Aspiration to Greatness
Zhuo Zhibo's gaze towards Li Qingshan became cautious. He frowned deeply. Li Qingshan's casual attitude of the Templar Templar seemed to confirm this guess.
At this moment, the corpse of the dead Qi Practitioner had already been carried away. The order of the competition had already been rearranged. A Black Wolf guard personally stepped forward to preside over it.
Although the Qi Practitioners felt envy, jealousy, and hatred towards Li Qingshan, none of them dared to say anything. From today onwards, this guy was a Hawkwolf guard. He was not an existence they could casually provoke.
The Black Wolf guards on the second floor all had their own thoughts. They looked at Li Qingshan with gazes of either disdain or curiosity. In any group, arrogant newcomers were not welcomed. Not to mention the fact that Li Qingshan had basically replaced their old colleague, Feng Zhang, yet he was only a first layer Qi Practitioner, which made him look down on him even more. Many people wondered how they could teach this ignorant kid from the mountains a lesson.
Li Qingshan just stood below like that, gazing at the square. His attitude was even more relaxed than the Hawkwolf guards who set up the bet. He completely ignored all the gazes on him. He discovered that being able to stand outside and watch people fight was indeed better than being used as a gambling tool in the square.
Two Qi Practitioners arrived at the centre of the square, standing ten steps away from each other.
The one on the left wore green casual clothes. He was in his twenties. His face was pale and beardless, and his hands were empty. He did not carry any weapons. Li Qingshan remembered that he had once bought two talismans from him. One was an inferior talisman, while the other was a low grade talisman. Clearly, he was quite wealthy, probably from an aristocratic clan. He was born with the talent to practise qi.
The one on the right was much older, in his thirties or forties at the very least. He wore tight, grey robes, and there was an extremely eye-catching, red scar on his face. He gave off a fierce aura, and a treasured sword hung from his waist. If he had guessed correctly, he should have been a fighter, converting his inner force into true qi.
Both of them were second layer Qi Practitioners. Li Qingshan was unable to determine who was stronger in such a short amount of time. The Qi Practitioner in green definitely possessed a few powerful talismans, which gave him an advantage in terms of wealth. However, he definitely lacked actual battle experience. (7) Even if there were, it was mostly the strong bullying the weak.
On the other hand, that grey-clothed Qi Practitioner had fought his way up from the wilderness of the rivers and lakes with real weapons, so his combat experience must be extremely rich. Moreover, Yan Song had said that among low-level Qi Practitioners, Qi Practitioners with martial arts backgrounds were usually stronger.
In the light rain, the two of them faced each other. "Dang!" The gong sounded, and the first battle began.
The grey-robed Qi Practitioner moved. His body turned into a streak of grey light as he pounced towards the green-robed Qi Practitioner. He casually pulled out the sword from his waist. His movements were smooth and natural. One moment, he was still ten steps away. In the next moment, the cold, sharp sword was already stabbing towards the green-robed Qi Practitioner's throat.
Li Qingshan also cheered in his heart. As expected of a martial artist.
Unflustered, the green-robed Qi warrior spread his arms and retreated like a gliding bird. At the same time, he circulated his true energy and shot out a fist-sized fireball.
Spell!
Li Qingshan immediately focused. He had long since learned from Yan Song that true qi was not simply an enhanced version of inner force. Apart from increasing one's speed and strength, it could also be used to cast many magical spells. Those talismans, in essence, were spells sealed in talismans that could be activated and used at any time.
The rainwater was vaporized by the high temperature emitted by the fireball. Even the wet ground became dry, giving off white steam. It could be seen how powerful the fireball was. If a body of flesh and blood collided with it, it would most likely be set ablaze.
The grey-clothed Qi Practitioner also seemed to be extremely fearful, but he did not panic. Using a mysterious footwork, his body swayed left and right, and he actually avoided the fireball by a hair's breadth. Although his hair and eyebrows were burnt beyond recognition, his speed did not slow down much. Sacred Hall
The green-robed Qi Practitioner panicked. Clearly, he had underestimated the desperation of Qi Practitioners who were born as martial artists. He wanted to force back the grey-clothed Qi Practitioner, but his plan to pull away had failed. He had yet to recover his true qi, so he could not use another technique in time. He gritted his teeth and slapped a talisman on himself. A gentle breeze rose up beneath his feet, and he immediately sped up.
Li Qingshan understood that while techniques were powerful, they could not be used quickly. It would have been fine against Qi Practitioners like him, as their reactions were limited. However, against Qi Practitioners who were born as martial artists, he would struggle a little.
The green-robed Qi Practitioner pulled away and shot out fireballs from his hand. Large swathes of white mist rose up. Suddenly, a fireball flew towards Li Qingshan. Just when he wanted to dodge, a wind blade swept through the air and cut the fireball into two. Waves of heat surged over, causing Li Qingshan's clothes to ruffle.
Li Qingshan raised his head. A Black Wolf guard had sheathed his blade. When he saw Li Qingshan look over, he snorted coldly in disdain.
In the midst of the steam, the grey-robed Qi Practitioner was in a sorry state. His body was covered with scorch marks, but none of them were fatal. He was both fierce and cautious, chasing after the green-robed Qi Practitioner without letting go.
Instead, the green-robed Qi Practitioner became flustered because of his depleted true qi. Inferior grade talismans could only last for an extremely limited amount of time. The gentle breeze beneath his feet gradually dispersed, and he took out another low grade talisman in a hurry.
Li Qingshan shook his head slightly. The outcome had already been determined. He should have used his strength to overwhelm his opponent in the very first moment. Being indecisive like this would not work. However, he could understand that there would be fewer talismans with each use. The more talismans he used at the start, the smaller his chances of victory would be. In the end, it was very likely that he would end up with nothing and waste a valuable talisman.
A vicious light flashed through the grey-robed Qi Practitioner's eyes. Before he knew it, he had already formed a talisman in his left hand.
The talisman shattered and suddenly turned into a swath of white light. It was so dazzling that no one could open their eyes. The spectating Qi Practitioners all looked over.
However, Li Qingshan could clearly see that the talisman was only an inferior grade talisman. Apart from being dazzling, it did not possess any offensive power at all.
However, the green-robed Qi Practitioner became flustered. Due to fear, his body stiffened up slightly.
In a battle between experts, there was only a single line.
There was a flash of light, and with it was the flash of a sword. The green-robed Qi Practitioner let out meaningless gurgles. A metal sword that shone with light had pierced his throat. His eyes were filled with regret. He still had a few talismans he had not used. If he had used them right from the start, he would definitely have won. Two streaks of tears flowed from the corner of his eyes, drowned by regret and death.
The green-robed Qi Practitioner announced loudly, "Liu Yiming is victorious!" He did not even mention the green-robed Qi Practitioner's name. Either he amazed everyone with a single move, or he died a nameless death.
Abundant battle experience and decisiveness became the key to victory. Li Qingshan also gained a deeper understanding that whether it be talismans or techniques, it all depended on the person to use them. Even if a sheep had the claws and teeth of a wolf, it would still be a sheep.
Unfortunately, Liu Yiming failed to amaze everyone with a single move. He encountered a third layer Qi Practitioner in his second battle. Fortunately, he saw the opportunity in time and forfeited early, which was why he did not lose his life for nothing.
Under the gloomy sky, the rain drizzled down slowly. The matches continued one after another. Not every single match would result in death. If they were not the opponent's opponent, they could forfeit. The other side could not force them into a corner. This was part of the Hawkwolf Guard's efforts to reduce the number of casualties.
However, whether it be spiritual artifacts or techniques used by Qi Practitioners, they were just too powerful. Basically every single one of them was strong on the offensive but weak on the defensive. Most of the time, it was impossible for them to forfeit. Once they were struck, only death awaited them. Victory and defeat were separated by a thin line.
The second round of matches ended. There were already four corpses on the side. The noble Qi Practitioners just lay in the muddy water lifelessly. Li Qingshan suddenly felt very foolish. They had already obtained everything, everything that ordinary people could never obtain in their entire lives, yet they risked their lives to fight for even more, only to lose their lives as a result.
However, he suddenly thought about it. Wasn't he the same as well? Surely he could not say that he had great dreams and others had foolish ambitions. He could not help but shake his head in a self-deprecating manner.
However, he had no plans to change his mind at all. The so-called contentment was just a way for the weak to console themselves. It was the creed of life for those who had lost their drive to live and the spirit to forge ahead. A man's ambitions were everywhere. His ambitions had yet to be fulfilled, so what was there to talk about contentment? Only constant struggle and forging ahead was the source of happiness. Even if he died in defeat, he would not have lived in vain.
The pretentious thoughts in his head vanished. When he looked at the battlefield again, there was no longer any mockery or self-deprecation in his eyes. Instead, there was admiration. He admired the Qi Practitioners mobilising all of their wits and strength to fight it out with their opponents, seeking victory in the face of danger and seeking survival in the shadow of death. The exuberance of life they gave off made death seem insignificant. Battle intent and fighting spirit flowed through his body.
Zhuo Zhibo had been paying attention to Li Qingshan the entire time. He could clearly sense Li Qingshan's great fighting spirit. He saw how he was almost admiring the matches. This was very unusual. Due to his anger, the Black Wolf guards upstairs were afraid to make a ruckus and jeer like before. However, they still looked down on him like they were watching a battle between beasts, even though they had also emerged from the arena. Only Li Qingshan was admiring the battle and thirsting for slaughter.
Zhou Wenbin was also observing Li Qingshan. This teenager, no, man, possessed a bearing that was completely different from ordinary people. Although he usually kept it hidden and seemed ordinary, it would erupt and reveal itself as soon as an opportunity presented itself.
However, no matter how special he was, it would all be useless if his cultivation and strength were insufficient. A first layer Qi Practitioner in his teens was quite talented in Jiaping city, but in the context of the entire Clear River prefecture, it was very mediocre. He would probably remain as a Black Wolf guard for the rest of his life. He would be lucky if he could even split open a sea of qi. Zhou Wenbin glanced at Zhuo Zhibo and shook his head. And, under this person's command, it would probably be very difficult for even this wish to come true.
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