My Clones Can Cultivate

Chapter 104

Li Bao wore a stupefied and shocked expression on his face right now, and he was by no means faking it because he really was genuinely and utterly shocked by what he was seeing.

Seeing Li Xie use Flash Step was something that had stunned him somewhat; he had thought he was the only one who had managed to learn the two forms of the Phantom Strike Art, which had five original forms, and then there were the even more powerful derived forms.

Due to their effects being far deadlier and superior, learning them took even more time and effort than the first five forms. Many struggled to learn even the very first form, Flash Step, which allowed the user to instantly move a short distance at an insanely fast speed.

Learning it was difficult, and mastering it was another huge obstacle altogether. So, after Li Bao mastered the first two forms... Flash Step and Phantom Crossing... he already believed he was the greatest genius, surpassing the other young geniuses such as the anomaly brothers and even Li Feng himself.

Of course, that was with the sole exception of Li Yuexin; she had surpassed all of them by an overwhelming gap in terms of talent. So yes, Li Bao had always believed that he was the second greatest genius after Yuexin, but seeing Li Xie’s battle had completely changed his mindset.

If he had been the one in Li Xie’s position, fighting against someone like Shi Lan, would he have won? The answer... no. He was certain that he wouldn’t have won.

That realization alone was already troubling enough.

Then Li Jie stepped onto the stage, and with his very first move, he used Phantom Crossing. As if that wasn’t enough reason for him to be shocked, he kept using the technique seamlessly, even better than Li Bao himself could. And even then, he still hadn’t been as shocked as when he saw Li Jie use the third form... Phantom Mirage.

Standing up in disbelief, Li Bao couldn’t help but ask, "...Just how many forms has he mastered?" His voice was filled with shock before he added, "And how did he even master them?"

After all, in all honesty, learning the Phantom Strike Art, an Emerald-Rank Earth-Grade movement technique, was no small feat. Meanwhile, Li Bao wasn’t the only one moved by Li Jie’s performance.

No, the arena, which had gone quiet after it seemed Li Jie was about to be taken out, suddenly erupted into loud cheers as the crowd couldn’t help but be amazed by his comeback.

At the leaders’ seats, Elder Ting couldn’t help but nod a few times in approval. "Clan Lord Li... I now see why your clan has remained at the top of the Night Region all this while. It is because of your talent."

He pointed toward Li Jie, who was inhaling and exhaling slowly before continuing, "The only reason that kid hasn’t won yet is because he is at a massive disadvantage. His opponent simply surpasses him too greatly in terms of overall power. Otherwise, with all the moves he has pulled off, he would already be the victor."

Guan Ju wanted to argue, but he shut himself up because anyone could see that Elder Ting was right. If Li Jie had been at the same realm as Guan Xiu, there wouldn’t even be a debate over who would win; it was as clear as day.

Guan Ju’s gaze darkened as he looked at his daughter. Guan Xiu sensed her father’s gaze, but she didn’t turn to look at him. Instead, her attention remained completely fixed on Li Jie.

The fact that he had outsmarted her multiple times in a row and dealt this much damage to her was nothing short of an insult... one she simply couldn’t accept. She was going to slice him apart. She had already thought that three times now... but this time, she wasn’t going to hold back anymore.

With that, she dashed forward. Her figure seemed to vanish and appear at different spots; it wasn’t that she was using a skill, but rather because she was moving at her absolute fastest speed, with her qi boosting every movement.

That speed, fully unleashed, was not something Li Jie could see... but he could still react to it. The next second, a figure appeared before him, two bladed fans already heading to behead him. He reacted as fast as he could manage.

Twisting to the side, he used Phantom Mirage once more as the second blade sliced through nothing but air. Appearing at her rear, he struck out, but before his attack could reach her, a blow powered and fully charged with refined qi slammed into the side of his head.

A loud bang rang through his mind as he was lifted right off his feet and hurled through the air. He managed to twist his body and regain his footing before wiping the small trail of blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.

The damage dealt wasn’t much, all thanks to the fact that he had managed to harden the muscles of his face to their absolute limit before taking that punch. Otherwise, there was no doubt he would have suffered truly devastating damage.

Still, even with his preparation reducing the destructive force of the blow, the attack was still incredibly powerful. He coughed out another mouthful of blood before slowly standing up again after regaining his bearings.

Guan Xiu looked at him, her gaze returning to the amused expression she had worn before the match even started. "You don’t seem like you can go on much longer. Beg me for mercy, and I’ll reduce the torture from one hundred percent to ninety-nine percent."

She said it with a smile that practically screamed the exact opposite. She was going to slice him apart... wait. She had been thinking that far too many times now. Guan Xiu shook her head before focusing once more on Li Jie, who had finally steadied himself back on his feet.

"So? Will you kneel and beg for mercy or what?" she asked with a small mocking smile. Li Jie looked at her, his gaze still carrying that same calm anger he had worn from the very beginning of the battle until now.

Then his eyes darkened, filled with nothing but disgust. "...And why should I go down on my knees so that you can regain your bruised ego?" He paused for a moment before continuing, "If I remember correctly, it isn’t my fault that you’re weak enough to be beaten by someone as weak as me."

The moment those words left his mouth, Guan Xiu’s expression hardened considerably as killing intent flashed through her eyes. This bastard... he was going to pay dearly for that.

With her anger reignited, she charged forward at her top speed toward Li Jie, who had already readied his twin rapiers once more, prepared to face her endless barrage. Soon, she unleashed another relentless assault. This time, her attacks seemed to have tripled in ferocity.

As Li Jie started blocking, he could already feel his hands gradually going numb from the overwhelming barrage, but it didn’t end there. Several cuts suddenly appeared all over his body as blood began to ooze from the crimson lines carved across his flesh. Yet his gaze never changed.

He continued tanking the ferocious assault Guan Xiu kept throwing at him. Again... and again... and again. Then, the instant he noticed a slight opening in her guard, he moved. Shadow Drift. His shadow seemed to merge with Guan Xiu’s own before emerging right behind her.

Before Guan Xiu’s reaction could catch up, a sharp piercing pain erupted across her back. Her eyes widened in pure shock. A heartbeat later, the pain came. But compared to the shock filling her mind, the pain was almost insignificant.

Li Jie followed up with several more attacks, but she was fast enough to guard against most of them. Even so, two more crimson marks appeared on her body before the two finally disengaged once again.

Li Jie looked worse... far worse. His body was covered in blood, and why shouldn’t it be? He had been repeatedly sliced open over and over again. Fortunately, he had been fast and precise enough to seal each wound with his qi, stopping the blood loss.

Although, if he received another heavy beating, those wounds would surely split open again. But if he hadn’t sealed them as quickly as he did, they would have slowly weakened him, and that was something he simply couldn’t allow. I can’t continue like this, Li Jie thought, frowning.

He had already tried all of his strategies. He knew he would have won if his opponent’s strength, speed, defense, and overall qi control weren’t just that much greater than his own. Because of that overwhelming gap, he simply couldn’t deal enough damage to secure victory.

And his opponent was strong... very strong. She was attacking without holding anything back. He was already heavily wounded; no matter how tough his body or how unyielding his willpower was, if he took another barrage of attacks two more times, there would be no way for him to continue.

Still, was there anything else he could do? No. He had no idea. Li Jie let out a quiet sigh before straightening himself once more. Whatever... he would simply deal as much damage as possible without worrying about conserving his energy like he had been doing until now.

What was the point of saving qi if he ended up defeated? He would win no matter what... and then take down Shi Lan next. With that thought, he rushed forward. This time, he poured all of his qi into his movements as he activated Flash Step and Phantom Crossing at the same time.

The result... he appeared right in front of Guan Xiu. Phantom Mirage. The next moment, his head was sliced clean off by Guan Xiu’s bladed fan... but it was only a mirage. The real Li Jie had already appeared at her side. He struck. She blocked.

But she only managed to block one of the two attacks. His second rapier pierced into her waist, drawing a small groan from Guan Xiu as she immediately retaliated with her other fan. Shadow Drift.

His shadow merged with hers before he appeared behind her once again. At the very same moment, he unleashed Gale Whip, smashing the attack into the side of her head with such force that her face slammed straight into the marble battle stage.

A loud crack spread across the arena floor. Li Jie immediately tried to press his advantage. His reward... two bladed fans slicing straight toward his head. He barely managed to guard against them before retreating backward.

The crowd watched the battle with awe and disbelief. Most still rooted for Guan Xiu. After all, it was clear that she was supposed to be the victor, and perhaps that was still what many believed. Guan Xiu had their support because she was strong... but Li Jie had earned their respect because he was truly strong and worthy of victory.

Li Bao collapsed back into his seat after seeing Li Jie use the fourth form... Shadow Drift. No... he wasn’t supposed to compare himself to the anomaly brothers anymore. Not at all.