Chapter 47: Beyond Seven Steps, I Am Swift; Within Seven Steps, I Am Even Swifter!

Li Qi was, of course, familiar with the name Yunshan. Her full name was Li Yunshan, and she was one of Li Changqing’s daughters. More than thirty years ago, she was already a renowned master of fashion design.

In her teens, relying on her academic prowess, Li Yunshan secured a full scholarship and studied abroad for nearly eight years, majoring in material technology—or more precisely, clothing textiles. Later, she integrated the essences of both Eastern and Western attire to pioneer a distinctive style of her own.

Today, under the umbrella of the Li Group, there exists the Yunshan Group, which is Li Yunshan’s personal enterprise. The entire Yunshan Group occupies a very transcendent position, operating in a semi-independent state. Rather than being sustained by familial support, it is more a matter of mutual cooperation between two entities.

This Yunshan Group designs apparel, manufactures clothing, and undertakes high-end bespoke tailoring. Naturally, more than a decade ago, when she reached the age of fifty, Li Yunshan announced her retirement, ceasing to accept custom clothing commissions herself. Even for the younger generation of the Li family, the garments they wore were merely tailored by master artisans within the group.

Nowadays, the only person who could still command Li Yunshan’s personal services was the old master himself.

In the past, Li Qi had only occasionally heard people around him mention information about Li Yunshan. He had never made a special effort to understand her, often forgetting such conversations almost as soon as he heard them. But at this moment, as the old master brought her up, Li Qi’s brain functioned like a supercomputer, instantly retrieving all related information—even details he had never consciously tried to memorize. It performed comparative analyses, filtered out obviously exaggerated and illogical data, and finally generated a streamlined yet profound profile of Li Yunshan.

This ability was practically near-superhuman.

At the same time, Li Qi felt a stirring of curiosity: what kind of fabric could the old master have treasured for so long, saving it until now, when his heart overflowed with joy, before finally being willing to bring it out?

However, the old master did not explain directly. Instead, he led the way, and the two of them soon arrived at a sprawling estate built on relatively high ground within the village, surrounded entirely by pure white walls.

The walls of this residence were very tall; from the outside, only the second-story architecture was visible, while the ground floor remained completely hidden. At the vermilion main gate, two individuals were stationed together on security duty.

Neither of these two was an ordinary person. Both had crossed the threshold of entry-level martial mastery, were in their forties, and carried firearms.

In fact, the world's regulation of firearms was extremely stringent, but legitimate security companies possessed legal qualifications to bear arms, with some even equipped with heavy firepower such as rocket launchers and Gatling guns. As for who these measures were designed to counter—naturally, it was formidable martial artists.

These so-called regular security companies were, in reality, all sourced from the military.

Li Yunshan was undoubtedly a person who placed immense importance on her personal safety. In her youth, she too had crossed the threshold into martial mastery, but as she grew older and her mind long since drifted away from cultivation, her realm and vitality had long since degraded.

Observing the two guards, Li Qi could clearly discern the heavy aura of the military about them.

As Li Qi glanced over, the two guards simultaneously placed their hands on the firearms at their waists, as if only this could afford them a sliver of reassurance.

These past few days, storms and upheavals had swept through the Li Village, all originating from the single person standing before them. Naturally, they were far from strangers to Li Qi. Yet even though they had already mentally overestimated Li Qi to an immense degree, seeing him in the flesh made them realize that he was ten times more terrifying than their calculations suggested!

And this was what the old master referred to as having a "shallow foundation"?!

A thought flashed through their minds that was remarkably similar to the one Li Zheng had harbored. If this was considered having a shallow foundation, then what on earth did that make them?!

Seeing their reaction, ripples of thought passed through Li Qi's mind. True to being professionals, while his tiger-form essence was currently channeled inward and his entire being appeared extremely restrained in his daily state, these two individuals had nevertheless identified his danger level in a fraction of a second.

Whether Li Qi was actually dangerous or not, he still had a clear assessment of himself. Even if his opponents used firearms, beyond seven steps, he was faster; within seven steps, he was faster still. Their neural reflex speed and mental fortitude fell far too short compared to his.

Though he could not yet split bullets with a blade, dodging muzzle fire was effortless for him. To deal with him using guns would require either sheer numbers—swarming him with a multitude of people—or keeping a distance and setting up a heavy sniper rifle.

Of course, a single heavy sniper rifle was not entirely foolproof. His mind was currently too formidable, granting him an innate premonition of such crises, leaving a high probability that he could evade it. Only by deploying a few more would there be a reliable chance of putting him down.

Many people believed heavy sniper rifles were not all that terrifying simply due to the influence of movies. In this lifetime, however, Li Qi had studied several data points regarding heavy sniper rifles and understood their lethal potential.

In a sense, this era was also a tragedy for the strong, because the powerful could still be surrounded and killed by sheer numbers. Only upon reaching the realm of sainthood did numbers lose their meaning, allowing one to perceive danger and avert it ahead of time. Otherwise, even masters could be killed, with the only variable being the price the attackers had to pay.

Even saints could only evade, forcing high-tech weaponry to lose track of them and fail to lock onto them, rather than meeting heavy firepower head-on. After all, nuclear weapons were too fierce, and Dongfeng missiles were equally ferocious...

To achieve true invincibility and transcend nuclear weapons, perhaps the only path was to become a legendary demon god!

According legend, a demon god breaks through the final boundaries of the mind. This did not merely mean using mental force to interfere with matter or lifting objects with psychokinesis, but rather delving deep into the material realm, mastering the power of mass-energy conversion, turning matter into energy, or conversely, transforming energy into matter...

Converting matter into energy was one thing; it aligned with the laws of physics, with nuclear bombs being the pinnacle of this capability, alongside the sun in the natural world. But having energy convert backward into matter meant subverting certain fundamental principles.

If such a lifeform truly existed, they would undoubtedly be a genuine living deity among mortals, the very embodiment of absolute hegemony.

Brief ripples stirred in Li Qi’s mind, but that was the extent of it before tranquility returned. Moments later, the two security guards phoned the estate's housekeeper to report the arrival and pulled open the heavy gates.

"Too terrifying. To me, this person felt like facing a ferocious, savage beast—simply inhuman."

"Is this guy really just at the entry threshold, rather than having attained the Dao?"

"Indeed. The moment he looked at me just now, the feeling was identical to being crosshaired by a heavy sniper rifle... No, even more terrifying."

"If it were within ten steps, I doubt I'd even have time to draw my weapon..."

Long after Li Qi had walked away, the two security guards spoke in hushed tones, their hearts still churning with lingering emotions.

On the other side, having dismissed the security guards who offered to guide them, the old master led Li Qi directly through a succession of corridors, ultimately arriving at a small garden tucked deep within the estate.

Though it was still winter, flowers were blooming in full splendor within the courtyard, evidently nurtured by some form of technological intervention.

At that moment, several people were seated on a sofa in the garden. Among them was a middle-aged woman with gentle yet resilient features—none other than Li Yunshan.

Li Yunshan was someone exceptionally skilled in the art of living, placing great emphasis on comfort and sensory experiences in life. To the outside world, she projected the image of an absolute corporate powerhouse. Yet right now, in front of the old master, she behaved as meekly as a startled quail. Li Qi could acutely perceive the complex emotions swirling within her the instant she laid eyes on the old master.

There was fear, yet also yearning; at her age, she still harbored a desperate longing for paternal affection...

Naturally, although she was already over sixty, on the surface she looked to be only in her early forties, having been meticulously maintained—though that was merely skin-deep. Li Qi could sense the decay within her visceral organs; her youth was purely superficial.

Sitting on the sofa opposite Li Yunshan were two people: Chen Di and her mother, Aunt Lan.