Inner Disciple Ranking Battle

The situation had grown somewhat out of control. Several elders and deacons responsible for enforcement exchanged uneasy looks.

On one side stood the Third Elder, a man of high status and great authority within the Lineage; on the other was the Fourth Elder, who had returned from his travels. Both were members of the Council of Elders. One demanded an arrest, while the other forbade anyone from acting, leaving them unable to decide whether to make a move.

"Did you not hear me? Seize the Lineage traitor, Li Ye!"

At Li Huangran's command, he leaped directly from the viewing platform. His hand formed a claw as he struck, and a massive claw imprint descended from above! It was the mid-grade Yellow-tier battle technique, Eagle Claw Technique!

Yet when wielded by Li Huangran, its power was far more terrifying than an ordinary person using a High-Grade Yellow-Tier Combat Technique!

"Li Ye! Today, even if you grew wings, you would not escape! Why not surrender without a fight!"

Seeing Li Huangran openly attack, a flicker of hesitation flashed through Li Ye's eyes. If he resisted now, the charge against him would be cemented. Even if he were completely innocent, he would still be unable to escape punishment.

But if he did not resist, once Li Huangran caught him, his fate was easy to imagine.

"You dare!"

Just as he hesitated, a thunderous shout rang out. Then a towering figure stepped in front of him—it was Li Hou Nian!

"Fourth Brother! Move aside!"

Seeing Li Hou Nian blocking his path, Li Huangran barked angrily.

"Don't even think about it! Whoever dares touch my nephew today, I'll cripple him!"

At those words, Li Ye's body trembled slightly, and his heart surged with emotion. He knew full well that Li Hou Nian's actions today would certainly affect his standing within the Lineage.

Though they were both elders, Li Huangran was clearly far more deeply rooted than Li Hou Nian. Yet Li Hou Nian had not hesitated in the slightest, shielding him to the bitter end!

"Fourth Uncle!"

Li Ye clenched his teeth. He wanted to fight, even if it meant battling alongside Li Hou Nian against the enemy before them!

"Li Ye! Don't move! The moment you cannot hold back and attack, even your Fourth Uncle won't be able to help you. You'll fall straight into this pack of petty villains' trap!"

"But Fourth Uncle..."

"Listen to me! You absolutely cannot attack! Your Fourth Uncle will shoulder everything!"

By then, Li Hou Nian and Li Huangran had already exchanged blows. In just one move, the difference in their strength became apparent! Li Huangran's eagle claw was shattered by a single punch. Had Li Hou Nian pursued the advantage, Li Huangran would have been left in grave danger in that brief instant.

Though they had only exchanged a single hasty blow, quite a few people present could tell that the Fourth Elder, who had traveled abroad for many years, was plainly much stronger than the Third Elder.

"Good! Good! Good!" Li Huangran's face was livid as he flipped back onto the viewing platform. He narrowed his eyes and stared at Li Hou Nian for a long while before saying "good" three times in succession, his tone ice-cold. "Fourth Brother, it seems your skills have not rusted over these years. As your elder brother, I am truly delighted for you!"

Perhaps realizing that Li Hou Nian was determined to protect Li Ye, Li Huangran began to waver. His gaze swept rapidly across the crowd, taking in every expression, and for a moment, he found himself unable to save face.

"Third Elder, I think we should let this matter rest for now. Since the Fourth Elder is willing to personally vouch for him, why not put it aside for the time being and make a decision at the Council of Elders after the Year-End Martial Contest?"

Suddenly, someone spoke. The crowd looked over, and their pupils contracted.

Li Mo! Of the Lineage's three great geniuses, he was the most terrifying! Rumor had it that his true strength surpassed even that of the elders. No one had ever forced him to fight seriously, and no one could last more than ten moves against him.

Though he was merely one of the Lineage's disciples, Li Mo's status was even higher than that of an ordinary elder.

His words gave Li Huangran a way out. With a cold snort, Li Huangran fell silent, tacitly accepting the decision.

Li Hou Nian gave the youth, not yet twenty years old, a deep look. Li Mo's words had sounded like those of a peacemaker trying to mediate, but upon careful reflection, their sinister intent became clear!

He had plainly dragged Li Hou Nian into the trap as well. If even the slightest suspicion was found against Li Ye, not only would Li Ye suffer, but Li Hou Nian would be implicated too!

Though Li Hou Nian could tell that Li Mo harbored ill intentions, he did not object.

"Fourth Uncle, I'm sorry for dragging you into this."

Li Ye felt somewhat guilty, but Li Hou Nian remained unmoved. He shook his head, gave Li Ye's shoulder a firm pat, and said in a low voice, "Go do what you need to do without fear. Remember, in this Lineage, I am your backing! Unless I die, no one can touch you!"

Those few words shook Li Ye to the depths of his soul.

He was a man of few words. In Li Ye's memories, he had been taciturn, to the point that the original "Li Ye" had once been quite afraid of his own uncle. Now it seemed that beneath this man's exterior burned a heart far hotter than it appeared; he simply was not good with words.

After that interruption, Li Ye rightfully took the eighth position among the Inner Disciples. Second only to Li Xuan from earlier, he became the greatest dark horse of the event.

"Was this Li Ye really the useless waste who could not cultivate back then?"

"He even defeated Li Wei, the eighth-ranked Inner Disciple! If he is considered useless, then all of us are worse than useless!"

For a time, private discussions about Li Ye sprang up everywhere.

Countless people developed a keen interest in the youth who had once been driven from the Lineage under the name of a useless waste, yet had now returned in force, proving himself through his own strength.

The matches that followed felt rather dull by comparison.

After witnessing Li Ye's twists and turns, the bouts between the other Outer Disciples seemed utterly bland. Even when another dark horse among the Outer Disciples challenged an Inner Disciple and succeeded, it failed to draw much attention.

"This Li Yu hid himself quite deeply. He originally only had the cultivation of peak Spirit Martial Tier Five, but suddenly erupted with peak Spirit Martial Tier Six strength. He also knows two mid-grade Yellow-tier battle techniques."

The final Li Family descendant to successfully challenge an Inner Disciple appeared ordinary and unremarkable, yet his final result was even better than Li Datou's. He directly defeated the disciple originally ranked twenty-third among the Inner Disciples and forcefully fought his way into their ranks.

As the last challenger failed, the final results for the Outer Disciples were announced.

"Outer Disciples may remain in the Lineage to cultivate for the coming year. They will be assessed again one year later!"

In the end, five people successfully entered the ranks of the Inner Disciples. Two of them had peak Spirit Martial Tier Six cultivation, so their success was not particularly surprising. However, Li Yu had concealed his strength beforehand, which left people somewhat astonished.

"Li Datou was born with divine strength. He entered the ranks of the Inner Disciples with only peak Spirit Martial Tier Four cultivation. If not for the even more monstrous Li Ye, he would definitely have been the Lineage's greatest dark horse in a hundred years!"

Some elders, deacons, and Inner Disciples all paid great attention to this honest-looking youth. Several elders even spoke up, wanting to take him as a disciple! It made many Inner Disciples green with envy!

Though Inner Disciples held a higher status than Outer Disciples, not everyone could become an elder's disciple!

"Heavens, an elder actually wants to take him as a disciple! Li Datou must have had eight lifetimes of damned good luck!"

Everyone knew that within the Li Family, only those whose cultivation reached the eighth level of the Spirit Martial Realm could become elders. Spirit Martial Tiers One through Three were the foundation, while Tiers Four through Six belonged to true martial cultivators. But only after reaching the seventh level of the Spirit Martial Realm could one be considered a Martial Master!

The gap between a martial cultivator and a Martial Master was like the gap between a martial cultivator and an ordinary person.

There were certainly quite a few people in the entire Li Family at peak Spirit Martial Tier Six, but those who could break through to the seventh level of the Spirit Martial Realm were few and far between! As for the eighth level of the Spirit Martial Realm, it was several times stronger than the seventh!

The seventh level of the Spirit Martial Realm was called Martial Master, while the eighth level was called Grandmaster! As for Spirit Martial Tier Nine, it was what ordinary people called a Great Grandmaster! So long as Innate Realm King Tier experts did not appear, these Great Grandmasters were the strongest!

For a Grandmaster to offer to take him as a disciple showed just how exceptional Li Datou's talent truly was.

Unfortunately, to everyone's surprise, Li Datou might have been too honest—he actually refused! The elder who had spoken was greatly displeased and left with a flick of his sleeve.

"What an idiot, wasting such an opportunity!" Seeing this outcome, many people secretly mocked him. Only Li Ye noticed the gleam deep in that honest youth's eyes at the instant everyone laughed at him.

"This kid is definitely not as foolish as he looks!"

Li Ye trusted his eyes. At the same time, as though sensing his gaze, the other party returned a foolish, honest smile.

Though the Outer Disciples' challenge against the Inner Disciples had ended, the Year-End Martial Contest was not yet over.

"Very well, according to the custom of previous years, it is now time for the competition among you thirty Inner Disciples. Each person has three chances to challenge someone ranked above them. The winner takes the loser's rank, while the loser drops one place. Those below will shift accordingly!"

Now came the main event for the Lineage. One could say that the Lineage's future would almost entirely emerge from among the Inner Disciples. For countless years, this had been the key to the Li Family standing firm in Wuzhou City without falling.

The moment the enforcement elder finished speaking, intense battle intent erupted among the Inner Disciples.

Many of them stirred from their earlier half-drowsy state like lions waking from slumber, baring their fangs.

"Among the Inner Disciples, even their treatment varies in rank—sometimes as far apart as heaven and earth!" Seeing the gleams flashing in their eyes, Li Ye keenly felt the sorrow of belonging to a great Lineage.

With so many descendants, it was impossible to care for everyone equally. They could only struggle desperately to stand out and draw the Lineage's attention, gaining better cultivation resources.

With one glance, Li Ye saw that apart from the top ten Inner Disciples, the remaining twenty all brimmed with battle intent. The gap between them was not actually large; they were all at peak Spirit Martial Tier Six. Normally, they lived in peace, but now the smell of gunpowder was unmistakably in the air.

"Who will go first?"

The one presiding over this scene was no longer an ordinary enforcement elder, but Li Xuanji!