The plain stretched wide under a dim, gray sky.
Despite the overcast gloom, hints of green were vibrant along the ground, with wildflowers scattered here and there, their colors muted under the dull light. The air was thick and still, carrying a faint warmth that promised the heat of summer days soon to come, yet it felt weighed down, sluggish under the lingering grayness.
Tall grasses sway lightly and small insects flitted low to the ground, but even their buzzing seemed dampened by the heavy clouds above. The trees on the edges of the plain were full and lush with new leaves, their green darker and deeper now, almost mature but shrouded in shadow.
The Li clan patriarch and his troops advanced resolutely until they stood before the Rallying Stone Plateau.
Hong Li jumped down and faced them by himself, reassuring and inspiring his own members as he went ahead.
"Li Zhen, it has been quite a long time. I suppose this is not a visit of courtesy given all these people you brought with you." He said acting oblivious.
He knew there wasn't much hope, but he still wanted to try and avoid a conflict if it was possible.
"You know very well why I am here, step aside." Li Zhen said coldly without delay.
He didn't show any respect at this time as he told him off rudely, unwilling to spend his energy on small talk.
When he stopped moving at the arrival of Hong Li, every member behind him ceased their walk at the same time, like a well organized infantry.
"Let's say I let you pass, what do you plan to do?" Hong Li asked with crossed arms.
He was completely unafraid towards these experts of the Li Clan standing before him with unnerving battle spirit.
With only one call from their patriarch, they would all lunge forward, drawing their sword.
"I will find my son, no matter in what situation he is in, I will discover the truth behind this affair and finally I will have a little talk with this Ye Mo."
Hong Li snorted coldly hearing this, "Cease your caprices, you're not gonna disturb the competition or touch a single hair of one of my students. I know your feelings, I didn't expect Li Qiang would meet misfortune either, I myself am downcast towards this news, but we will investigate ourselves when all is done and come back to you later."
"In short, you're not gonna move out of the way..." Li Qiang's glare intensified as he looked at Hong Li.
The latter understood there was no way out so without saying anything he let his arms fall to his sides as both Inner Core Realm cultivator's eyes locked, their gaze as sharp as a blade.
The air between them grew dense, as if charged with an unseen force ready to explode.
Neither moved, yet the ground beneath their feet seemed to tremble, reacting to the raw intent that flooded the space. The air felt sharper, colder, the weight of their hostility pressing down on everything around them, as though even a slight shift could ignite the impending storm.
On the Rallying Stone Plateau, the deans of the Golden and Sky Martial Institute observed with smiles on their faces, greatly entertained.
A conflict between those two powerhouses was much more enjoyable than any institute year-end competition.
Suddenly, the Tiger Martial Institute's leader and the Li clan patriarch jumped to more than sixty meters in the air.
A deep, ink-like liquid grew on Hong Li's arms turning them a heavy black, like some kind of alloy covered his limbs while Li Zhen waved his sword.
Boom Boom Boom!
In a split-second, their figures flashed and shockwaves resounded in the sky as the two exchanged blows.
Li Zhen ruthlessly struck with his sword, but Hong Li directly blocked with his arms, the blade unable to cut them down.
Each strike seemed like thunder rumbled in the surroundings, the trees swayed and grasses were uprooted from the ground.
Many spectators couldn't even perceive their movements, they only saw the impact of the strikes spreading outwards and the loud noise it made every time.
As soon the duel started, all the Li clan members present raised their sword in the air and used a battle skill.
From their blade, a hundred ray of light, more or less thick depending on their cultivation, shot off and connected together in a single point above them before it spread out in a transparant light dome that surrounded them , acting as a barrier that protected the weakest cultivators from the collateral damage of this battle.
On the Rallying Stone Plateau, many instructors were losing their footing confronted by the pressure of such a lay down of power, a few used their defensive battle skills while others just went and placed themselves behind their dean where they immediately felt the residual force of the strikes lessen on their being.
Among the members of the Tiger Martial Institute, Han Zhen Jun went forward and spread his palm, creating a large forcefield in front of him that shielded the instructors surrounding him.
In only an instant, several moves were exchanged between Hong Li and Li Zhen before the latter was sent crashing on the ground behind his troops, his body skidding across the terrain for a short time before he placed his sword on the ground and forcefully stopped himself, drawing a hundred feet long line on the soil.
His body carved a deep furrow in the earth, leaving a path of uprooted soil, scattered rocks, and torn grass. The ground was churned and compacted, with clods of earth thrown aside from the impact and momentum.
When Hong Li landed down, half of the upper part of his tunic was ripped in pieces and he looked at a very small wound on his chest, a cut unperceivable by the watchers in the distance, before it disappeared as his body recovered in an instant.
Immediately after he reached the ground, five elders of the Inner Core Realm from the Li clan surrounded him, their sword pointing at his neck, his head, his heart and other vital areas, only a few inches from piercing the skin.
"Bastards!" When Han Zhen Jun saw the Li clan elders coerce the dean, he immediately jumped down followed by an instructor that was hidden among the crowd. This instructor suddenly burst forth with Inner Core Realm cultivation as he and the vice dean placed themselves next to the elders, their hands shining brillantly as a battle skill was on the verge of being used ready to eliminate them.
Although Han Zhen Jun and the instructor were alone targeting the five elders, their cultivation was higher than the Li clan members so even if they fought, they wouldn't necessarily be at a disadvantage.
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As the dust subsided, all the bruises Li Zhen suffered had healed already and beside dirt and a slightly torned robe, his appearance didn't suffer much.
Hong Li didn't even bat an eye or looked at the elders of the Li clan as he fixedly stared at their patriarch in the distance, "Think well before involving everyone, once you go down this road, there is no going back."
His muscles were bulging, his grey mane fluttered wildly, his expression hardened and his green eyes that were usually flat and unreadable slowly narrowed into something fierce and violent.
He was extremely intimidating for any member of the Li clan as he warned Li Zhen, his patience running out.
If it escalated in a large-scale battle then death would ensue and with the first one, many others would inevitably follow. It would soon turn into iredeemable conflict and hatred between the institute and the clan with only the destruction of one of them to settle it.
Although members of institutes have always been slightly stronger and possessing more battle skills than clans, the other compensated the lack of quality with numbers, having always been more numerous.
While there were more than 200 instructors present on the Rallying Stone Plateau, in reality only 68 were part of the Tiger Martial Institute against this hundred Li clan members.
This was the bulk of the Li clan forces that could be assembled immediately, but there also were many Inner Core and Foundation Establishment experts that were left in their base to prevent any attack while a few were in the middle of missions at the time and couldn't return.
The Sky and Golden Martial Institute's deans wouldn't care about what happened to Hong Li either, it would only make one less rival in the city at best or nothing changed at worst.
If both organizations really declared war against each other, the outcome would be difficult to predict.
This was a scenario neither Hong Li nor Li Zhen wanted to see unfold.
Previously, they jumped up and fought in the air precisely to keep it between each other without drawing in their members, but also to protect them from harm.
Even this way, many still needed assistance or used defensive battle skills to endure the pressure of their battle.
More important was that their fight was just a little spar to test each other's strength, they didn't battle with the intent to kill. Through this, it became clear Hong Li was stronger as he quickly sent his opponent off with multiple wounds, while he was nearly untouched.
This didn't come as a surprise to anyone since the dean of the Tiger Martial Institute was among the absolute best experts of the city, and only the other deans or the flame grandmaster could pretend being able to defeat him.
The most notable point was that contrary to their appearance, Hong Li was the youngest of the three deans and also had his cultivation short of one layer compared to them, but could still give them a fight on equal footing.
The reason is that Hong Li isn't originally from Azure Water City, but was a member of a sect when young and learned a few martial arts that can't be found here. He left it for unknown reasons in the past to arrive in the city when the ancient dean noticed first his abilities and potential.
It wasn't for no reason that he was offered the post of vice dean then dean when the previous one went away.
Compared to the deans, patriarchs of the four major clans were somewhat lacking.
However, even knowing all this, Li Zhen couldn't back down. It is his son we're talking about, even if his clan had to go up in the flames of war and risk destruction against the Tiger Martial Institute, he couldn't stand back and do nothing when his heir just met misfortune wether officially or by personal feelings.
This was the righteous faction, many risked their lives for reputation, died for honor and sacrificed themselves for their family, from Li Zhen's own sentiments to the clan's benefits as a whole, Li Qiang's death would be an unacceptable loss.
He was just about to order all members to attack and for his elders to execute Hong Li, when the dean of the Golden Martial Institute said, "Enough of this farce, let me tell you Li Zhen, even if you somehow pass through Hong Li, you're not setting a foot in this forest till the competition end.
This is an event held by our three institutes respectively, who do you think you are to act so arrogantly in front of the three of us."
Li Zhen planned to go in the Jade Forest during their institute year-end competition to hunt some student without asking for anyone's opinion nor permission, it was an obvious lack of regard and consideration towards them. If it wasn't for his son's name disappearing, hinting at his death, and the obvious state of turmoil he would be in, the deans would easily have been offended by this conduct.
The dean of the Golden Martial Institute dismissed him so harshly that the dean of the Sky Martial Institute, knowing Li Zhen's character, tried to soothe him instead as to not worsen the situation and give him a way out, "Li Zhen, you have to understand we can't let you disturb the competition right now, but feel free to keep us company as we wait for the final results. I am sure Hong Li will be able to give you an explanation towards Li Qiang or you can just go investigate yourself later."
Li Zhen stared at them belligerently for a moment before he finally sighed and placed his sword in his spatial pouch. He was prompt to extreme emotions like his sons, but he grew as a measured man who could control himself to make the right decisions.
It was one thing to fight against a single institute and even then the chances to be victorious were slim, but three? He could as well directly cut his throat and throw his life away along his clan members.
He gave a few orders and his Li clan members quickly set up a camp beside the Rallying Stone Plateau, awaiting the end of the competition.
In the meantime, darkness grew as the sun set in the Jade Forest, Ye Mo still searching for other strong participants.
"I have so much points, yet, I am still not assured of the first place with Shen Xue and Qiong Lieyu participating. With just twenty or thirty thousand more, I am sure I would obtain the top spot without a doubt."
Ye Mo ran through the woods, with all kinds of thoughts and schemes in his mind to attain his objective.