Chapter 49: Tiger Head

Li Zhixuan was deeply tempted. Although she had not yet begun her cultivation, she knew the effects of the Jade Spirit Pill, and she knew even better that her mediocre aptitude would require a vast amount of resources to accelerate her progress.

"But you have magical power!" Li Zhixuan suddenly said.

Li Zhirui chuckled softly. "I can seal my magical power to compete with you, and I will only use the basic swordsmanship taught at Linghui Academy, but you may use any swordsmanship you have learned."

Li Zhirui had no intention of wandering the world with a sword, so he had not practiced swordsmanship since leaving Linghui Academy.

However, in essence, this was still an unfair contest. As an adult male, Li Zhirui was stronger than Li Zhixuan in both physical stamina and raw strength.

Furthermore, even though Li Zhirui's physical body had not been tempered like that of a body cultivator, it would naturally receive nourishment from spiritual qi during his cultivation.

Though Li Zhixuan was clever, she was still young and did not understand much about the affairs of cultivators. She simply felt that what Li Zhirui said made sense, so she nodded and agreed.

Li Zhirui held only a single Green Wood Sword, but using it would be too much of a bullying tactic, so he used his magical power to temporarily fashion a wooden sword.

"Come." Li Zhirui's starting stance was quite professional; after all, he had practiced basic swordsmanship diligently for three years back then.

Like a leopard in the jungle, Li Zhixuan sprinted nimbly toward Li Zhirui. With a push of her foot, she used the momentum to leap into the air, bringing her heavy greatsword down toward Li Zhirui's head.

Li Zhirui raised his hand with effortless grace. With a slight flick of his wrist, the wooden sword instantly changed direction, parrying Li Zhixuan's offensive from the side and sending her tumbling clumsily to the ground.

"You want to win too much, and in doing so, you've forgotten your own advantages," Li Zhirui said, sounding somewhat disappointed.

Feeling that disappointment, Li Zhixuan suddenly felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar; an inescapable chill froze her entire body.

She did not want to disappoint Ninth Brother! She did not want to disappoint the person who had brought a glimmer of light to her dark world!

Li Zhixuan forced herself to calm down, gripping her iron sword as she searched for a flaw in Li Zhirui's defense.

But Li Zhirui stood perfectly still, calmly holding his wooden sword, waiting for her attack.

"Hah!" Knowing she could not wait any longer, Li Zhixuan let out a loud cry and charged at Li Zhirui with all her might.

Li Zhirui frowned slightly. Looking at the impulsive Li Zhixuan, he even began to doubt whether he had misjudged her during the spiritual testing ritual.

He sighed inwardly, but his movements were not slow. The seemingly fragile wooden sword completely blocked Li Zhixuan's path of advancement.

Seeing this, the running Li Zhixuan was not startled but rather delighted. Acting as if she hadn't seen the obstacle, she charged straight toward the wooden sword, then suddenly twisted her body. Enduring the sharp pain in her ankle, she rolled into his defensive circle and thrust her iron sword toward Li Zhirui's thigh.

*Hum—*

At the critical moment, Li Zhirui utilized his magical power to block Li Zhixuan's attack.

"You little girl..." Li Zhirui didn't say much, only adding, "You win this match. Once you break through to the first level of Qi Refinement, I will give you what I promised."

Hearing Li Zhirui's words, Li Zhixuan's usually cold little face broke into a brilliant smile.

"Are you that happy?" Li Zhirui walked up to her and used his magical power to soothe her swollen ankle.

Li Zhixuan nodded firmly. "Yes! I didn't let Ninth Brother down."

Li Zhirui was momentarily stunned. It wasn't that no one had ever called him "Ninth Brother," but the way Li Zhixuan said it was filled with pure adoration and reverence.

"You did well," Li Zhirui smiled and said, "Come, I'll escort you back to Linghui Academy."

Li Zhirui used a Spirit Crane to carry Li Zhixuan, while he himself used the Wind-Riding Technique to glide at a low altitude.

"Zhixuan, the greatest taboos in cultivation are acting on impulse and overdoing things." In front of the gates of Linghui Academy, Li Zhirui left her with one more piece of advice, and this time, she could grasp the general meaning.

But by the time Li Zhixuan regained her senses, Li Zhirui had already departed from the academy on a paper crane.

In the following days, Li Zhirui practiced every day at the foot of that desolate mountain, but he did not encounter anyone else.

One day, which happened to be the day of the handover between Li Shiting and Li Shiren, Li Zhirui arrived at the mountain as usual. Not long after, he suddenly noticed several small black dots appearing on the distant sea.

At first, Li Zhirui didn't pay much attention, assuming they were passing sea merchants. However, as they drew closer to Big Rong Island and he saw the large number of cultivators standing on the ships, a sense of unease suddenly rose in his heart.

Li Zhirui hurriedly stowed Da Qing into his spatial storage and ran toward the clan's settlement as fast as he could. As the sea vessels drew closer to the island, he feared being discovered; he didn't dare fly in the sky and could only use the Wind-Riding Technique to its absolute limit.

Fortunately, the distance was not great. In less than fifteen minutes, a panting Li Zhirui reached Li Shiqing and said, "Patriarch, something bad has happened! There are several sea vessels filled with cultivators heading toward Big Rong Island!"

"What did you say!" Li Shiqing stood up abruptly. Knowing that Li Zhirui was not one to make baseless claims, he immediately struck the bronze bell in front of his door, urgently summoning all clan members.

"Damn it! Today is exactly the day of the handover between Shiren and Shiting! These people timed this perfectly!" Li Shiqing was furious, but beneath his anger lay a trace of worry.

Li Zhirui was stunned; he had been practicing spells with Da Qing these past few days and had completely forgotten about the handover.

"Second Brother, why are you suddenly summoning all the clan members?" Li Shilian asked with a face full of confusion, as the clan members behind him looked toward Li Shiqing.

Li Shiqing took a deep breath and said, "Zhirui has discovered a large number of cultivators heading toward Big Rong Island from the north. Everyone, prepare for battle!"

The clan members, who had never encountered such a situation, instantly fell into a panic, each one terrified.

"Quiet!" Li Shiqing shouted. "There is nothing to fear! We have the Island Protection Array to rely on and spirit beasts to help us defend. They certainly won't be our match!"

Li Shiqing's words and his prestige allowed the clan members to regain their composure, and they were no longer consumed by the fear of an unknown war, though a careful observer would still see their unease and anxiety.

While the Li clan members were preparing, the rogue cultivators, who had taken a detour through the north, were drawing closer to Big Rong Island.

"Brother Kou, do you think the three of us can take down the Li family?" another Foundation Establishment cultivator asked uneasily.

Although Kou Bai had previously put on an air of contempt for the Li family in front of everyone, when the Foundation Establishment cultivators were assigned to attack the four families, he had actually invested a massive amount of strength into the Li family's front line. Including himself, there were a total of three Foundation Establishment cultivators—and aside from him being at the late stage, the other two were both at the middle stage!

In addition, the number of Qi Refinement cultivators assigned to this route was the largest and their strength the greatest.

"Of course we can! Doesn't everyone know that there are currently only two Foundation Establishment cultivators on Big Rong Island?" Regardless of what he was thinking, Kou Bai's face was always full of confidence.

Perhaps Kou Bai's acting was too good, for no one noticed the trace of worry deep in his eyes.

It is said that cultivators sometimes experience sudden premonitions, and just as he was preparing to strike, a faint sense of unease had risen in his heart.

However, the wealth of the Li family was more tempting; ultimately, greed overcame that unease, and he had taken the initiative to lead the team to the Li family.

"We are almost there! Everyone, get ready! Once we take Big Rong Island, the vast wealth of the Li family will belong to us!" Kou Bai shouted, boosting the morale of the crowd.