard beyond measure.

The next moment, the fist wind rushing toward him made Li Ye abandon any thought of continuing his attack. His entire body drifted backward.

"Li Yuan actually transferred Frost Fist's freezing effect to his back to increase his defense. What a genius!"

Among those watching the match, some saw through the trick and nodded secretly. As the Third Elder's son, Li Yuan was not merely a wastrel who knew only eating, drinking, and pleasure. His talent on the path of cultivation was not weak either.

"Li Ye! You good-for-nothing! You don't have any chance!"

Li Yuan, who had originally wanted to defeat Li Ye in a single strike, was now somewhat enraged and humiliated. He had paid a tremendous price to consume one of the Lineage's Millennium Snow Ginseng plants precisely so that today, beneath countless watching eyes, he could defeat Li Ye! He could not tolerate having lost so badly to a former good-for-nothing during the first round of testing. Thus, he wanted to prove himself.

But after exchanging several moves, Li Ye had already grasped the situation. Li Yuan's aura is unstable. Although he has Spirit Martial Tier Six cultivation, he can at most exert strength around peak Spirit Martial Tier Five. The only troublesome part is the freezing effect carried by his Frost Fist, but it is still within the range I can handle!

After considering this, Li Ye finally began his counterattack.

The crowd merely saw another blur before their eyes. Only a few of the highly skilled people present could vaguely make out his footwork.

As for Li Yuan, he could not grasp Li Ye's movements at all. He could only roar as he threw punch after punch, yet none of them struck any target.

"Li Yuan, this ends here!"

A voice suddenly came from behind him. It was Li Ye, who had closed in on him. Yet Li Yuan did not panic. Instead, he grinned viciously as his entire body seemed to gain a layer of frost, his muscles hardening at once!

"Li Ye! You good-for-nothing, you can't hurt Young Master me!"

Sure enough, Li Ye's attack was like crashing into hard steel. Though it sent Li Yuan flying, it did not have much substantial effect.

"Li Yuan truly is a genius. He has used Frost Fist, a Combat Technique meant for battle, to such an extent."

At this moment, even a powerhouse like Li Yijian, the number one Outer Disciple, could not help sighing inwardly. Of course, he was confident that if he were standing in the arena, he could kill Li Yuan within three sword strikes!

"My attack power cannot keep up with my realm because I lack Combat Techniques!"

After several attempts, Li Ye immediately understood his weakness.

Though his realm was only at peak Spirit Martial Tier Four, he was not much weaker than someone at peak Spirit Martial Tier Six. His speed was an even greater advantage, enough to give him the upper hand even against seventh level of the Spirit Martial Realm experts!

His only weakness lay in his attacks. Lacking Combat Techniques, he could only strike with brute force. He was not like Li Datou, who possessed inborn divine strength!

Just then, Li Ye suddenly felt a faint swelling pain in his eyes.

Immediately afterward, he discovered that every movement Li Yuan made seemed to have turned into slow motion. At first, he thought it was merely an illusion, but he soon realized it was not.

"My eyes?"

He had not used Blood-Eyed Illusion. It was one of his greatest trump cards, something he would not use lightly unless absolutely necessary. He feared that certain people present might see through it, so he had endured without using it all this time. Otherwise, dealing with someone like Li Yuan would take no more than a glance!