Chapter 466: Nothing at All

Zhang Li tilted his head slightly, looking down at Lin Xiao with indifference and arrogance, like a soaring eagle gazing disdainfully at an ant crawling on the ground.

Zhang Li certainly had the right to be proud.

He was taken in by Chunyu Yan as a disciple at the age of twelve and had been practicing martial arts for thirteen years. Now, at twenty-five, he had already broken through to the late stage of Dark Force. Aside from the top experts in the South, he was already comparable to many senior powerhouses of the older generation.

Among the younger generation in the entire Southern ancient martial arts world, Zhang Li’s strength ranked just behind Lei Wen of the West Sea Sect and Jiang Long of the Ten Absolute Sect. He was number three on the Southern Rising Stars Ranking.

However, Zhang Li’s potential surpassed both Lei Wen and Jiang Long.

The rising stars ranking only included martial artists under the age of thirty. Lei Wen was already thirty, and Jiang Long was twenty-nine. They would soon age out and be removed from the list.

But Zhang Li had just turned twenty-five. He still had five years left. In the coming years, he was certain to ascend to the top of the ranking, replacing Lei Wen as the number one youth in the Southern ancient martial arts world.

Chunyu Yan once said that with Zhang Li’s martial aptitude, there was a great chance he could break through to Flowing Force and achieve transformation and transcendence.

With such talent and strength, how could Zhang Li not be proud?

After being accepted as Chunyu Yan’s last disciple, Zhang Li became the center of expectations and favor. Whether it was Chunyu Yan or the Scarlet City Sect, both regarded him as the hope to bring the sect to new heights. They gave him anything he wanted and protected him meticulously.

His upbringing cultivated an arrogant and unrestrained personality.

For example, despite the Southern Martial Alliance’s clear rule that core disciples of the seven major factions could not interfere with the martial hall ranking evaluations, Zhang Li had, in full view of everyone, stepped onto the platform to challenge Chen Lingxin—just because he was interested in her.

This incident caused a stir among the audience, but Zhang Li was unconcerned.

After all, even if trouble arose, he had Scarlet City Sect and his master to back him up. What was there to fear? 

It wouldn’t be the first time.

Hearing Zhang Li’s words, Lin Xiao, who stood below the stage, remained calm and showed no anger. He said lightly, “Chen Lingxin, step down. I’ll deal with this person.”

“Yes, Master.”

Chen Lingxin shot Zhang Li a fierce glare, then leapt off the stage.

Zhang Li’s eyes followed her graceful figure, licking his lips with his tongue, completely revealing his lecherous nature. He grinned and said, “Sweetheart, stepping off the stage won’t help. I’ve set my sights on you. Once I deal with this guy, we’ll have plenty of time to ‘get to know each other.’”

Saying such shameless words in front of so many people showed Zhang Li’s utter brazenness.

A buzz of whispers rose from the stands. Many wore expressions of disgust, clearly looking down on Zhang Li’s behavior.

But fearing Zhang Li’s strength and his backing from Scarlet City Sect, no one dared to speak up.

“So this is the so-called number three genius on the Rising Stars Ranking, Zhang Li? What a disappointment.”

“Shh, keep your voice down. Don’t let anyone from Scarlet City Sect hear you.”

“He’s just riding on Scarlet City’s coattails. Without them, he’s nothing,” someone muttered angrily.

“You can’t say that. Zhang Li’s talent is real. He reached late-stage Dark Force at such a young age. Breaking into Flowing Force in the future isn’t out of the question. With that level of genius, anyone would be doted on. A few flaws in personality are understandable. Nobody’s perfect.” 

“Flaws? This is more than a flaw.” The earlier speaker sneered. “Your moral standards must be underground.”

Another was about to retort when someone jumped in to smooth things over, “Alright, alright. This has nothing to do with us anyway. Let’s just keep watching.”

These conversations drifted to the ears of the four top-tier experts sitting in the front row. Tian Junliang and Wang Zhaotian both frowned, while Xue Fanjia showed a hint of amusement, and Chunyu Yan’s expression turned icy, his narrow eyes slightly narrowing.

However, all four were deeply shrewd and said nothing.

On the platform—

Lin Xiao bent his knees slightly, then leapt lightly, landing with a clean thud. He stood opposite Zhang Li, three meters between them.

Compared to Zhang Li’s flashy, handsome appearance, Lin Xiao looked completely unremarkable. He was ordinary in appearance, with a calm temperament, like he didn’t belong on such a stage.

Zhang Li sized up Lin Xiao. With his experience, he couldn’t tell Lin Xiao’s strength, which made him slightly cautious.

He had only arrived in Dongzhou that morning and didn’t know that Lin Xiao had defeated An Baichen the previous day.

Even if he had known, he wouldn’t have cared. There was no way he would believe Lin Xiao was stronger than him.

“To be called ‘Master’ by such a pretty girl, your skills must be decent. How about we make a deal?” Zhang Li lazily stuck his hands in his pockets. “If you admit defeat now and send that little beauty over to keep me company, I’ll make sure your martial hall keeps its Class B status. Sound fair?”

Lin Xiao slowly rolled up his sleeves, revealing arms like steel. They weren’t bulky, but gave off an unmistakable sense of power.

“Why would I admit defeat?”

“Why? Are you dumb or just playing dumb?” Zhang Li looked at him like he was an idiot. “Do you know who I am?”

“I know you’re the prized disciple of Scarlet City Sect’s master Chunyu Yan, ranked third on the Southern Rising Stars Ranking,” Lin Xiao said as he continued rolling up his sleeves carefully. He only had one training uniform and didn’t want it ruined in the fight. “But what does that have to do with me surrendering?”

“If you know who I am, then you should understand the gap between us,” Zhang Li said arrogantly. “I’m only interested in that little beauty. If you follow instructions, I won’t make things difficult. I might even look after you in the future.”

“I know who you are,” Lin Xiao replied flatly. “But do you know who I am?”

Zhang Li grew impatient, his face hardening. 

“I don’t care what stray cat or dog you are. Last time I’m asking. Will you agree or not?”

“Agree?” Lin Xiao let out a quiet chuckle. “Maybe in other people’s eyes, you’re impressive. But in my eyes, you’re nothing.”

At this point, Lin Xiao had finished rolling up his sleeves. He stretched his arms and twisted his neck.

“When I want something, I prefer to take it with my own strength.”

“Good. Very good. I hope you don’t regret this.” Zhang Li laughed from rage. “You think you’re qualified to talk strength with me? I could crush you with one finger.”

“Is that so? Then I hope your actions live up to your words,” Lin Xiao’s calm and deep gaze suddenly ignited with flame. “Now… let me show you the power I possess.”

As his voice fell, a vast and powerful aura exploded from Lin Xiao’s body.