My Monster-Derived Skills Are the True Power
Chapter 38: Let Me Tell You a Secret

Seeing that Li Ye had truly accepted Gongsun Jie as his disciple, Shi Xiang and the others couldn’t sit still. They immediately started clamoring, “Li Ye, we want to be your disciples too!”

One disciple was enough—why take on so many?

What he needed more than disciples were teammates, especially with Derived Skills coming into play.

Li Ye’s expression darkened as he glared at them and scolded, “Focus on playing the game and making a name for yourselves. What’s with this obsession over becoming my disciples? I’m building a club, not a martial sect. Stop thinking about these side paths!

"A club is built to last, but players come and go. If you can’t play well, forget about being my disciple—even if you called me your father, I’d still kick you out…”

His words made Shi Xiang and the others shrink back awkwardly. They didn’t dare say another word, but every now and then, they’d glance at Gongsun Jie with a hint of resentment.

Li Ye softened his tone and added, “Don’t take it the wrong way. I’ll be coaching you all in matches from now on. If you perform well, becoming my disciples isn’t out of the question.”

Shi Xiang and the others were overjoyed, instantly brimming with motivation. “Don’t worry, Li Ye! We’ll play our best!”

Li Ye snorted, then turned to Wen Renchuan. “Master Wen, make sure Qingcheng Sect keeps up with the stadium construction and promotional efforts. Since we’re playing matches, we need to maximize the impact.”

“Yes,” Wen Renchuan replied but hesitated for a moment before asking, “Li Ye, will you be playing in our match against Qingcheng Sect?”

“Of course. Why?” Li Ye asked.

Wen Renchuan forced a smile. “Li Ye, your strength rivals that of a Grandmaster. You could take on ten people at once. A match like that wouldn’t be much of a spectacle.”

“You don’t need to worry about that, Master Wen,” Li Ye chuckled. “I’m seriously injured, and my real strength isn’t much different from yours. I only used a secret technique to overdraw my power because Murong Kaixin forced my hand. Honestly, when the match comes, I might not even be as strong as you.”

Shi Xiang and the others frantically shot Li Ye warning glances, nearly rushing over to cover his mouth.

Was this something he should be saying out loud?

There were too many people around. If word got out and fell into the wrong hands, what if someone tried to take advantage?

Wei Mingze sipped his tea quietly, his expression calm. As a seasoned official, he understood that anything spoken aloud was meant to be heard. If someone were foolish enough to believe Li Ye’s words and attempt an ambush, they’d be digging their own grave.

Wen Renchuan wasn’t convinced either, but since Li Ye had said it outright, it counted as a promise. He breathed a sigh of relief. “If that’s the case, I won’t worry anymore. Matches are only interesting when the competition is balanced.”

“Exactly. A fair match.” Li Ye nodded and looked around the room. “More and more sects are joining. Before long, even giants like the Heavenly Dao Alliance and Scarlet Flame Sect will enter the league. Who will claim the championship is still uncertain, so none of you can afford to slack off. Show off your best skills—the faster your fame rises, the quicker your strength will grow.”

—

After transcribing the Xuanguang Technique and learning about promotional strategies from Tong Yi, Gongsun Jie and Wen Renchuan left to prepare their sects' clubs.

With that, Wolf Valley finally quieted down.

Li Ye organized an internal scrimmage match under the pretense of training.

After severely injuring a teammate, he was disappointed to find that his Derived Skill didn’t activate. That crushed his hopes of exploiting a loophole to farm power.

It seemed Strike My Teammates had a hidden condition—it probably only worked when facing a common enemy.

Otherwise, if it could increase his power anytime just by attacking his own teammates, it would be the most broken Derived Skill of all time. He could simply keep beating up his team until they all skyrocketed in strength.

Even so, after the match, Li Ye’s power had increased tenfold. Meanwhile, Shi Xiang and the others who had suffered his attacks also saw their power double. With the additional boost from their victory, Yu Fei and Deng Wei successfully stepped into the ranks of Innate Experts.

Now, the Fun Seekers Club had five Innate Experts, giving the rest of the team renewed confidence.

—

That night, Wolf Valley was silent.

Aside from the night watchmen, most of the club members were training.

Li Ye had given them plenty of motivation—the league was getting more competitive, and no one wanted to fall behind. More importantly, the bait of becoming Li Ye’s disciple dangled in front of them like a carrot on a stick.

Xuanguang Technique and Dragon Emperor Technique weren’t fully compatible, but Xuanguang Technique served as a supplement. Li Ye tried practicing it for a bit but quickly gave up.

Most Grandmasters in this world modified their martial arts over time to suit their own needs.

But Li Ye had Demonic Energy and Derived Skills aiding him. He wasn’t interested in such a slow, outdated method. If he could land a few more solid hits on his teammates, he might naturally reach the Grandmaster level.

Instead of wasting time on martial arts modifications, he’d rather figure out how to unlock a second Derived Skill. That would be an even faster path to power.

—

Li Ye sat on a hill at the entrance of Wolf Valley, gazing at the starry sky and reflecting on his recent actions.

"Reflect on yourself three times a day."

When Li Ye first read that phrase, he thought it made a lot of sense. From a young age, he developed a habit of self-review.

This practice helped him identify mistakes and avoid making them again.

In just twenty days, he had already defeated a Half-step Grandmaster and indirectly subdued several sects. But he knew better than to let his guard down.

The human heart was the most unpredictable thing. If he ever underestimated the world, he would be the one to lose.

There was a reason the death rate for Temporal Walkers was so high…

—

“Give me some water,” a weak voice came from beside him, snapping him out of his thoughts.

At some point, Murong Kaixin had regained consciousness. Through his swollen eyes, he looked in Li Ye’s direction.

Li Ye glanced at him and waved a hand. A water pouch from a patrolling guard’s waist flew into his grip. He opened it and, using his internal energy, sent a stream of water directly into Murong Kaixin’s mouth.

Murong Kaixin smacked his lips, accidentally touching a wound. He winced in pain.

“Want more?” Li Ye shook the pouch.

Murong Kaixin shook his head and looked at Li Ye with a complicated expression. “Why didn’t you kill me?”

“To keep you around as a deterrent,” Li Ye replied, tossing the pouch back to the guard.

Silence.

A long pause.

Then, Murong Kaixin asked, “Do gods really exist?”

“Of course,” Li Ye said.

Murong Kaixin hesitated before asking again, “Is there an underworld?”

“Stop dreaming. No. Once you die, that’s it.” Li Ye saw right through his thoughts and scoffed. “Murong Kaixin, I don’t understand you. Why resort to violence when things could have been discussed peacefully?”

Murong Kaixin fell silent, then sighed. Suddenly, he said, “The Star Bandit incident you mentioned was a lie, wasn’t it?”

“…” Li Ye froze.

“You don’t have the mindset of a true powerhouse.” Murong Kaixin shook his head. “Maybe you have the resolve to keep pushing forward, but with your current mentality, you’ll never reach the peak.”

Ha!

Why the hell would I care about reaching the peak? I just want to stay alive. You aimed for the peak and still ended up nearly beaten to death by me!

Li Ye smirked silently.

Murong Kaixin seemed to sense his thoughts and rasped, “Li Ye, I know there’s no reconciliation between us. Give me a swift death, and I’ll tell you a secret.”

Li Ye raised an eyebrow. “Fine. Talk, and I’ll make it quick.”

“There aren’t just four Grandmasters in this world,” Murong Kaixin whispered weakly. “The royal family has a method to cultivate Grandmasters… and a way to counter them. Otherwise, why do you think the Tianshi Sect serves the royal family?”