My Monster-Derived Skills Are the True Power
Chapter 10: Rules and Taboos

Bang!

The football slammed into Shi Xiang’s head, bouncing away heavily.

Shi Xiang’s face was a mess, his mind buzzing as the blow left him stunned.

As a disciple of a Grandmaster, he had never imagined that he would stumble so humiliatingly under such bizarre tactics. This was clearly a ragtag group of amateurs. He hadn’t even used his trump cards, and his internal energy was far from depleted. This was absurd…

“Leader!”

Shi Xiang’s two companions exclaimed, rushing to his side. One stood guard with a blade, while the other knelt to check his injuries. “Leader, are you all right?”

The bouncing head rolled to Yu Fei’s feet.

Yu Fei, a fan of martial arts and supernatural stories, idolized Li Ye. Unlike the others, who were reluctant to engage in football mid-fight, Yu Fei trusted Li Ye completely and was his most loyal follower.

Fans loved to mimic their idols.

Although Shi Xiang was seriously injured and this would have been the perfect time to finish him off, Yu Fei instead mimicked Li Ye. He took a powerful kick, sending the head hurtling toward Shi Xiang’s two companions.

The moment Yu Fei kicked the ball, he felt a sudden surge in both his physical constitution and internal energy. Ecstatic, he shouted, “Brothers, kicking the ball increases spiritual energy! Pass it around!”

The defender who had previously passed the ball to Li Ye had already discovered its mysterious effects. He had been trying to quietly kick it a few more times to gain an advantage. But now that the secret was out, all hell broke loose.

The revelation sparked a commotion.

The fighters all turned their attention to the head, their eyes gleaming with greed. After experiencing the spiritual energy boost, they were less interested in the Dragon Emperor Technique.

Liu Guangsheng and the others immediately understood Li Ye’s intentions, feeling both enlightened and a little regretful. Of course, Li Ye had deeper reasons for involving the ball in their ambush. Advanced civilizations truly had unique cultivation methods...

...

Li Ye grinned.

See?

The potential of the demonic artifact was gradually being revealed—this was the motivation for progress!

At this moment, the ball landed at Deng Wei’s feet.

He dribbled a few steps, noticing a marked increase in demonic energy within him. A smile crept across his face, and he refused to pass the ball.

“D*mn it, Deng Wei, pass the ball!” the others shouted angrily. Those closest to him began to fight for it.

Seeing the group brawling for possession, Li Ye sighed in exasperation. Great. They were already showing the spirit of the national football team without even learning the basics.

As more people joined the fray, Li Ye scolded, “What are you fighting for? Pass the ball! Work together—cooperation boosts spiritual energy faster. Remember, we’re a team. Victory brings honor, and only with honor can everyone’s spiritual energy grow.”

Though reluctant, Deng Wei dared not defy Li Ye. He passed the ball to a nearby teammate, who dribbled briefly before passing it on to another.

Shi Xiang and his companions were dumbfounded by the sight.

“What are they doing?” muttered the guard beside Shi Xiang.

The one checking Shi Xiang’s injuries glanced back, equally puzzled. “Are they insane?”

“Take advantage of their infighting. Let’s go,” Shi Xiang ordered, suppressing his pain. Shooting a cold glance at Li Ye, he gritted his teeth and stood up. “Xu Peng, carry me. Cai Jun, cover our retreat.”

“Understood.”

Xu Peng nodded, turned, and hoisted Shi Xiang onto his back.

Facing Li Ye’s group, the three retreated step by step, trying to escape.

Li Ye caught their movements out of the corner of his eye and barked, “Stop passing! Kick it toward them! They’re trying to escape!”

The moment he spoke, Shi Xiang’s group quickened their retreat.

At that instant, the ball was at Yu Fei’s feet.

Yu Fei kicked it toward Li Ye. “Li Ye, catch!”

Without pausing, Li Ye executed a volley kick, sending the ball hurtling toward Xu Peng. He then sprinted after it. “Old Liu, Old Fan, block Shi Xiang! Everyone, follow me!”

Bang!

Cai Jun slashed the ball away with his blade.

Shi Xiang turned and saw Li Ye’s group charging toward them like madmen. His brows furrowed. “Cai Jun, grab their ball.”

Cai Jun hesitated briefly before lunging for the ball. He reached it ahead of Li Ye and picked it up.

The moment he touched it, Cai Jun froze. Something felt off. He glanced at his hands and was horrified. “Leader, it’s a human head!”

A head?

Shi Xiang’s mind swirled with disbelief.

At that moment, he wanted to curse aloud. What kind of lunatics were these? Were they part of some deranged cult?

Cai Jun’s panicked voice broke through. “Leader, the head is poisonous! I can’t move!”

“Throw it away!” Shi Xiang shouted urgently.

Cai Jun frantically flung the head away.

Li Ye arrived just then, trapping the head underfoot before sliding into Cai Jun.

Crack!

A sharp snap echoed as Cai Jun’s leg was broken.

Normally, anyone would dodge a sliding tackle, but Cai Jun stood frozen, too terrified to move. He could only watch as Li Ye’s kick shattered his leg.

The pain jolted him back to action, but it was too late. Li Ye followed up with a decisive kick to his head, knocking him unconscious.

“Cai Jun!” Shi Xiang cried.

Nearby, Fan Jie intercepted the fallen head and passed it toward Xu Peng, reveling in the boost to his body from the demonic energy.

Seeing Cai Jun’s fate, Xu Peng didn’t dare to touch the head. He sidestepped it instead, letting it roll past. Meanwhile, Liu Guangsheng and Li Ye flanked them, chasing after the head.

Li Ye was faster. Grabbing the ball, he charged at Xu Peng once more.

This bizarre ambush—a poisonous head, strange cheers echoing in the night—was unlike anything Xu Peng had ever experienced.

Terrified, Xu Peng panicked. “Stay back!” he shouted, swinging his blade wildly at Li Ye.

His uncoordinated strikes were easily evaded. Li Ye slid in again, snapping Xu Peng’s leg with a clean tackle.

Hearing the crack of bone, Shi Xiang closed his eyes in despair. They were done for.

Thud!

Xu Peng fell, dragging Shi Xiang down with him.

Thunderous cheers erupted.

Li Ye, ball underfoot, spat disdainfully at the fallen trio. “Want to go another round?”

“Sir, if you’ve ambushed me, you must know my master is Grandmaster Huai Yi. I’ll hand over the Dragon Emperor Technique. Let us go,” Shi Xiang offered, holding the manual aloft. “Otherwise, I’ll destroy it.”

Li Ye didn’t even glance at him. Instead, he clapped his hands, signaling his team to gather. “So, how does everyone feel?”

“Li Ye, my spiritual energy has grown significantly,” Yu Fei said. “Especially after you took them down—my energy surged!”

“Mine too,” Fan Jie chimed in.

“This advanced cultivation method truly is extraordinary,” Yu Qiang added.

“Extraordinary?” Li Ye snorted, his expression darkening. “What did I tell you before the match? Cooperation and ball control! And what did you do?”

The team hung their heads in embarrassment.

“Li Ye, we were wrong,” Yu Fei admitted.

“I shouldn’t have hogged the ball,” Deng Wei said.

“I focused too much on attacking and forgot the ball,” Fan Jie confessed.

“I was at fault as well,” Liu Guangsheng said. “Please punish me, Li Ye.”

Their collective self-criticism left Shi Xiang feeling like a fool. Holding the manual, he felt his sanity slipping. Were these people here to rob him or just to mess with him?

Ignoring Shi Xiang’s visible frustration, Li Ye reflected on the match’s dynamics.

Post-match, his demonic energy surged the most.

During the match, slide tackles and the crowd’s cheers also boosted his energy.

Cai Jun’s paralysis upon touching the ball seemed to be a penalty for handling it—a theory worth testing.

When the opposing team controlled the ball, their attributes weakened temporarily but returned once possession was lost.

Li Ye filed these observations away, noting the importance of maintaining ball control during matches.