By the time Ryan and Li Meiran stepped into the Yanwu Arena, the entire platform was surrounded, packed to the edges with Li Clan disciples buzzing like an agitated hive.
"Who do you think wins? Seven Young Master is a six-star Elite… Li Wei has just broken into the Elite realm."
"I heard Li Wei punched five eight-star warriors like they were straw bags!"
"Even so, a new Elite can't beat a six-star Elite. The Seventh Young Master has trained for years and learned proper yellow-rank martial arts."
"That's true… but still, it's insane that Li Wei, that trash we know, is actually an Elite now."
"Yeah… I bullied him when he was little. Now I'm suddenly scared."
"Why worried? They already signed the life-and-death agreement. That means he will die regardless."
"That… is true."
The crowd's chatter rolled like waves as the two men faced each other under the sun.
On the battle platform, Li Meiran raised his yellow-rank sword with an air of superiority.
"Li Wei, surely you don't plan to fight me empty-handed?" He said, showing off his weapon. "Don't tell me Patriarch hasn't given his son any weapons to protect himself?"
"To deal with someone like you," Ryan replied in a light tone as if he didn't care, "my hands are more than enough."
Li Meiran let out a cold laugh. "Good. Then you can't blame me for your death."
His sword then flicked, spinning a sharp flower of light, and the next instant, he lunged forward, slashing toward Ryan's head.
Ryan tilted his body just a fraction. The blade sliced past harmlessly.
And then he countered with a sharp punch. "Basic Fist!"
"Starry Palm!" Li Meiran retaliated with a yellow-rank martial skill.
Their fist and palm collided with a thunderous boom. A gust of force burst outward.
Ryan staggered back five steps. Li Meiran stepped back only two.
A murmur rippled through the audience.
"Amazing! This is the power of the Elites!"
"Li Meiran has grown stronger in a steady manner with a firm foundation. Li Wei rose too fast, with some kind of trick. His foundation can't compare."
"Looks like Li Wei might be in trouble."
In the crowd, Li Fanghua folded her arms proudly. "See? My brother is clearly stronger. Li Wei is still far behind."
Beside her, Li Mingtian shook his head. "Hua'er… you couldn't be more wrong."
"What?" She frowned.
"Li Wei only used an ordinary punch. Your brother used a yellow-rank martial art. Yet the difference was only three steps. If Li Wei used actual martial skills, your brother wouldn't last long."
Li Fanghua's expression soured, but she refused to admit defeat. "Hmph! Martial arts are also a strength! Li Wei is losing."
Mingtian only sighed softly.
She was too stubborn to see it.
Onstage, the clash resumed.
Li Meiran's swordplay was tight, skillful, and deadly. He clearly trained in swordsmanship for years. Every stroke was sharp enough to kill if Ryan made the slightest mistake.
Yet Ryan weaved between them, barely evading each slash. A few close calls passed, but he remained untouched.
Finally, he slipped out of a flurry of strikes and retreated a step to catch his breath.
"Good sword skills…" he muttered, though his tone was mocking.
Li Meiran smirked. "Afraid now? Kneel and beg, and maybe I'll spare your life."
Ryan's eyes sharpened. "If you want to kill me, come and try."
His body surged forward, with his fists ready to punch.
In close range, the long sword lost its advantage. Every time Li Meiran raised the blade, Ryan slipped inside its reach, forcing him to block with fists and elbows instead.
After several exchanges, Li Meiran only grew frustrated and tossed his sword aside.
"Fine. Hand-to-hand it is!"
The duel became brutal, with fists, elbows, and kicks flying nonstop. Dust rose with each impact. The entire arena held its breath at their close combat.
Ryan actually held back. He didn't use martial skills or special bonuses, only pure physical strength and technique. Even so, Li Meiran's fists began trembling from the impact, growing numb and painful over time.
"This couldn't go on. damn it..." With a vicious snarl, Li Meiran seized a chance. As Ryan dodged a punch, Li Meiran pulled back sharply.
"Fist of Fury!"
A flurry of explosive punches shot forward, three in rapid succession, with each faster and stronger than the last and each wrapped in a faint glow.
The pounding wind roared across the platform. Even spectators covered their ears at the painful sound.
Ryan, however, faced the brunt of it head-on.
"Basic Fist, Break!"
He struck back, but Fist of Fury was a powerful yellow-rank martial art. The difference hit him like a hammer.
BOOM!
The collision sent Ryan flying across the ring as a result.
He skidded hard with his throat tightening as blood surged up his throat, but he clamped his jaw shut and swallowed it down.
If he hadn't, he would've been seriously injured.
Dust swirled.
The arena now fell into dead silence for a moment.
Ryan pushed himself off the cracked ground, right arm throbbing with sharp pain. "I'm not done yet."
"Fist of Fury" was far stronger than he expected. Even though both techniques were yellow-rank, this one carried a depth of force far beyond.
This was Ryan's mistake.
He had underestimated the difference between martial arts because, in truth, he still had too little combat experience in this world.
Aside from killing beasts in the wild, his real battle encounters were almost zero. Against Li Meiran, who had sparred and trained since childhood, he was bound to hit a wall.
But hitting this wall only sharpened something inside him.
I need better experience… real combat… real pressure.
He quietly made a note.
After this battle, he must find stronger sparring partners, anything to temper himself.
On the opposite side, Li Meiran straightened proudly, sword glinting at his side.
"How pitiful," he sneered, taking the chance to mock his opponent. "You rushed yourself to the Elite realm using some underhanded means and thought of yourself as some heavenly chosen warrior? It's still meaningless in front of a real genius like me. You're still the same waste."
"Hehe, the Seventh Young Masters are mighty!"
The disciples' cheering for Li Meiran roared louder. Every time Ryan stumbled, their smiles grew wider.
"Seventh Young Master is too handsome!"
"With him around, and Li Mingtian, our Li Clan will shine for generations!"
"Compared to the Seventh Young Master, Li Wei is still garbage!"
Their mockery poured down like rain.
Ryan raised his head slowly, gazing at him coldly. "Oh? You think I've already lost? That's not certain." He clenched his fists.
"And Li Meiran… remember this. You forced me. So don't blame me for what comes next."
The moment Ryan lowered his stance, something changed.
His posture was unfamiliar to everyone, but one person recognized something terrifying.
Li Mingtian's eyes widened. "This… this aura… impossible…"
Li Fanghua blinked in confusion. "Brother Mingtian? What's wrong? Li Wei just bent his knees. Why are you shocked?"
"That's not just bending his knees," Mingtian muttered, eyes locked on Ryan. "He's releasing the aura of advanced martial arts."
"Eh? From that weird pose?" Li Fanghua frowned. "What level?"
Mingtian's throat tightened. "By the pressure he's exuding… at least mid-grade Earth-rank. Maybe even higher."
"What!" Li Fanghua's jaw dropped. "Are you serious?" She couldn't believe her ears.
Earth-rank martial arts were typically considered taboo for disciples below the Elite level. Even the elites trained them slowly. Most of the Li Clan had never touched anything above yellow-rank.
And yet Ryan, a former waste, was standing in the ring exuding power that only elders should wield.
Li Fanghua panicked for her brother's safety. She cupped her hands and shouted toward the stage: "Brother! Be careful! Li Wei is about to use Earth-rank martial arts!"
The Crowd stirred at her shout.
Li Meiran froze, disbelief clouding his eyes.
Earth-rank?
And Ryan?
Impossible.
Unless Li Gengxin secretly gifted those martial arts to Ryan that were meant for elders only.
That old fox…
But he had no more time to think, because the pressure around Ryan grew thicker by the second.
What Mingtian sensed, however, still fell short of the truth.
This was no Earth-rank martial technique.
It was Sky-rank.
Ryan possessed two Sky-rank skills and an Ultimate technique: Wind Blade, Desolate Landslide, and Mountain Splitting
Mountain Splitting was too lethal to the point he wouldn't dare to show in front of family for even display; Even Wind Blade was too cruel, one wrong move and he would slice someone in half in front of the entire family. That would turn the Li Clan against him instantly just for possession of it.
So he chose the second.
The technique whose power could be explained away as an accident.
The one that could be said to have "missed and hit too hard."
DESOLATE LANDSLIDE
His assignment required Li Meiran's death. The only question was how to kill him in a way that could not be blamed on malice.
And a "misstep" during a life-and-death match was the perfect answer.
Ryan bent his knees, gathered his entire strength, and exploded upward...
"DESOLATE LANDSLIDE"