"Is this Senior Brother Li really that famous? What's his background?" Han Li asked, somewhat surprised.
"You don't even know Senior Brother Li?"
"Hasn't I been in closed-door training for several years?"
"Right, right, I forgot about that! My memory really is terrible. I keep thinking there's no disciple in the Seven Mysteries Sect who doesn't know Senior Brother Li, and I completely forgot you were in seclusion." Little Abacus suddenly realized his mistake and hurriedly apologized.
"Could you tell me about Senior Brother Li?"
"Of course, Brother Han! Every young disciple knows all about Senior Brother Li's exploits." Little Abacus glanced toward the arena and saw that Zhang Changgui's side still hadn't sent out an opponent for Senior Brother Li, so he launched into a retelling of this famous figure's many legends.
"Brother Han, I'm not bragging here — not only do we younger disciples know all about Senior Brother Li, but even many of the older senior brothers know quite a bit. It all started back then..." He straightened up with relish and began recounting Senior Brother Li's story, so animated that spit flew from his lips, looking for all the world like he himself was the hero of the tale.
Listening to Little Abacus lay out Senior Brother Li's history one detail at a time, there really was a certain legendary quality to it.
Senior Brother Li had also come to the mountain four years ago — though not in the same batch as Han Li. He hadn't passed on his first attempt and had become an In-Name Disciple. But in the evaluation six months later, he not only took first place in every single category, he also became the only one to last a full thirty exchanges against the senior brothers in the final sparring matches. This record shattered every previous In-Name Disciple's evaluation results and drew the attention of several high-ranking figures. After an inspection, the surprising finding was that Senior Brother Li's aptitude was merely average, with limited growth potential. This assessment was considered a pity, and as a result he wasn't taken in as a personal disciple by any of the higher-ups. After two more years of basic training, he ended up studying under an ordinary Protector, learning only a few common martial techniques. The Wind Thunder Blade Technique was one of them — a fairly unremarkable mid-level martial art of the Seven Mysteries Sect.
If the story had ended there, Senior Brother Li could hardly be called a legend — it would be more like a tale of a strong start and a weak finish. But not long after, he took that unremarkable Wind Thunder Blade Technique and did something extraordinary: in the following year's Junior Generation Grand Competition, he blazed through the ranks and surged into the top sixteen, becoming the only newly admitted disciple to place among the leaders. This once again made him the center of attention throughout the sect.
In the various competitions that followed, Senior Brother Li fought with fearless ferocity every time, his momentum unstoppable, and he consistently earned high rankings — bringing great face to all the junior disciples. In last year's Grand Competition, he claimed third place outright. What made this remarkable was that the two disciples ranked above him had been in the sect for over a decade. Although they were still classified as juniors, they were already twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with internal energy far more developed than his. Many disciples believed that if Senior Brother Li's internal cultivation had been on par with theirs, the first-place title would have been his without question.
And so, Senior Brother Li once again drew the attention of the sect's higher-ups and was specifically selected to leave the mountain to take part in numerous important missions beyond the sect's walls. While other new disciples were still grinding away at their martial training inside the sect, he had already begun accumulating significant merit for the Seven Mysteries Sect and earned a fearsome reputation in the jianghu under the name "Li Hu." Rumor had it that he was about to be granted special permission to enter the Seven Absolute Hall to cultivate far more profound martial arts.
By this point in the story, even Han Li felt a stir of emotion. If all of this was true, then this Senior Brother Li truly was no ordinary person. To have fought his way to such achievements with nothing but the status of an In-Name Disciple — even Han Li found himself feeling a measure of respect.
On Zhang Changgui's side, after half a day of hemming and hawing, one disciple finally steeled himself and stepped forward.
This disciple did not appear weak in martial skill. From his waist he drew a gleaming soft sword, no thicker than a thumb, its blade supple and yielding — clearly not a weapon that any ordinary or mediocre fighter could wield.
Senior Brother Li sensed someone approaching and slowly opened his eyes, their gaze sharp and piercing.
He suddenly let out a thunderous shout, like a bolt of lightning splitting a clear sky, so powerful that every ear in the arena rang. The opponent flinched, a look of alarm flashing across his face.
The shout had barely left his lips when the long blade was already in motion. A streak of blade-light flashed, chaining through several consecutive forms in the blink of an eye, multiplying into more than a dozen blade shadows that enveloped the opponent in a lethal net.
This man was quick-witted enough. Despite his panic, his soft sword danced with an elusive, sinister unpredictability, its defenses tight and watertight.
"Who is that?" Han Li couldn't help but ask.
"That's Zhao Ziling, a disciple of the Fifth Elder. His Willow Brushing Sword Technique is quite troublesome to deal with."
"How does he compare to Senior Brother Li?"
"No match at all," Little Abacus said proudly.
"Then why doesn't Zhang Changgui send out someone stronger?"
"Heh! Zhao Ziling is already the best they've got. Besides, who among us new disciples could possibly beat Senior Brother Li? Swapping someone else in wouldn't make a difference." He laughed with a touch of schadenfreude.
Sure enough, although Zhao Ziling's swordwork hadn't fallen into disarray, his fighting spirit was completely suppressed — pressed down hard under Senior Brother Li's long blade. Anyone with a keen eye could see that his defeat was only a matter of time.
After watching for a while, a doubt began to stir in Han Li's mind.
"There's something I find rather strange. Why aren't there any senior disciples here? Even if they're not allowed to participate in the matches, they should at least come to watch the excitement, right? But here, inside and outside the arena, there isn't a single older disciple in sight — it's all us new disciples in our teens watching the fights. What's going on?" Han Li raised his question bluntly, without any attempt to be polite.
When Little Abacus heard Han Li's question, his expression shifted. He looked at him with a peculiar, oddly appraising gaze that left Han Li feeling baffled. Had he somehow stumbled onto a taboo subject?
End of chapter