One Man Against Thousands

"Excellent technique! Impressive agility! Astute mind!" Lying lazily on the table until now, Long Aotian's eyes suddenly lit up, and he couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice. Beside him, Long Fei's face showed a slight shock. He knew well that his beloved son was highly talented and greatly valued by the old monsters in their family. Long Aotian's standards were sky-high, but unexpectedly, that waste Li Yi had earned such high praise from him. Long Fei pondered rapidly and then asked softly, "What do you mean?"

Long Aotian's expression turned serious, a rare sight. Li Yi's skills instilled in him a strange sense of fear, but he couldn't pinpoint where this fear originated. After pondering for a moment and glancing at the curious clan members around, he explained in a low voice: "Although Li Yi's Yuanqi is abundant, it's not concealed well, indicating at most a one-crystal Fighter level. Maybe he just formed his Yuanqi vortex and then came to the Mo family. But his moves are clean and decisive, aiming to defeat his enemy in one strike without wasting any extra effort. Up to now, he's only used Yuanqi once, yet none of the Li family Fighters could touch him. Such skill is not just rare for a Fighter, but even among Warriors, it's almost demonic. Also, considering that the Mo family guards haven't appeared yet, if I'm not wrong, Li Yi must have charged in alone, sword in hand, drenched in blood... Yet still having such vigor in the hall is truly admirable. That's one point."

"Li Yi's moves seem plain, not even worthy of being called techniques, but each of them perfectly counters the Li family members' skills. Often, it's like they are throwing themselves onto his weapon. Besides, his composure amidst the flurry of blades and swords, and such a mindset and vision, how could he be a mere three-month novice? His combat experience is probably even more terrifying than that of a King level expert. That's the foundation of his terrifying strength, the second point."

"Li Yi fought his way in, leaving a trail of heads and corpses. Do you think he really couldn't bring himself to kill the Li family members? No, he just chose not to. Remember, how can the Li family Fighters compare with the Mo family guards? These talented individuals all have their ways to save themselves. If Li Yi pushed them to desperation, a mutual destruction would be the end. So, while each of Li Yi's strikes injures, he always holds back. Moreover, these Li family Fighters are already mentally shaken, and the less resolute among them have probably lost their confidence. In a fight, skill is secondary; willpower is primary. Li Yi deliberately spares the clan members, but when someone tries to sneak attack him with a technique, he shows no mercy and uses the most ruthless methods to kill them. This move must have made it clear to the Li family members: if it's a regular fight, Li Yi would only injure them. But if they provoke him, he'll take their lives. This realization would crumble their already shaky resolve, and their combat ability would be greatly reduced. In my view, Li Yi's psychological warfare is no less than his physical skill, the third point."

"Such tactics, such agility, such mindset... how could he be called a waste?" Long Aotian was incredulous. "Could it be that he's been hiding his true strength all along, planning to use such an event to establish his supreme authority in the family? If so, his future achievements are unimaginable!" Even Long Aotian seemed to doubt his analysis, sighing and shaking his head, but his gaze on Li Yi couldn't be withdrawn.

"If Li Yi really is this cunning, then today, those four Li family elders are doomed," Long Fei firmly believed his son's words. Watching Li Yi, who still advanced one step and one sword, injuring one person with each strike, he couldn't help but gasp in shock. Long Aotian didn't respond to his words, but after a moment, he said in a low voice, "Father, do you know of any Li family cultivation technique that produces black Yuanqi?" After pondering, Long Fei slowly shook his head: "I don't know. The Li family's famous Water Shadow Decree is a water-based technique, and the Yuanqi should be blue, not black... Li Yi's black Yuanqi is truly baffling."

Long Aotian nodded slightly. He wanted to analyze further, but Li Yi, as if sensing his gaze amid the fight, pointed his sword at a Fighter's wrist and then slapped another person several meters away, before turning to give Long Aotian a light smile. For some reason, this smile made Long Aotian's scalp tingle and intensified his inexplicable sense of terror, forcing him to look away.

Mo Yi, who had been listening to Long Aotian's analysis, noticed Long Aotian being intimidated by Li Yi's glance and shook his head, puzzled. Li Yi's usage of Yuanqi was mysterious and hard to endure, probably an effect of some high-level cultivation technique. But when did the Li family possess such a technique, and how come those four Old Coots didn't know about it? By now, Li Yi had taken down more than thirty Fighters, yet rarely used his Yuanqi, relying mainly on wrist strength. Mo Yi, with his keen eyesight, was astounded by the simplicity yet effectiveness of Li Yi's swordplay and couldn't believe that a teenager of fifteen or sixteen could refine his swordsmanship to such a degree.

Could this be some sort of incredibly profound technique? At this point in the scene, two-thirds of the Li family's collateral branch disciples had already been cut down by Li Yi. He had advanced over forty steps in the hall, injuring one person with each move. In the blink of an eye, those so-called geniuses of the Li family, who usually strutted around, were now being mowed down by Li Yi. But strangely, even under such circumstances, no one dared to use any techniques. If everyone used techniques, Li Yi would not have advanced so easily. But clearly, these Li family disciples had been shocked by Li Yi's momentary brutality, and each subconsciously dared not use those powerful techniques.

At the Li family's seats, the tense atmosphere had also subsided. The four elders looked at Li Yi as if they had seen a ghost. They were more aware than anyone else of the capabilities of the Li family's collateral members, but to see these people being cut down like wheat by Li Yi was unbelievable.

"What... what is going on? Li Han! Did you teach him some technique? Could it be... a White Tiger level technique?" The third elder, seeing his own grandson cut down, knew that his grandson was already a five-crystal Fighter, but couldn't withstand even a single move from Li Yi, and couldn't help but scream.

"A White Tiger level technique?" Li Han sneered. "You four Old Coots are quite familiar with the Wu Martial Pavilion, aren't you? Don't you know that the highest level technique of our Li family is only the mid-level Vermilion Bird? A White Tiger level technique? If I really had such a technique to study, I would have broken through already. Why would I need to play mind games with you Old Coots?"

On the other hand, the senior elder had calmed down. Looking at Li Yi's figure, his eyes were filled with fascination. "Third brother, stop wasting words. Our Li family doesn't have such a bizarre and demonic technique. If there really is one, the only possibility is that it's secretly held by the direct lineage. Remember, our Li family ancestors were Emperor level powerhouses. Could the techniques and methods they left behind really only be mid-level Vermilion Bird?" His words shifted the focus of many eyes in the hall onto Li Han. If this was true, then Li Han would definitely be the first to know.

"Techniques left by an Emperor?" Li Han chuckled with a hint of mockery in his eyes. "Haven't you noticed? On the edge of Yi'er's sword, there's not even a trace of Yuanqi being used. It's all about finesse and wrist strength. You're supposed to be knowledgeable. Have you ever heard of any technique that doesn't require the use of Yuanqi?" Techniques, by definition, require Yuanqi to be activated. This is a well-known fact on the Martial Deity Continent. With this question from Li Han, many intense gazes dimmed. If it were truly a technique that allowed the weak to overcome the strong, today's situation would be even more complicated. But if it was just Li Yi's accumulated combat experience, then it could only be said that Li Yi himself was terrifying.

Many conversations reached Li Yi's ears, and he couldn't help but scoff internally. In his previous life as one of the top assassins in the underworld, what weapon couldn't he use? Not just weapons, even with a stick in hand, he could exert its power. As long as these people hadn't formed a Yuanqi shield, no human body, no matter how strong, could withstand his sword. In other words, below the Warrior level, he was invincible. But if he encountered a Warrior... Li Yi's heart shrank slightly. He had not yet directly confronted a Warrior and naturally did not know how formidable such experts were. But just the thought of it - just advancing to a Fighter had restored his past life's skills. The horror of the Warrior level was imaginable.

Hoping that the Li family's Warriors were like that tragic man from the Mo family, Li Yi shook his head. His sword drew a circle in mid-air and lightly tapped the hilt of someone's weapon. However, this person seemed to have grasped a bit of Li Yi's rhythm. He didn't condense Yuanqi on the sword's edge but spread it throughout his body to withstand Li Yi's tap. A strong recoil force came, numbing Li Yi's arm, nearly causing him to lose his sword. He quickly channeled his Yuanqi through his meridians to regain feeling in his hand. At the same time, his sword twisted forcefully through the opponent's arm, eliciting a muffled groan as the person retreated.

Li Yi had encountered this situation before. These so-called geniuses of the Li family each had their specialties. Although they were mentally shaken under Li Yi's onslaught, a few had discerned his current weakness: his reluctance to engage in a head-on clash, relying instead on clever force to defeat his enemies. Once this was figured out, as long as they defended with all their might without seeking a quick attack, Li Yi's bizarre agility wouldn't be as effective. Unfortunately for them, although Li Yi relied on clever force, he was already a Fighter. If it had been earlier, facing such a situation, he would have had to flee. But now, having reached the first transformation of the Demonic Nine Transformations and advanced to the low-level Vermilion Bird, the surprise it brought him was almost boundless. Although he was only a one-crystal Fighter, his Yuanqi was not far behind a regular three-crystal Fighter. This was the key to his being unbeatable and unstoppable within a hundred steps.

Those who could see through Li Yi's weakness were injured by his sudden burst of Yuanqi and had to retreat. Li Yi sneered continuously, advancing several steps in the blink of an eye. His sword, like a storm of lightning, swept out, striking down one person with each step. By the time his sword shattered, there was no one left to surround him. Casually discarding the broken sword, Li Yi saw less than ten members of the Li family left. He was only about ten steps away from the Li family's seats.