Lin Yan, A Battle With This Young Lady

The blazing sun hung high in the sky, bathing everything in brilliant light.

At this moment, the Lin Family Trial Field was packed with people, and everyone was focused on the battle below.

One was Lin Hong, the Lin Family's longtime genius; the other was Lin Dong, who had risen rapidly over the past half year. Would the newcomer rise, or would the old guard decline? Everyone was watching this moment closely.

On the arena, Lin Dong glanced at Lin Hong before turning to Lin Ken below the stage.

"First Uncle, announce the start."

Lin Ken looked at Lin Dong, then at Lin Hong. To be fair, he hoped Lin Dong would win. After all, his third brother had always been close to him, while the second branch had been growing increasingly arrogant lately and truly needed to be put in check.

However, he also knew Lin Hong's strength well. Lin Hong was in no way weaker than his own daughter, and Lin Ken had no confidence that Lin Dong could win.

Still, this was a match, and so many people were watching. Lin Ken opened his mouth, then finally waved his hand. "The match begins!"

As Lin Ken's voice fell, Lin Hong's previously lazy expression turned somewhat cold. A faint glow emerged over the surface of his body. It seemed he had no intention of holding back...

Across from him, Lin Dong clenched his fists, his expression solemn. Crackling sounds erupted from within his body as the Through-the-Back Fist gathered momentum.

Seeing the battle on the verge of erupting, everyone sharpened their focus.

Below the stage, Lin Yun looked at the calm Lin Yan beside him and suddenly asked, "Cousin Lin Yan, who do you think will win this match between Lin Dong and Lin Hong?"

Without even turning his head, Lin Yan replied, "Lin Dong."

Seeing how certain Lin Yan appeared, Lin Yun frowned slightly.

Although he had lost to Lin Dong, he still favored Lin Hong in this match. Lin Hong had been famous within the clan for a long time, and even Lin Yun himself deeply feared him. Though Lin Dong had risen at an astonishing speed, he was ultimately still lacking in foundation compared to Lin Hong.

Yet for some reason, Lin Yan's words always seemed to carry a faint magic. Every time, Lin Yun went from doubt to conviction.

Looking at Lin Dong in the arena, then at the composed Lin Yan beside him, Lin Yun's thoughts gradually grew complicated. With Lin Dong and Cousin Lin Yan... was the Lin Family truly about to see a new generation replace the old?

Just as Lin Yun's thoughts churned, the battle between Lin Hong and Lin Dong had already reached its fiercest point.

Lin Hong let out a cold shout. Origin power surged through his meridians, waves of strength spreading across his body. Then, with two quick strides, he appeared before Lin Dong, his fierce palm wind crashing heavily toward him.

At the same time, Lin Hong's seventh level of Body Tempering cultivation was fully revealed, once again demonstrating the strength of a veteran genius.

Facing Lin Hong's immensely powerful palm strike, Lin Dong seemed to have been frightened stiff, showing no sign of dodging. Seeing this, many people were confused, unable to guess what sort of counterattack Lin Dong intended to make.

Some even secretly shook their heads. It seemed this match would soon be decided...

But what happened next left many jaws dropping. Lin Dong also extended his right palm and met Lin Hong's palm strike head-on.

When the two palms collided, the rout everyone had expected did not occur. Instead, they watched in stunned disbelief as Lin Dong stood motionless like an iron tower. It was as though Lin Hong's palm strike could not shake him in the slightest.

Just as everyone was at a loss, the fluctuations of origin power around Lin Dong gave them the answer.

Seventh level of Body Tempering!

Lin Dong had also broken through to the seventh level of Body Tempering! As they stared at the origin power gleaming over his body, a chorus of sharp intakes of breath suddenly rose within the Trial Hall. So Lin Dong's true strength was not at the sixth level, but the seventh!

Everyone had thought this dark horse, Lin Dong, was already impressive enough. In only half a year, he had gone from a complete nobody to forcefully fighting his way into the top five of the Clan Competition. Such a feat was exceedingly rare even over the years.

Yet they had not expected this dark horse to be even fiercer than they had imagined, with the momentum to topple a veteran genius in one stroke.

The crowd naturally loved excitement. Seeing the two evenly matched fighters in the arena, they grew even more thrilled.

Lin Xiao stared blankly at the figure on the stone platform, his expression becoming extraordinarily vivid. He had yet to fully process the shock Lin Dong had given him earlier, and now Lin Dong had dealt him another heavy blow...

Below the stone platform, Lin Xia unconsciously covered her small mouth with her jade-like hand. Her eyes were filled with shock. Then she looked toward a corner below the stage. That guy did not seem surprised at all. Had he also broken through to the seventh level of Body Tempering?

She immediately shook her head. Impossible. Seventh level of Body Tempering was not cabbage that could be found everywhere. There was no way so many people had broken through at once. That guy was definitely just expressionless—case closed.

Meanwhile, after learning of Lin Dong's strength, Lin Hong's expression shifted several times before he finally sneered. With a shake of his arm, both palms suddenly swept out. The fierce gusts of wind were like blades, cutting painfully against the skin.

Eight Desolations Palm!

Everyone below the stage was very familiar with this Second Grade Martial Art palm technique. Seeing Lin Hong's practiced movements, they knew he had immersed himself in this palm art for a long time. As expected of a veteran genius, his foundation was truly deep.

At the same time, they felt regret for Lin Dong. His rise had come too recently. In terms of foundation, he was ultimately no match for those geniuses who had been famous for so long.

Yet unexpectedly, Lin Dong showed no panic when faced with Lin Hong's oncoming palm wind. Instead, he smiled faintly.

Just as everyone was confused, Lin Yan below the stage already knew the outcome. He then closed his eyes and murmured softly, "As expected of you, Lin Dong. Wait for me a little after this. I'll deal with that Lin Xia quickly. Don't worry, I won't keep you waiting too long..."

On the stage, Lin Dong, who had been standing still, suddenly moved both palms in the next instant. At a tricky angle, they slipped through Lin Hong's palm shadows and struck both of his arms.

What puzzled everyone was that, under these seemingly casual light strikes, the force behind Lin Hong's fierce Eight Desolations Palm seemed to scatter and immediately weakened.

Then, some sharp-eyed spectators recognized it: Lin Dong was also using the Eight Desolations Palm!

The revelation immediately triggered waves of astonished cries.

No one had expected the rapidly rising Lin Dong to be no weaker than the veteran genius Lin Hong in martial arts cultivation as well.

His mastery of the Eight Desolations Palm even seemed to faintly surpass Lin Hong's. How could anyone not marvel at the sheer force with which this dark horse had burst onto the scene?

This discovery made Lin Hong's face on the stage turn somewhat pale. He had trained in the Eight Desolations Palm for half a year—how could he possibly be inferior to Lin Dong?

"I don't believe it!"

His face pale, a vicious gleam flashed through Lin Hong's eyes. He drove the Eight Desolations Palm to its limit as the origin power within him surged madly toward his palms. Finally, he chopped down furiously at Lin Dong with a palm!

A howling sound arose beneath that sharp palm wind, stirring everyone who heard it.

Yet in the face of Lin Hong's desperate counterattack, Lin Dong remained composed. The blade-like, fierce palm wind suddenly changed, gaining threads of softness before sticking to Lin Hong's incoming palm.

The instant they made contact, Lin Dong's arm gave an eerie twitch, and an extremely fierce force surged out like a tidal wave in that very moment.

Bang!

As that fierce force erupted, everyone saw Lin Hong's body fly away like a kite with its string cut. He staggered, then fell off the Stone Platform in utter disgrace, landing flat on his face...

When Lin Hong fell from the stage, the Trial Hall once again became deathly silent. No one could have imagined that Lin Hong, who had been fully capable of contending for first place in this Clan Competition, would lose so cleanly and decisively to Lin Dong...

This also meant that the newly risen dark horse had completely overturned an established genius. It was unstoppable—the new generation replacing the old.

With that thought, everyone's burning gazes turned toward Lin Yan. As another dark horse, could Lin Yan also take down Lin Xia?

Perhaps sensing everyone's thoughts, Lin Xia on the VIP seats began to feel uneasy. Looking at Lin Yan below the stage, she saw that he still wore a calm, composed expression, as though he had never regarded her as worthy of notice. Her anger flared at once.

Gritting her silver teeth, Lin Xia twisted her slim waist and floated onto the Stone Platform like a butterfly. Her graceful yet valiant bearing made quite a few young men's eyes light up.

However, Lin Xia clearly had no interest in those lecherous stares at the moment. Instead, she called sweetly toward the corner below the stage, "Lin Yan, come up here and fight this young lady!"