37 Shi Clan Tournament 4 - Questions Answered (1/2)

”99 ren! That's already a strength comparable to someone at the Second Stage of Bone Tempering! Definitely cheating!”

”Cheating? You saw it earlier right? Not only can Shi Li do it, but Shi Shisi can unleash a strength beyond his realm as well! Let's just accept our fate!”

”Woah! 99 ren! Shi Li, teach me how you did it!”

The participants that witnessed Shi Li's result had mixed reactions of disbelief and awe. Some still stuck on the idea of Shi Li fooling all of them, while some have accepted their fate and decided that Shi Li is similar to Shi Shisi.

Even though the participants were shocked, Shi Xingtai was the one who was most shocked from Shi Li's result.

'99 ren...an increase of 39 ren in potency...65% increased body strength?'

Shi Xingtai's opinion of Shi Li instantly rose up once he calculated it in his mind. He used to think that his brother's son was a good for nothing playboy, but seeing that Shi Li was just a late bloomer made Shi Li's reputation a bit better.

Shi Xingtai coughed lightly to catch the attention of the participants including Shi Li. ”Shi Li has achieved 65% potency, exceeding the minor success level of comprehension and halfway to the major success level of comprehension!”

The participants applauded for Shi Li, Shi Shisi gave out a smile and clapped as well, since each surprise Shi Li gave out would make the tournament more fun for him.

Normally, Shi Li would smile and wave to the others as a sign of gratitude. But this time, he was distraught because of what Shi Xingtai said. He went up on stage and placed the training hammer back on the weapon rack, with a constant confused expression on his face.

He went back down and started to ponder more as to why Shi Xingtai told the audience that he reached the minor success level of comprehension.

'I remember that I only reached the peak of adept level on the [Ardent Magma Manipulation Art], just a hair's breadth away from the minor success level. Why did he say that I've reached that level though?'

He pondered deeper and deeper as wrinkles formed on his forehead while he frowned. He didn't know the answer as to why, until suddenly...

”Nya! Nya! Are you okay-nya?” A voice asked him.

Shi Li was jolted from his self-contemplation and looked around, landing his eyes on a round white cat. This was Shi Li's companion from the Forest of Ruin, Moddy.

”Huh? Oh-uh yeah...” Shi Li gave out a monotonous answer as he was still adjusting his senses to reality. After a while, he came back to his senses and had the urge to slap himself for almost forgetting that he told Moddy to stay put.

”Nya? Are you sure-nya?” Moddy tilted its head since it didn't feel like Shi Li was truly okay.

Shi Li took a deep breath and nodded firmly once more. ”Yeah Moddy, I'm sure. Thanks.”

Moddy didn't know as to why, but it went up to Shi Li's left shoulder and whispered in his ear, ”I have a feeling you're confused-nya. Do you want to tell me what's wrong?”

Shi Li wanted to answer right away, but people might hear of his secret that he used a High Human grade technique, rather than a Low Human one. He went towards Shi Shisi and hurriedly said, ”I'm gonna go to the washroom, if the First Elder asks for my name, just tell him that okay?”

Shi Shisi didn't know as to why Shi Li would say this but he still nodded anyway. ”I got it.”

Since he now had an eyewitness, Shi Li and Moddy ran outside the arena and went to a sparsely populated area so they could talk without any hindrance.

...

Shi Xingwan watched everything that happened on the second round and couldn't help but laugh right at the end.

”My son has reached the small success level of [Magma Swipe] within two months! He's a heaven-defying genius! A godsend to our clan!”

He laughed a bit more, until gradually the gaps between the laughs lengthened before...he stopped. He felt that something was off.

'Shi Li hasn't fulfilled the third condition Wei'er told me, but for some reason he seems to have upgraded techniques like it just came to him naturally. Was something within him awakened due to him starting on the path of cultivation?'

Shi Xingwan rubbed his chin once again. Due to a Creation realm's mind being multiplefolds faster than the minds of mortals, a Creation realm would think more things within a short amount of time, allowing them to predict certain moves in fights, or in this case, speculate.

'I remember that on the start of his cultivation journey, there was no aura around him whatsoever. But lately, I've been feeling an aura akin to that of the Heaven and Earth from him. Did it come from his heaven-defying comprehension...or from his mother's bloodline?'

The latter felt like it was something possible for Shi Xingwan as his wife Wei'er showed him the features of the bloodline. One of which was enhanced comprehension.

In the end, he took a deep breath and muttered, ”I hope it's not that.”

...