Top-Tier Perception Starts From Basic Fist Techniques

"Brother Lu, please take a seat." Li Guang gestured to the chair beside him.

Such treatment was reserved only for the most supreme divine abilities, the most supreme True Ones. And yet, Li Guang was being extremely courteous to Lu Changsheng, attending to him in every particular and being utmost careful to not slight him in the slightest.

Seeing how Li Guang behaved around Lu Changsheng, many people narrowed their eyes.

"That man is a Divine Ability martial artist. He must be Li Guang's mysterious expert, given how courteous Li Guang is with him, so careful not to accidentally offend him."

"His origins are indeed mysterious. He showed up out of nowhere in the Battle Arena, won ten matches straight, and took the title of King of the Battle Arena. And look, how long has it even been? He's already reached the Divine Ability Realm."

"This Lu Changsheng most likely had already condensed his Divine Ability Dao Fruit before he ever entered the Battle Arena. He went in only to earn spirit stones, buy Heavenly Spirit Water, and let the Dao Fruit transform into a divine ability."

"He's probably some supreme genius from some remote backwater. The type that looks unremarkable when they first reach the Sacred Earth, but give them one opportunity and they soar straight into the sky..."

"Yeah, one can't underestimate such individuals. To have fought his way out of whatever godforsaken place he came from and reached the Divine Ability Realm, he must be incredibly talented. Safe to say his divine ability is formidable as well."

"What I want to know is just how strong this Lu Changsheng's divine ability really is, that it would earn him this kind of treatment from Li Guang."

Many of the experts had turned their eyes on Lu Changsheng. Those who could know so much about him were certainly no ordinary scions, but men of some standing within the Li Clan. It was likely that such intelligence had been gathered by Li Guang's rivals.

Of course, Lu Changsheng caught every word with his Sense Domain, but he did not care. He simply sat down in the chair and closed his eyes.

"The patriarch and the elders have arrived!"

An hour later, the most important figures, Patriarch Li Chengwu and eighteen elders, had finally arrived. Although not all of the elders were present, it was a striking sight nonetheless.

Becoming an elder was a mark of distinction, and the Li Clan had strict requirements for it: one's combat power had to reach the level of a Divine Ability martial artist, and one had to have rendered distinguished service to the clan. If those conditions were not met, one was limited to being just an ordinary Divine Ability martial artist within the Li Clan.

The elders wielded great authority. By and large, the elders existed to oversee and rein in the patriarch, and so every patriarch was in fact at odds with them, each side checking and watching the other.

"Patriarch, is that the mysterious expert Li Guang recruited? Tsk, tsk. Seeing how confident you are, could it be that the boy condensed a major divine ability?" one of the elders asked.

His tone was light, but more mocking than anything. Across all of the Heavenly Sacred City, for all the talent that emerged, those with major divine abilities could be counted on one's fingers.

As such, the idea that someone coming from some remote backwater could condense a major divine ability was laughable. After all, how could shallow water raise a true dragon?

Perhaps there was something special about Lu Changsheng, something that made him stronger than an ordinary Divine Ability martial artist. But condensing a major divine ability? None of the elders believed it.

A sharp glint flickered through Li Chengwu's eyes.

"Elder She, you're funny," he said with a chuckle. "Indeed, how many people in the Heavenly Sacred City have managed to condense a major divine ability? Nevertheless, Guang'er must've had a good reason to recruit this man specifically. The contest hasn't even begun, and yet here you are, so eager to dismiss Guang'er's expert. That's hardly fair to the boy."

Elder She's expression shifted slightly at that. "Fair? Hehe. With you, Li Chengwu, standing there, who'd worry about your son getting a fair shake?"

He gave no ground, going toe to toe with Li Chengwu.

As the air between them grew tenser by the moment, another elder nearby hurried to smooth things over. "Patriarch, Elder She, whatever the grievance between you, once the selection of the successor begins in a moment, it shall be all plain to see. Why stir up bad blood here and now, and give the scions down below something to laugh about?"

Indeed, it was clear to everyone that Elder She and the patriarch did not get along. And it was no simple personal grudge; a contest of interests was tangled up in it.

Elder She stood for Li Feng, and Li Chengwu stood for Li Guang, both sides vying for the patriarch's position. They were like fire and water.

Li Chengwu gave a faint smile. "Quite so. Back then, I prevailed over Elder She's son and become patriarch. Now Elder She backs Li Feng, hoping to push him over Guang'er. However, the patriarch's position goes to the most capable individual. Now, it all comes down to the two of them!"

Li Chengwu's words struck a nerve. Elder She flushed crimson, but he said nothing, because everything Li Chengwu had said was true.

Years prior, his son had been full of ambition and contended with Li Chengwu for the seat, only to ultimately fall short. Ever since then, Elder She and Li Chengwu had been at odds, and their bad blood was visible to all.

"Hmph, all talk! Let me see just what Li Guang's done to deserve it. A good-for-nothing who only knows indulgence, daring to contend for the seat?" Elder She did not bother with a veneer of civility.

Li Chengwu could not be bothered to spar with him further. Everything would come down to how the contest for the seat actually played out. However, although he did not show it, he was not particularly confident.

"Enough. Patriarch, today the Li Clan's selection of a successor formally begins. You should preside over it," one of the elders said.

Li Chengwu nodded. "To become the patriarch, wisdom is indispensable. And in the Heavenly Sacred City, of course, martial strength matters greatly too. So, to become the patriarch, one must be equally accomplished in both scholarship and martial arts.

"Registration begins now. Anyone who wants to become the patriarch of the Li Clan, step forward and register! So long as you are under a hundred years of age, even a scion of a collateral line may register, and even he has a chance to become the patriarch of the Li Clan."

The scions immediately started discussing among themselves. Quite a few were itching to give it a shot.

This was the way the Li Clan had selected its patriarchs for thousands of years. Regardless of rank, regardless of how close or distant the blood, any scion of the Li Clan under a hundred years of age could take part in the selection, and any of them had a chance to become patriarch. It was precisely this remarkably open mechanism that had let the Li Clan endure for thousands of years, its momentum ever rising, the clan growing stronger and stronger.

"I think I'll register. What if I actually make it?"

"I'm not confident, but there's a chance, right? Maybe I do have the makings of a patriarch."

"Whatever happens, I have to give it a try."

"The thirty-sixth patriarch was only a scion of a collateral line, and didn't even have much talent for martial arts, yet he still rose above all the rest to become patriarch, and led the clan to glory in his day. If the thirty-sixth patriarch could do it, then maybe I can too."

Following Li Chengwu's announcement, many of the scions under a hundred years of age were eager to step up. In the history of the Li Clan there were many cases of scions coming from "lowly" collateral lines who had risen to the seat. It was precisely because of such cases that so many of the Li Clan's disciples were itching to try. And so, one after another, they began to register.

An hour later, registration closed.

"Registration is closed. 368 in total have joined the contest for succession."

In the end, 368 scions had joined the contest. This was truly an eye-opener. When other clans chose a patriarch, who among them did not pick from the direct-line scions? At most they examined and selected from among a handful of them.

But the Li Clan? This truly was an open selection, focused on simply choosing the best. It was the only way to ensure that every generation's patriarch was at the very least no fool, and that even if he could not drive the clan to soar, he would hold its floor and keep it from decline.

Of course, simple as the method looked, putting it into practice was exceedingly hard. What supreme expert would deny his own descendants the reins of the clan, handing them instead to some collateral line?

It was only the Li Clan that, for reasons unknown, had formed such an ancestral precept, which had let this manner of choosing a patriarch carry on and take deep root in people's hearts.