My Clones Can Cultivate

Chapter 125

Lady Shiyuen was a well-known expert throughout the Night Region and had long been hailed as the greatest genius of her era.

Elder Ting himself had only seen her in action a few times, yet each encounter had left him utterly captivated by her insane battle skills and extraordinary physique.

As if that wasn’t enough to cement her status as an unparalleled genius, she was also a figure with profound knowledge of arrays and formations; with her overwhelming skill and talent, she had become the number one genius not only in the Night Region but throughout the first quarter of the southern part of the continent.

Many might think that a quarter of the southern continent was a small area, but in reality, it contained well over a hundred regions, with the Night Region being just one of them; yet she had stood at the very top of them all, which was enough to showcase the extent of her talent and fame.

There was no doubt in Elder Ting’s heart that, had she lived, she would have gone incredibly far on the path of cultivation; she wouldn’t have merely become one of the few experts capable of stepping into the Soul Stage and becoming a Soul Cultivator... she would have gone even further beyond that realm, if only she hadn’t died such an untimely death while protecting her clan from destruction.

Elder Ting shifted his gaze toward the young man standing proudly on the battle stage. If he inherited even a fraction of his mother’s talent, then perhaps he really might be capable of pulling off something unbelievable.

The thought crossed his mind before he quietly chuckled to himself; even so, he immediately found the idea ridiculous.

Even if Lady Shiyuen herself had been standing in Li Yu’s shoes today, Elder Ting was more than certain that she wouldn’t have been capable of accomplishing what her son was so boldly claiming he would do.

Someone at the first stage of the Qi Gathering Realm claiming he was going to defeat six cultivators... none of whom were in the Qi Gathering Realm, but all at the late or peak stages of the Qi Refining Realm... just how in the world was the kid supposed to pull something like that off?

No matter how he looked at it, the answer remained the same: impossible. Still, Elder Ting wasn’t willing to write the boy off just yet; who knew, perhaps the kid had some hidden cards he hadn’t revealed, or perhaps he was about to witness yet another miracle.

Elder Ting chuckled softly at his own ridiculous thoughts before finally speaking: "Very well. I accept the kid’s proposal."

The Shi and Guan Clan Lords immediately turned their attention toward Elder Ting, their gazes filled with questions, or rather, their expressions seemed to say only one thing: Have you also gone insane?

Naturally, neither of them dared to voice those thoughts aloud, for Elder Ting’s strength was vastly superior to theirs; there wasn’t even the slightest comparison between them.

Shi Gubing cupped his fists respectfully before speaking: "May I ask why you are permitting the kid’s foolish proposal? I believe everyone here already knows how this will end. The kid won’t even survive his very first battle, let alone fight six consecutive matches; he can’t win.

This would be nothing more than a complete waste of time." Elder Ting quietly listened to Shi Gubing’s words before slowly shaking his head: "That... is what you believe. But Clan Lord Li seems to think otherwise."

As he spoke, Elder Ting turned his gaze toward Li San, clearly hoping to hear why the latter had chosen to support Li Yu despite being fully aware of how impossible the situation appeared.

Li San met Elder Ting’s gaze before briefly looking toward Li Yu, who still stood calmly on the battle stage, patiently waiting for their decision. Then he spoke: "Because... trust me. That kid doesn’t operate on normal logic."

A faint smile appeared on Li San’s face: "I’ve always believed I underestimated him... and yet... he keeps breaking the limits of what I think is possible. You’ve all already written him off, but I assure you... by the end of this tournament, you’ll be far more amazed than you are now.

He’ll shatter everything you thought you knew... and make all of you realize just how costly it is to underestimate him."

Li San spoke with the same calmness he had maintained since the tournament began, and he wasn’t bluffing... not even slightly.

Li Yu had done countless things that simply didn’t make sense: he had learned a cultivation sutra that normally required days, sometimes even weeks, to comprehend in a single minute.

And that wasn’t even the most unbelievable part, for he had stepped into the Qi Gathering Realm in only a matter of days... something that should have been completely impossible and defied all common sense... yet he had still done it.

And that wasn’t all; it had taken him only a few weeks, barely a month, to begin cultivating after awakening, and from being an ordinary mortal, he had blasted through every stage of Body Refinement and reached its peak in less than a month.

It made absolutely no sense, yet that still wasn’t where his limits ended; his combat strength was equally absurd, as he could overwhelm cultivators at the very same realm with nothing more than a casual slap.

So yes, nothing about that kid made any sense whatsoever; he had a strange knack for casually accomplishing things that everyone else believed to be impossible. And above all, there was one achievement that completely overshadowed everything else: he had healed his Spirit Root.

A damaged Spirit Root... something that the entire cultivation world believed had no cure, no treatment, and no hope... yet Li Yu had somehow accomplished exactly that.

That alone told Li San everything he needed to know; so yes, the kid simply didn’t make sense.

"So who knows... he might just shock them all by doing something else that is totally impossible..." Elder Ting, seeing Li San’s confidence, couldn’t help but feel a little excited; he wanted to see just how many cards the kid still had hidden and just how monstrously talented he truly was compared to his mother.

"Alright then, I guess it is decided," Elder Ting said, glancing at the other two remaining clan lords, who still seemed to be in disbelief that they were actually allowing this to happen. Guan Ju was about to speak against this madness when Shi Gubing cut him off:

"Clan Lord Guan, it wouldn’t matter anyway. The kid would be defeated in the very first match... so just let it be." Guan Ju clenched his fist before letting out a long sigh:

"Whatever." Elder Ting stood and called Li Yu forward.

Li Yu stepped before the leaders once more and respectfully paid his greetings to the experts. Elder Ting didn’t linger and immediately got to the point: "Kid, I have agreed to accept your proposal. Tell me... how certain are you that you would be able to win this entire tournament all by yourself?"

Li Yu raised an eyebrow before smiling: "I am one hundred percent certain, my lord. The moment I stepped onto this stage... my victory was already guaranteed." He spoke calmly and respectfully; his tone didn’t sound prideful at all, as if he were merely stating a simple fact.

Elder Ting couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his eye, for just how was that supposed to be a fact? This kid was bragging, yet he was so calm about it that it almost sounded believable.

"If that is so, then I will be proposing one more thing. I will be adding another rule to this tournament. You may still participate if you are still confident.

The rewards you earn after defeating your opponents will remain yours... however, if you lose even a single battle... even if it is the very last one... you will lose every Golden Token you have earned.

Do you agree to this proposal? If you accept and manage to win every single battle, then all five Golden Tokens will be yours; not only that, but I will personally reward you as well. But if you lose even one match... then you will lose every Golden Token you might have won, and you will receive no additional reward."

Elder Ting spoke calmly; he wanted to probe the depth of the kid’s confidence. The two clan lords turned their gazes toward Li Yu, wanting to see whether he truly dared to accept such an offer.

If he accepted, then he would be risking everything; the wisest choice would be to refuse. As tempting as a personal reward from a Golden Core expert sounded, it simply wasn’t worth risking all five Golden Tokens.

Li San thought the same; he didn’t know how strong Li Yu had become, but no matter how much he had grown, there were still two people Li San was certain Li Yu couldn’t defeat in a direct fight: the first was Guan Haoran, and the second, the most dangerous of them all, was the Devil of the Shi Clan... a kid who possessed power comparable to a Foundation Realm cultivator.

So yes, even Li San hoped... no, believed. that Li Yu wouldn’t be crazy enough to accept Elder Ting’s proposal. And yet... once again, Li Yu shattered everyone’s expectations. "Yes. I accept your proposal."

Li Yu answered with the same calm smile still resting on his face; he didn’t seem fazed in the slightest by how much he was risking by accepting Elder Ting’s conditions.

Elder Ting himself was momentarily stunned as he looked at the young man, and after a long moment, he slowly shook his head:

"I don’t know where his confidence is coming from... He has to be either the bravest kid I have ever met in my lifetime... or the greatest fool I have ever come across. It all depends on how this tournament ends."

Li San looked at Li Yu, wondering just what the kid was thinking; he was certain Li Yu was no fool, as he should be able to understand just what was at stake here... so why the hell was he taking such a risk?

Was he really that confident in being able to win? Li San wondered before shaking his head. The deal was already made; there was no point in trying to break it off now, was there? "I just hope he knows what he is trying to do..."

Elder Ting, after seeing that Li Yu remained composed and completely certain of his victory, nodded: "Okay then. You have the go-ahead. You may challenge each of the remaining six candidates however you want."

Li Yu nodded before walking back onto the stage. As he stood there, another thought flashed through his mind, and he couldn’t help but ask the referee: "Why isn’t there any betting going on?" The referee gave him a look that seemed to say, You must be joking, right?

The thing was, Li Yu was far from joking; if he could complete the system quest, satisfy his rising bloodlust by breaking some bones, and at the same time earn himself a fortune, then why the hell should he hold himself back?

It would be a triple-win situation for him. "I want a betting stand," Li Yu said calmly. "I’ll bet against my opponent. The odds... you can determine them on your own." The referee took a while to process what he had just heard; this kid not only seemed eager to lose face... he also seemed eager to lose his money.

Before doing anything, however, the referee first informed his superior, who of course had already heard everything and gave his consent.

"Very well then." The referee sighed once more, feeling like all of this was unnecessary effort.

There was a reason he hadn’t opened a betting stand from the very beginning; after seeing the Li Clan candidates’ weak cultivation compared to that of their opponents, he had originally felt there was no need to create one, since the battles wouldn’t be competitive enough to attract wagers.

But he had been completely wrong; the battles had turned out to be nothing short of shocking. The anomaly brothers had performed far beyond what anyone had imagined they were capable of, and not only that, but Li Feng and the Battle Princess had each managed to defeat two opponents.

Still, since the tournament was already nearing its conclusion, he had decided that opening a betting stand now would serve little purpose.

But whatever... with the help of a formation that he quickly activated, a mid-sized betting stand was erected before the entire arena.

Soon, two betting odds appeared above two different names; beside Li Yu’s name, the betting odds stood at 50, while beside the other name... which represented whichever opponent Li Yu decided to challenge... the odds were as low as 1.8. It was painfully clear that, in the referee’s opinion, as well as in the eyes of many others, Li Yu wasn’t favored to win even a single match.

Li Yu turned to face the crowd, a large smile on his face: "Anyone that wants to win big, don’t hesitate to bet on me." Then, the next second, he blinked.

A long line had already formed as most of the people hurried to place their bets, yet not a single person was betting on him to win; they had totally written him off as a lost cause. Li Yu’s face twitched. No supporters... really?

Just then, two people placed their bets on him, followed by a few more. Li Yu recognized every one of them: the first two were Li Xie and Li Jie, while the others were members of his clan, such as Li Bao and a few more.

Even his brother, Li Zhu, bet on him; but Li Yu could see it in their eyes: none of them truly believed he would win. They simply had no choice but to support a fellow clansman; only Li Bao, perhaps, seemed to have a little confidence that he could actually pull it off.

Li Yu shook his head: People of little faith... They were all going to see just how lucky they were for betting on him... and just how unlucky everyone else would be for placing their money on the mysterious opponent that he was about to challenge first.

Li Yu himself immediately bet every coin he had on hand; when everything was calculated together, it totaled well over two hundred gold coins.

It was a huge amount, and if he won... which he was completely certain he would... he was about to become extremely rich, super rich; after all, betting and winning with high odds was the fastest way to gather a massive fortune.

Li San watched everything unfold with an especially somber expression. The reason was simple: if Li Yu lost, the Li Clan would have to shoulder the payout for every bet placed against him.

And the money required to pay thousands of people... even if the payout was only a fifty percent increase... would still amount to a terrifying sum when calculated together; it would deal a painful blow to the clan’s wealth.

But if he backed out now, the Li Clan would become the laughingstock of the entire Night Region, so backing down wasn’t an option. The kid had to win; he simply had to, because if he didn’t, and caused Li San to lose a fortune, Li San would personally punish him for an entire year.

If Li Yu could hear his uncle’s thoughts right now, he would probably be frightened beyond belief, and the crazy smile still hanging on his face would have disappeared instantly. Li San sighed inwardly; his gaze sharpened as he placed a bet of over one thousand gold coins on Li Yu.

If the kid won.... which he chose to believe he would... then instead of losing a fortune, he would gain one. "Don’t you dare lose, kid," Li San thought.

The betting continued for quite a while before everyone had finally placed their wagers; even the exalted figures... the clan leaders, the elders, the mundane leaders, and even Elder Ting... placed their bets.

Almost all of them bet on the mysterious opponent; in their eyes, it didn’t matter which of the six remaining candidates Li Yu chose to challenge, for any one of them would defeat him.

So why bother thinking about who he would pick? The very first challenge he issued would also become his downfall. There was only one exception: Elder Ting. He also placed a rather large bet... on Li Yu.

Most people believed he was merely trying to give the Li Clan some face, but Elder Ting’s thoughts were completely different:

"That kid is far too confident to simply be rambling... I believe he might actually pull this off... That is... as long as he doesn’t go and challenge someone like Shi Tian or Guan Haoran."

After a while, everyone had finally placed their bets. It was finally time for Li Yu to issue his first challenge. Li Yu took a deep breath. "Now then... time for my first victim to receive a hellish beating... and have a few bones broken."

His gaze slowly shifted toward the Shi Clan’s camp before locking onto one particular figure. "Shi Lan... Come onto the stage." Li Yu spoke calmly.