"Very well," Chu Tianhe said with a smile, accepting the challenge.
Unfortunately, that smile was gone less than fifteen minutes later.
"I actually lost?"
Chu Tianhe stared blankly at Li Yun, his face showing both dejection and disbelief. He had not lasted even ten exchanges in their battle, because Li Yun’s strength had completely exceeded his expectations. Someone with that level of combat power had no business sitting at eighty-sixth place.
Challenging Chu Tianhe was only the beginning. Over the next three days, Li Yun challenged cultivators one after another, since he wanted to test how much his newly improved Intents had raised his overall combat ability.
In just those three days he fought more than ten opponents, and his behavior stirred up yet another commotion throughout the Genius Training Camp.
There had certainly been people before who used continuous battles to sharpen themselves, but most of them fought once a day at most.
Someone who challenged more than ten opponents within three days, the way Li Yun had, was almost unheard of, and soon a new nickname began spreading privately among the members.
They called him Mad Sword Li.
Li Yun paid it no mind, because every one of those battles ended in victory. Some opponents fell easily, while several forced him into much closer fights, but in the end he won every single match.
Unfortunately, although the battles stimulated his understanding and let him test his improved Intents, they still were not enough to trigger another breakthrough to the 6th level of Heavenly Coe Realm.
Several days later, visitors arrived at Li Yun’s residence.
"Brother Li, you’ve certainly been making a lot of noise lately."
Huang Tianlin walked in alongside Huang Tianze and Bai Yuchen, and the moment he saw Li Yun, he could not help sighing. He considered his own talent exceptional, yet after nearly five months in the Genius Training Camp, he had only managed to climb into the top three hundred and was still a long way from the top hundred.
Li Yun, on the other hand, was already closing in on the top fifty. Just one day earlier, he had defeated a cultivator ranked fifty-sixth, and at this point even Lei Xuankong, the former top-fifty expert, might no longer be a match for him.
They had entered the camp at nearly the same time, yet Li Yun had improved several times faster, and it was hard not to admire that.
"Brother Huang, what brings the three of you here?"
Li Yun shook his head, not dwelling on the compliment.
"There are two things you should know." Huang Tianlin’s expression slowly turned serious. "The first concerns the training camp itself. We’ve been here for almost five months now, and the half-year mark is coming up. Once six months have passed, the Genius Training Camp will send all its members into a certain location for a large-scale trial, so you should start preparing ahead of time."
"Understood."
Li Yun nodded. Word of this had already begun circulating among the members recently, and he had heard about it too.
"The second thing concerns you more directly." Huang Tianlin’s expression grew noticeably more solemn. "Li Yun, this string of challenges has made you quite famous, and plenty of people admire you for it. But your rise has also made others more and more unhappy. The tallest tree in the forest is always the first to catch the wind. As far as I know, several people have already started talking privately, and if you keep challenging higher-ranked members, they’ll probably try to cause you some serious trouble. You need to be careful."
"I understand."
Li Yun raised an eyebrow, then quickly returned to his usual calm expression. He had already expected something like this. Inside the Genius Training Camp, ranking meant resources, since the higher someone climbed, the more points, cultivation time, and authority they received.
Naturally, not everyone would be happy to watch him rise, and some people would inevitably try to put obstacles in his way.
"As long as you’re prepared, that’s enough." Bai Yuchen smiled, and then a look of interest crossed his face. "Li Yun, since we’re already here, how about sparring with me? I’m curious to see how far your strength has come."
Li Yun smiled back.
"I’d be glad to."
Half a day later, Li Yun stood before another opponent. The young man facing him wore dark gray robes, and his narrow eyes and thin face gave him a naturally sinister look. His name was Han Juefeng, and he ranked fifty-first in the Genius Training Camp, only a single place outside the top fifty.
Despite his considerable strength, however, he had a terrible reputation. His personality was vicious, and almost nobody associated with him unless they had to. If not for his ranking and strength, Li Yun would never have bothered challenging him.
"So, Li Yun," Han Juefeng said with a chuckle. "You want to challenge me?"
"That’s right."
Li Yun nodded.
"I’m willing to fight." Han Juefeng’s grin widened. "But one hundred points is far too dull."
Li Yun frowned slightly.
"Then what do you want?"
"I heard about your first wager match after you entered the camp." Han Juefeng let out a strange laugh. "Tu Beichen challenged you for one hundred points back then, and you were the one who raised it tenfold to a thousand."
His eyes grew more sinister. "Since that’s the case, why don’t we raise it tenfold again? Let’s bet ten thousand points."
"Ten thousand points?"
Li Yun’s gaze turned cold. There was nothing subtle about this, because Han Juefeng was openly provoking him. It seemed Huang Tianlin’s warning had been accurate, and some people in the Genius Training Camp had finally decided to come after him directly.
"Fine." Li Yun’s expression stayed indifferent. "Ten thousand points it is. If someone wants to block my path, I have no reason to back away."
Han Juefeng’s smile spread wider.
"Excellent. One day from now, we fight at the wager arena."
Li Yun had no interest in continuing the conversation, so he simply nodded and turned away. Only after his figure had completely disappeared did another voice drift out from the shadows.
"The fish took the bait."
A young man in purple robes stepped slowly into view. It was Lei Xuankong.
"This Li Yun really is arrogant," Han Juefeng sneered. "He’s nothing more than a Heavenly Core Realm cultivator, yet he’s gotten this aggressive. Does he honestly believe nobody in the Genius Training Camp can put him in his place?"
He turned toward Lei Xuankong. "Brother Lei, how are things going with the others?"

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