Chapter 195: One More

Chapter 195

Li San looked at his cousin, who sat calmly across the stage, staring straight ahead with a strange excitement flashing within his eyes. His actions were strange, but Li San didn’t put much thought into them, instead feeling thrilled, happy, and proud even.

This cousin of his had first appeared before everyone as someone without any talent... a trash, a failure, and someone who had been looked down upon and dismissed by almost everyone who knew him.

And now? Now that very same young man had become someone that even those who called themselves geniuses and prodigies wouldn’t dare to approach when it came to talent.

Liyu’s talent had surpassed countless so-called geniuses. In fact, at this point, Li San could only describe it as the peak of being freakish. But Li San didn’t care about all of that; he was simply happy for the kid.

There was only one opponent left, only one more battle. "Take the win, kid. You got this." Li San’s voice was calm as he spoke, but there was an unmistakable confidence hidden within it. If this had been before the battle against Guan Haoran, Li San might have had some doubts about whether Liyu could truly face Shi Tian and defeat him.

Shi Tian was terrifying. The Devil of the Shi Clan. Someone who had already demonstrated strength far beyond what someone at his cultivation realm should possess. But after seeing what Liyu had just accomplished... those doubts were gone.

Liyu had managed to take down Guan Haoran against all odds, and not ordinary Guan Haoran... he had defeated Haoran while the latter was in the legendary State of Overflow. That alone was enough to change everything.

And now... Liyu was back to full health once again. That didn’t make sense whatsoever, not even a little. But then again... nothing about this kid made sense to begin with. So why should Li San be surprised anymore?

A small smile appeared on his face. Yes. He was willing to bet that Liyu would win against Shi Tian. He had his full support. Without a doubt, he believed the kid could do it. He would defeat the Devil of the Shi Clan and fulfill the promise he had made... to become the sole winner of this tournament of power.

Meanwhile, down below... Guan Xueyi was completely stunned. She had totally believed that Guan Haoran would win. Never in a thousand years would she have expected him to lose against Liyu, especially not while he was in that state. He couldn’t lose.

Not in that form. At the very least, she could picture him losing in a nightmare, but never in reality. And yet... that nightmare had become reality. He had lost. Guan Xueyi’s legs gave way.

She collapsed onto her knees, her mind completely blank as she struggled to rationalize what had just happened. She knew how powerful Haoran was. She knew it better than almost anyone, especially after he had entered that terrifying state.

He wasn’t supposed to have any rival, especially not in that state. And yet... he had been defeated.

What was even worse was the fact that Liyu seemed to have defeated him with what looked like a single punch. No. Not seemed.

He had actually defeated him with a single punch. But what was worse than that? The current state of Liyu. Guan Xueyi’s eyes slowly shifted toward him. Just a few minutes ago, that young man had been tethering on the edge of death. His body had been broken.

His bones had been shattered. His limbs had been twisted into unnatural angles. Blood had covered his entire body. He had looked like someone who could collapse and die at any moment. And now? What she saw was completely different.

A pristine young man dressed in dark robes. His long, dark hair was slightly disheveled, but aside from that, his body looked completely fine. Not merely fine. Perfect. There wasn’t even the slightest trace of the injuries he had suffered.

He even had a grin on his face as he stared forward into empty air, seemingly mumbling something beneath his breath as he continued staring at nothing in particular.

Guan Xueyi’s eyes widened. "How...?" Her lips trembled. "How is he even able to still be standing after all that?" Her mind screamed. "How?" How could someone suffer that kind of punishment and still stand?

How could someone who had been beaten almost to death only moments ago look as though he hadn’t even entered a single fight? How? How was this possible?

Her thoughts screamed louder and louder until, eventually... they simply stopped. Her mind shut down completely. She could no longer process it. She simply continued staring listlessly forward.

Meanwhile, at almost the same time... Li Feng’s eyes suddenly snapped open. He was quickly informed by the physician about what had happened, yet the information only left him even more confused.

For a while, he couldn’t understand anything. Then slowly... his memories began returning, one piece at a time. The battle against Shi Yuan. Him stepping into that state where his senses and mobility became tremendously enhanced. His seemingly endless supply of qi.

The incredible sensation of being able to perceive everything around him with terrifying clarity. All of those fragmented memories began tying themselves together. Again. And again.

More and more of his memories began surfacing from the depths of his mind. Li Feng’s expression slowly changed. Then his face became slightly grumpy. Another part of his memories had finally resurfaced. His victory over Shi Yuan. Then... him challenging Shi Tian to a battle. The moment he remembered that, his expression became even more complicated.

He had immediately stepped into the State of Flow once more. After all, out of all the opponents the Li Clan was bound to face in this tournament, Shi Tian was the one who made his senses tingle the most. Shi Tian had given him an overwhelming sense of danger.

A danger far greater than anyone else. And because of that, Li Feng had challenged him. His goal had been simple. Take Shi Tian out. Then leave the rest to Li Yuexin. If he managed to eliminate Shi Tian, then Li Feng doubted there would be many people left who could threaten Li Yuexin. So he had done exactly what he planned. He had challenged Shi Tian.

Yet... it hadn’t gone according to plan. No. Not at all. From the very beginning of the battle to its brutal conclusion, he had been completely overwhelmed. It didn’t matter that he had entered a legendary state.

It didn’t matter that his senses had been enhanced to an absurd degree. It didn’t matter that his mobility had reached an entirely different level. That guy... Shi Tian... was still able to take him down. He had even toyed with him as easily as someone playing around with a child.

Li Feng’s expression tightened as those memories continued surfacing. He remembered being forced down onto his knees after a single attack. His entire body had felt as if every single cell had been shredded apart from within.

Then came another attack. One that completely overwhelmed him. One that stripped away his consciousness. And finally... his will to fight back.

Li Feng’s breathing became slightly heavier.

Remembering how close he had been to dying made his heart tighten. The fear he held toward Shi Tian grew as well. That battle... had been brutal, to say the least. He had never experienced such a complete defeat before.

He had entered the battle believing that he could at least force Shi Tian to reveal more of his strength. Instead, he had been crushed. Completely.

Li Feng slowly exhaled. At least... he was safe now. He was alive. That was what mattered most. But as he sat there recalling everything that had happened, one thought remained deeply etched within his mind: Shi Tian was terrifying.

Li Feng looked toward the sky and realized that night had already arrived. The sky above the arena was dark, covered by the endless veil of night, and yet the entire arena remained as bright as if the sun were still hanging high above them.

This was none other than the effect of the special light crystals that had been placed at the corners of the arena. Each crystal radiated a powerful, brilliant light, illuminating the entire battlefield and ensuring that even after night had fallen, the tournament could continue without being affected by darkness.

Li Feng soon walked forward, heading toward the Li clan’s camp. As he passed through the area, his gaze subconsciously shifted toward the Shi clan’s camp. There were only two people there. One was a lady who was currently on her knees, her expression devastated and her entire posture seemingly drained of strength.

The other... Shi Tian. The guy’s eyes were still closed, and his expression remained completely unreadable. There was something about that face. Something about the calmness that remained on it despite everything that had happened. Just looking at that expression alone made Li Feng’s body shudder slightly. A strange and instinctive sense of danger crawled through him.

Li Feng quickly looked away and increased his pace. He didn’t want to stare at Shi Tian any longer than necessary. Instead, his gaze turned toward the Guan clan’s camp. There were only two people there as well.

One of them was Guan Xiu, the very person he had personally punished before. And the other... Guan Xueyi. She seemed completely devastated. Her gaze was blank as she simply stared forward without moving, as though her mind had completely shut down and she was struggling to process something that had just happened.

Li Feng followed her gaze. His eyes eventually landed on the stage. The moment he saw what was happening there, his footsteps suddenly stopped. His eyes widened. "Wait..."

His gaze shot toward the stage. "Isn’t that Liyu?" Li Feng’s expression immediately changed. What was he doing here? And why was he even allowed to be on the stage? Where was Li Yuexin? Why wasn’t she the one standing there? And more importantly... why was Liyu the only person standing on the stage?

Questions began swirling through Li Feng’s mind one after another, and the more he thought about them, the more confused he became. None of this made sense. He couldn’t wrap his head around why Liyu was on the stage in the first place, nor could he understand why he was the only one there.

Li Feng frowned and shook his head. There was only one way to get the answers he needed. He needed to speak with Li Xie and Li Jie. He was certain that the two anomalous brothers should have been healed by now.

With that thought, Li Feng changed direction and quickly headed toward where the others were gathered. However, the moment he arrived... he stopped. All three of them were there. Li Yuexin was standing together with Li Xie and Li Jie. And all three of them were staring toward the stage.

Li Yuexin had a small smile on her face, but her eyes were slightly teary, almost as if she had been crying earlier. Meanwhile, the two brothers... their mouths were still hanging wide open. Both of them looked as if they had witnessed something completely impossible.

Something that shouldn’t exist. Something that their minds were simply refusing to accept. Li Feng’s brows furrowed. "What is wrong with you guys?" His voice finally broke the trio out of their stunned state. The moment they heard that familiar voice, all three turned their gazes toward him. Their eyes widened.

"Brother Feng..." Li Xie was the first to speak. "You are finally awake." His voice carried a somber, emotional tone, and before Li Feng could even react, Li Xie rushed forward and pulled him into a hug. Li Feng smiled and patted his back. "Yeah. I’m back."

Li Jie nodded as a smile finally appeared on his face. "It’s good to have you back, Brother Feng." He paused for a moment before his expression suddenly brightened. "And we also have good news to tell you." Li Feng raised an eyebrow. "Good news?"

Li Jie nodded excitedly. "We might actually win this selection tournament." Li Feng blinked. His gaze immediately shifted toward Li Yuexin. "Junior Sister, did you win?" Li Yuexin shook her head. "No." Li Feng’s brows furrowed. "I was defeated."

Li Feng’s gaze shot upward. "Defeated?" His expression became confused. "Then what do you mean by we might win the tournament?" The moment he asked that question, all three gazes turned toward Liyu on the stage. Li Feng’s eye twitched.

A very bad feeling suddenly emerged within him. Something told him that whatever explanation they were about to give him... it wasn’t something he was going to like. In fact, he wasn’t even sure he wanted to hear it. Still, curiosity eventually won over his hesitation. His mouth opened. "It all has something to do with Liyu, doesn’t it?"

The trio nodded in unison. Li Xie turned toward Li Feng once more. "Brother Feng, we were all defeated." His expression became serious. "And our Li clan surely would have lost if not for Brother Yu." Li Feng’s eyes was filled with confusion.

Li Xie continued. "He stepped in at the last minute, and from that moment until now, he has never lost a single fight." His voice carried a strange mixture of excitement and disbelief. "There is only one final match left." Li Xie pointed toward the stage.

"And when he wins that match..." His eyes gleamed. "Our Li clan will become the sole winner of this Selection Tournament."

Li Feng’s gaze froze. For several seconds, he simply stood there without saying anything. His mind was clearly struggling to process everything he had just heard. Liyu. That seemingly useless cousin of his.

The same Liyu whom he had once known as nothing more than a failure... had actually carried the entire Li clan this far? He had defeated opponent after opponent? And now... he was standing in the final match of the tournament?

Li Feng swallowed slightly.

"Who is the last opponent?" The atmosphere around the trio suddenly changed. The excitement disappeared. Their expressions became serious. All three looked toward the stage. Then, almost simultaneously, they spoke. "Shi Tian."

Li Feng’s pupils contracted. "Shi Tian..." The Devil of the Shi clan. The atmosphere seemed to become heavier the moment that name was spoken. Li Feng’s gaze slowly shifted toward the distant Shi clan’s camp.

And at that exact moment... at the seat of the Shi clan... Shi Tian, whose eyes had remained closed throughout the entire tournament, finally opened them.