My Clones Can Cultivate

Chapter 171: New Problem To worry About

Chapter 171

Shi Gubing froze on the spot as he stared forward at the Beastman blocking his only exit from the Beast Forest, where those red slit eyes were locked onto him without much emotion flashing within them.

If anything, they carried the same calm, expressionless gaze as before, the same gaze the Beastman had possessed when they had first encountered him.

Back then, Shi Gubing and the rest of the team had taken that calmness for weakness, mistaken his lack of reaction for helplessness, and thought that because the Beastman simply sat there without responding to them, he was either arrogant or powerless.

But now... now Shi Gubing was thinking the complete opposite, after all, out of the five hundred cultivators who had come here to deal with this man... only he remained. Or rather... only he and Gao had remained, and even Gao was barely alive.

Shi Gubing’s gaze shifted toward his friend, whose neck had been completely crushed while his body was being held firmly within the Beastman’s grasp as he raised him high into the air.

The Beastman suddenly brought Gao closer to himself and whispered something into his ear. Shi Gubing couldn’t hear what he said, but he could see the effect of those words as the panic in Gao’s eyes slowly transformed into despair.

"Hel...p me..."

Gao begged weakly, but it was already too late, and there was no one who could save him, not even Shi Gubing.

"Gubing..."

His friend’s desperate gaze shifted toward him.

"Help..."

But Shi Gubing couldn’t move, couldn’t even breathe properly, and could only stand there and watch. He knew exactly what was about to happen... the Beastman was going to kill Gao, and after Gao was dead... he would be next. Shi Gubing was certain of it.

They had all been hunted down one after another, the Beastman had slaughtered every single person who had entered the Beast Forest with them, and now there were only two people left: Gao... and him.

He knew the man was going to kill Gao, he expected it, yet when it finally happened... the brutality still caught him completely off guard.

The Beastman’s fingers tightened around Gao’s head, and then, with terrifying ease...

CRACK!

Gao’s head was violently torn from his shoulders, blood sprayed through the air, and the Beastman casually tossed the severed head aside as if it meant absolutely nothing, as if the life he had just taken was nothing more than an insignificant insect.

Shi Gubing’s eyes widened in pure horror, and a terrified scream tore from his throat.

"AAAAAHHH!"

He turned around immediately without even thinking, because if he had thought about it, he would have realized that turning around meant running deeper into the Beast Forest, and going deeper into the Beast Forest... meant death.

But Shi Gubing wasn’t thinking anymore, the fear and sheer terror gripping his heart having become too overwhelming for him to think rationally, leaving only one thought running through his mind: Run.

Run as far away from that man as possible. He knew, deep down, that if the Beastman decided to hunt him down, there was absolutely no way he could survive.

But he didn’t care, couldn’t care, and just wanted to run and survive, which was the only thought left inside his mind. He turned tail and desperately tried to flee, but the moment he turned...

BAM!

His face slammed into something sturdy, solid, and something that hadn’t been there a moment ago. Shi Gubing stumbled backward, his eyes slowly widened, he looked up, and his blood instantly ran cold.

The Beastman was standing right in front of him, looking down at him with those same calm, expressionless crimson slit eyes staring directly into his own. Shi Gubing’s entire body trembled, every hair on his body stood on end, and his instincts screamed at him to run.

He tried, desperately trying to move again, but his legs refused to cooperate, causing him to stumble backward and nearly fall. Tears began rolling down his face, and he couldn’t help it, didn’t even care anymore as his pride, dignity, and image all became meaningless.

What did any of that matter when he was standing before a monster that had just slaughtered hundreds of cultivators like they were nothing?

The Beastman looked down at him, those crimson slit eyes remaining locked onto Shi Gubing and seeming to burn themselves directly into his memory... deep, permanent. If Shi Gubing survived this... something that seemed almost impossible at this point... he knew he would never forget those eyes, never.

Those were not the eyes of a human, but the eyes of a predator, a true predator, a creature that had looked at hundreds of cultivators and seen nothing but prey.

Shi Gubing’s body trembled violently as he stared upward, thinking his life was coming to an end and being certain of it, believing that the next moment he would die and be torn apart just like the others.

Yet... the Beastman suddenly spoke, his voice being the same deep, rumbling voice that made every hair on Shi Gubing’s body stand on end.

"I will let you go."

Shi Gubing froze, for a moment wondering if he had heard correctly, as the Beastman continued.

"Go back. Inform the Imperials that you failed to assassinate me."

His crimson eyes remained calm.

"And that I wiped all of you out instead."

Shi Gubing’s lips trembled, unable to believe what he was hearing, while the Beastman paused for a moment before continuing.

"And also tell them..."

His voice became colder.

"This is their tenth attempt to kill me. And they have failed."

Shi Gubing’s pupils contracted as the Beastman slowly continued.

"My attempt at killing them has only been the second time."

A strange, terrifying pressure seemed to fill the air as he spoke.

"But I promised them... When I come back for the third attempt..."

His eyes narrowed.

"I will kill every single one of those bastard Imperials. I promised."

The words fell heavily into the silence of the forest. Shi Gubing’s mind went completely blank.

He had thought that his story was coming to an end, had believed that he would die here just like everyone else, yet the Beastman had spared him... not out of mercy, no, but because he was being sent back as a messenger carrying a declaration of war.

And before the terrified Shi Gubing could even process everything he had just heard... the Beastman turned his back, and then... he vanished, just like that.

Shi Gubing remained frozen in place, his body trembling violently, his eyes shaking, and his entire body feeling weak, while the fear inside his heart was so immense that it bordered on despair.

For a long while, he simply remained there in that miserable state, unable to move and unable to think, with the Beastman’s words keeping echoing inside his head: The tenth attempt... The third attempt... Kill every single one of those bastard Imperials...

His breathing became increasingly unstable, his vision began to blur, and the adrenaline and overwhelming fear that had kept him moving for so long finally began to fade because his body could no longer endure it.

His eyes slowly rolled upward, and then... everything went black, causing Shi Gubing’s body to finally collapse as he fainted on the spot.

Back to the present...

Shi Gubing stared at Liyu, yet the figure he was seeing wasn’t Liyu... not anymore. What he was seeing was the Beastman who had haunted his nightmares for countless years: those crimson slit eyes, those terrifying claws, and that primal, bestial aura.

There was no doubt about it, none whatsoever.

"He has to be a Beastman... He is a Beastman. There is no way he isn’t!"

Shi Gubing’s body continued trembling violently as he spoke, causing the people watching him to wonder if something was wrong with him.

"He has to be a Beastman! KILL HIM! Kill him now before he becomes a problem!"

His instincts were screaming danger, and without wasting another second, Shi Gubing pulled out another dagger from his storage pouch and immediately lunged toward Liyu.

But before he could even take another step... Li San’s hand was already around his neck. Once again, Shi Gubing was lifted off the ground... this was the third time.

"I can kill him now."

Li San’s voice was calm. He wasn’t asking for permission, wasn’t making a request, and was simply stating a fact, the only reason he had been giving Elder Ting face and hadn’t immediately ripped Shi Gubing apart being because of the tournament.

Elder Ting didn’t move to suppress him this time, instead calmly looking at Li San to speak.

"If you do that, this tournament will be concluded."

He paused briefly.

"And none of the three great clans will be getting the Golden Tokens."

His tone was calm, almost as if he were simply stating the simplest and most obvious fact, and that was exactly what was at risk here.

Li San was about to attack, but he suddenly stopped... not because he wanted to, not because he had suddenly forgiven Shi Gubing, but because he couldn’t allow his emotions to override his reason and make him start making illogical decisions.

The entire purpose of obtaining the Golden Tokens was to ensure Liyu’s safety once he entered the Gold Valley Sect, and the only reliable way to guarantee that safety... was to win this tournament.

There was no other way. Not only that, his students and the other kids of his clan had already come this far, and they were all so close to winning the tournament.

If he ruined all of their battles and all the sweat they had poured into getting this far simply because of his own emotions... then what would all their efforts have been for?

Li San’s grip slowly loosened, and he released Shi Gubing by the neck, the latter stumbling backward and coughing as his feet regained contact with the ground. He was still recovering from the shock when Guan Ju, who was standing beside him, reached out and supported him.

After a few moments, Shi Gubing slowly came to his senses. This time, when he looked at Liyu... he wasn’t seeing the Beastman with those terrifying red slit eyes anymore, wasn’t seeing the monster that had terrorized his nightmares for countless years, but was seeing Liyu for who he really was:

The arrogant bastard who had arrived late to the tournament, that arrogant bastard who had boldly declared that he would take everyone on, and that arrogant bastard who had announced that he would become the sole winner of the tournament.

That was who stood before him. Nothing more.

Shi Gubing slowly closed his eyes, forcing the image of those glowing crimson Beastman eyes out of his mind, and when he opened them once more, his eyes had returned to their usual calm and confident state.

There was nothing else they could do here, and so, the two Clan Lords finally left the stage and returned to their respective seats.

Li San turned toward Liyu, reached out, and gently patted the kid on the head. Liyu looked up at him and gave his uncle a small, confident smile.

"Don’t worry. I will win the tournament soon."

Li San smiled, didn’t say anything else, and instead saw his figure disappear from the stage, returning to his seat.

Elder Ting then walked forward, and a few moments later, stood directly before Liyu, where the calm elder spoke in a voice that wasn’t loud at all, yet allowed Liyu to hear him clearly.

He began asking Liyu several questions, and Liyu answered each one with a calm and composed gaze. There were certain things he believed wouldn’t cause him any trouble if they were revealed, so he told the truth, but for anything that might potentially cause problems... he did what he had always done: he lied.

But he didn’t simply lie; he twisted his lies so perfectly that they sounded even more truthful than the truth itself.

Elder Ting listened carefully to every word, observing Liyu’s expression and examining his answers, yet he couldn’t find any trace of deceit. After a while, Elder Ting finally nodded, and then, using his Spirit Sense, directly transmitted a message into Liyu’s mind: Don’t use this transformation of yours carelessly. Liyu’s expression remained calm.

Today, you are safe because I am here to test you and prove that you are not a Beastman. But if I hadn’t been here... And you transformed again... They would have tried to kill you without the slightest hesitation.

Elder Ting’s warning was simple. Even though they had now convinced everyone that what Liyu possessed was a transformation technique, that might not be enough to completely erase their suspicions.

The Beastman Hunters were rewarded massively for killing Beastmen, which alone was enough to make some people ignore reason and attempt to kill him regardless of whether his transformation was merely a technique or not, because there would always be people who wouldn’t take the risk.

And because of that... the best advice Elder Ting could give him was simple: Don’t use it unless it is absolutely necessary.

Liyu remained silent for a moment, then gave a small nod, understanding that he wouldn’t use it unless he had no other choice.

Soon, Elder Ting left the stage, leaving the three people back on the stage once more: Guan Haoran, Liyu, and the referee. The referee looked at Liyu for a long while, his gaze carrying a strange scrutiny as if he was trying to figure out exactly what his instincts were telling him about this kid.

He scanned Liyu carefully, yet... he found nothing, not the slightest trace of anything suspicious. After a while, the referee finally let it go, vanishing from the spot and appearing nearby to give the two remaining contestants enough space to continue their battle.

The crowd was slightly startled by everything that had just happened, but as they saw that things seemed to be calming down, they gradually relaxed, because after all, just a few moments ago, it had genuinely looked as if the Guan Clan Lord and the Shi Clan Lord were about to clash against the Li Clan Lord, and if that happened... no one needed to tell them what the consequences would be.

The three great clans were the pillars supporting the entire Night Region, and if something happened to even one of them, the effects would undoubtedly spread throughout the entire region, as a clash between the three great clans wouldn’t simply be some ordinary dispute, but could shake the entire Night Region.

So, seeing that things hadn’t gone completely out of hand, everyone couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief.

While everyone was relieved that the three great clans hadn’t actually clashed and that the tournament was finally about to continue... Liyu internally let out a deep sigh of relief, taking a deep breath and thinking, Thanks, Sys. That was a close call.

The system remained silent for a while before finally responding, You are welcome, Host. However, I would advise you to take the elder’s advice. You are not a Beastman in the true sense, but based on your current condition, you can very well be considered one.

Liyu nodded internally, one might wonder how exactly he had managed to bypass the Heavenly Discernment Wool.

The answer was actually simple: the system had already told him that he could be considered human, while at the same time, he could also be considered a hybrid and even a Beastman, possessing all three identities simultaneously.

He only needed to push his human identity to the forefront while suppressing the other two identities deep within himself when the Heavenly Discernment Wool touched his head, and that was exactly what he had done. And guess what? It had worked.

Liyu couldn’t help but take another deep breath, feeling that it seemed he had gained another problem to worry about in the future... a rather troublesome one.

And there was another question that had been bothering him: Why exactly was the world hunting Beastmen in the first place, and what had they done to deserve such treatment?

That was something he would have to find the answer to later, but for now... he only wanted to bring this tournament to an end, and then he could finally go and check on his three Reflections.

Because if he hadn’t been completely certain before... now he was, knowing that his three clones had to be in some kind of trouble, since the fact that they hadn’t cultivated for such a long time had already sent warning signals through his mind.

Something was wrong, he could feel it, and Liyu wasn’t willing to waste any more time, needing to end this tournament as quickly as possible so that only then could he go and find out exactly what kind of danger his three Reflections had run into.

With those thoughts occupying his mind, Liyu took a deep breath, and then... he opened his eyes, where his yellow slit eyes immediately locked onto the opponent who had managed to push him this far... something Liyu himself hadn’t believed would happen.

Even if it did happen... he had been almost certain that he would only need to deal with Shi Tian, yet Guan Haoran had proven to be a completely different matter, as this guy was really tough, even Liyu having to admit that.

And now that he had been forced to shift... the big metallic guy was probably going to regret his life decisions.

Liyu slowly lowered his body, his posture changing as he bent forward like a beast preparing to pounce, his muscles tightening, and his claws flexing. Then... he pounced.

WHOOSH!

The sound of his movement was fast and sharp, tearing through the air in an instant, and the next second...

SPLAT!

Dark blood splattered through the air, and Liyu stood calmly behind Guan Haoran, the two of them standing side by side with dark claws dripping with fresh blood. Liyu slowly lifted his gaze.

"Let’s end this."

His voice was calm.

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