Strong Face Slapping, Exhaling in Triumph

"…The thirty-second match is Lin Bao versus… Lin Chen!"

When the attendant announced the two names in a tone laced with strangeness and disbelief, it was like a ladle of cold water thrown into a pot of boiling oil, instantly igniting the entire martial arts arena!

BOOM—!!!

After a brief, suffocating silence, a volcanic eruption of uproar and commotion swept through the crowd!

"What?! Lin Bao versus Lin Chen?! Did I hear that right?!" "Heavens! What… what kind of luck is this?! Or is it… intentional?!" "Now this is going to be good! One is a genius at the peak of the Fourth Layer (albeit injured), and the other is the newly risen 'dark horse' trash!" "Dark horse? I say he's courting death! Brother Lin Bao has been holding in a lot of anger, Lin Chen the trash is dead for sure this time!" "Not necessarily, though? Lin Chen's performance just now was so astonishing, his foundation is solid, maybe…" "Maybe a fart! Mid-stage Triple Layer versus peak Fourth Layer? That's a whole major realm difference and then some! There's no contest!" "It's over, it's over. Lin Chen is about to be completely crippled by Brother Leopard just as he's showing some promise!"

Exclamations, discussions, schadenfreude, worried sighs—all sorts of voices churned and spread through the crowd like boiling water! Almost all eyes were fixed on the two individuals about to step onto the martial arts stage!

This dramatic turn of events was far more captivating than any previous match!

Amidst the crowd, Lin Chen lowered his head, a cold, imperceptible curve at the corner of his lips.

Luck? Perhaps. But within that "luck," there was a faint "guidance" from the Myriad Dao Furnace that only he understood. He wasn't passively accepting fate's arrangement, but within the rules, he had created the most advantageous battle situation for himself!

This was the outcome he wanted!

He wanted to, under the gaze of everyone, trample underfoot the grandson of the Great Elder, who had humiliated him countless times and treated him like an ant!

This would be his first step to holding his head high and deterring the petty! And the most perfect prelude to his "hunting" plan!

On the other side, the moment Lin Bao heard the match-up, he was stunned for a second, then his face broke into a ferocious, twisted grin of extreme ecstasy!

"Hahahaha! Good! Good! Excellent!" He couldn't help but burst into loud laughter, his voice filled with malice and cruelty. "Heaven truly aids me! Trash! You've delivered yourself to my doorstep to die! Watch as I beat you until your teeth fall out today! I'll tear your worthless bones out one by one!"

The few lackeys beside him immediately chimed in with fawning agreement:

"Congratulations, Brother Leopard! Congratulations, Brother Leopard! This trash walked right into the muzzle!" "Brother Leopard is mighty! This is the perfect chance to establish your authority with this trash! Let everyone know the consequences of offending you!" "Brother Leopard, don't hold back later! It's best to cripple him directly! Save us the trouble of seeing him around later!"

Lin Bao licked his lips, his eyes locking onto Lin Chen like a venomous snake eyeing its prey, as if he could already see Lin Chen kneeling and begging for mercy, being trampled under his feet and wantonly humiliated! The slight frustration and unease he had felt earlier due to Lin Chen's "astonishing debut" instantly vanished with this sudden "good fortune"!

In his eyes, this was simply a golden opportunity bestowed by the heavens to exact revenge and restore his prestige!

On the high platform, the expressions of the elders and family head also became exceptionally interesting.

The Great Elder, Lin Zhenhong, frowned first, seemingly surprised by this arrangement. But then, a hint of imperceptible ruthlessness and delight flashed in his eyes! He had been pondering how to find an opportunity to "reasonably" cripple Lin Chen during the test, and now the chance had come so quickly! Although he knew his grandson was injured, dealing with a mere trash at the mid-stage of the Triple Layer was more than enough! He was already planning how, after Lin Bao "accidentally" severely injured or even critically wounded Lin Chen, he himself would "heartbrokenly" step in to mediate and minimize the repercussions.

Family Head Lin Xiaotian's brow furrowed. He glanced at Lin Chen with a complex expression, then at the constantly grinning Lin Bao, and sighed inwardly. While he appreciated the potential Lin Chen had shown, he had to admit that facing Lin Bao at the peak of the Fourth Layer with a cultivation at the mid-stage of the Triple Layer offered almost no chance of victory. This match, he feared… was dire. He could only hope Lin Chen would be smart enough to surrender promptly and preserve himself.

The Third Elder, Lin Zhenyue, showed a flicker of regret in his eyes. He was quite interested in the young man with a "solid foundation" named Lin Chen and wanted to see his subsequent performance. He hadn't expected his first real combat match to be against the malevolent Lin Bao, especially when Lin Bao was seething with anger. It seemed this "good seedling" that had just begun to sprout might be nipped in the bud.

Under the gaze of myriad complex eyes from the entire venue, and with the attendant's loud announcement, Lin Chen and Lin Bao, one after the other, slowly walked onto the central martial arts stage, paved with bluestone, broad and sturdy.

The stage was large enough to accommodate dozens of people fighting simultaneously. At this moment, with only the two of them standing opposite each other, it felt even more vast.

Lin Bao stood on the stage, arms crossed, chin held high, a cruel cat-and-mouse grin on his face. He looked down at Lin Chen from a superior position. He deliberately exuded a powerful aura of the peak Fourth Layer of the Body Tempering Realm, attempting to crush Lin Chen completely with sheer presence.

"Trash! Didn't expect this, did you? Your good luck has run out!" Lin Bao's voice was icy and full of mockery. "Weren't you quite impressive in front of the Martial Proving Stele just now? What? Scared your legs have gone weak?"

Lin Chen looked up, his face still showing a hint of nervousness and awkwardness, his eyes even carrying a perfectly measured "fear" and "indignation," as if truly intimidated by Lin Bao's aura.

"Lin Bao… you…" he said, his voice "trembling," "What… what do you want? This is just a test…"

"A test?" Lin Bao acted as if he'd heard the funniest joke, bursting into laughter. "Yes! It's a test! A test of… how hard these worthless bones of yours really are! A test of… whether my fists can smash you into a pulp!"

His smile suddenly vanished, his eyes turning incredibly ferocious. "Trash! Kneel! Kowtow to me three times! Then break your own arm! Perhaps, I can consider letting you suffer less physical pain and crawl off the stage like a dead dog!"

Arrogant! Domineering! Unrivaled!

Lin Bao's words, clearly audible throughout the entire martial arts arena, caused a stir!

"That's… that's too much, isn't it? He's asking someone to kowtow and break an arm?" "Shh! Keep your voice down! Brother Leopard is angry right now, who dares provoke him?" "This Lin Chen is truly unlucky to run into the malevolent Brother Leopard…" "Hmph! Serves him right! Who told him to be so arrogant earlier and offend Brother Leopard!"

On the high platform, Lin Xiaotian's brow was tightly knit, a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes. Lin Bao's actions were truly unbecoming! But out of respect for the Great Elder, he couldn't immediately reprimand him.

Lin Zhenhong stroked his beard, a subtle cold smile playing on his lips, as if quite pleased with his grandson's domineering attitude. In his opinion, the strong should act like the strong! Crushing the weak was only natural!

Facing Lin Bao's utterly humiliating provocation, a chilling, bone-piercing killing intent flashed through Lin Chen's eyes! But on his face, the expression of intertwined "fear" and "anger" remained.

"You… you're going too far!" Lin Chen shouted, feigning timidity, his body even trembling slightly from "anger." "I… I'll fight you!"

"Fight? Hahaha! With you, a trash like you?" Lin Bao laughed even more wildly. "Fine! I'd like to see how you plan to fight me!"

Just then, the attendant serving as the referee (clearly someone from the Great Elder's faction, who turned a blind eye to Lin Bao's arrogance) loudly announced:

"Thirty-second match, Lin Bao versus Lin Chen! The fight… begins!"

Before the words even fell!

"Trash! Die for me!"

Lin Bao, unable to contain his killing intent and savagery any longer! He let out a roar like a wounded beast, and his entire body shot towards Lin Chen like an arrow released from a bow!

He didn't even use any flashy martial skills, simply pouring the power of the peak Fourth Layer of the Body Tempering Realm into his right fist without reservation, creating a fierce gust of wind as he smashed it towards Lin Chen's face!

He wanted one punch! Just one punch! To completely obliterate this trash who had shamed him! To leave him no chance to surrender!

This punch was powerful! Swift as lightning! Filled with intense killing intent!

The onlookers below seemed to have already foreseen Lin Chen's tragic end, his head exploding and blood splattering the ground! Many timid female disciples even closed their eyes in fright!

On the high platform, Lin Xiaotian's pupils contracted, and he was about to intervene!

However, at the very instant Lin Bao's confident fist was about to strike Lin Chen's face—

Lin Chen moved!

His movements weren't fast; they even looked a bit clumsy! As if he'd been scared silly and was just blindly scrambling.

He simply lurched his body sharply to the left, raising his arm at the same time, and with an extremely awkward posture, blocked Lin Bao's wrist!

This was the most basic blocking move he had practiced earlier! It looked completely devoid of skill!

"You're asking for death!" Seeing this, Lin Bao's eyes flashed with even more intense disdain and cruelty! This level of block, in the face of his Fourth Layer Peak power, was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot! He could already imagine Lin Chen's arm being directly smashed and broken by him in the next second!

However—

Bang!!!

A muffled sound, like heavy impact on leather, suddenly rang out!

The scene he'd expected, of Lin Chen's arm breaking and him screaming as he was sent flying, didn't happen!

Lin Bao felt as if his fist had slammed into an incredibly tough, yet strangely elastic steel plate! A massive recoil force, far exceeding his expectations, surged from the point of contact!

"Huh?!" Lin Bao's expression changed! His wrist throbbed with intense pain! It felt like his bones were about to crack!

And Lin Chen, using this recoil force, his body floated backward like a willow catkin, gliding several steps away. He looked disheveled, but in reality, he was completely unharmed! His face still wore an expression of "shocked and still shaken," as if he had only narrowly escaped death!

"How... how is that possible?!" Lin Bao clutched his throbbing wrist, his eyes filled with disbelief and horror!

This good-for-nothing... actually blocked it?! And... his strength... how could it be so strong?!

In that instant of contact, he clearly felt that the strength emanating from Lin Chen's arm was definitely more than Body Tempering Realm Triple Layer Mid-stage! That toughness and explosive power were even faintly reaching... Triple Layer Peak?!

No! Impossible! It must be an illusion!

It's because I'm injured! It must be my injury that's causing my strength to decline! This good-for-nothing just got lucky!

Lin Bao forcibly suppressed the shock and unease in his heart, attributing everything to his own injury and the opponent's luck.

The crowd below the stage was equally stunned!

"He... he blocked it?!" "Lin Chen actually blocked Brother Leopard's punch?!" "Although he looked disheveled, he really did block it! And he doesn't seem injured?" "What... what's going on? Could it be that Brother Leopard is really badly injured and his strength is greatly reduced?" "It must be! Otherwise, how could a Triple Layer Mid-stage block a Fourth Layer Peak punch!"

Discussions erupted again, but this time, there was a hint of uncertainty and doubt.

On the high platform, Lin Zhenhong's expression grew even more somber. Lin Xiaotian's eyes flashed with sharp light, his anticipation intensifying! The Third Elder, Lin Zhenyue, stroked his beard, looking at Lin Chen on the stage with great interest, as if he had discovered an uncarved piece of jade.

Lin Chen sneered inwardly. In that block just now, he had only used less than fifty percent of his strength and deliberately adopted the most clumsy posture, all to create the illusion of "luck" and "Lin Bao's strength being reduced due to injury"!

His "playing the pig to eat the tiger" strategy had initially succeeded!

"Good-for-nothing! You're courting death!" Lin Bao, having his first strike blocked by Lin Chen, and hearing the faint murmurs of doubt from below, became enraged! He felt immensely humiliated!

"Roar! Frenzied Leopard Claw!"

Lin Bao no longer held back! He let out a roar, his fingernails instantly turning black and sharp (a characteristic of cultivating some sinister claw technique). His hands transformed into a flurry of claw shadows, like a truly frenzied leopard, lunging at Lin Chen again with madness!

This time, he used his ultimate martial skill! The claw shadows were dense and impenetrable, tearing through the air with sharp hissing sounds! Each claw contained the power to shatter stone and a vicious, deadly force! He intended to tear Lin Chen to shreds!

Facing Lin Bao's storm-like assault, Lin Chen's performance began!

His feet moved with the seemingly clumsy yet secretly rhythmic Willow Catkin Movement Technique. His body, like a catkin in the wind, swayed left and right, narrowly weaving through the dense claw shadows to evade!

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Lin Bao's sharp claws continuously sliced through the air, even leaving shallow scratches on Lin Chen's clothes! It looked incredibly perilous! Each evasion drew gasps from the crowd below!

Lin Chen's face maintained its expression of "panic and desperation," "being overwhelmed," and he even let out gasps of heavy breathing to "cooperate," as if he would be torn to pieces at any moment!

"Dodging? Is that all you know how to do?! Don't run if you have guts!" Lin Bao became more alarmed with every strike! More enraged!

He clearly felt that each of his claws could easily tear the opponent apart, yet each time, the opponent dodged in an extremely "lucky" manner! It felt like punching cotton, unable to exert his strength! He was extremely frustrated!

What shocked him even more was that under such intense attack, this good-for-nothing could still last so long?! Was his meager true qi inexhaustible?!

Little did he know, the true qi within Lin Chen, both in quantity and recovery speed, far surpassed that of his peers! Coupled with the Myriad Dao Furnace secretly absorbing the faint Spiritual Qi from the air to replenish it, this expenditure was nothing to him!

"Dodge? I'm just... warming up!" Lin Chen sneered inwardly, but outwardly, he still "panted" and shouted, "Lin Bao! You... you're nothing special either! What? Didn't you eat? Your strength is so weak?"

Provocation! Naked provocation!

Although his tone sounded "lacking confidence," these words were like adding fuel to the fire, instantly igniting Lin Bao's already explosive rage!

"Ahhh! Good-for-nothing! I'll kill you!!" Lin Bao completely lost his reason! His eyes turned blood red, completely forgetting that he was still injured. He frantically channeled all the true qi within him, launching an even fiercer attack at Lin Chen without regard for the consequences!

However, the moment his moves showed a minuscule, almost imperceptible flaw due to anger and his injury—

Lin Chen's eyes flashed with cold light!

The opportunity had arrived!

His figure, which had been flickering like a candle in the wind, suddenly stopped!

No more dodging!

Instead, it was a powerful counterattack—like a fierce tiger descending from the mountain!

"Fierce Tiger Fist! Tiger Roars in the Forest!"

Lin Chen let out a low shout (also for the sake of performance), clenching his right fist. The strength of his Body Tempering Realm Fourth Layer instantly erupted with seventy percent of its power!

A fist intent, far superior to before, filled with masculine explosive energy, boomed out! It was as if a real fierce tiger was roaring behind him!

His fist, no longer "weak and powerless" as before, carried an unstoppable, destructive momentum, precisely and accurately, meeting the opening in Lin Bao's chest, revealed by his haste and anger!

"What?!" Lin Bao's pupils contracted sharply! He never expected that this good-for-nothing, who had been passively taking hits, would suddenly unleash such a powerful counterattack! That punch intent, that power... this was definitely not something a mid-stage Body Tempering Realm Triple Layer cultivator could possess!

He wanted to change his move to block, but it was already too late!

He could only watch as that seemingly ordinary fist, yet one containing terrifying power, rapidly enlarged in his eyes!

BOOM!!!!

A world-shattering roar! Like a heavy hammer striking a drum!

Lin Chen's fist landed squarely on Lin Bao's chest!

"Pfft—!!!"

Lin Bao felt as if struck by lightning! The entire person flew backward like a kite with a broken string! He spat out a large mouthful of blood! The blood even contained fragments of internal organs!

The clothes on his chest instantly tore apart! Revealing a clear, deeply sunken fist print beneath! One could even faintly hear the "crack" of bone shattering!

For this punch! Lin Chen used seventy percent of his strength! And he accurately struck near the damaged meridian node caused by the Qi Condensing Pill mishap!

Under the double blow, Lin Bao was instantly dealt a heavy injury!

The entire venue fell into a deathly silence once more!

Everyone stared dumbfoundedly at Lin Bao, who had flown back like a dead dog, crashed at the edge of the martial arts stage, and was struggling to get up in vain!

They looked at Lin Chen, who was still standing in his original spot, retracting his fist, with a hint of "astonishment" and "disbelief" on his face (perfect acting!).

Won... won?!

Lin Chen... actually won?!

And... with one punch?!

He defeated Lin Bao, who was at the peak of the Body Tempering Realm Fourth Layer, with a single punch, making him spit blood and fly backward?!

What... what the hell is going on?!

Everyone's minds seemed to have crashed! They were completely unable to comprehend the scene before them!

This was no longer a "dark horse"! This was a "prodigy"! A "monster"!

On the high platform, Lin Zhenhong abruptly stood up, his face ashen. He pointed at Lin Chen, trembling with anger, "You... you... you scoundrel! How dare you be so ruthless?!"

He could never have imagined that his grandson would lose? And lose so miserably?! So... easily defeated?!

The Family Head, Lin Xiaotian, was also stunned! He had envisioned Lin Chen might concede, or perhaps even survive for a while with some lucky encounter or technique, but he never expected this outcome! One punch! Just one punch! And Lin Bao was heavily injured?! Just how deep were the hidden strengths of this Lin Chen?!

The Third Elder, Lin Zhenyue, froze his hand mid-air as he stroked his beard, his eyes filled with unprecedented shock and fervor! Good kid! He was right about him! Such composure! Such strength! Such... acting! He was simply a born prodigy!

Below the stage, Lin Hu and the other cronies of Lin Bao were terrified out of their wits, their faces pale! If even Brother Leopard was defeated like this with one punch, what would happen to them if they went up? They wouldn't even be enough to fill his teeth!

Meanwhile, Lin Chen, after a brief moment of "astonishment," showed a look of "sudden realization" and "embarrassment" on his face. He cupped his hands towards the stage and said with "sincere" tone:

"Uh... Esteemed Elders, Family Head, disciples... disciples were a little too eager just now and didn't... didn't hold back, accidentally... used a bit too much force. Please... forgive me, Brother Leopard."

Pfft—!

Hearing this, Lin Bao, who was already gravely injured, was so enraged that he spat out another mouthful of blood. His head lolled to the side, and he actually fainted from anger!

Didn't hold back? Used too much force?

Was that even human language?!

Everyone who heard this couldn't help but twitch the corners of their mouths, their gazes towards Lin Chen becoming even more peculiar and wary!

This guy... not only is his strength monstrous, but his heart is also quite dark!

He injured someone and then twisted the knife!

Lin Chen, however, ignored everyone's reactions. He slowly walked to the unconscious Lin Bao, looked down at the once arrogant, now dog-like figure, his eyes cold, without a hint of mercy.

He squatted down and, under everyone's astonished gazes, reached out and began to rummage in Lin Bao's embrace.

"What... what are you doing?!" A few of Lin Bao's cronies mustered the courage to try and stop him.

"Scram!" Lin Chen didn't even look up, merely spitting out two cold words. A chilling aura emanated from him, causing the cronies to feel as if they were doused in ice water, instantly freezing them in place, daring not to move an inch!

Soon, Lin Chen found a small, exquisite storage bag emitting faint spiritual energy fluctuations from Lin Bao's embrace!

This was a low-grade spatial magical artifact, capable of storing a small amount of items. For ordinary Lin Family disciples, it was an extremely precious treasure! Lin Bao, as the Great Elder's grandson, was indeed well-off!

Lin Chen weighed the storage bag in his hand, a satisfied smile curling at the corner of his lips.

Then, he stood up, didn't even glance at the unconscious Lin Bao on the ground, turned around, and calmly swept his gaze across the entire venue, especially lingering on the faces of those who had mocked and humiliated him before.

His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached every corner, carrying an undeniable coldness and dominance:

"Who else thinks I'm a good-for-nothing?"

"Who else wants to come up and 'give me some pointers'?"

Silence!

The entire martial arts field was so quiet you could hear a pin drop!

Everyone who met Lin Chen's gaze instinctively lowered their heads or averted their eyes!

Fear! Awe!

At this moment, no one dared to associate the young man before them with the word "trash" anymore!

With a thoroughly satisfying and incredibly dominant victory, he had slapped every doubter across the face!

In the most direct way possible, he had announced his return!

Who was the real trash?!

The answer was self-evident!

A powerful comeback! A moment of triumph!

At this moment, Lin Chen was radiant!