I will eventually become a divine being through accumulating constantly

"Me, the Arena Master?" Xue Jing was somewhat puzzled.

"Wouldn't that be a bit like bullying?"

At his current level, even if he solely relied on his martial arts prowess without using any special powers, he was on par with his senior brother, Meng Boshang. In terms of combat strength, he had already reached the 'Mortal Limit.'

In Qingcheng, this small city of the Outer Ring, this already placed him at the top echelon of martial forces. Not even characters like those from the large dojos, those Sea-Calming Divine Needle types, could compare to him.

Using him as the Arena Master for Hidden Dragon Dojo's competition... Generally speaking, it somewhat felt like using a cleaver to kill a chicken.

Li Qi waved his hand dismissively, "Where's the bullying in that? You are the youngest with the least training time among my Direct Disciples at Hidden Dragon School. It's only fitting and logical for you to take up the role."

Xue Jing stroked his chin, "Seems like there's some sense to that."

Li Qi smiled and continued:

"Our Hidden Dragon School has held an arena competition more than a decade ago and has long been recognized by all the dojos of Qingcheng. This time we're merely using the opportunity to liven things up, no need to take it too seriously."

The little old man delightfully stroked the increasingly lush tufts of hair on his head, "This time I've sent out many invitations, calling over a bunch of old friends... They must be made to know just how awesome my disciple is."

"A proper martial artist does not skulk around in brocade at night. One must strut one's stuff and outshine all to be considered a true man."

Xue Jing nodded, "Since that's what Master says, then I will take up the role of Arena Master and earn some face for you."

Although he had little interest in beating up kids, if doing so would make Li Qi happy, he didn't mind it.

"Good boy." Li Qi patted Xue Jing's sturdy arm with approval.

"By the way, Master." Xue Jing suddenly spoke up.

"When I was in Yuan City recently, I met Senior Wu Xuanzhu, and he mentioned you."

Li Qi paused momentarily at the mention of the name, a flicker of reminiscence passing over his face.

The Eternal Warlord, the Gun Saint Wu Xuanzhu.

"I see... Seems like Old Man Wu had quite a bit to tell you."

Li Qi said with a chuckle.

Xue Jing nodded, "He said that he was an old acquaintance of yours and told me about the things that happened between you and Wan Yulai back in the day."

Upon hearing the name of his old adversary, Li Qi's expression didn't waver, "No wonder during your post-competition interview, you declared your first title goal as 'True Dragon'. Are you thinking of avenging your master?"

Without waiting for Xue Jing to respond, Li Qi continued:

"Little Jing, I know you're filial... but dealing with Wan Yulai at the moment is premature for you. Put that aside and don't dwell on it for now."

Xue Jing chuckled, "Where did you get that idea, Master? Of course, I'm not so foolish. The things I said in the interview were just casual remarks, not to be taken literally." Enjoy more content from My Virtual Library Empire

Li Qi hummed, his gaze reflecting complex thoughts.

"Master, I'm quite curious, how did you come to know Senior Wu Xuanzhu?" Xue Jing inquired with interest.

Li Qi smiled, "Saying I knew him is an overstatement; it was merely a brief encounter. Although that old man is not exactly venerable, his status in the Martial Arts World is something I could never hope to match... Since you're interested, I'll just give you a brief account."

He paused, reminiscing:

"It must've been over thirty years ago, back when I was a young lad of twenty-five or twenty-six."

Li Qi stroked his forehead, a wistful look on his face:

"Back then, I was young, talented, and quite handsome, not too different from you, I'd say, maybe a 50/50 split. That's why there were quite a few girls swooning over me."

"With so many women around, it was inevitable for jealously and quarrels to occurs frequently. To protect these lovely ladies, I had my fair share of duels with other guys..."

Xue Jing, puzzled, "Master, if it's the girls hovering around you, shouldn't they be the ones fighting over you out of jealousy and competing for your affection instead of having you duel other men?"

Li Qi glared at him, "When your elder is speaking, why is a child butting in? Do you still want to hear the story or not!"

Xue Jing obediently let out an 'oh' and kept silent.

"...So there was this one time, Chen Buyan and I were by the roadside, drinking and rating the pretty legs of girls passing by, when this little Daoist lass suddenly approached me, asking straight out if I was willing to marry her," Li Qi recounted with a nod and shake of his head.

"Back then, I was famed throughout Jade City for being the most heartfelt of rakes, known as the Unattached Li Qi. With countless flowers passing through unscathed, I had no intention of being tied down to a little girl for the rest of my life. Naturally, I refused her on the spot."

"But the girl claimed that if I didn't marry her, she would have to go back to the mountains and become a Daoist nun for life, never to set foot in the world again."

"While I had no desire to marry the girl, I did have some affection for her, so I asked her to elaborate on her situation and see if there was any other solution."

"She explained that she had snuck away from the mountain while her master was out on business, and now that her master couldn't find her, he had come to take her back."

"The only way to avoid that was if she married me right then and there, breaking her precepts, compelling her master to allow her to secularize. There was no other way."

As he spoke, Li Qi wheeled his chair over to the window and gazed out.

"Back then, being young and brash, I had little patience for such strictures and rules, so I stormed off to confront her master... That's when I ran into Old Man Wu, who was just chatting over tea with her master, though at that time I didn't know who he was."

"...After a mix of arguments and stubborn persistence, her master, growing impatient, made a condition: if I could take one palm strike from him and survive, he'd agree to anything."

"Confident and ignorant of the ways of the world, I readily accepted the challenge. Even though the girl cried and pleaded with her master to spare my life, looking as if I was as good as dead, in the end, I endured the palm strike."