My Monster-Derived Skills Are the True Power
Chapter 9: A Strange Ambush

Li Ye knew that leaving people behind in the cave was a risk.

In fact, everyone in the team was a potential threat. A group of people brought together through coercion and bribery couldn’t possibly develop unwavering loyalty within just a few hours.

A unified goal, a positive atmosphere, shared beliefs, and a stable division of roles…

Building a team required meticulous organization and planning, a process that couldn’t be rushed.

Since betrayal was inevitable, Li Ye decided to let it be. All he needed was to stabilize the current situation and get through the challenging opening phase as a Temporal Walker.

Survival of the fittest was also a necessary step in forming a team.

...

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

At the end of the road, three figures shot forward like arrows loosed from a bow.

Before encountering demonic artifacts, Li Ye would never have believed humans could move at such speeds. But after three years of chaos caused by these creatures, such speed no longer surprised him.

Even he, bolstered by demonic energy, could match that pace now.

“They’re here,” Liu Guangsheng muttered.

Those two simple words caused the three figures to abruptly halt mid-dash. Their eyes scanned toward where Li Ye’s group was hiding, displaying a sharp alertness.

Li Ye cursed inwardly. What kind of idiot gives away their position before an ambush even begins?

It was as he expected—those capable of finding rare techniques were destined to be the main characters, while his hastily assembled group of misfits were nothing more than cannon fodder on someone else’s path to success.

“Who’s there?” the leader of the newcomers demanded.

He appeared to be no older than twenty-five or twenty-six, with striking eyebrows and eyes as bright as stars. His upright demeanor made him seem more like a righteous disciple than anyone else in his group. As he spoke, he drew his blade, the tip aimed directly forward.

There was no doubt a fight was coming.

Who had time for nonsense?

Li Ye stepped up decisively and kicked the ball into action. “4-3-3 formation, charge!”

Whoosh!

Under the cover of night, a dark, rounded object hurtled through the air, headed straight for Shi Xiang’s face.

Li Ye, holding his dagger, followed close behind. The dagger, specially crafted by the Demon Hunting Bureau, was razor-sharp and could cut through metal with ease—a true weapon of legend in this world.

No one said he couldn’t bring weapons into a match here.

Liu Guangsheng, Fan Jie, and Deng Wei followed closely, trailing just a step behind him.

The locals, with their limited training and lack of exposure to football matches, couldn’t keep up with Li Ye’s moves.

This ragtag group didn’t even understand the meaning of the so-called 4-3-3 formation. Why leave someone stationed far in the back?

Shouldn’t robbery be about attacking together, overpowering the enemy, grabbing the technique, and running?

Perhaps this was also part of some spiritual training. Liu Guangsheng and the others could only comfort themselves with such thoughts.

“Bring it on!” Shi Xiang shouted, swinging his blade to meet the flying object.

Bang!

A muffled thud echoed as the rounded object was sent flying backward.

Under the moonlight, Shi Xiang couldn’t clearly see what he’d struck, but the fact that even his blade couldn’t cut through it suggested it was another peculiar weapon.

In the martial world, anyone wielding strange weapons was either a rookie or a master.

After deflecting the object, Shi Xiang grew even more cautious. As a disciple of a Grandmaster, his confidence was unshakable. These roadside bandits posed no real threat.

Meanwhile, his two companions drew their blades without a word and charged at Li Ye’s group. The three worked together seamlessly, fighting individually while maintaining coordination, proving they were no strangers to such situations.

...

Eleven against three.

It wasn’t a fair match.

But who cared?

This ambush wasn’t just about securing the Dragon Emperor Technique. It was also an experiment on demonic artifacts—ideally to unlock some derived skills.

The results were immediate. Once football was involved, the demonic artifact seemed to perk up, and after the kick-off, demonic energy flooded into Li Ye’s body at an accelerated pace. His strength, speed, and agility all saw significant boosts.

“Old Liu, mark Shi Xiang tightly,” Li Ye commanded, his eyes darting around to monitor the situation.

When he noticed the ball fall behind, and the striker in position ignoring it to focus on Shi Xiang, he frowned and barked, “Yu Qiang, what are you doing? Get the ball! How many times do I have to tell you? The ball is your life! Even if you die, don’t lose the ball!”

Yu Qiang froze, then quickly went after the ball.

Meanwhile, Liu Guangsheng and the others, locked in close combat with Shi Xiang’s group, were struggling.

Faced with Shi Xiang’s superior martial prowess, they realized the intelligence they had received was wrong. Shi Xiang was much stronger than they’d been led to believe. His strikes were powerful, precise, and unrelenting.

Each clash of weapons sent shockwaves through their bodies, leaving their limbs numb. Shi Xiang’s mastery of the Sevenfold Force was at least at the fourth or fifth fold—far beyond the rumored third fold.

This put him on the verge of reaching the Innate Level. No wonder he dared to personally transport the Dragon Emperor Technique.

Had it not been for their prior spiritual modifications, enhancing their physicality and internal energy, they might have already fallen.

They felt both grateful and bitter.

Grateful that Li Ye had improved their abilities.

Bitter that, even in this life-or-death moment, he seemed more focused on the ball than their survival.

Shi Xiang and his companions were equally puzzled by Li Ye’s group. Their strange tactics, scattered formation, and fixation on the ball made them seem unprofessional at best.

Shi Xiang kept one eye on the fight and the other on the battlefield. When he saw a man suddenly break away to retrieve the ball, his confusion deepened. Were they really here to rob him?

Li Ye’s scolding voice echoed again. “Idiot! Even the defenders are rushing forward, and you’re running back? Make them pass you the ball!”

A defender, slightly sharper than the striker, instinctively stopped when the ball rolled to him. With a swift pass, the ball soared through the air toward Li Ye.

“Nice pass,” Li Ye praised, leaping to trap the ball with his chest. He then dribbled directly into Shi Xiang’s circle.

Shi Xiang had been watching Li Ye closely, noting his apparent leadership role.

As Li Ye approached, Shi Xiang redirected his blade from Liu Guangsheng to Li Ye, a cold glint flashing along its edge.

Li Ye deflected the ball toward Liu Guangsheng and dove forward, attempting a sliding tackle aimed at Shi Xiang’s shin.

Shi Xiang smirked at the predictable move and leaped into the air. But the moment he jumped, Li Ye’s speed increased sharply.

What the hell?

Shi Xiang’s shock left him vulnerable. Before he could adjust, Li Ye’s tackle struck his ankle, snapping it audibly.

Shi Xiang screamed, losing balance mid-air and crashing toward Li Ye. Even as he fell, his reflexes kicked in, and he slashed downward with his blade.

Li Ye, aided by the artifact’s energy, parried with his dagger. Sparks flew as the weapons clashed, but Shi Xiang’s internal energy surged through the blade, jolting Li Ye’s arm violently.

Li Ye gritted his teeth and retaliated with a kick aimed at Shi Xiang’s groin.

Thud!

Direct hit.

Shi Xiang let out a bloodcurdling scream, dropping his weapon and clutching himself as he collapsed in agony.

His companions, horrified, abandoned their fights to rush to his aid. Just as they turned, cheers erupted from the woods.

“Great shot!”

“Li Ye’s unstoppable!”

“Victory to the Fun Seekers!”

A stunned Shi Xiang watched as Li Ye, with the ball underfoot, sent it flying once more—this time straight at his face.