Martial Universe: The Eyes That Determine the Fate

Chapter 32 I'm Not Convinced

Li Yi glanced at her sideways and asked calmly, "Which sentence?"

"Of course, it's that excuse of being too tired and getting cramps," Zi Yue said calmly.

Li Yi paused for a moment, then asked calmly, "So, what do you think I should say to please you?"

Zi Yue was speechless for a moment, unable to answer the question.

She asked the question on a whim, perhaps secretly hoping for a serious explanation or a casual apology, but when confronted with such a direct question, she couldn't articulate her specific demands.

She couldn't very well say something childish like "You should apologize to me." Given her character and status, she simply couldn't bring herself to do something so petty.

After a moment of silence, she coldly uttered, "You are a very annoying person."

Li Yi's gaze was indifferent as he casually replied, "You too."

Those four simple words, like a gentle ripple, touched the proud bottom line in Zi Yue's heart.

A slight ripple finally appeared on her usually aloof face, not from rage, but from the complete awakening of her inherent competitive spirit.

In Yan City, whether they were her peers' prodigies or scions of powerful families, no one dared to openly say they disliked her to her face, let alone...

The other party was just an unknown youth whose cultivation was only at the late stage of the Earthly Realm, who didn't even recognize the mountain paths, and who had come from some desolate wilderness.

"Say that again!?" Zi Yue's eyes turned slightly cold, and her tone became more authoritative.

"You've heard me clearly, there's no need for me to repeat myself." Li Yi's tone remained calm, showing no intention of backing down.

Zi Yue took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the surging emotions in her heart. She had cultivated her mind and character since childhood, and her self-control far exceeded that of ordinary people. She had long since developed a calm and composed demeanor that did not show her emotions and would not be easily provoked into losing her composure by a few words.

Her gaze locked onto Li Yi, carrying a hint of condescending indifference: "Do you know who I am?"

"I don't know, and I don't want to know," Li Yi replied calmly, showing no concern.

"You!————" Zi Yue was speechless for a moment, unable to utter a word due to his indifferent attitude.

Li Yi didn't stop walking. He glanced at her sideways and said, "If you want to make a move, then do it directly; if you don't want to make a move, then don't block the mountain road. I still need to get to Yan City."

Zi Yue's pupils contracted slightly, and her heart skipped a beat.

The other person appeared calm and composed, yet they saw right through her thoughts.

Her heart stirred slightly, and her spiritual energy quietly circulated throughout her body, indeed giving rise to the thought of taking action. She didn't intend to kill him, but merely wanted to punish him slightly, to teach this arrogant and impudent youth a lesson in the meaning of respect.

Unexpectedly, the other party saw through my thoughts at a glance.

"Are you sure you want to fight me?" Zi Yue's tone was icy, and her oppressive aura intensified.

"It's no use for you to make a move; you can't beat me," Li Yi said.

Upon hearing this, Zi Yue's eyes turned cold, and a faint, aloof smile curved her lips as she said, "You know nothing about my background, cultivation level, or trump cards, yet you dare to claim I can't defeat you?"

"Whether one can match another depends solely on one's own abilities and cultivation level, and has nothing to do with one's identity or background," Li Yi said.

Zi Yue said no more, but a competitive spirit had already taken root in her heart.

She slowly raised her jade-like hand, and on her fingertips, invisible spiritual energy, like fine silver threads, subtly swirled and flowed, exuding a faint, mysterious aura.

She is a talisman master who specializes in the path of spiritual power. She is skilled in mental illusions and mental attacks. She can crush cultivators of the same level without using her Yuan power to fight.

In her view, there was no need to use her true trump card to deal with an ordinary cultivator who was only at the late stage of the Earthly Realm. A mere mental shock would be enough to make him lose his composure.

Zi Yue's tone grew colder, her mental energy already poised to erupt, and she said, "I'll ask you one last time, are you sure—"

Before he could finish speaking, Li Yi had already moved.

There was no sudden gust of wind, no surging momentum, no earth-shattering phenomena, no leaping into battle, no gathering of strength, just a simple step forward.

This step seemed ordinary and unremarkable. The ground beneath his feet did not crack, the surrounding gravel did not fly, and the grass and trees did not sway or stir. It was as calm as an ordinary person taking a step.

However, Zi Yue sensed that the wind in the surrounding world had suddenly changed.

That wasn't a natural breeze from the mountains and forests, but rather a formless rhythm drawn out by the opponent's ultimate movement technique. It was so fast and ethereal that she couldn't even see how Li Yi moved before he was already in front of her in an instant.

Before her mental attack could fully materialize, a figure was already fixed half an inch in front of her, just inches away.

A hand rested quietly not far from her brow. On the palm, a faint, brilliant golden light flowed, its luster restrained yet exuding a terrifying aura of supreme power and suppression of all things.

Zi Yue froze on the spot, her mind reeling.

It wasn't fear she felt, but rather, in that instant, she clearly sensed an absolute crushing power that was on a completely different level.

Her prized spiritual power as a talisman master was as fragile as paper against this golden light, utterly powerless and without any chance of resistance.

Li Yi slowly withdrew his hand, took a step back, and resumed his previous calm and composed demeanor. His tone remained flat as he said, "I told you, you can't beat me."

Zi Yue stood there, lost in thought. A hint of ashen color crept onto her usually cool face as her emotions churned within her.

After a few breaths, she stubbornly said, "You lack martial ethics and resorted to a sneak attack!"

Ziyue's stubbornness was written on her face, but her eyes betrayed her; it wasn't anger, but resentment.

Li Yi glanced at her, his tone remaining calm: "A sneak attack? I'm going in a straight line."

Zi Yue choked for a moment.

She opened her mouth, wanting to retort, but found herself speechless. When he walked past her, there was no concealment, no deception. It wasn't that he was too fast; it was that she was too slow.

So slow that there's no time to react.

This wasn't a sneak attack; it was a crushing defeat.

"Then why didn't you tell me beforehand?" Zi Yue's voice lowered a few decibels, and even she herself felt that what she said made no sense.

"Hmm?" Li Yi tilted his head slightly, as if he had heard something unbelievable.

Then, he looked Ziyue up and down as if she were a fool, and said, "Why should I tell you before we fight?"

"This is not a friendly sparring match. If I were your enemy, you would be dead by now."

A breeze stirs in the mountain forest, causing branches and leaves to rustle and swirl, scattering withered yellow leaves across the ground, which then drift and twirl along the mountain path.

Zi Yue's jade-like fingers curled slightly, and her cool face still bore an undisguised lividity.

When she calmed down, she could understand things, but now she didn't want to be calm. Her pride wouldn't allow her to be calm; a deep-seated shame and frustration welled up within her. That frustration and resentment clung to her like vines in the mountains, clinging tightly to her.

She was born a prodigy, with few rivals among her generation. When had she ever been so directly crushed? Not to mention being defeated in an instant by a seemingly ordinary boy who couldn't even recognize a mountain path, who saw through her thoughts with a single sentence.

"I refuse to accept this! Let's go again!" Zi Yue gritted her teeth, her eyes defiant. A faint ripple of spiritual energy spread slowly around her, no longer with the previous sharp pressure, but with an unyielding stubbornness.

"I don't have time to play these childish games with you."

After saying that, Li Yi turned to leave.

"This is not child's play!" Zi Yue's voice suddenly rose a few decibels, her clear and cold voice carrying a hint of annoyance. With a sway of her body, she took several steps forward and directly blocked Li Yi's path, refusing to move aside even an inch.