Chapter 145: Super Genius 1

“Hmph. So, Le Kai, you have some skill after all. I truly underestimated you. You were actually able to fight the Bloodstreak Blade for the flesh and blood of an artifact slave. It seems you, too, walk the demonic path.”

He reached out and gently stroked the blade of the Bloodstreak Blade. His movements were slow and tender, as though he were caressing his own lover.

“Since you have ruined my plans, I absolutely cannot let you go. Once I have refined my cultivation for a little longer, your death will come.”

After soothing the Bloodstreak Blade, the young man’s expression returned to normal. His eyes remained as cold as ever.

The Bloodstreak Blade was like a child returning to its mother’s embrace. Under his comfort, it gradually stopped trembling and fell silent. The blood-red hue covering it slowly faded until, in the end, it returned to the form of an ordinary long saber.

The young man closed his eyes. Once again, the surrounding area sank into utter silence. It seemed even breathing and heartbeat had ceased to exist. The frigid cavern was utterly devoid of life.

After Le Kai had tidied himself up, he returned to the region of the dead volcanoes.

By then, the battle had already ended. Everyone wore ashen faces and could barely summon any strength. Although spiritual medicines had restored their physical power and vital energy in time, the agony of repeatedly surpassing their limits was not something everyone could endure.

When the team members saw how miserable Le Kai looked, they were all stunned, their resentment instantly forgotten. The battle just now had been nothing short of endless torment. The mutated beasts had seemed to coordinate with one another: as soon as one wave was defeated, another would arrive, hounding them in a relentless war of attrition until every last bit of their strength had been drained. Each person had consumed at least a dozen Vitality-Recovery Pills, and the assault had not stopped until their potential had been completely wrung dry.

Even the strongest among them, Gun God and Wu Nitian, were covered in blood, their clothes reduced to strips of cloth. They looked even more wretched than the wilderness dwellers who had survived for decades in the wastelands.

In the face of such inhuman devil training, even these iron-willed warriors were on the verge of collapse.

Yet when they saw Le Kai’s condition, all the complaints lodged in their throats were swallowed back down. Not a single word could escape them, because Le Kai looked far more miserable than any of them.

His clothes were completely shredded, barely covering what needed to be covered. Countless bloody marks ran across his skin, as though it had been slashed again and again with a small knife. They were the result of Xi Shan’s overwhelmingly powerful vital energy.

His long hair was disheveled and stained with blood. He looked as though he had just crawled out of a pool of blood.

What kind of terrifying battle could have left someone in such a state?

The muscles in both his arms, in particular, showed signs of withering. Everyone who practiced Berserk Combat knew exactly what that meant: he had overused the technique to the point that his muscles and meridians could no longer bear the strain.

“Boss, what happened to you? Did a bunch of savages rob you?” Rambo stared at Le Kai in astonishment and joked.

Compared with their boss, he himself looked remarkably neat. Rambo felt immensely proud of that fact. He rarely had the chance to surpass Le Kai in appearance and bearing, so this was an exceptionally rare occasion.

Le Kai smiled faintly, his eyes lighting up. “Not bad, kid. You broke through so quickly.”

Rambo gave a lecherous grin. “Of course. How could I fail to work hard for that goal?”

Wu Meitian seemed to understand what he meant. Even beneath the grime covering her face, her natural beauty was impossible to conceal. A flush immediately spread across her cheeks, and she shot Rambo a fierce glare. She was only a breath away from calling him a scoundrel.

Rambo was dumbfounded and hurriedly explained, “Sister Meitian, you have to believe me. It really isn’t what you think. I, Rambo, am an exceptionally pure and honest man.”

Le Kai looked puzzled. “If it isn’t what she thinks, then what is it? Congratulations on breaking through, all of you—but everything must be done step by step. You must not be rash.”

“Le Kai, if you keep talking, I’m never speaking to you again.” Wu Meitian’s entire face had turned crimson. She was so embarrassed that she could hardly bear it.

Le Kai burst into laughter. “Miss Wu, you misunderstand. I was talking about cultivation, not anything else. Cultivation must naturally proceed one step at a time. Chasing quick success and immediate gains will only lead one down the demonic path.”

Wu Meitian stamped her foot in anger, but she was too embarrassed to argue in front of everyone. She could only hide behind Rambo, a girlish shyness rising in her large eyes.

Le Kai glanced over the group, his gaze eventually settling on one person.

At once, the atmosphere grew strange, and even the air seemed to solidify. Everyone looked sympathetically at that team member.

He was the last-ranked participant in this trial. The mutated rhinoceros had knocked him unconscious three separate times.

When he noticed Le Kai looking at him, even his normally thick skin, tough as a fortress wall, could not prevent him from trembling. Instinctively, he shrank backward, resembling a kidnapped girl facing her captor. The sight left Le Kai thoroughly exasperated.

“I don’t want to know your name for now, because you are not yet my brother. If you want my recognition, then work hard and break through,” Le Kai said calmly.

He then turned his gaze toward Gun God, Wu Nitian, Rambo, and Wu Meitian, who had all achieved breakthroughs, and revealed a sincere smile.

“You have already proven yourselves to me. I, Le Kai, always keep my word. From this day forward, you are my brothers and sisters. We will share blessings, and when trouble comes, I will bear the burden.”

Although Gun God had experienced many storms in life, he still could not suppress the stir of emotion in his heart upon hearing Le Kai’s words. The feeling was exactly like the first time he had received a commendation after enlisting—after enduring countless hardships, he had finally earned recognition. Outsiders could never truly understand such a feeling.

The others looked at the four with envy. At the same time, each of them secretly resolved to cultivate harder and strive to pass Le Kai’s trial as soon as possible.

Gun God had always possessed formidable mental strength. After this breakthrough, he rose another level, and his entire presence seemed transformed, giving people an entirely new impression of him. His eyes were especially striking; whenever he glanced around, an imposing aura radiated from them.

The Thin Bamboo, Four-Eyes, Big Guy, and the remaining three team members all wore determined expressions.

“Boss, my name is Ling Kong. I will definitely work hard and make you remember my name!”

The last-ranked man was short and slight. Although his overall appearance was scarcely different from that of a beggar, his eyes shone with determination.

Le Kai nodded and said calmly, “The path of cultivation is, by its very nature, a path against heaven. We must break through not only the limitations of heaven and earth, but also the limits of our own bodies. Talent is certainly important, but character matters more. As long as you persevere and believe in yourself, you will surely succeed.”

After speaking, Le Kai had Xianxian project the footage of the earlier battle.

A shimmer of light flashed across his wristwatch, casting an image into the air. The battle between Le Kai and Xi Shan was replayed before them.

Even though they were merely watching a recording, everyone could still sense the terrifying power of Xi Shan’s sea of blood. They could not help but feel suffocated, hardly daring to breathe. The impact was even more overwhelming than witnessing Le Kai’s battle against Sang Qing with their own eyes.

Le Kai had been completely restrained and had been forced to rely on medicine again and again to fight his opponent head-on. He had repeatedly surpassed his limits and never once given up. That spirit of fighting to the very end moved everyone deeply. As they were shaken, they also reflected upon themselves and became even more firmly resolved.

That was precisely why Le Kai had shown them the recording: to lead by example and establish a model for them to follow.

Although everyone had nearly grown numb to Le Kai’s repeated creation of miracles over the past several days, watching his arduous battle against Xi Shan still stirred profound admiration from the depths of their hearts.

Whether one was powerful or not was not the most important thing. What mattered was possessing a heart that would never surrender.

Death was not frightening. Perseverance was what deserved respect.

After the battle ended, everyone remained silent for a long time. Their gazes toward Le Kai contained more than admiration now; there was also a trace of worship. This made Le Kai somewhat embarrassed. He had only wanted to use the recording to teach them the importance of perseverance, not to show off.

Rambo was the first to recover from his shock. He cried out excitedly, “Boss, you’re incredible! Another Star-Ranked warrior has fallen to you just like that. If Skywind Xi finds out, he’ll be scared witless! I’ve never liked that dead-man’s face of Xi Bao’s, and it turns out he really was an evil villain. You killed him for the good of the people, Boss. You don’t need to feel guilty about it.”

Gun God said in astonishment, “So there really is such a thing as the demonic path in this world. We were truly ignorant before. We thought that mastering a few days of martial arts made us invincible under heaven. Now it seems we have not even earned the right to take our first step.”

“The reason I revealed this secret to you,” Le Kai said solemnly, “is to tell you that the path of cultivation has no end. Beyond every mountain lies another, higher mountain. You must never become arrogant or complacent. Always maintain a heart of reverence, and act with caution.”

Wu Nitian was equally moved. “Back then, I was ignorant of the vastness of heaven and earth, and that was why Hua Keqiang’s scheme succeeded. I thought that by uniting mind and spirit, I could change the world. Looking back now, I was truly childish and naive.”

The resentment caused by their earlier ordeal had long since vanished. A surging battle spirit had risen in everyone’s hearts, filling them with boundless anticipation for the future.

Strength was a man’s greatest capital in a chaotic age.

It was a strange thing, almost like a drug. Once one had tasted its sweetness, it was difficult ever to forget.

Leaving Ling Kong behind, the others returned to the cavern. Reviewing a battle and absorbing its lessons afterward was an essential part of a martial artist’s training. How much one gained from the process depended entirely on one’s individual talent.

Yet when everyone returned to the cavern in high spirits, they were still dealt a crushing blow.

Inside the cavern, Li Yan stood smiling atop the elevated platform, as ethereal as an immortal fairy welcoming them home. An indescribable aura surrounded her, as though every negative emotion were annihilated beneath that single smile.

She carried the fragrance of nature about her, calming the mind and spirit until they could no longer summon even the slightest hint of battle intent.

That was not, however, what shocked them most. Li Yan had always possessed that approachable quality. What truly left them incredulous was that, in the span of merely half a day, Li Yan had actually achieved a breakthrough.

Great Blood Wolf Emperor above, could this really be happening?

They had fought the mutated beasts outside with their lives on the line, consuming countless spiritual medicines, and only a handful had managed to break through by sheer luck. Meanwhile, she had simply stayed at home, and in the blink of an eye, she had crossed a barrier that might well have taken others an entire lifetime to overcome.

Even the most gifted martial artist would have been ashamed to death before such an astonishing achievement.