Ryan didn't retreat, didn't even bother to step aside.
He moved subtly...
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Five dull impacts echoed like thunder.
In the next instant, five bodies flew in five directions, rolling across the ground like sacks of sand.
The watching disciples stood frozen.
"What… what just happened?"
"Five people… blown away?"
"By Li Wei?"
"Is that really him? Not some expert in disguise, right?"
"Check if someone put a powerful incense here that is causing us hallucinations..."
Before anyone could process it, Ryan flickered like a shadow and appeared beside Li Qiang, who was still gasping on the ground.
"Wait, wait..."
Ryan didn't give him any chance to plead either.
His heel came down.
*Crack*
And a scream tore through the courtyard.
Li Qiang's right leg shattered under Ryan's foot.
Then...
Crack!
His left leg followed.
Both legs bent at unnatural angles, his cries echoing pitifully.
The remaining four also lay on the ground howling with their limbs twisted, beaten without even knowing how.
The whole courtyard fell silent.
The shock washed over the Li Clan disciples in waves.
Ryan, a man they had mocked for years, had destroyed five high-level warriors like swatting flies.
Lines of fear crept across their faces.
Ryan dusted his hands without an ounce of expression. He then glanced at the onlookers.
"Anyone else is interested in breaking my legs, too?"
The air tightened.
Every disciple instinctively stepped back with trembling legs.
This wasn't a waste.
This wasn't even the Ryan they knew.
This was a monster who actually destroyed the legs of the one who threatened to do the same. Just like that, five talented clansmen, who could become Elite realm experts in the near future, all had their future destroyed.
Now, no one is interested in destroying their futures.
"You fools," Li Meiran, however, snapped at the shrinking crowd. "A bunch of trash! Scared by a few punches?"
He then faced Ryan, voice colder than ice. "Li Wei, you hid well. I knew Li Yujing and Li Wang wouldn't fail unless something unusual happened. It seems you've reached the strength of an Elite."
His words shocked the entire courtyard again.
"Elite?"
"That's impossible!"
"How… how did he reach that level in such a short time?!"
"I don't believe it!"
"No wonder he challenged Siyu for a battle."
Their disbelief only made the truth louder. Ryan's display of power had been beyond anything a normal warrior could manage.
Ryan smirked faintly. "Oh, how can I compare with the great seventh young master? I'm just a waste, aren't I?"
Li Meiran's face twitched. "Since you're an Elite," he said slowly, "I won't be accused of bullying. So I'll ask plainly, Li Wei, do you dare fight me?"
Ryan lifted his chin. "Why wouldn't I?"
Li Meiran's gaze sharpened into a blade.
"Good. Then we'll settle it on the Yanwu Stage with a life-and-death contract. Dare you dare accept it?"
Ryan furrowed his brows, "Life and death contract?"
A gasp swept through the crowd.
"The Yanwu Stage…"
"Life and death contract?"
"Is he gone insane?"
"He's serious!"
Even Li Clan disciples felt their blood heat up. Ryan stepping on their pride had angered them, but a life-and-death duel? That was something else entirely.
However, for some… deep down...
They wanted Li Meiran to kill him.
The moment Li Meiran shouted his challenge, his supporters began to add fuel...
"Li Wei, you dare talk big!"
"Weren't you full of fire just now? Why silent now?"
"If you're such an Elite, then go up! Don't hide behind words!"
"Waste is waste. Even if he reaches the Elite stage, he's still trash who doesn't dare accept a real fight!"
Their jeers rose like a single wave.
Moments ago, they had been trembling from Ryan's display of strength, but now that Li Meiran stood up for them, their courage returned again, especially the supporters and the friends of those who collapsed on the ground.
To them, Ryan's earlier dominance was an unbearable humiliation, one they desperately needed someone else to avenge.
Ryan, however, ignored their barking and instead looked straight at Li Meiran
When Ryan scanned Li Meiran, the system's judgment was clear. It was only a slight threat. Six-star Elite.
With Ryan's martial arts, his system, his pills, and his raw power, in front of these... the so-called "threat" is laughable.
Fight?
Why not?
Ryan stepped forward, replying to him at last. "Who said I don't dare?"
A brief flicker of surprise flashed across Li Meiran's face, then twisted into triumph.
"Good. Then let's go to the Yanwu Arena now."
He turned sharply, leading the way, and as his back faced the crowd, the corner of his mouth curved into a sinister smile. His right hand slipped briefly into his embroidered robe, touching something hidden.
There is also another reason why Li Meiran challenged right away.
First, he was alarmed by the sudden surge of Ryan's strength. He was worried that if he didn't act sooner, Ryan would eventually surpass him.
And then, he thought Ryan must have already spent a significant amount of strength while fighting earlier.
Last but not least, Ryan wasn't prepared for the fight while he carried a trump card.
Something that can guarantee his victory.
Knowing he was prepared, and his opponent was unprepared, made him stride with exaggerated confidence and chin raised.
Behind him, Li Clan disciples followed like a pack of excited wolves. Each glance they threw at Ryan was filled with the anticipation of seeing him crushed.
Li Xue, meanwhile, tugged lightly at Ryan's sleeve, becoming more worried.
"Wei-Ge… do you really want to duel him? He's a six-star Elite, and he's learned two yellow-rank martial arts. They're quite powerful." Her voice trembled with worry.
It was one thing to fight normally, but a life and death… Li Xue was worried that Li Meiran would kill Ryan.
Ryan smiled faintly and patted her head.
"Relax, Xue'er. Just a six-star Elite. Your brother will make him eat dirt."
Li Xue blushed, her lips curving adorably. "Then I'll cheer for you. Xue'er believes in you."
The Yanwu Arena was already crowded when they arrived. When the news spread that Li Meiran wanted a life-and-death duel, disciples came running from every direction.
At first, many thought Li Meiran was simply bullying Ryan and found it distasteful.
But once they heard Ryan had somehow reached the Elite realm, shock turned into fascination. It contradicted everything they believed about him, a lifetime's waste suddenly turning into a powerhouse?
Impossible… but tantalizing.
Curiosity overpowered morality.
Everyone wanted to see it.
At the back mountain of the Li Clan lay a quiet courtyard: Qingxin Courtyard, a place forbidden to ordinary disciples.
Here was trained... the Li Clan's prodigy, Li Mingtian, eighteen years old, already a two-star Upper Elite, as strong as many elders in the clan.
The most talented Li Clan member in hundreds of years.
He was given the best of everything: martial arts, resources, and his own secluded cultivation grounds.
And the only person who could walk in freely, in this place, was Li Fanghua, Li Meiran's younger sister, one of the two famed beauties of the Li Clan. Seventeen, graceful, elegant, and radiant, though always placed second to Li Xue in looks and temperament.
The moment she arrived, she called sweetly: "Brother Tian? Brother Tian!"
Mingtian emerged from his room, surprised to see her. "Hua'er, what's wrong? You seem a bit flustered."
"Come with me, quickly!" she said, grabbing his arm without hesitation.
Mingtian allowed her to pull him along, but asked, "Where are we going?"
"To the Yanwu Arena! My brother is fighting Li Wei, and it's starting soon!"
Mingtian blinked, startled.
"Li Meiran is dueling Li Wei? Did I hear that right? Li Wei, the boy who couldn't cultivate since childhood? And your brother, who's already halfway past the Elite, actually wants to duel him?" His face twisted with faint disgust.
He liked Fanghua, but he had no love for her brother.
Li Meiran, in his eyes, was a scheming, power-hungry snake. Someone who relied on trickery, not talent.
"That guy wants to fight Li Wei? He really has nothing better to do."
Hearing her brother being criticized, Li Fanghua's face soured.
"You don't know anything! Li Wei isn't trash now; he can cultivate! I heard he's even reached the Elite level! The elders all confirmed it!"
Mingtian stopped walking.
"Li Wei? An elite?"
He frowned deeply, struggling to reconcile the image of the bullied, pitied boy from his childhood with what he was hearing.
"You're sure?"
"Absolutely! So come quickly, or we'll miss the fight!"
She grabbed his arm again and dragged him forward.
Mingtian sighed and nodded. "Fine. I'll go. I want to see how strong this 'Li Wei' really is… though I hope Li Meiran actually shows him mercy and doesn't go ahead and kill him after defeating him, even if it is a life and death battle. After all, Li Wei is the Patriarch's son."
Li Fanghua flashed a bright smile and led him toward the roaring arena.