Chapter 53: Not a buddy, you

Zhu Yunqing was defeated; the expert ranked 46th on the Strong List fell at Xiao Li's hands, and Wang Kunyue felt his entire worldview collapse.

I struggled to enter the Inner Courtyard and, like a beast of burden, trained diligently for three years, only for you to tell me the Outer Courtyard is stronger than the Inner Courtyard?

Xiao Li brushed the lingering frost off his spear, his voice light and unreadable, "May everyone step aside now."

Wang Kunyue clenched his teeth, knowing he was no match; the strongest here was Zhu Yunqing.

Wei Ming, whose brows had been furrowed, suddenly sensed a familiar aura, his spirit jolted, and he turned his head backward.

"Boss."

"Hmm."

Fu Ziyi nodded, indicating no need to worry, "Your talent is truly extraordinary, the finest I've ever seen; if you are willing to join my Sunset Gate, I will make you a deputy sect leader, what do you think?"

Upon hearing that, Xiao Li glanced over, his pupils narrowing slightly—Eight-Star Battle Spirit.

"That's mistaken; if this junior wishes to join my Red Cloud Gang, making him a deputy gang leader would be more than sufficient."

A soft, graceful voice rang out, and a charming figure appeared, causing the men present to have their eyes briefly brighten.

Xiao Li remained unmoved, looking to the other side where Wang Kunyue stood behind that person, clearly in awe.

The newcomer's black hair fell loosely, and his red robes resembled clouds at the horizon, truly beautiful.

Unfortunately, Xiao Li has already pledged his life to the Little Medic Immortal, so he naturally harbors no ulterior thoughts toward other women.

"You are…"

"Rank 4, Liu Hongxia."

Before the woman could respond, Fu Ziyi on Xiao Li's other side had already spoken her name.

Liu Hongxia covered her captivating red lips and giggled, "Fu Ziyi, you're not thinking of taking this batch of newcomers' top spot all by yourself, I tell you, that's impossible."

By the end, the smile in Liu Hongxia's words vanished entirely, leaving only cold indifference.

Fu Ziyi gave a faint smile, unconcerned, "Fang Ao and Si Ma Ling are in seclusion; here in the Inner Courtyard I am the strongest, so of course I take the most."

Liu Hongxia sneered, "When there's no tiger in the mountain, the monkey calls itself king; while others break through to Fighting King in seclusion, you're still here snatching newcomers, no wonder you're ranked third on the Strong List."

Fu Ziyi shook his head with a light laugh, unfazed, and turned to Xiao Li, "I wonder how the junior is considering my offer; I'll graduate in a year, and by then Sunset Gate will be yours."

Xiao Li shook his head, merely flicking the Thunder Scale Spear in his hand; the meaning was clear—if you want me to agree, beat me first.

The scene erupted in uproar, and Wei Ming's eyes widened to the point of popping.

"That kid can't be joking; he just arrived at the Inner Courtyard and challenged the Rank‑3 on the Strong List, stop kidding."

The seniors nearby whispered, "Indeed, beating Zhu Yunqing was already incredible; how could anyone jump five levels to defeat the Rank‑3 on the Strong List?"

Lin Xiuyai and others exchanged bewildered looks, speechless; a year ago they had witnessed Xiao Li, upon first arriving at the Outer Courtyard, claim first place in the selection contest, and a few hours ago they saw him dominate the Fire Energy Hunting Competition.

The current scene feels increasingly familiar…

Li Hao and Chu Junliang, hidden in the crowd, wore strange expressions; they had just heard a newcomer defeated Zhu Yunqing, and didn't expect it to be Xiao Li.

As fellow newcomers, Xiao Li is already a Battle Spirit elite, whereas the two of them, upon seeing Fu Ziyi and Liu Hongxia, lack the confidence to even approach Xiao Li—truly a case of being outclassed.

Seeing Chu Junliang's anguished expression, Li Hao asked curiously, "What's wrong, you look like you're about to die?"

Chu Junliang jerked his head up, on the verge of tears, "If back then Xiao Li had gone with us to the Fire Energy Hunting Competition, we wouldn't have been beaten so badly."

Li Hao was speechless, twitched his mouth, "Wasn't it because you, kid, were overzealous, came up to challenge the seniors, ran into the Black Sha Squad, and caused my fire energy to be stolen?"

Chu Junliang forced a grin and, not pressing the topic further, said, "Look, Fu Ziyi is making a move!"

Chu Junliang let out a gasp, and Li Hao immediately took notice of the situation.

Rank‑3 Fu Ziyi faces newcomer Xiao Li!

"Great Wilderness Wind‑Ripping Hand!"

Li Hao inhaled sharply, "Fu Ziyi's first move is a killing technique; the Great Wilderness Wind‑Ripping Hand is a Xuan-level advanced combat technique that once defeated many during the Strong List battles."

The Eight-Star Battle Spirit struck, its overwhelming aura forced everyone to retreat far away for fear of collateral damage; only Liu Hongxia could stay within a hundred meters to watch.

Xiao Li let out a cold snort, his right hand's long spear erupted in thunder light, a Thunder Flood Dragon Phantasm appeared behind him, and a blood‑colored killing light surged skyward.

"Xuan Thunder Shock Flash!"

Both wielding Mysterious-level advanced combat, Ling Li's azure wind hand seal collided with the blood‑colored flood dragon; Xiao Li let out a low hum, his figure recoiled violently, leaving footprints dozens of meters long, whereas Fu Ziyi only stepped back a few steps.

Among the crowd, Zhu Yunqing's face turned pale, "That kid just dueled me; now he certainly isn't a match for Fu Ziyi—what a reckless youngster."

The more he watched, the worse Zhu Yunqing's complexion became; Fu Ziyi's speed and strength surpassed his, yet after Xiao Li weakened the attack, it only left a few shallow marks on him.

"Mutant, truly a mutant; even if I hit him head‑on, he'd only sustain a minor wound," Zhu Yunqing muttered.

With a clash, Xiao Li raised his Thunder Spear high, the space before him opening wide.

Fu Ziyi's gaze hardened, his right palm thundered out, "Great Wilderness Wind‑Ripping Hand!"

"Puff!"

A spray of blood erupted; Xiao Li staggered back a hundred paces before the force subsided, the Thunder Scale Spear braced on the ground, and his breathing grew slightly labored.

Indeed, as a genuine Eight-Star Battle Spirit, his powerful cultivation method and combat technique, coupled with solid battle experience, make him the toughest opponent Xiao Li has ever faced.

"Yield now; your current strength is at most equivalent to a Six-Star Battle Spirit. To fight by leaping from a Three-Star Battle Spirit realm, I acknowledge you're strong, and what I said earlier still stands," Fu Ziyi said gravely.

In the path of cultivation, each level adds a heaven; at the Battle Spirit rank, Xiao Li can jump five levels to spar with a genius like himself, a testament to his talent.

Xiao Li wiped the blood from his mouth, his voice still even, "Again!"

As his words fell, footfalls sounded; he stepped forward, and the aura around Xiao Li surged explosively.

"Ascending to Heaven Nine Steps, First Step."

Xiao Li's aura surged, the Five-Star Battle Spirit momentum dissipated, making fellow Five-Star Zhu Yunqing feel somewhat suppressed.

"This kid claimed he used his full strength against me, so what is this now? Don't tell me it's a last‑minute breakthrough!" Zhu Yunqing roared inwardly, his face full of disbelief.

Xiao Li frowned; it wasn't enough—though his Five-Star Battle Spirit might slightly surpass Fu Ziyi's, he sought a decisive victory to firmly establish himself in the Inner Courtyard, not a narrow win.

"Ascending to Heaven Nine Steps, Second Step!"

In the Ascending to Heaven Nine Steps, each step is harder than the previous; each stride burdens the body more, yet each step also grows stronger.

With Xiao Li's current physique, taking two steps is not difficult.

Qi surged again, and Xiao Li's figure seemed to have grown several inches.

Five-star Spirit Fighter…… Six-star Spirit Fighter…… Seven-star Spirit Fighter…… Eight-star Spirit Fighter!

"Now, we two are of the same rank."

(End of chapter)