Chapter 107

Seeing Li Hao’s actions, Li Ganfeng froze in place.

Instantly, his eyes widened slightly, as if unable to believe it, his whole body trembling with rage:

“What do you mean?”

“Afraid the sword might hurt you—so I’ll use this instead.”

Li Hao smiled, but his heart was icy with murderous intent.

Hearing Li Hao’s words, everyone in the courtyard was stunned, doubting their own ears.

Facing Li Ganfeng—a peer at the Fifteen Li realm, a direct disciple of the Buddha Lord, a top-tier prodigy—Li Hao planned to fight with just a pair of chopsticks? This was what they now called youthful arrogance! It wasn’t mere recklessness—it was utter contempt, a complete disregard for all! Beside the table, Li Tiangang’s face turned pale with shock, his eyes blazing with fury.

Earlier, he’d thought Li Hao merely arrogant, something he could barely understand—after all, with no one to guide him, reaching such a terrifying cultivation realm at fourteen was bound to breed arrogance.

But this wasn’t arrogance anymore—it was extreme overconfidence! Even against an ordinary Fifteen Li cultivator, victory might be possible—but Li Ganfeng was the Buddha Lord’s disciple!

And even if Li Hao truly possessed such ability, so what?

To defeat his own cousin with a single chopstick would be a devastating blow to Li Ganfeng—rendering him forever humiliated, possibly shattering his Dao heart and destroying his entire future!

If that happened, how could Li Tiangang ever face his deceased elder brother? At the same table, Jian Wudao and Chu Jiuyue both wore expressions of shock—they never imagined this gifted youth would be so insane.

To slay a prodigy with chopsticks? How could that be possible?

Was he replacing the sword with chopsticks? Jian Wudao wondered, observing Li Hao’s stance; given that the Li family had gifted him a famous sword, he must be a sword cultivator.

Yet recalling the gaze of that child from years past, he silently shook his head—he’d already been displeased when mentioning the Eternal Night sword, thinking the Li family had wasted another famed blade.

This boy could never achieve anything in sword cultivation!

Compared to these three, Liu Yuerong, Dao Saint Jiang Haiping, and others were stunned, furious—and yet, a flicker of delight surfaced.

Li Hao’s arrogance was suicide! This thought echoed in the minds of most guests—indeed, prodigies were prodigies, but they carried the fatal flaws of prodigies, flaws that most often led to their early demise. “You—”

Li Ganfeng stared fixedly at Li Hao; though the boy wore a gentle smile, he sensed the contempt in his eyes.

“I’ll make you pay!”

Li Ganfeng gritted his teeth, speaking each word slowly.

His aura surged violently, his robes billowing as he swung his sword in a sudden motion, snarling low:

“Take this sword!”

Li Hao stood calmly, his smile gone, no longer even bothering with a mocking grin.

A piercing blade of qi slashed toward him, lifting his robes and scattering his hair.

He flicked his chopsticks casually—and a blade of qi shot forth.

CRASH! The two blades of qi collided and canceled each other, kicking up dust from the ground.

The tables, chairs, and buildings around were shielded by Li Qingzheng’s power, so they remained untouched.

But seeing the two begin fighting, Li Qingzheng suddenly remembered—he hadn’t yet summoned the ancestral spirits from the ancestral hall to temporarily lift their heart oaths.

Yet he quickly regained his composure—neither of them was bound by the Li ancestral spirits; there was no risk of them injuring each other and breaking their oaths.

“This boy…”

Li Qingzheng muttered under his breath, his gaze fixed on the arena. He’d been certain Li Hao would win—but now, with such overconfidence, he felt a flicker of tension.

The brief exchange had revealed no true strength—but they’d matched perfectly, leaving the onlookers astonished.

“Hmm?”

Jian Wudao’s eyes narrowed slightly—the blade of qi the boy had flicked out had a natural, effortless quality.

Li Ganfeng’s eyes turned icy, his killing intent barely concealed. He hadn’t expected the boy’s control over objects to be so powerful. Now, he held nothing back, instantly elevating his aura to its peak, becoming a sword-wielding war god.

“Sword Art: Bright Moon, Rise!!”

Li Ganfeng unleashed his strongest killing technique, aiming to crush Li Hao in one blow. Terrifying sword intent coalesced in his palm, extending sharp qi that made every guest pale, as if their throats had been slit.

“It’s the Li family’s Sea Without Shore Sword Art!”

“He’s already mastered the third level? At his age?”

“Such extraordinary sword talent—this strike can’t be blocked by anyone short of a Master!”

All were stunned, their gazes heavy with awe.

Ren Qianqian, holding her black sword case beyond the arena, her eyes gleamed—this sword art felt familiar! But… it seemed different from the day she’d seen it before.

Much simpler.

Li Hao watched the technique unfold, his eyes cold and indifferent. A perfect-level technique—impressive indeed—but… not enough! He slowly raised his chopsticks.

In an instant, brilliant light burst from his fingertips.

Sea Without Shore.

Bright Moon, Rise! A full moon suddenly illuminated the entire courtyard.

And illuminated countless pairs of eyes!

Even in broad daylight, the moon’s brilliance could not be dimmed—it was dazzling beyond measure.

Jian Wudao had just been lamenting that such a gifted sword cultivator had slipped through his fingers—but now, his eyes widened sharply.

The wrinkles around his eyelids seemed stretched taut as if pulled open.

That was… Entry into the True Realm?! Jian Wudao leapt to his feet, utterly uncomposed, staring at the boy in disbelief.

His four disciples—including Bian Ruxue—also wore expressions of horror, gazing at the scene in utter disbelief.

They were all sword cultivators—how could they not recognize the terror and perfection of that strike?

The radiant light from the city wall once again bathed heaven and earth.

Ren Qianqian gripped her black sword case tighter, knuckles white, her eyes filled with that light and the boy’s silhouette.

“Big Brother Hao!” Li Yuanzhao nearby clenched his fists in excitement.

“What?”

Liu Yuerong, seeing the moon, froze mid-sneer, momentarily speechless.

Beside her, Dao Saint Jiang Haiping, Bodhisattva Lin Wujing, and others were equally stunned—Li Hao’s sword art had reached this level? Beyond his cultivation base? This was a sword prodigy unseen in a thousand years! But the one who felt it most deeply was Li Ganfeng—he was stunned. He’d thought achieving the perfect level was extraordinary; even his uncle at that age hadn’t matched him.

Yet this boy…

Before he could think further, the full moon crushed down upon him—from a single chopstick.

Li Ganfeng’s eyes bulged with rage, humiliation driving him to roar, his hair flying as he bellowed: “Break it!!”

The two identical sword arts collided—but the next instant, Li Ganfeng’s body was flung backward, crashing hard into a banquet table, spitting blood.

His luxurious brocade robes were now torn with countless rips—mere contact had left him battered.

And this was only because Li Hao used a chopstick—if he’d used a sword, it wouldn’t have been mere scratches—it would have been a body drenched in blood!

Li Ganfeng rose from the ground, staring at Li Hao in shock.

Though his sword art level was inferior, the weapon disparity was immense—yet his sword hadn’t even broken Li Hao’s chopstick! He felt it clearly: in that instant, the object-control force on the chopstick had diverted his blade, preventing true contact.

He’d defeated other Fifteen Li cultivators the same way—but never had he faced this.

Only overwhelming object-control could achieve this!

Yet he trained the pinnacle object-control scripture! To surpass him, one would need the Imperial Family’s Nine Heavens Soaring Cloud Scripture! Even then, the gap shouldn’t be this vast! Under Li Ganfeng’s gaze, Li Hao strode forward.

Li Ganfeng’s pupils contracted—his heart filled with grief, fury, and humiliation. He’d intended to crush Li Hao with his own strength—but now, he’d been pushed to this brink.

He’d trained four years longer!

His eyes burned with hatred, suppressing the killing intent on his face, but inside, his soul boiled: Die!!

Suddenly, he gathered his inner power in his chest and unleashed the force his master had given him.

WHIRRR—like a temple bell tolling at dawn, a torrent of power roared through his mind.

Immediately, terrifying energy surged from his chest into every vein and bone, his blood boiling to its peak, strength exploding. Simultaneously, his previously unopened major meridians began to open one by one, violent power flooding into them—temporary, yet filling them completely.

In an instant, his major meridians surged from 58 to 82! The Li family’s meridian-opening method opened 54; the Buddha Lord’s supreme method opened 58; the Imperial Family’s top method opened 62.

Now, under this force, his meridians had been forcibly opened to 82—twenty more than the Imperial Family’s pinnacle method.

This surge of new meridian power gave him a sense of boundless flow; within his mind, faint Buddhist chants whispered, his soul force skyrocketed, his mind clearer than ever, his spiritual sense expanding rapidly—from twenty Li to thirty Li!

Even the Imperial Family paled in comparison.

With the growth of his spiritual sense, his object-control power surged likewise.

Li Ganfeng felt his strength exploding—his hands felt capable of plucking stars and embracing the moon!

His gaze turned icy as he rose from the ground, facing the boy, then activated his movement technique—like a streak of light, enhanced by object-control, he vanished and reappeared almost instantly before Li Hao.

He wouldn’t give the boy a single chance to react, nor allow anyone else to intervene—he would cripple Li Hao with one sword!

Li Ganfeng’s explosive aura drew countless stares—everyone was stunned, unsure what technique this was.

Li Qingzheng’s face changed—he was about to intervene—when suddenly, Li Hao’s striding figure accelerated.

Two figures collided almost instantly, so fast that below the Fifteen-Li Realm, only faint gray afterimages could barely be seen! Li Ganfeng slashed violently at Li Hao, but the next moment he felt a ferocious tiger-like aura emanating from Li Hao; his pupils shrank, filled with shock.

The two figures collided in an instant, so fast that those below the Fifteen Li realm could barely make out gray afterimages! Li Ganfeng slashed at Li Hao—but the next moment, he felt a tiger-like aura radiating from Li Hao. His pupils shrank, eyes filled with horror.

His sword struck the chopstick—but slipped aside.

The chopstick drove straight toward his eye socket.

Li Ganfeng’s other hand shot out in a palm strike—a Buddhist palm technique, beneficial for weapon training.

But the hand he’d claimed would seal Li Hao’s movements was seized by Li Hao with even greater speed, crushed in his grip.

The power of 98 meridians plus 369 circulations, combined with the instantaneous dual surge of the yin and yang meridians, crushed the palm outright, reducing bone and flesh to a pulpy mass.

With 98 meridians, 369 circulating qi, and the instantaneous dual-burst power of yin-yang meridians, that hand was crushed into pulp—bone and flesh mashed into a lump.

Before Li Ganfeng could scream, Li Hao’s chopstick plunged straight in, piercing his eyeball.

Suddenly, a shockwave surged toward them.

A sudden shockwave surged forth.

But simultaneously, a far vaster power descended, shielding Li Hao.

[101] A white figure flashed past—the Buddhist Bodhisattva appeared between Li Hao and Li Ganfeng, instantly separating them, carrying Li Ganfeng back over ten meters.

"Such a ruthless strike!"

Lin Wujing’s gaze turned slightly cold as he glanced at Li Hao, then lowered his eyes to Li Ganfeng, whose eyeball had been pierced.

(End of chapter)