Li Xuan's Trump Card

"I challenge Li Xuan!"

The moment those words were spoken, the scene fell somewhat silent.

Li Xuan, who had been sitting high in the seventh seat among the inner disciples, opened his tightly shut eyes. A flash of brilliance burst from his gaze like the blade of a piercing sword, stabbing toward Li Ye, who had challenged him.

"You challenge me?"

Li Xuan rose from his seat, his tone sounding rather calm. Yet anyone with eyes could see that a flame was brewing within him.

"This Li Ye really is a newborn calf unafraid of tigers. He just defeated Li Wei, the former seventh-ranked inner disciple, and now he is challenging Li Xuan, who is even more terrifying and defeated Li Wei with ease!"

Some secretly applauded Li Ye's choice, while others sneered at it.

The former were mainly collateral-line disciples, representing the vast number of low-ranking Lineage disciples. The latter were disciples like Li Xuan, born into the main branch. They were exceedingly proud and did not believe that disciples from collateral branches, or even side branches, could surpass them.

"This Li Ye is simply arrogant beyond measure! Does he really think he is invincible beneath the heavens?"

"Exactly! He only happened to defeat Li Wei when he was off his game. Who does he think he is? One of the Lineage's three great geniuses?!"

At once, quite a few people began hurling mockery. Sharp and cutting words were everywhere.

In the stands, a trace of killing intent flashed across Li Huangran's body. He had never considered that Li Ye would challenge Li Xuan. Anyone could see that although both were at the seventh level of the Spirit Martial Realm, Li Xuan was at least a whole level above Li Wei!

"Hahaha! This kid is interesting! I like him!"

That burst of laughter made the faces of the Li Family elders, especially Li Huangran, turn ugly. It had come from Xiao Qing, who had arrived with Li Yating. Yet aside from Li Huangran, no one knew that he and Li Ye had known each other for a long time. Hearing his laughter now, some could not help frowning.

"Young Hero Xiao, we have let you witness a joke. This Li Ye has been arrogant and overbearing for years. Out of consideration for his father's sake, we have tolerated him until now. Yet he not only failed to show gratitude, but has become even worse."

An elder from Li Huangran's faction spoke with slight displeasure, as though he did not wish Xiao Qing of the Heavenly Profound Sect to associate with Li Ye.

"Arrogant and overbearing? I don't think so. As a martial cultivator, one needs a Martial Dao heart that never admits defeat. If you tuck your head and shrink your neck whenever you meet someone stronger than yourself, then why cultivate martial arts at all? You might as well go home early, marry a wife, farm the land, and live out the rest of your days in peace!"

Xiao Qing's blunt reply immediately made the elder's face flush red. He wanted to lose his temper but did not dare to. The Li Family might dominate one region in Wuzhou City, but not to mention an elder from some family in a small city like him—even if the three great families of Wuzhou City joined together, they would not dare provoke the other party's sect.

Below, Li Xuan had already stepped onto the arena. His eyes narrowed slightly as he examined Li Ye, who had begun to rise above the crowd of Lineage disciples.

"By seniority, I should call you Third Brother, shouldn't I?"

Though Li Ye was not the oldest of his generation in the Lineage, he ranked third by seniority and should have been addressed as Third Young Master. Li Xuan was a year older than Li Ye, but seniority within the Lineage was not determined by age.

"I cannot accept that."

Li Ye remained unmoved. He knew full well that compared with the arrogant Li Yue, Li Xuan was someone who demanded even greater caution. At the very least, no one had heard of him before, yet he had suddenly revealed the terrifying cultivation of the seventh level of the Spirit Martial Realm. His true combat strength was close to that of a Martial Dao master at the eighth level of the Spirit Martial Realm!

"Actually, you have already achieved what you wanted. I have to admit that perhaps many people truly underestimated you back then. But you are not your father, after all!"

Li Xuan's words gradually sharpened, strands of chill seeping from his gaze.

"My father is my father. I am me."

Li Ye shook his head. Perhaps having a father like an unparalleled heavenly prodigy was not necessarily a blessing. But no matter what, standing here today, he only wanted to prove that he was not trash! That he was even more outstanding than those Lineage geniuses!

Perhaps this had also been influenced by the obsession of the soul he had once fused with. He did not reject that influence; instead, he intended to fulfill that soul's wish.

Their words did not meet, and both men stared solemnly at one another.

At last, Li Xuan made the first move. In an instant, the surrounding temperature seemed to drop. A wave of frost-laden chill rushed at Li Ye, making it feel as though even his movements had slowed by half a beat.

"Li Xuan's mastery of Frost Fist has at least reached the major mastery stage!"

The moment Li Xuan attacked, Li Ye judged the general extent of his strength. Frost Fist, major mastery! It revealed the other man's exceptional talent in cultivating this battle skill!

Battle skills, movement techniques, and the like were easy enough to learn at the entry level. Yet reaching minor mastery required a certain amount of effort and talent. To reach major mastery, however, one needed comprehension in addition to effort and talent!

Clearly, Li Xuan possessed great comprehension when it came to cultivating battle skills! At least, that was true for Frost Fist!

Before the fist wind even arrived, Li Ye's entire body seemed to have been covered in a layer of frost, slowing his movements.

"So this is the power of a battle skill after reaching major mastery!"

Li Ye understood that although he had already rated Li Xuan highly and realized that he had still held back somewhat when fighting Li Wei, he had still underestimated him!

"For battle skills and movement techniques, the entry level can only unleash around ten percent of their effect. Minor mastery can unleash around thirty percent, while major mastery can unleash nearly ninety percent!"

It was easy to see just how vast the difference was between two people using the same battle skill, one at minor mastery and the other at major mastery!

Of course, certain monstrous individuals could cultivate battle skills and movement techniques to proficiency! They could unleash nearly ninety-nine percent of a battle skill's inherent power! Some could even reach the perfected realm, truly integrating a battle skill into themselves!

Unfortunately, such people were far too rare. Moreover, the higher the grade of the battle skill or movement technique itself, the harder it was to cultivate.

Take high-grade Yellow Rank battle skills as an example. Even some Martial Dao grandmasters above the ninth level of the Spirit Martial Realm might not be able to cultivate them to proficiency! Not everyone could even reach major mastery!

Whoosh! A cold fist wind brushed past him. Li Ye felt a slight heat on his cheek as a red line appeared, with a thread of blood seeping out—only to freeze almost immediately.

"My speed has slowed by at least thirty percent!"

Li Ye's heart stirred. Speed had always been his greatest advantage. At least, without counting Blood Eyes as his trump card, he was far faster than ordinary people. Yet beneath the other man's frosty aura, that advantage was immediately weakened by several degrees. Still, he could manage.

For a time, Li Ye repeatedly avoided Li Xuan's sharp edge, searching for an opportunity to counterattack.

In the stands, the expressions of several Lineage elders were no longer relaxed. As they watched the battle, their initial scorn toward Li Ye's challenge of Li Xuan had gradually turned into solemnity.

One elder spoke in a low voice, "Li Ye's realm may not look high, but his speed truly makes one curious. It actually exceeds the standard of ordinary seventh-level Spirit Martial Realm martial artists and is close to the level of a Martial Dao master. Although Li Xuan has sealed off his speed with Frost Fist, he cannot do anything to him in a short time."

Another elder secretly nodded. "But if this continues, the final outcome still cannot be changed. Li Ye's greatest weakness is that his realm is too low. Even though he has learned two high-grade Yellow Rank battle skills, he simply cannot unleash their proper power. From what we have seen, whether it is Frost Fist or Gale Leg, he can at most unleash around ten percent of their entry-level power. That is not enough to pose much of a threat to Li Xuan."

"Well said. On the other hand, although Li Xuan is lacking somewhat in movement techniques and has only learned the mid-grade Yellow Rank movement technique, Following the Wind Step, he has already reached minor mastery. His speed and reactions are not much inferior to those of ordinary Martial Dao masters. Especially with Frost Fist—he has actually reached major mastery. Even this old man can only marvel at such comprehension!"

Clearly, the elders did not favor Li Ye. Instead, they believed Li Xuan held the advantage.

"After all, he is the Third Elder's eldest son. A tiger father begets no dog son. Perhaps he may even have the chance to challenge those ranked ahead among the inner disciples, or even contend with the Lineage's three great geniuses."

One horse-faced elder did not forget to secretly flatter Li Huangran. Even among elders, there were differences in rank, and Li Huangran's status was clearly a notch higher.

No one favored Li Ye. Even Xiao Qing's expression had turned somewhat serious. Li Xuanji, the referee for this match, looked calm, but a trace of anxiety flashed through his eyes.

Li Hou Nian, on the other hand, did not seem worried for Li Ye's safety at all. When Li Huangran noticed this, an ominous feeling flickered through his heart.

After fighting for a long time without a result, Li Ye gradually began to match what many had predicted. The space in which he could move grew smaller and smaller, while the frost covering his body grew thicker. His movements also became sluggish.

"Li Ye, you are no match for me!"

Li Xuan did not seem anxious. Instead, he looked as though he were enjoying the spectacle of a cat toying with a mouse.

"Are you sure?"

Facing Li Xuan's provocation, Li Ye gave a half-smile. No one noticed that his pupils had turned blood-red earlier, only to return to normal now.

"Hmph! I admit that you are quite strong, and Li Wei did not lose unjustly. But you just had to challenge me! Since that is the case, I will make you give up completely!"

Boom!

An even more powerful aura erupted from Li Xuan's body! The crowd cried out in surprise! They could clearly sense that Li Xuan's aura had leaped from the seventh level of the Spirit Martial Realm to the peak of the seventh level of the Spirit Martial Realm!

Even Li Huangran was somewhat startled. Clearly, he had not known from the start that his son had hidden such strength.

At that moment, even Li Mo's gaze toward Li Xuan carried a degree of seriousness. Li Xuan's true strength had clearly caught his attention.

As for Li Ye, no one had any confidence left that he could win.

At once, an immense pressure bore down on him, making Li Ye's breathing turn somewhat hurried.