He truly was at the late sixth layer of Qi Refinement.
Seeing how Proficiently his opponent wielded his techniques, Lu Li immediately raised his guard. Just as the first boulder came within three Chi, he activated Gale Steps. The barrage of rocks whistled past him.
"What fast speed!"
The spectators below the platform cried out in amazement.
Zhang Dawu was also stunned for a moment, then sneered, "You can't dodge this!" With his words, a vine as thick as a fist had already wrapped toward Lu Li.
"Hmph!"
Lu Li snorted coldly. With a raise of his hand, three fireballs the size of washbasins crashed toward the vine.
Boom!
First came an explosive sound, followed by a series of sizzling burning noises.
The flames held the vine at bay for two or three breaths. Then the charred, shrunken vine burst through and stabbed toward Lu Li's chest.
In this exchange, Lu Li appeared to be half a step behind.
However, the vine at this point could no longer pose much threat to Lu Li. With a swing of his fist, he smashed the charging vine to the side.
Amidst the crowd's exclamations, Lu Li tapped his foot, and in the next instant, he stood before Zhang Dawu.
A fist filled Zhang Dawu's vision, its force seeming to warp the air around it. His pupils contracted. He hastily launched a gray stone to intercept the blow while retreating at full speed.
Bang!
Lu Li's fist smashed onto the gray stone, which directly exploded into pieces.
Sss, what strong flesh body!
Seeing this, everyone couldn't help but gasp in shock.
Lu Li had no intention of stopping. The moment he shattered the stone, he pursued Zhang Dawu relentlessly, clinging to him like a shadow.
Alarm surged through Zhang Dawu. Before he could regain his footing, he had already been forced to the edge of the platform.
Seeing he was about to fall off the stage, he suddenly performed a somersault in mid-air, flipping over Lu Li's head. At the same time, another series of gray stones smashed toward Lu Li's back.
His control of techniques and his reactions in battle were both impeccable.
Feeling the whooshing wind at his back, Lu Li couldn't help but change expression. Wanting to dodge at this point was probably too late. He suddenly turned around, fist swinging: "Shake the Mountain!"
Bang bang bang...
Explosions rang out in rapid succession. The gray stones formed from True Qi burst into powder, filling the platform with dust.
Before Lu Li could recover his senses, a green vine from within the dust charged toward him once again.
"Enough!"
Suddenly, a deep voice sounded below the stage. Accompanied by a burst of golden light shooting from below the stage, the green vine was instantly shredded into pieces.
Yue Qinglong had intervened.
"Three moves have passed, he wins!" Yue Qinglong glanced at Zhang Dawu's gloomy face and said lightly.
A trace of malice flickered in Zhang Dawu's eyes. He quickly hid it, turned to Lu Li with a smile, and said, "Impressive skills, little brother."
"Hehe, thanks to the Hall Master for holding back." Lu Li said with a false smile, directly stepping down from the stage.
Only then did the crowd recover from its shock. This young man had truly endured three moves from the Hall Master!
The exchange also gave Lu Li a clearer measure of his strength. Although he had only just reached the fifth layer, his physical power allowed him to contend with a late sixth-layer cultivator.
If he caught such an opponent off guard with his trump card, the Blood Soul Banner, killing them might not be impossible.
Still, Lu Li had to admit that his fireball technique alone was not enough against a sixth-layer cultivator. He needed to learn stronger techniques when the opportunity arose.
"Good kid, you really opened my eyes." Yue Qinglong walked to Lu Li's side, full of appreciation.
He believed Lu Li would have survived Zhang Dawu's final move even without his intervention. He had stepped in only to preserve Zhang Dawu's dignity. A talent like Lu Li was rare not only in Youlong Stronghold, but even in a Sect like the Qingyang Sect.
"You flatter me, Great Chief. It was just the Hall Master showing mercy." Lu Li said with a half-smile, glancing at Zhang Dawu.
Zhang Dawu was also an old fox. On the surface, he praised Lu Li endlessly, but in his heart, he was chilled to the bone.
After a round of pleasantries, Yue Qinglong led everyone into the council hall. Following a brief discussion, they confirmed Lu Li as Deputy Hall Master and assigned him Green Mountain Courtyard on the right side of the square. To avoid trouble, Lu Li continued using the name Qin Shouren.
Led by a disciple, Lu Li arrived at Green Mountain Courtyard.
The courtyard wasn't small, divided into front yard and back yard.
The disciple guiding him was named Yu Kang. He was about Lu Li's age but only at the second layer of Qi Refinement, and he appeared rather nervous in Lu Li's presence.
Lu Li stopped and looked around the front yard, then came to the back yard.
The rear courtyard spanned roughly a hundred Zhang in each direction. Pavilions, small towers, flowers, and trees filled the grounds. Lu Li stood inside one pavilion, in no mood to admire the scenery, and turned to Yu Kang.
"Brother Yu, are all the courtyard layouts here the same?"
"You honor me too much, sir. The term 'brother' absolutely cannot be used." Yu Kang quickly bowed in response: "From what I understand, the courtyard layouts on the east side of the square are all similar."
"Oh." Lu Li nodded, then asked again: "Do you know where the Hall Master lives?"
Yu Kang said: "The Hall Master? He lives in Dawu Courtyard, just one courtyard behind this Green Mountain Courtyard. Sir, do you wish to visit the Hall Master?"
Lu Li nodded: "Of course. Newly arrived, I should always pay a visit."
After asking Yu Kang some more questions and roughly understanding the current state of Youlong Stronghold, Lu Li let Yu Kang leave.
Youlong Stronghold had only three senior figures: Great Chief Yue Qinglong, Second Chief Shao Yunfeng, and Hall Master Zhang Dawu. Lu Li now had a rough understanding of Zhang Dawu's strength.
Facing him alone wouldn't be a problem, but bringing along a burden would make things more difficult.
Yue Qinglong and Shao Yunfeng were both said to be at least at the eighth layer. If either intervened, Lu Li's mission would certainly fail. He needed to lure both chiefs away.
But... what method could make both chiefs leave simultaneously?
Lu Li racked his brains but couldn't think of a good method.
Evening.
Lu Li sat cross-legged on the bed, preparing to enter the Time Hall to cultivate, when inspiration suddenly struck. The Lightning Fire Orchids in the herb garden came to mind, and a plan took shape.
As one of the six major villages, Youlong Stronghold surely had jurisdiction over areas on the main mountain range.
That very night, he headed into the mountains.
By the next morning, Lu Li reached the main mountain range. Cloaked and concealed by the God-Concealing Jade, he quickly harvested every Lightning Fire Orchid within Youlong Stronghold's territory.
Once he finished, he deliberately released his aura and allowed the patrolling disciples to discover him before fleeing west along the mountain range.
Several patrol disciples pursued relentlessly, but due to the large gap, they were eventually shaken off by Lu Li.
When the patrol captain discovered that every Lightning Fire Orchid had been stolen, he panicked and rushed down the mountain.
Arriving at the great hall, he knelt with a thud before Yue Qinglong: "Gr-Great Chief... not good, our spiritual medicine... has been completely stolen!"