Chapter 16: Miracles Wrought by My Hand (Part 2)
The Immortal Bone Mirror was brought out. Immortal Patterns flowed across its smooth surface as the entire mirror pulsed with a terrifying aura! Even a great figure like Yu He couldn't help but feel a sense of awe in the presence of such an aura!
The Immortal Bone Mirror shone upon Li Qiye's body, projecting his image. His Life Wheel and Life Palace appeared one by one! The Life Wheel turned slowly, his Blood Qi was average, his Life Palace was unopened—the signs of a Mortal Life!
"Mortal Body, Mortal Wheel, Mortal Life, his Life Palace is unopened, and he has yet to begin Cultivation! He is not carrying any Immortal Emperor's Treasure!" In the end, Yu He came to a conclusion!
Kou Palace was the lowest realm for a Cultivator. As long as one practiced Cultivation, no matter how poor their aptitude, they could open their Life Palace in as little as a day, or at most, eight to ten days. However, Li Qiye's Life Palace was unopened—a clear sign that he had never cultivated.
Under the Immortal Bone Mirror, Li Qiye had nowhere to hide; everything was laid bare for all to see.
"Guardian Xu, Guardian Yu, are you satisfied now?!" Guardian Mo said coldly. Being forced to use the Immortal Bone Mirror was, one might say, a disgrace to their Xiyan Ancient Sect!
"My apologies." Yu He was a man of some magnanimity. He nodded and said, "Li Qiye did not cheat!"
With Yu He's confirmation, no one had anything left to say! And yet, they still found it hard to believe that a thirteen-year-old boy could pass through the Chaotic Heart Forest. A person with a Mortal Body, Mortal Wheel, Mortal Life, who hadn't even begun Cultivation—in the eyes of all Cultivators, such a person was trash! But it was this very piece of trash who had passed through the Chaotic Heart Forest.
"But... this... this... this is impossible!" Xu Hui couldn't accept this reality.
Li Qiye glanced at him and said slowly, "It seems you're not convinced. Don't worry, I'll make you crawl on your knees yet. The Chaotic Heart Forest? What's so great about it? Only an idiot like you would get stuck on the 7th Floor. Open your dog eyes and watch. I, your granddaddy, will walk it again for you to see." With that, he turned and walked into the Chaotic Heart Forest.
At this moment, countless pairs of eyes were fixed on the Chaotic Heart Forest, everyone afraid of missing the slightest detail.
"First floor, second floor, third floor..." Nan Huairun's gaze followed Li Qiye's steps, counting off floor after floor.
"The fourteenth floor!" Nan Huairun finally shouted. Although he was witnessing a miracle with his own eyes once again, he was still stunned. 'This is simply a monster!'
At this, everyone present was speechless. Even someone like Yu He remained silent for a long time. After the inspection by the Immortal Bone Mirror, Yu He knew that Li Qiye's innate physique was nothing special. However, he now possessed an incomparable Dao Heart—an unshakable Dao Heart.
A thirteen-year-old boy with an unshakable Dao Heart—what kind of trials could he have possibly endured? Yu He found it unbelievable. He had been on the path of Cultivation for over a thousand years, yet even he could not possibly possess such a Dao Heart!
"Time to crawl." Li Qiye walked back, spread his legs into a horse stance, and glanced disdainfully at Xu Hui, speaking lightly.
"You—" Xu Hui's whole body trembled, his face turning deathly pale. To be forced to crawl between Li Qiye's legs in front of countless people... where could he ever show his face again?
"Our Nine Saints Demon Gate can afford to lose! Since it was a bet, you must honor the loss!" Yu He nodded and said, "Xu Hui, you were the one who proposed the wager. Go and fulfill your promise."
Xu Hui nearly fainted. Now that even Guardian Yu had spoken, not even his master could save him. His face flushed red, then turned green. Finally, he gritted his teeth and dropped to his knees before Li Qiye. His body remained rigid for a long, long time. This was the most shameful moment of his life.
In the end, Xu Hui had no choice but to crawl between Li Qiye's legs. After Xu Hui had passed through, Li Qiye planted a foot on his back, looked down at him, and said, "If someone shows me an inch of respect, I'll show them a foot in return. But if someone offends me by an inch, I'll offend them by a foot! A genius disciple? Means nothing in my eyes. The Nine Saints Demon Gate? It's nothing special to me either!" After speaking, he turned and sauntered away.
"PUH—" Xu Hui's whole body convulsed. He spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed on the ground, having fainted from pure rage.
"Hui'er—!" Guardian Xu hurriedly picked up Xu Hui and began administering aid to restore his energy flow.
At this moment, everyone present was dumbfounded. So arrogant, so domineering—for a piece of trash with a Mortal Body, this was simply too incredible! It was something that should be impossible.
And yet, Li Qiye, with his Mortal Body, was still spouting such wild boasts. A person who had never even cultivated a single Daoist Technique actually dared to claim he didn't give a damn about the Nine Saints Demon Gate!
Back on the main peak, Guardian Xu, Yu He, and Guardian Mo returned to their original seats. Li Qiye sat in a lower seat, calm and composed. His leisurely air made countless disciples of the Nine Saints Demon Gate want to give him a vicious slap!
Guardian Xu stared at Li Qiye, venom flickering in his terrifying gaze! With his beloved disciple provoked like this, it was only natural for him, as the master, to share his disciple's hatred. For Li Qiye to humiliate his disciple was the same as humiliating him!
At this time, both Guardian Mo and Nan Huairun felt a strange unease. Li Qiye, this disciple who had only joined the Xiyan Ancient Sect a few days ago, was so arrogant that people thought him ignorant and reckless, courting his own death.
But thinking about it carefully now, it seemed he wasn't being arrogant at all. The things he said... it was as if he were merely stating facts.
This left Guardian Mo and Nan Huairun unable to understand Li Qiye, let alone see through him. 'A mortal with a Mortal Body, who hasn't even begun Cultivation and has no backing... what right does he have to be so arrogant? What capital does he possess to make an enemy of the Nine Saints Demon Gate?'
"The literary exam is over, so let's hurry up and get to the martial exam." Li Qiye gently tapped his fingers on the table, speaking in a measured, unhurried tone with a faint smile.
Words like these from Li Qiye were outrageously arrogant. If not for his earlier performance, the disciples of the Nine Saints Demon Gate would have probably drowned him in spit by now. But now, they all fell silent. Li Qiye's performance hadn't just viciously humiliated Xu Hui; it was also a harsh slap in the face to the entire Nine Saints Demon Gate.
Even Yu He couldn't help but look at Li Qiye strangely. As an expert qualified to be enfeoffed as a Prince, as a great figure who could command the winds and clouds of a region, what kind of storms had he not weathered?
Before this, he had thought Li Qiye was terrifyingly ignorant, so arrogant that one might think he was insane. But now, thinking it over, it seemed he really did have the capital to back it up!
'A mortal who hasn't even cultivated a single Daoist Technique... what kind of backing could he have to provoke the Nine Saints Demon Gate? Could it be that the Xiyan Ancient Sect has some kind of trump card?'
But as the Chief Guardian, Yu He immediately dismissed this idea. In recent years, the Nine Saints Demon Gate couldn't be clearer about the Xiyan Ancient Sect's situation. If the Xiyan Ancient Sect still had a hidden move to challenge the Nine Saints Demon Gate, they wouldn't have fallen into their current predicament, let alone been forced to take shelter under the Treasure Sacred Upper Country!
Moreover, the Nine Saints Demon Gate had accurate intelligence on the circumstances of Li Qiye joining the Xiyan Ancient Sect. Li Qiye had only become the Chief Disciple by holding the Xiyan Ancient Order. Even the Six Great Elders of the Xiyan Ancient Sect didn't look upon him favorably.
'What kind of Divine Techniques could such a person with no backing and no support possibly possess?' This was something Yu He simply could not figure out.
Coming back to his senses, Yu He slowly said, "Nephew Xu is not in good condition right now. Since you wish to take the martial exam, my Nine Saints Demon Gate can find you a different opponent."
"Reporting to the Guardian, I am fine." At this moment, Xu Hui stood up once more. He stood ramrod straight, his face pale, but his head was still held high. When his gaze swept over to Li Qiye, it was incomparably venomous, as if he wished he could tear Li Qiye to shreds, or even bite him to death.
He had been so utterly humiliated by Li Qiye. He swore an oath that he would personally kill Li Qiye, that he would make Li Qiye wish for death, that he would use Li Qiye's blood to wash away his own shame!
Xu Hui stood ramrod straight, clinging to his last shred of confidence. He held his head high and said resolutely to Yu He, "Guardian, I can still fight!"
Yu He couldn't help but frown slightly. He knew exactly what Xu Hui was thinking. He said in a low voice, "Nephew Xu, you are not in a suitable condition to fight right now."
This matter was of great importance to the Nine Saints Demon Gate. Li Qiye had already won one round.
"Brother Yu, Xu Hui is a child with a firm disposition. Even if he's suffered a setback, he won't give up on himself. He's the type to rise to a challenge. Just give him a chance," Guardian Xu pleaded, trying to secure an opportunity for his disciple.
Xu Hui gritted his teeth, steeled his heart, and declared in a heavy voice, "Guardian, in this martial exam, if I make any mistake, I will atone for it with my life to the sect!" For the sake of revenge, he had just sworn a death oath.
Yu He pondered for a moment. Among the disciples of the younger generation, Xu Hui had reached the True Fate Realm and was advancing toward the Canopy stage. It could be said that at his age, he was already outstanding within the Nine Saints Demon Gate. There weren't many disciples in the younger generation stronger than him. What's more, he cultivated the Great Sage Level Life Technique, the "Slaughter Sword Technique"!
Yu He was well aware of this Sword Technique's power. If Xu Hui truly fought with his life on the line, then forget about the Xiyan Ancient Sect—even within the Nine Saints Demon Gate, few among the younger generation could hope to defeat him. Only a true genius like Leng Chengfeng would have the strength to do so!
"Brother Yu, this child Xu Hui has always been very strong. He absolutely will not slip up. Just give him this one chance," Guardian Xu said hurriedly.
Yu He thought it over. If even a desperate Xu Hui wasn't enough, then the only ones in the Nine Saints Demon Gate's younger generation who could guarantee victory would be a genius like Leng Chengfeng, or perhaps Princess Li Yanshuang herself.
Besides, Li Qiye hadn't even cultivated any Daoist Techniques. Yu He refused to believe that Li Qiye could rely on mere Martial Techniques to defeat an expert at the True Fate Realm who also cultivated a Great Sage Level Cultivation Technique!
"Fine. You will be the one to face him!" In the end, after much deliberation, Yu He agreed to Xu Hui's request to fight.