Chapter 84: One punch to end the genius

In Fengyue City, many top clans only possessed Earth rank techniques. Sky rank cultivation methods were like treasures only found in major powers or ancient sects. And this is why the Li Clan is so famous in the City, as they are the only clan with a Sky rank cultivation technique, passed down from their powerful founder.

For a long time, the Li Clan sat at the top of Fengyue City, with their one Sky rank cultivation technique. But over the years, their strength eventually waned to the point that only their Patriarch, Li Gengxin, could master that technique.

That is why Li Mingtian was so popular in the clan, often termed as a once-in-a-century genius. He was the hope of the clan because he mastered the sky rank technique

And Ryan had just handed them three of them to these people, who aren’t even his close friends, just like that.

Li Baijie glared at Li Wujie sharply. “Lower your voice! Do you want the entire city to hear you?”

Then she looked down at the booklet in her hands again, her heart burning in excitement.

Flowing Water Through the Clouds-A Sky rank cultivation technique.

How ridiculous her earlier hesitation now seemed. Waste time? Trouble?

Even if it cost her half her life, she would still cultivate it without hesitation.

“I was wrong,” Li Wujie admitted immediately, though his face was glowing with excitement.

Li Shu hugged her booklet tightly and said sweetly, “I really like lightning-based techniques. Thank you, Brother Li.”

“Alright,” Ryan said seriously. “Go back and study them carefully. If you don’t understand something, come ask me. And remember the old rule—this matter must not be mentioned to anyone else. Not a single word.”

“Yes.”

“Understood.”

“No problem.”

The three answered in unison.

After carefully hiding the cultivation manuals, they left in a hurry.

They were far too eager to return to their rooms, to pore over those Sky rank techniques again and again, afraid that if they blinked, this unbelievable gift might vanish like a dream.

The third day of the third trial of the qualification competition unfolded in full swing.

Ever since Ryan revealed a glimpse of his true strength, the way people looked at him had completely changed. The labels of “big waste” and “trash” that once clung to him had quietly vanished, replaced by recognition and respect equal to that given to the other exempted participants.

In the matches that followed, Ryan’s victories came without suspense.

Five consecutive battles ended swiftly and cleanly. Some opponents, after stepping onto the ring and feeling the pressure Ryan exuded, simply chose to surrender outright, preserving their stamina rather than suffering a humiliating defeat.

And then came his sixth match of the day.

Once again, Ryan faced a fellow exempted participant—Yuan Qiong of the Yuan Clan.

The moment the matchup was announced, the crowd’s attention surged.

“Li Wei,” Yuan Qiong said coldly as they faced each other, his gaze sharp as a blade. “I’ll admit it—I underestimated you before. I didn’t expect you to already possess the strength of an Upper Elite, nor did I think you’d defeat Su Sidao. You’re not weak and someone deserved to be fought with respect.”

Ryan didn’t reply.

To him, this exchange was meaningless. An opponent he could defeat with one hand simply didn’t warrant conversation.

Instead, he raised a finger and hooked it lightly toward Yuan Qiong, signaling him to stop talking and get on with it.

Yuan Qiong’s eyes narrowed. “Fine. Then let’s see the truth with our fists.”

The moment his words fell, Yuan Qiong exploded forward. His speed was astonishing. When he was still five meters away from Ryan, he leaped into the air.

“Flying Emperor Kick!”

Twisting midair, Yuan Qiong bent his right leg slightly before unleashing it in a sweeping arc toward Ryan. The kick was fierce and sharp, like a mantis swinging its scythe, radiating overwhelming force.

“That’s—”

“Flying Emperor Kick! The Yuan Clan’s Earth rank martial skill!”

“He went all out right from the start!”

“So not only Su Sidao mastered his clan’s signature skill—Yuan Qiong did too!”

“Looks like Li Wei is finally going to have a real fight.”

“Nonsense. Li Wei defeated Su Sidao easily. Yuan Qiong’s strength is similar—he’s still not Li Wei’s match.”

“You’re clueless. Li Wei won because Su Sidao underestimated him. If Yuan Qiong is prepared, this won’t be so simple.”

“Enough arguing. We’ll know who’s stronger in a second.”

The crowd buzzed with heated discussion as Yuan Qiong unleashed his strongest move right from the opening.

At that moment, Ryan finally moved.

“Intermediate Boxing Fist—Break!”

With a solemn expression, he clenched his right hand into a fist and punched forward.

In truth, Ryan could have ended the match by standing still and letting Yuan Qiong kick him. Even without lifting a finger, Yuan Qiong wouldn’t have been able to injure him.

But Ryan chose not to do that.

He deliberately acted seriously. Deliberately used what looked like his full strength.

In reality, it was nothing more than an ordinary punch.

He was acting.

If he crushed Yuan Qiong with a single finger, the shock would be too great, drawing far too much attention. That would defeat the entire purpose of hiding his strength.

“One clash to decide victory!”

“Li Wei looks like he’s going all out!”

“So this is his aura… terrifying!”

“Both of them are impressive. It’s hard to say who’ll win.”

“I think Yuan Qiong has the edge. His martial skill is leg-based and incredibly powerful.”

“I’m betting on Yuan Qiong, too.”

“No, I say Li Wei!”

In the midst of the noise, a fist and a kick collided.

Boom!

A thunderous sound echoed across the arena.

A figure was sent flying.

It was Yuan Qiong.

Ryan’s punch struck Yuan Qiong’s foot head-on, and in the next instant, Yuan Qiong’s body was flung backward uncontrollably. He flew straight out of the ring, crashing to the ground below.

Blood sprayed from his mouth as his eyes rolled back.

He fainted on the spot.

Victory—Li Wei. The Referee announced aloud, with a quivering voice as if he was in disbelief that the match ended, just like that.

“Whoa—!”

The arena erupted at once.

Everyone knew Ryan had once caught Su Sidao’s Earth rank martial skill barehanded. They knew he was strong.

But no one expected this.

With a single exchange, he had crushed another exempted participant.

The shock was overwhelming.

Even Ryan himself was stunned. However, it was for an entirely different reason.

He had clearly used only a trace of strength—not even a tenth of his power—yet the result was this devastating.

He had planned to exchange a few moves before winning cleanly.

Instead, one punch ended it.

Only then did Ryan realize just how flawed his judgment of his own strength still was. After advancing to the Upper Exalt realm, even a casual punch, combined with his upgraded intermediate boxing skill, was dozens of times more powerful than before.

But what was done was done.

As the crowd continued to explode with discussion, Ryan stepped down from the ring, intending to watch Li Wujie’s match next.

At that moment, he felt a gaze—sharp, cold, brimming with killing intent.

Frowning slightly, Ryan turned his head.

It was Mu Xianling.

She was staring at him with murderous eyes, as if she wanted to carve him into pieces.

If looks could kill, Ryan would have died ten thousand times over by now. “Huh?”

Ryan scratched the back of his head in confusion. He was certain he hadn’t provoked her recently.

Sure, he had tricked her into a bet that would make her serve him for three years—but that was just being a servant. It wasn’t like he asked her to do anything indecent.

“Was that really worth this level of hatred?” As he muttered to himself, Ryan looked again, only to see Mu Xianling turn away and leave without another glance.

Ryan smiled helplessly and shook his head, then continued toward Li Wujie’s ring.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep