Chapter 15: Final Battle, Aim for the Top
On the ring, the poison needle that fell to the ground, flashing an ominous black light, was like ice water dropped into boiling oil, instantly triggering an uproar and doubts in the audience!
"Hidden weapon! It's a poison needle!"
"Young Master Ye Feng actually...actually used this method?"
"That's mean! This is Dabi!"
"No wonder Miss Ye Li almost got caught just now! So that's how it is!"
Exclamations, rebukes, and incredulous comments swept in like a tsunami. All the looks towards Ye Feng changed from awe and admiration to contempt, anger, and disappointment.
On the high platform, the third elder Ye Lang's face turned pale and his body trembled slightly. He wanted to open his mouth to explain himself, but the head of the family, Ye Tian, glared back at him with an extremely cold look. It was as if his neck was being strangled and he couldn't utter a word.
The great elder, Ye Xiao, was furious. He slammed the armrest of his chair with a bang, his voice exploding like thunder. "How can this be! In the clan competition, you dare to use such a sinister thing! Law enforcement team! Take Ye Feng away and keep him under strict supervision until he is dealt with!"
Several stern-looking family law enforcement officers immediately stepped forward and roughly lifted up Ye Feng, whose face was covered in blood and who was still struggling and screaming, "It's not me! It's...", and dragged him off the stage. The law enforcement officers also carefully put away the poison needle as evidence.
What should have been a wonderful fight between dragons and tigers ended abruptly in such a terrible way.
But the result is already clear.
The referee deacon took a deep breath, suppressed the shock in his heart, and announced loudly, his voice trembling with a barely perceptible tremor: "First match of the finals, Ye Feng violated the rules by using a banned substance and is declared the loser! The winner is - Ye Li!"
There was no cheering, only a complex silence.
Everyone's attention was once again focused on the independent figure in the center of the ring.
Ye Li slowly regained her breath, the redness and swelling on her forehead and the churning blood in her body reminding her of the thrilling moment just now. She glanced coldly in the direction where Ye Feng was dragged away, feeling no joy in her heart, only a cold understanding. She had already witnessed too much of the dark side of her family.
This victory wasn't so much a crushing victory of sheer strength as it was a triumph of wisdom, experience, and insight into crises. Of course, the assistance of the Samsara Mirror at that crucial moment was crucial.
She successfully entered the final battle for the championship and runner-up!
Her opponent would be chosen from the winner of the other semi-final. The other semi-final had already concluded when Ye Li faced Ye Feng, and the winner was a collateral disciple named Ye Shi.
Ye Shi, as his name suggests, is tall and muscular, with dark skin and a simple, silent face. Previously, he had been relatively unknown within the family, far less dazzling than the more prominent prodigies like Ye Feng. However, in this competition, he steadily advanced. Leveraging his solid foundation and unwavering tenacity, he defeated several formidable opponents from his own clan and advanced to the finals, becoming a truly unexpected dark horse.
His cultivation had surprisingly reached the advanced stage of the Spirit Awakening Realm. Although he was not halfway to the Meridian Condensation stage like Ye Feng, his foundation was extremely solid, his spiritual power was strong, and he took the tough approach of overcoming all obstacles with his own strength.
Because of Ye Feng's unexpected elimination, the original third place match was cancelled, and the other semi-final loser directly became the third place. The final championship and runner-up showdown will be between Ye Li and Ye Shi!
The new dark horse versus the biggest dark horse!
This dramatic change once again piqued everyone's interest.
A short rest period is provided for Ye Li to recover.
She swallowed the reward of the Qi-restoring pill and quickly adjusted her breathing. The powerful effects of the "Emperor's Scripture of the Dark World" were now clearly evident. Combined with the stabilization of her foundation by the fragments of the Samsara Mirror, her condition was recovering at an astonishing rate.
Elsewhere, Ye Shi sat silently in a corner, polishing a heavy-looking black, thick-backed sword. Occasionally, his gaze turned toward Ye Li, dignified and filled with a fierce fighting spirit. He showed no disdain, nor the arrogance of those former direct descendants. He was a pure warrior who respected his opponent.
The atmosphere on the stage remained tense. Ye Feng's scandal had completely humiliated the direct lineage, and the Third Elder's lineage was even more embarrassed. Now the finals were being held between two collateral branches, a truly unprecedented event for the Ye family.
The patriarch Ye Tian's gaze swept between Ye Li and Ye Shi, deep and incomprehensible.
The Great Elder Ye Xiao's expression was still grim, but his gaze towards the arena was more scrutinizing.
The fourth elder Ye Yun's eyes were even brighter, and he seemed to be full of anticipation for this battle between the collateral branches.
The bell rang again, heralding the arrival of the final battle!
"The clan competition, the champion and runner-up will face off! Ye Li, yes, Ye Shi! Both parties, please come on stage!"
The entire audience instantly fell silent, all eyes filled with anticipation. This time, it was a pure clash of strength!
Ye Shi carried the heavy black knife and strode onto the ring. With every step he took, the ring seemed to shake slightly, and his momentum was as heavy as a mountain.
Ye Li also came on stage at the same time, still wearing old clothes that had been washed to a pale color. Her slender figure formed a huge contrast with Ye Shi's burly figure.
"Please teach me!" Ye Shi's voice was low, like a muffled thunder. He saluted Ye Li with a serious look. He didn't underestimate Ye Li because she was a woman or because of her previous reputation as a "good-for-nothing." The fact that she had made it this far was already a testament to her strength.
"Please." Ye Li nodded slightly and returned the greeting. The other party's attitude won her a little respect.
"The final begins!" the referee announced loudly!
"Roar!" Ye Shi roared, but didn't attack immediately. Instead, the ochre-colored spiritual energy around him exploded, as if he were covered in a layer of rock armor! He was obviously practicing a technique that focused on defense and strength. His aura was extremely heavy, giving people a feeling of being unshakable.
Then, he grasped the knife with both hands, and a deep black light burst out from the heavy black knife. A heavy knife force spread out and locked onto Ye Li!
"Heavy Mountain Sword Technique!" someone in the audience exclaimed. "This is a top-grade human-level martial art! It's said that when mastered to a high level, a single strike can be as heavy as a mountain!"
Ye Li's eyes narrowed slightly. The opponent was employing a completely steady and cautious tactic, using static to counter dynamic, using his powerful defense and strength to force her to attack, thereby finding a flaw. This was the most effective fighting style against a more agile opponent like her.
She no longer hesitated and performed the Shadow Step. Her figure instantly became blurred and she wandered around Yeshi like a ghost, looking for an opportunity.
However, Ye Shi's defense was impenetrable. His blade wasn't swift, but it enveloped him, its powerful force forming an invisible force field that made it difficult for Ye Li to get close. The occasional slash of his blade was so powerful and forceful that Ye Li had to dodge and retreat.
"clang!"
Ye Li tried to point a finger at the back of the opponent's knife, but there was a sound of metal clashing, and the fingertip was numb from the shock! The opponent's spiritual power and physical strength far exceeded that of his previous opponent!
"Such a strong defense! Such a deep power!" Ye Li secretly praised in her heart. This is the real solid foundation.
The battle was at a stalemate for a while. Ye Li's movements were strange, making it difficult for Ye Shi to capture his true form; but Ye Shi's defense was thick and his strength was overwhelming, so Ye Li couldn't find a good way to break through.
The audience watched with bated breath.
"Senior Brother Yeshi's defense is too strong! It's impossible to break it!"
"Senior Sister Yeli's movements are too fast! I can't even touch her!"
"This is a match of equal strength!"
On the platform, the elders nodded slightly. Compared to Night Breeze's match, this duel was clearly more pure and exciting.
After a long time of attacking without success, Ye Li's mind raced. A brute force attack was not a good strategy, and he had to outsmart it.
She began to change her strategy, no longer pursuing a single kill. Instead, she used the extreme flexibility of her Shadow Step to constantly harass and test him. Finger winds, palm shadows, and even kicks attacked Ye Shi from all angles like a violent storm, but most of them were blocked by his heavy blade and defense.
Her attacks seemed futile, but in each collision, she carefully sensed the rhythm of the opponent's spiritual power, the gaps in power conversion, and the subtle fluctuations in the heavy sword force.
Ye Shi remained steady as a rock, yet his heart was filled with growing shock. While the opponent's attacks weren't powerful enough to truly threaten him, each strike was incredibly precise, causing his energy and blood to surge. Even more terrifying, the opponent's movements were like ghosts, making his blade power unable to lock onto him. Instead, his own spiritual energy was being depleted at an ever-increasing rate.
He realized that this couldn't go on! He had to force the other party to fight!
He took a deep breath and injected the spiritual power in his body into the black knife crazily. The heavy black knife shone brightly and made a buzzing sound!
"Zhongyue—slash!"
He roared angrily and stopped defending. Instead, he took a step forward, raised his sword with both hands, and slashed fiercely at the afterimage of Ye Li in front of him with the force of breaking all laws!
This single strike condensed all his strength and will! The blade's aura surged, as if an invisible mountain were crushing down with the blade's force! The arena's ground was cracked by the heavy pressure!
This is the decisive blow! Either force the opponent to take it head-on, or force the opponent out of the ring completely!
However, at the moment when his old strength had been used up and his new strength had not yet been generated, and all his strength was poured into this knife -
Ye Li, who had been wandering around like a ghost, suddenly had a bright light bursting out of his eyes!
This was the opportunity she had been waiting for! When the opponent unleashed his full force, that thick defense would inevitably experience a brief moment of stagnation in the power conversion!
The cool airflow from the fragments of the Samsara Mirror moved slightly again, allowing her to enhance her perception to the extreme, accurately capturing the fleeting flaw - not on the front where the sword force was the strongest, but at a meridian node behind his right shoulder holding the sword, which was slightly exposed due to his full-strength chop!
Now is the time!
Ye Li's figure didn't retreat, but advanced! Instead of rushing towards the terrifying sword energy, he appeared behind Ye Shi as if by teleportation! His timing was perfect!
All the icy spiritual energy in her body was concentrated unreservedly on the tip of her right index finger! There was even a hint of crystal jade light on that fingertip, and the air around it seemed to be frozen!
"break!"
She let out a low, cold cry and pointed her finger! Not at the knife, nor at the vital part of the body, but with incredible precision at the power conversion node behind Ye Shi's right shoulder!
This one finger condensed all her understanding of strength, her perfect grasp of timing, and the extreme sharpness of the spiritual power of the "Youhuan Emperor Sutra"!
"puff!"
A slight muffled sound.
Ye Shi's ferocious blade suddenly faltered! It was as if a surging river had been suddenly cut off from its source! He felt a numbness in his right shoulder, and a sharp, icy force penetrated his body, instantly interrupting the smooth flow of his spiritual energy!
The heavy mountain slash that had gathered all his strength lost its subsequent support, and the sword energy instantly dissipated! The heavy black sword became difficult to control, and instead caused him to stumble forward!
The door is wide open!
How could Ye Li miss this opportunity? He unleashed his Shadow Steps again, instantly closing in! His left palm, filled with soft energy, gently struck Ye Shi's chest, which was defenseless due to his stagger!
"Bang!"
Ye Shi groaned, his strong body could no longer maintain balance. He took seven or eight steps back, and finally missed a step and fell off the stage!
He stood firm, with no anger on his face, only a hint of surprise and realization, which then turned into a wry smile. He bowed and said, "I lost. Junior Sister Ye Li has such exquisite finger techniques and such sharp eyesight. Ye Shi admires her." He lost wholeheartedly.
The entire audience fell into dead silence again.
it's over?
The final champion is actually... Ye Li?
That useless side branch that was once bullied by everyone?
The next moment, deafening exclamations and cheers resounded throughout the entire training ground like a volcanic eruption!
"Win! Ye Li wins!"
"Champion! She's the champion!"
"Too amazing! He even defeated Senior Brother Ye Shi, who has the strongest defense!"
"Our side branch... has finally made its mark!"
Countless collateral descendants were so excited that tears welled up in their eyes and they cheered loudly! The servants also cast their gazes in awe and admiration!
Ye Li stood on the ring, panting slightly, sweat dripping down her forehead. The continuous high-intensity fighting had taken its toll on her. But her eyes were as bright as stars.
She did it. As a member of the side branch, she reached the pinnacle of the young generation of the Ye family!
The referee deacon took a deep breath and announced loudly in an excited voice: "Family competition, the final champion is Ye Li!"
The sound spread everywhere.
On the high platform, Patriarch Ye Tian slowly stood up. All the elders had to stand up as well.
Their gazes fell on the girl with extremely complicated expressions.
From then on, no one in the Ye family dared to treat her as waste anymore.
She won respect, status, and... the qualification to enter a wider world!
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