Chapter 79: Getting Beat Up In A Flash
Chapter 79: Getting Beat Up In A Flash
Chapter 79
Silence... a deep, rumbling silence... permeated the entire training ground as everyone simply stared at the stage, unable to come to terms with what they had just witnessed.
After all, how were they supposed to believe that Li Bao... the overwhelming favorite to win the duel... had lost before the battle had even truly begun? What’s more shocking, he had lost in a flash; all Li Yu had done was grab his head and slam it into the ground.
Just like that, the duel was over. Some people rubbed their eyes repeatedly, while others simply continued staring blankly, blinking over and over again as they wondered if they were somehow hallucinating.
That had to be the only explanation for what they had just seen: Li Bao, the famed Li Flash, had been defeated in a flash before any of them had even managed to properly focus on the battle.
The reactions of the clan elders were slightly different; after all, most of them were already Bronze Core cultivators, and their strength far surpassed the two youngsters who had just dueled.
Their eyesight was naturally much sharper as well, and they had clearly seen everything that had happened. Even they had to admit, Li Yu was fast.... incredibly fast.
The elder acting as the referee was equally stunned; he hadn’t even announced the official start of the duel, yet one of the contestants was already lying unconscious on the ground.
What exactly was he supposed to do now? Should he simply declare Li Yu the winner? Undoubtedly, Li Yu had won, but he had acted before the official signal to begin the duel. Technically speaking, the battle hadn’t even started yet; could such a victory really be counted as a proper win?
Just as everyone finally began processing what had happened, whispers spread throughout the crowd like wildfire.
Among everyone present, the spectators were undoubtedly the most shocked; after all, every single one of them had expected Li Bao, the famous Li Flash, to completely dominate the duel.
Yet before they had even gotten the chance to cheer for him, he had already been knocked unconscious. "Wait, is Li Flash actually not as powerful as everyone says?"
"What are you talking about? I’ve personally seen him fight; he’s incredibly powerful."
"If he’s really as strong as you claim, then explain why he’s lying unconscious before the battle even started."
"I... I don’t know. Maybe he came to the arena drunk."
"Drunk? Didn’t you hear him speaking perfectly just moments ago? Does that sound like a drunk person to you? If anyone’s drunk here, it’s probably you."
"I’m not drunk!"
"Enough. Stop arguing, you two. I don’t think Brother Bao is weak, and I certainly don’t think he’s drunk. I think Young Master Yu is simply as powerful as the rumors claimed... didn’t you all hear what happened yesterday?"
More and more speculations quickly spread through the crowd. Some tried desperately to explain how Li Flash had gone down in a flash; others had already begun changing sides entirely, now believing Li Yu was the stronger one.
Perhaps they had finally witnessed his true strength, and as a result, they began supporting him instead. With every passing second, the number of people switching from Li Bao’s side to Li Yu’s increased at an astonishing rate.
Just as the crowd’s voices grew louder and the referee finally decided to declare the duel over, a furious voice suddenly rang out from where the elders were seated: "No! This is unacceptable! He cheated!"
The one who shouted was naturally none other than Elder Jin, Li Bao’s father.
Truthfully, even he had been too stunned by what had happened to react immediately; but now, watching his son’s supporters disappear one after another and watching everyone slowly begin to believe Li Bao wasn’t worthy of representing the clan in the upcoming Selection Tournament, he couldn’t accept it.
Because to him, that would mean his entire life’s plan had gone to waste; after all, if his son failed to enter the greatest sect on the continent... the Gold Valley Sect... then his dream of raising an unparalleled expert would completely collapse.
No, he absolutely couldn’t allow that to happen; no matter what, his son couldn’t lose, which meant he needed to give Li Bao another chance.
Every gaze immediately turned toward Elder Jin, his expression filled with fury. "You attacked him viciously while he was still speaking! Not only that, the duel hadn’t even officially begun. You attacked before the referee announced the start; that is against the rules.
Young Master Yu should instead be declared the loser of this duel!" He spoke with an expression full of righteous indignation, as though he alone represented justice itself. Li Yu, however, couldn’t help but feel the corners of his eyes twitch; this old man really had no shame whatsoever.
Everyone present had clearly heard Li Bao confidently declare that he would allow Li Yu to attack first without retaliating; now, after losing in a single move, they were suddenly claiming he had been caught unprepared. How utterly shameless.
Li Yu could also clearly see another reason behind Elder Jin’s actions: the old man was terrified... terrified that his son would lose. That was why he wanted to disqualify Li Yu without allowing another battle to take place.
However, the other elders had no intention of allowing such blatant injustice to pass unchallenged. "Enough with your nonsense, Jin," one of the elders coldly interrupted.
"We were all present, and every single one of us clearly heard your son give Young Master Yu permission to attack him with everything he had."
"We were all excited; we thought we were finally going to witness your infamous talented son display his strength in battle.
And yet, I have to admit, I’m rather disappointed.... he couldn’t even last a single move."
Another elder couldn’t help but add, "No, not only that, why are you acting as though you wanted your son to win without even fighting? Or are you simply afraid of him losing?" The more the elders spoke, the uglier Elder Jin’s expression became.
Even Elder Raijin, the elder who had been the most furious when the Clan Lord decided to sacrifice one of the clan’s greatest treasures to help Li Yu, wasn’t supporting him; instead, he was openly speaking against him.
The Clan Lord, who had remained silent all this while, finally spoke: "I agree with Elder Jin." Everyone was stunned; every gaze immediately turned toward the Clan Lord, who looked at Li Yu with a disapproving expression.
"A duel is a duel. The two participants are not allowed to attack one another until the duel has been officially declared to have begun." Elder Jin was instantly overjoyed... the last person he had expected to support him had actually done so.
However, the Clan Lord wasn’t truly taking Elder Jin’s side; he genuinely believed Li Yu had acted incorrectly. After all, if this had been a far more official competition, Li Yu could have been severely punished for breaking the rules.
Seeing the Clan Lord’s gaze, Li Yu subconsciously lowered his head slightly, feeling as though he had genuinely done something wrong.
Even Rayden himself didn’t know why he hated being rebuked, yet whenever the Clan Lord did it, it somehow felt natural; perhaps it was because the Clan Lord had become something of a father figure to him... that was honestly the only explanation that made sense.
"Because you attacked before the duel officially began, the victory you obtained cannot be acknowledged." Elder Jin became even more delighted; he was practically fighting the urge to jump up in celebration.... yes, he had won! Or so he thought.
But then, the Clan Lord continued speaking: "...Because of that, there will be a rematch, and the true winner shall be decided then."
His calm voice carried unquestionable authority. Elder Jin’s delighted expression immediately turned solemn; truthfully, after witnessing Li Yu’s terrifying speed, his confidence in his son’s victory had already begun to crumble.
That was precisely why he wanted Li Yu to lose without another battle taking place. However, if he voiced those thoughts now, everyone would simply assume he was afraid, so he remained silent; all he could do now was pray that Li Bao would somehow win.
------
Elder Jushong helped Li Bao back onto his feet. Li Bao slowly rubbed the side of his aching head, unable to help but wonder, "What happened...?"
The last thing he remembered was a hand grabbing the side of his face; after that, everything had gone completely black. Fortunately, he wasn’t left confused for long; his father quickly explained everything that had happened.
The moment Li Bao heard there would be a rematch, his eyes immediately filled with fury, and rage bubbled within his chest. He had just suffered the greatest humiliation of his life; he had to erase it.
No matter what, he would defeat Li Yu, and he would do so in the most humiliating way imaginable. Seeing the murderous look in his son’s eyes, Elder Jin gently patted him on the shoulder before whispering into his ear, "Be careful. He’s strong."
Li Bao frowned. He firmly believed the only reason he had lost earlier was because he had lowered his guard and shown too much mercy; there was absolutely no way this so-called failed heir was stronger than him.
Even so, he nodded; he would prove to everyone that they had been mistaken. The one they should truly fear was him. Throughout all of this, Li Yu remained standing exactly where he was, one hand rested inside his pocket.
His gaze remained calm, steady, and precise. He looked confident... almost too confident. Seeing that expression, Li Bao became even angrier.
"I’ll make him scream," he muttered in a low voice as he slowly assumed a battle stance.
Li Yu merely stared at him, his expression remaining neutral... almost completely blank.
If anything, Li Yu simply felt that all of this was becoming a chore; after all, he had already defeated this guy once. Then, his eyes suddenly showed a hint of amusement as they landed on Li Bao’s furious expression.... this guy actually believed he still had a chance of winning!
Li Yu couldn’t help but find it funny; both the father and the son desperately needed to be put back in their place. While he wasn’t yet strong enough to deal with Elder Jin directly, he was more than capable of teaching Li Bao a proper lesson, and he intended to do exactly that.
After confirming that both participants were ready, the referee finally shouted, "The duel... begins!" Immediately, Li Bao exploded forward with lightning-fast speed; in barely three seconds, he had already reached Li Yu.
Without holding back, he threw a powerful punch straight toward Li Yu’s face; he intended to completely disfigure that bastard. Yet, just before the punch could connect, Li Yu casually tilted his head.
The attack missed. Li Bao’s eyes widened in surprise; however, he immediately followed up with another powerful punch. Li Yu dodged once again. Then another, and another.
Soon, the two figures were moving across the enormous dueling arena at astonishing speed; one relentlessly attacked, the other effortlessly evaded.
At first, the crowd remained calm, but as five whole minutes passed and Li Bao still hadn’t managed to land even a single hit, the expressions of everyone present gradually filled with disbelief.
The famous Li Flash couldn’t land a single attack on the so-called failed heir... it sounded like something that could only happen in a fairy tale; no, it sounded so absurd, so impossible, that it felt more like something from a nightmare.
And yet, they were witnessing it with their own eyes. The Li Flash was mostly known for his speed, and yes, he was attacking really fast, yet Li Yu, with his two hands tucked inside his pockets, was dodging and evading all those attacks without even the slightest sign of discomfort on his face.
"He is extremely fast. The Li Flash is really fast," one person from the crowd said with a stunned gaze.
"Yes, he is fast, but Young Master Yu is even faster. He is dodging all the attacks without even the slightest mishap."
"Yeah, can’t you see? He is so relaxed. His two hands are still inside his pockets, acting as if this is just a stroll in the park. And look at Brother Bao, he looks as if he is barely holding on. I think the one that will win this battle should already be clear. I don’t see Brother Bao winning anymore."
"Me too." "Me three." "Me four." "Me ten."
Hearing the crowd gradually shift to Li Yu’s side, Li Bao’s expression darkened further. He gritted his teeth and began pouring even stronger force behind every one of his attacks.
"Come on! Stop running, you coward, and attack!" he shouted at Li Yu, who merely looked at him with a faint smile.
"Are you sure about that?" Li Yu asked as he effortlessly dodged another kick that smashed into the floor, caving it in.
"Yes! Stop running around like a coward and fight me like a real man!" Li Bao shouted as he continued attacking relentlessly.
"Okay... as you wish then," Li Yu replied as he slowly pulled one hand out of his pocket. And then... Bang! Li Bao’s head violently snapped to the side.
He had been hit, yet he didn’t even know what had hit him. He staggered backward several steps before finally managing to stop himself; holding his cheek, he suddenly felt something warm inside his mouth. He spat. Blood.
It was blood. Li Bao’s expression changed instantly as he stared at Li Yu with murderous eyes. "You bastard!" he cursed. He had been injured, and he hadn’t even seen how it happened; this bastard had to be cheating somehow.
The crowd gasped the moment they saw the blood dripping from the corner of Li Bao’s mouth. "Wait... when did he hit him? Did you catch that?"
"No! I only heard a bang, and then Brother Bao staggered as if someone had smashed his head with a hammer."
"Wait... does that mean Young Master Yu attacked so fast that none of us even saw it happen?"
"Isn’t that mind-blowing?"
"Well, the fact that Brother Bao hasn’t even managed to land a single hit is the most mind-blowing thing that has ever happened to me."
"Maybe this is it. Brother Bao can’t win anymore."
"I think the title of Li Flash should be given to Young Master Yu instead."
"Yeah! I support that. Today really did surprised all of us, didn’t it, dear?"
"Yes, Mom. The Li Flash is getting beaten in a flash."
The more Li Bao heard those words, the more ashamed and humiliated he became; even little kids were laughing at him now. He slowly turned his bloodshot, furious eyes toward Li Yu, whose hand had already returned to his pocket, a small mocking smile resting on Li Yu’s face.
"Are you ready to admit defeat, or do you want to be knocked out a second time before you finally realize that you can’t win?" he asked calmly.
Sincerely, this battle was already starting to bore Li Yu. Li Bao, however, refused to admit defeat to someone who had only recently stepped out of the Body Refinement Realm.
"No... never!" he roared. He rushed forward once more and launched another barrage of lightning-fast attacks. Yet, just like before, Li Yu calmly dodged every single strike with smooth, expert precision, his gaze remaining calm and composed.
"Come on! Fight back!" Li Bao shouted. Then, he paused, because it felt like déjà vu.
"With pleasure," Li Yu replied as he once again brought his hand out of his pocket.
Li Bao heightened all of his senses, ready to dodge or block whatever attack was coming. Yet the very next thing he heard was.... Bang! A deafening impact echoed as his head spun violently; his vision blurred as he stared at the clouds swirling above him.
He couldn’t help but wonder... Wait... are the skies dancing? Li Bao swayed unsteadily before collapsing onto the ground with a loud bang, his head spinning uncontrollably.
Li Yu slowly withdrew his fist, his expression remaining calm as he spoke: "I’ll tell you once more. Give up, and you can save yourself from the beating. If you don’t... then you’ll only have yourself to blame for what happens next."
Li Bao wasn’t even listening anymore; his nerves throbbed with pain, his head spun with dizziness, and his mind was in complete turmoil.
How... how is he doing that...? I can’t... I can’t even see him make a move...