Chapter 110: Twenty Kilograms of Mid-Grade Primordial Stones

Yang Yu and Che Wuyou continued their fierce struggle. Although Yang Yu, backed by his family’s profound heritage, held the upper hand in close-quarters combat, his advantage was not as overwhelming as one might expect.

After all, Yang Yu was constrained by fighting in such confined proximity, unable to fully unleash his potential. Furthermore, the *Qihuang Sutra* practiced by Che Wuyou was a technique that balanced hardness with softness, featuring bizarre offensive and defensive maneuvers perfectly suited for hand-to-hand fighting. While Yang Yu appeared to have the steady upper hand, only the two combatants knew that he could not entirely suppress Che Wuyou.

Every punch and kick Yang Yu threw seemed packed with ferocious power, yet mid-strike, Che Wuyou would deflect or block, dissipating the force so that by the time the blow landed, it lacked any real destructive impact. Though Yang Yu led the assault with a high frequency of attacks, few truly landed with effect. Conversely, Che Wuyou, despite striking rarely, targeted vital points that demanded an immediate response, occasionally seizing upon Yang Yu’s lapses to deliver a painful counter. The frustration of being unable to utilize more than thirty or forty percent of his true internal power while being "beaten" by a boy in the early stages of the Purple Mansion realm made Yang Yu feel as though he might vomit blood.

Raised with the full resources of the Qingchi Yang family, Yang Yu had experienced countless battles, but never had he felt such humiliation: possessing significantly higher strength yet unable to secure a victory, all while constantly guarding against sneak attacks.

As the fight dragged on, Yang Yu’s attacks became more frequent, falling like raindrops. Che Wuyou was left bloodied and battered, and the onlookers assumed the end was near. Yet, time passed, and Che Wuyou continued to struggle on, showing no signs of surrendering and still managing the occasional counterattack. The observers were stunned—how could he endure so long? He was facing a master in the mid-stage of the Origin Return realm. Even if close-quarters combat limited a master's power, the gap between the Purple Mansion and Origin Return realms was vast. His ability to reach such a stalemate meant that even if he eventually lost, he would surely make a name for himself.

A youth named Yang Shi, standing near Yang Fengge, glanced at him. Seeing Yang Fengge’s cold, indifferent reaction, Yang Shi whispered to a fierce-looking youth beside him: "Go finish that boy and help Yang Yu. Yang Yu is truly a disgrace, unable to handle a boy who only knows some body-refining arts."

Though spoken quietly, the group heard him clearly. The fierce youth scanned the others; seeing no opposition, he quickly charged toward the combatants.

"Get back!" Li Zhen abruptly intercepted the fierce youth. Rubbing his hands together with a sinister grin, he said, "They are at a critical moment in their duel; interfering is strictly forbidden. Don't you know that? If you charge in and startle them into a mistake, it would compromise the fairness of the fight."

"Ugh..." The fierce youth rubbed his forehead, speechless. If it were anyone else, he would have kicked them aside, but Li Zhen’s status as a member of the Li family of the Qingchi Sword Sect made things difficult. "Li Zhen, step aside. I don't want to fight you, so don't force me."

"Go to hell! What if I am forcing you? If you have the guts, come at me. If you can knock me down, I’ll never meddle in your business again. If not, quit spouting useless words."

"You..." Veins bulged on the youth’s forehead. In the Qingchi Sword Sect, only the Li family dared to be so reckless; everyone else feared the Yang family. Trembling with rage, he snapped, "Li Zhen, even if you are a direct descendant of the Li family, I will make you pay dearly for those words."

"Yang Qi, come back. Do not engage him directly," Yang Shi said with a frown. Qingchi had always been strictly hierarchical. While Li Zhen had not yet formally entered the sect, he was destined for the upper echelons. To the Li family, everyone else was a subject; clashing with them was unwise and contrary to the wishes of the Yang family elders.

Yang Qi’s eyes flashed with malice, his fists clenched tight, but he dared not defy Yang Shi. Just as he was about to turn back, he heard the cold, indifferent voice of Yang Fengge, who had remained silent until now: "If Li Zhen had awakened his inherited bloodline, you might not be his match, but as he is now, you can take him down."

"What?" Yang Shi was stunned. Yang Fengge was the genius of the Yang family, the one they all followed. He rarely spoke, focusing entirely on cultivation, and his words were usually the final say. Yet today, he had broken his silence to suggest that Yang Qi could defeat a direct descendant of the Li family—a move that ran counter to the elders' policies.

Li Zhen’s eyes narrowed. "Yang Fengge, you certainly have guts. Good. I didn't misjudge you. Come on, Yang Qi, let me see how much skill you have to earn such praise from Yang Fengge."

Inside the Hall of Questioning Swords, the elders' expressions shifted. They had not expected a confrontation between the geniuses of the Yang and Li families. Many looked toward Yang Quzhi, the current leader of the Yang family, but his face remained impassive.

In a small chamber, Li Muqiu watched Yang Fengge with interest. "Second brother, is this the genius the Yang family claims appears only once in a century? I wonder how he compares to Li Zhen. But judging by his words, he seems to think Yang Qi can defeat Li Zhen." Li Muqiu shook his head; he held Li Zhen in high regard.

"Yang Fengge performed remarkably during the ten trials of Qingchi, but true combat strength is hard to gauge until they fight," Mu Chen replied. "Take this boy the Sect Master brought back—he looks ordinary, yet he possesses such strange close-quarters skills. It is truly unexpected."

"Then, brother, do you think Che Wuyou’s strength warrants a special admission?" Li Muqiu asked, staring at Mu Chen. "We have such precedents for those with heaven-defying talents."

"Sect Master, his close-quarters skills are decent, but hardly heaven-defying," Mu Chen snapped, his eyes widening. "If you want to admit him, kick me out of the Council of Elders first. Otherwise, I will not allow it."

Mu Chen could not understand why Li Muqiu had become so obsessed with a mere disciple, acting as if the boy were his own illegitimate son.

On the first floor of the Heavenly Tower, because of Yang Fengge's words, Li Zhen and Yang Qi stood in a standoff. As the Yang family youths hesitated, a blood-red light like a crimson cloud suddenly appeared in the forest. Everyone was startled to see a row of tall, glowing red characters materialize: "Twenty Kilograms of Mid-Grade Origin Stones."