Li Yi's movement was extremely subtle; he thought no one would notice, but unexpectedly, Xia Chen, as if having eyes on top of his head, suddenly raised his head while still bowing it and looked at Li Yi. In a soft voice, Xia Chen said, "Does Young Master Li Yi recognize this person?" Xia Chen's voice was very gentle, but there was an indescribable chill in his tone. Li Yi was shocked and didn't dare not to answer. Luckily, he quickly put on a smile that any man would understand and whispered, "I don't know this woman, but she's so beautiful that if I could get a taste of her fragrance..."
Xia Chen, aware of Li Yi's reputation for being a womanizer, slightly furrowed his brows and said softly, "Even if this woman is a national beauty, I advise Young Master Li Yi not to pursue her. If the Li family is fortunate enough to find her, you'd better not touch her, or else the consequences will be beyond what I can tell you." Li Yi was deeply shocked; although the Serpent Venerable had mentioned Ruolin's significant identity, he did not expect the people from the Martial Deity Hall to value her so highly. Li Yi couldn't ask more without exposing himself, so he just put on an ambiguous smile that suited his current identity and whispered, "Your advice is well noted, Xia Chen. If the Li family finds this person, I will certainly not act rashly."
Knowing that Li Yi's words were probably insincere, Xia Chen showed no other reaction. He simply nodded and then stood up, saying indifferently, "In that case, I'll leave this matter to the head of the Li family. Remember to inform me at the city's Holy Temple once you have any news. As for now, I and Priest Bei have other matters to attend to and will not stay any longer." With that, the two white-robed priests didn't say anything more and, with a flicker, leaped towards the street outside the Li family's courtyard. Under normal circumstances, who would dare to act like this in Wanchao City, where the Li family had such a status? Yet, the Li family's guards, seeing the figures flash in mid-air, could only pretend not to see anything. It's common knowledge not to offend the people of the Martial Deity Hall, even more so than offending the royal family.
Meanwhile, Li Han, watching the direction where the two disappeared, sighed after a moment and clapped his hands, "Someone, come here!" Several guards quickly ran over. Li Han casually threw out the scroll of the portrait and ordered indifferently, "Arrange for a search throughout the city immediately. If you find any trace of this person, inform me at once." The guards took the order and left. It seemed that other members of the Li family also received orders and dispersed like a tide. Soon, only Li Yi and his father, Li Han, were left in the VIP seats.
Li Han stood with his hands behind his back, gazing into the sky, lost in thought. Li Yi felt uneasy; with the Li family's immense power in Wanchao, finding Ruolin might not be difficult. If that girl had recovered her abilities, it would be one thing, but if she was still in her half-dead state, falling into the Li family's hands would mean a terrible fate. Thinking of this, Li Yi felt a headache. Speaking of Ruolin, he had no feelings for her, but having gained a great benefit from her, he couldn't just watch her be captured by the people of the Martial Deity Hall.
"What's the matter? Are you interested in the woman in the portrait?" Li Han, very aware of his son's nature, turned around and asked with a teasing smile. Li Yi, however, wouldn't reveal those matters and simply shook his head, saying, "No, I was just thinking about what Priest Bei meant by asking me to join the Martial Deity Hall."
Hearing 'Martial Deity Hall,' Li Han's expression changed slightly, and after a moment, he sighed, "My son, if you could join the Martial Deity Hall, our Li family would rise with the tide. With the Martial Deity Hall as our backer, how could the Mo and Long families dare oppose us? But it's not easy to get into the Martial Deity Hall. Every year, millions want to join, but how many actually make it?" Li Yi frowned slightly and asked, "What do you mean? Is it because of the God-Worshipping Ritual?" Li Han nodded and said, "Exactly, the God-Worshipping Ritual. It's said to be the only chance each year for the Martial Deity Hall to select priests. Even the big families in the empire have to go through this ritual to get their children into the Martial Deity Hall. But no one outside knows exactly how the priests are selected in the ritual... All I know is that only those below the level of Warrior are eligible to participate in the ritual, and out of a hundred participants, if even one survives, that's the highest probability. Those who come out alive can join the Martial Deity Hall and cultivate its profound techniques and Martial Techniques, but the odds of one in a hundred..."
"With your talent and roots, you are our direct line's greatest reliance against those old monsters. Although those two have spoken, we still need to find an excuse to decline this matter. You don't need to worry too much."
...
The serene moonlight, like flowing water, spread throughout the room. Li Yi, sitting cross-legged on the bed, finally exhaled his last breath and saw the surging Yuanqi slowly retract into his body. Although the Yuanqi was still surging, Li Yi didn't feel any breakthrough, which made him quite unhappy, and he couldn't help but sigh. A faint red light emanated from the Yunhuang Ring on his finger, quickly forming an aged figure. The Serpent Venerable, looking down at Li Yi, shook his head slightly and said, "You, lad, are indeed ambitious. Did you really think that fighting those two battles today would make you break through?"
Li Yi snorted and said, "Old Coot, you were the one who said that it's only in life and death situations that one's temperament can be truly honed, and maybe even breakthroughs can be achieved. But I just tried, and I didn't feel any change in my Yuanqi; it's no different than before." The Serpent Venerable gave a wry smile and replied, "What you did today, was that what you call a life and death struggle? You were just bullying them, weren't you? If breakthroughs were that easy, then strong individuals on the continent would be worthless."
Li Yi touched his nose and murmured, "That's true. It seems if I want to speed up my cultivation, I need to find more weapons filled with the energy of blood and slaughter. That's the right path." He then asked, "By the way, Old Coot, those two from the Martial Deity Hall today, what level do you think they were?"
"Those two?" The Serpent Venerable hesitated for a moment and then said, "I didn't probe too much from within the Yunhuang Ring, fearing they might notice something. But if my feeling is right, at least one of them is a King level fighter."
"King level..." Li Yi inhaled sharply, no wonder those two, despite doing nothing, gave him a sense of invisible pressure. So one of them was a King level fighter, but he wasn't sure if it was Xia Chen or Priest Bei... In Wanchao City, among the three great families, the strongest were only Warriors, and even someone as powerful as Li Han, a nine-crystal peak Warrior, was still a Warrior, and the gap between that and a King was more than just a word. It's no wonder Li Han was somewhat cautious in front of those two.
"Kid," the Serpent Venerable suddenly said with a strange expression as Li Yi was contemplating the power of a King, "Those two from the Martial Deity Hall today, did they mention the God-Worshipping Ritual to you?"
Seeing the expression on the Serpent Venerable's face, Li Yi was slightly startled and asked, "Old Coot, you know about the God-Worshipping Ritual?"
"God-Worshipping Ritual? God-Worshipping Ritual! Heh..." The Serpent Venerable's face showed a bit of emotion before he continued lightly, "Others may not know what the God-Worshipping Ritual is, but I have some idea. The priests of the Martial Deity Hall, to select the most suitable candidates from among countless talents to inherit the Martial Deity Hall's legacy, conduct it every year."
"And this so-called God-Worshipping Ritual, it sounds nice, but in reality, it's survival of the fittest!"
"What do you mean?" Li Yi couldn't help but frown.
The Serpent Venerable grinned and explained, "It's simple. They send all participants of the God-Worshipping Ritual to a dangerous place, and then the last ones standing are qualified to inherit the Martial Deity Hall's legacy, that's all..."
Li Yi's lips curved into a cold smile, "I see. No wonder nobody who enters the Martial Deity Hall talks about it. If outsiders knew about it, probably nobody would want to participate in this so-called God-Worshipping Ritual, right? The Martial Deity Hall really has a cunning plan."
"Indeed, if others knew about such a place, they would probably be too scared to even think about it... But kid, you must not miss this God-Worshipping Ritual."
"Why is that?"
"It's simple," the Serpent Venerable's eyes suddenly blazed with passion, "We use the energy of blood and slaughter from weapons to form the Blood Demon Array, which is also known as the Land of Blood and Slaughter, but it inevitably has many flaws. However, the places where the God-Worshipping Ritual is conducted have accumulated countless vengeful spirits over hundreds of years. That's the real Land of Blood and Slaughter..."