My Clones Can Cultivate

Chapter 99

Li San looked toward the entrance, hoping and praying that Liyu would show up before his name was called. If his name was called and he was nowhere to be found, then he would almost certainly be disqualified, and that was something Li San simply couldn’t allow.

The words of his old friend echoed over and over inside his mind: "The kid is in danger... make sure you send him to the Gold Valley Sect." Li San’s gaze suddenly sharpened as his eyes caught sight of someone entering through the entrance.

For a brief moment, hope flashed across his face; however, the moment he looked closely, disappointment replaced it. The one entering the arena was merely one of the officials, not Liyu. *Where is that kid?* Li San couldn’t help but wonder as worry slowly crept into his heart.

Back on the stage, the referee continued calling out the names. "The fourth candidate of the Li Clan... Li Jie... the elder of the anomaly brothers." Li Jie stepped onto the stage before calmly making his way toward the Li Clan pavilion.

He was dressed in a simple dark outfit; today, he had to be completely serious. He couldn’t afford to lose, so to ensure that nothing restricted his movements, he hadn’t even worn any of his expensive robes. He quietly took his seat before giving everyone a solemn look.

"Brother Yu is still nowhere to be seen." The others all frowned; none of them knew where Liyu had gone or why he still hadn’t arrived.

"He’ll come," Li Yuexin spoke with a faint smile. "Brother Yu said he would win this tournament. He never goes back on his word, so he’ll definitely be here." Li Feng was the next to speak.

"I wouldn’t place my hopes on that. He still isn’t here, and his name is about to be called. If that happens and he’s confirmed absent, then without a doubt, he’ll be disqualified.

Those are the rules of the Selection Tournament." Li Yuexin’s expression became slightly solemn; of course, she already knew that. She frowned slightly. "Just what could be keeping Brother Yu from arriving until now?" she couldn’t help but wonder.

The loud voice of the referee interrupted her thoughts only a few seconds later. Once the crowd had finally quieted down, the referee lowered his gaze toward the next name on the list.

"And for the final representative of the Li Clan... Liyu... the heir of the Li Clan himself." The moment those words were spoken, murmurs spread throughout the arena like wildfire.

"Wait... has the Li Clan completely lost their minds? If not, then how do you explain them selecting the former failure heir to represent them?" Before that man’s words could spread any further, someone standing nearby immediately interrupted him. "Wait... have you been living under a rock or something?"

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" the man asked in confusion. "The former failure heir isn’t a failure anymore. Didn’t you hear the news? He’s already become an extraordinarily powerful cultivator.

I even heard he’s reached the Peak of the Body Refinement Realm." The first man still shook his head. "Even so, that doesn’t change the fact that letting him participate is still a foolish decision. Li Flash’s battles are far more anticipated, and now you’re telling me the former failure heir replaced him?"

Another spectator couldn’t help but butt into the conversation. "I think you’re the one living under a rock. If you weren’t, you would’ve also heard that Li Flash himself was defeated by the Li Clan heir."

More and more discussions quickly spread throughout the crowd. Everyone had their own opinions regarding Liyu’s participation; some were genuinely excited to witness the awakened heir fight, while others had already dismissed him entirely, believing he was far too insignificant to make any meaningful contribution toward the Li Clan’s victory.

As for many others, they simply didn’t care. As long as they got what they came for... thrilling battles, spectacular clashes, and unforgettable fights.... then they were more than satisfied. Meanwhile, as more time passed, there was still no sign of Liyu.

The referee slowly raised an eyebrow before calling out his name once again. "Liyu..."

Silence. No one answered, and no one stepped forward. It was almost as though he wasn’t even inside the arena, and according to the rules of the Selection Tournament, that could only mean one thing: he was about to be disqualified.

He called his name once again, and then again, and then once more, yet no one answered. Li Yuexin and the others were starting to grow anxious; they could already tell what would follow after this.

And just as they had expected, the referee turned his gaze toward the four of them, his expression already conveying the question he was about to ask. Still, he voiced it aloud: "Where is Liyu?" he asked. The group exchanged anxious glances before slowly shaking their heads. "We don’t know."

That confirmed the referee’s suspicion. "It seems that contestant Liyu, due to certain unforeseen circumstances, is unable to arrive. According to the rules of the Selection Tournament, I hereby disqualif... "

"Wait!" A loud voice boomed across the arena. Every gaze turned toward the source of that voice; it was none other than the Clan Lord of the Li Clan. His face remained as calm as ever as he spoke. "Liyu will be here soon. He will be competing in this tournament."

The referee simply stared at him for a moment before shifting his gaze toward his superior, Elder Ting. The elder, who was seated beside Li San, also turned to look at him before asking, "Where is Liyu? You should already know the rules. So why isn’t he here right now?"

Li San respectfully cupped his fist toward the elder before replying, "I sent him on an errand two days ago and expected him to return early this morning. But since he still hasn’t arrived, something must have delayed him. Even so, I believe he will be here soon enough."

A mocking chuckle suddenly sounded from the side. "Hmph. Don’t try to sugarcoat your words. We all know how useless your clan heir used to be. Surely he must have crumbled under the pressure and run away. That is obviously what happened.

So stop making excuses, Clan Lord Li, and simply sit down," Guan Ju spoke mockingly. Li San didn’t even turn around; his reply came sharp and immediate.

"I believe you have no right to say everything you just said. Be mindful of your words, Clan Lord Guan. Otherwise, I won’t be so polite." The heartbeat of the Guan Clan Lord suddenly accelerated.

If Li San truly wished to kill him, he undoubtedly possessed the strength to do so. Yet if he backed down now, he would become the laughingstock of everyone present. "Is that a threat, Clan Lord Li?" Guan Ju asked, his eyes darkening slightly.

Li San slowly turned one of his dark eyes toward him. The instant Guan Ju met that gaze, a cold sweat instantly broke out across his back. Just then, the voice of the Shi Clan Lord interrupted the tense atmosphere.

"Whatever. It won’t matter whether someone like Liyu joins the tournament or not. So let him participate whenever he finally arrives,"

Shi Gubing spoke calmly, his gray eyes gleaming with something far darker hidden beneath the surface. After remaining silent for a while, Elder Ting finally spoke. "Very well. I’ll make an exception. Since the other Clan Lords don’t object to it, if Liyu arrives before the tournament concludes, he will still be allowed to participate.

But, if he fails to arrive before the tournament ends, he will be officially disqualified." Li San cupped his fist. "Thank you, Elder Ting."

Only then did he slowly return to his seat. He had already done everything he possibly could; luck had truly been on his side.

If Shi Gubing had spoken against the exception together with Guan Ju, then Liyu would have undoubtedly been disqualified. Shi Gubing, however, had his own reasons for allowing it; simply put, he didn’t care enough.

Someone who had only just entered the First Stage of the Qi Gathering Realm... just what kind of impact could such a person possibly have on the Selection Tournament? Whether Liyu was here or not made absolutely no difference in his eyes. Today, the Li Clan would suffer its greatest defeat.

The referee received Elder Ting’s decision through Spirit Sense before nodding. He then announced to everyone that Liyu would be allowed to join the Li Clan candidates whenever he arrived. Li Yuexin and the others visibly relaxed after hearing that; everyone, except Li Feng, who simply shook his head inwardly.

Even if Liyu never arrived, it wouldn’t make much difference. He alone would make sure the Li Clan emerged victorious; the Li Clan would claim all five Golden Tokens. As long as he accomplished that, there was no doubt his father would finally acknowledge him.

He would receive more love, more recognition, and more support than Liyu.

The referee then proceeded to announce the contestants of the Guan Clan. "The first candidate... Guan Feng... the Prince of Daggers."

Soon, a young man stepped into the open arena. The instant Li Yuexin and the others laid eyes on him, their expressions changed, because they could all clearly sense his aura: a late-stage Qi Refining expert. "What...? That high?" Of course, they all knew Guan Feng.

The last time they had met, he had only been at the Peak of the Qi Gathering Realm. Back then, Li Yuexin had only recently stepped into the early stages of Qi Gathering, while Li Feng had been around the middle stages.

Even now, Li Feng himself was only at the Seventh Stage of the Qi Gathering Realm, yet Guan Feng had already reached the late stages of the Qi Refining Realm. He was nearly approaching its peak. An entire cultivation realm above Li Feng.

The difference was simply enormous.

Troubled... that was the only way to describe how they felt. They had almost certainly expected that some of their opponents would have reached the Qi Refining Realm, perhaps around the First or Second Stage at most. But this?

Their shock increased several folds as the referee continued calling the remaining candidates of the Guan Clan: "Guan Jian... Guan Xiu... Guan Xueyi... the Beast Slayer... and finally... Guan Haoran... the Iron Behemoth."

Li Yuexin and the others could no longer hide the shock on their faces. Every single one of their opponents had reached the Qi Refining Realm; heck, even Guan Xueyi and Guan Haoran had both reached the Peak of the Qi Refining Realm.

"Isn’t... isn’t this a bit too much?" Li Xie muttered under his breath. The others silently felt the same. This level of shock was simply overwhelming. Guan Ju turned to look at Li San; he wanted to witness the hopelessness on the latter’s face.

Surely, after seeing the strength of the Guan Clan’s representatives, Li San would finally realize that the Li Clan stood absolutely no chance of winning. Yet, he was disappointed. Li San’s expression remained as calm as ever.

"Let’s see how long you can maintain that composure," a wicked grin slowly spread across Guan Ju’s face. "Let’s see whether you’ll still be able to keep that calm expression after witnessing the Shi Clan’s candidates... or when your own candidates begin getting crushed one after another."

Soon afterward, the referee began introducing the contestants from the Shi Clan. "The first candidate... Shi Meng... the Smasher of the Shi Clan." "The second candidate... Shi Lan." A young man with an impassive expression calmly entered the arena.

Both of his fists were covered by heavy iron gauntlets as he walked toward the Shi Clan pavilion; he was famously known as the Fist King of the Shi Clan. The cheers from the crowd never ceased.

Wave after wave of applause echoed throughout the enormous arena as the spectators enthusiastically welcomed every contestant. Following him, "The third candidate... Shi Mo." A massive young man, whose physique was even larger than that of the Iron Behemoth himself, stepped into the arena.

"The fourth candidate... Shi Yuan." A red-haired youth casually walked into the arena with a piece of roasted meat still in his mouth. His expression remained calm and completely carefree.

Finally, the referee paused for dramatic effect before announcing the final contestant. "And the fifth representative... the heir of the Shi Clan... the famous Devil of the Shi Clan... Shi Tian!" The moment his name was announced, the arena erupted into deafening cheers.

Countless spectators rose to their feet as they shouted his name; after all, the Devil of the Shi Clan was widely considered one of the strongest favorites to win the entire tournament.

Shi Tian slowly entered the open arena dressed in dark ash-colored robes. His eyes remained closed as he calmly walked forward; he didn’t even bother glancing at anyone around him. It was almost as though everyone present was beneath his notice.

The instant he stepped into the arena, almost every contestant’s attention shifted toward him. Guan Haoran frowned as he stared at his greatest rival... the one he believed would pose the greatest challenge during the tournament.

"He’s strong..." he couldn’t help but think. The aura surrounding Shi Tian was even greater than he had imagined. Beside him, Guan Xueyi couldn’t help but giggle after noticing Haoran’s expression. "Brother Hao... are you perhaps feeling nervous?"

she asked teasingly. Haoran slowly shook his head. "No. It doesn’t matter how strong he is. I am no weakling either. And I have no intention of losing to anyone."

Back at the Li Clan pavilion, Li Yuexin’s gaze became somewhat complicated. Meanwhile, Li Feng’s expression gradually darkened as he stared at the Devil of the Shi Clan.

"He’s strong... incredibly strong. Actually... every single one of their opponents was unbelievably powerful. But Shi Tian... he felt especially dangerous." Li Feng couldn’t help but gulp slightly.

The longer he looked at that calm, expressionless face, the more nervous he became. Still, he couldn’t allow himself to show fear, nor could he display cowardice. He refused to lose here.

It didn’t matter that nearly all of their opponents were an entire cultivation realm above them, nor did it matter that this tournament would be far more difficult than they had ever imagined. None of it mattered. Because, no matter what, he would make sure that he won.

After every contestant had taken their respective seats, the referee once again stepped forward. He began explaining the rules of the Selection Tournament and how every match would be carried out.

According to his words, the rules were simple: the last five contestants standing would be the ones to receive the Golden Tokens. Killing was strictly forbidden, and there were only two ways to win... either completely knock your opponent unconscious or force your opponent to admit defeat.

Those were the only two ways a match could end. After explaining that, the referee brought out a small box. Using his Spirit Sense, he sent it floating toward the three clan pavilions. Inside the box were several tokens; each token had a number engraved on it, ranging from one to three.

The number each clan drew would determine the order in which they would issue challenges. Li Feng’s draw was three, Shi Yuan’s draw was one, and Guan Feng’s draw was two. Meaning, the Shi Clan would be the first to issue a challenge.

The format of the tournament was simple and straightforward. Based on the number drawn, one candidate from the clan would step onto the battle stage and challenge any contestant from either of the remaining two clans.

If the challenger won, he could choose to remain on the stage and immediately challenge another opponent, or he could return to his clan’s pavilion and allow the next clan in line to send out their own challenger.

If, however, the challenger was defeated, then the victor would be the one given the choice; he could either continue fighting by issuing another challenge or return to his pavilion and allow another contestant to step onto the stage. It was simple, direct, and easy enough for everyone to understand.

Li Yuexin and the others were still having trouble coming to terms with reality. Every one of their opponents was either at the late stages or the peak of the Qi Refining Realm. Meanwhile, only Yuexin herself had managed to step into the First Stage of the Qi Refining Realm.

Without a doubt, the situation looked extremely grim. Still, they couldn’t show fear. No matter what, they had to give it everything they had and make sure they secured at least one of the five Golden Tokens for the Li Clan.

Sensing someone staring at her, Yuexin slowly turned her head. It was none other than the violet-haired girl, Guan Xueyi. She was grinning at Yuexin with a playful expression, her eyes looking at her as though she had just found an interesting toy.

The moment Guan Xueyi noticed Yuexin looking back, her grin widened; she even raised her hand and happily waved toward her. Yuexin simply looked away after a brief moment. That troublesome Xueyi... she would undoubtedly be a difficult opponent to deal with.

Xueyi had already been incredibly strong back when both of them were at roughly the same cultivation level. Now, Xueyi had reached the Peak of the Qi Refining Realm, while Yuexin had only just entered the First Stage. She could only imagine just how much more difficult defeating her would become.

Shi Gubing quietly shifted his gaze toward Li San. He wanted to witness the hopelessness in the latter’s eyes. Surely, after seeing the strength of the opposing clans, Li San had already realized that his candidates had no chance of winning.

Yet, when Shi Gubing looked over, Li San remained just as calm and composed as ever. It was almost as though he hadn’t even noticed the overwhelming difference in strength.

"Still pretending to be calm..." Shi Gubing scoffed inwardly. "Let’s see how much longer you can keep that expression."

Soon after the cheers finally died down, Shi Lan from the Shi Clan calmly stepped onto the enormous battle stage. His long braided dark hair partially covered one side of his impassive face.

The heavy iron gauntlets covering both his fists gleamed brightly beneath the morning sunlight. He was an Eighth Stage Qi Refining cultivator, a genuine powerhouse.

The crushing aura surrounding him clearly demonstrated just how powerful he truly was. He slowly turned his gaze toward the Li Clan pavilion.

Finally, his eyes settled upon one person. With one hand stretched forward, he pointed directly at Li Xie. "I challenge you. Come onto the stage."