Chapter 435: I Thought He’d Be Tougher (2)

On the battlefield, Li Xiaofei’s injuries grew increasingly severe. Half of his body was nearly torn apart several times. On more than one occasion, he was close to losing a leg or an arm.

Once, a light blade almost sliced through his neck. Any ordinary martial artist suffering such grave wounds would have trouble even standing, let alone continuing to fight. Yet, Li Xiaofei showed no sign of weakness.

Instead, he seemed to grow even more fierce as his attacks became even more brutal. The most astonishing part was that his injuries seemed to heal rapidly and fully recover during the battle. It was as if he had an endless supply of qi, blood, and vitality. Michael’s expression grew increasingly solemn.

“No... it seems like he’s... not even fighting?”

A spark of realization flickered in Michael’s mind, and a wild possibility surfaced.

Is this young man not desperately fighting for survival? Is he cultivating?

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

It was as if he was using the relentless onslaught of attacks from the Four Mechanical Guardians to cultivate some dark ancient martial secret technique.

How could that be?

Michael was shaken by his own thoughts. To test this absurd hypothesis, Michael immediately instructed Three to analyze the entire battle from a new perspective. Soon, every piece of data from the beginning of the fight was processed and analyzed. And it led to a conclusion that Michael least wanted to see and acknowledge.

The intricacy of Li Xiaofei’s movement techniques and the speed of his recovery had rapidly improved during the course of the battle. If he had been like a child learning to walk at the beginning, now he was sprinting at full speed. Michael’s guess was correct, and the realization filled his eyes with terror.

On the battlefield, Li Xiaofei continued fighting. Far from weakening due to the loss of qi and blood, his energy and fighting spirit only intensified with each strike. His body techniques grew increasingly mysterious as he flickered between light and shadow. In the beginning, he could project only four or five illusions. Now, there were over twenty.

Even the formidable computational power of the Four Mechanical Guardians’ brain cores had not been able to find a pattern in Li Xiaofei’s movements after twenty minutes of battle. Nor could they predict the shifting nature of his techniques.

They couldn’t even distinguish between real and false projections. In reality, Li Xiaofei’s grievous injuries and blood-soaked appearance were deliberate; he was actively choosing to get injured.

It was as if he were dancing on the edge of a blade. This was the pinnacle ancient martial technique from Huang Yi’s high-martial world—the Immortal Seal Technique.

This was the first time Li Xiaofei was using the technique in true combat since mastering the true legacy. Beyond creating illusory projections, the Immortal Seal Technique’s unique ability was to transform the death qi from enemy attacks into life qi, providing him with a continuous source of qi and blood to heal his injuries.

This meant that the more enemies he faced, the stronger he became. Li Xiaofei had deliberately sustained injuries to test the damage absorption and healing limits of the Immortal Seal Technique. He was indeed using the battle to cultivate.

Li Xiaofei had finally honed the combat prowess of the Immortal Seal Technique to its absolute peak by using the relentless attacks of the Four Mechanical Guardians. He had glimpsed the profound cycle between life and death. Now, the combined assault of the Four Mechanical Guardians was no longer capable of defeating him. His form flickered, untouchable and graceful to the extreme. Finally, at the thirtieth minute...

Bang.

Suddenly, a violent explosion rocked the Earth Guardian, who had attacked first, as blood and sparks burst from his facial orifices. His massive form came to an abrupt, rigid halt as sparks erupted in clusters from beneath his skin. Then, his body began to convulse violently as if he’d been electrocuted.

“The brain core exceeded its operational threshold and shattered the light core’s limit, leading to self-destruction.”

Michael quickly assessed the situation, his expression darkening.

“So, this is the perfect path you boasted about?” Li Xiaofei burst into laughter.

His movements became even more ethereal and effortless. He strolled across the battlefield as though it were a leisurely garden walk. Now that he no longer deliberately allowed himself to be injured, the remaining Fire, Water, and Wind Guardians couldn’t even touch the hem of his clothes.

“Do you understand now what true ancient martial arts are? Do you grasp the true power of ancient martial techniques? Do you finally realize that there are ancient legacies in this world beyond your ability to analyze?”

“The Six Meridian Divine Sword, Great Strength Vajra Fist, Graceful Step of the Waves... were any of these true legacies your own discovery? Heh, you’re nothing more than a thief trying to stand on equal footing, clumsily mimicking like a poor imitation of a true Grandmaster of Heaven. You eagerly devour what’s been spoon-fed to you, yet you lack the ability to create anything on your own.”

Li Xiaofei’s taunts came relentlessly. Each word was like a poison-laced dagger plunging deep into Michael’s heart. Everything he encountered today was indeed a blow he had never anticipated. But Michael had weathered countless storms. He wasn’t the type to lose his composure over a few words of mockery.

Li Xiaofei continued, “How much effort and wealth did you pour into creating these Four Mechanical Guardians? Was it not your very limit? If they could be mass-produced, the entire world would already be Mechanical Eternity’s playground. And yet, here you are, a Chinese man with a foreign name—neither fully East nor West, a complete mismatch. What are you even so proud of?”

Michael took a long, deep breath. Meanwhile, Li Xiaofei moved like a mirage, his form multiplying into dozens of projections.

“After exhausting your entire life’s work, you managed to create only four guardians. Mass production is beyond you. Your path has already reached its end.”

Li Xiaofei’s words struck directly at his core. Michael’s body trembled slightly at the harsh truth.

“Is that so?” He smiled faintly.

He gestured and the remaining three guardians fell back behind him.

Slowly, Michael said, “Perhaps that would have been true, had I not encountered you. But your appearance has shown me a material even more perfect than the Sacred Crystal of the Corpse Emperor. My path... can continue. Young man, you are still too green and yet to reach your full potential. But crossing paths with me means your wings will be clipped before you can ever soar...”

Michael’s hands pressed firmly onto the arms of his wheelchair. A sinister, dangerous sensation surged within Li Xiaofei’s heart. It was as though the wheelchair itself held some unimaginable horror. But just then...

“Oy, you old silver fox, are you trying to commit treason by killing a member of the Dragon Group right in front of me?”

A clear, sharp voice cut through the air like a cold blade on a moonlit night. There was a strange power in that voice.

Michael’s expression changed suddenly as he turned sharply to his left.

“Xiao Bieli?”

Under the distant canopy, a tall, slender young man with a face like white jade, clad in a black combat suit, slowly stepped forward. His gaze was sharp as a blade and his stance as unwavering as a spear. His presence was like a drawn blade.

This was Xiao Bieli, the deputy leader of the Dragon Group and its strongest expert. The Xiao Bieli known for the saying, “If I strike, you shall part.”

As he walked forward, four soft sounds echoed through the air. The silver pillars around the battlefield were wrenched free from the ground and shattered into fine dust that sprinkled from the sky. The force field vanished as reality returned to the area once again.

"You shouldn’t be here," Michael frowned.

Xiao Bieli smiled lightly. “True, according to your intelligence, I wasn’t supposed to arrive in Xiajing until tomorrow afternoon. But, well, intelligence is just that—intelligence.”

Michael’s eyes narrowed and said, “I see now. I’ve been deceived again.”

Xiao Bieli walked over to Li Xiaofei, nodding to him before turning back to Michael. “You’re too willing to trust those cold, calculating machines. How many times do I need to remind you? People can’t be calculated. I came early to give you a surprise. So, how do you like it?”

At that moment, Xuan Huang arrived as well.

“In fact, the team leader has been here for some time. This whole operation was his trap to lure the Mechanical Eternity faction into White Deer Academy. He’s been watching the entire time. If you’d been in danger, he would have intervened,” Xuan Huang whispered in Li Xiaofei’s ear.

Li Xiaofei nodded silently. With these powerful figures present, there was little left for him to do.

Michael took a deep breath, and his voice was steady. “It seems I must concede this time. The Corpse Emperor Sacred Crystal is yours, Dragon Group. The Mechanical Eternity faction will withdraw from the pursuit.”

“Is that all?” Xiao Bieli’s smile widened.

He moved his fingers slightly. The faint, moonlight-like aura of his blade intent pulsed unpredictably in the air.

"So, do you intend to kill me?" Michael sneered. "Let’s not even discuss whether you’re capable of it. If your Dragon Group truly wants to start an all-out war with the Mechanical Eternity faction and plunge Great Xia into internal conflict, then go ahead. The Star Council will intervene, and the consequences will be more than you can handle."

His tone was filled with confidence. At worst, it would mean hefty reparations. The rivalries among Great Xia’s various factions had existed for ages. Though intense, they were always kept within certain boundaries. Even in the most fierce, private battles, things rarely escalated publicly.

Reparations were the limit. In this era of looming external threats, even a group as aggressive as the Dragon Group had to maintain this fragile balance. Even when lives were lost, the Dragon Group had reluctantly made concessions many times before.

"Consequences?" Xiao Bieli said calmly. "You ambushed the Dragon Group and killed my people. What do you think the consequences should be?"

“My people also died in the wild,” Michael replied with a faint smile, his tone growing sharp. “I’ve bought Dragon Group lives before; name your price, and I’ll pay it again. The old man can afford it.”

“You...” Xuan Huang seethed.

But Michael ignored her entirely.

“Young man, I won’t forget you.” He smiled as he looked at Li Xiaofei. “You’re the perfect material, and your life—I’ve already purchased it. No one can protect you. Michael has spoken.”

“You’re threatening me?” Li Xiaofei’s anger flared.

“Yes, I am,” Michael exhaled slowly, then pointed toward Ruo Shuang standing nearby. “Look, just like her—there’s no harm in it. Obediently becoming my test subject and contributing your worth for the survival of humanity is—”

Sword light suddenly flashed and Michael’s words were abruptly cut off. He looked down, stunned, at the sword that had suddenly appeared in Li Xiaofei’s hand.

Then, he raised a hand to touch his neck. It felt cool. His hand was wet. He lifted it to see it flecked in crimson.

“I...”

Michael opened his mouth to speak. But as air entered his windpipe, a thin line of blood flew into the air and his meticulously groomed, silver hair-tied head silently rolled off his shoulders.

Li Xiaofei held his sword behind him as he muttered, “Tch, I thought he’d be tougher... With this level of strength, he still had the nerve to show off in front of me.”