Li Qiang went down the stairs accompanied by several Li clan members and reached the first floor.
When he shouted, he was already near the end of the flight of stairs. He saw at first a crowd gathered and a clamor, but only when Liu Sen was sent flying and his field of view was cleared did he recognize Ye Mo, preventing him from attaining the cultivation room.
"Hey, isn't it Li Qiang, what is he doing here?"
"Don't you know? After the competition he was so frustrated to not achieve a place in the top 10 that soon after he went to the pagoda and immediately got to the second floor, where he beat down some disciples and cultivated in a room."
"We clearly don't have the same priorities, I didn't even make it in the top 50 when I was a junior student..."
"Whoa, second floor already for his first time! Then what is he doing here on the first floor, is he done cultivating?"
"Seems like he's not letting the newbie leave scot-free hehehe."
"Look on, a good show is going to start!"
The students gathered and whispered, taking pleasure in Ye Mo's impending predicament.
Li Qiang walked towards the crowd while the students hurriedly separated in two groups, creating a passage for him to approach Ye Mo.
The Li clan members accompanying him left Li Qiang and merged with the crowd, which encircled Ye Mo at its center.
This one gave brief looks around him before he focused his gaze on the young master strolling forward until Li Qiang faced him a few steps away with a cold smile and malicious eyes.
"You thought you were free just because you abandoned? I told you didn't I, you offended me and my Li clan and you're not getting away till you receive your punishment, there is no escaping." He said to Ye Mo.
Li Qiang was prideful and his reasoning was straightforward. What kind of power was the Li clan? It was one of the four great clans of Azure Water City, ruling over the masses.
Could it be offended easily? Absolutely not!
There would be repercussions for anyone, particularly for a nobody like Ye Mo, who dared to ridicule Li Cheng and make the clan lose face publicly.
Of course, Li Qiang would go out of his way of his own free will and make an example out of him for those who would think lightly of his clan in the future.
"However, I don't have for habit to bully the young and weaklings, so if you break your legs and repent yourself on your knees, I will let this go. What do you think? It's not a bad offer considering the repercussions of fighting with me." Li Qiang uttered, as if it were natural.
"Obviously, this guy is afraid of me since he immediately gave up when we faced each other in the competition." Was what was on his mind at this instant.
This wasn't a surprising belief, as he had the reputation of a cold-hearted cultivator who was merciless to his opponents. Coupled with his great battle strength, many even in this hall were indeed afraid of him.
Ye Mo sneered and used his last ounces of qi to activate Wind Flow battle skill!
Swoosh.
He was a man of few words, leaving his actions to speak for him.
Li Qiang had already made up his mind to make him pay. Ye Mo knew it, but would he relent and prostrate himself in this kind of situation?
This proposition wasn't even worth considering so with nothing else to say, he took action first, seizing the flow of the battle!
Now surrounded by wind currents, he immediately charged!
Li Qiang smirked as he put his hand on the handle of his sword, "Then, fight it is."
He prepared himself to cut him down however, he was dazed when he realized Ye Mo wasn't charging at him but dashing... Towards the crowd?
Li Qiang looked in the direction he was running to, and suddenly his pupils contracted.
"STOP!" He shouted immediately as he drew his sword and used a movement battle skill, darting off with impressive speed.
He was much faster than Ye Mo and could cross the distance in less than a second, yet it was too late.
Ye Mo's destination was closer and when Li Qiang understood, he was already right beside it.
He arrived in front of a girl around fourteen years old.
She wasn't a beautiful fairy like instructor Lan Xue but she was well developed for her age, and with her long black hair extending to her waist, she was rather good-looking.
Her black eyes were clear like a lake as she looked at Ye Mo, incredulous.
Why did he come here rather than fight with Li Qiang?
Why did he stop in front of me?
What are his intentions?
Several questions that just flew through her head before she was firmly caught by the neck.
She was a 6th layer cultivator but in front of Ye Mo, she didn't have the time to react at all as she was lifted in the air while he turned back, welcoming Li Qiang's sword with her body.
The young master appeared at the same moment, his blade stopping just two inches from her face.
Her breath was cut short for an instant, and her body trembled while beads of cold sweat formed on her forehead.
"You, do you really want me to kill you!" Li Qiang said seething.
The girl Ye Mo caught was Li Xiurong, his cousin, who passed the first recruitment phase with him along with his little brother, Li Cheng.
"Try anything and I kill her." Ye Mo warned him with a cold face.
"You won't dare. This is against the rules, if you do, being thrown out of the institute would be the least of your worries." Li Qiang was assertive, taking a step forward.
If he killed her, not only would Ye Mo be thrown out of the institute, but all the people who wanted to see him dead would go after him.
Without the protection of the Tiger Martial Institute's experts, everything that could hold them back from taking action would vanish, and after incurring the wrath of the Li clan, they would be the first to attack.
"Think it through, do you really believe I wouldn't dare?" Ye Mo glared at Li Qiang.
Li Qiang stopped in his tracks as he thought deeply about everything he witnessed till now.
"In the recruitment competition, this guy was vicious and immoral, killing his first opponent during formal greetings and provoking the disgust of everyone present. He knew the Tie family would chase him after this but was impassive, as if what he did was natural. The spectators' insults didn't move him either, showing he has a stubborn and unbending will. He takes actions swiftly and doesn't regret his decisions."
But what made Li Qiang undoubtedly waver was an image during the mid-year examination.
"He gave up like a coward after being matched up against me. Sacrificing his own reputation in front of thousands of members just to avoid it. This is simply an act of self-destruction. This kid can't be assessed with common sense. Dishonorable and unprincipled, acting without any care in the world, treating others' views as thin air."
"Does he dare kill Xiurong? He definitely dares!"
Li Qiang glared murderously at Ye Mo.
If eyes could kill, he would be dead a thousand times.
Yet he didn't act.
Xiurong was his cousin, without talking about their blood relation, she was also an important member of the Li clan.
Li Qiang was the heir of the Li clan, bearing all kinds of pressure and expectations from his father and the higher-ups, he had to be perfect in every matter he handled.
How could he bear to disappoint, how could he let Xiurong die right in front of him? He was responsible towards her, and all the blame would befall him if anything happened in his presence. Moreover, this matter would be raised up during his succession and would become a taint in his heart for the rest of his life.
He also had a grand reputation in Azure Water City, and everyone knew him. Going to attack a junior and ending up having his cousin killed would be a great blow towards it. He wouldn't be regarded as the equal of the other young masters anymore, while the fall of his reputation would reflect on the Li clan's image as well, degrading its prestige.
In consequence, the other three clans would be prioritized in all kinds of deals and trade businesses, while the Li clan's affairs would grow less frequent. It would seem minor on the outside, but this small deficit in revenue will grow with time as the Li clan lags behind.
The other clans weren't slacking either, and that's all they needed for the four great clans to gradually turn into the three greats. This kind of change happened more than once in the history of the cloud region and would keep occurring as long as humans sought domination and superiority among each other.
After Li Cheng's disgrace during the recruitment competition, Li Qiang couldn't allow such a thing to happen.
Ye Mo retreated slowly towards the stone door.
At the same time, he quickly pulled Li Xiurong towards him and whispered softly in her ear, "Make any sudden movements and I'm breaking your neck."
As she heard him, Li Xiurong shivered, many thoughts surging in her mind.
Since Ye Mo got hold of her, she has been silently circulating her qi, preparing a surprise attack. If she succeeded, not only could she escape from his clutches, but she could also harm him, leaving Li Qiang all the time to deal with Ye Mo.
She was unwilling to be a damsel in distress, and most of all, she couldn't bear to be a weight for Li Qiang after he helped her several times since they took part in the recruitment together till now.
However, once Ye Mo uttered these words, her muscles tensed and she was unable to move. She was like a stone statue, immobile, in the hands of this demon.
"Did he sense me? I can't act, if I try anything, he's really going to kill me!"
To end her life, just a small pressure from Ye Mo's hand was enough; both Li Qiand and Li Xiurong knew it.
As he neared the stone door, multiple students blocked his path behind him.
"The pagoda is only for those who proved themselves, defeating everyone on their way to cultivate."
"If you want to go in, then fight."
"You really think you can use these underhanded means to get inside? You're too arrogant!"
"Don't try to get away from this, if you can't take up the challenge, then leave. This pagoda isn't for weaklings."
Towards these people, Ye Mo had no consideration.
He laughed coldly as he tightened his grasp on Li Xiurong's neck.
Li Xiurong immediately started suffocating as her legs flailed around in the air. A soft pair of hands subconsciously grasped at Ye Mo's hand, trying to pry his hand away.
Her round eyes were wide-opened in panic.
"You pack of dumbasses, get out of his way this instant!" Li Qiang shouted furiously.
He was already hardly controlling himself, he felt that one more offense and he would start filling the hall with flying limbs.
The students blocking Ye Mo's path could sense Li Qiang's murderous mood and were terrorized, quickly moving out of the way.
Ye Mo kept his gaze on Li Qiang as he retreated with his cousin in hand until, finally, he reached the stone door.