Chapter Twenty-Three: Taking Action

Su Yi’s eyes flickered with a cold, sinister light as he thought of this, casting a glance at the young men of the Lie family and speaking indifferently, “Is there something you want?”

The young man who had mocked him earlier seemed about to speak again, but the one surrounded by several others raised his hand to stop him. He looked at Su Yi with a sly smile and said, “Brother Su, you’re the great genius of Changling City. We just want to seek your guidance, nothing more.”

Su Yi looked at the speaker, his brows furrowing ever so slightly. This youth’s name was Lie Zhi, seventeen years old, and he had already cultivated to the ninth stage of Qi. Such talent was quite impressive—after all, the famed Battle Qi Academy recruited only geniuses, and to become a fighter before eighteen was barely the minimum requirement.

Lie Zhi, not yet eighteen, had already spent some time at the ninth stage, and among the disciples of the Lie family, he was considered outstanding. The other Lie family youths either hadn’t reached the ninth stage and lacked strength, or, if they had, weren’t as young as Lie Zhi and their talent was lacking. Now they clustered together with Lie Zhi as their leader.

But what made Su Yi frown wasn’t this—it was Lie Zhi’s identity. He was the grandson of the Lie family’s Grand Elder, Lie Yun, who was on the verge of entering the realm of Dragon Fighters. With such talent, Lie Zhi was already valued by his clan, and being Lie Yun’s grandson made his status even more precious. In Changling City, though Lie Zhi’s strength wasn’t remarkable, no one dared provoke him lightly.

Su Yi snorted. “What guidance do you seek?”

Lie Zhi, unfazed by Su Yi’s displeasure, smiled even more broadly. “I don’t have your talent, Brother Su—just the ninth stage of Qi. I wonder, which stage have you reached?”

Su Yi glanced at him. “You’re so skilled—can’t you tell?”

Hearing the sarcasm in Su Yi’s tone, Lie Zhi’s expression darkened. Before he could reply, another Lie family youth beside him barked, “Su, the fluctuations of Qi are barely perceptible. Lie Zhi is not yet a fighter—how could he possibly sense it?”

Lie Zhi’s expression grew even uglier at this defense. Su Yi, for once, nodded in agreement. “That’s right.”

The atmosphere became tense. The young man who had spoken seemed to realize his words were inappropriate and, embarrassed and angry, fell silent, glaring fiercely at Su Yi.

Lie Zhi exhaled deeply, calming himself before speaking in a different tone. “Su Yi, soon I’ll be able to condense my Qi whirlpool and break through as a fighter. No matter how gifted you are, no matter how fast you cultivate, you’re destined never to become a fighter. In the end, you’ll always lag behind me.”

Su Yi seemed unconcerned, smiling faintly. “Save those words until you’ve actually become a fighter.”

“Hmph!” Lie Zhi bristled at the implication that he was unqualified, his anger rising. “I will become a fighter soon enough—you just wait!”

“Soon enough?” Su Yi looked at him. “You’ve been at the ninth stage for some time now, yet you haven’t condensed your Qi whirlpool or become a fighter. Are you—afraid?”

“You…” Lie Zhi’s face turned ashen—not because Su Yi was slandering him, but because everything he said was true.

After reaching the ninth stage, one couldn’t immediately condense a Qi whirlpool. To succeed, a solid foundation was vital, gradual progress necessary, and mastery of the ninth stage required to stabilize it. The standards and mastery varied from person to person, depending on previous cultivation, speed, physical constitution, and many other factors.

How many could grasp these requirements precisely? A small margin of error could mean failure to break through; a larger error could not only cause failure but, depending on severity, result in a drop of several stages.

There was an element of luck involved in condensing the Qi whirlpool after the ninth stage. If one failed, the chances of future failure increased somewhat. Many people languished at this threshold for years, some never succeeding again.

Lie Zhi had struggled to reach the ninth stage and, without absolute confidence, dared not risk it. He had seen many in his clan fail to break through, their strength falling back to the eighth, seventh, or even sixth stage.

Lie Zhi was seventeen; if he wasn’t prepared, not only could he fail to become a fighter at eighteen, but a decline in strength could mean years spent recovering, making it perilous to achieve the breakthrough even by twenty.

At such a critical juncture, Lie Zhi had to proceed with caution, but this didn’t hide his fear. The time he spent at the ninth stage was much longer than his cousin Lie Fei Fei, who had already attempted the breakthrough once—yet he had never dared try.

Su Yi’s words pierced right to the heart of his thoughts—Lie Zhi was indeed afraid! And on a continent where the strong reign supreme, this was shameful!

Exposed before the crowd, Lie Zhi’s anger turned to humiliation. “A mere cripple dares to be so arrogant!”

By now, quite a few people had gathered, curiosity and even excitement in their eyes as they watched. Su Yi and Lie Zhi were both well-known in Changling City—Lie Zhi as the Lie family’s rising star, gifted and famous; Su Yi, renowned as both a genius and a cripple, his reputation even greater than Lie Zhi’s.

Lie Zhi’s angry outburst prompted the other Lie youths to step forward, subtly surrounding Su Yi. Su Yi swept his gaze over them, unconcerned, shrugging. “What, do you all plan to attack together?”

“To deal with you, I alone am enough!” One particularly arrogant Lie youth declared, and before his words had finished, he swung a fist hard at Su Yi’s face!

Ninth stage of Qi? Quickly gauging his opponent’s strength, Su Yi snorted coldly, pushing off with his feet. Instead of advancing, he darted into the youth’s guard, driving his elbow forcefully into the unsuspecting chest!

The Lie youth barely had time to react before he was struck, stumbling back several steps, his body swaying unsteadily. After a few moments, his face turned pale, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth before he coughed up a mouthful and collapsed to the ground.

The crowd felt their hearts tighten, stunned and unable to respond. Lie Zhi’s mind reeled, his face filled with disbelief.

That Lie family youth was formidable—when Lie Zhi fought him, victory would take more than twenty moves. Though Su Yi’s attack had caught him off guard, the speed!

Lie Zhi realized that even he couldn’t have avoided it, and the greater the force of one’s attack, the greater the recoil when struck; the stronger the impact, the worse the backlash!

Looking at the injured Lie youth, Lie Zhi suddenly felt a chill—what if that blow had landed on him? He was about to attempt the breakthrough to fighter, and at such a crucial moment, any mishap could be disastrous.

Now, everyone finally recalled that the boy before them, who had been absent for nearly a year, was once a genius who became a tenth-level fighter—a strongman who had slain many foes!

In that instant, memories almost forgotten began to resurface, and some even entertained outrageous thoughts—could this old genius be making a comeback?

Lie Zhi’s heart stirred as well, remembering the prowess Su Yi once possessed. Su Yi’s brilliance had been so dazzling that even after more than a year of silence, the moment he acted, echoes of that radiance returned.

Some might scoff or disdain it, but facts were facts.

Yet because of this, Lie Zhi felt deeper jealousy. Once, he too was called a genius, but since Su Yi arrived in Changling City, all the praise and admiration had vanished, given lavishly to another.

Even within the Lie family, he was compared to Su Yi in secret, leaving him unable to hold his head high. Though Su Yi’s Qi whirlpool had been destroyed and he could no longer cultivate battle Qi, the resentment remained.

Lie Zhi’s satisfaction was incomplete; his old grievances lingered. But now was not the time—several attacking one, regardless of the outcome, would bring no honor.

Staring at Su Yi with a twisted smile, Lie Zhi said, “Su Yi, if you have the guts, we’ll meet at the Martial Tournament!”

Su Yi brushed his hands off casually, sizing up Lie Zhi with a cool gaze. “That depends on you becoming a fighter first.”

Lie Zhi sneered, “Don’t worry. Even if you’re not qualified, I’ll make sure you’re on the stage. I’ll defeat you in front of everyone!” With that, he led his Lie family companions away in a flourish.

Martial Peak, Chapter 23: The Strike—End of Update!