The End

As the cry announcing the start of the match rang out, the previously boisterous Trial Hall fell silent at once. Everyone's gaze turned toward the Stone Platform at the center.

"Cousin Lin Yan, I've been looking forward to this battle for a long time. Then, let's begin!" Lin Dong's previously lazy expression turned solemn as a faint glow surged across the surface of his body. Clearly, he took the Black-Clothed Youth before him very seriously and had no intention of holding back.

"Just what I wished for. Fight!"

As his words fell, Lin Yan's expression also became grave. No one in the arena knew just how great the potential of the youth before them was; not even Lin Dong himself fully understood it. Only Lin Yan knew that if he won this battle, then someday, when he became the Fire Ancestor, he would dare to laugh and say Lin Dong was no true man!

Yuan Power churned through his meridians, waves of strength spreading throughout Lin Yan's body. He let out a fierce shout at Lin Dong, then took two quick strides and appeared before him.

Lin Yan's expression was solemn as he clenched both hands into fists. In an instant, sharp gusts of wind tore through the air atop the Stone Platform. At the same time, the Ten Thousand Beast Spirit Fire covered his fists. The moment the strange flame appeared, it scorched the surrounding air with blistering heat.

The next moment, carrying savage force, his fist slammed down toward Lin Dong! The fierce fist wind, infused with Fire Force, also bore down heavily upon him.

Stone Crushing Fire Fist!

"Cousin Lin Dong, let me see what you're capable of."

Outside the arena, seeing Lin Yan launch such a fierce attack right from the start, Qingtan could not help worrying for Lin Dong. Yet she was also afraid that Lin Dong might injure Lin Yan, leaving her torn with concern. Beside her, Lin Xiao wore a serious expression as he stared intently at the two on the stage.

On the Stone Platform, seeing Lin Yan take the initiative to attack, Lin Dong exhaled slowly. His vigilance rose to its peak. He understood that Lin Yan was unlike any of his previous opponents. To deal with him, he had to use all his strength.

"Pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa..."

Lin Dong's expression was solemn as he clenched both hands into fists. In an instant, a series of crisp popping sounds erupted across the Stone Platform—and there were nine of them!

Ninth Resonance Tongbei Fist!

Many faces filled with shock. Clearly, no one had expected the two of them to begin such an intense confrontation while the match was still only in its opening stages.

Which was stronger: Lin Yan's unique Stone Crushing Fire Fist, or Lin Dong's Ninth Resonance Tongbei Fist, cultivated to its peak?

Bang!

The next moment, a low, muffled collision rang out as their fists met. The powerful force sent all the dust on the nearby Stone Platform flying.

When their fists collided, the outcome everyone had expected did not appear. Lin Yan stood firmly rooted to the ground like an immovable boulder, while Lin Dong opposite him stood tall upon the Stone Platform like a great tree.

"Thud, thud!"

Their fists separated at first contact, and both figures staggered back. Lin Yan took three steps back, and Lin Dong also took three steps back. This result immediately caused an uproar throughout the hall.

"They're actually evenly matched..."

Looking at the two evenly matched figures atop the Stone Platform, everyone widened their eyes. Lin Dong and Lin Yan were the two dark horses who had risen during this Clan Competition, and Lin Zhentian had bestowed upon them the title of the Lin Family Double Heroes. Their fame had soared, but it had also drawn endless curiosity—who was truly the Lin family's number one genius?

What no one had expected was that the first exchange would end in a draw.

Feeling the power of Lin Dong's Ninth Resonance Tongbei Fist, Lin Yan could not help frowning. He had intended to catch Lin Dong off guard, but he had not expected his opponent to react just as swiftly and unleash the Ninth Resonance Tongbei Fist in an instant, resulting in an evenly matched clash.

Thinking of this, Lin Yan was not disappointed. Instead, the fighting spirit in his heart surged even higher. Battle—was that not the romance between men?

Lin Dong felt the same. Feeling the scorching heat on his palms, his wariness toward that mysterious flame increased by several degrees. At the same time, a fighting spirit like a blazing fire ignited within him.

"Cousin Lin Yan, be careful. It's my turn to attack!"

Light flickered across Lin Dong's body, and his gaze suddenly sharpened. His figure shot forward, fierce palm wind gathering around his hands with hidden supple force as he swept a palm toward Lin Yan.

Eight Desolations Palm!

Seeing this, Lin Yan first smiled faintly, then said with a serious expression, "I'm not the only one who knows the Eight Desolations Palm!"

Facing the palm wind rushing toward him, Lin Yan also moved both hands. His palms shot out like blades, and the sound of tearing wind instantly arose. Though they did not contain as much supple force as Lin Dong's, the fierce strength combined with Fire Force made his Eight Desolations Palm considerably more powerful than Lin Dong's.

On the Stone Platform, their figures crisscrossed as palms flew back and forth in an exceptionally intense exchange. Enhanced by Yuan Power, gusts of wind howled continuously, leaving the spectators unable to look away.

Lin Yan versus Lin Dong.

Eight Desolations Palm versus Eight Desolations Palm.

The scene atop the Stone Platform left everyone dazzled and exhilarated. Even Lin Xia and Lin Hong could not help lowering their proud heads in shame. They realized that if they were facing such an assault, they likely would not be able to endure even a few minutes, while these two had already battled for a quarter of an hour.

"Father, who do you think will win?" Gripped by the fierce battle onstage, Qingtan clenched her small hands and asked anxiously, torn with worry.

"Hard to say..."

Watching Lin Yan and Lin Dong's Fierce Battle on the Stone Platform, even Lin Xiao found it difficult to judge for the moment. Though both were using the Eight Desolations Palm, Lin Dong's contained a trace more supple force, while Lin Yan's was infused with fierce Fire Force.

If it had been an Eight Desolations Palm at Lin Hong's level, he would likely have been blasted off the stage long ago. Yet Lin Yan and Lin Dong were evenly matched.

So, determining who would win or lose was truly impossible for now...

As the two spoke, the battle atop the Stone Platform grew increasingly intense and reached a fever pitch. Deep, muffled impacts rang out continuously as palm struck palm.

Their entanglement continued for nearly another ten full minutes. The glow surrounding their bodies had also become quite bright. Clearly, both had pushed the Yuan Power within them to its limit.

When the radiance reached its peak, the two actually stepped back at the same time. Then, they suddenly swung out both palms, which crashed heavily together beneath countless watching eyes.

Bang!

As the light grew denser, the two of them simultaneously staggered back several steps. Clearly, neither could do anything to the other.

Lin Yan had expected this. He looked at Lin Dong and said in a low voice, "Cousin Lin Dong, since we are evenly matched in the Eight Desolations Palm, how about we each use our strongest move to decide the victor?"

Lin Dong's gaze flickered at those words, and he nodded. "That is exactly what I had in mind!"

The moment his words fell, Lin Dong's expression turned solemn. He clenched his fists tightly, and Yuan Power radiance flashed forth. Crisp popping sounds rang out across the Stone Platform once more—and once again, there were nine of them!

The people below the stage were somewhat puzzled. Though the Ninth Resonance Tongbei Fist was extremely powerful, it was likely not enough to defeat Lin Yan. Yet before they could react, another crisp sound suddenly rang out from the arena. In that instant, the entire Trial Hall fell silent.

Ten Resonances!

Tenth Resonance of Tongbei Fist!

Whoosh!

In an instant, everyone's gazes converged on Lin Dong. Many had encountered the first-grade martial skill Tongbei Fist before, and some martial artists had even cultivated the Ninth Resonance Tongbei Fist.

But the Tenth Resonance of Tongbei Fist was unheard of. Yet Lin Dong had achieved it. This was not as simple as adding one more resonance—it showed that Lin Dong's martial arts talent had reached a level that made others despair of ever catching up.

Seeing this, Lin Hong's face below the stage immediately turned pale. If Lin Dong had defeated him before, he had still been confident he could catch up. But once the Tenth Resonance of Tongbei Fist appeared, he realized that the gap between himself and Lin Dong was far greater than he had imagined.

"Damn it, Lin Dong! I never thought you hadn't even used your full strength when fighting me!"

Hearing this, Lin Xia looked toward Lin Yan, who had defeated her not long ago. Seeing the Black-Clothed Youth still so calm and composed, her expression grew complicated. Being defeated was not frightening; what was frightening was being unable to see even a sliver of hope of catching up. Since Lin Dong had hidden his strength, then Lin Yan surely could not be so simple either.

The Lin Family Double Heroes... were they truly a pair of monsters!?

On the Stone Platform, Lin Yan was not at all surprised as he watched Lin Dong unleash the Tenth Resonance of Tongbei Fist. Although Lin Dong had the help of the Stone Talisman, the fact that he could cultivate Tongbei Fist to such a level proved that his talent was among the very best.

However, with the battle having reached this point, Lin Yan's fighting spirit had surged to its peak. Gazing faintly upward, he slowly extended his right hand. With a soft puff, scarlet flames suddenly appeared before the eyes of the entire audience.

"This is..." As the red flames appeared, cries of alarm once more erupted throughout the arena. The terrifyingly violent aura contained within the flames, along with the majesty of ten thousand beasts, gave everyone present a scorching sense of pressure.

While the ordinary Lin family disciples were merely astonished, the Lin family members and invited experts seated in the guest area abruptly widened their eyes.

When Lin Yan had used Stone Crushing Fire Fist earlier, he had only wrapped the flames around his fist. Though eye-catching, the aura of the strange fire had been greatly restrained. But now that Lin Yan had truly summoned the Ten Thousand Beast Spirit Fire, everyone finally felt the terrifying, violent power contained within those flames.

"Th-this flame is terrifying. How did Lin Yan manage to subdue such a flame?" In the guest area, Lin Zhentian stared at the flames in Lin Yan's hand, his face full of shock.

The people of the Tianxuan Continent knew nothing about strange fires, but as a veteran Heavenly Origin Realm expert, Lin Zhentian could sense the power contained within the flame in the youth's hand. He was immediately struck by indescribable disbelief.

His solemn eyes then examined Lin Yan once more. Lin Dong's Tenth Resonance of Tongbei Fist had already shocked him enough. Having lived so many years, Lin Zhentian had never heard of anyone cultivating the Tenth Resonance of Tongbei Fist. Before his shock had even faded, Lin Yan gave him another enormous surprise. Even after decades of cultivation, Lin Zhentian had likewise never seen or heard of such terrifying, violent flames.

"It seems my Lin family has produced two remarkable youngsters." The surprise faded from Lin Zhentian's face, replaced by anticipation. The Lin Family Double Heroes had given him hope—hope of returning to the Inner Clan.

At this moment, on the Stone Platform, Lin Dong finally got a clear look at the terrifying, violent red flames in Lin Yan's hand, and he too was deeply shocked.

He had long expected Lin Yan to be far from simple, but when he truly witnessed the other's formidable strength, he felt immense pressure. Yet in the next instant, an incomparably powerful fighting spirit ignited within him!

"Cousin Lin Yan, be careful!"

The moment his words fell, a fierce gust tore toward Lin Yan. The Tenth Resonance of Tongbei Fist, accompanied by a thunderous roar, suddenly blasted toward Lin Yan amid the tense and excited gazes of the crowd!

Tenth Resonance of Tongbei Fist!

Lin Yan's expression turned solemn. Though he had summoned the strange fire, he did not dare lower his guard in the slightest. After all, his opponent was the future Martial Ancestor!

His right hand spun, flames coiling around his five fingers. Accompanied by a fierce palm wind, terrifying flames surged upward, and the majesty of ten thousand beasts shot straight into the heavens!

Eight Desolations Fire Palm!

The Eight Desolations Palm combined with the Ten Thousand Beast Spirit Fire brought its rank close to that of a third-grade martial skill. Its fierce power, coupled with the terrifyingly violent force of the strange fire, made even some of the experts in the guest area feel a trace of danger.

As fist and palm collided, when the light at the center of the clash reached its peak intensity, the Stone Platform beneath them seemed unable to withstand the pressure and began to crack apart layer by layer.

Bang!

A resounding explosion erupted across the Stone Platform. The two figures were sent flying backward, taking several steps in rapid succession across the platform before falling off it at the exact same time...

Seeing this, the expressions of everyone in the audience turned exceedingly strange.

This was actually... a draw...