Infinite Awakening: My Exp Doubles Everyday novel Chapter 119

119 /318

Chapter 119: Resources

A profound silence fell over the gathering as Li Yao’s announcement echoed across the courtyard. The position of Grand Elder carried deeper significance than even the Sect Master role itself.

While a Sect Master’s authority stemmed primarily from raw strength, the Grand Elder represented wisdom and guidance. Since they couldn’t let just any strong person lead the sect, there needed to be a Grand Elder to guide the sect leader. As the ancient saying went, an elder in a family was worth a thousand gold.

Even the elders themselves appeared visibly shaken by Li Yao’s declaration, though none dared voice their objections after witnessing her devastating display of power. They rationalized the decision by reminding themselves that Xiang Yu was her senior brother, making him a plausible candidate for the position... in perhaps a few centuries. Perhaps the young Sect Master was simply planning extraordinarily far ahead.

Tension rippled through the crowd as Li Yao casually formed a crackling ball of lightning between her slender fingers. The disciples shifted nervously, wondering if she was angered by their reluctance to acknowledge her senior brother’s appointment.

In an unexpected turn, she suddenly directed the lightning bolt straight toward Xiang Yu.

Gasps erupted from the onlookers. Even Xiang Yu himself appeared momentarily startled, but his reaction was nothing short of remarkable. In one fluid motion, he drew his sword and executed a precise slash that cleanly dissipated the energy, the lightning fragmenting into harmless sparks that scattered around him.

Murmurs of astonishment spread through the assembly. Wasn’t this supposed to be the useless senior disciple of Mountain Heart Pavilion? How could he move with such speed and precision? Many could barely follow his movements with their eyes. Had he been concealing his true abilities all this time?

"As you have seen," Li Yao’s clear voice cut through the whispers, "the senior disciple of the Mountain Heart Pavilion is not trash at all."

She had orchestrated this demonstration specifically to prove that Xiang Yu could indeed cultivate. She felt that this was necessary as convincing the sect would be nearly impossible otherwise, after all, in a world dominated by cultivation, it was harder to be taken seriously if you couldn’t cultivate.

She knew her senior brother might not willingly agree to display his cultivation prowess in public, which had forced her to use this method. Though she apologized inwardly for the surprise attack, his response had exceeded her expectations. Despite using power equivalent to the peak of Foundation Establishment, she had anticipated he would merely dodge the strike—not effortlessly neutralize it. A small, proud smile curved her lips; her senior brother had been hiding his abilities more thoroughly than she’d imagined. _{f\ree webn ovel(.)com}

"Did you know?" Li Yao inquired silently.

[Of course I did,] the Empress replied confidently, though internally, she too was taken aback. She had suspected Xiang Yu was hiding his strength, but she hadn’t expected him to be hiding this deeply. Something about him struck her as peculiar—he didn’t carry the aura of someone naturally blessed with great fortune.

Initially, she had considered the possibility of soul possession, but after scanning his soul multiple times, she had detected no signs of such interference. What, then, explained his extraordinary abilities?

"Awakening memories from a previous life, perhaps?" she pondered. "That seems plausible."

Yet recalling her earlier encounter, another possibility emerged: "Or is someone targeting Li Yao?" As a person of tremendous potential and fortune, Li Yao would naturally attract the attention of powerful beings, some of whom might place agents in her proximity. The Empress sighed inwardly. "Maybe I’m overthinking it."

Regardless of Xiang Yu’s true nature, the Empress silently vowed to use all her power to protect Li Yao. For now, she would simply observe and wait.

...

The crowd stood transfixed, eyes wide and mouths agape at the display of skill they had just witnessed. Before the murmurs could grow too loud, Li Yao continued her address, gesturing toward Xiang Yu with unmistakable pride in her voice.

"The truth is, Xiang Yu is an extraordinary genius in secondary professions," she proclaimed, eliciting gasps of surprise from the assembled disciples. "He had deliberately kept his talents hidden until now since he didn’t like the attention." Her tone softened as she explained his reasoning. "But with the sect in danger, he has chosen to reveal his true abilities, creating treasures that will restore our strength and protect our future."