Chapter 24: The Way to Make the Match More Exciting

Chapter 24: Chapter 24: The Way to Make the Match More Exciting

"What the hell?"

Zhong Wenhao and Zhu Zhirou instinctively turned around, just in time to see an ecstatic Li Ye running past them with his hands raised high, before delivering a heavy high-five to Shi Xiang.

Gongsun Jie chased after Li Ye like a shadow, yet he always remained a hair’s breadth away.

The other players, who had been standing motionless in the back, excitedly high-fived each other in celebration as well.

"Wenhao, are we really going to attack?" Witnessing this scene, Zhu Zhirou’s mouth twitched. She looked at Zhong Wenhao in bewilderment.

"Let’s wait and see," Zhong Wenhao replied, looking equally bewildered. Up to this moment, he had absolutely no idea what was going on. In his eyes, Li Ye and his crew were nothing but a bunch of inexplicable lunatics.

The spectators in the stands were just as dumbfounded.

Many had read the rules of soccer and knew that the match was about the number of goals scored. But since he had already knocked Gongsun Jie down twice, why was he still so stubbornly trying to score? Wouldn’t it be better to have a fair and square duel with Gongsun Jie?

"Bo Han, what are Lord Li and the others doing? Why does this look like a farce?" Prefect Wei Mingze turned to the Chief Clerk beside him, asking in confusion.

"My lord, this subordinate cannot comprehend it." The Chief Clerk was a middle-aged man with a goatee. His hand paused on his beard, his brows furrowed tightly. "Lord Li seems to be toying with Gongsun Jie. I cannot figure out why he would do such a thing."

"My lord, I fear that Lord Li’s martial arts are only a hair’s breadth away from becoming a Grandmaster," the Advisor beside them said with a solemn expression. "We must report his situation to the Holy Emperor as soon as possible. The emergence of a new Grandmaster is enough to shake the entire political landscape."

"Are you telling the truth?" Wei Mingze asked, his pupils trembling.

"Gongsun Jie is a Half-Step Grandmaster. I fear only a Grandmaster could toy with him in such close quarters," the Advisor said with a bitter smile. "However, a Grandmaster can project their True Qi outward and rival an entire army. Lord Li doesn’t quite look the part, as he is simply too young. Therefore, this subordinate deduces that he is likely on the verge of stepping into the Grandmaster realm."

"A Grandmaster in his twenties... Zhiyuan, this is no joking matter," Wei Mingze said, his voice trembling.

"Just keep watching, my lord," the Advisor said, shaking his head bitterly. "I fear there is a nine-in-ten chance it’s true. This farce might just be a battle to establish the Grandmaster’s dominance."

After celebrating, Li Ye finally engaged in combat with Gongsun Jie.

Using the moves from the Dragon Emperor Spell, Li Ye fought Gongsun Jie to a standstill.

No, to be precise, he fought him to a standstill without the enhancement of Demon Power.

If he poured his Demon Power in, Li Ye could take Gongsun Jie down in a matter of minutes. He was merely testing how high his Martial Force was without relying on Demon Power.

So far, his reserves of Inner Strength seemed pretty decent.

Fists and kicks flew between the two, kicking up a storm of dust and debris across the field. The visual spectacle was incredibly thrilling—much more so than when Li Ye had been dribbling the ball while Gongsun Jie chased him around.

The commentary had already stopped.

However, cheers erupted in waves from the stands. This was the kind of duel they had come to see.

Now officially clashing with Li Ye, Gongsun Jie’s restless heart finally began to settle down.

He comforted himself with the thought that although Li Ye’s martial arts were high, they were merely on par with his own. Earlier, he had just been distracted by the boy’s bizarre setup and had suffered a loss due to his lack of preparation.

Even though Li Ye had cultivated such Inner Strength at a young age, Gongsun Jie was a seasoned veteran of the Martial World with abundant combat experience. In a real fight, it was still unknown who would emerge victorious!

Seeing Gongsun Jie and Li Ye entangled in combat and the plan returning to a familiar track, Zhong Wenhao’s eyes lit up. He called out, "Zhirou, while the others haven’t reacted yet, let’s attack as well. Kill Shi Xiang swiftly!"

"Understood," Zhu Zhirou replied.

The two of them charged at Shi Xiang with their swords drawn, immediately clashing with him.

Li Ye fought Gongsun Jie alone, while Zhong Wenhao and Zhu Zhirou double-teamed Shi Xiang. With fists and kicks flying alongside the flashing of swords, the field finally turned into a brilliant spectacle, drawing continuous shouts of applause.

But this was not the outcome Li Ye wanted. He was here to promote soccer in this world and harvest Derived Skills. Who wanted to suppress the world with Martial Force?

"Sect Leader Gongsun, do you want to know my secret?" Li Ye asked while exchanging blows with Gongsun Jie.

"Right now, this old man only wants to beat you to death," Gongsun Jie said through gritted teeth.

"Actually, what Cao Bin said is true. I really do come from an advanced civilization," Li Ye smiled and suddenly remarked.

"Bullsh—"

Gongsun Jie glared at him, but just as he was about to curse, the words caught in his throat.

In that very moment, Li Ye’s speed had suddenly doubled. His temple, chest, and lower abdomen were struck simultaneously. It was merely a light touch, retracting instantly upon contact without a trace of Inner Strength. He would do the exact same thing when sparring to train his own disciples...

Which meant the opponent hadn’t been fighting him at full strength at all.

A Grandmaster!

A terrifying thought instantly invaded Gongsun Jie’s mind. His pupils constricted sharply, and his expression filled with horror.

Such a young Grandmaster? How was that possible?

No, even a Grandmaster wasn’t this powerful. He had fought the Grandmaster Huaiyi before, and even Huaiyi couldn’t have handled him this easily... Could his cultivation have surpassed that of a Grandmaster?

Gongsun Jie’s mind fell into utter chaos, as if he had lost the ability to think entirely. At this moment, all his will to fight had vanished; he was merely exchanging moves with Li Ye mechanically.

"Sect Leader Gongsun, this is Spiritual Power. Spiritual Power can accelerate the cultivation of Inner Strength, and it can also be used simultaneously with it, producing unimaginable effects," Li Ye said with a smile. With a flick of his finger, a gust of wind brushed past Gongsun Jie’s ear, severing a lock of his hair.

"You..." Gongsun Jie abruptly took a step back, withdrawing from the fight. He looked at Li Ye in sheer terror, wanting to say something but unable to utter a single word.

"Sect Leader, why don’t you take a look at Shi Xiang?" Since he stopped fighting, Li Ye followed suit and pointed at Zhong Wenhao and Zhu Zhirou, who were still entangled with Shi Xiang. "Ten days ago, Shi Xiang’s martial arts were about the same as theirs. But now, he can easily crush them."

"Rare natural treasures can achieve this as well," Gongsun Jie said.

"Sect Leader Gongsun, why must you be so stubborn? Shi Xiang is Huaiyi’s disciple. Do you really think he’s that stupid? Stupid enough to be completely fooled by me, to the point of throwing away his reputation?" Li Ye looked at Gongsun Jie with pity, shaking his head. "Do you think I set up such a grand spectacle just to amuse myself with you? Believe it or not, even without using soccer, I could just keep slapping your face until you submit. Moreover, you wouldn’t be able to escape even if you tried. Now that would be amusing myself..."

"You..." Gongsun Jie clenched his fists again, glaring furiously at Li Ye.

"Don’t look at me like that, I really can do it," Li Ye smiled. "The weak are prey to the strong. You can’t beat me, so isn’t it perfectly normal for me to torture you however I please?

"You could commit suicide to avoid this calamity, but would you be willing to? The Sect Leader of the Profound Light Sect traveled thousands of miles to Sirius Valley, got slapped twice in the face, and committed suicide out of indignation. If such a reputation spread, you wouldn’t find peace even as a ghost!"

Knowing he couldn’t defeat Li Ye, Gongsun Jie indeed had just entertained the thought of killing himself to escape the humiliation. But the moment Li Ye said those words, all such thoughts were dispelled.

His old face flushed crimson. Pointing at Li Ye, his beard and hair trembled. "You... Killing a man is one thing, but humiliating him is another! If you dare humiliate this old man, I won’t spare you even as a ghost!"

Li Ye laughed. "I’m not even afraid of the living, you think I’m afraid of a ghost? Sect Leader Gongsun, have you ever considered forming a team and playing a formal match with us?"

"..." Gongsun Jie couldn’t react for a moment. "What?"

Li Ye shook his head and said, "Sect Leader Gongsun, I really didn’t set up this grand spectacle to humiliate you. You aren’t worth the effort. The cultivation of Spiritual Power is similar to the Magical Power of an Immortal; it requires harvesting the Power of Faith. These so-called matches are merely a way to expand our influence and elevate our Spiritual Power.

"Do you remember the banner at the entrance of Sirius Valley? The Galactic Federation Planet Cup League. What is a league? It’s a competition where many teams compete together to eventually crown a champion. This is fundamentally a path for everyone in the Martial World to convert their Inner Strength into Spiritual Power.

"If there’s a conspiracy here, then this is probably the conspiracy Elder Gongsun is thinking of."

Gongsun Jie furrowed his brows deeply. "How can I trust you?"

"Sect Leader Gongsun, you’ve pretty much lost all your face today anyway, so why not give it a try?" Li Ye smiled. "There’s no harm in trying. You have nothing left to lose anyway. If it succeeds, who will care about you getting slapped in the face today?"

Gongsun Jie desperately wished Li Ye would stop bringing up the face-slapping. Flustered and exasperated, he growled, "If it doesn’t succeed, won’t this old man lose even more face?"

"If it doesn’t succeed, you can pretend it did!" Li Ye smiled, lowering his voice as well. "You could find a Grandmaster to help you, and maybe they could destroy me, but the fact that you got slapped in the face definitely won’t be erased.

"But if you make everyone believe that Spiritual Power is real, getting more people to join this carnival, and having more people get slapped in the face or hit with Groin Kicks, who would laugh at you then? At the very least, they could help take some of the heat off you. Think about it, doesn’t that make sense?"

He looked at Gongsun Jie out of the corner of his eye and said mischievously, "Sect Leader Gongsun wouldn’t be so noble as to sacrifice his own reputation just to eliminate a Demon like me, would he?"