At that moment, the onlookers were stirred by Lin Xiao’s fearless and domineering presence, as if they were witnessing the rise of a prodigious genius.
Those who seek to kill me must be killed. This was the demeanour a genius ought to have; this arrogant turn was the scene most befitting the Southeast Region Youth Assembly.
However, the members of the Xing family, Duan family, and Ling Sword Sect were furious.
Especially the Xing family. Not only had Lin Xiao killed Xing Tian, but he also made such bold remarks, which was nothing short of an insult to them.
Moreover, it was an insult they could not refute.
Jian Wuqu was equally enraged, having nearly been killed by Lin Xiao himself and humiliated by the Purple Clan. His hatred was no less than that of anyone present.
“So impressive. To think I wanted to challenge you,” Purple Spirit sighed to Lin Xiao after he descended from the platform.
“I knew you’d be amazing!” Ling Hu also gave Lin Xiao a thumbs-up.
“You’ve avenged our injuries. Who would have thought we’d be so far behind you now,” Purple Dragon said with a wry smile.
“Just luck, just luck…” Lin Xiao rubbed his nose, replying modestly.
The three took it as Lin Xiao being humble. If “luck” could kill Xing Tian, then Xing Tian probably wouldn’t have survived until now.
After Lin Xiao left the platform, the Xing family members came forward to retrieve Xing Tian’s body, and the assembly continued.
“Next match, Yin Mu versus Li Renchou!”
At this moment, the referee’s voice rang out, drawing everyone’s attention to Li Renchou.
The crowd was highly curious about whether Li Renchou, known for his powerful illusion techniques, still had the strength to face Yin Mu without his illusion attacks.
After both entered the arena, Li Renchou, with his usual refined grace, gestured to Yin Mu and said, “Brother Yin Mu, please!”
Seeing Li Renchou’s demeanour, Sheng Li and Wu Shixun couldn’t help but twitch their faces. This gesture was so similar to how he had acted against them earlier.
The crowd also noticed this. He had conceded directly to Lin Xiao, yet faced Yin Mu with such confidence.
Yin Mu was a formidable opponent, capable of defeating Xiang Tianxing, and his strength was far from weak.
Before killing Xing Tian, everyone believed Lin Xiao’s strength was far inferior to Yin Mu’s. Yet, Li Renchou dared to face Yin Mu but conceded to Lin Xiao.
Could it be that Li Renchou had known Lin Xiao’s true strength all along?
“Die!” At this moment, Yin Mu softly uttered, and a terrifying corpse aura surged forth instantly.
However, the crowd saw Yin Mu standing motionless, ultimately letting the aura dissipate without launching an attack.
“Could Yin Mu be trapped in an illusion attack? Didn’t Li Renchou say he couldn’t recover his illusion abilities for two hours?”
The crowd was puzzled.
At that moment, a “pfft!” sound was heard, and Yin Mu spat out a mouthful of blood, his entire body wilting instantly.
The onlookers were dumbfounded.
Clearly, it was still an illusion attack. Li Renchou had effortlessly defeated Yin Mu using his illusion powers.
“You… didn’t you say your illusion attack abilities were exhausted?” Yin Mu asked with a grim expression.
The crowd shared the same question, including Emperor Li and Li Luo. However, Li Renchou merely smiled faintly and said, “I was just fooling you earlier. In truth, I hadn’t expended much energy. I only fought Lin Xiao in an illusionary realm and didn’t want to fight him again. Well, I also wanted to see how someone like Xing Tian would fare against Lin Xiao.”
“…” The crowd was stunned.
Fooling them… it was all just a trick?
Could he not have a shred of credibility?
At the Southeast Region Youth Assembly, with tens or hundreds of thousands watching, and the event’s fame spreading across the region, reputation was paramount. Which youth would disregard their reputation and lie on the spot?
Wasn’t Li Renchou taking his reputation too lightly?
He was, after all, a top contender who had defeated Sheng Li, a figure among the top few on the preliminary list.
Yet he lied openly, and so casually, so nonchalantly, that everyone had believed him earlier.
Sheng Li’s face twitched again, secretly relieved he hadn’t insisted on enduring another strike, or he would have suffered needlessly.
Emperor Li was astonished. Li Renchou and Lin Xiao had fought in an illusionary realm, and he had lost?
Though Li Renchou didn’t explicitly say he lost, the implication was clear.
If he hadn’t lost to Lin Xiao, why would he concede directly?
Recalling Lin Xiao’s strength in killing Xing Tian, Emperor Li felt less surprised. With such power, Li Renchou’s defeat was not entirely unexpected.
Li Luo, standing by the platform, was also shocked, her heart filled with confusion.
Hadn’t her cousin said they fought to a draw in the illusionary realm? How was it a loss? Was the earlier claim of a draw also a lie?
Since when did her cousin start lying?
“This Li Renchou is too outrageous. Can’t he act like a genius?”
“I actually believed him earlier, making all sorts of ranking predictions, only to find out it was a lie.”
“With that nonchalant demeanour, who wouldn’t believe his words? What a trickster. He even got Xing Tian killed. His words can’t be trusted lightly anymore.”
…
Voices of disdain echoed around, but Li Renchou didn’t care, descending the platform with a carefree smile.
The assembly continued.
After Yin Mu, Purple Spirit drew Li Renchou again but ultimately lost to his illusion attacks.
The subsequent battles seemed somewhat lacklustre.
Anyone matched against Sheng Li, Li Renchou, or Lin Xiao conceded immediately.
Even Yin Mu conceded directly when matched against Lin Xiao.
When Purple Spirit faced Yin Mu, the battle became somewhat intense.
However, Purple Spirit ultimately lost to Yin Mu.
Of course, Yin Mu’s attempt to kill Purple Spirit was unsuccessful.
After their battle, the rankings of the top few were nearly settled.
Yin Mu ranked below Sheng Li, Lin Xiao, and Li Renchou, while Purple Spirit ranked below Yin Mu but above the others.
Li Renchou had lost to Lin Xiao once, and others conceded to him, placing him second.
Sheng Li had only lost to Li Renchou so far, and aside from Lin Xiao, others conceded to him, also placing him second temporarily.
Except for Sheng Li, others also conceded to Lin Xiao, placing him second temporarily.
Whether there would be a clear first, second, and third, or three tied for first, depended on the battle between Lin Xiao and Sheng Li.
If Lin Xiao defeated Sheng Li, he would rank first, Li Renchou second, and Sheng Li third. If Lin Xiao lost, then Lin Xiao, Li Renchou, and Sheng Li would tie for first.
However, most now favoured Lin Xiao over Sheng Li.
After all, Li Renchou could still use illusion attacks and had admitted to fighting Lin Xiao. Since Li Renchou was not Lin Xiao’s match, Sheng Li, who lost to Li Renchou, likely wasn’t either.
Still, some supported Sheng Li, as Li Renchou had defeated him with illusions. Perhaps Lin Xiao had a special method to counter Li Renchou’s illusions.
His combat strength might not necessarily surpass Sheng Li’s.
“Next match, Lin Xiao versus Sheng Li!”
After a long interval, the referee’s voice rang out again, reigniting the crowd’s enthusiasm.
This battle was for the top spot on the preliminary list.
Upon hearing the announcement, Sheng Li leapt onto the platform, his powerful aura radiating as he faced Lin Xiao with a commanding presence, saying, “Lin Xiao, I don’t believe you can defeat me!”
Hearing the crowd’s discussions, he was already dissatisfied, and now he aimedto prove himself against Lin Xiao.
“Then I’ll beat you until you believe!”
Lin Xiao responded boldly, controlling his body with spiritual force and landing opposite Sheng Li. Their battle was about to ignite!
