The Fight to the Death Begins

"Quit dawdling. This is no fun at all—Six Fingers is less annoying than these two."

Watching Lin Dong and Song Cheng trade threats, Cang Wu couldn't help but curl his lip. They were fighting to the death, yet still wasting time talking. If it were up to him, he'd have started swinging already.

The young woman who had brought Cang Wu to the fighting arena quickly chimed in.

"Exactly. Neither of them is as carefree as you, young master. I was hoping I might get to meet that mysterious expert from the stories."

"Oh? They're finally getting started."

Cang Wu smiled faintly, then raised an eyebrow and turned his gaze toward the arena, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

A referee stepped into the arena. After reciting the rules of the fight to the death, he looked toward Lin Dong and Song Cheng and announced, "For this fight to the death, we have Song Cheng, head of the Song Family, against Lin Dong of the Lin Family. Both parties, please enter the arena at once!"

As soon as the referee finished speaking, Song Cheng leaped onto the platform. He cupped his fists toward the crowd and declared, "I, Song Cheng, am not one to bully the young. But this boy is ruthless—he crippled every meridian in my son's body. Today, I have no choice but to personally make him pay blood for blood and avenge my son!"

"You old geezer, don't pull the same stunt as your son and resort to a sneak attack when you can't win. Otherwise, I'll personally smash your dog's head in!"

Lin Dong sneered. He leaped down from the stands onto the platform and mocked Song Cheng, making the veins on Song Cheng's forehead bulge with fury. Song Cheng barked, "Then let me see what you're capable of!"

As he spoke, the formidable Primal Energy within Song Cheng erupted, making Lin Dong's expression turn more serious.

Judging by the aura within Song Cheng, he was even stronger than Wei Tong, and his Primal Energy was more substantial. Still, Lin Dong wasn't afraid. He was no longer the Lin Dong from Qingyang Town.

The next moment, before Song Cheng could make the first move, Lin Dong stomped forward and swung a punch at him.

Song Cheng's expression turned serious. Though he'd been talking as if he thought nothing of Lin Dong, in truth, he was quite wary of him.

Song Cheng had spent no small amount of time studying the battle between Wei Tong and Lin Dong. After all, although Wei Tong was a little weaker than him, he was still a genuine Lesser Perfection of the Yuan Dan Realm expert.

Even if Wei Tong's death had been due to his own carelessness, he had still fought Lin Dong for quite a while—and had even been suppressed by him at one point. That showed just how skilled Lin Dong was in combat.

So when Song Cheng saw Lin Dong take the initiative, he immediately went on guard. Primal Energy burst from his body, and he struck at Lin Dong with his palm.

"So he's all flash and no substance, too."

Up in the stands, Cang Wu watched Song Cheng make his move, scoffed, and shook his head.

The young woman beside him glanced at Cang Wu in confusion, then turned to look at the imposing Song Cheng. She couldn't help but feel uncertain.

Song Cheng looked so powerful that he seemed more than capable of easily suppressing Lin Dong. Yet the young woman couldn't help thinking that this handsome, refined young master must be right. For a moment, she was torn.

But the next instant, her eyes widened. She raised a hand to her lips, her gaze filled with disbelief.

Facing Song Cheng's full-force attack, Lin Dong suddenly changed his technique. He switched from fist to palm, from offense to defense. His arms met Song Cheng's, guided them, then redirected them.

Song Cheng's punch was immediately drawn off course, against his will, and his expression changed in alarm.

Song Cheng felt a suction force coming from Lin Dong's hands. His palm seemed to have stuck to Lin Dong's, and he could only follow its movements. Alarmed, he hurriedly braced himself and tried to change his move to counter Lin Dong—but Lin Dong wasn't about to give him the chance.

After guiding Song Cheng's palm off course with both hands, Lin Dong pressed forward, then slammed his shoulder into Song Cheng with an Iron Mountain Lean.

As an expert at the Lesser Perfection of the Yuan Dan Realm, Song Cheng had plenty of combat experience and quick reflexes. He hurriedly raised his other hand, wrapped it in Primal Energy, and struck toward Lin Dong's shoulder.

For an ordinary person, even an expert at the Lesser Yuan Dan Realm would have trouble taking that blow head-on. Anyone facing Song Cheng's palm would surely dodge.

But Lin Dong seemed not to notice it at all. He drove straight into Song Cheng's palm.

The moment palm met shoulder, Song Cheng's expression shifted.

Primal Energy, more substantial than that of an ordinary Lesser Yuan Dan Realm expert, and Spiritual Power, more refined than that of an ordinary Two-Seal Symbol Master, erupted together. They surged through Song Cheng's palm. When they collided with his Primal Energy, the force of the rebound made his arm ache fiercely.

But when that same force landed on Lin Dong's shoulder, it seemed to sink into a quagmire and vanish mysteriously.

Unaffected, Lin Dong even secretly devoured a wisp or two of Song Cheng's Primal Energy. At the same time, he let his elbow drop behind him and drove it straight into Song Cheng's abdomen, catching him off guard and forcing him back several steps.

"Whoa!"

The unexpected turn of events sent a wave of astonishment through the surrounding stands.

Clearly, no one had expected the young Lin Dong to drive Song Cheng back right from the outset—not when Song Cheng hadn't been careless in the slightest and had shown no mercy.

No—someone had expected it!

The young woman turned to look at Cang Wu, her eyes sparkling like the stars.

Under her gaze, however, Cang Wu shook his head helplessly and muttered, "That kid's such an idiot. They're already fighting to the death, and he's still playing by the rules. If he'd dropped that elbow another three inches and hit Song Cheng's dantian, the fight would've been decided in five moves—ten at most."

On the stands not far away, Lin Zhentian, Lin Xiao, and the others also breathed a sigh of relief. Xuan Su, seated beside them, smiled and said to Xia Wanjin, "Brother-in-law, I told you so. Maybe he really is a true dragon."

"Those are incredibly refined combat techniques. Every move is as effective as some low-tier martial arts. The expert who guided Lin Dong must have quite an extraordinary background," Xia Wanjin murmured, wonder in his eyes.

While Xia Wanjin was full of admiration, Yue Shan's expression grew darker. He hadn't expected that the country boy he'd barely given a second thought to not long ago had now become a thorn in his side.

Just then, a Blood Wolf Gang member squeezed through the crowd and whispered in Yue Shan's ear, "Gang Leader, our men saw the City Lord leave town not long ago. He still hasn't returned!"

"Are you sure?"

Yue Shan abruptly turned to the man. When he saw him nod, Yue Shan slowly faced Lin Dong on the platform again. A sinister smile spread across his face, and killing intent flickered in his eyes.

"Fate is truly on my side. Kid, remember this in your next life: this is what happens when you make an enemy of me!"