My Monster-Derived Skills Are the True Power
Chapter 28: Let the Bullets Fly a Little Longer

Wei Mingze departed, carrying a belly full of doubts and the football lottery guidelines that might make him rich and powerful.

Shortly after, Gongsun Jie asked Li Ye for more specific advice on club operations before hastily leaving with Cao Bin. He was heading back to his sect to recruit members and prepare for the match in five days.

As for Zhong Wenhao and Zhu Zhirou from the Qingcheng Sect, Li Ye kept them behind. The Xuanguang Sect’s club couldn’t allow outsiders to linger in their midst.

"Master Li, we also want to cultivate with you and join the Fun Seekers Club," Zhong Wenhao said with a sheepish grin, eager to curry favor with Li Ye now that a much greater opportunity was before him.

"Me too," Zhu Zhirou added earnestly.

"Return to Qingcheng Sect," Li Ye replied with a smile. "The Fun Seekers Club is already at capacity. Staying here won’t even give you a chance to play. Cultivating spiritual energy requires reputation. Why not return to your master and start building the Qingcheng Sect’s club? With your abilities, even if you don’t make the first team, you can secure a main position on the second team."

Zhong Wenhao’s eyes lit up. He immediately stood and bowed to Li Ye. "Thank you for your guidance, Master Li. We will return to ask our master to establish the Qingcheng Club right away."

Zhu Zhirou glanced at Li Ye, but still followed Zhong Wenhao out. She had already realized that Li Ye didn’t take them seriously. Staying here would only result in being sidelined.

---

Once everyone had left, Shi Xiang and the others gathered around Li Ye.

Liu Guangsheng wore a troubled expression. "Master Li, the Xuanguang Sect and Qingcheng Sect are prestigious sects with countless Innate Experts. Meanwhile, our Fun Seekers Club only has three Innate Experts besides yourself. If we face them, winning seems unlikely."

"If the odds aren’t in your favor, train harder," Li Ye retorted, sweeping his gaze across them. He scolded, "You’ve been with me the longest and have the most spiritual energy within you. Are you seriously afraid of a few Innate Experts? Overcoming the strong as the weak will boost your spiritual energy growth even faster if you win."

That shut everyone up.

"What are you all standing around for? Go practice!" Li Ye barked, glaring at them as he waved them away.

---

Once everyone was gone, the voice of the Team Badge sounded in Li Ye’s mind:

"Why not have Wei Mingze form a club himself? Let him experience demonic energy firsthand. It might convince him more easily."

"When people are well-fed, they aim to climb higher. When they’re officials, they aim for immortality. If Wei Mingze experiences spiritual energy, his focus will shift to cultivation, which would complicate matters. It's better to keep him skeptical so he’ll fully push this initiative," Li Ye said with a laugh. "Badge Bro, if we want to succeed, we need to interact with those who truly hold power.

"Besides, no world needs clubs everywhere. Focusing on the best will genuinely promote the football cause. Badge Bro, stop overthinking. I’ll take care of everything. Just work behind the scenes to support me."

"Got it," replied the Team Badge. "I can feel my demonic energy growing. I suspect that once your league succeeds, I’ll finally break free of the Demon Suppression Tower’s control."

"Badge Bro, what about my derived skills? No clues at all?" Li Ye asked with a pout.

"Derived skills are just tricks. You should focus on improving your strength. Power is everything," the Team Badge said.

Heh.

Hearing those familiar words, Li Ye sneered inwardly.

He finally understood: the awakening of the artifact’s intelligence was a gradual process. A few days ago, it had been clueless, but now its mannerisms were starting to mirror his, even picking up his knack for empty promises.

What was this? Who was influencing whom here?

At this rate, it seemed like the artifact might end up losing its original nature!

Still, Li Ye knew he’d have to awaken his derived skills on his own. Expecting help from the artifact was pointless.

---

For insiders, the first match at Wolf Valley was a glimpse of the deeper workings of the sport. For outsiders, it was pure entertainment.

Though the first match was short and haphazardly organized, it was spectacular beyond words.

After all, ordinary folk had few forms of entertainment in their daily lives. When had they ever seen brothel women performing live? Or witnessed duels between Grandmasters with live commentary?

To top it off, Xuanguang Sect’s leader, Gongsun Jie, was knocked out with a slap at the very start. Such a scene wasn’t just unprecedented—it was unthinkable!

On every street corner, people gossiped about the events at Wolf Valley, about Li Ye, the founder of the Fun Seekers Club, and his Dragon Tail Whip move.

Unlike Shi Xiang, who was labeled a Supreme Shadow Kick, the public had already given Li Ye a new nickname: Dragon Hand.

The betting halls, cunning as ever, avoided mentioning refunds. Instead, they postponed the result to five days later and introduced new wagers.

This time, unlike the one-sided bets favoring Gongsun Jie, his once-lofty image had been shattered by Li Ye’s two slaps. Now, most people were betting on the Fun Seekers Club.

The events of the first football match at Wolf Valley began to spread to neighboring towns like Zhenjiang and Fu’an through traveling merchants, further bolstering the Fun Seekers Club’s reputation.

People from these towns started discussing the so-called football match, with many traveling to Weining City to witness the Fun Seekers Club’s match against Xuanguang Sect firsthand.

The involvement of Xuanguang Sect piqued the interest of martial artists. Though it sounded absurd—like someone had fabricated a story about Xuanguang Sect—it still drew many martial artists to Weining City out of curiosity.

Some, familiar with Xuanguang Sect, went directly to its base to ask Gongsun Jie what had happened.

What they found shocked them. Gongsun Jie, along with his sect’s elders and disciples, was enthusiastically practicing football. Dumbfounded, they could get nothing out of him and hurried back to their sects to report this bizarre development.

---

Meanwhile, rumors began to circulate that football leagues were a method of divine cultivation.

However, in an ancient world without video recordings and with spiritual energy lacking tangible manifestations, such claims sounded utterly ridiculous.

Both martial artists and common folk laughed them off without a second thought.

---

Five days might seem short, but it was neither too brief nor too long.

Construction at Wolf Valley continued steadily.

Thanks to the growing fame of the Fun Seekers Club, the demonic energy of Shi Xiang and the others increased, bringing significant improvements in their skills. Their enthusiasm for training soared.

As for the two other sources of demonic energy that hadn’t sought him out, Li Ye naturally stayed put and avoided causing trouble. But he didn’t remain idle, either.

He penned invitation letters to all the renowned Three Sects and Five Factions, inviting them to watch the match between the Fun Seekers Club and Xuanguang Sect.

Of course, the letters also suggested that each sect form its own club and join the league.

Li Ye knew that unless the traditional sects’ martial artists witnessed the wonders of spiritual energy firsthand, they wouldn’t take his proposal seriously. However, laying the groundwork in advance would make future efforts much more effective.

---

As preparations for the match progressed in full swing, Wei Mingze’s report finally reached the imperial court, landing on the desk of the Emperor of the Chu Kingdom.