ALL NOVEL Chapter 8
As soon as Li Tianyan uttered these words, laughter erupted around. Li Hong, the concubine son of the second master of the Li family, was not particularly capable but had a habit of pretending. Recently, he had been currying favor with the eldest young master Li Tianzhou, and his behavior had irritated many.
Li Hong glared at the snickering people in warning, casting an angrier look at Li Tianyan. Despite reaching the second level of acquired strength, he felt overwhelmed by someone he considered trash.
“Third brother is really a noble man who forgets things. I am Li Hong from the second master of Li Mansion. I wonder if the third brother remembers it.”
“Oh. The second master’s family could only be regarded as a side branch now. You shouldn’t call me third brother; you have to call me cousin.” Although Li Tianyan hadn’t thought much about the person in front of him, he was aware of the second master’s status.
The second master of Li Mansion, Li Kun, was a loser. After Li Pei took over the leadership of Li Mansion, the second master’s family had been classified as a side branch and not included in the direct lineage.
“Li Tianyan, don’t be proud. You are just a child of a concubine. In the past, others respected and treated you well because the Yin family had the blood of the three spiritual roots. It’s a pity that you have to be disappointed. Even the elders of Tianfan Immortal Sect despise your spiritual roots,” Li Hong said with a mocking smile.
“It’s better to have more spiritual roots than none,” Li Tianyan retorted. He didn’t see anything wrong with having five spiritual roots now; it would be troublesome if he were reincarnated in a person without any.
However, what Li Tianyan said carried both unintentional and intentional tones. Li Hong, lacking spiritual roots, felt mocked by Li Tianyan and immediately became angry. “You think you’re better than me? Let’s have a battle.”
“A battle? Okay,” Li Tianyan couldn’t help but smile at Li Hong’s audacity. It just so happened that he also wanted to find a warrior to test himself and see how he compared to the low-level warriors.
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Everyone heard Li Tianyan’s ready agreement, and many thought Li Tianyan had lost his mind.
“He actually agreed. Doesn’t Li Tianyan understand what Li Hong meant? It would be embarrassing if he got beaten until he cried for his father and mother.”
“Li Hong is so shameless to suggest it. After all, he is an acquired second-level martial artist. What’s the point of fighting an ordinary person? Even if he wins, it will be disgraceful.”
“You can’t say that. It was Li Tianyan’s fault for accepting the challenge? It’s martial arts. The battle is all about fists. If you win, you will be the master, no matter who you are.”
Some people were impressed by Li Tianyan’s courage to accept the challenge. “Anyway, if Li Tianyan takes the challenge, win or lose. I respect him as a man.”
Although Li Tianyan was only at the first level of Qi Condensation, his enhanced senses picked up on all the words these people said. He observed a boy with a childish figure but a strong build declaring he was a man. A small smile twitched at the corner of Li Tianyan’s mouth.
Li Hong knew the competition with Li Tianyan wasn’t fair, but given the opportunity to openly teach him a lesson and show favor to Li Wan, he couldn’t resist.
“How do we compare?” This being Li Tianyan’s first time sparring with these warriors, he crossed his arms and looked at Li Hong, asking.
Li Hong pointed to the weapon racks on both sides of the training ground, saying, “You can choose any of the weapons above. During the competition, whoever beats the opponent to the point where they kneel down and beg for mercy will be the winner.”
Hearing Li Hong’s proposed rules, there was an uproar. The outcome seemed predetermined, with Li Hong clearly aiming for Li Tianyan to kneel down and beg for mercy. Some found this inappropriate, while others eagerly anticipated seeing Li Tianyan admit defeat.
“Okay,” Li Tianyan agreed, quite satisfied with the proposal. It wouldn’t be interesting if the outcome was too easy to determine.
Seeing the two were genuinely going to compete, the other martial arts disciples practicing quickly made room for them.
Li Tianyan walked back and forth on the weapon rack, finding the weapons lacked any aura and were made of ordinary materials. Nevertheless, they seemed sturdy enough to withstand the vitality of low-level warriors.
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“You haven’t chosen yet? Why are you dilly-dallying like a big girl?” Li Hong, holding his usual pair of short halberds, taunted Li Tianyan.
Finally, Li Tianyan casually selected a long stick from the weapon rack, testing a few swings. “It’s this.”
“Huh, just pretending. You can’t handle a real fight with a stick. It’s like playing with monkeys.” Li Hong sneered and, to prevent Li Tianyan from backing out, picked up his two halberds and thrust at him.
Li Tianyan was given an opportunity, but he didn’t choose a good weapon.
Others thought Li Tianyan was being foolish for selecting a stick, considering he lacked the strength to effectively wield a weapon. They believed he should have chosen something more lethal to at least defend himself.
As Li Hong approached, Li Tianyan picked up the stick and effortlessly disarmed him of the two halberds. He then casually hung them on the stick, smiling brightly at Li Hong.
Li Tianyan’s swift disarmament left Li Hong embarrassed. “Give me back the halberds,” he demanded.
Li Tianyan gently swung the stick, causing the halberds to separate and fly back towards Li Hong. Startled, Li Hong dodged and hid his head. Nearby martial artists couldn’t help but laugh at Li Hong’s embarrassed reaction.
Li Hong lost ungracefully in the first round, but when he picked up the halberds again, his expression was more cautious. Onlookers no longer held their initial contempt toward Li Tianyan and watched the fight with renewed interest.
“I think Li Tianyan is not an ordinary person. He is at least as strong as a second-level warrior.”
“I have never heard of Li Tianyan practicing martial arts. Could it be that he deliberately concealed it before?”
“Let’s take another look. I think Li Tianyan might win this time.”
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After a few comments, the two resumed their competition. This time, Li Hong made the first move, but after the previous embarrassment, he tightly held the two halberds and adopted more conservative attack moves.
Li Tianyan used his stick in the fight against Li Hong, quickly gauging the opponent’s strength. He skillfully got the stick entangled with the blade of Li Hong’s halberd, causing the double halberds to fly out with a twist of the stick.
“Are you a warrior?” Li Hong looked at Li Tianyan in shock. He couldn’t be so foolish as to overlook Li Tianyan’s hidden strength now, but he couldn’t sense any vitality from him.
Li Tianyan didn’t give his opponent a chance to react. He knocked Li Hong down with the head of the stick and proceeded to beat him thoroughly.
Witnessing Li Hong’s brutal defeat, onlookers were frightened. They were relieved they hadn’t provoked Li Tianyan earlier, realizing they might not have fared well against such a ferocious opponent.
“Stop.” Just when Li Hong was beaten to the point of surrender, a gentle voice suddenly sounded from the training ground.
Everyone turned their attention to the speaker, recognizing Li Tianzhou, the eldest young master of Li Mansion. They respectfully saluted him, saying, “I have seen the eldest young master.”
Although Li Tianzhou, not as accomplished as Li Tiancheng, he was nineteen years old and had reached the seventh level of the acquired strength. Among young masters from aristocratic families, he was considered one of the best and likely to enter the eighth level in a few years. The martial arts disciples present held great reverence for Li Tianzhou.
“Well, what’s going on here?” Li Tianzhou recognized Li Tianyan at a glance but found it hard to believe what he saw.
“Back to the young master, just now Li Hong proposed a fight with Li Tianyan. The winner would be determined when one of them kneels down and begs for mercy,” explained Duan Xiu, who had always been at odds with Li Hong, speaking up first.
Initiating challenges in the training ground was common among those who practice martial arts. Li Hong brought this defeat upon himself by initiating the challenge. It was not unusual for someone like the eldest young master to intervene and uphold the rules of fighting in the martial arts field.
Li Tianzhou frowned upon hearing the explanation, looking at Li Hong with a hint of disappointment. While he didn’t find fault with the challenge itself, he couldn’t overlook the fact that Li Hong couldn’t even defeat Li Tianyan.
“Eldest young master.” Li Hong, seeing Li Tianzhou, felt a sense of relief, considering him a patron.
“What? Do you want to deny it?” Li Tianyan, using the tip of his stick, knocked Li Hong on the ground and smiled at Li Tianzhou. “I know the eldest brother is the most soft-hearted. Do you want me to spare him from kneeling down and beg for mercy?”