My Clones Can Cultivate

Chapter 100

Li Xie hesitated for a moment as he looked at the hand that was pointed at no one but himself. His eyes slowly traveled upward and locked onto the cold gaze of Shi Lan.

No... it wasn’t really cold, nor was it calculating; instead, it was calm and impassive, with only a faint dark gleam hidden within his eyes as he called him onto the stage. Li Xie’s heart couldn’t help but pound heavily inside his chest as he looked at Shi Lan, who was patiently waiting for him to accept the challenge.

He was only at the Seventh Stage of the Qi Gathering Realm, while the one challenging him was an Eighth Stage Qi Refining cultivator. The gap between them was simply too vast to even begin thinking about overcoming.

If he stepped onto that stage, he would almost certainly be defeated... there was no doubt about that... but if he admitted defeat immediately, then the disgrace he would bring upon the Li Clan would be immeasurable, and that was something he simply wasn’t willing to do. So, no matter what, he had to fight.

"What is the matter? Are you afraid?" Shi Lan spoke, his voice carrying a faint trace of mockery as he looked directly at Li Xie. Immediately, the gazes of the enormous crowd shifted toward the Li Clan pavilion. Everyone was waiting for Li Xie to walk out.

The ordinary spectators naturally believed there was no way Li Xie would back down from the challenge; after all, he represented one of the Three Great Clans, and surely he wouldn’t disgrace himself by refusing. The cultivators, however, thought quite differently.

They knew exactly what accepting this challenge meant: the gap between the Qi Gathering Realm and the Qi Refining Realm was anything but small, and there was simply no way for Li Xie to win. That was what almost everyone believed. Even up on the high platform where the important figures sat, Elder Ting slowly shook his head.

It seemed he wouldn’t be witnessing a very competitive tournament today. After seeing just how enormous the difference was between the candidates of the Shi Clan and the Guan Clan compared to those of the Li Clan, he couldn’t help but silently agree with Shi Gubing’s earlier words: winning this tournament simply wasn’t in the Li Clan’s favor.

Li Xie tightly clenched his fists, his gaze becoming somewhat complicated. Just then, he suddenly felt a hand rest upon his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw that it was none other than his older brother. Li Jie gave him a reassuring smile before speaking.

"If you want to give up, you can. And if you want to wipe that bastard’s smug smile off his face, you can do that too. I’ll support whatever decision you make," Li Jie said with a warm smile. Li Xie suddenly felt a deep warmth spread through his chest, and the uneasiness inside him slowly began to disappear.

Giving up before being absolutely certain there was no chance of winning was something only a coward would do, and as much as Li Xie disliked fighting, he hadn’t come here to lose without even trying. With that thought, he nodded toward his brother.

Then, he slowly stood up, picked up his sword, and calmly walked toward the battle stage. Seeing him step out, the crowd immediately erupted into loud cheers; thunderous applause echoed throughout the entire arena. Everyone believed they were about to witness an incredible battle.

The cultivators, however, shared only one thought: that kid must be crazy. Can’t he see the gap between them? Surely he’s only going up there to get himself beaten.

Up on the platform reserved for the leaders, one of the Shi Clan elders couldn’t help but scoff inwardly.

The Li Clan really is as arrogant as everyone says; he knows he’ll lose, yet he still chooses to fight. What a complete fool. Of course, he didn’t dare voice those thoughts aloud; after all, the Li Clan Lord was seated only a short distance away.

While the elder remained restrained and didn’t dare cross the line, the Shi Clan Lord wasn’t nearly as reserved. He looked toward Li Xie, who calmly walked toward what appeared to be his own defeat. "I don’t know whether I should praise him for his bravery, or laugh at his stupidity," he turned toward Li San before speaking with a mocking smile.

"Clan Lord Li... if I may ask... is your disciple perhaps sick in the head?" Li San didn’t bother replying. Instead, his own concern deepened. Out of all the Li Clan’s candidates, Li Xie possessed the weakest mentality.

Despite his outstanding talent and swordsmanship, he never truly liked fighting, nor did he enjoy hurting others. On top of that, he was also overwhelmingly weaker than his opponent. Shi Lan stood an entire cultivation realm above him. He simply couldn’t win.

Li Xie finally stepped onto the battle stage. He slowly drew his sword before settling into a battle stance. Shi Lan raised an eyebrow slightly before speaking. "I have to admit... I’m impressed. You certainly have courage. But... you lack the strength to support that courage." His expression remained just as impassive as before while he continued speaking.

"I’ll give you one last chance. Walk away. Admit defeat. That is the easiest choice. But if you refuse... I’ll beat you so badly... that you’ll never walk again." His gaze didn’t seem threatening at all, and yet Li Xie felt his heart race slightly.

He quickly calmed himself down and unsheathed his blade; he would fight, and he would defeat this guy. Seeing that both of them were ready, the referee briefly introduced the two: "The Fist King of the Shi Clan versus one of the Anomaly Brothers of the Li Clan."

After a few seconds passed and the two stood at opposite ends of the large battle stage, the referee raised his hand before calling out, "Let the match begin!"

Li Xie immediately strengthened his body with qi as he dashed forward, rushing across the large stage with astonishing speed.

Within moments he reached Shi Lan, who remained rooted in one spot, looking at him with a calm, nonchalant, almost passive gaze. Without hesitation, Li Xie swung his sword, its blade enhanced with qi as it sliced directly toward Shi Lan’s neck at a truly astonishing speed.

But before it could reach him, it suddenly stopped, mere inches away from Shi Lan’s neck. Li Xie tried to push it forward with all his strength, yet it refused to budge. Seeing the struggle on his face, Shi Lan finally spoke.

"You really are a fool. You actually think you stand a chance?" The moment his words fell, he stepped forward. The next instant... Li Xie felt an overwhelming impact slam into his cheek. He was sent stumbling backward several meters before finally coming to a halt.

Shi Lan’s face remained impassive as he believed the battle was already over; one well-placed punch should have been enough to knock Li Xie unconscious. That should be all. He simply stood there, waiting for the referee to announce him as the winner.

Yet before the referee could step forward, he noticed movement. Raising an eyebrow in surprise, he looked over and was slightly taken aback. Li Xie was standing once again. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, but he casually wiped it away.

A moment later, he bent down, picked up his sword once more, and slowly assumed another battle stance. Li Xie’s mind was completely calm. I couldn’t see him move earlier... but if I pay enough attention... then I should surely be able to see his movements.

He slowly exhaled before fixing his gaze on Shi Lan, waiting for him to make another move. Shi Lan was beginning to grow irritated. Is this weakling seriously thinking that he has a chance against me? Isn’t that ridiculous? Still, he said nothing. Instead, he began walking forward.

He didn’t rush, nor did he assume any battle stance. After all, he was completely confident that Li Xie would never be able to lay a hand on him. The guy was supposed to have been knocked unconscious by that single punch earlier, but it seemed he possessed quite a bit of willpower.

If one punch wasn’t enough, then multiple punches would surely finish the job. With that thought, he took another step. His figure suddenly vanished.

Li Xie’s senses flared wildly. He instantly felt danger. Swiftly turning toward where he sensed the ripple of qi, he wasted no time and slashed with everything he had. Yet when his blade connected, it struck nothing. Li Xie’s eyes widened; he immediately realized he hadn’t been tricked.

He had simply been too slow to react to Shi Lan’s speed. The very next moment... an even more brutal impact smashed into the side of his cheek. He was blasted violently to the right. Before he could recover, another devastating punch struck him again, launching him slightly into the air.

From there, he barely caught sight of Shi Lan’s metallic gauntlet before it crashed directly into his face. Crack! Several teeth shattered; his nose broke instantly.

An explosion of pain assaulted his skull as he was slammed back into the reinforced battle stage with such overwhelming force that the entire platform trembled from the impact.

Shi Lan landed calmly. Without changing his impassive expression, he casually wiped the blood and the two broken teeth stuck to his gauntlet before looking toward the referee. "He is done." His meaning was obvious: announce the result.

The referee remained where he stood for a brief moment before slowly raising his hand, preparing to declare Shi Lan the winner. Yet before he could speak, he paused. His eyes widened ever so slightly. Li Xie was standing once again. Although he was trembling, well, everyone could understand why. After all, the attacks he had just endured were nothing to scoff at.

The miserable condition he was in now was a clear testament to just how much pain he was suffering. His face was covered in blood, several of his teeth had been shattered, and his nose was broken and crooked.

Li Xie calmly grabbed it before snapping it back into place. Crack! Ignoring the pain, he turned his attention back toward Shi Lan. His bloodied lips slowly curled upward. "I can do it now."

He had been able to read his movements before Shi Lan delivered his final blow. If he could continue doing that, then perhaps... his eyes became slightly more vibrant as he thought of a way he could perhaps win this seemingly unwinnable battle.

"I am not done yet," Li Xie said with a small smile as he grabbed his sword once more and raised it, holding it firmly with both hands. His gaze sharpened as he prepared himself for another round. Shi Lan’s eyes darkened dangerously as he looked at Li Xie. "So you really are not ready to admit defeat.

I’m not sure how much longer I can hold myself back from killing you." His tone became colder and darker. Li Xie didn’t reply. Instead, he remained calm, determined to make sure that the next exchange wouldn’t end with him suffering yet another brutal injury. He steadied himself and raised his sword once again.

The crowd erupted into loud cheers as they saw Li Xie get back onto his feet. The beginning of the battle had left many of them slightly confused. It had almost made Li Xie seem weak, but they knew that wasn’t the case. After all, Li Xie was a well-respected young warrior among the commoners.

Above all else, he was one of the kindest young cultivators in the entire Night Region, and many genuinely wanted him to win. Of course, the thoughts of the cultivators present were quite different from those of the ordinary people.

They couldn’t understand why Li Xie kept getting back up. Shouldn’t he simply admit defeat and avoid the torture he was putting himself through? They truly didn’t understand. Still, they were in no position to question the young geniuses of the great clans.

After all, they were all a bunch of weirdos in their own ways. "He can’t win," Li Feng said, his gaze darkening. "He really should give up now." Yuexin and Jie didn’t comment, because they both knew Li Feng was telling the truth. The gap between the two had already been obvious from the beginning.

Within the first few exchanges of the battle, that overwhelming gap had been displayed for everyone to witness. Li Jie subtly clenched his fists as he silently prayed that Li Xie wouldn’t suffer any more injuries; he had already been hurt enough.

Shi Lan slowly clenched and unclenched his fists, the metallic gauntlets producing a deadly scraping sound. He beckoned for Li Xie to come forward. This time, he was going to break him completely. Li Xie rushed forward once more, his speed not slowing in the slightest despite the numerous injuries covering his body.

Soon, he was directly in front of Shi Lan. His sword slashed toward Shi Lan’s side. Once again, Shi Lan remained rooted where he stood. Li Xie’s eyes flashed. Before his blade could once again be stopped by that seemingly invincible invisible barrier surrounding Shi Lan, he immediately withdrew it.

Kicking off the ground, he flipped over Shi Lan’s head before slashing directly toward his spine. Shi Lan’s eyes flashed as he turned around with lightning-fast speed. Li Xie’s sword was already descending toward his chest.

Just then, Li Xie transferred the sword into his left hand and instantly redirected the slash toward Shi Lan’s throat. Shi Lan’s eyes changed; a flicker of shock appeared within them. Li Xie’s sword passed through this time... there was no invisible barrier there to stop it... and his blade flashed straight toward Shi Lan’s neck.

I did it... Li Xie thought with a small smile. But just then, his sword stopped once again. Not because of the barrier, but because of Shi Lan’s hand. Shi Lan firmly caught the blade with his bare hand, gripping it so tightly that it refused to move another inch. He then yanked Li Xie closer before speaking in a voice darker than ever before.

"You are annoying." The instant those words fell, he threw a punch. This time, he held absolutely nothing back. The punch smashed deeply into Li Xie’s abdomen. Li Xie’s eyes widened as unbearable pain exploded through every nerve in his body.

"So... get down." With those cold words, Shi Lan hurled him away. Li Xie’s body was sent flying across the stage as blood sprayed uncontrollably from his mouth, scattering through the air.