Volume Three: Rising to Prominence — Chapter Fifty-Two: Fierce Battle

To be one of the princes of the Great Ming, Ying Yongge was by no means a fool.

What use is mere talent without strength? The Great Ming imperial family was no minor clan. While those with third-grade talent were not common, they were certainly not rare, and deep within the palace, there were even those with second-grade talent. That Ying Yongge could attain the status of the Ninth Prince was proof of his own remarkable brilliance.

Should he entangle Li Yu and strike down this hidden seed of the Qing clan’s strength right here? Or should he abandon Li Yu and turn to rescue the clansmen who followed him and were currently in no immediate danger?

It was all decided in the flash of a thought.

He leaped forth, utilizing the power of his spiritual domain to soar toward Li Yu, his right hand ablaze with light.

"Blazing Fist!"

His entire right arm was wreathed in flames, and his fist, engulfed in roaring fire, looked like a falling star as he smashed it fiercely toward Li Yu’s back.

"I expected you to use this move!"

Li Yu let out a sharp cry. He spun around, his sword, flowing with arcs of lightning, pointed directly at the oncoming Ying Yongge.

"Bang!"

At the point of impact, sparks of electricity and fire showered the air.

Li Yu only had time to shift his body, narrowly dodging the meteor hammer that had struck from the shadows. However, because of this, the "Blazing Fist"—a feint intended to deceive—landed with tremendous force against his body.

Although Ying Yongge had intended for that punch to be merely a distraction to cover the strike of his meteor hammer, he had been practicing this technique since childhood. It possessed significant power, and having landed the blow, it sent Li Yu flying backward with brutal force.

"You have quick reflexes indeed!" Ying Yongge remarked with a hint of admiration.

Since he began his cultivation, he had never revealed his mastery of the hammer to the outside world, save for the few imperial masters who instructed him in secret. To maintain his cover, he had always posed as an expert in unarmed combat, even going so far as to learn several secret techniques for fists and kicks.

He had not expected, however, that this killing blow, hidden for so long, would be evaded by the youth before him.

"You truly cannot be left alive!" Ying Yongge swung the meteor hammer in his hand, his eyes fixed on the youth with naked killing intent.

According to secret reports from the palace, this youth was only a few years old... yet age was not the critical factor; it was the duration of his cultivation that was paramount. With such talent, if allowed to grow, the Qing clan would surely become a thorn in the side of the Ying clan in due time.

Internal strife was merely an internal drain, but anything external that could threaten the stability of the imperial throne had to be eradicated without hesitation. This was a rule acknowledged and upheld by all the princes.

"As expected of someone who only knows how to strike from the shadows. Is this how you always skulk about?" Li Yu sneered.

He flexed the area where the fist had struck. He did not need to look to know that it was surely bruised, and each movement sent a pang of pain he could barely suppress.

The heroes of the world are not to be underestimated.

Li Yu reflected on this, realizing he had always kept this phrase on his lips but had failed to truly take it to heart. Although he possessed a system that rarely appeared, and the daily check-in rewards were his tools to "cheat" his way forward, that did not necessarily mean he could tower far above his peers in this other world.

Back in the thin-sky gorge of Qingshan County, two death-warriors cultivated to the same rank had nearly killed him. And now, a prince of the Great Ming imperial family of the same rank—had his reactions not been swift just moments ago, he would certainly have perished on the spot.

"Hmph, sharp-tongued brat!" With his fiery red hair dancing wildly, Ying Yongge launched another attack with his meteor hammer.

The first time, he had been pierced by Li Yu’s sword. The second time, he had struck Li Yu with his fist. The two were now even. Now, it was time for a "fair" duel.

"If you want to fight, then let us fight!"

Li Yu ceased his contemplation. With a defiant roar, he held his sword aloft and clashed with Ying Yongge in the sky.

Flames flickered, the heat so intense that it seemed to distort the very space around them. On the other side, Li Yu’s lightning collided with the fire, electricity crackling and even showing faint signs of overpowering the flames.

"Fifth-grade cultivation! Li Yu has hidden his strength so deeply?" Shan Zhizhuan stared, dumbfounded, at the two fighting in mid-air, his expression one of astonishment.

Yet, he nodded with a sudden realization; if he were not of the fifth grade, how could he have so easily subdued the three of them that day?

"Why is the Prince using a meteor hammer?" Others were equally perplexed. They had been sent by their clans and had not met Ying Yongge only upon entering the mystic realm; they had been following him for some time. Even so, they had never seen the Ninth Prince use such a weapon.

In mid-air, the two collided once more.

"If these are your only tricks, you had better give up early, for you will never get the better of me this way!" Li Yu laughed.

Moreover, if these were his only means, Li Yu was confident he could win steadily. But when he thought of the hidden meteor hammer... his confidence wavered.

This was precisely why he enjoyed fighting exotic beasts; once you remembered their racial traits, the struggle between you and the beast was essentially a straightforward, honorable confrontation. Humans, however, were different. If it were a childish squabble, one might expect that if you were kicked, you had to return a punch, but in a life-and-death struggle, it was highly probable that you would go in bare-chested only for your opponent to sneakily pull out a massive blade!

"I believe the secret report now—that you truly defeated Qing Yuan," Ying Yongge said with a faint smile.

In the exchanges just now, he felt that whether in the collision of their spiritual domains or their combat techniques, the opponent was subtly gaining the upper hand.

As his voice faded, the spiritual energy around Ying Yongge fluctuated violently. His gaze, sharp as a falcon's, radiated a fierce sense of pressure.

"Whoosh!"

Surging with a sharp aura, Ying Yongge tapped his foot, and fire exploded in the void. His body transformed into a ray of light, shooting toward Li Yu.

"Blazing Fist!"

A low roar descended from the sky. The people among the white foxes suddenly saw a flaming fist, a zhang in size, erupting downward from Ying Yongge’s hand. Under such a powerful onslaught, even the air was shaken, emitting low, explosive cracks.

Watching this attack, the faces of his followers below changed. It was clear the Ninth Prince had no intention of holding back. If any one of them were in the target's place, they would surely have met their end.

Yet, this fierce assault, which caused so many to pale, did not make Li Yu flinch. Instead, his eyes burned with a fiery fervor.

"Let me see what you are truly capable of!"

Li Yu whispered, and then, before everyone’s eyes, a powerful lightning erupted from within him. The lightning spread and split, and as it struck the ground, a white fox, unable to dodge in time, could only let out a mournful cry amidst the white light before collapsing, its life extinguished.

Under countless gazes, the two collided with savage force.

And in the next moment, a figure was sent flying backward.