Chapter 664: The Variables

“Let’s go, Mancheng. I’ll take you away from Shanyang and lead you to follow Lord Cao. Although there were mistakes made, the willingness to admit them shows the mark of a wise leader. There’s nothing more I can teach you,” Li Jin said to his younger cousin.

After experiencing such a long period of turmoil, Li Dian had come to terms with the deaths of his father and elder brother. While the hatred still lingered in his heart, he had learned to suppress it and no longer outwardly displayed his emotions.

“Alright, let’s go to Lord Cao right away,” Li Dian agreed with a nod.

At this point, Li Dian wasn’t fully aware of the situation in Yanzhou. He knew that Yanzhou had been taken by Lu Bu, but the Li family wasn’t a prominent noble family, and the deaths of his father and brother had severed any remaining connections with Cao Cao.

Chen Gong hadn’t bothered to target such a minor family, which allowed Li Jin to continue living in Shanyang County with Li Dian. Li Jin, understanding the situation, wisely chose not to provoke Lu Bu, knowing that Lu Bu’s strength was greater than he had imagined.

“Sigh, you should study the military classics more,” Li Jin advised with a sigh. He didn’t have many solutions for Li Dian. While Li Dian was quite talented, despite reaching the peak of the Refining Qi into Steel stage, he couldn’t break through to the level of Inner Qi Manifestation, a barrier that had stopped countless others before him.

“Thank you, elder brother, for your year-long guidance,” Li Dian said, bowing deeply to Li Jin, still not fully comprehending just how powerful his elder cousin truly was.

“There’s no need to thank me. Our Shanyang Li family needs someone to represent us, and that person can’t be me. So, I’ve done my best to teach you. Unfortunately, I don’t have the miraculous techniques of Tong Yuan that could elevate you to the Inner Qi Manifestation level,” Li Jin lamented. Despite his own strength, his potential was severely limited.

“I’m already grateful to have come this far. I wouldn’t dare to ask for more,” Li Dian replied, content with his progress and harboring no complaints.

“Sigh, your talent in commanding troops is strong, but avenging your father and brother by killing Zhao Yun will still be an incredibly difficult task. I’ve taught you all I can,” Li Jin said with a helpless sigh, still troubled by the situation.

In Li Jin’s view, although Li Dian’s abilities in command and strategy were commendable and he was capable of leading an army, his opponents were becoming increasingly formidable. Over the past year, Zhao Yun’s strength had steadily risen, both in military leadership and combat prowess. Though the increase was gradual, Zhao Yun’s abilities had been consistently improving.

To be honest, after the deaths of Li Qian and Li Zheng, Li Jin had used special methods to assess the overall strength of Liu Bei’s generals. He paid particular attention to those at the Inner Qi Manifestation level.

Compared to Guan Yu, whose strength increased after each battle, and Zhang Fei, whose power surged following defeats, Zhao Yun seemed particularly enigmatic. Zhao Yun’s strength increased in a straight line, as if his abilities were steadily improving even during mundane activities like eating and sleeping.

At first, Li Jin didn’t fully understand this phenomenon, but he eventually guessed that Zhao Yun might have a divine stone within his body, and that its power was gradually enhancing Zhao Yun’s strength.

Speaking of this, one must mention Zhang Fei. In Li Jin’s eyes, Zhang Fei was an incredibly unique case. While it seemed like Zhang Fei’s strength increased steadily through training, Li Jin’s observations revealed that the actual increases weren’t as significant. Instead, Zhang Fei’s strength surged substantially after intense battles.

For instance, after Zhang Fei’s recent fight with Lu Bu, Li Jin, with his high level of perception, could clearly sense that after that defeat, Zhang Fei’s strength had grown more than it had in the past three years of training.

According to Li Jin’s estimates, if things continued like this, after fully absorbing the growth from this last battle, Zhang Fei would likely be able to withdraw unscathed even when facing Lu Bu.

Li Jin also understood that as Zhang Fei’s strength grew, it would become increasingly difficult for him to suffer defeats, which would in turn slow down his growth. After a few more battles, Zhang Fei might even be able to fight Lu Bu to a draw. However, after that, Zhang Fei’s progress might stagnate.

Although Li Jin had some doubts about his hypothesis, the facts seemed to support his conclusions.

At the Battle of Hulao Pass, the gap between Zhang Fei and Lu Bu was vast. However, the next time they met, Zhang Fei was already able to discern Lu Bu’s weaknesses, though Lu Bu remained overwhelmingly strong. As for the third battle that should have taken place during the campaign for Xuzhou, it was disrupted by Chen Xi’s influence, and never happened.

It’s important to note that during that third encounter, Zhang Fei had clashed with Lu Bu for over a hundred rounds. Although he couldn’t defeat Lu Bu, he managed to retreat unscathed, and Lu Bu didn’t dare pursue him recklessly, as Zhang Fei had developed the ability to fight for his life if necessary.

By the time of the Xuzhou campaign, Zhang Fei already possessed the strength to challenge Lu Bu directly in single combat. While he still couldn’t win, with the morale of his army behind him, he could now suppress Lu Bu in battle. In other words, Zhang Fei’s strength had nearly reached Lu Bu’s level, with only a slight difference remaining.

However, whether in this life or the previous one, Zhang Fei never had the chance for a final, decisive duel with Lu Bu. In the previous life, after their fourth encounter, Lu Bu was killed. In this life, after their second encounter, Lu Bu was already planning to return north to Bingzhou, and it’s unlikely they’ll have another opportunity for a death match.

Of course, this is all theoretical. In the previous life, Lu Bu never let go of his obsession, meaning his peak strength was likely around the time of his second encounter with Zhang Fei. By the time Ma Chao and others reached their prime, they would have matched Lu Bu’s strength from his second duel with Zhang Fei.

But by then, Lu Bu’s era had passed. At that level of strength, there would be many more warriors like Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Ma Chao, and Xu Chu who could rival Lu Bu’s prowess at Hulao Pass. In such battles, who would emerge victorious would be uncertain.

The strength of the dead remains forever fixed at the moment of their death, while the living always have the potential to surpass it. It’s as simple as that. Unfortunately, in this life, Lu Bu has lived longer, his obsession has shattered, and he now possesses a more balanced mindset, allowing him to fully harness his power. His level has fundamentally changed.

This is why Li Jin chose not to provoke Lu Bu—he simply couldn’t afford to. Despite possessing Inner Qi Manifestation-level strength and formidable Daoist skills, Li Jin estimated that Lu Bu could defeat him within fifty moves.

“Let’s go, Mancheng,” Li Jin called to Li Dian, not informing him that Shanyang County was currently being taken over by Liu Bei’s forces, led by none other than Zhao Yun. Zhao Yun’s strength was such that he could kill Li Jin even faster than Lu Bu could. When it came to defeating weaker opponents, Zhao Yun had an even greater advantage over Lu Bu.

“Alright, elder brother. Should we head directly to Sili, or visit Minister Xun in Chenliu first?” Li Dian asked as they left the house.

Some readers have mentioned that I seem to be downplaying Zhang Fei and Guan Yu’s abilities. Here’s the thing: at their peak, Zhang Fei was indeed not inferior to Lu Bu. But for Zhang Fei to defeat an ultimate opponent like Lu Bu, he must also reach his own ultimate form. As for Guan Yu being unable to instantly kill Yan Liang, that’s a topic for another time. In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Yan Liang’s death was portrayed as a bit of an accident. Considering Yan Liang’s strength, it was indeed a bit unjust. But if we’re talking about history, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were undeniably dominant forces.

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