While Li Mingfu fought his matches and waited for the next round, the elders seated high above the arenas had begun whispering among themselves.
At first, it was only a few.
Then more joined.
Some of them remembered him.
"The child… he won last year."
"The one who rejected THAT Inner Sect Elder's invitation to be a disciple."
"That boy?"
The information quickly spread across the viewing platform.
Soon, almost every elder had shifted their attention toward Li Mingfu's arena.
And what they saw surprised them.
Every match ended the same way.
Li Mingfu would calmly walk toward his opponent.
Vanish and repeat behind his opponent.
Then the opponent would suddenly freeze, touch their neck, and discover a shallow cut.
After that, they would immediately admit defeat.
The elders, all of whom had stronger cultivation, could see the speed of Li Mingfu's attack.
But what caught their attention was the referee.
The referee was an inner sect senior with cultivation at least Late Foundation Establishment.
Yet the expression he showed was focused and serious.
He was frowning.
Because even though he could see Li Mingfu's attacks, he had to focus on them.
He had to maintain his focus, in case Li Mingfu messes up and kills one of his opponents.
It was his job to stop it, but Li Mingfu's control and speed were too good.
That realization caused several elders to narrow their eyes and pay more attention to him.
After all the group matches ended, Li Mingfu advanced into the elimination bracket.
As the battles continued, Li Mingfu began noticing something.
More gazes were focused on him.
But he did not turn to look.
He already knew who it was.
The elders and senior disciples.
If they realized he could sense their gazes, things could become troublesome.
Investigation.
Questions.
Trouble.
So Li Mingfu acted normally.
Just another disciple participating in the competition.
By this point, he also knew who the so-called top-grade genius was.
Yan Lie.
Li Mingfu barely remembered him.
The boy had bright red hair and always carried an arrogant expression.
During the matches, Li Mingfu watched him fight.
Yan Lie's method was simple.
Brute force.
Pure cultivation advantage.
He crushed opponents head-on.
Punching them out of the arena or knocking them down directly.
Li Mingfu was not afraid.
He already knew he could win.
The first-place reward would belong to him.
When the elimination bracket was revealed, Li Mingfu even laughed quietly.
Because the arrangement was obvious.
The elders had rigged it.
They purposely placed him and Yan Lie on opposite sides of the bracket so they would meet in the final.
The two strongest disciples.
A perfect final match.
As the rounds continued, Yan Lie advanced with overwhelming strength.
One opponent after another was thrown out of the arena.
Meanwhile, Li Mingfu's matches remained exactly the same.
One draw of the dagger.
One cut.
Victory.
While waiting for his next match, Li Mingfu suddenly felt something strange.
A presence.
It felt familiar.
But no matter how he searched his memory, he could not remember where he had felt it before.
After a moment, he simply ignored it.
Right now, the competition mattered more.
After several rounds, the final match finally arrived.
Li Mingfu stepped onto the arena.
Across from him stood Yan Lie.
Yan Lie laughed loudly.
"Hey, just get off the stage and let me take first place."
Li Mingfu smiled.
"I was just about to say the same thing to you."
Yan Lie sneered.
"I'm two stages above you. I can easily win."
Li Mingfu sighed.
"I don't want to waste words with you."
"Just admit defeat. I want my prize and a nap. It's been a long day."
Yan Lie's face twisted with anger.
"I'll show you how superior I am!"
"Remember my name!"
"I am Yan Lie! I have a top-grade spiritual root!"
Then he charged forward.
Li Mingfu calmly walked toward him.
Yan Lie threw a punch.
But before the strike even landed—
Li Mingfu had already appeared behind him.
"Top-grade?" Li Mingfu said calmly.
"How boring. Admit defeat already."
Yan Lie froze.
"I didn't lose!"
But suddenly, he felt pain; his body finally registered the attack.
His eyes widened.
He reached up and touched his neck.
Blood.
A thin cut had already appeared.
Shock filled his face.
He hadn't even seen the attack.
Because he had assumed he would win, he never bothered watching Li Mingfu's earlier matches.
Now he finally realized his mistake.
Yan Lie immediately gathered his Qi.
Flames burst from his body.
He burned the wound closed to stop the bleeding.
Li Mingfu raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
"Interesting. Fire Qi."
"Not rare though. Very common."
"Is this your trump card?"
Yan Lie glared furiously.
"You hurt me."
"You're dead."
"This is your last warning."
Li Mingfu laughed.
"If this wasn't a friendly spar… You would already be dead."
Yan Lie's expression darkened.
Anger exploded within him.
His Qi surged violently.
Flames erupted from his entire body, turning him into a walking inferno.
The heat spread across the arena.
Even from a distance, Li Mingfu could feel it.
But he ignored the flames.
Because something else caught his attention.
More gazes.
And among them were two terrifying presences.
Li Mingfu's heart tightened slightly.
Those two could easily kill him.
If he accidentally killed Yan Lie during the match.
Things might become very dangerous for him.
Still, Li Mingfu kept smiling.
He had already decided he would win.
Yan Lie charged forward again.
This time, Li Mingfu did not walk.
He vanished.
Then reappeared beside Yan Lie.
Then vanished again.
Then appeared behind him.
Only the elders could clearly follow his movements.
Those at Foundation Establishment had to focus on tracking him.
Everyone else only saw one thing.
Li Mingfu disappears and reappears around Yan Lie.
The strength of Shadow Drift Steps lies in explosive bursts of movement.
Over long distances, it was slower.
But in close combat, it was terrifying.
Li Mingfu circled Yan Lie while carefully testing the flames.
He discovered something.
He could get close.
But not too close.
He tried casting a small water spell.
It weakened the flames slightly.
But not enough.
Li Mingfu sighed inwardly.
Low-level cultivators mainly fought at close range.
Their Qi simply wasn't enough for powerful spells or techniques.
Eventually, Li Mingfu stopped attacking and retreated to the edge of the arena.
To the spectators, it looked like he was just standing still, and the wind was blowing his clothes.
But the elders saw something completely different.
His hands were moving.
Practicing Shadowless Dagger during the match.
Li Mingfu still hadn't found the perfect opportunity to win.
So he simply practiced.
He didn't mind showing the technique.
By the time someone could counter him in the future, his skill would have improved again.
Besides, he has not used Shadow Drift Steps at full speed yet.
The only thing he truly revealed was Shadowless Dagger.
Yan Lie noticed Li Mingfu standing still.
He laughed loudly.
"What? Scared now?"
"Just admit defeat!"
Li Mingfu laughed.
"I'm just wondering."
"How long can you maintain that technique?"
"Two minutes?"
"Five?"
"I just need to keep dodging."
Yan Lie's face turned ugly.
Every fight he had ever experienced was direct.
Head-on and trying to overpower his opponent.
Even when sparing with his senior brothers.
It was always head-on.
He had never fought someone like this before.
Every time he rushed forward.
Li Mingfu was already somewhere else.
This continued for nearly a minute.
Finally, Yan Lie roared.
"Fight me, you coward!"
Li Mingfu tilted his head.
"Has your master never taught you anything?"
Yan Lie exploded with rage.
"Are you insulting my master?!"
Li Mingfu shook his head.
"No."
"I would never dare."
"I'm insulting you."
Yan Lie gritted his teeth.
"What do you mean?"
Li Mingfu asked calmly,
"Do you even know what kind of sect this is?"
Yan Lie shouted,
"Shadow Gate Sect!"
"We are killers!"
Li Mingfu nodded.
"Correct."
"But more specifically…We are contract killers."
Then he asked again,
"Do you know which peak I belong to?"
Yan Lie frowned.
"No."
Li Mingfu replied.
"I am from Shadow Weave Peak."
Yan Lie snorted.
"So what?"
Li Mingfu began laughing.
"You really should reread the sect introduction manuals."
Yan Lie shouted,
"What's so funny?!"
Li Mingfu laughed harder.
"Shadow Weave Peak."
"We are assassins."
"We leave when we want."
"We kill without being seen."
"And we are only seen when we want to be."
"That's what my Peak Master has said to everyone who belongs to his peak."
Yan Lie growled.
"I still don't see what's funny!"
Li Mingfu sighed.
"You lack too much basic knowledge."
"I'm an assassin."
"I don't fight head-on."
"I wait for the perfect opportunity."
"And if I can't find one…"
"I create one."
Yan Lie sneered.
"Then what's your plan?"
Li Mingfu smiled.
"Let me ask you something."
"This entire fight…"
"How many times have I drawn my daggers?"
Yan Lie immediately replied.
"Once!"
Li Mingfu laughed.
"Wrong again."
"I've been drawing my daggers this entire time."
"Even while we're talking."
"My daggers are moving in and out of their sheath right now."
"After the match, ask any elder watching."
"Or ask your master."
"They'll explain it to you."
Yan Lie looked confused and shouted.
"You're just trying to confuse me!"
Li Mingfu sighed dramatically.
"Here I thought I was the idiot."
"Thank you for taking that title from me."
Then he started laughing again.
The elders watching above the arena were no longer whispering.
They were staring at Li Mingfu with extremely serious expressions.