Duan Lingtian leapt gracefully into the air, his gaze turning slightly cold.
As Li Jie’s body was plunging downward, Duan Lingtian slammed both fists savagely into Li Jie’s back, striking right at his spine...
Crack!
Crack, crack!!
A harsh chorus of breaking bones rang out.
In a flash, Li Jie’s body was once again blasted upward into the air. His head snapped back, his shrill screams cut short, and he passed out cold.
"Boom!"
Using the recoil, Duan Lingtian landed steadily on the ground.
He raised his right arm, catching Li Jie’s falling body just in time.
At this moment, he looked like an undefeated god of war.
Exhaling a long breath of relief, the corners of Duan Lingtian’s lips curved upward into a warm smile.
He had finally won, all thanks to the "Paralyzing Inscription" on his ring.
The Paralyzing Inscription was an inscription Duan Lingtian had prepared a month ago. Once released, it could instantly paralyze the target's body, causing all their accumulated strength to scatter completely.
This was why Li Jie had fallen to Duan Lingtian.
"This..."
All around the martial practice arena, the Li Family disciples were completely dumbfounded, unable to snap back to their senses for a long time.
Everything that had just happened in front of them was simply unbelievable!
Seeing Seventh Elder Li Kun flying over in a furious rage, a cold smirk curled the corners of Duan Lingtian's mouth.
With a forceful shove of his hands, he hurled Li Jie’s body straight at Li Kun.
"Duan Lingtian!"
Catching Li Jie, Li Kun glared at Duan Lingtian with eyes brimming with killing intent.
It was only when Li Rou arrived by Duan Lingtian’s side that he retracted his gaze, looking somewhat wary.
"Tian'er, are you alright?"
Li Rou took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from Duan Lingtian’s forehead, a look of worry clouding her face.
"Mother, I'm fine."
Duan Lingtian felt a warmth in his heart and shook his head with a smile.
He might be fine, but certain people were in deep trouble...
"Great Elder!"
Suddenly, Li Kun let out a miserable cry. Turning around, he clutched Li Jie and rushed toward the high platform, intercepting the group of Li Family higher-ups descending from it.
Among these higher-ups, Sixth Elder Li Ping’s expression was the ugliest, while Fifth Elder Li Ting looked utterly triumphant.
After examining Li Jie’s injuries, Great Elder Li Huo’s expression turned dark.
"Little fellow, Li Jie's spine is almost completely shattered. Even a Grade Seven Healing Pill won't be able to save him. Weren't you a bit too ruthless with your attacks? Li Jie's future is completely ruined by your hands."
Li Huo raised his head to look at Li Rou and her son as they walked over, his gaze falling upon Duan Lingtian as he spoke in a deep voice.
Li Jie was a young genius of the Li Family, and the family had high expectations for him.
His premature crippling was undoubtedly a massive loss for the Li Family.
"What?!"
Hearing the words of Great Elder Li Huo, Li Kun’s expression changed drastically. His body trembled as if struck by lightning.
He had never imagined that his son would be injured this severely by Duan Lingtian...
His spine was almost completely shattered?
Even a Grade Seven Healing Pill couldn't save him?
"I'll kill you!"
With an explosive roar, Li Kun’s figure flashed as he lunged madly toward Duan Lingtian, striking out in a fury!
Above his head, the phantom images of four Ancient Mammoth materialized and shifted.
Li Rou, who had been keeping a close eye on Li Kun, summoned the phantom images of six Ancient Mammoth above her head, repelling Li Kun in a single exchange.
"Li Kun, if you dare attack my son again, I will kill you!"
Her cold voice seemed to come from the depths of the netherworld.
"Li Rou!"
Li Kun’s face turned livid. Furious to the extreme, he still didn't dare doubt Li Rou’s words.
"Great Elder, you must seek justice for my son!"
Dropping to his knees before Great Elder Li Huo with a loud thud, Li Kun cried out wretchedly.
His younger son, Li Xin, had his right arm crippled and his future looking bleak.
In Li Kun’s heart, he had long pinned all his hopes on his eldest son, Li Jie.
But now, Li Jie’s spine was practically pulverized, beyond all help, and his remaining days were destined to be spent bedridden.
At that very moment, the world went black before his eyes, devoid of sun and moon, as if the sky itself were collapsing!
"Li Kun, the family has its rules. When family disciples engage in a duel, apart from the ban on taking lives, there are no other restrictions. This is meant to let family disciples fight with all their might. When martial artists clash, fists and feet have no eyes, and injuries are inevitable. Your son is the one lying here today, but if it were my son lying here instead, would you have the Great Elder hold your son accountable?"
Li Rou sneered, laughing in cold fury.
"Ninth Elder, you're being unreasonable here. Your son Duan Lingtian had already broken Li Jie's arm and victory was within his grasp, yet he didn't stop. Instead, he pressed the attack and crippled Li Jie... In my view, he did it completely on purpose, violating the spirit of unity and affection among our Li Family disciples!"
Sixth Elder Li Ping’s eyes flashed as he spoke in a cold voice.
"Sixth Elder, you're mistaken. After Duan Lingtian broke Li Jie's arm, Li Jie could easily have conceded defeat. But he didn't. He must have thought he still had the strength to fight and a chance to defeat Duan Lingtian... Furthermore, don't forget that Duan Lingtian is only at the Third Level of the Body Tempering Realm. Even facing a Fourth Level Body Tempering Realm opponent with a missing arm, the danger was still immense. If he hadn't pressed his advantage and allowed Li Jie a chance to counterattack, the losses would have outweighed the gains."
Fifth Elder Li Ting spoke calmly, his reasoning sound and well-founded, causing Li Ping’s face to darken with no room for retort.
"Enough, stop bickering. This afternoon, the family will hold an emergency meeting regarding this matter, and we can discuss it then. The most urgent task right now is to let Li Jie go back and tend to his injuries... Seventh Elder, take Li Jie back."
Patriarch Li Nanfeng frowned and said.
"Yes, Patriarch!"
Li Kun slowly stood up with a gloomy face and scooped Li Jie up into his arms.
A terrifying killing intent flashed in his eyes as he cast a vicious glare at Duan Lingtian before finally departing.
Duan Lingtian smiled faintly, unbothered.
He felt no guilt whatsoever regarding today's incident.
Leaving aside the fact that in his past life he was a mercenary who had walked through hails of gunfire, cold-blooded and iron-fisted—
Given the harsh threats Li Jie had hurled at him earlier, Li Jie would never have survived had this been his past life. In his eyes, he had already shown mercy.
*You want to leave me bedridden for the rest of my life? Then I'll give you a taste of your own medicine!*
The Li Family higher-ups scattered one after another from the martial practice arena.
However, as they left, the looks they cast at Duan Lingtian were far from friendly.
After all, in their eyes, Duan Lingtian was merely an outsider bearing a different surname.
Whereas Li Jie was a young genius of the Li Family and the pillar of its future.
They would, to varying degrees, lean toward Li Jie's side in this matter.
The Li Family disciples around the arena gradually dispersed as well.
The events of today left them both shocked and speechless.
Li Jie, the young genius of their Li Family, the strongest among all Fourth Level Body Tempering Realm martial artists in the family, had actually lost to an outsider at the Third Level of the Body Tempering Realm.
How humiliating! Utterly humiliating!
"I used to think Li Jie was so incredible, never imagined he'd be this fragile!"
"Duan Lingtian is only at the Third Level of the Body Tempering Realm and he managed to defeat Li Jie. When he reaches the Ninth Level of the Body Tempering Realm in the future, who below the Condensing Pill Realm will be his match?"
"I really wonder what kind of fortuitous encounter Duan Lingtian had. To undergo such a transformation in just a single month—he's truly shocked everyone!"
...
The talk among the Li Family disciples quickly shifted entirely to Duan Lingtian.
The once obscure Duan Lingtian had instantly become the focal point of heated discussion within the Li Family.
As the disciples left one by one, only four people remained in the vast martial practice arena.
Duan Lingtian, Li Rou, Kecier, and Fifth Elder Li Ting.
"Mother, what's wrong?"
Suddenly, Duan Lingtian noticed that his mother Li Rou's expression looked rather grim.
"You brat, you really are young and reckless. You had your fun crippling Li Jie, but you didn't think about the consequences... Li Jie is, after all, a young genius of the family, and the family has pinned great hopes on him. The family meeting this afternoon, supposedly to discuss today's events, is actually going to debate how to punish you. Tell me, how can your mother not worry about you?"
Li Ting shook his head and sighed.
In his eyes, Duan Lingtian was simply a newborn calf that wasn't afraid of tigers, daring to do anything.
"The Great Elder still needs my help right now. With his standing in the Li Family, as long as he firmly backs me, the others will have to give him some face no matter what, right?"
Duan Lingtian said with an indifferent expression.
"If that's what you think, you're quite mistaken. The Great Elder has always been strict about separating public and private matters—that's why everyone in the Li Family respects him from the bottom of their hearts. The status of a Grade Nine Alchemist alone isn't enough to make everyone surrender and respect him wholeheartedly."
Li Ting shook his head.
Duan Lingtian frowned slightly, not expecting his trump card to be rendered useless just like that.
When they returned home, although Li Rou’s expression had softened somewhat, a lingering trace of worry still shadowed her face.
The young girl remained silent the entire way, not daring to speak for fear of disturbing them.
"Mother, don't worry. I have a way, nothing will go wrong."
Duan Lingtian, who had been pondering the whole way back, broke into a wide grin upon returning to their courtyard.
"What possible way could you have?"
Li Rou clearly didn't believe him.
"Mother, aren't you worried that those Li Family elders will side with Li Jie and punish me? Rest assured, I have a way to make them side with me instead."
Duan Lingtian smiled mysteriously, looking utterly confident.
"What way?"
Li Rou was filled with curiosity.
The young girl beside them also looked over, her face full of anticipation.
"I have some things to take care of first. I'll tell you before lunch."
With that, Duan Lingtian returned to his room and set right to work.
Leaving only the two women exchanging helpless glances.
"Kecier, do you have any idea what method Tian'er is talking about?"
Li Rou asked the young girl.
"Kecier doesn't know either."
The young girl softly shook her head.
"That brat, he's getting more and more mysterious lately."
Li Rou's delicate brows narrowed slightly, and she smiled helplessly.
After eating lunch, Duan Lingtian asked his mother Li Rou for one hundred taels of silver notes and thirty taels of loose silver, then took the young girl and left the Li Family estate.
This scene left many Li Family disciples watching them utterly speechless.
"When is it, and Duan Lingtian still has the leisure to go out shopping?"
"Could he be worried that the family will punish him after the meeting, so he's planning to run away?"
"Are you kidding? He's the Ninth Elder's son. The monk can run away, but the temple can't; where could he possibly escape to..."
"What a legend! If he's completely fine after today's family meeting, I'll definitely make him my idol and swear allegiance to him as my boss!"
...