Chapter 57: Do You Dare to Compete?

Liefifi, standing off to the side, seemed to sense the chilling undertone in Su Yi’s voice. Her body trembled slightly of its own accord, and she lowered her head, saying nothing at all.

Su Yi straightened his robes, offered Lan’er a faint smile, and said, “Miss Lan’er, you may go about your own business for now. I’ll go see Miss Meiya shortly.” With that, he turned and headed toward the meeting room.

Liefifi, seeing Su Yi had no further words for her, hesitated briefly, then followed after him.

Lan’er gazed at Su Yi’s departing back for a long moment, her expression complex. At last, she let out a barely audible sigh and turned away.

Su Yi made his way to the meeting room with Liefifi in tow. When they reached the entrance, the guards stationed there cast him a glance that was tinged with subtle curiosity. Their expressions grew even stranger when they noticed the famed beauty of Changling City, Liefifi, trailing behind him.

Despite their surprise, the rules could not be ignored. One of the guards bowed slightly and said, “My apologies, Miss Liefifi, but you are not permitted to enter.”

Liefifi knew she was an outsider here and hardly suited to go inside, so she merely nodded her delicate chin and stood aside. Su Yi, upon hearing the guard’s words, was startled for a moment before he came to his senses. Ever since Liefifi had sworn her oath, Su Yi had subconsciously regarded her as his own slave, someone who, in a sense, was no longer an outsider. He hadn’t given it much thought, but now found himself unable to offer any excuse. He merely shrugged and entered alone.

The moment he stepped into the meeting room, Su Yi felt several gazes settle upon him. Looking up, he saw Meiya reclining on a plush chair with her usual elegance and a touch of languor. Not even her loose robes could conceal her proud figure.

As expected, Moben stood quietly nearby. Besides the two of them, several guards were present, led by Diyuan, who had always been at odds with Su Yi. To Su Yi's surprise, Duanshi—who usually kept his distance from Diyuan and his ilk—was also among them.

Diyuan’s expression remained composed as he saw Su Yi enter, but a barely perceptible, cold glint flickered in his eyes. Bowing his head slightly, he addressed Meiya in a respectful tone: “Miss Meiya, Su Yi is here at just the right time. Not only did he injure Keyue, but with ruthless methods, he destroyed Keyue’s battle energy core. This matter cannot simply be dismissed!”

Watching Diyuan grit his teeth, Meiya responded with a bewitching smile, neither agreeing nor denying: “According to the auction house’s rules, private duels are forbidden. By that reasoning, both Su Yi and Keyue should be punished, shouldn’t they?”

“But—” Diyuan frowned. “Su Yi’s actions were far too vicious…”

Meiya tapped her elegant chin, tilting her snowy neck as she cast Su Yi a sidelong glance, her tone carrying a subtle undertone: “That’s precisely what interests and puzzles me. Su Yi, is what Diyuan says true? Did you truly cripple Keyue?”

With a helpless shrug, Su Yi spread his hands. “That’s how it happened. But Keyue struck first—what I did was merely self-defense.”

As soon as those words left his lips, a chorus of sharp intakes of breath sounded throughout the room. Some present had not witnessed the incident themselves and had only heard about it secondhand. While they had been shocked by the rumors, they had also harbored grave doubts—

How could a so-called cripple, one without any battle energy, possibly cripple a fifth-rank fighter?

It was an utter impossibility!

If a second- or third-rank fighter, through superior technique and cunning, managed to defeat a fifth-rank fighter, that would be astonishing but not unimaginable. But Su Yi had neither energy nor technique, yet he managed to defeat and cripple Keyue—a fifth-rank fighter. This defied all logic!

Defeating someone of a higher rank was rare but not unheard of—but to defy the odds as Su Yi had, it was simply beyond belief!

Even Meiya and Moben exchanged glances, shock flickering in their eyes. They had already been startled and bewildered by Diyuan’s account, but hearing it from Su Yi himself made the impact even greater. Both were now desperately curious as to how Su Yi had accomplished it.

“But Keyue is a fifth-rank fighter, strong in his own right. How did you defeat him?” Meiya’s long, captivating eyes fixed on Su Yi, brimming with curiosity.

At once, all eyes focused on Su Yi, awaiting his response. The matter was simply too bizarre, and even Duanshi, standing to the side, was eager to know the truth.

Though he had been a witness and had come to report what he had seen, he still found it unbelievable. Especially at the last moment, he had sensed a faint trace of battle energy. If he hadn’t doubted his own senses, he would have mentioned it on the spot.

Feeling the weight of their scrutiny, Su Yi scratched his nose in mild exasperation. The truth was something he was reluctant to reveal, but without a reasonable explanation, the matter would likely continue to haunt him.

With that in mind, Su Yi raised his head, his gaze sweeping the room. Then, with a sigh, he confessed, “Actually… I’ve already broken through. I’m now a fighter.”

“What?!”

“How can that be?!”

His words struck the gathering like a thunderclap, sending waves of incredulous exclamations through the room. Eyes widened, faces froze in disbelief as all stared at Su Yi.

Their astonishment was understandable. The destruction of one’s battle energy core was an irreparable injury—it was an ironclad law of the continent that such a person could never cultivate battle energy or become a fighter again.

No one doubted this truth. History and countless records had made it clear: on this continent, this was as universally accepted as the fact that practitioners of the Earth-tier could fly through the skies. Even children knew it.

But now, standing before them, Su Yi claimed to have reformed his battle energy core and become a fighter once more. It was as if reality itself had been shattered before their eyes, shaking the very foundations of their understanding.

“Su Yi… Have you truly become a fighter again?” Duanshi blurted out. Though he had harbored suspicions before, the ancient axiom had forced those thoughts deep down. Now, hearing Su Yi’s admission, he was utterly stunned.

Su Yi nodded, then glanced at Meiya and Moben, whose faces now also betrayed their astonishment. He continued slowly, “But perhaps due to some unknown reason, my strength after becoming a fighter is much weaker than that of an ordinary first-rank fighter.”

“This… is simply unbelievable…” Moben finally recovered from his shock, shaking his head in wonder. Through the years, Moben had always been calm and mysterious, rarely showing strong emotion. But today, his expression was as if he’d seen a ghost, which spoke volumes about the magnitude of this revelation.

After a moment, Moben composed himself and looked at Su Yi, then frowned slightly. “Your battle energy is indeed extremely thin, not even half that of a normal first-rank fighter. This is… exceedingly odd…”

Realizing Moben could discern the state of his battle energy with just a glance, Su Yi was somewhat taken aback, growing more curious about Moben’s true strength. Meiya, meanwhile, let her astonishment fade, her features lighting up with delight. “Uncle Moben, you can’t put it that way. No matter what, this is an unprecedented miracle! Su Yi, I knew you could do it!”

Moben gave a wry, helpless smile at her words and shook his head, offering no rebuttal. Indeed, if Su Yi could break even this iron law, who was to say he wouldn’t create further miracles?

Given this deviation from all norms, who could predict to what heights Su Yi might one day rise?

Standing to the side, Diyuan—his face still dark—had already suppressed his shock. Hearing Meiya praise Su Yi only stoked the flames of his anger. He glared at Su Yi with such hatred he seemed ready to break every bone in his body. Then, in a cold, measured tone, he said, “Su Yi, since you’ve regained your status as a fighter and have crippled Keyue, do you dare to spar with me?”