Using one hand alone, a cultivator at Martial Spirit Level Seven could easily kill someone at Level Three.
Li Ye might have improved at lightning speed but he was still only at peak Level Three. Having to face such a frightening vital force made him feel an intense, almost suffocating pressure.
Li Yue was on a whole new level as compared to Li Haoran and Li Tianwu. He was the most promising prodigy within the Li family and there were whisperings that people referred to him as the second Li Kainian. His name was known throughout Wu Prefecture City.
On the opposite end, Li Ye was nothing more than a huge joke and a piece of trash!
"Is this the kind of strength wielded by the small number of highly-skilled Li clan descendants?"
Li Ye held back some of his flourishing arrogance after realizing that there was still a long journey ahead of him! He was as yet unable to contend against Wu Prefecture City's Li clan, much less search for Li Kainian according to the letter's instructions!
Nevertheless, Li Yue's strength did not intimidate him. On the contrary, it excited the hot blood flowing within his heart!
"I have the advantage over all of them, whether in my bloodline or with the Lunar Dream Heart Sutra! Just give me some time. Surpassing them is a given!"
By then, almost everyone in the restaurant looked at Li Ye with pity.
"It's Li Kainian's son! All those years have passed, I didn't expect him to stay here in Wu Prefecture City. I thought he left the place."
"Yeah, Li Kainian used to be Wu Prefecture City's important, famous, and peerless Pride of Heaven. He defeated all the Masters of his generation, some even from the previous generation, to the point where they were crying to their daddies and mommies. He was the one who single-handedly entrenched the Li clan's position as we see today. It's surprising that such a peerlessly-talented person produced a son that's…"
"Shh! Stop talking! No matter how you put it, Li Kainian did many favors for the people in Wu Prefecture City. Since that boy is his son, it's probably best that you speak less about him."
The low murmurings were all picked up by Li Ye's ears.
In reality, he was not the same useless young master, yet hearing those words made his heart feel rather unbearable.
"Trash! If you kneel before me and kowtow thrice, I shall spare your life on account of our similar ancestry. Otherwise... Hmph!"
In Li Yue's eyes, Li Ye was nothing more than a useless, uncultivable person. His choice to refrain from laying hands on Li Ye was not out of benevolence but because he wanted to amuse himself in front of everyone else there.
His scornful gaze was not a pretty sight. Allowing Li Ye to kowtow thrice seemed to be a great show of Li Yue's mercy, despite the lack of any compassion between members of the same clan. Moreover, Li Yue's gaze was filled with loathing and contempt, as though he was looking at a diseased dog on the street.
In his mind, it would be a repeat of what happened a few years ago, where the weakling would have no choice but to kneel despite feeling reluctant. How gravely mistaken Li Yue was!
"Li Yue! You're still the same as last time. You think you're so high and mighty, that no one in the entire world is a match for you? How laughable! Looks like the warning wasn't enough to clear your brain! Or maybe it should be said that your brain has been kicked senseless already? You want me to kowtow to you? What do you take yourself for? Let's not even talk about you! Even the Head Elder that you use as support has no right to make me kneel and kowtow!"
Under the astonished gaze of those who were there, Li Ye snickered and looked at the Li Yue as if he was looking at some clown. Li Yue flew into a rage at once!
"You wish to die! If you want to die, I shall fulfill your wish! You won't be as lucky as last time! The harlot won't be here to help you anymore!"
Ignoring Li Yue's near-insane fierceness, Li Ye chuckled icily. "You're nothing, Li Yue. You're just a disgraceful person who became arrogant because you got into a powerful position! If it wasn't for your grandfather being the Head Elder, do you really think you'll be in this position today? To be called the Li clan's number one prodigy?"
The mere thought of Li Yue's smug expression made Li Ye feel light laughing, "PFFT! You have no sense of shame!"
"You're looking to die!"
The angry Li Yue slammed his fist on the sandalwood table at once, breaking it into pieces. Drinks and dishes that were originally on top of the table splattered out on the floor.
One move was all it took to strike fear into the hearts of those around him. Few people there could destroy a sandalwood table like that. Even Yuwen Tianhua and Wu Wenhao might not be able to do that with as much ease as Li Yue!
That alone proved that Li Yue had every right to be wildly arrogant!
Not only was he born from the great Li clan, but he was also one of the rare prodigies among the clan's younger generation—no doubt a powerful figure in the whole of Wu Prefecture City!
During that moment, Li Yue delivered a slap. Murderous desire flashed in his eyes and he truly had every intention of killing on the spot.
Although Li Ye was casually making disdainful remarks when facing one of Wu Prefecture City's powerful prodigies, deep down, he was still being very cautious!
Though he may be able to hold his own against a cultivator of Martial Spirit Level Five, he would stand a slim chance against those at Martial Spirit Level Six. Chances were slimmer still when facing a Master who had entered Level Seven and ranked among those who easily crossed over to the higher levels.
"Even though Li Yue is arrogant and condescending, the strength of his body is truly outstanding!"
Plenty of people saw Li Yue make his move and lamented almost immediately.
A person at Martial Spirit Level Seven was considered one of the better people within Wu Prefecture City. More so amongst the younger generation, as Li Yue was only seventeen years of age! He was much younger than Wu Wenhao and Yuwen Tianhua!
Slap!
Li Ye did not dodge the attack, but instead, delivered a punch of his own!
His actions surprised even Li Yue but the latter's expression leaned more toward cold disdain!
"Trash! You're brave enough, I see? Doesn't matter, trash will always be trash! I shall give you a cold, hard lesson today! Even if I can't kill you publicly, the least I can do is break all four of your limbs!"
Li Yue was still rather apprehensive but his malicious intentions went far beyond that of killing him on the spot.
There was no doubt that four states separated a Level Three cultivator from a Level Seven cultivator. The gap between both was like comparing a newborn baby to a big and powerful man—it was no match at all.
Li Ye felt as though he was nailed onto an iron panel. The immense repelling force nearly dislocated his arm and broke his bones. He was sent flying a few steps back, managing to halt his footsteps only after knocking over a few guests' tables.
"The difference in our strengths is just too much! I'm not on par with him yet, not even at night!"
In a flash, Li Ye's mind made a swift analysis of the difference between his own and his opponent's power. Although he did not need to fear a battle with someone at Level Five, it was just too much of a discrepancy between himself and Level Seven.
Just as Li Ye's heart began to feel overwhelmed by Li Yue's strength, the entire restaurant sank into complete silence.
At that moment, the gleefulness that Li Yue had when slapping Li Ye earlier was gone. In place of it was his wide-eyed and appalled expression!
He was not the only one who reacted that way. The entire restaurant, including the Yuwen clan's Yuwen Tianhua and the Wu clan's Wu Wenhao, practically forgot to breathe.
Some time later, someone then muttered to themselves, "I didn't see wrongly, did I? Did the body of that trash emanate bloodsoul strength?"
Almost everyone there were martial cultivators. Although a great many of them did not achieve high states, they were still capable of noticing bloodsoul.
No! A normal person could never have remained alive after a blow by a Level Seven cultivator! Li Ye was barely even pushed back ten steps! The scene left everyone in awe and shock!
Moreover, everyone could perceive bloodsoul strength coming from Li Ye's body during that instance. That fact was practically declared to the public!
"Trash! You really did manifest your bloodsoul? You can cultivate now?"
Li Yue's disbelief was almost as though he saw a dinosaur appearing before his eyes! He was even more shocked when he felt a rather strong bloodsoul strength coming from Li Ye's body!
"Martial Spirit Level Three! I really never thought a stinking little salted fish like you can turn over a new leaf. You even kept it a secret and cultivated until Level Three!"
Although Level Three was just peanuts in Li Yue's eyes, he could not contain the shock he was feeling. Years ago, even the Supreme Elder—one of their older ancestors, the one with Innate Sovereign Level strength—determined that Li Ye was an uncultivable piece of garbage, one who would forever remain an ordinary person!
For some unknown reason, a profound fear began appearing in Li Yue's heart when he recalled all that.
He was seen to bellow out, albeit without the composure he had earlier. "Even if you can cultivate, Level Three is nothing but a little termite! You will still die before my eyes!"
The next punch that Li Yue delivered was not as reserved as before. The strength of his punch sent two tables beside him flying off, producing an ear-piercing sound due to the air splitting in half.
Dread was absent from Li Ye's eyes. He too, punched back, deciding once again to defend the attack by making an attack of his own!
As expected, he flew back in a similar manner, though he ended up in worse condition than the earlier. His body was thrown against the partition wall of the restaurant and he fell into a private room on the other side.
Very quickly, the crowd saw him climb back up. He wiped off the blood on his lips and cracked a smile.
"Li Yue, didn't you have any dinner last night? Maybe you spent all your energy on the girls in Spring Wind Tower? Your attacks are too soft! You can't even win against a piece of trash like me, yet you have the dignity to call yourself a prodigy! PFFT! I feel ashamed for you. Are you really blowing your own horn here with that kind of standard? What a joke!"
Silence! Deadly silence!
Not a single peep was heard in the restaurant. Everyone's gazes seemed to be frozen at that very instant.
There was a clatter. Yuwen Tianhua did not grip his paper fan well. It slipped from his fingers and fell on the floorboard of the second-floor restaurant. That was the sole sound that broke the complete silence!
"My eyes didn't make a mistake, did they? The piece of trash still isn't dead yet? Even after the Li clan's prodigy dealt him a blow?"
Guests who came from outside of Wu Prefecture City were flabbergasted. Was that person really the piece of trash that all of Wu Prefecture City was talking about? If that was trash, then would their own cultivated states be considered fit only for dogs?! How could they show their faces there, then?!