Chapter 117: 117
In the competition this time, there was no doubt that the strongest were Diao Fei and the other third layer Qi Practitioner . However, the person who attracted the most attention was Qian Rongzhi . There were many female Qi Practitioners, with quite a few attending the competition, but there were not many who were born with beauty like hers . Beautiful women would attract gazes no matter where they went .
However, out of the three positions available, Li Qingshan had already claimed one . The last two positions seemed to be in the grasps of the two third layer Qi Practitioners . As long as they did not meet in the competition, the other Qi Practitioners basically stood no chance .
The competition advanced very quickly . Many of the victories would be determined in a split second . Consequently, they reached the fourth round in less than four hours . Only four people remained in the square . It seemed like the two third layer Qi Practitioners could become Hawkwolf guards after defeating two more second layer Qi Practitioners, but the situation suddenly changed . The envoy read out the matches, but it was second layer against second layer and third layer against third layer .
The expressions of Diao Fei and the other third layer Qi Practitioner changed slightly . However, the two second layer Qi Practitioners suddenly erupted with hope . One of them happened to be Qian Rongzhi . She remained calm as if she had been expecting this .
When Qian Rongzhi made her way to the centre of the square, Li Qingshan looked down . The outcome was already determined . Since Qian Rongzhi possessed a mid grade talisman as a trump card, she vaguely surpassed her opponent in both cultivation and status . That was that .
As expected, Qian Rongzhi immediately took out a talisman as soon as the match began, but to Li Qingshan’s surprise, she did not activate it immediately . Instead, she said to the Qi Practitioner gently, “Young master Zhang, you should be able to tell that my mid grade talisman possesses tremendous power . However, I don’t want to harm you, so please forfeit!”
‘Young master Zhang’ could not help but hesitate . He had witnessed Qian Rongzhi’s strength before . Coupled with the mid grade talisman, his chances of victory were less than thirty percent .
Qian Rongzhi made full use of her advantages as a female . The drizzle drenched her clothes, sculpting out her beautiful figure . Her eyes were just as misty as the rain . She did not seem like she was threatening, but begging . “I really don’t want to become your enemy unless I have to . If the day comes, Rongzhi will definitely serve you well if you visit the Ancient Wind city . ”
In the pavilion, Zhou Wenbin smiled . “Commander Zhuo, is that allowed too?”
Zhuo Zhibo said, “Why wouldn’t it? The competition is not just about cultivation in the first place . It’s also about intelligence . ”
Qian Rongzhi also crossed through the square, arriving below the pavilion and standing beside Li Qingshan . She even smiled at Li Qingshan . “I underestimated young master a few days ago . If I have caused any offence, I hope that you can forgive me . ” Vaguely, she seemed to demonstrate awe, as if Li Qingshan was not Qian Rongming’s murderer, but a talented young man who made her heart throb .
This was the first time Li Qingshan had been referred to as ‘young master’, but he only felt a chill run down his spine . He replied with a soft ‘yep’ and stopped paying attention to her . Regardless of whether she was truly unaffected by Qian Rongming’s death or she hid the resentment deep inside, she was a terrifying beauty of viciousness like a snake or a scorpion . Her cruelty probably originated from the education of the large clan she came from . No matter how beautiful a woman like that was, he would never be interested .
Not only did Qian Rongzhi ignore Li Qingshan’s coldness towards her, she even tried to start a conversation . “Who do you think will win?”
Li Qingshan frowned and directed all of his attention to the square . The clash between the two third layer Qi Practitioners would be the headline match of the competition, but it was not as intense as imagined at all . They fought against one another warily .
After a few attempts at probing out the opponent, Diao Fei used the Lightning Strike talisman he had purchased from Li Qingshan . With a flash of scorching white light, a bolt of lightning as thick as a pillar descended from the sky, easily piercing his opponent’s protective true qi and charring him .
The traces of the lightning only vanished from the opponent’s face after quite a while . It was so powerful that even Li Qingshan was taken aback . Lightning was the punishment of the heavens . Even if he daemonified, it would still injure him .
The light in Qian Rongzhi’s eyes flickered . “This young master Diao grasped a good time . ”All techniques were about circumstances . Today, the clouds had constantly been rumbling with thunder; the Lightning Strike talisman was almost as effective as a high grade talisman during this rainy summer weather . It was not something weaker Qi Practitioners could fend off, becoming an absolute trump card .
Diao Fei also walked over to Li Qingshan’s side . Although he did his best to remain calm, he was unable to hide his joy . He even thanked Li Qingshan quietly . It was as if he no longer cared about the Pearl Dew pill .
Two mid grade talismans had become the determining factors of victory . The three people had become the final victors, basically building off what had happened on the boat earlier . However, the three of them definitely were not friends .
Zhuo Zhibo said from the pavilion, “Come up!”
“I refuse to accept this!” Suddenly, someone called out boldly . His face was twisted due to jealousy . He had become rather crazy due to his failures . He looked at Li Qingshan resentfully . “How can a piece of trash like you, a first layer Qi Practitioner, surpass me…”
Zhuo Zhibo did nothing . Instead, he said to Li Qingshan, “You’re already a Hawkwolf guard . When someone offends you, they’re offending the Hawkwolf Guard . You should know what to do!” It was as if he did not realise a difference existed between first and second layer Qi Practitioners at all . The other Hawkwolf guards all watched on with interest, waiting for Li Qingshan to be defeated . They wanted to see if he would still be able to stand there after that .
Li Qingshan turned around with ease and walked towards the Qi Practitioner . He learned that this person’s name was Lü Hui during the competition earlier . He had insulted Li Qingshan in the beginning before being labelled as trash . Li Qingshan said, “Since you want to die so much, I’ll give you what you want . ”
To everyone else, that just sounded like boastful words . “What’re you trying to do? You’re just a first layer Qi Practitioner!” Lü Hui watched as Li Qingshan gradually approached him . For some reason, he actually felt deep fear . Now that his head had mostly cleared up, he regretted his earlier words .
Li Qingshan’s eyes were calm and composed like a young beast king who had gracefully leapt out of the forest . There was no ruthlessness or fury, only calmness due to confidence . It was enough to make people’s hearts shudder .
Lü Hui looked at the emotionless eyes and felt pressure that took his breath away . When Li Qingshan stopped, he had already begun circulating all of his true qi . However, due to Li Qingshan’s sudden acceleration, all he saw was a blur sweep past him . Li Qingshan moved just too quickly, to the point that it gave Lü Hui the false impression that only after quite a while did the gust of wind that the motion produced arrive . It slammed into Lü Hui’s face with the cold rain .
The figure in front of him vanished, and he felt agony in his chest . Lowering his head, he saw that his chest was empty . When he looked back with difficulty, all he saw was Li Qingshan clutching a bloody heart . He opened his mouth, but before he could even say anything, he had already collapsed face first into the ground .
The entire square immediately fell silent . Suddenly, the sound of the rain became incredibly clear . Everyone was shocked; even Zhuo Zhibo and Zhou Wenbin were fazed . They yelled out at the same time, “Body Practitioner!”
A second layer Qi Practitioner had been killed in a single stroke, and it was not through a sneak attack or a talisman but in a direct confrontation . Everyone felt a heavy, cold sensation . The Qi Practitioners looked at Li Qingshan like he was a monster . Was he really a first layer Qi Practitioner?
The Qi Practitioners present no longer grumbled about Li Qingshan avoiding the competition . Instead, they felt extremely fortunate . If he had taken part, there would probably be a few more corpses to the side of the square, which might have included them . As expected, he was not an idiot . He was bold enough to rip them off with talismans before the battle because he possessed absolute confidence in his strength, yet others actually still mocked him . Fortunately, none of them were like the idiot from before, actually stepping forward and antagonising him . Even the Hawkwolf guards who had watched the competition unfold leisurely looked at Li Qingshan in shock . Originally, they felt much disdain towards this kid who openly joined the Hawkwolf Guard through the backdoor using his connections . But now, their opinions of him had completely changed . This kid was not someone they could just teach a lesson to .
The shock that Li Qingshan created even surpassed when Zhuo Zhibo killed the Qi Practitioner in a single move . The latter had used his overwhelming strength to crush his opponent, which only made sense, while the former still managed to crush his opponent despite being weaker in cultivation . Such a matter was simply extraordinary .
Li Qingshan tossed the heart aside and caught his breath . Earlier, he had instantaneously erupted with his physical strength and true qi . The outcome of the combination even surprised him a little . However, he was absolutely confident in himself when he launched the attack .
The Tiger Demon Leaps over the Ravine . The Tiger Demon Digs out the Heart . Ever since he became a daemon, these moves seemed to have fused into his blood, becoming a part of his instincts .
Even when he did not have a sliver of true qi, he had used his physical strength and an opening to defeat Feng Zhang in a single stroke . Ever since then, he had been cultivating daily, and the daemon qi converted from several dozen Qi Gathering pills only made his body stronger . His true qi had almost reached the peak of the first layer as well, and it was as pure as it could get . As such, his strength changed in an overwhelming fashion .
As for Lü Hui, he was the opposite . He had just been through three rounds of battles, so he was at his weakest in both true qi and physical strength . With the disparity in conditions, the outcome became extremely clear-cut .
Li Qingshan reevaluated his strength . In human form, killing a third layer Qi Practitioner in a direct confrontation should pose no difficulty . He had yet to see any fourth layer Qi Practitioners, so he was uncertain about them . Of course, this was given that his opponent did not have too powerful of a trump card . However, in terms of trump cards, just how many people could surpass him?
Li Qingshan returned to Qian Rongzhi and Diao Fei’s side . Both of them shuffled back slightly in an unnatural fashion . The terrifying power to injure and kill that Li Qingshan had erupted with caused them tremendous pressure .