Invincible Beyond Heavens: Cultivating With A Broken EXP System

“Brother Xin, do not force my hand.”

A graceful figure suddenly appeared.

Qin Ling arrived in front of Li Yun in a flash. Her movement was elegant and swift, almost like a breeze crossing flowers. She raised her hand, and the Hundred Flowers Seal bloomed outward. Countless streams of floral qi spread through the air before scattering Xin Lu’s Asura Ghost Palm into nothingness.

Xin Lu’s expression darkened immediately, and deep regret rose in his heart.

He had never expected Li Yun to withstand the first palm strike. Had he known, he would have used his secret technique from the very beginning along with his palm attack rather than wasting that opportunity.

“You are very lucky.” Xin Lu said with a cold sneer. “But remember this. A woman will not always stand in front of you. The next time I strike, it will be the day you die. Treasure what little life you have left.”

After speaking, he turned away, helped the heavily injured Hu Ming to his feet, and returned with him to the pavilion of Boundless Martial Palace.

“Hahaha!” Li Yun laughed loudly, his voice echoing across the summit. “You trash from Boundless Martial Palace are truly worthy of being called trash. With the strength of the third level of the Essence Qi Realm, you still could not kill someone at the fourth level of the Qi Sea Realm.”

He looked toward their pavilion with open contempt and continued to sneer.

“As for the rules, you should be thankful that this is the Tea Ceremony and killing is forbidden here. Otherwise, your situation might have ended even worse than that trash Xin Lu.”

The moment those words fell, the atmosphere of the entire summit changed.

Inside the pavilion of Boundless Martial Palace, Xin Lu’s expression twisted. A terrifying killing intent burst from his eyes like drawn blades.

“Li Yun, you are courting death!” he roared.

It was not only Xin Lu who was enraged. Every disciple within the pavilion was furious. Li Yun had not insulted a single person. He had openly humiliated the entire Boundless Martial Palace in front of everyone present.

This was one of the Four Great Sects of the Southern Martial Domain, a force whose name alone was enough to make many tremble.

Yet Li Yun had mocked them without the slightest restraint. The sheer audacity of it stunned the crowd and drove many into anger.

“This Li Yun is far too arrogant.”

“If Qin Ling had not stopped Xin Lu just now, he would have already died beneath Xin Lu’s palm. Yet he still dares speak such shameless words.”

“Qin Ling should never have interfered. She should have allowed Xin Lu to kill him on the spot.”

“This man is utterly shameless. He knows Xin Lu cannot act again because of the rules, so he uses that protection to boast recklessly.”

“If I were Xin Lu, I would never let him leave alive.”

“I have lived in Sword Saint County for many years, and I have never seen someone so hateful and thick-skinned. Today I have truly broadened my horizons.”

Voices of ridicule spread in every direction. Nearly everyone present mocked Li Yun for overestimating himself and condemned his insulting words toward Boundless Martial Palace.

In their eyes, Li Yun was only acting so fearlessly because Qin Ling was present and because the rules of the Tea Ceremony protected him.

As they ridiculed him, their anger only deepened.

As for whether Li Yun might truly possess strength beyond Xin Lu, not a single person seriously considered it.

Because in their minds, such a thing was absolutely impossible.

“This Li Yun is far too reckless. Junior Brother Li, Junior Sister Xue, he is not someone you should keep close company with. Sooner or later, a person like this will bring great disaster upon those around him.” Huo Ming said with a frown as he looked toward Han Li and Han Xue.

Han Xue hesitated for a moment before replying, “Senior Brother Huo, perhaps Li Yun is not speaking carelessly. His strength may truly be much greater than it appears.”

Huo Ming let out a scoff. “No matter how strong he is, he cannot possibly match Xin Lu, who stands at one hundred and first on the Hidden Dragon Ranking. If Li Yun had already entered the Essence Qi Realm, then perhaps he might have had a chance. But he has not. I have personally seen Xin Lu display his true strength, and it is terrifying.”

Han Li’s brows drew together as he said firmly, “Nothing in this world is absolute. I believe Li Yun.”

Whether Li Yun had spoken out of confidence or arrogance did not matter to him. Li Yun had once saved both his life and his sister’s life. Because of that alone, Han Li could never follow Huo Ming’s advice and distance himself from Li Yun. That was not the kind of person he was.

Huo Ming sighed deeply and shook his head. “You two will suffer a great loss one day because of this.”

After saying that, he gave up trying to persuade them further.

Inside the main pavilion, Shuan Chu could not help but laugh softly. “It seems I overestimated him. How could someone like this ever achieve anything truly great? He is nothing more than a clown. Qin Ling, you should not have stopped Xin Lu.”

Standing upon the martial stage, Qin Ling herself felt a trace of regret.

She admitted that Li Yun’s potential was extraordinary. His talent, perception, and battle ability were all impressive. Yet potential was only potential. Until it was transformed into real power, it remained something uncertain. In such a stage of growth, keeping a low profile was often the wisest path.

Instead, Li Yun had chosen to provoke enemies openly and speak without restraint. Such behavior would only offend others while gaining little sympathy from anyone present.

She was certain of one thing. If she were to step aside now, Xin Lu would immediately seize the chance to kill Li Yun.

Although Li Yun’s recent words had caused her to dislike him somewhat, she could not go back on her principles. The Tea Ceremony had forbidden killing since the day this gathering was first established. It was an iron rule, and no one was permitted to violate it.

Even if she had to endure her displeasure, she could not allow Xin Lu to break that law in front of her.

“I only hope another Li Yun does not appear at this Tea Ceremony.” Qin Ling thought to herself with silent helplessness.

She then turned toward Li Yun and waved her hand lightly.

“Li Yun, return to your pavilion first. With me here, no harm will come to you.”

Li Yun was just about to respond when another voice interrupted.

“Miss Qin, Xin Lu may be on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, but I am not. I have come only to challenge Li Yun. Surely there is no problem with that?”

A figure swept down onto the martial stage and landed cleanly upon the stone floor. He pointed directly at Li Yun as he spoke to Qin Ling.

Qin Ling glanced at the newcomer, then nodded calmly.

“No problem.”