Long Aotian grunted and said, "Long someone has said all that needs to be said. Whether it's true or false, Leader Yin should have a judgement in his heart." This sudden statement from Long Aotian indeed kept Yin Tianjie's mind buzzing. His gaze fell on Li Yi, uncertain of what he was thinking. Li Yi, however, was not angered. He looked at Long Aotian from a distance and couldn't help but shake his head slightly. This Young Master Long was indeed extraordinary! He knew that even a casual explanation to Yin Tianjie, given his character, would not be easily believed. But, by acting this way today, appearing so useless, it immediately planted a seed of doubt in Yin Tianjie's mind: How could such a useless person ever stand against his son? At this moment, Yin Tianjie harbored doubts, so a little explanation, seemingly showing weakness, was actually a clever tactic. Even if Yin Tianjie didn't believe it now, he would surely investigate it later. This delay could possibly reveal the truth to Yin Tianjie and, at the very least, it would reduce countless losses for the Long family... Such a cunning plan! But isn't he afraid of losing his life at any moment? Li Yi's gaze fell on Long Aotian, a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes. Did Long Aotian think that with the protection of Ye Qingma, Li Yi wouldn't dare to act against him? Or did he think that if Li Yi did act, Yin Tianjie would turn his suspicions towards Li Yi? Regardless, Long Aotian's scheme today could be deemed mostly successful. Li Yi had unwittingly fallen into this trap; it seems he was just careless. It appears that, if given the chance, Long Aotian must be eliminated first; otherwise, he would become a formidable enemy in the future. Li Yi and Long Aotian's gazes met, and at that moment, both harbored murderous intentions. However, upon this exchange of looks, they both subtly smiled at each other. At the main seat, Ye Qingma slightly tilted his head, sensing that the current situation was all within his junior brother's calculations. But, was Li Yi capable of extricating himself from this situation? If he could, then perhaps he would be worthy of Ye Qingma's intervention. Great masters are indeed lonely! Ye Qingma sighed lightly, his smile growing more playful. Yin Tianjie's expression changed numerous times, finally, he smiled lightly and said, "It seems I need to investigate that day's incident thoroughly. Young Master Long, if you have lied to me today... I assure you, I will personally storm the Long residence and make your death a miserable one..." "And you?" he said, turning his gaze back to Li Yi. Li Yi smiled lightly and asked, "What? Leader Yin, you want to make a move against me?" "I, Yin Tianjie, may be impulsive, but I am not foolish," Yin Tianjie said lightly. Suddenly, his gaze fell on Ruo Yun beside Li Yi, his face showing a hint of astonishment, followed by a smile, "I came here today just to find Miss Ruo Yun... Let's not talk about other matters. Just hand her over to me, Young Master Li, and I naturally won't trouble you here." Yin Tianjie gestured slightly, his covetous gaze already fixed on Ruo Yun. Li Yi, however, clearly understood that no matter what the relationship between Ruo Yun and Little Li Yi was, allowing her to be taken away today would likely ruin the situation he had painstakingly orchestrated. Moreover, such an unparalleled beauty, if fallen into the hands of a person like Yin Tianjie, the consequences were predictable. Immediately, Li Yi did not even glance at Yin Tianjie, but instead turned to look at the stunningly beautiful face of Ruo Yun and said indifferently, "Don't worry, this person won't be able to take you away." Ruo Yun's eyes, initially resolute, were shaken by Li Yi's words, and she couldn't help but glance at him, her eyes revealing a hint of surprise. "Step aside!" Yin Tianjie, on the other hand, had already strode forward, seemingly intending to pull Ruo Yun away. Li Yi, appearing nonchalant, stepped forward and smiled faintly at Yin Tianjie, "If you step aside, I won't have to personally send you away." "Send me away?" Yin Tianjie laughed, "If it were Li Han speaking, perhaps there would be some credibility, but you... Boy, are you not afraid of death?" Li Yi smiled slightly, "I, Li Yi, have killed fighters of the Fighter level before. Leader Yin, you are at best a peak Warrior, today I really want to see who is courting death." "Very well!" Yin Tianjie showed surprise, "It seems the rumors of Li Yi being no longer the waste of the past are true. I thought they were false, but now it seems, at least his spine has stiffened a lot... I won't bully you. If you can defeat my subordinate, then I will spare you today. How about that?" Li Yi replied indifferently, "You got it wrong. It should be I who will spare you, not you sparing me." "Sharp-tongued kid!" Yin Tianjie's face revealed a cold smile, "Ma Fan, take good care of our Young Master Li. Be gentle, don't injure him, lest Li Han comes after me!" Saying so, he stepped back a few paces, watching Li Yi with interest. With his insight, he could tell that Li Yi was at best a one-crystal Fighter. Such a person, what arrogance did he possess? Ma Fan, the burly man, sneered and stepped forward, "Young Master Li, you better use your weapon. I won't take advantage of you." Li Yi, unceremoniously, stepped forward, his right hand flipping, and a long spear appeared in his hand. He pointed the spear tip slightly and said indifferently, "Too much nonsense, in the end, we still have to fight, right? Come on!"
Ma Fan grunted and, without further ado, smacked his right hand and threw a punch towards Li Yi's chest. Li Yi sneered, flicked his right hand, and his spear lashed towards Ma Fan's arm. With a "clang", the spear struck Ma Fan's hand but was deflected, leaving not even a scratch. "Kid, this guy must have cultivated earth-based Qi, probably one of the strongest in defense. However, his technique seems to be of a lower grade. With your strength and caution, he shouldn't be too hard to handle," the voice of the Snake Venerable echoed in Li Yi's mind. Li Yi nodded slightly. He had heard that each type of Qi had its unique characteristics, and earth-based Qi, once mastered, made the body as hard as rock. Li Yi had heard about someone in the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group who practiced a technique called Iron Wall Decision, which made their arms harder than metal, likely referring to Ma Fan. This technique was tricky for others but especially challenging for Li Yi, whose strength lay in swiftly taking lives in seemingly impossible situations. But with Iron Wall Decision, the user's body had few weaknesses, making it difficult for Li Yi, a Fighter, to penetrate such defense.
Seeing his attack miss, Ma Fan clapped his hands, and a surge of Qi erupted, smashing down in a move called "Rock Break Chaos." Li Yi's pupils constricted slightly, not daring to confront it head-on, and swiftly dodged to the side. Fortunately, Li Yi's speed was exceptional, and Ma Fan's attack missed. The table shattered under Ma Fan's strike, scattering food and drink everywhere. Li Yi quickly moved behind Ma Fan, his spear thrusting towards his back. "Ding!" The spear pierced Ma Fan's armor but slid off as if striking metal. His Iron Wall Decision had even reached his body? Li Yi was shocked, realizing that Ma Fan's strength was probably above a three-crystal Warrior. Such a robust body, combined with Qi armor, was beyond Li Yi's current capacity to contend with, unless he used the Qingyun Hand technique. But using Qingyun Hand now would be akin to admitting his guilt in Yin Xu's murder. Before he could finish this thought, Ma Fan turned and punched again.
Li Yi felt a bit bitter but then brightened. No matter how strong the technique, it couldn't protect the eyes, right? With this thought, Li Yi's spear whistled, and his black Qi boiled like flames. He swiftly circled Ma Fan, his spear striking like a torrential rain. The sound of "ding, ding, ding" was incessant as Li Yi aimed for Ma Fan's face, but Ma Fan, knowing his weakness, shielded it closely. Li Yi stepped back, leaped high, and his spear, glowing with even more Qi, thrust down at Ma Fan. Ma Fan's eyes gleamed as he stepped slightly, a yellowish Qi enveloping him in a Qi armor, shimmering in the air. "Boom!" Li Yi's spear struck Ma Fan's hand again, creating sparks, but it only forced Ma Fan back a few steps. The earth-based Qi truly lived up to its reputation for defense.
Li Yi's spear struck, relentless in his attack, combining kicks and punches, his Qi burning fiercely. He used the low-level fighting techniques he learned in the Wuyuan Pavilion, rapidly integrating the Illusory Killing moves, enhancing the techniques' speed and power. Yet, the effect seemed minimal. Li Yi felt each of his strikes hitting Ma Fan's Qi armor but rebounding, numbing his limbs. Eventually, he realized that continuing would only deplete his Qi with no real effect. He stopped, retreated quickly, and discarded his now deformed spear, his gaze fixed on Ma Fan. A prepared Warrior was indeed a tough defense to break.
Ma Fan slowly lowered his arms, which trembled slightly unseen, his gaze filled with murderous intent as if he wanted to tear Li Yi apart. "Kid, unless you use Qingyun Hand now, defeating him won't be easy. This guy is experienced and extremely vigilant, quite different from the elder you killed," the Snake Venerable's voice echoed again.
Li Yi chuckled in his mind, replying, "No worries. Even if I can't beat him, with my speed, I can't lose... I don't believe the family hasn't gotten the news yet. I want to see who can afford to waste more time!"