After meridian connection comes the transcendence of the mundane; the most evident manifestation of this transcendent state lies in the ability of spiritual power to launch attacks independently.
At this moment, a transcendent expert executes a palm strike. Immediately, Luli senses a pervasive and ominous aura surrounding him. If this palm were to land, even if Luli were at the peak of meridian connection, he wouldn't withstand the wrathful blow of a transcendent expert.
"Zhang Yao from the Zhang family has made a move. Luli is finished this time. Zhang Yao is, after all, a transcendent expert!"
"Why would the Zhang family take such action? Aren't they afraid of offending the Lu family?"
"Offend the Lu family? Haven't you noticed that none of the transcendent experts from the Lu family have intervened?"
"It seems Luli is destined to die today!"
The air thickens with the scent of impending doom. Luli feels as though he is placed in the midst of an endless storm, suffocating under the weight of the terrifying aura.
Everyone believes Luli is facing certain death. The Lu family members refrain from interfering, leaving Luli with no one to rescue him.
Suddenly, a figure ascends the stage. With a wave of long sleeves, the terrifying aura dissipates. The palm imprint shatters as if struck by a colossal hammer on crystal.
As the threat subsides, Luli finally breathes a sigh of relief. He looks towards the newcomer, and to his surprise, it's Lord Longcheng. In this moment, Luli glances in the direction of the Lu family – Lu Tianxiong, you are truly a good father to Luli!
"Zhang Yao, you are disrupting the fair competition!"
A dignified voice echoes, pressing down on Zhang Yao, who has just entered the stage. An invisible pressure fills the air, making it difficult for Luli, even at a distance, to catch his breath.
"Lord, Zhang Yao doesn't dare!"
"In the arena, injuries and deaths are inevitable. Moreover, everyone has witnessed that Zhang Zifeng was not killed by Luli but fell victim to his own ill-fated choices. Zhang Zifeng's every move was filled with murderous intent, and everyone can see that even if Luli personally killed your son today, he deserved it!"
"Yes, Lord, your guidance is wise!"
At this moment, Lord Longcheng acts as a just arbiter for Luli. Surprisingly, even Zhang Yao, despite his resentment, has no choice but to suppress his animosity in the face of the City Lord of Donglin.
Lord Longcheng's words are fair. Zhang Zifeng's every move was filled with murderous intent, and even if Luli had killed him, it would have been justified. Is there a principle that only you can kill, and others cannot defend themselves?
"Luli, step down."
Lord Longcheng looks towards Luli and calmly speaks.
"But, Lord, I have only won one match!"
"Since I have spoken, if you wish to step onto the stage again, you can."
Upon hearing Lord Longcheng's words, Luli glances at the lifeless body of Zhang Zifeng below the stage.
"Can I retrieve my knife? After all, it cost dozens of silver coins!"
Lord Longcheng finds it amusing, and Zhang Yao is already furious. Luli, having killed his son, now wants to retrieve the knife, as if pulling the blade from his son's heart right in front of him.
"Do you dare!"
Zhang Yao shouts, but a glare from Lord Longcheng silences him.
"Zhang Yao, if you dare to act recklessly again, don't blame me for being impolite. Considering the pain of losing your son, I won't pursue this today. Now, leave the stage!"
Hearing Lord Longcheng's words, Zhang Yao doesn't dare to say more and immediately jumps down from the stage.
"Wei Er, fetch my knife!"
At this moment, a guard from Lord Longcheng's retinue swiftly enters the Lord's residence. In a blink of an eye, he returns to the martial arts arena with a knife.
Lord Longcheng grabs the knife from the direction of the guard, and the blade seems to be drawn into his hand out of thin air through the manipulation of spiritual power.
Lord Longcheng supports the long knife with his spiritual power and hands it to Luli.
"Do not retract your knife; consider this a gift from me. Although the spirit within the blade has shattered, it is still made of spirit-forged material!"
Everyone is incredulous, looking towards the stage. Lord Longcheng has unexpectedly gifted Luli a spiritual weapon. Even among the prominent families of Donglin City, not everyone possesses such a treasure. The family head of the Lu family, Lu Tianxiong, owns a spiritual weapon longsword, but it is only a damaged one, slightly superior to this spirit-deprived long knife.
Luli glances at Lord Longcheng without refusing and accepts the long knife, then jumps down from the stage.
After this scene, the grand competition doesn't unfold with much excitement.
The first day of the competition is more of a probing phase since the grand competition spans three days, and the elite scions of the major families will undoubtedly reveal their prowess later.
As the first day's competition concludes, no one expected that the sickly son of the Lu family would kill Zhang Zifeng, a fourth-stage meridian connection disciple of the Zhang family.
Moreover, Lord Longcheng intervened to assist Luli, even gifting him a spiritual weapon.
If Lord Longcheng were merely upholding justice, it would be acceptable, as being the City Lord naturally entails the duty of maintaining justice. However, the act of giving a knife has sparked various speculations.
In the Lord's residence, only one person accompanies Lord Longcheng.
"How did the investigation go?"
"Reporting, Young Master, the Dragon Blood Guards have confirmed that the Feihu Stronghold and the Blackwater Stronghold were indeed annihilated by Luli!"
"Are you certain?"
"Luli may deceive others, but he cannot deceive the Dragon Blood Guards. In truth, his actions in this matter were far from perfect."
"In what way?"
"There are numerous flaws in this matter. The most significant one is the group of abducted women from the Feihu Stronghold; they were found in a courtyard in the southern part of the city. Coincidentally, this courtyard was purchased by Luli a few days ago."
"Furthermore, on the day when the Feihu Stronghold and Blackwater Stronghold were annihilated, Luli was seen leaving the city. Additionally, we discovered this in the Blackwater Stronghold!"
The guard presents several fragments of steel knives. Astonishingly, one of the fragments bears the character 'Lu.'
"We investigated and confirmed that this knife was forged by the Lu family's ironworks and was stored in the Lu family's hidden arsenal. On the day the Blackwater Stronghold was destroyed, only Luli from the Lu family left the city."
"Why do you think he destroyed the Feihu Stronghold and the Blackwater Stronghold?"
"I believe it was for training."
"Dismissed."
After the guard leaves, Lord Longcheng looks towards a corner.
"Go to the courtyard where Luli lives; the Zhang family is unlikely to let this matter rest. There's no need for you to take action!"
By now, Luli has returned to the recently acquired courtyard. Upon his return, the first thing he does is move his mother to the new residence.
Luli dismisses his mother and starts practicing his knife skills in the courtyard. The knife gifted by Lord Longcheng is indeed an excellent blade, though it pales in comparison to the Red Sleeve Knife.
After a while, Luli sheaths his knife and gazes towards a corner.
"Since you're here, there's no need to skulk in the shadows."
"Luli, it seems you are eager for death!"
In the night, three figures approach from the direction Luli was observing. Clad in dark clothing suitable for night operations, each of them wields a weapon—two swords and a knife.
As soon as they appear, they form a triangular formation, enclosing Luli.
"Don't worry; I won't run."
Luli speaks and suddenly unsheathes his knife. The glint of the blade results in a decapitated head rolling away. A headless corpse spills its warm blood until the moment of death, unaware of the reason for its demise.