Chapter 54

The whole place erupted in an uproar, Fu Ziyi stared blankly at Xiao Li, lost in thought.

"What secret technique is this, letting you break through five stages in a row!"

Xiao Li gave no answer; he unleashed the Nine Steps to Heaven, all nine steps at once—upon first entering the Fighting Sect he could already match its peak, but such great power also meant great side effects; even two steps already put pressure on him, so it was better to stay silent.

The thunder dragon on the spear suddenly opened its eyes, mouth wide open; a soundless surge seemed to strike straight at the soul, emanating an invisible wave that whipped the crowd into a raging wind.

A hint of ferocity crossed Xiao Li's lips as the Blood‑Slaughter Heaven‑Smiting Thunder erupted fully, aggressive lightning surging to the horizon, dyeing the sky a deep azure.

Blood mixed with white clouds, and the blood‑ink in Xiao Li's eyes also shocked the hearts of those present.

Lin Xiuya and the others felt as if struck by lightning, their hearts churning with huge waves.

Xiao Li, eight‑star Fighting Spirit

Lin Xiuya, three‑star Grand Fighter Master

Comparing the two, no matter how Lin Xiuya urged himself not to measure himself against Xiao Li, his heart could not help but feel a pang of desolation.

Are we, ourselves, geniuses?

The answer is yes; as the best of the continent's top academy, the outstanding student of his class, Lin Xiuya has never denied his talent.

But what does being a genius matter—who here isn't a genius of their own family?

Genius might merely be the threshold for seeing Xiao Li.

A hint of bitterness crossed Lin Xiuya's mind, his Way heart near collapse; fortunately he was still somewhat resolute, able to withstand this blow.

In the arena

Fu Ziyi took a deep breath, without doubt he was no match for Xiao Li now, yet he held the pride of being third on the inner court's strength ranking.

"Come fight!"

Fu Ziyi let out a loud shout, his azure embroidered robe billowing; his whole body seemed like a tiny boat in a raging wind, swaying on the verge of capsizing beneath the blood‑colored lightning.

But the next instant, a spark of battle intent ignited in Fu Ziyi's eyes; the wild wind tore apart the blood‑ink clouds, even staining his robes with a hint of red.

"Earth‑rank low‑level Fighting Technique, Sea‑rolling Fury Wind Gale!"

The gale condensed, carrying the momentum to stir mountains and seas.

Xiao Li felt no fear, right hand gripping the Thunder‑scale Spear pointed at the sky; blood‑colored dark clouds descended from the horizon, unleashing Blood‑Slaughter Heaven‑Smiting Thunder.

Thunder crashed down, gathering on the tip of the Thunder‑scale Spear; the blood‑ink‑colored lightning illuminated half of the inner court, and Elder Su, who had just stepped not far away, scratched his head in bewilderment.

"Someone in the inner court broke through to Fighting King? But this special lightning… Damn, Xiao Li, what trick are you pulling now!"

Elder Su hurriedly turned and ran toward the inner court's main gate.

On the other side, a dragon whose body was saturated to the extreme with Blood‑Slaughter energy danced in the gale, its scales gradually cracking, yet its form remained largely unaffected—still mighty, still letting out a fierce roar in the wind.

Fu Ziyi's face grew ever paler, then he suddenly spat out a large mouthful of fresh blood.

Xiao Li's eyes turned ruthless as he rose upright atop the dragon's head, his Thunder‑scale Spear slicing the sky; the blood‑colored dragon became a red‑black afterimage that shot forth, no storm able to block its advance.

Fu Ziyi's expression shifted, yet he met Xiao Li's gaze without fear.

Xiao Li's eyes were icy; he certainly would not kill Fu Ziyi, since he had the intention to fight him, he also had no notion of 'no fight, no acquaintance'.

What Xiao Li follows is to beat you into submission before talking, not just a light touch.

Fortunately Fu Ziyi harbored no killing intent and was not an enemy; otherwise Xiao Li would surely have struck a lethal blow.

Elder Su in the distance was frantic; the wings behind him seemed about to smoke from flapping, afterimages fanning out, finally managing to block in front of Fu Ziyi just in time.

Fortunately, fortunately Fu Ziyi's gale held him back; otherwise he truly wouldn't have made it in time.

Elder Su silently thought, 'Good,' not daring to relax his hand, a thick battle qi shield appeared, blocking in front of him and Fu Ziyi.

Elder Su gazed at the thick shield, just letting out a sigh of relief, when he heard a crisp crack.

"Holy crap, how did it crack!"

The crack in the shield widened; Xiao Li held nothing back—he had originally pulled his punches, fearing to kill Fu Ziyi, but upon seeing Elder Su he naturally chose to go all out, to see what level of strength he now possessed.

The shield exploded with a boom, dust billowing; Elder Su grunted, staring at the Thunder‑scale Spear before him as a bead of cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

"Nice kid, I underestimated you—your attack power has reached half‑step Fighting King level; if I'd known, I'd have made a thicker shield."

Xiao Li lowered his spear and stood, his smile unchanged: "Elder Su, your sword is still sharp—I truly admire you."

Elder Su gave him a sideways glance: "No need for pleasantries with me; your strength will likely catch up to mine in a few years, so don't be polite."

Xiao Li nodded: "Then I won't be polite either."

Elder Su's face stiffened; he had just been being polite, yet you really aren't—do you even know what respecting elders and loving the young means?

"Well, what is it? Feel free to speak."

"Junior wishes to go into seclusion at the Heaven‑Burning Qi‑Refining Tower; I wonder if Elder could take me there."

Xiao Li was unfamiliar with the inner court; having a familiar guide would naturally be good, and the killing energy within him had mostly dissipated over these months, so he also didn't have to worry about fire poison adding to his toxicity.

Elder Su's eye twitched: "Good kid, you just beat the inner court's third rank and already want to seclude—no youthful passion at all; shouldn't you rest a few days and enjoy the inner court students' admiration? Perhaps that's why Xiao Li is a genius."

Elder Su let out a light sigh: "Come with me; upon first entering the Heaven‑Burning Qi‑Refining Tower, there is indeed something to watch out for."

Xiao Li shrugged; he possessed Blood‑Slaughter Heaven‑Smiting Thunder within him, far more domineering than the dissipating fire toxin of the Fallen Heart Flame, so he wasn't overly worried—after all it's aberrant thunder; if he couldn't even tolerate a tiny fluctuation of aberrant flame, what talk of standing equal?

When Xiao Li entered the Heaven‑Burning Qi‑Refining Tower for the first time and came out unscathed, Elder Su was utterly helpless: "A monster is just different."

"Alright, I'll take you to a deeper chamber and teach you how to use it."

……

Wutan City

Nalan Yanran gazed at this small city, her eyes unconsciously revealing a hint of disdain; as a heavenly pride raised in the imperial capital from childhood, she naturally looked down on Wutan City.

"Miss Nalan, let's go inside."

Ge Ye spoke from the side, his words laced with flattery; although Nalan Yanran had not yet been confirmed as the young sect master, she was a direct disciple of the sect master—not someone a mere Fighter Master like him could provoke.

"Thank you for the trouble." Nalan Yanran gave a slight bow; she still showed some respect to the members of the Cloud Mist Sect.

Recalling her grandfather's words, the rebellious girl's gaze toward Wutan City carried a hint of hatred.

"Why must I marry into the Xiao family? My life is mine to control!" Nalan Yanran thought to herself, her face also growing a bit more resolute.

(End of chapter)