Chapter 25: I’m a Good Person, But I Can’t Say It Out Loud

Chapter 25: Chapter 25: I’m a Good Person, But I Can’t Say It Out Loud

Li Ye didn’t say the rest of the sentence. Gongsun Jie had intended to put up a brave front, but now, he choked back his breath. Caught in a suffocating limbo, he could only utter, "You..."

"How could such a beast exist in this world?" Gongsun Jie wondered.

He glared furiously at Li Ye, his chest heaving as complex thoughts tangled in his mind.

As a senior of the Martial World, the Sect Leader of the Profound Light Sect, and an expert second only to the Grandmasters, he ought to be setting a flawless example for his disciples. Yet, Li Ye’s words were like a lingering curse, entangling his heart.

He wondered if he could simply accept this. Was he truly willing to sacrifice his own reputation for the sake of others?

He had been slapped twice across the face by a junior, right in front of the entire city’s populace!

Gongsun Jie could almost already see the crowds pointing and gossiping behind his back.

Once that thought surfaced, it could no longer be suppressed.

With bloodshot eyes, he stared past Li Ye, looking at the wildly cheering commoners in the stands.

The valley was deafeningly noisy, but in that moment, the world was completely silent in his eyes.

If possible, he would have loved nothing more than to beat Li Ye to death with his own hands. Only by killing this evil scoundrel who flagrantly ignored the rules of the Martial World could he quell the hatred in his heart. But alas, he simply couldn’t defeat him.

"Damn Sirius Valley, and damn Cao Bin!" he cursed internally.

Li Ye waited quietly for Gongsun Jie, displaying immense patience.

He knew that it took time for a person’s worldview to collapse and rebuild itself—unless that person was utterly rotten to the core.

Clearly, Gongsun Jie was not.

However, Li Ye had a clear conscience. There were two streams of Demon Qi in this world. Whether the Demon Qi attached itself to objects to create demonic artifacts or possessed living beings to spawn monsters, it would ultimately plunge this world into catastrophic ruin. Earth was the prime example of this.

Everything he was doing now was to strengthen himself, ensuring he would have enough power to fight the Demon Qi in the future.

Given the terrifying mortality rate of Time Travelers, Li Ye knew purely based on probability that he would inevitably confront those two streams of Demon Qi sooner or later. Thinking he could just run away was nothing but naive wishful thinking.

Wasn’t everything he was doing aimed at combatting that Demon Qi?

Although fighting the Demon Qi was ultimately for his own survival, he was indirectly saving this world in the process. He was the future Savior of this world.

Of course, there was a chance he might get lucky, managing to get summoned back before encountering the other two streams of Demon Qi. But the Demon Qi inside the people he had coerced was very real.

When they eventually had to face the Demon Qi on their own, their enhanced strength would at least give them a fighting chance, preventing them from simply sitting back and waiting for death.

Therefore, no matter what he did or how he did it, he was doing the right thing.

Li Ye had always maintained a clear and sober self-awareness.

He was a good person. The so-called Star Thief persona was merely a temporary guise he had dreamed up to stay alive.

He firmly believed that one day in the future, these natives would surely understand him.

"Sect Leader Gongsun, have you thought it through?" Li Ye asked with a smile.

"Fine, I will agree to your terms," Gongsun Jie said, painfully closing his eyes. As soon as the words left his mouth, it was as if he had aged more than a decade. Even his back hunched over, as if all his vigor and spirit had abandoned him.

"Sect Leader Gongsun, you won’t regret this decision," Li Ye chuckled, clapping his hands together. "How about we schedule our next match for five days from now? Five days should be just about enough time for you to build a proper team. After all, my team has only been together for a little over ten days. The players’ skill levels vary greatly, and their overall quality definitely can’t compare to the disciples of Renowned and Righteous Sects like the Profound Light Sect."

"Renowned and Righteous Sects?" Gongsun Jie thought bitterly. He let out a miserable laugh. He didn’t even know how he was going to explain this to his disciples when he got back. Once this matter was exposed, the Profound Light Sect’s reputation would be completely ruined!

"Sect Leader Gongsun?" Li Ye prompted, noticing the man’s distraction.

"Fine, five days it is," Gongsun Jie replied, his voice hoarse.

"You’ll also need to decide on a name for your team," Li Ye said. "How does the Profound Light Sect Club sound?"

"Whatever Sect Leader Li says," Gongsun Jie muttered absently.

"Great, then we will restart the match in five days." Li Ye nodded and smiled. "Please stay here for a moment, Sect Leader Gongsun. I have a few things to go over with you shortly."

"Mhm," Gongsun Jie responded perfunctorily, standing there lost in his own thoughts.

Paying Gongsun Jie no further mind, Li Ye flashed over to where Zhong Wenhao and his junior sister were still locked in combat with Shi Xiang. Grabbing one in each hand, he hoisted them out of the fray and tossed them aside. "You two take a break from fighting for now. I have things to discuss."

Zhong Wenhao and Zhu Zhirou froze in place, utterly dumbfounded. They exchanged a glance, wanting to cry but lacking the tears.

Both of them felt the sudden urge to throw their swords to the ground. They had teamed up against Shi Xiang, only to be completely and utterly suppressed. And right in the middle of this bitter struggle, they had been plucked out of the fight—one in each hand—by a guy who was roughly the same age as them. What was even the point of fighting anymore?

This journey into the Martial World had entirely shattered their self-confidence.

The two of them even entertained the thought of retiring from the Martial World right then and there, never to show their faces again.

Standing in the middle of the field, Li Ye channeled his Inner Strength, his voice instantly drowning out the clamor of the stadium. "Ladies and gentlemen of the audience, I am truly sorry! Sect Leader Gongsun was not properly prepared for this match, which resulted in a very poor viewing experience for you all. Moreover, a true match must be fair; an eleven-on-three game severely lacks entertainment value.

"Just now, Sect Leader Gongsun and I reached an agreement. Five days from now, the Fun People Club and the Profound Light Sect Club will face off in a genuinely fair showdown."

"What about our tickets?" someone in the stands boldly shouted.

"This was a mistake on the part of us organizers. For those who have already purchased tickets, if you wish for a refund, the Fun People Club will happily return your money. If you don’t want a refund, you may use your current ticket to come back and watch the match in five days," Li Ye said, smiling as he surveyed the stands.

"What about our bets? Who won this match?" a gambler stubbornly asked. Without a doubt, he had bet on Gongsun Jie.

"My friend, the Fun People Club hosts legitimate soccer matches and is in no way involved with gambling. Wherever you placed your bets, you should go find the people responsible," Li Ye stated. "We have nothing to do with that.

"However, given everyone’s enthusiasm, our Planet Cup League will propose to the Chu Country’s government in the future to establish an official soccer lottery for everyone’s entertainment.

"At that time, if you purchase official soccer lottery tickets, the organizers will guarantee the results. Alright, that concludes today’s event. Please cooperate with the Sirius Valley staff and exit the venue in an orderly fashion."

As soon as he said this, an uproar swept through the stadium.

Up in the stands, Prefect Wei Mingze frowned slightly, staring down at Li Ye, who was taking matters into his own hands on the field. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

The spectators gradually filed out of the stadium.

Li Ye had his people invite Gongsun Jie, Wei Mingze, and the prominent merchants of Weining City into the Sirius Valley reception room.

Cao Bin stood behind Gongsun Jie, keeping his head bowed, not daring to look at his master.

He had arrived just as the match began and witnessed the entire process of his master being utterly humiliated. Seeing his master thoroughly disgraced left him with rather complicated feelings.

However, hearing from Li Ye that the Profound Light Sect would also be forming its own team brought a sliver of pleasant surprise to his heart.

"Sect Leader Gongsun, these are the basic rules of the soccer match. You might want to take a look," Li Ye said, handing a soccer manual over to Gongsun Jie. "It lists a few foul infractions that you need to be aware of. Committing a foul on the field will result in a penalty. For example, a handball—which is touching the ball with your hands."

Gongsun Jie froze, suddenly recalling the rigid paralysis he had suffered at the very beginning. His expression instantly changed.

Li Ye smiled and nodded. "That’s right, it’s exactly what you’re thinking. A single misstep in practicing Inner Strength can cause one to suffer qi deviation. Although the cultivation of Spiritual Power is unique, it also has its own set of taboos. Triggering a taboo on the field will inevitably result in a penalty."

"Spiritual Power?" the Prefect and the others wondered in confusion.

Gongsun Jie furrowed his brow. "So, Spiritual Power is real?"

"It’s always been real," Li Ye chuckled. "If you don’t believe me, Sect Leader Gongsun, you’re more than welcome to form a team right here and now. Typically speaking, cultivating Spiritual Power is most effective with eleven people."

Seeing Li Ye speak with such deadpan sincerity, Gongsun Jie was stunned once again.

"Master, I told you long ago it was real, but you just wouldn’t listen," Cao Bin mumbled. Without waiting for Gongsun Jie to reply, he hurriedly ran out the door. "Master, wait right here. I’ll go find some people immediately!"