Chapter 3: The Battle Begins

The training arena buzzed with excitement. Hundreds of Xiao Family disciples and elders had gathered, their eyes filled with eager anticipation. It wasn’t every day that an abandoned waste challenged the top disciples of the family.

Xiao Li stood in the center of the stage, his black robes fluttering slightly in the breeze. Across from him, Xiao Rui cracked his knuckles, grinning mockingly.

“I don’t know what trick you used to recover, but I’ll make sure you regret stepping onto this stage.” Xiao Rui’s voice was loud, filled with confidence.

Xiao Li remained silent. There was nothing to say.

The elder overseeing the matches raised his hand. “Xiao Li versus Xiao Rui. The battle begins now!”

The moment the words left his mouth, Xiao Rui shot forward like a blur.

His spiritual energy surged, and with a flick of his wrist, a fiery palm strike erupted from his hand, rushing toward Xiao Li like a tidal wave of flames.

“Burning Palm!”

The Xiao disciples watching gasped. This was one of the Xiao Family’s high-level techniques, one that even some of the inner disciples struggled to master. Xiao Rui had refined it to perfection.

“This is over already,” one disciple muttered.

Xiao Li’s expression remained unreadable as he raised his hand.@@novelbin@@

The attack was powerful, but it was too slow.

With a single step, Xiao Li vanished.

Gasps filled the air. “What—? Where did he go?!”

Before Xiao Rui could react, a voice whispered behind him.

“You’re too weak.”

Xiao Rui’s body stiffened, but before he could turn, a devastating force slammed into his back.

Boom!

Xiao Rui was sent flying across the stage, crashing into the arena’s stone wall with a sickening crunch.

The arena fell silent.

Everyone, including the elders, stared in disbelief.

“One move…”

“He… He won in a single move?”

“Impossible! Xiao Rui was at Qi Condensation Level Nine! How did Xiao Li—?”

Even Xiao Feng, who had been watching lazily from the side, narrowed his eyes slightly.

Xiao Rui coughed up blood as he struggled to get up, his face contorted with pain. “You… You…!”

Xiao Li walked toward him slowly, his gaze cold.

“This is the strength of the so-called top disciples of the Xiao Family?” His voice carried no emotion, only disappointment. “Pathetic.”

Xiao Rui’s face twisted in anger and humiliation. “You—”

Before he could finish, Xiao Li’s foot slammed into his chest, sending him sprawling to the ground.

“Stay down,” Xiao Li said simply.

The elder in charge of the match quickly recovered from his shock and announced, “Winner: Xiao Li!”

Another wave of whispers broke out among the crowd.

“This isn’t the same Xiao Li from before…”

“How did he improve so fast? Three years of being crippled, and now he’s this strong?”

The younger disciples looked at him with newfound fear, while some of the female disciples glanced at him with interest.

At the side of the arena, Xiao Feng’s smirk had disappeared. His fingers tapped lightly against the armrest of his seat.

“So, you’ve really changed,” he murmured.

He gestured to another disciple. “Xiao Cheng, go.”

Xiao Cheng, another of Xiao Feng’s followers, stepped forward onto the stage. Unlike Xiao Rui, he showed no anger, only a chilling confidence.

“I won’t underestimate you like that fool,” Xiao Cheng said.

Xiao Li tilted his head slightly. “You should.”

Xiao Cheng’s eyes darkened, but he wasted no time. The elder raised his hand. “Second match: Xiao Li versus Xiao Cheng. Begin!”

This time, Xiao Cheng didn’t charge in recklessly. His fingers formed a quick seal, and the ground beneath them trembled.

“Earth Shattering Strike!”

The entire arena quaked as a powerful shockwave burst toward Xiao Li, sharp stone fragments slicing through the air like deadly blades.

The Xiao disciples gasped.

“This technique!”

“It’s an advanced earth element technique. He’s going all out!”

Xiao Li simply exhaled and took a step forward.

In an instant, he disappeared again.

The next moment, he was directly in front of Xiao Cheng.

Xiao Cheng’s eyes widened. He couldn’t react in time.

A fist slammed into his stomach.

His body lifted off the ground as a violent shockwave rippled through the arena.

Xiao Cheng barely had time to register the pain before a second punch struck his chest, sending him rocketing backward like a broken arrow.

The audience watched in stunned silence.

Xiao Cheng crashed into the stone flooring, unmoving.

One move. Again.

The elder’s hand trembled as he raised it. “Winner… Xiao Li.”

The spectators erupted into a frenzy.

“This is ridiculous! Two top disciples, both defeated in a single attack?”

“He’s… He’s a monster!”

Xiao Feng’s expression darkened as he rose from his seat.

“Enough playing around.” He took a step forward, his aura surging. “I’ll handle this myself.”

The arena went silent.

Xiao Feng was not just another disciple. He was the top disciple of the younger generation, a true prodigy. Even the elders nodded approvingly.

Xiao Li, however, remained calm. He met Xiao Feng’s gaze and gave a faint smirk.

“I was hoping you’d say that.”