"Is this Brother Li very famous? What's his background?" Han Li was somewhat surprised.
"You don't even know Brother Li?"
"I've been in seclusion for several years."
"Right, right, I forgot about that? My memory is really bad. I always thought that everyone in the Seven Profound Gate would know Brother Li, and I forgot about your seclusion," Xiao Suanpan suddenly realized, hastily apologizing.
"Could you tell me about Brother Li's story?"
"Han Brother, of course I can. The deeds of Brother Li are well known among us young disciples." Seeing that there was still no opponent sent out by Zhang Changgui's side, Xiao Suanpan began recounting the various legends surrounding Brother Li to Han Li.
"Han Brother, I'm not exaggerating, but the story of Brother Li is well known not only among us younger disciples but also among the older ones. Initially..." He energetically began telling Han Li the story of Brother Li, with an air of enthusiasm, as if he were the protagonist of the tale.
Listening to Xiao Suanpan recount Brother Li's deeds one by one, there was indeed a touch of legend to them.
Brother Li also entered the mountain four years ago, but of course, he wasn't in the same batch as Han Li during the assessment. At that time, he didn't pass the test at once and became a named disciple. However, in the test half a year later, he not only ranked first in all the tests but also became the only one to last more than thirty moves in the final confrontation with his fellow disciples. This record broke the test results of all previous named disciples and attracted the attention of many high-ranking figures. After an examination, it was surprising to find that Brother Li's aptitude was only average, and his potential for growth was limited. This diagnosis was considered a pity, but as a result, no high-ranking figure took him as a disciple. After two years of basic training, he still worshipped under an ordinary Guardian and only learned a few ordinary martial arts, among which the Wind and Thunder Saber Technique was one of the common intermediate martial arts of the Seven Profound Gate.
If it stopped here, Brother Li couldn't be considered a legend, only somewhat promising. However, not long after, he relied on this unremarkable Wind and Thunder Saber Technique to shine in the following year's competition among the younger disciples, breaking into the top sixteen, becoming the only one among the new disciples to rank high. This once again made him the focus of the sect.
In the subsequent competitions, Brother Li was always fierce and unstoppable, achieving high rankings every time, bringing considerable honor to their group of new disciples. In last year's major competition, he even won third place. It's worth noting that the top two were disciples who had been in the sect for over a decade. Although they were younger disciples, they were already in their late twenties. Their internal strength was much deeper than his. Many disciples believed that if Brother Li had the same internal strength as them, first place would have been easily within his grasp.
In this way, Brother Li once again attracted attention from above and was named to go outside the mountain to participate in many important missions. While other new disciples were still practicing martial arts in the sect, he had already earned many merits for the Seven Profound Gate. He gained a formidable reputation in the martial world as "Li Hu". It is said that he is about to be allowed to enter the Seven Ultimate Hall to cultivate even more profound martial arts.
Hearing this, Han Li couldn't help but be moved. If all these things were true, this Brother Li was indeed extraordinary. With just the identity of a named disciple, he was able to achieve such remarkable accomplishments through sheer perseverance. Han Li also admired him somewhat.
On Zhang Changgui's side, after half a day of evasion, finally, a disciple reluctantly stepped forward.
This disciple didn't seem weak either. He drew out a shining soft sword from his waist. This soft sword was only as thick as a thumb, flexible and weak. It was obvious that it wasn't something an ordinary person could handle.
Brother Li felt someone approaching and slowly opened his eyes, his eyes full of spirit.
Suddenly, he shouted loudly, like a thunderbolt in the clear sky, causing everyone's ears to buzz incessantly. The person opposite him also shook slightly, a look of fear appearing on his face.
With the shout, Brother Li's long knife swung, a streak of blade light flashing, transforming into more than ten blade shadows in an instant, surrounding his opponent in a net of blades.
This person was quite alert, although somewhat panicked. However, his soft sword was unpredictable and treacherous, guarding flawlessly.
"Who is this person?" Han Li couldn't help but ask.
"He's Zhao Ziling, the disciple of the fifth elder. His Dusting Willow Sword Technique is quite tricky."
"How does he compare to Brother Li?"
"Of course, he's no match." Xiao Suanpan said proudly.
"Why doesn't Zhang Changgui send out someone more formidable?"
"Hehe! Zhao Ziling is the strongest among them. Besides, who among us new disciples can beat Brother Li? It's pointless to replace anyone." He chuckled somewhat maliciously.
Indeed, although Zhao Ziling's swordsmanship hadn't become chaotic yet, he lacked any imposing aura and was being pressed firmly by Brother Li's long knife. Any discerning person could see that his defeat was only a matter of time.
After watching for a while, a doubt arose in Han Li's mind.
"I find something strange. Why aren't there any older senior brothers present? Even if they're not allowed to participate in the competition, shouldn't there be someone to watch? But both inside and outside the venue, there isn't a single senior brother of significant age. It's only us new disciples, who are in our teens, watching the competition. What's going on?" Han Li bluntly raised his question.
Xiao Suanpan's expression changed when he heard Han Li's question. He looked at him with a strange gaze, making him feel a bit puzzled. Did he touch upon some taboo topic?
