How Could You Possibly Condense a Blood Soul?!

Just as martial arts novels had martial techniques and moves, martial cultivators on the Cloud Soaring Continent also had combat skills.

After condensing a Blood Soul within the body, one would produce a special energy known as Blood Soul Power. Normally, one cultivated and strengthened it by drawing in and breathing out the spiritual energy between heaven and earth.

Only by wielding combat skills could one make better use of the power of the Blood Soul.

Of course, besides combat skills, there were also cultivation methods. A good cultivation method could make cultivation smoother and faster.

But the most important thing was still one's comprehension of the martial path. Whether combat skills or cultivation methods, they were merely aids. The Blood Soul was the foundation; the stronger the Blood Soul, the stronger one's power.

Even with his vampire physique, which gave him confidence to face someone at the late stage of the third level of the Spirit Martial Rank while only at the early stage of the first level, that was merely a guess based purely on the intensity of his strength.

At the same cultivation level, having combat skills and lacking them made an enormous difference.

"The combat skills and cultivation methods of the Cloud Soaring Continent are divided into four ranks: Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow. Don't even think about Heaven Rank and Earth Tier; not to mention Wuzhou City, even the entire Jiangnan Circuit might not have them. The Li Family does have one or two Mystic Tier combat skills, but unless one is among the core upper ranks of the Lineage, they probably can't even touch them. I need to find a way to get a couple of Yellow Tier combat skills to practice!"

The four ranks of Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow were each divided into three minor grades: low, middle, and high. Generally speaking, Rogue Cultivators without backing had little chance of learning combat skills, much less cultivation methods that could increase their cultivation speed.

However, as one of Wuzhou City's three great Lineages, the Li Family did not lack such things.

Of course, even the Li Family only possessed some Yellow Tier combat skills and cultivation methods. Most were of the low or middle Yellow Tier; high Yellow Tier combat skills were rare, and even when they existed, the Lineage treasured them like precious gems.

As for Mystic Tier combat skills, there were only rumors of them. No one knew whether the Li Family actually had any.

"Looks like I need to find an opportunity to visit the Li Family and see whether I can get one or two books back."

Although Li Ye thought so, he knew the difficulty was immense. As someone abandoned by the Lineage, he had no right to set foot inside the family residence, much less ask for one or two combat skills or cultivation methods.

"A cultivation method isn't urgent. Given my current circumstances, as long as I drink the essence blood of martial cultivators, I can rapidly increase my Blood Soul Power. But without one or two combat skills to keep at my side, this really is troublesome."

For three days, Li Ye cautiously slipped out every night and sought out those Rogue Cultivator mercenaries who did not look like good people.

He struck seven times. Li Ye had already investigated these people; they had infamous reputations within Wuzhou City and were no good men. All seven were below the third level of the Spirit Martial Rank. At night, Li Ye hardly had to expend any effort before directly dealing with them.

After drinking their essence blood, he successfully rose from the early stage of the first level of the Spirit Martial Rank to the late stage of the first level, only one step away from breaking through.

Li Ye did not kill those people. However, after losing so much essence blood, they would remain exceedingly weak for quite some time, though their lives would not be in danger.

It was not that Li Ye did not want to finish them off and eliminate future trouble. But when it truly came to killing someone, he still could not bring himself to do it.

That day, Li Ye sensed a faint boiling stir in the blood within his body. This meant another breakthrough was approaching.

"Looks like it won't be long before I enter the early stage of the second level of the Spirit Martial Rank."

From the early stage of the first level of the Spirit Martial Rank to the late stage of the first level, the increase in strength was not great—only twenty or thirty percent. But once he entered the second level of the Spirit Martial Rank, there would be a relatively huge leap, increasing his strength by at least double.

For Li Ye, who was about to face the annual family ****, this was undoubtedly good news.

"At the second level of the Spirit Martial Rank, I should barely be able to contend with someone at the early stage of the fourth level. But if the other side has combat skills to complement their strength, I won't be a match for them."

Whenever he thought of this, Li Ye felt somewhat troubled.

Just as he was agonizing over it, someone unexpectedly came knocking.

"Li Ye! Get the hell out here!"

A furious roar directly jolted Li Ye out of his thoughts.

His brows furrowed slightly. Someone had clearly come looking for trouble. This was nothing unusual; from the memories in his mind, he knew that over the years, every so often, some people would come to bully him for amusement.

It could be said that if not for people fearing his cheap father, who had been missing without news for many years, he would have long since been butchered.

Pushing open the door, the first person he saw was Li Haoran, whose essence blood he had previously drunk. But when Li Haoran saw him now, his former arrogance was gone. Instead, a trace of fear flashed through his eyes, and he averted his gaze.

Li Ye understood his reaction well.

Some knowledge about vampires in his mind told him that anyone whose essence blood had been drunk by a vampire would instinctively develop a certain fear toward that vampire. Li Haoran's behavior fully proved this.

In Li Ye's eyes, Li Haoran no longer posed any threat whatsoever. Even now, he was not worth Li Ye's attention.

However, standing beside him was a burly young man who looked fifty or sixty percent similar to Li Haoran. Unlike Li Haoran's thinness, this man had a hulking frame, cords of muscle bulging across his body. His expression was fierce, and Killing Intent filled his eyes.

"So it's you, Li Tianwu. Didn't your mother teach you to knock before going to someone else's house? Shouting and making such a racket—I thought some wild dog in heat had run out to disturb people's sweet dreams!"

He was no longer the weak and timid boy he once had been. Now that he had successfully condensed his Blood Soul, Li Ye was brimming with confidence.

As for the burly young man before him, Li Ye only needed one glance for everything about him to surface in his mind.

Li Tianwu, Li Haoran's half-brother from the same father, was also the Third Elder's grandson. But unlike Li Haoran, that worthless dandy who only knew how to play with women, Li Tianwu was far more promising. Though born of a concubine, he had worked hard since childhood and possessed decent talent. Only twenty-one this year, he had already reached the late stage of the third level of the Spirit Martial Rank. Among the younger generation of the Li Family, his strength was considered fairly good.

However, like Li Haoran, he bullied the weak and feared the strong. He had secretly harmed many clansmen and clan sisters with little backing, and resentment against him had long boiled over. Unfortunately, he had powerful support. With the Third Elder backing him and his talent being fairly decent, no one had dared touch him to this day.

"Li Ye! You're courting death!"

Within the Lineage, aside from those few freaks, who did not treat Li Tianwu politely and give him three parts of the road? Earlier, when he saw his younger brother return looking like such a miserable wretch, he had grown suspicious after asking around. Only then did he learn that it had actually been caused by that useless trash who had been driven from the family all those years ago.

This made him half-believe, half-doubt. Could a piece of trash truly turn the heavens upside down and rise again?

Now, seeing Li Ye's attitude, rage instantly surged from his heart!

Without another word, he threw a punch. The powerful force of the fist blasted the air apart, showing just how terrifyingly strong that punch was.

At the late stage of the third level of the Spirit Martial Rank, a casual punch was enough to shatter even hard granite! If it landed on a human body, the lighter outcome would be shattered bones, while the heavier outcome would be ruptured organs and death!

Li Tianwu had clearly grown used to acting lawlessly. His younger brother being bullied had already set his anger blazing. Now, seeing a piece of trash he had once bullied at will shouting at him and even mocking him as a wild dog, thick killing intent rose within him. Ignoring all consequences, he moved to kill!

"Trash! Don't think I don't dare kill you! That ghost of a father of yours has been missing for so many years—maybe he already died outside long ago! Without him, no one will care whether you live or die!"

Li Tianwu was not stupid. In name, Li Ye was the family head's son. But the family head had been missing for years, and no other elders had ever stood up for him. This was the greatest reliance that gave Li Tianwu, Li Haoran, and the others the audacity to bully Li Ye.

Seeing the other side act with such arrogance, a trace of killing intent surfaced in Li Ye's eyes, and fierce battle intent surged forth.

"I was just worrying about how strong I've become. You came at exactly the right time!"

Li Ye felt he was already on the verge of a breakthrough. Li Tianwu's arrival did not frighten him in the least; instead, it excited him.

Facing Li Tianwu's punch, Li Ye also refused to give an inch and threw a punch of his own!

"Courting death!"

Seeing Li Ye, the publicly acknowledged useless young master, not only fail to show fear and despair but actually dare to fight back, Li Tianwu gave a savage grin. He could already see someone's arm being broken by a punch, followed by wails as he rolled across the ground.

Bang!

To everyone's surprise, when their fists collided, Li Tianwu, at the late stage of the third level of the Spirit Martial Rank, felt a powerful force no weaker than his own travel up his arm. His expression changed, and he staggered back three or four steps uncontrollably.

As for Li Ye, his body merely swayed slightly, but he did not take a single step back.

The difference was clear at a glance! In terms of strength, Li Ye was actually stronger than Li Tianwu, who was at the late stage of the third level of the Spirit Martial Rank! One had to know that Li Ye was merely at the late stage of the first level! He was at least two major realms and four minor stages below Li Tianwu! The gap between them should have been at least four or five times!

"You condensed a Blood Soul?!"

Li Tianwu's face changed dramatically. In that punch just now, he had clearly felt the eruption of the most familiar Blood Soul Power. Moreover, an ordinary person could not possibly possess such great strength! Everything pointed to one conclusion: the piece of trash he believed would never amount to anything in his life had actually gotten his day of turning over?

Li Ye gave a cold smile and did not answer. While Li Tianwu briefly froze from overwhelming shock, Li Ye closed in, a dazzling gleam bursting from his eyes as he mercilessly launched another punch.

Although Li Tianwu was shocked, his reaction was swift. Seeing the former trash Li Ye erupt with strength not the slightest bit weaker than his own, horror flashed through his eyes—but even more than that was a savage ferocity!

"So what if you condensed a Blood Soul! Do you think I can't deal with trash like you?!"

Thunderclap Fist!