Legacy of Hatred-Chapter 61: Reputation

Understanding the ploy’s nature switched the gears in Liam’s brain while also teaching him another vital lesson.

Liam had decided to be wary of how people treated him since most, if not all, of that behavior was toward his talent. It wouldn’t be genuine in the slightest and would always have personal interests at its core.

However, Liam had only witnessed the good half of that issue. He had only seen people supporting him and making deals to ensure his safety.

Instead, Liam had now gotten a taste of the bad half. People could earn the Elders’ and Sect’s favor by facilitating Liam’s cultivation journey, but the same could be achieved by proving themselves superior to him.

And, in a way, Liam realized the benefits of letting that happen and lying low. It might keep him away from the power struggles he found hard to understand and would prevent his list of enemies from increasing, or at least limit that trend.

Nevertheless, Lucy’s words rang true, and Liam also had animals to compare them to. Wolves often didn’t go after bears because the latter weren’t worth the risk. Similarly, being classified as weak prey would forever turn Liam into the target of hunts or bullying.

Even if acting strong would increase Liam’s list of enemies and attract more envy toward his talent, few would dare to act on it if the danger was too great. That was how he could use the Sect instead of being used by it.

It was the same ploy Liam had established on Krosstoen’s mountain. Yet, instead of pretending that the place was haunted to defend it, he now had to project strength with his own hands to protect himself.

As for the last statement, it was simply the truth. Liam didn’t know any other way of fighting than to go for the kill when it came to such a strong opponent.

The Disciplinary Elder went through a completely different train of thought.

Initially, the Elder believed that Liam had spoken out of innocent cluelessness. After all, that trait had become beyond evident ever since their first encounter.

Nevertheless, there was no innocence in that cold face. The Disciplinary Elder recognized those eyes and struggled to believe that someone like Liam could possess them.

That was the gaze of a murderer, of someone who had long since lost sight of the sanctity of life.

"Junior Brother, that’s too arrogant even for you," Randall scoffed, mocking vibes tainting his smile. "With my Ghost Step and Jade Skin, you have no chance of beating me, let alone putting my life at risk."

Randall’s words made perfect sense, but the Disciplinary Elder kept looking at the cold black eyes fixed on him. Liam had meant every word, and the Elder knew that he wasn’t a liar.

Liam probably couldn’t lie even if he wanted to. He also wasn’t clueless about battles. His surprising fighting skills actually were what had earned him the chance to join the Sect.

Now, the Elder had intervened to de-escalate the situation. He had done that to help Liam and prevent some of the Sect’s best talents from getting hurt.

However, the Sect often turned a blind eye to those matters. It actually wanted that competition to happen so that only the strong could rise. That wasn’t the case between the currently involved disciples, but the Elder could think of a reason to let that fight continue.

The Disciplinary Elder was curious to see what Liam, a miraculous genius with nine spiritual roots, was actually capable of.

"I will intervene if anyone risks getting hurt," The Disciplinary Elder promised. "I’ll take responsibility if anything were to happen."

"Thank you, Disciplinary Elder," Liam exclaimed, performing a polite bow before donning his battle stance and pointing it at Randall.

Randall was the most surprised of them all at that development, but the Elder stepped back before he could say anything. Yet, the crowd was still there, and the Elder’s presence made everything more official, so a victory would earn him even greater rewards.

"Since Junior Brother is so eager," Randall sighed, feigning unwillingness. "However, I will not hold back anymore, so I hope Junior Brother won’t resent me if he ends up getting hurt."

Liam barely heard those fake words. Hiss aside, that had now officially become a hunt in his mind, with Randall being a prey with specific characteristics he had to watch out for.

Still, understanding those characteristics also told Liam their weaknesses, which he now had every tool to exploit.

"It’s your turn to attack," Liam declared.

"Is Junior Brother planning to tire me out?" Randall wondered, his mocking tone more evident. "Using two martial arts might be tiresome, especially Jade Skin, but my foundation is indeed complete. I won’t run out of Qi so easily."

Liam didn’t reply, standing still in his battle stance, his seriousness looking like complete disregard for Randall’s superiority. That irked Randall, prompting him to want to deliver an even heavier blow to Liam’s reputation.

"Since that’s Junior Brother’s plan," Randall announced, "I’ll let you attack again."

Liam didn’t need to hear those words twice. He immediately shot forward, instantly reaching Randall.

As predicted, Randall’s figure disappeared. Liam’s stretched palm pierced mere air, but that hand had never been part of his attack now.

Liam suddenly planted his feet to the ground, spinning his waist to thrust his retracted right arm down, a tide of Qi accompanying his actions.

The tide of Qi rushed to Liam’s right palm and exploded when it touched the ground, generating a roar that cut through the tense silence. His hand pierced that solid surface, digging through it and shattering it, sending violent tremors everywhere.

Cracks expanded through the rocky ground until proper tiles rose, destabilizing Randall’s foothold, forcing him to interrupt his Ghost Step and bend his knees to restore his balance.

Yet, while the ground under Randall’s feet trembled and rose, something filled his view. Two stretched fingers had appeared before his right eye, seemingly only a fraction of a second away from piercing it.

Randall’s Jade Skin was already active, ready for any counterattack Liam might have tried to concoct. However, his eyelids were open, and those threatening fingers promised to pierce him before he could close them.

Nevertheless, the Heavens seemed to favor Randall that day. Somehow, he successfully closed his eyes in time and braced for impact, but nothing arrived. Nothing landed on him, so he hesitantly parted his eyelids, needing to see what was happening.

And, it turned out that the Heavens had nothing to do with that outcome. Instead, Randall still saw the fingers pointed at his right eye, as well as the firm hand on Liam’s wrist, preventing them from piercing it.