My Clones Can Cultivate

Chapter 113

The arena was as silent as a graveyard as the audience and crowd were still in shock over Li Feng’s defeat; he had become one of the favorites to win the tournament due to his overwhelming display of power, and his battle skills and absolute domination during his fight against Shi Yuan had given the Li Clan supporters hope that he was going to win.

But that didn’t happen; instead, in the very next match, he was the one who was completely dominated from beginning to end. The people were still reeling from the horror and disappointment they felt when they saw a figure step onto the stage.

She was dressed in elegant blue combat robes, her raven-black hair cascading down her back, and she calmly bent down and picked up Li Feng’s black sword before turning her gaze toward the Shi Clan’s seats.

Based on the tournament order, after the Li Clan had challenged their opponent, the next challenger would undoubtedly come from the Shi Clan; she, as well as everyone present, knew they weren’t going to target the Guan Clan, as both great clans had clearly joined forces against the Li Clan.

There was no need to ask why she had stepped onto the stage ahead of time; after all, she was the only one left seated among the Li Clan candidates. Li Feng, Li Xie, and Li Jie had all been defeated, Li Yu was nowhere to be found, and only she remained.

She was now the Li Clan’s last hope of winning this tournament; seeing the struggles and sacrifices of her allies, she wasn’t about to let them down. She was going to win; at the very least, she was going to secure one or two Golden Tokens out of the five available.

Out of everyone currently seated among the remaining candidates, there were only four people whom she believed she would truly struggle against: ranked fourth was Shi Mo, who was very strong; ranked third was Guan Xueyi, who was simply troublesome; ranked second was Guan Haoran, who was someone she believed she stood very little chance of defeating; and ranked first was the one who had completely wiped the floor with Li Feng earlier, Shi Tian.

Yuexin knew her limits; without a single doubt, she knew that if she fought him, she would lose... undoubtedly. Because of that, those four were opponents she truly hoped to avoid. Her plan was simple: she would eliminate the remaining four weaker candidates still left on the field, and once she accomplished that, only five competitors, including herself, would remain.

That would guarantee her one of the five Golden Tokens; that was her plan. One might wonder why she wasn’t burning with rage and demanding a battle against Shi Tian, but the answer was simple: it wasn’t that she wasn’t angry at him or at the two great clans... she was, very much so... it was simply because she didn’t possess the strength to face Shi Tian, and she couldn’t afford to lose. So, she chose logic over emotion.

At the Shi Clan’s seating area, Shi Meng slowly stood up. Without hesitation, she stepped forward; no one needed to tell her that it was her turn, as she already knew. Her braided black hair swayed gently behind her as she walked toward the stage, and soon she stood face-to-face with Yuexin, whose gaze remained as calm and composed as ever.

Unlike the opponent Li Xie had fought, who was at the eighth stage of the Qi Refining Realm, Shi Meng, like Shi Yuan, was only at the sixth stage of the Qi Refining Realm. She was strong, and that much was expected; but Li Yuexin didn’t feel the slightest bit of pressure facing her.

Shi Meng, of course, saw her gaze and could tell what Yuexin was thinking. "Don’t go underestimating me. Your friends all underestimated their opponents, and you saw how they ended up. Battle Princess or not, I am still stronger than you," she said with a wicked smile curling across her face.

Li Yuexin merely gave her a blank look before turning away to take her position. She needed to take her out quickly; she didn’t have energy to waste, as she still needed to defeat three more candidates after this.

She reached her side and calmly unsheathed her blade; her blue sword gleamed brilliantly beneath the sunlight as her gaze gradually turned serious. Shi Meng, seeing this, scoffed; she couldn’t lose either, she mustn’t.

If she wanted to keep her life... the warning Shi Tian had given them echoed inside her mind, causing her heart to beat faster than usual: ’If you dare lose and bring shame and disgrace upon this clan... I will kill you myself."

Her eyes opened wider as resolve burned fiercely within them; she wouldn’t lose. After all, she wasn’t ready to die yet.

The referee stepped onto the stage.

"Folks, let us all wake up to reality now. Li Feng and the two anomaly brothers have all performed astonishing feats. But the one we are about to witness now will undoubtedly be the best.

As the saying goes... the best is reserved for last. After all, the one who has finally taken the stage is the Battle Princess... the number one genius of the Li Clan... Li Yuexin!" Shi Meng raised her hand as she summoned her combat weapon from the storage ring on her finger.

A massive hammer materialized into her grip; she brought its enormous head crashing into the ground, sending a miniature shockwave of energy rippling in every direction. Small spiderweb-like cracks immediately spread beneath her feet as her gaze sharpened.

Li Yuexin’s grip around her sword never wavered; her calm eyes quietly measured every movement, stance, and opening Shi Meng possessed. "On my left is the Battle Princess of the Li Clan! On my right is the Smasher of the Shi Clan! Who will claim victory?

We shall find out soon. Let the match begin!" The moment he finished speaking, the referee vanished from the stage and reappeared nearby to closely monitor the battle. Li Yuexin charged.

She shot forward with astonishing speed, her footsteps making almost no sound as she blitzed across the arena and instantly arrived before Shi Meng. Shi Meng had already anticipated that Yuexin would rely on speed and come straight for her; she raised her gigantic hammer and swung it directly toward Yuexin’s head.

Li Yuexin remained calm; her heart was calm; even her mind was perfectly calm. She simply bent her body slightly, allowing the hammer to pass inches above her head before retaliating with a kick aimed directly at Shi Meng’s chin.

Shi Meng managed to block it using her qi barrier before immediately launching another attack... this time it was another powerful swing. Li Yuexin lightly pushed herself into the air, effortlessly evading the strike before landing atop the hammer itself.

Her sword flashed; it pierced directly toward the hand Shi Meng was using to grip the hammer.

Shi Meng had no choice but to let go. Qi surged into her free hand as she threw a punch straight toward Yuexin’s neck; Yuexin merely tilted her head slightly, perfectly evading the attack before retaliating with a qi-enhanced kick aimed directly at Shi Meng’s face.

It landed perfectly. Although the kick appeared soft and almost harmless, the force behind it was anything but. Shi Meng was blasted through the air at terrifying speed before barely managing to stabilize herself several meters away.

She looked toward Yuexin with unconcealed shock. "She is strong..." That kick hadn’t even been fully enhanced with qi, yet it carried such terrifying force. No... it was almost as powerful as one of her own attacks enhanced with refined qi.

Li Yuexin landed lightly before charging once more, refusing to give Shi Meng even a second to recover or formulate a counterattack. Shi Meng stretched out her hand; her hammer instantly flew back into her grasp. With it firmly in hand once more, she began exchanging blows with Li Yuexin at her absolute top speed.

The two clashed with unbelievable intensity; for a while, it almost appeared as though they were evenly matched, but that illusion quickly shattered as time passed. "I have already learned her battle patterns... and her fighting style. Time to step things up."

With that thought, Yuexin finally began fighting seriously. Immediately, Shi Meng found herself getting hit more and more frequently. One strike... then another... and another. Soon, cuts and bruises began appearing all over her body as blood slowly trickled down her skin.

Shi Meng quickly retreated several meters away before staring at Yuexin with stunned disbelief. Yuexin was strong... no, she was far stronger than anyone had expected.

Everyone knew she was exceptional, but this... how could someone rumored to have stepped into the Qi Refining Realm only a few days ago possess such overwhelming strength and such refined combat skills?

They all knew Yuexin was talented, but this had long since surpassed mere talent. No... it had gone far beyond that. She was unbelievably skilled... and brutally strong.

"How? How is someone at the first stage of the Qi Refining Realm this strong?"She didn’t waste much time wondering how, though. After all, the battle was still underway, and there was no way she wanted to lose.

So she decided to unleash every combat art she knew. One after another, she struck at Yuexin with everything she had, and then something even more mesmerizing happened.

Every single one of her strikes was either evaded flawlessly or deflected effortlessly by Yuexin’s sword before Yuexin retaliated with a strike of her own. No matter how Shi Meng tried to defend, Yuexin’s attacks always found their mark.

Her movements were flawless and graceful; she handled every one of Shi Meng’s attacks without showing even the slightest frown on her face, calmly delivering precise counterattacks that landed again and again.

Three more minutes passed, and Shi Meng was starting to feel fear. If things continued like this... she would lose.

She had already used every combat art she knew; even those she hadn’t fully mastered had all been thrown into this battle, and yet she was still unable to land a single clean hit on Yuexin. In theory, she should have been the greater threat, yet in the reality she was facing right now... she was the weaker one.

In theory, she was supposed to be the faster one here, yet in practice, she was still nowhere near Yuexin, who moved as swiftly as the wind, her movements and skills flowing as naturally as water.

When it came to skill, she was completely outclassed; Yuexin was utterly dominating her in that department as well. It was almost as if a seasoned veteran was fighting against a child who had only just learned how to pick up a hammer.

The crowd was mesmerized by the display of skill; the scene before them was simply enchanting, astonishing, and completely captivated everyone watching.

Unlike the earlier battles, which had been savage clashes filled with explosive movements and combat arts unleashed at every turn, or the fights where one side brutally overwhelmed the other before claiming victory, this match was nothing like the previous ones.

And it showed in the way the battle unfolded. Li Yuexin was obviously dominating the match, but she was doing it with nothing but pure battle skill and movement that completely blew the minds of everyone watching.

Her movements were elegant and graceful; her focus was razor-sharp as she continuously dealt critical damage while never sustaining a single injury herself. If one didn’t know any better, they would have believed that she was the one at the sixth stage of the Qi Refining Realm, while Shi Meng was merely at the first stage instead.

"It is beautiful..." That was the thought in the minds of everyone watching the battle unfold; and indeed, Yuexin’s display of swordsmanship was truly captivating. Beautiful.

Shi Meng suffered more and more injuries as the battle continued; she could clearly feel herself growing weaker and weaker. There was no doubt about it: if things continued like this, she would lose. So she finally used her last card.

She drained all the qi within her qi beads, pouring every last drop into her body to boost her strength and greatly increase the power behind her hammer. With this... she might be able to turn things around. At least, that was what she hoped; that was what she believed.

But reality shattered her fragile hope only a few minutes after the third round began. Shi Meng fell to the ground, her breathing heavy and ragged. She had run out of qi; she had used every last drop to strengthen herself to the maximum and boost her chances of winning, and yet, at the end of the day... she had still lost.

Her gaze shifted and landed on Li Yuexin’s sword, which was pointed directly at her neck. "You lose," Yuexin muttered. And that was the truth. She was done. The referee stepped onto the stage, and seeing that Shi Meng was no longer capable of fighting due to her completely exhausted qi beads, he nodded before calling out the result.

"The winner of this match... is the Battle Princess from the Li Clan!" Loud cheers erupted from the crowd as they began chanting Yuexin’s name over and over again; their voices and expressions showed just how happy they were to see her win. Even many of those who supported the Shi Clan couldn’t help but clap for Yuexin.

They had all enjoyed the battle, and they all believed that her title as the Battle Princess was more than well-deserved.

She had completely dominated the battle without using a single combat art that relied on qi; instead, all she had relied upon was pure skill... battle instinct... and absolute mastery of the sword to thoroughly overwhelm her opponent and claim victory.

Shi Meng looked at Yuexin before letting out a quiet sigh deep within her heart. She had truly tried her best, but she simply couldn’t beat her. Now that she had lost... did that mean she was going to be killed?

Her heart began to race, and her body tensed uncontrollably as fear spread through her. Shi Tian never went back on his word. Which meant... he was going to kill her. Her legs suddenly felt weak as she struggled to stand.

Seeing her struggle, Yuexin extended a hand and helped pull her to her feet. "Are you okay?" she asked. Shi Meng simply looked at her, not knowing whether to pray for her... or curse her.

After a brief silence, she nodded. "I’m fine." With that, she turned and slowly began walking away from the stage. She hadn’t even gone very far when... Bang! A loud sound echoed across the arena. Yuexin turned her gaze toward the figure that had just stepped onto the stage.

The moment she saw who it was... her eyes couldn’t help but twitch. Guan Xueyi stood there with a cute smile on her face. She gave Yuexin a polite bow before speaking: "Lady Yuexin... I am your biggest fan. And your next opponent."

Yuexin’s eyes twitched even harder as only one thought echoed inside her mind:

Damn it.