I am a high-level martial arts master.

"What did you say?!"

Inside the council hall, Li San Niang stared in astonishment at Ye Li, who had barged in, her bright red lips agape.

The other elders also turned to look, their eyes filled with astonishment and confusion.

Is this kid blinded by his sudden newfound status?

During the meeting, the room fell silent once again as Ye Li spoke.

In Guangming, the Canglong and Dulang gangs have maintained a balance of power for a century.

With the tacit approval of the authorities, the two sides have maintained a relative balance of power, and their animosity has gradually grown through constant friction, forming a relationship similar to the century-old friendship between Britain and France.

In this strange balance, the Azure Dragon occupies the east and south of the city, while the Poison Wolf holds sway over the west and north.

If one side possessed the overwhelming strength to completely wipe out the other, they wouldn't have waited until now; they would have already annihilated the other side.

Therefore, Ye Li's words were regarded by everyone as the wild and reckless talk of a young man.

"It seems our young leader is unaware of how troublesome the Poison Wolf Gang is."

Elder Shen Zhou, with his long white beard and hair, said calmly, "The current conflict between the two factions will only result in mutual destruction."

"That's right. Please reconsider, Young Master, and be patient with him for a few years."

"It's only been a few years since things calmed down. If we start fighting again, not only will we be unable to cope, but we'll also have a hard time explaining it to the city lord."

"If the city lord favors the Poison Wolf Gang, it could disrupt the balance and put our gang at a disadvantage."

……

Ye Li ignored the clamor of the elders present and turned a deaf ear to their objections, quietly turning his gaze to Zheng Tongdao:

"Master, what do you think?"

Zheng Tong remained silent, his expression somber.

His knuckles tapped intermittently on the hard stone table, the dull sound echoing in the silent hall.

The Azure Dragon Gang was his life's work, but also his shackles.

The responsibility of the entire Azure Dragon Gang, numbering over ten thousand, rests on his shoulders. Even with his half-step innate power, he cannot act arbitrarily.

If he were alone, free to come and go, he could kill his way to the point of striking fear into the hearts of everyone in the Poison Wolf Gang.

However, without the support of powerful forces, he would not have been able to reach his current strength, and therefore he cannot easily shirk his responsibilities.

After standing there in silence for a long time, he slowly said, "Give me a reason to charge in!"

"Because that Poison Wolf Gang really didn't give me any face!"

Ye Li strode forward, slamming his palm on the stone table of the conference room with a dull thud, and gave his reason:

"How dare they pull such a dirty trick before my apprenticeship ceremony!"

"They've already provoked us to our faces, we can't keep putting up with this!"

"Watch me punch two cakes and punch two transparent holes in Lu Xiuyuan's body."

Speechless...

The elders present remained silent in response to Ye Li's reason.

I had vaguely heard about Ye Li's spoiled behavior of forcibly breaking into the library before, and now I have witnessed it with my own eyes.

"Young Master, just because of your youthful impetuosity, you expect us, the newly appointed elders, to go and infiltrate the Poison Wolf Gang for you? Even if we bring you prestige, we probably won't live to enjoy it?"

"Of course it's not just you guys!" Ye Li sneered. "Because I'm going too!"

"You!" Li San Niang's lips twitched. "You? A mere early-stage Body Tempering cultivator?"

"To correct you, I have now broken through to the mid-stage of Body Tempering."

"So what?" Yang Shichang said speechlessly.

"Brother Ye, this is not a place for nonsense. Please don't disturb our discussion."

Ye Li smiled faintly and said, "Because your operation to attack the Poison Wolf Gang this time requires someone like me, who is in the mid-stage of Body Tempering, to step in."

After a stick of incense had burned, Ye Li revealed his entire plan, and the room fell into silence.

However, compared to the elders' fierce opposition before, the voices of opposition now were much milder:

"Isn't that unnecessary? Going to such lengths just to save face."

"If something goes wrong, it won't bother us, but Young Master, you..."

"I still think it's inappropriate; there are still risks."

"It's not that we don't believe in you, young master, do you really have the ability?"

……

Ye Li ignored the noisy voices and looked at Zheng Tong instead:

"What do you think, Master?"

Zheng Tong's eyes revealed admiration; looking at Ye Li at this moment was as if he were gazing at his younger self.

He simply felt that this child resembled him!

Back then, I was just as fearless.

At this moment, Ye Li was a shining piece of uncut jade in Zheng Tong's eyes.

His talent, personality, appearance, identity, and vocabulary all shine brightly; all he lacks is a little time to polish him.

This kid really makes me happy!

But the more this was the case, the more he felt a reluctance to let Ye Li take risks, fearing that the boy would die young.

After thinking for a long time, Zheng Tong asked, "Aren't you afraid of death?"

"Of course I'm afraid!"

Ye Li said honestly, then laughed heartily:

"So Master, hurry up and agree before I regret it, otherwise I'm afraid my cowardice will overwhelm my courage, and I won't look cool enough!"

Zheng Tong was taken aback: "Handsome?"

Ye Li nodded solemnly and said, "Of course, don't you think it's incredibly cool for us to storm their door like this?"

His words shocked the entire audience, making all the elders at the Acquired Realm realize that they had truly grown old.

They are old enough that there is a significant generation gap between them and young people, making it impossible for them to understand the wild thoughts and ideas of today's youth.

"Just because he's handsome, he's willing to risk his life for his pride?"

"What good is being handsome!"

What kind of genius thinking is this?

At this moment, after Ye Li stated all his demands, all eyes were on the gang leader, awaiting his reply.

What was Zheng Tong's response to this?

A surge of passion, dormant for many years, rekindled within his weathered chest.

He slowly stood up, unleashing the aura of someone accustomed to high positions and decisive in action, instantly overwhelming all the noise in the hall.

His gaze, sharp as a torch, swept across the faces of each elder, finally settling on Ye Li, and he said, word by word:

"Then I, your master, will accompany you to the apprenticeship banquet in half a month!"

……

The next day, Guangming City seemed to be torn in two by light and shadow.

In the western part of the city, within the territory of the Poison Wolf Gang, gongs and drums resounded, colorful flags fluttered, and bright red silk ribbons hung throughout the streets and alleys.

Meanwhile, in the east of the city, the Azure Dragon Gang's setup was also set up as scheduled.

Although the decorations were equally elaborate and the support staff tried their best to maintain a facade of liveliness, the entire atmosphere was shrouded in a stifling silence.

The gang members moved among them, trying their best to stand up straight, but their brows betrayed their resentment and frustration.

They frequently glanced westward, their eyes filled with intense indignation.

The Poison Wolf Gang's provocation made the members feel humiliated and they wanted nothing more than to fight them to the death.

But now the gang acts as if they don't see it, cowering in their shells, which is really frustrating.

In this eerie atmosphere, after a moment of intense excitement, Ye Li calmed down and continued his cultivation.

It's still early before the apprenticeship banquet in half a month, so why not cultivate?

In the face of important events, one must remain calm and composed. The more important the event, the more careful the preparations must be!

Life is not only about the heroes appearing in the script, but also about the sanitation workers who clean up the battlefields, the things that aren't shown in the works.

Three minutes on stage requires ten years of practice off stage.

In order to ensure that nothing goes wrong at the apprenticeship banquet in two weeks, we cannot slack off during these two weeks.