I'm Not Convinced

The final round of drawing lots concluded, with Lin Changqiang "luckily" drawing a bye, while Lin Dong's opponent was a youth named Lin Guangjiang, who was said to have recently reached the Body Tempering Stage Six as well.

At the sidelines, Lin Xiao and Liu Yan both furrowed their brows slightly, and Qingtian clenched her small hands tightly, her face full of worry.

Only Lin Changqiang smiled faintly; no one understood Lin Dong better than he did! In his view, although Lin Dong was probably a bit weaker than himself, who had just broken through to the Body Tempering Stage Seven that morning, with strength second only to his own, securing a top-three spot in the Clan Competition should be easy.

Sure enough, their match quickly unfolded after drawing the bamboo slips, but the result surprised many. Under Lin Dong's nine-ring Through-the-Back Fist, even though Lin Guangjiang pulled out all the stops, he was still blasted off the stage in a few punches, losing his qualification.

"To defeat Lin Guangjiang so easily, it seems Lin Dong has inherited his father's talent from back then," Lin Zhentian said from the main seat, stroking his long beard with satisfaction as he watched his grandson on the stage.

"Lin Dong wins."

"Next match, Lin Xia."

A faint, barely noticeable worry flickered in Lin Ken's eyes.

"Versus Lin Hong."

Hearing her father's call, Lin Xia responded with a sweet voice, then twisted her slender waist and floated onto the stage like a butterfly, standing tall and graceful with a spirited bearing, drawing many young men's gazes.

Only Lin Changqiang rolled his eyes, feeling utterly speechless.

"Is all this flashiness really necessary just to get on stage?" Of course, he knew he couldn't blame Lin Xia; after all, in many of Great God Tudou's worlds, plenty of female characters made their entrances like they were in a beauty pageant.

Meanwhile, Lin Hong lightly leaped up from the other side, landing elegantly on the stage. He cupped his hands with a smile. "Sister Lin Xia, please go easy on me."

"If I went easy, I'd probably be the one getting eliminated," Lin Xia said with a pout, though a rare hint of seriousness flickered in her eyes. Lin Hong's strength might already be no less than her own.

"Begin!"

As the words fell, faint glows suddenly surged from both of their bodies—it was Yuan Power!

"Body Tempering Stage Seven..."

Seeing the shimmering light on the two, many spectators gasped in admiration. Though they had suspected it during the first two rounds, witnessing it firsthand still stirred emotions.

Reaching the Body Tempering Stage Seven at this age already showed considerable potential.

"At the same age, they're at Stage Seven and you're at Stage Five—how can you sleep at night? Have some ambition!" Many elders couldn't help scolding their children, leaving the youths silently fuming.

"Sister Lin Xia, watch out!"

Lin Hong shouted, light flickering over his body. His eyes sharp, he charged forward, his palms carrying a fierce wind as he swept a horizontal strike toward Lin Xia.

Lin Xia took a light step back, her right hand striking like an eagle's beak heavily onto the back of Lin Hong's palm, deflecting his force.

Seeing this, Lin Hong let out a soft shout, "Eight Desolations Palm," and his palm wind suddenly turned fierce, relentlessly enveloping Lin Xia as low whistling sounds rang out, marking its extraordinary nature.

Lin Xia's brows furrowed slightly as she dodged and weaved through Lin Hong's palm strikes, then seized an opportunity to jab her fingers like a sword toward his vital points, forcing him to withdraw and defend.

For a moment, the stage was a blur of intersecting figures, palms meeting fingers in an intense clash that kept the audience spellbound.

"Brother Lin Dong, who will win?" Qingtian clenched her small hands nervously, not wanting that annoying Lin Hong to come out on top.

"Hard to say..." Lin Dong hesitated, then shook his head. Lin Hong's Eight Desolations Palm had been honed to great proficiency, its wind fierce and unyielding, but Lin Xia's Spirit Sword Finger was no less impressive. "Changqiang, what do you think?"

"Lin Xia is definitely going to lose!"

Lin Changqiang waved his hand casually, grinning. Sure, he'd forgotten a lot of the plot from Martial Move, but he was pretty confident about this part.

Lin Hong had always been at odds with Lin Dong and had even mentioned proposing to Qingtian. If he lost to Lin Xia, how would Lin Dong get to slap his face later?

"Definitely lose? Sister Lin Xia's Spirit Sword Finger might be slightly less fierce than Lin Hong's Eight Desolations Palm, but it's far sharper," Lin Dong frowned, puzzled by the other's certainty.

"The problem is exactly the Spirit Sword Finger!" Lin Changqiang nodded with an air of mystery, starting to mess with Lin Dong. "Sister Lin Xia is young but lacks martial virtue—she doesn't follow the custom of shouting out her move names before fighting. She's already scared before the battle!"

"Heh." Lin Dong's expression turned cold, proving that men can change faces fast too. Qingtian gave an awkward smile and turned back to watch the match.

"Beep. Detected that Lin Qingtian's favorability toward the host has dropped to fifty-nine."

"..." Lin Changqiang's mouth twitched, realizing the joke wasn't all that funny.

By now, the fight on stage had reached a fever pitch. As fingers and palms clashed, the glow on their bodies grew brighter, clearly showing they had pushed their Yuan Power to the limit.

When the light peaked, both stepped back simultaneously, then thrust their palms forward again, crashing heavily together under the watchful eyes of the crowd!

"Boom!"

"Whoosh—smack"

A thunderous sound exploded across the stone stage, and both figures were sent flying backward, stumbling across the platform before landing off the stage at the same time...

Seeing both fall from the stage, murmurs rippled through the Training Hall; no one had expected such an outcome.

"Heh, well fought..." From the main seat, Lin Zhentian nodded approvingly at the evenly matched contest between Lin Hong and Lin Xia. Beside him, Lin Mang's face lit up with a smug smile as he shot a glance at Lin Xiao.

"This match ends in a draw. With four remaining, if there are no objections, Lin Xia and Lin Hong will tie for first in this Clan Competition, while Lin Dong and Lin Changqiang take second and third," Lin Zhentian paused, then continued, "Of course, if anyone is dissatisfied with this result and wishes to challenge further, they may speak up."

Lin Changqiang knew those words were mainly aimed at him and Lin Dong, since everyone assumed only Lin Hong and Lin Xia had reached the Body Tempering Stage Seven among the younger generation, naturally defaulting them to first place.

"That guy gets first..." Lin Dong muttered with a frown, looking at Lin Hong.

Sure enough, Lin Hong was smirking at him and Qingtian, then stepped forward, ready to seize the moment and propose to Qingtian.

But before he could utter a word, Lin Dong, who had been watching him closely, darkened his gaze and abruptly stood up, a resounding voice ringing through the Training Hall!

"I object!"