My Clones Can Cultivate

Chapter 96

Meanwhile, back at the Li Manor, in the largest training field of the Li Clan, several disciples ranging from the Qi Gathering Realm to the mid stages of the Body Refinement Realm were gathered.

They were all dressed in the black and red training attire of the Li Clan; each of them carried the weapon of their choice, ranging from bladed weapons such as swords and daggers to spears and other massive weapons such as hammers, axes, and many others.

There were even long-range weapons such as throwing spears, bows, and arrows among them. There were over one hundred and fifty disciples standing there, making the large training field feel slightly overcrowded at this moment.

One would have thought that these people were all heading into a tough battle, or better still, a war of some sort, but that was not what was happening here. Instead, standing at the opposite end of the training field was a single lady dressed in the same black and red attire. She was, of course, none other than Yuexin, who had recently broken through to the First Stage of Qi Refining, therefore becoming a true Qi Refining cultivator.

The rumor was that she had become nearly three times stronger than before, further enhancing her already monstrous combat power and skills. She was trying to refine her abilities because tomorrow was the selection tournament, and it held great importance to the clan as a whole.

Surely she couldn’t afford to fail; none of the candidates could afford to fail, and since Yuexin was the main face of the Li Clan in the tournament, it was understandable that she had to be extra prepared. So she had chosen to fight every disciple ranging from the mid stage of Body Refinement to the mid stages of Qi Gathering.

Since there was no Peak Qi Gathering disciple within the clan at the moment, this was the best she could do.

Still, even though they could all feel that she was indeed far more powerful than before, they still found it hard to believe that she could take down over one hundred and fifty cultivators on her own. After all, there were several elites among them as well.

Li Jie and Li Xie, the anomaly brothers, were among them; Li Bao, the Li Flash, was also among them. Not only that, but there were several other exceptional disciples within the group, and they were all supposed to attack her at once. Even if she was the legendary Battle Princess, wasn’t this way too much?

The group couldn’t help but hesitate slightly as they looked at Yuexin, whose gaze remained as calm and composed as it had always been. She looked at the group before speaking, her precise voice cutting through all of their worries:

"Don’t worry about me. Attack with everything you have. This way, you will be contributing to the tournament as well and supporting the clan." Hearing her words, the disciples finally let go of their worries as they all prepared to attack with everything they had.

If Yuexin got injured by any means, there would still be people capable of healing her injuries. After all, Elder Jushong, the Grand Physician, was no small figure; he could certainly make sure she was fully healed before the upcoming tournament that was already right at their doorstep.

With all the preparations complete, Li Bao and the two brothers took the lead. "Forward!" Li Bao shouted. Immediately, they all charged toward Li Yuexin. Weapons were raised, Qi surged, and several combat arts were unleashed as every disciple attacked her at once.

Her blue eyes remained as steady and calm as ever as she took a single step forward, landing directly within the horde of disciples. Her sword guard flashed repeatedly as she blocked the rapid movements of her opponents; she evaded, dodged, blocked, and managed to counter every attack thrown at her from all directions.

She was indeed extremely impressive if one witnessed the scene firsthand. Several marksmen released arrows toward her blind spots, and yet she still managed to dodge them.

Sometimes, she even used her own movements, mouth, and feet to deal with, trap, and redirect the incoming arrows before unleashing a rapid barrage back at the disciples, forcing many of them to retreat. Only a few managed to get close enough to even attempt to land a hit on her, and they were Li Bao, Li Xie, and Li Jie.

Li Bao was only able to keep up mainly because he was using Flash Step together with Phantom Crossing; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to catch up to or even react to Yuexin’s movements. She was simply that stunning, that impressive, that fast... extremely fast and unbelievably agile.

Li Bao found itself completely mesmerized by her movements, and what followed next was a kick from Yuexin that connected directly with his face. The thing that happened afterward was neither easy nor painless; instead, it felt as if he had been struck by a massive boulder rather than by the kick of a young lady.

He rolled across the ground before spitting out a mouthful of blood.

He couldn’t help but gulp slightly as he looked toward Yuexin. It was obvious that she was holding herself back... that much was clear from the fact that she hadn’t even unsheathed her blade, and yet over fifty percent of the attacking disciples were already lying unconscious on the ground.

How had she grown so much? If he didn’t know any better, he would have believed that she was already at the mid or even late stage of Qi Refining instead of someone who had only broken through to the First Stage a single day ago. He couldn’t help but feel deeply impressed.

However, he didn’t remain lying on the ground; the purpose of this spar to begin with was to help her refine her skills, and she could only do that under pressure. If they lost too easily, there would be no pressure, and if that was the case, then there wouldn’t be any improvement in her refinement.

Since Yuexin was the clan’s top disciple, then surely she needed all the support she could get in order to win tomorrow’s tournament. And if that was the best thing he could do for the clan and the Battle Princess, then he was more than willing to do it.

With that thought, Li Bao decided to chain his movements together using Flash Step and Phantom Crossing in a way that would make him nearly impossible to detect and counter.

Well... that was how it was supposed to be, and yet Li Yuexin was still able to react against him. Although there was something even more prominent this time around: she was slowly losing her footing.

Li Jie and Li Xie pressed forward relentlessly; the two of them were the strongest among all the remaining fighters, and Yuexin quickly found herself struggling.

Coupled with the fact that everyone else had become even more motivated to push her toward her limit, attacking more fiercely and more relentlessly than before, she gradually started struggling to hold her ground, although they still weren’t able to land a single blow on her.

Now that was rather depressing... especially for the anomaly brothers. The gap between them and Yuexin, which had already been enormous before, seemed to have tripled overnight. She was truly growing at a rather terrifying pace.

Still... they pushed her, and pushed her, and pushed her, until it looked as though she was finally about to lose. Just then, she suddenly raised her leg and used Gale Whip. However, she didn’t use it against any of them in particular; instead, she struck the ground. A burst of refined Qi erupted outward, crashing into everyone around her before violently pushing them all backward, creating a clear space for herself to breathe.

She slowly took in a sharp breath, then she exhaled, and after that, she opened her eyes. Her blue eyes were as calm as the surface of a tranquil lake as she looked toward the roughly fifty remaining disciples. Then she smiled: "You all tried well... and I really hope you’ll still be able to pressure me after I get serious."

The moment she finished speaking, she slowly unsheathed her blade. The instant the sword left its sheath, her gaze seemed to sharpen even further; Li Bao, Li Xie, Li Jie, and everyone else present instantly felt the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end.

Every instinct, every sense, everything within them screamed that they were in danger. Still, they forcefully suppressed those feelings. After all, they knew for certain that Yuexin would never intentionally hurt any of them.

And so, with the determination to continue helping her refine her skills by placing her under as much pressure as possible, they all dashed forward once again.

Even if she had gotten serious, even if she had somehow become even stronger, surely there was still something they could do. That illusion... only lasted for the next few seconds, because the moment they clashed with her again... their entire world was turned upside down.

Two minutes later, Yuexin slowly sheathed her sword once more. Her blue eyes remained just as calm as before as she quietly looked around at the disciples scattered across the training field, all of them groaning in pain as they struggled to pick themselves up.

Every single one of them had been defeated within two minutes. What was even more unbelievable was that they hadn’t truly been able to follow how she had fought them. "Are you sure you confirmed she’s at the First Stage of Qi Refining and not the First Stage of the Foundation Realm instead?"

One of the beaten disciples asked, his tone filled with disbelief. Not only was he feeling that way, but every single disciple present had been completely stunned into silence. What had just happened during the spar was simply too unbelievable.

Eventually, they all forced their battered bodies to their feet before making their way toward the infirmary. Li Yuexin quietly watched them leave with a solemn gaze. She honestly felt quite bad that she had been the one to wound them all, but that was the best she could do; she had already tried to go as easy on them as she possibly could.

Yet the reality remained... she had simply become that much stronger than them. So much stronger that even her holding back... was still far too much for them. Li Jie, Li Xie, and Li Bao had put up more of a fight, and they had managed to push her a little, but that was all.

They were all unconscious now, and they hadn’t truly managed to place her under any real pressure. She couldn’t help but let her thoughts wander toward Liyu. If he were the one sparring with her... could he have pressured her? She couldn’t help but think about it, although that sounded rather impossible.

Even if Liyu had reached the Qi Gathering Realm, he was only at the First Stage; even if he was exceptional as well, Li Yuexin still couldn’t see him capable of pressuring her. Her current self had simply grown that much stronger after entering the Qi Refining Realm.

She sighed softly as she looked down at her hand. Was this all because of her bloody nature? She could now feel and track a person’s movements through the flow of their blood; she could even trigger and manipulate her own blood to a certain extent, pushing herself beyond her normal limits as well.

She slowly clenched her fist before letting out another sigh. She wasn’t sure... but she hoped that it was only good news and that it didn’t come with any hidden side effects. She lifted her head and looked toward the rising sun. The day was still young, yet she had no one to speak to. Liyu’s face flashed across her mind, and she couldn’t help but wonder where he was.

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Meanwhile... somewhere inside the special training ground... Li Feng stood blindfolded while holding his sword tightly. "Ready." The voice of the Clan Lord reached his ears, and he silently nodded. With that, the Clan Lord activated the formation once more.

Immediately, countless rocky arrows began shooting rapidly toward Li Feng from every direction. He didn’t panic; after all, after several rounds of failure and countless heaven-defying beatings, he had finally managed to learn all five basic forms of the Instinct Awakening Art.

He used Silent Ear, the First Form, and wove it seamlessly into the Second Form, Heart Breathing. At the perfect moments, he combined them with the Third Form, Wind Walker; then, through constant deduction and improvisation, he naturally fused them with the Fourth Form, Killing Intent Sense.

All four forms worked together in perfect tandem, awakening his body’s instincts, allowing him to completely grasp their essence. Only then did the Fifth Form... Natural Response... reveal itself to him.

With all five basic forms learned, he couldn’t help but feel as though he had undergone a complete transformation, breaking through the limits of his previously weak and feeble senses and attaining an entirely different level of perception. With swift grace, he began to move.

Every movement, every step, every swing of his sword flowed together in perfect harmony. Silent Ear allowed him to hear every ripple of sound; Heart Breathing pushed both his agility and reaction speed to their absolute limits, allowing him to move with astonishing precision; Wind Walker allowed his skin to sense danger before it truly reached him; Killing Intent Sense, although not as effective as the others, still proved incredibly useful, making him even more agile and allowing him to evade every attack launched his way.

Then there was Natural Response; it allowed him to react with little to no conscious thought at all. With all five forms working together, coupled with his cultivation at the Peak of the Qi Gathering Realm... he felt it.

He truly believed that despite only being at the Seventh Stage before, he was now as powerful as experts standing at the peak of the realm. No... he felt even stronger than that.

A few minutes later, Li Feng slowly sheathed his sword before removing the black cloth covering his eyes. He had done it... he had learned all five forms; he had surpassed his limits. Li Feng looked toward his father and could see the small but unmistakably proud smile on his face. "I did it, Dad." Li Feng’s voice was filled with emotion.

Li San nodded before speaking: "I know... I’m proud of you, son." Receiving acknowledgment from his father filled Li Feng with overwhelming joy. Li San was genuinely happy for his son; without a doubt, Li Feng was a greater genius than he himself had ever been.

Still... his mind couldn’t help but drift toward a certain brat... Liyu. If he were the one learning the five basic forms of the Instinct Awakening Art... how long would it take him? Li San couldn’t help but wonder.

After all, the boy had learned a breathing sutra in less than a minute; surely he might even master all five forms within a day or two. Such monstrous talent... of course it only belonged to Sacred Grade geniuses like him and Yuexin.

As for the kid breaking through to the Qi Gathering Realm... "I hope so..." Li San thought, completely unaware that Liyu wasn’t even inside the Li Manor... nor was he anywhere within the Night Region anymore.

Meanwhile... back inside the Beast Forest... a deafening explosion suddenly resonated throughout the area. A massive cloud of dust and smoke surged into the sky; it took a while before everything finally settled. When the dust cleared... three people stood there.

Each of them looked almost identical to one another, although their auras, gazes, expressions, and overall vibes were completely different. The only thing they all had in common... was the fact that they were bruised, battered, and utterly exhausted.

And the reason for their current miserable state... was him. The three slowly turned their gazes toward the fourth person, who looked exactly like them; he lay motionless within the shattered ground. His eyes stared blankly toward the sky, completely lifeless, as though he were already dead.

Blood continuously dripped from the corner of his mouth, while countless wounds all over his body bled relentlessly. King Rayden couldn’t help but wear a solemn expression: "The original doesn’t look good at all..."

Lazy Rayden stared at him for a long moment before slowly raising an eyebrow. Then he spoke in his usual lazy tone, although this time it carried a hint of seriousness:

"Guys... I think we killed him..."