My Clones Can Cultivate

Chapter 188

"And who told you that I have no more cards to play?" Liyu said it with a small smile forming on his lips.

The system was silent. This time, it remained silent for even longer than usual as it tried to understand just what the hell Liyu was getting at. After a while, it finally spoke into Liyu’s mind. *Host... and which card is this that you are talking about?*

Liyu remained silent. Instead, he focused on using his Primal Qi to heal himself. The sickening snapping and cracking sounds echoed outward over and over again.

Crack!

Snap!

Crack!

His twisted limbs were slowly being forced back into their proper positions. The pain shooting through his nerves was immense.

His nerves burned hot from the agony of having his limbs twisted into unnatural angles and then forcibly reformed and reconnected within such a short period of time.

His body groaned from the pain. Yet the smile on Liyu’s face never disappeared. Not once. He simply endured it while waiting for the healing to be completed.

*Host, come on. Tell me what this plan of yours is,* the system asked again, clearly becoming increasingly impatient.

After a while, the limbs that had been twisted into unnatural angles were finally back to normal. It was marvelous. Astonishing, even. Liyu slowly pushed himself up from the ground. His neck itself had been slanted horribly to the side.

After all, Haoran hadn’t directly attacked his body. He had attacked his head. It was the aftershock of that attack that had caused the rest of Liyu’s body to become mangled so badly. And ironically enough, his head... the main target and victim of the attack... was the least injured part of his body.

*I guess the saying about having a stone-hard skull is actually true,* Liyu couldn’t help but let out a small, joyless laugh at the thought.

He reached up and grabbed his neck. Then... Crack. He adjusted it back into place. The pain this time was even worse. Liyu’s entire face twitched. But he didn’t cry out. He simply bit down hard, forcing the pain back down his throat. A few moments later, he suddenly coughed.

Cough!

A mouthful of blood was spat onto the ground. This time, however, the blood wasn’t alone. Several pieces of torn internal organs were mixed within it. Liyu casually wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and raised his head. His gaze landed on Haoran.

The man hadn’t moved from his position. He was simply standing there, watching Liyu. His expression was dead blank. His gaze was detached. Totally aloof. It was almost as if he was simply waiting for Liyu to raise his hand and admit defeat.

After all, that was the only thing that would make sense. There was no way Liyu would actually try to fight again after that. Not after what had just happened. There was simply no way. He must have learned from that last exchange.

He must have finally come to terms with reality and realized that he couldn’t win. After all... how could someone fight and win against an opponent he couldn’t even touch before being stopped dead in his tracks?

How could someone hope to contend with an opponent who could shatter all of his bones with a single slap? If Liyu wasn’t a lunatic, then he should give up. That was the only sane option left.

And yet... Haoran had underestimated Liyu’s insanity. Because if insanity had grades... Liyu’s grade would be Upper Upper Grade. Liyu’s grin widened. Then he bent slightly.

Across from him, Guan Haoran’s emotions were heavily suppressed by the state of Overflow. Yet even he couldn’t completely prevent the slight, almost imperceptible twitch at the corner of his mouth. To think... he would still choose to fight after all of that.

Liyu’s figure suddenly flashed.

Whooom!

He chained Linear Blink together with Momentum, instantly closing the distance and striking at point-blank range. His fist shot forward. And once again... it failed. The attack halted only a few inches before making contact. The invisible force surrounding Haoran stopped it completely. Liyu’s pupils contracted slightly. And then... Pah! Whoom! Bang!

BOOM!

Liyu’s body was sent crashing violently into yet another massive pillar. The pillar trembled violently from the impact. A few seconds later, Liyu slid down from its surface.

Blood slowly oozed from his battered body and dripped onto the ground beneath his feet. He remained there. Motionless. For a moment, it looked as though he had finally reached his limit.

But... two minutes later... Liyu stood once more.

His body shook violently from the pain and agony coursing through him. His legs trembled. His muscles screamed. His entire body was practically begging him to stop. Yet he didn’t. He didn’t collapse. He didn’t drop.

And he certainly didn’t give up. Instead, Liyu simply started walking forward once more. One step. Then another. His body stumbled several times along the way. Yet each time, he caught himself. Each time, he forced his legs to straighten.

Until finally... he was standing steadily on his feet once more. Liyu used the back of his hand to wipe away the blood blanketing his face. His vision was blurred. His body was screaming. Yet his gaze remained stubbornly fixed on Guan Haoran.

Then... he attacked once more.

Whoooosh!

His figure flashed forward. But barely two seconds later...

BOOM!

His body crashed hard into the side of another massive pillar.

Crack!

A horrifying sound echoed through the arena. His spine nearly snapped in half from the impact. The pain was blinding. For a brief moment, Liyu’s consciousness almost slipped away. His vision darkened.

His body went limp. Yet somehow, he held on. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to remain conscious before immediately circulating his Primal Qi and using it to heal himself once more. The cracks slowly faded. His shattered bones gradually returned to their proper positions.

His damaged spine slowly recovered. Yet the pain accompanying the healing was somehow even worse. It felt as though countless burning needles were being driven directly through every nerve in his body. Liyu bit down hard. His teeth nearly cracked from the force. His entire body trembled violently. This time, it took him three full minutes before he could finally stand again.

*Host, stop this!* The system’s voice suddenly thundered inside Liyu’s mind. *If you continue like this, you can kill yourself!* Its usually calm tone was nowhere to be found. *I know this tournament is important to you, but it isn’t worth dying over! So stop this madness right now, Host!*

Liyu didn’t respond. He didn’t listen. Instead, another small smile slowly formed on his lips. He shook his head. "No." His voice was weak, but his conviction wasn’t. "All of this is part of my plan..." His gaze sharpened. "As long as I manage to endure, I will win at last." Liyu slowly straightened his battered body. "Things are still moving according to plan."

The system fell silent. It didn’t know what to say anymore. It could only wonder what kind of plan Liyu could possibly have. What kind of plan required him to do something this insane? What kind of plan required him to repeatedly throw himself against an opponent who could crush him with a casual attack?

Yet Liyu didn’t seem concerned. He started walking toward Haoran once more. One step. Then another. And then... he charged. Once again. And once again...

BOOM!

His body was sent crashing away. His bones snapped and broke apart like dry twigs. A pained cry escaped Liyu’s mouth this time. But even then, he forced himself to swallow the rest of it. He didn’t allow himself to scream. He immediately focused on healing once more.

Another three hundred Qi Beads had to be sacrificed. He needed to maintain the healing. He needed to keep his Hybrid Form active. After all, if he lost his Hybrid Form... which was, in more ways than one, his lifeline... he might not be able to survive for much longer.

The Hybrid Form was doing more than simply strengthening his body. It greatly reduced the impact of Haoran’s attacks by making his physique far stronger. At the same time, it gave Liyu an even greater degree of control over his Primal Qi, allowing him to manipulate and utilize it with greater efficiency.

That made the healing process faster. Smoother. More effective. But one thing it couldn’t do was reduce the pain. The pain remained. Every single time. Every broken bone. Every shattered organ. Every twisted limb.

Every time he forced his body back together. The agony remained just as brutal.

And yet... after quite some time, Liyu rose once more. His entire body was drenched in blood.

Blood covered his clothes. Blood stained his hair. Blood ran down his face and dripped from his fingertips. His breathing was rough. His body trembled. His condition was so miserable that anyone else would have already collapsed long ago.

But Liyu didn’t look like someone who was ready to give in. Not even remotely. If anything... his eyes were shining with a deep, almost frightening brilliance. They radiated an overwhelming will. A will that refused to cave. A will that refused to bend. A will that refused to give in

.

*Just a little more,* Liyu thought. *Just a little more.*

Then... he charged back into the fray once more. Only to be sent crashing into another pillar.

BOOM!

Bones broke. Internal organs were damaged. Blood sprayed. And still... Liyu got back up. Again. And again. And again.

At the Li Clan’s camp, Li Yuexin and the others were beginning to feel anxiety fill their chests as they watched the scene before them. It was horrifying. Almost like something ripped straight out of a nightmare.

"What should we do?" Li Xie asked in a small voice. He looked as though he wanted to say something. Anything. Perhaps even rush onto the stage. But he had no idea what he could possibly do.

Li Yuexin’s hands clenched slightly at her sides. Her face was becoming increasingly pale as she watched Liyu being beaten and broken over and over again. Every single time he was knocked down... he stood back up. Every single time his body was shattered... he recovered.

Every single time he was sent flying... he charged back toward Haoran. Over. And over. And over again. It was too much. Far too much. It was almost as though she was the one standing on that stage instead of Liyu. Every impact made her heart tighten.

Every time his bones broke, her breathing became heavier. Every time he forced himself back onto his feet, she felt another wave of helplessness wash over her. She could only watch. Unable to do anything. Unable to stop it. Unable to understand why he was still fighting.

After a while, Li Yuexin finally let out a deep sigh. She couldn’t hold it back anymore. She had to go. She had to save him. Now. She took several steps forward, ready to intervene in the match and force it to an end. If she did that, she would probably bring about the Li Clan’s defeat.

She knew that very well. But even that was a far better option than simply standing here and watching Liyu die. Her fists clenched tightly at her sides as she prepared to launch herself onto the stage.

Yet, just as she was about to move, a strange force suddenly descended upon her body. Li Yuexin’s entire body froze. It was as if invisible chains had wrapped themselves around every inch of her body, locking her limbs firmly in place.

She struggled instinctively, trying to break free from the unseen restraint, but it was completely useless. Then a calm voice reached her ears.

"No one shall interfere in the match."

Li Yuexin’s blue eyes immediately snapped upward. Standing beside her was none other than the referee. His expression remained completely calm and composed, as though the horrifying scene unfolding on the battlefield below was nothing more than an ordinary sparring match.

"Let me go," Li Yuexin cursed under her breath, her voice filled with anger and anxiety as she pushed against the invisible force restricting her. She struggled. She tried to force her spiritual energy outward. She tried to break through the restraint with brute strength. Nothing worked. The invisible force remained as firm as an unbreakable wall.

When that failed, Li Yuexin could only change tactics. If she could not break free, then she would have to convince the referee. "You saved Guan Xueyi, didn’t you?" Li Yuexin asked, her voice trembling slightly from frustration.

"You saved her when she was about to be killed. But you’re not doing the same thing here. Why?" Her blue eyes became accusatory. "Is it because you don’t care if someone from the Li Clan dies?"

The referee remained silent. He simply continued standing there, his gaze calm and composed. For several long seconds, he didn’t respond. Then, finally, he spoke. "I saved Xueyi because she had completely given up hope of winning and her life was genuinely in danger."

His voice remained calm, without even the slightest trace of emotion. "So look at Liyu." He paused. "And tell me if he is in the same situation as Xueyi."

Li Yuexin’s expression froze. Slowly, she turned her gaze back toward the battlefield. And then she saw it. She saw Liyu. Bloodied and broken.

Barely standing. His entire body looked as though it had been through countless brutal collisions, yet despite everything that had happened, despite being repeatedly beaten down until his bones shattered and his organs were damaged, there was still something burning within his eyes.

Determination. Unyielding determination. That gaze said everything. He hadn’t given up. Not even now.

"I can’t interfere," the referee continued matter-of-factly. "Doing that would only scar him."

Li Yuexin’s lips parted slightly. The referee continued. "And about his safety, don’t worry too much about that. There are several experts here keeping an eye on him, such as your clan lord and Elder Ting."

His gaze shifted briefly toward the battlefield. "He won’t die. Not under their watch."

Li Yuexin remained silent. She wanted to argue. She wanted to say that Liyu was already pushing himself far beyond what anyone should endure.

She wanted to say that even if he didn’t die, the damage he was suffering was already too much. But after hearing the referee’s explanation, she knew that everything he had said was true. She couldn’t deny it. She could only sigh deeply after a while and slowly nod. "I understand."

The referee nodded as well. The moment he did, his figure disappeared. At the same time, the invisible force locking Li Yuexin’s limbs vanished. She was finally able to move again. Her hands clenched into fists.

Her gaze dimmed as she stared at Liyu’s bloodied figure. The young man was walking again. After yet another brutal beating. Why? Why was he hurting himself this much? Why was he continuing? Why? The questions repeatedly echoed inside Li Yuexin’s mind.

Her eyes gradually became teary as she watched him stagger forward once more. She clenched her palms together and silently prayed. "Please, Heaven..." Her voice trembled. "Let him be safe." She lowered her head slightly, her hands clasped tightly together. "Please..."

At the leaders’ seats, Li San watched as Liyu was sent crashing hard into the cracked marble ground once more. A slight frown appeared on his handsome features.

The sight before him was becoming difficult even for someone like him to watch. "Why is that kid not giving up yet?" Li San’s expression was complicated. "He has already tried more than enough." His gaze remained fixed on Liyu’s battered figure. "He should give up."

Liyu had already done far beyond what anyone could reasonably expect from him. He had fought until his body was pushed to its absolute limit. He had fought against someone who was overwhelmingly stronger than him.

He had been beaten down countless times. And every single time, he stood back up. Why? Why go to such lengths to punish oneself? Why keep pushing when there was seemingly no hope of winning? "Just give up, kid," Li San sighed softly. "You’ve done your best."

Yet deep down, even as he thought those words, a strange feeling stirred within him. Perhaps it was admiration. Perhaps it was pity. Or perhaps it was simply disbelief. Whatever it was, Li San couldn’t look away.

Back on the stage, Liyu slowly rose from the ground. Blood pooled beneath his body. The cracked marble was stained crimson. His breathing was ragged. His body trembled. His head hung low.

His lips were bloodied and cracked, and yet they slowly curved upward. A twisted grin appeared across his face. It was a smile that carried no joy. Only madness. Only determination. Only an unwillingness to surrender.

"Okay, Sys..." His consciousness was wavering. His vision had become blurry. Even standing had already become a difficult task. Yet somehow, he remained upright. "I’ll leave the rest to you."

Liyu’s voice was extremely faint. There was a long silence. For several seconds, the system didn’t respond. Then, finally, its voice rang through Liyu’s mind. "Okay, Host." A pause. "Good luck."

Liyu smiled. For a brief moment, that smile remained. Then slowly... it faded. Several moments passed in silence. The battlefield seemed strangely quiet from Liyu’s perspective.

His consciousness was sinking deeper and deeper. His body was reaching its limit. His mind was reaching its limit. His very existence seemed to be standing at the edge of a cliff. Few minutes went by...

And then...

Ding!

A system notification suddenly appeared directly before Liyu’s eyes.

[Massive negative emotion has been detected.]

Liyu’s blurry gaze shifted slightly. Another notification appeared.

[Host’s condition is critical.]

[Current state: Near Death.]

Liyu’s body trembled. The system continued.

[Massive negative emotions are stirring and overriding the Host’s mental state.]

[Attempting safety suppression.]

A brief pause. Then...

[Suppression failed.]

Liyu’s pupils contracted. His consciousness continued sinking. One moment passed. Then another. His heartbeat thundered inside his chest. His bloodied fingers twitched.

The negative emotions that had been suppressed deep within him began surging outward with terrifying intensity. Anger. Frustration. Hatred. Desperation.

The unwillingness to lose. The hatred of being looked down upon. The hatred of pity. The hatred of failure. The desire to prove himself. The desire to change everything. All of it erupted at once.

And then...

Ding!

Another system notification flashed before Liyu’s eyes.

[Berserker has been activated.]

[All Stats have been amplified by one hundred fold.]

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