C274 The Battle That Belonged to Lee Zi(1)

Chu Yi's eyes sparkled with a bright glimmer.

He couldn't tell if Lee Zi's action was intentional or just an instinctive move on her part, but the outcome was undeniably impressive.

It wasn't just Chu Yi; Lee Zi's decision had caught many by surprise.

It was a classic case of feigning weakness when strong, and vice versa.

At this moment, Lee Zi's mix of truth and deception was so convincing that it left everyone unable to discern her true intentions.

While the crowd enjoyed the spectacle, Lee Zi's adversary, Young Master Lee, was on the verge of collapse.

He had assumed that Lee Zi was merely posturing earlier, perhaps concealing a backup plan to bewilder him and lure him into her strategic web.

As a precaution, he had prudently pulled back some of his power to guard against Lee Zi's potential countermove.

Then...

Disaster struck for Young Master Lee.

Lee Zi was formidable. Though she was at the Silver Perfection level, her performance in recent battles had convinced many that she was no ordinary contender.

Her realm might seem modest, but her power's depth was on par with that of the most exceptional prodigies, almost indistinguishable from a seeded player.

In this duel, Young Master Lee was essentially facing an opponent as challenging as a seeded player, complete with a fusion of elite combat skills.

And facing such a powerful, skill-infused strike without deploying his full strength had dire consequences...

One only needed to see Young Master Lee's pitiful state to understand the gravity of his mistake.

Even Lee Zi hadn't anticipated gaining such an upper hand with her strike.

She had executed this supreme attack with a specific strategy in mind.

Her opponent was no less formidable than she, and potentially even more daunting if he revealed his full capabilities.

Lee Zi preferred not to expose her full potential just yet, aiming instead to chip away at her opponent's strength before he could unveil his.

Previously, Lee Zi's techniques were deemed average, though they might appear elite to the uninitiated. However, compared to the true elites, they were somewhat lacking.

These were techniques she had acquired from Adirang Academy, where not every student was privileged to learn them. Yet, on the grandest of stages, they still fell short against the top-tier talents.

The Adirang Academy's reputation for excellence was well-established, and it was rare to find truly top-tier cultivation techniques within its halls. But Lee Zi's situation had changed dramatically, all thanks to Chu Yi's arrival.

Chu Yi introduced Lee Zi to an array of superior cultivation and battle techniques, which he described as supreme immortal arts and unparalleled battle skills. Unfortunately, Lee Zi wasn't Chu Yi; she lacked the powerful primordial spirit needed to instantly master these advanced techniques. Instead, she had to progress gradually, just like any other talented prodigy.

Yet, even the most fundamental aspects of these techniques were profoundly formidable. They were leagues beyond the so-called elite techniques of the day. Lee Zi unleashed her full power, her battle body's essence amplifying her already formidable innate strength. With the might of these top-tier techniques, even Young Master Lee, who was on full defense, would struggle to cope—let alone now when he had only managed a brief resistance.

To Lee Zi, his actions were tantamount to a death wish. The devastating blow left Young Master Lee bewildered and seething with rage. He had been cautious, always mindful of Lee Zi's behavior and movements. Yet, despite his vigilance, he had still been caught off guard.

In Young Master Lee's view, this was all a calculated move by Lee Zi, a deliberate act. But pondering over such thoughts was pointless now, as he found himself at a significant disadvantage—a truly dire one.

The injury he sustained was not only severe but potentially foundational, threatening the core of his strength. Young Master Lee's eyes blazed with anger, yet there was a hint of uncertainty. While the onlookers might not grasp the full extent of what had transpired, Young Master Lee, as the recipient of the strike, was acutely aware of its potency.

The killing technique Lee Zi employed was terrifying in its sophistication, surpassing even the most elite techniques known to the Chu family. Could this be the legendary family heirloom technique of the Chu family?

The Chu family was the only possibility that came to Young Master Lee's mind. He couldn't fathom that Lee Zi could have acquired such an extraordinary technique from anywhere else.

"As expected of the preeminent family!"

Young Master Lee had harbored some doubts about the Chu family's claim to being the foremost family, even aware as he was of the War God within their ranks. To him, the notion of a War God seemed commonplace.

But now, his perspective had shifted dramatically after experiencing the formidable nature of the Chu family's cultivation techniques firsthand.

These potent cultivation and combat techniques could elevate one's strength to unimaginable heights. When two equally monstrous talents clash—one armed with supreme combat techniques and the other with mere ordinary skills—the outcome becomes starkly clear: an overwhelming victory for the former.

And that's precisely the predicament Young Master Lee found himself in against Lee Zi.

With their supreme cultivation techniques, the Chu family's fearsome reputation as the number one family was well-deserved.

While Young Master Lee was lost in thought, Lee Zi made her move. Given the significant impact of her previous strike, there was no chance she would ease up or bask in self-satisfaction.

[Strike while the iron is hot!]

Lee Zi launched into action once more, wielding another incredibly potent killing technique.

Yet this technique differed from the last; it was a fresh, new force altogether. Young Master Lee was astounded by its intricacy and depth.

To have one such top-tier killing technique in a family was beyond belief, but for Lee Zi to execute a second one was inconceivable!

This revelation completely overturned Young Master Lee's perception of the Chu family.

The piercing edge of the technique grazed Young Master Lee's skin, snapping him back to the reality that he was still locked in combat. In that moment, he summoned every ounce of his strength to face the challenge.

But he was no longer in his prime.

Even at his best, Young Master Lee knew he would struggle against such a fearsome killing technique, and his current state only compounded the difficulty.

Thus, the outcome of the battle seemed all but certain.

Bang!

In an instant, Young Master Lee was sent flying once again.

Witnessing this, the half-million spectators in the hall and the billions following the live broadcast were rendered utterly silent.

If they hadn't been aware of the identities of the combatants from the get-go, if they hadn't witnessed this battle unfold from start to finish, the scene that just unfolded would have completely overturned their understanding.

Even for those who had been watching, the current turn of events was still somewhat shocking.

This was a clash between a seeded and a non-seeded player. In the hearts of many, Lee Zi was already a seeded player, but officially, she was not yet recognized as such. Her level was merely at Silver Perfection!

Furthermore, even in a duel between two seeded players, such a lopsided outcome would be unexpected!

No, this was all wrong!

Yet, this was the reality.

Before Lee Zi stood one of the proud Four Young Masters of Fairmoor, a seeded contender believed by many to be a shoo-in for the national war, representing the Adirang Region against other formidable opponents from around the world. But now, he found himself in a dire plight!

This was nearly a battle of total domination!

Of course, most people realized that Young Master Lee had miscalculated. From the outset, he had overestimated himself, convinced that Lee Zi's offensive must be brimming with hidden contingencies, that she was orchestrating the entire fight.

But the harsh truth was that his cleverness was his downfall. He might have sustained injuries either way, but he certainly wouldn't have ended up in such a dire situation.