Mad Saber Martial Hall

"Xie Yingying, let me handle this." Lei Li gazed at her with tender eyes.

"Mm." Seeing Lei Li, Xie Yingying calmed down. When she looked back at Lin Dong, a smile involuntarily curled at the corners of her mouth.

"Lin Changqiang, Lin Dong?" Lei Li kept a gentle smile on his face. "Heh, I agree with what you said. But you need to understand—if the Mad Saber Martial Hall hadn't stirred up trouble, the Lin Family would already have been driven out of Qingyang Town like homeless dogs."

"Good one." Lin Changqiang rolled his eyes in exasperation. "You Lei and Xie families are practically sharing the same pants in every way, and you still have the nerve to blame the Mad Saber Martial Hall for meddling?"

The moment he finished, Xie Yingying's face darkened, and the smile vanished from Lei Li's face.

"Fine, it seems you Lin Family folks are all pretty good talkers..."

Lei Li narrowed his eyes and shrugged, then lightly clenched his fists, producing a series of cracking sounds from his knuckles. He looked at Lin Dong again with a grin. "I agreed with one thing you said earlier—in the end, it comes down to who has the bigger fist. And right now... maybe my fist is bigger than yours."

"Bam!"

Lei Li clearly didn't intend to give them time to react. The moment his words fell, he stomped the ground and charged straight forward. A dense, rich glow surged violently around his fist, and the sharp whistling of the wind made Lin Xia and the others' faces turn pale.

Lin Changqiang, sensing that his own Yuan power had mostly recovered, was about to step in when he saw Lin Dong move forward without looking back, saying, "Let me handle it," before charging straight at Lei Li.

"Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack..."

A series of crisp sounds rang out across the square almost instantly.

"Nine-Sound Force of the Through-the-Back Fist?"

Hearing the somewhat familiar noise, many people were startled and looked at Lin Dong in surprise. They hadn't expected someone so young to have already mastered the Lin Family's Through-the-Back Fist to its peak! But relying solely on the Through-the-Back Fist to block Lei Li... that might be a bit difficult.

As if aware of what others were thinking, just after the ninth sound rang out, a faint yet forceful sound emerged from deep within Lin Dong's body—so subtle that no one else heard it.

Two fists, each carrying a fierce, biting wind, collided with a thunderous impact under the tense gazes of the crowd. An invisible wave of force spread outward.

"Thud!"

A low, heavy sound erupted from the point of impact. The powerful blast of energy sent the dust on the ground flying into the air.

But the scene everyone had imagined—Lin Dong's crushing defeat—didn't happen. His body stood as firm as a boulder, rooted to the ground. Against Lei Li, who was at the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering, he had actually managed to block the blow!

"He actually blocked it..." Watching Lin Dong match Lei Li evenly, both the younger members of the Xie Family and the Lin Family had shock written all over their faces.

Lei Li's reputation in Qingyang Town was no small matter. Many speculated that within half a year, he would break through the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering and step into the Earthly Yuan Stage!

Among the younger generation of Qingyang Town, Lei Li had always been known as the undisputed number one. Yet today, he had been stopped by an even younger member of the Lin Family—a fact that stunned quite a few people.

Xie Yingying's expression shifted slightly, a hint of seriousness creeping into her eyes, but she quickly calmed down. In her view, it was indeed surprising that Lin Dong could block one of Lei Li's punches, but that didn't mean he was qualified to contend with Lei Li.

After all, Lei Li was at the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering, on the verge of breaking into the Earthly Yuan Stage—far stronger than Lin Dong's Eighth Layer. Besides, in their earlier exchange, Lin Dong had used a martial art, while Lei Li hadn't! So if they really fought, Lin Dong's defeat was almost certain.

Only Lin Changqiang frowned slightly on the sidelines. "Lin Dong only managed to block Lei Li's ordinary attack with the Ten-Sound Through-the-Back Fist. Even if I'm a bit stronger than Lin Dong, I'd probably need to rely on Fire Dance Whirlwind plus Holy Light Protection to win..."

"Cross-tier fighting is such a hassle." He narrowed his eyes. "It's much more satisfying to just crush people with raw cultivation. Once I reach the Earthly Yuan Stage, I'll drag Lin Dong straight over to claim the Azure Yuan Art. I'll focus on auxiliary cultivation techniques every day, and leave the martial arts for Lin Dong to figure out."

"Nine-Sound Force of the Through-the-Back Fist? Not bad, not bad." Lei Li looked at Lin Dong with a hint of surprise, then smiled faintly. "No wonder you had the guts to take me on. But... you might not be so lucky from here on out."

The moment he finished speaking, a dense glow spread over Lei Li's hands, and the fluctuation of Yuan power rippled outward. It was clear he was about to use a martial art.

The smiles that Qing Tan and the others had worn when Lin Dong blocked Lei Li instantly faded, replaced by worry.

Lin Dong took a deep breath, his expression grave. "Looks like I'll finally get to test just how powerful the Mysterious Gate Seal is, now that the Stone Talisman has perfected it."

"Heh, quite the lively scene here~"

Just as the two were channeling their Yuan power, ready to unleash their strongest strikes, a discordant laugh suddenly rang out. A dozen or so figures then swaggered in from the outskirts, walking straight into the arena.

These sudden arrivals were all teenagers around fifteen or sixteen, wearing identical uniforms. Embroidered on the chest of each uniform was a majestic broadsword.

"It's the Mad Saber Martial Hall!"

This group of youths exuded an air of arrogance. Leading them was a slightly lean boy with unusually large hands, covered in calluses and scars—clearly from constant saber practice.

At that moment, the boy first shot a sidelong glance at Lei Li, then grinned and gave Lin Dong a thumbs-up. "So you're Lin Changqiang, the one who took first place in the Lin Family's Clan Competition, right? Bold move!"

Lin Dong's face twitched. He pointed helplessly at Lin Changqiang, who was snickering off to the side. "I'm Lin Dong. He's Lin Changqiang!"

"Oh, oh, oh, my bad." The boy laughed heartily and scratched the back of his head.

"Wu Yun, this is between me and them. Don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong!" Seeing the grinning boy, Lei Li's expression darkened.

"If I didn't stick my nose in a little, you'd probably treat Qingyang Town like your own backyard, wouldn't you?" Wu Yun rolled his eyes, then turned a fiery gaze on Lei Li, even licking his lips. "Besides, since you love fighting so much, how about I play with you for a bit?"

Hearing this, Lei Li's face turned black. It wasn't that he couldn't beat Wu Yun, but the guy was notorious for being a shameless brawler who never knew when to quit—like a madman. Plus, he didn't want to completely offend the Mad Saber Martial Hall, so he couldn't really go all out against Wu Yun. Even he wasn't eager to fight this guy.

"Wu Yun, Brother Lei Li just doesn't want to hurt you. Is making a scene your Mad Saber Martial Hall's style?" Xie Yingying said calmly, trying to corner him with words.

But unfortunately, Wu Yun wasn't the type to care about face. Instead, he nodded seriously. "I don't know if it's the Mad Saber Martial Hall's style, but it's definitely my personal style. If you have a problem with it, feel free to bring it up—though I definitely won't accept it."

Xie Yingying frowned, her lips pressed tightly together, her face slightly pale. She felt like nothing was going right today. First, she ran into a violent brute who wouldn't listen to reason, then a sharp-tongued Lin Dong, and now a shameless scoundrel!

Lei Li, standing beside her, also twitched his face, his expression dark, and clenched his fists.

Just as the two sides were on the verge of clashing, a slightly helpless voice came from the upper floor.