The Prodigy Summit was forced to halt because Li Ye had killed Li Yue.
Li Ye struggled hard and was finally able to get rid of his 'trash' moniker. Just as everyone thought that the new rising star was about to die in the hands of his own clan, there was yet another unexpected twist.
"Head Elder, there have always been casualties at the Prodigy Summit. Although Li Ye killed Li Yue by mistake, this is completely within reasonable norms! Head Elder, perhaps your actions are causing everyone to wrongly suspect that you are using a public scene to avenge a private grudge?"
Li Yuanjia was neither humble nor overbearing when facing the powerful Head Elder. He argued with the courage of his conviction and even taunted the old man indirectly. Many gasped in awe of his bravery!
"Li Yuanjia! Are you doubting me?"
Boom! An overbearing vital force—far surpassing that of a Grandmaster—made Li Yuanjia's face slightly red. He nevertheless refused to back off, and at the same time he was extremely anxious. 'My father isn't there today. If the Head Elder really decides to do as he pleases, who could stop him today?'
However, Li Yuanjia's remarks made Li Ye rather content. Life or death was never a guarantee at the Prodigy Summit. Everyone fought for their lives, but in general, there were few people who really wanted to kill anyone. After all, there is no need to make an enemy out of anyone in Wu Prefecture City.
Li Ye would not have killed Li Yue on the spot if the latter left Aunt Yun out of it!
"Well said. Li Daokui, you are a senior among the elder generations. Casualties in the arena are inevitable for the younger generation. There is no need for you to take such drastic measures, is there?"
The Wu patriarch then proclaimed loudly, making Li Daokui's expression sink slightly.
"Brother Wu is correct. This little guy looks impressive to me. Although he was a bit more ruthless just now, it should not be forgotten that he is only at Level Six. Li Daokui, your grandson had already reached Level Eight. He is an Eminent Master, yes? On the premise of their two-level gap, it should be even more surprising that your grandson was killed. "
Another voice spoke with a similarly insinuating tone. Everyone looked over and saw that it was the Yuwen family patriarch.
At that moment, the Wu and Yuwen patriarchs were singing the same tune, which immediately made Li Daokui's face even more unsavory than before.
"This is a matter concerning the Li clan. Does the Wu and Yuwen clan intend to interfere?"
Li Daokui glanced at the two with his sword-like vision. Unfortunately, the individuals providing their opinion were the Wu and Yuwen patriarchs, who had both reached peak Level Nine cultivation. Although they were not on Li Daokui's level, a simple glance was not going to scare them off.
"That's not appropriate. This is the annual contest between Wu Prefecture City's young people. The final say doesn't go to your Li clan alone. All this little guy did was hand a normal defeat to his opponent in the arena. You acted without considering your own status, Li Daokui. Are you not making a fool of yourself in front of these acclaimed individuals?"
"Brother Wu, your remarks are crass. Did you not see that the deceased is Li Daokui's own grandson?"
The exchange between the two patriarchs placed Li Daokui in a tricky position. He was unsure whether to act or not to act.
Of course, none of the others dared to intervene. Only those from the Wu and Yuwen clans dared to get involved. However, their actions made the many Li clan members somewhat confused. Li Ye was from the Li clan, so why did the Wu and Yuwen families speak up? It was as if they were protecting Li Ye.
Only a few were able to understand what was happening, and that was after they pondered on it a bit more. "The Wu clan and the Yuwen clan are clearly trying to make things more chaotic, especially since the Li clan's members are killing each other. The Wu and Yuwen clans simply think that it's fun to watch! "
Li Ye also realized that after thinking about it. He pretended to look at the Wu and Yuwen clans with gratitude, then bowed and said, "I hope that the two patriarchs may decide!"
His actions immediately made many Li clan members look unhappy. Some of them even yelled at him!
Regardless of anything else, Li Ye bore the Li surname. During such an incident however, he surprisingly turned to the Wu's and Yuwen's, both of which were always at loggerheads with the Li's. Was that not a blatant slap to one's own face?
"I like you, little guy. You aren't that bad at all. Rest assured, the Li clan doesn't have the final say in Wu Prefecture City, and this most certainly isn't Li Daokui's to decide! Everyone who was watching today could see that you did not violate any rules in the arena. No one should act against you because of that!"
The Wu patriarch snickered and spoke as though to give Li Ye some peace of mind.
"Brother Wu is right. Although the Li clan has been overbearing in recent years, fairness is in the will of the people. Li Daokui, you shall not do anything to the little guy today."
The two great clans' patriarchs had spoken, one after another. Not even Li Daokui could ignore the weight of their statements.
Nevertheless, he could not possibly be willing to just let his grandson's murderer go, not when the murderer was that person's son!
Just as he was finding it hard to come out of that tight spot, a gentle voice was heard in his ear. "Grandfather, let me handle him!"
The speaker turned out to be Li Mo. At that moment, he swept a cold glance at Li Ye and said softly to Li Daokui.
"Grandfather, since the two patriarchs have said so, why not settle this in the arena!"
Glancing briefly at his elder grandson, Li Daokui hesitated before nodding. "Alright! Since this is the case, I will not do anything to this vile b*stard for the time being. But since life and death does not matter in the arena, then that means no one can stop you regardless of what happens later!"
Everyone froze deep down. When they saw Li Mo's expression, they immediately remembered—the boy who had just died was the younger brother of Wu Prefecture City's Son of Heaven!
"Even though this kid managed to escape, it's still a dead end if he encounters Li Mo!"
Deep down, many people began feeling sympathetic.
"Not necessarily, if he meets Li Mo and concedes immediately, he might still have a chance to survive."
At that point time, the Wu and Yuwen patriarchs had no objection. In fact, some people knew that the two influential figures in Wu Prefecture City were not really trying to protect a small fry like Li Ye. They were simply doing that to irritate the Li clan, especially their old rival Li Daokui.
Li Ye also understood that as well. He seemed quite grateful to them on the outside, but in fact, his heart was feeling extremely cold.
"This group of people don't even take the lives and deaths of ordinary people into consideration. In their eyes, the only important thing is to fight for power."
Li Ye felt a heavy burden being lifted up after he learned of their true personalities.
If Li Daokui was really that desperate earlier, Li Ye's combination of his bloodpupils and the Sword Control Technique might not even give him a thirty percent chance of success!
The Semi-Sovereign Level's vital force alone was already extremely threatening! It was more than ten times more frightening when compared to a Level Nine Grandmaster!
"The Innate Sovereign Level really is much stronger than Martial Spirit Levels! Even if Li Daokui is only halfway there, a Grandmaster might not be able to withstand more than three moves!"
After a brief silent analysis, Li Ye began to slowly feel that he was in a perilous position within the Li clan.
Even though he was extremely worried about Aunt Yun's situation, he could not excuse himself anytime soon.
"Make a good impression, Li Ye. The two of us think highly of you!"
The Wu and Yuwen patriarchs appeared to smile. Li Ye forced out a smile as well and immediately went over to Li Yuanjia.
Li Ye was very grateful that Li Yuanjia stood up for him at a critical moment earlier. If not for Li Yuanjia, perhaps the Wu and Yuwen patriarchs would not have intervened.
"Li Ye! You are too impulsive!"
The helpless Li Yuanjia had a chastising tone when he chided.
"Brother Yuanjia, I have one thing to ask of you!"
Li Ye did not wait for Li Yuanjia to speak. He immediately repeated what Li Yue said earlier and his anxiety was showing all over his face. He could not imagine how he would lose his mind if Li Yue had treated Aunt Yun in such a manner.
"What? Are you telling the truth?"
Even Li Yuanjia was surprised to hear that! At the same time, it made complete sense as to why Li Ye's killed Li Yue so impulsively and caused the situation to escalate to such an extent. Although he could not understand why Li Ye cared so much for someone who was unrelated by blood, he nodded immediately. "You need not worry about this. I'll have someone go back right away and notify my father."
By then, plenty of people looked at Li Ye with complex gazes.
In particular, there were some members of the Li clan—including Li Yijian and some others—who looked at Li Ye with awe and respect.
However, there were also other individuals who showed hostility toward him. Li Ye knew that those people were members of Li Daokui's family. Almost all the inner disciples, with the exception of Li Yuanjia, glared at him as though he was the enemy.
With a sigh in his heart, Li Ye knew that his plans to integrate into the family had failed after killing Li Yue.
Despite that, he did not regret it at all. His character was that of a person who would double what was done unto the people around him!
"I hope Aunt Yun is okay, otherwise! Hmph! Li Daokui!"
Li Yuanjia soon had news.
"You said she disappeared?"
Li Ye began feeling fidgety.
"Don't worry, my father asked me to tell you that although she couldn't be located, it's probably not what you think. Li Yue probably wanted to provoke you and unsettle your mindset. Rest assured. My father has sent people to look for her. We'll be informed as soon as she is found. "
The Prodigy Summit was still going on. The last edition's four prodigies were still advancing swiftly. No opponent could defeat them and they went on to maintain a winning streak.
In addition, Li Ye had a few battles, though by then he was no longer a nameless dark horse. The previous fiasco ensured that his name was known to all.
He was only a latter phase Level Six cultivator, but many Level Seven Martial Masters surrendered and forfeited immediately. Such a record was unique in Wu Prefecture City and had never been seen in many years!
Some battles later, the intensity at the scene was ramped up.
One particular battle attracted much attention!
"Look! It's one of the four prodigies, Wu Batian of the Wu family!"
A burly young man jumped onto the arena. It was Wu Batian, who achieved second-place in the last Prodigy Summit.
Then, a calm and imperial-looking young man appeared. The Prodigy Summit's atmosphere then shot up to the climax.
Yuwen Wushuang! That young man turned out to be Yuwen Wushuang!