My Clones Can Cultivate

Chapter 123

Meanwhile, the leaders were not the only ones astonished by everything that was happening; the same could be said for everyone watching the battle right now.

The mundane humans, who made up the majority of the audience, were completely shocked by the scene before them, but the cultivators among them were far more than merely stunned.. they were scared, scared and terrified by the fact that someone as monstrous as Yuexin even existed.

She had already lost an unbelievable amount of blood, and that was not even the only thing happening to her; her entire skin, with only her face left untouched, had turned a deep shade of purple, signifying one thing and one thing only: the poison had completely spread throughout her entire body.

With that alone, she should not even still be alive, let alone conscious, yet not only was she still standing, but she was even fighting someone as powerful as Shi Lan on equal footing.

The crowd was shocked, but none of them were as stunned as Haoran, who found it difficult to take his eyes off Yuexin. His hand trembled slightly as he restrained himself from shouting, "What are you...?"

He possessed the greatest defense among the younger generation; his body was as hard as steel, and he could withstand an incredibly brutal beating without feeling much pain... there was a reason he had earned the title of the Iron Behemoth of the Guan Clan.

And even with his insane, almost otherworldly defense, he was still terrified of Xueyi’s poison. Her poison was far deadlier than ordinary mundane poisons; it did not merely target one’s vitals, but it also assaulted the victim with wave after wave of unbearable pain.

He knew that better than anyone because he had once volunteered himself as a test subject just to find out how potent Xueyi’s poison truly was, and the result was that he never volunteered again.

He had been unable to make even the slightest movement without excruciating pain shooting through every nerve in his body; when the poison had completely spread throughout him, even lifting a single finger had become as painful as giving birth to a child, and he had not even been able to blink.

Back then, in order not to lose face and become the target of Xueyi’s endless teasing, he had suppressed the horrifying screams that desperately wanted to burst from his lungs because of the unbearable agony.

Still, that day remained one of the worst days of his life. So, in simple words, yes, he knew exactly how much pain Yuexin was supposed to be enduring right now, and that was what terrified him the most: how the hell was she still able to fight like that while being in such a state?

Is she even human anymore? He could not help but wonder as his mind reeled in shock.

Haoran’s thoughts were in complete chaos from everything he was witnessing; he even pinched himself several times just to make absolutely sure he was not trapped inside some kind of illusion, because how was any of this supposed to make sense?

How could something like this happen in reality instead of an illusion? How was she still standing? How was she still fighting? Haoran turned his gaze toward Xueyi, wanting to ask if she had truly poisoned Yuexin.

Of course, that would have been a stupid question... Yuexin was clearly and undeniably poisoned... but he still could not understand why the hell she was not already standing at death’s door and instead was still battling in that very same poisoned state. It made absolutely no sense whatsoever.

Turning his head, he saw Xueyi, whose gaze was still vacant; it seemed she had yet to recover from the shock. Coming so close to death must have shaken her far more deeply than anyone had imagined.

Haoran slowly shook his head; he honestly could not even find a reason to blame Xueyi for her defeat.

That crimson arc that had shattered her Poison Dome and nearly ended her life... even Haoran doubted he could have faced it head-on without suffering grievous injuries, so he truly could not think of any reason to feel disappointed that Xueyi had lost to a monster like Yuexin.

He shook his head once more; even he was not certain he could face her directly and emerge victorious. Although, he was willing to bet that he would not be defeated so easily. His gaze sharpened as he looked back toward the stage.

It makes me curious... no matter how brave a front she was putting on right now, she had to be nearing her limit. If that was true, was she really going to defeat Shi Lan?

The guy was far from weak; before Xueyi’s defeat, Haoran would have confidently declared that Shi Lan would win without question, but after witnessing Yuexin’s battle, after seeing just how monstrous she truly was, he was no longer certain.

If she managed to defeat Shi Lan and then overcame another opponent from the Guan Clan, she would win the tournament and claim one of the five Golden Tokens. Can she really pull it off?

Haoran did not know why, but seeing her struggle, seeing her determination, seeing the resolve burning inside her, he found himself silently rooting for her: "Go for it, Battle Princess... You can do this."

Meanwhile, while everyone believed Yuexin was already in a desperate situation because of the poison and her countless injuries, the truth was that her condition was far worse than anyone could possibly imagine.

She was not only battling against the poison that was devouring her body; at the very same time, she was refining her body, enduring the pain from her countless wounds, and suppressing the eerie voices echoing inside her mind.

The voices repeated only two words: "Kill him..." She was fighting all those battles simultaneously while also battling Shi Lan. She was being overwhelmed; she felt as though she had reached her limit. No... scratch that; she had reached her limit a long time ago.

Yet she still kept pushing forward. Again. And again. She refused to relent. Above all else, she refused to lose. She would not lose; not until she secured at least one of the five Golden Tokens for her clan.

She could not allow Li Feng’s efforts, Li Xie’s sacrifice, or everyone else’s struggles to go to waste. With that thought burning brightly inside her and strengthening her resolve, she pushed forward more and continued attacking with all the vigor she could still muster.

Shi Lan, who was fighting against her, slowly broke into a cold sweat; he was being marked over and over again by Yuexin’s relentless attacks, and again and again, he was forced backward. If things continued at this pace, he was going to lose.

Elder Ting shook his head; he was so shocked that the feeling itself was starting to become normal to him now. He turned his gaze toward Li San, who still looked unbelievably calm. "You know what, Clan Lord Li? If she loses, she is welcome to join the Rising Wave Sect as a core disciple as well."

His gaze almost seemed pleading; if he could bring geniuses on the level of Li Feng and Li Yuexin into the sect, the amount of merit he would receive would be absolutely massive, so he was truly hoping that Li San would accept his proposal.

Li San merely shook his head: "I have not yet decided. I will make my decision after the tournament is over," he said calmly, his face showing no sign of anxiety. The other two clan leaders both scoffed in unison at Li San’s words.

Yes, they had all been taken aback and stunned by Yuexin’s performance, but anyone with eyes could tell that she was struggling; she was already at her limit. Very soon, she would no longer be able to keep up and would lose; that was as clear as day.

And yet Li San was speaking as if he were absolutely certain she was going to win the tournament. The two leaders shook their heads, giving Li San demeaning looks. Li San, however, neither rebuked them nor paid them any attention; instead, his mind was occupied by something else entirely.

He was certain that Yuexin was battling with her bloodlust once again. He could see the struggle on her face... that look... he knew it far too well.

Several years ago...

"Calm yourself down. You need to calm your mind and then take control of it." Li San spoke to the young girl whose blue eyes had turned completely crimson; of course, she was none other than Yuexin, who had once again lost herself to the Bloody Frenzy.

The training to help her control her Bloody Frenzy was something Li San and Yuexin had been doing for a very long time.

Over the years, they had made considerable progress; she was now able to suppress her urge to drink blood, and she no longer immediately lost herself the moment she suffered severe injuries.

After making progress in that aspect, they moved on to the next stage: maintaining her sanity even after the Bloody Frenzy had already been triggered. Unfortunately, that was where they had remained stuck for a very long time; there was not the slightest sign of improvement.

Whenever she entered that state, it was as though a bloodthirsty monster completely took over her mind. The only thoughts left inside her were: "Kill. Drink. Feed on her prey’s blood."

"Ahhh!"

Yuexin suddenly launched herself toward Li San with astonishing speed, her fingers reaching for his neck, intending to tear it open and feast on his blood.

But Li San was far stronger than she was; with nothing more than a casual flick of his finger, he suppressed her attack before releasing his aura and pressing her small body firmly to the ground. "

Calm your mind and try to regain control." He looked into her crimson eyes before speaking one more sentence: "Only then would your dad be proud." The moment those words left his mouth, the frenzied Yuexin suddenly stopped struggling.

Small teardrops slowly rolled down from her crimson eyes. Moments later, the scarlet color gradually faded away; her beautiful blue eyes returned. Li San smiled softly as he let out a relieved breath: "...You’re back."

A few minutes later, Yuexin sat across from the Clan Lord; the two quietly enjoyed a cup of tea together. Yuexin’s gaze was solemn as she finally broke the silence that had lingered between them: "Are you certain that I can control it? I’ve been trying... but I keep failing. Maybe... Maybe I just can’t do it."

She sighed deeply, her eyes becoming slightly teary: "This power isn’t a blessing like you said... It is a curse..." Li San heard her words and realized that she was breaking down once again; he gently patted her head and spoke:

"As I told you before, your power is neither a blessing nor a curse. What will determine which one it becomes... is you. It all depends on how you choose to use it."

Yuexin looked at him with teary eyes as she spoke: "I don’t want to hurt anyone... but I always do whenever I lose my mind to the bloodlust. I want to stop it."

The face of her father flashed through her mind... his pained smile as he took his final breath... and she could not help but feel her chest tighten painfully: "I don’t want to hurt anyone... or kill anyone anymore."

She felt Li San gently rubbing her head, a small reassuring smile on his face: "Then you will be able to do just that. We are going to continue with our training. No matter how long it takes, you are going to win against your bloodlust as long as we keep going."

Yuexin slowly nodded. It took a tremendous amount of time and even greater effort, but in the end, she was finally able to remain herself, at least for a short while, even after entering her bloody state. That was the furthest they had managed to reach.

The conclusion they eventually came to was that she needed an anchor... something that could stop her from completely losing herself whenever she entered that bloody state.

Even so, it was still an extremely dangerous state, one that Yuexin herself preferred never to be forced into because if she did, there was always the possibility that she would end up killing someone.

Back to the present: "I hope she didn’t lose control like she almost did against Xueyi... or else things might get messy." Li San silently sighed as he shook his head.

Meanwhile, Yuexin was indeed starting to lose control; she had fallen into a terrible dilemma. If she did not rely on her bloody state, there was no way she could continue fighting; her body had already reached its absolute limit.

She was only still able to push forward because she kept drawing strength from that bloody state, but with every passing second, she was losing.

Her mind was slowly being dragged into chaos by the insidious voice inside her head that repeated only one sentence over and over again: "Kill him... Kill him... Kill him..."

Her consciousness was gradually being pulled toward that voice; her bloodlust continued to rise with every passing second, and at the same time, her body continued breaking apart with every passing second as well.

She was enduring all of that while still battling Shi Lan. "I can’t do this... No... I must do this." Yuexin’s thoughts were slowly becoming hazy.

If she surrendered to the bloodlust, there was a very high chance she would defeat Shi Lan, but there was also an equally high chance she would end up killing him; and if that happened, things would become extremely messy.

So she could not allow herself to be consumed by the bloodlust. The harder she fought against it, the more mental energy she exhausted; the more mental energy she lost, the more qi she consumed; the more qi she consumed, the weaker her control over suppressing the poison invading her body became.

And as her control weakened, the poison spread even faster; she grew significantly weaker. Because of that, she was slowly losing.

A powerful smashing punch landed directly on the side of her body where one of her deepest wounds lay; pain exploded through her body, and Yuexin felt her vision turn black for a brief moment.

She staggered but managed to regain her footing; without hesitation, she swung her sword: "Flowing Surge... Third Form... Surging Impact!"

Because of the immense pain assaulting her body, her strike had become noticeably sluggish; Shi Lan managed to dodge the slash itself, however, the shockwave from the attack still slammed into him, sending waves of pain through his body.

Shi Lan’s gaze trembled; he was fighting with everything he had, and yet, he still could not secure an easy victory. "Can I really win this?" He hesitated for a brief second, then he shook away the doubt:

"No... Yeah... I can win this. After all, Yuexin isn’t even able to fight properly anymore. Losing now would be nothing but shameful."

Shi Lan let out a deep breath; qi surged violently around his body, then he went on the offensive. Punch after punch rained toward Yuexin without mercy.

Yuexin managed to match his assault for a few seconds, but soon, she began getting hit over and over again. Every strike worsened the unbearable pain already tormenting her body; her wounds reopened, and blood splattered across the arena. The pain. The blood loss. The poison.

Everything finally pushed her back into her blood-frenzied state once more. But, deep inside, Yuexin knew one thing: if the Surging Impact she was about to unleash struck Shi Lan, she would kill him.

So, at the very last moment, she forcefully redirected the attack away from him. The terrifying blast shot into the sky instead; a crimson arc shot straight into the sky, leaving the entire crowd stunned as they realized that she could still use that attack once more.

Shi Lan, who had been in the middle of launching another attack, froze where he stood; if that attack had struck him, forget losing face, he would have died.

Yuexin’s crimson eyes gradually returned to their usual blue before she suddenly collapsed onto one knee; a pained groan escaped her lips as she began breathing heavily. Shi Lan saw this and immediately rushed forward.

If he missed this opportunity, there was a very real chance Yuexin would somehow turn the battle around and defeat him in the end. No. He could not take that risk. So he attacked first.

Appearing right before the completely weakened and exhausted Yuexin, he gathered an immense amount of qi into his right fist before driving it upward in a brutal uppercut.

The force of the strike launched Yuexin high into the air; Shi Lan immediately chased after her. Once they were both airborne, he let out a slow breath as qi surged violently throughout his body, strengthening him to his absolute limit: "Storm Punch Barrage!" His cold voice echoed across the arena, then hundreds of qi-infused punches rained down upon Yuexin’s body.

Her pained cries echoed throughout the entire arena; she had already been enduring unimaginable pain from her countless wounds and the poison ravaging her body; now, after suffering hundreds of earth-shattering punches on top of all that, it was simply too much.

With a loud bang, Yuexin crashed heavily onto the arena floor; at last, she lost consciousness. Blood rapidly pooled beneath her body. The physicians waiting nearby immediately rushed onto the stage to carry her away and save her life.

Li San’s gaze darkened; anyone with eyes could tell that Yuexin could have won that exchange. If she had released that attack toward Shi Lan instead of diverting it into the sky, Shi Lan would most likely be dead by now, but she chose not to kill him; instead, she redirected the attack away from him.

And yet, he repaid her by unleashing hundreds of merciless punches, pushing her to the very brink of death. Li San would have personally gone down there and killed Shi Lan himself if not for the fact that he knew Yuexin was incredibly tenacious; she would not die so easily.

She would survive. Even so, his gaze remained ice-cold as he stared at Shi Lan, who stood proudly upon the arena. Shi Lan slowly turned toward the referee; his gaze conveyed everything he wanted to say: "Announce the result."

After a brief pause, the referee stepped onto the stage: "There you have it, folks. The battle between the Battle Princess of the Li Clan and the Fist King of the Shi Clan has come to an end. The winner... is the Fist King."

The crowd remained completely silent; no one clapped, no one cheered; every gaze had turned gloomy. Deep down, almost everyone believed Yuexin should have won that battle; as for Shi Lan, he was despicable.

Shi Lan paid no attention to their gazes; instead, he calmly spoke: "The last candidate of the Li Clan has been defeated. The Li Clan is out of this tournament." The referee looked toward the Li Clan’s seating area; it was true, there was no one left sitting there.

"Alright, everyone. It seems there are no more candidates remaining to represent the Li Clan..." At the leaders’ seats, Guan Ju and Shi Gubing smiled darkly as they looked toward Li San. Li San’s expression had grown somewhat sour, and his fists were tightly clenched.

"You lost, Clan Lord Li," Shi Gubing said with a wicked smile playing across his lips. Li San slowly closed his eyes. *If Li Yu were here... Would he have been enough to turn this around? There was still Shi Lan.

There were still the remaining geniuses from the Shi Clan. And there were still the strongest candidates from the Guan Clan. No... He could not turn the situation around alone. I guess this is it... We lost."

After a brief silence, the referee continued speaking: "...the Li Clan has lost and is hereby disqualified from the Selection Tournament." The entire arena fell silent; not a single voice could be heard.

Then, that silence was broken: "And who decided that?" Before the referee... or anyone else... could figure out who had spoken those words or why someone would interrupt at this moment, a figure descended onto the arena and landed right beside Shi Lan.

He was dressed entirely in black; his long raven-black hair cascaded down his back; a pair of dark goggles concealed his eyes; a silver dagger engraved with dragon patterns rested at his waist.

His aura was calm, yet unbelievably sharp. Those from the Li Clan recognized him immediately.

Li San slowly clenched his fist as a small smile appeared on his lips: "So... you finally made it... brat."

Li Yu slowly swept his gaze across the crowd before speaking: "Listen up. I decide who wins... and who loses in this tournament." His gaze sharpened: "And I’ve decided... the Shi Clan and the Guan Clan will lose."

A small, crazy smile curled across the corner of his lips: "Because... I will win."