Chapter 11: Lord Li’s Perspective is Above Everyone Else

Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Lord Li’s Perspective is Above Everyone Else

’What are they talking about?’

Shi Xiang felt like he was listening to gibberish. The more he listened, the more confused he became.

As the group ignored him, Shi Xiang, still holding the Secret Manual aloft, grew increasingly awkward. He finally couldn’t resist interrupting, "Who in the world are you people?"

’I’ve been wronged.’ Shi Xiang had assumed he was the center of attention, that this group was after his Dragon Emperor Spell. But looking at the situation now, that didn’t seem to be the case.

’These guys don’t seem to give a damn about the Dragon Emperor Spell, yet they called out my name during the fight. They obviously know who I am.’

’But I’m already seriously injured.’

’So why aren’t they trying to snatch the Dragon Emperor Spell? Instead, they’re discussing whether their teamwork was any good while playing soccer?’

’That was no damn ball! It was clearly a human head, wasn’t it?’

’What kind of fucking lunatics have I run into?’

"I almost forgot, we still have a few captives, don’t we?" Li Ye gathered his scattered thoughts and turned his gaze toward Shi Xiang.

Cai Jun was still unconscious. Xu Peng struggled to stand in front of Shi Xiang, seemingly protecting him, but the hand holding his blade was trembling. His eyes, a mix of confusion and fear, revealed he wasn’t as strong as he appeared.

Everything that had happened tonight was too bizarre—so bizarre that it was completely beyond his comprehension, making his skin crawl.

Xu Peng had carefully observed the head and confirmed it was real. ’But how can a real human head be impervious to a blade and still be so... elastic?’

So much so that when Li Ye’s gaze shifted to him, he couldn’t help but shiver.

"Who in the world are you people?" Meeting Li Ye’s intense gaze, Shi Xiang lowered his voice and instinctively adopted a humbler attitude. "Has there been some kind of misunderstanding between us?"

’Any life is better than death.’

’My master is a Grandmaster, and I just got the Dragon Emperor Spell, a Secret Manual from a senior who once dominated the Martial Arts World. My future is boundless. I’m not about to die a meaningless death at the hands of a bunch of lunatics.’

"No misunderstanding. Things aren’t that coincidental in this world. We were here specifically for you." Li Ye sized up Shi Xiang, then abruptly changed the subject. "Shi Xiang, ever consider joining our club as a forward?"

Shi Xiang’s mind was already running through various strategies to deal with the Dragon Emperor Spell. He’d even prepared lines for threats, pleas, and defiant stands. But the question Li Ye lobbed at him caught him completely off guard. He was stunned. "What forward?"

Before Li Ye could speak, Liu Guangsheng and the others were already anxious.

Liu Guangsheng said, "Lord Li, there are so many of us. Why are you asking him to be the forward? He’s from the Red Flame Sect!"

"To me, there’s not much difference between the Red Flame Sect and you guys." Li Ye glanced back at them, shaking his head. "Your comprehension is lacking. Naturally, I have to find a better replacement..."

Fan Jie looked desperate. "Lord Li, this is our first time fighting together! We’re not familiar with how to cultivate Spiritual Power. After a few more practice runs, we’ll naturally get the hang of it."

Yu Fei looked at Li Ye with pleading eyes. "Lord Li, please give us a few more chances..."

Deng Wei said, "Lord Li, you broke his leg! He can’t be a forward!"

Yu Qiang added, "People from the Red Flame Sect are ruthless. If we spare him today, he’ll definitely take revenge on us once he’s healed."

Zhu Gaojie chimed in, "Exactly, Lord Li! We’ve already offended him badly tonight..."

...

No one cared about the Dragon Emperor Spell anymore. They had finally gotten a taste of the sweetness of Spiritual Power, and now Li Ye suddenly wanted to replace them. No one was willing to accept that, especially since the replacement was their enemy.

Everyone was talking over each other, trying to persuade Li Ye to give up the idea.

They knew that once Li Ye gave up on them, they could forget about ever getting back on the team.

’There are too many talented people in the world. If Lord Li keeps rotating the roster like this, it’s only a matter of time before we’re all cut...’

Yet, they had no way to restrain Li Ye. Just this morning, they had been his enemies; they didn’t even have a friendly relationship to speak of.

"My mind is made up." Li Ye swept a cold gaze over the crowd. "Anyone who says another word gets kicked off the team right now. There are plenty of people over there waiting for a spot."

The phrase "if you won’t do it, plenty of others are waiting to" was a silver bullet. With that one counter, Li Ye swiftly suppressed all opposition.

’This is a seller’s market. I hold all the cards.’

Liu Guangsheng and the others didn’t dare to speak again. They could only glare viciously at Shi Xiang, wishing they could flay him and gnaw his bones.

’I can’t be bothered with all that. Only a fool puts all their eggs in one basket. A smart person diversifies their investments. Liu Guangsheng’s team, Shi Xiang... they’re all strangers to me. It makes no difference who I use.’

’As an outsider, what position do I have to take?’

’The Celestial Dao Alliance and the Red Flame Sect are all the same to me.’

Besides.

’Liu Guangsheng and his men were originally a single clique. Over time, as they grow stronger, I’ll lose the upper hand if I become dependent on them.’

’It’s better to introduce competition from the very beginning. Bringing in outside talent will keep them in check. That’s the only way to build a team that’s exclusively mine. The members will feel a sense of crisis, which will fuel their ambition. And that’s how I’ll be able to control them perfectly.’

’The most crucial point is that I still want the Dragon Emperor Spell in Shi Xiang’s hands.’

’Any direct approach might trigger Shi Xiang’s defiant streak and make him work against me. It’s better to give him hope from an indirect angle, get him to forget about the Dragon Emperor Spell and focus on his own survival.’

’If I win Shi Xiang over, the Dragon Emperor Spell will be mine anyway. I want the man, and I want the Secret Manual.’

’Moreover, Shi Xiang is young, handsome, from a prestigious sect, and holds a controversial item like the Dragon Emperor Spell.’

’With all these buffs stacked together, it’ll be much easier for the club to build him up into a star player than it would be to train a bunch of nobodies like Liu Guangsheng from the ground up.’

That’s right.

’I’m going to follow the club model to develop my presence in this world. I want to test the limits of this demonic artifact.’

’Who says you have to lie low to survive?’

’The best place to hide is in plain sight.’

’By binding more people to my side, turning enemies into friends... my chances of survival in this strange world will increase dramatically...’

’The meaning behind a soccer club’s Team Emblem is unity, ambition, glory, honor, sports, profit, management...’

’I’m not stupid enough to hold a demonic artifact like this and go around making enemies everywhere.’

’From the very beginning, I’ve only had one enemy: the Demons invading this world.’

’Behind Shi Xiang is a Grandmaster, representing the pinnacle of this world’s martial power.’

’A Grandmaster with the power to Divide River and Break Mountain is an expert even among Demon Hunters. That’s someone worth winning over.’

’From start to finish, the Star Thief persona was just a cover I created for self-preservation and to make it easier to operate.’

...

Shi Xiang fell for it.

He could tell that the one called Lord Li wasn’t part of the same group as these others; there was even a hint of friction between them. His eyes lit up, and in that moment, it was as if he saw a glimmer of hope for survival.

Ignoring the hateful glares from the crowd, Shi Xiang stood up on one leg and declared to Li Ye, "Lord Li, I am willing to be your forward, and I can swear I will never seek revenge."

"Do you even know what a forward is?" Yu Qiang, burning with jealousy, looked at Shi Xiang and sneered, "And you want to be one?"

"I am honored that Lord Li thinks so highly of me. I would climb a mountain of swords or plunge into a sea of fire for him," Shi Xiang retorted sharply.

"Good. Welcome to the Fun People Club." Li Ye smiled and extended his hand to Shi Xiang. "Shi, you won’t regret this decision."

Shi Xiang looked at Li Ye’s outstretched hand, confused, not knowing what he wanted.

"This is our custom, a handshake," Li Ye explained. "It also means to shake hands and make peace."

Shi Xiang gave an awkward laugh and reached out to shake Li Ye’s hand.

The moment their hands met, Shi Xiang felt a peculiar energy pass from Li Ye’s hand into his body. He subconsciously tried to mobilize his Inner Strength to resist it, but the power was like a clay ox entering the sea—it vanished in an instant without a trace.

Remembering the strangeness of the night and his theory that they were an Evil Cult, Shi Xiang was horrified. He violently pulled his hand away from Li Ye’s. "What did you do?"

The moment the words left his mouth, he froze again.

His ankle was broken, and his groin had been kicked by Li Ye. Both were serious injuries, causing excruciating pain that he was only suppressing with his profound Inner Strength.

After that strange wisp of energy entered his body, the excruciating pain from his injuries vanished in an instant.

His two "bells" had been on fire, swollen into a large, bruised mass. But now, a cool sensation was spreading through the area. Shi Xiang could even feel the clotted blood rapidly dispersing.

His broken ankle also seemed to have regained some mobility. Even the night sky seemed to brighten.

Shi Xiang looked astonished. He glanced at his ankle, then looked around, and finally had to admit a miracle had truly happened to him. He swallowed hard. "Lord Li, this...?"

"This is the Spiritual Power they were talking about." Li Ye gave him a knowing smile and called over to Liu Guangsheng and the others, "Carry our new teammate’s two companions back to the cave. And someone find the time to tell Shi Xiang about Lord Li’s background..."