Lin Yuan's Strength

Lin Yuan gripped the Thousand Mountain Axe, looked at Resk before him, and spoke:

"I didn't expect to run into you first. I still remember the wager we made ten years ago."

The hulking Resk stared intently at Lin Yuan, saying word by word:

"The wager, I don't care! I only want... a battle!"

Hearing Resk's reply, Lin Yuan felt that the big guy before him seemed pure of heart, very simple, with his mind set solely on fighting.

The provocation from ten years ago must have been the idea of that bald guy, Barry.

"The battle will begin after the countdown ends. Five, four..."

A cold, mechanical voice echoed throughout the battle space.

Both Lin Yuan and Resk braced themselves, ready for action.

"Three, two, one!"

The moment the sound of "one" ended, the figure of the giant opposite him had already vanished.

Resk looked clumsy, but his speed was immense; in the blink of an eye, he had reached Lin Yuan.

"Blade-Breaking Slash!" Resk roared, his Domain of Metal erupting instantly as a massive golden axe, shimmering with golden light, slashed toward Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan was not afraid in the slightest; his Domain of Earth unfurled in an instant, while a portion of the mysteries of the Law of Space Origin merged into the domain.

Suddenly, Lin Yuan's Domain of Earth became even more heavy and dense. Earth-yellow currents permeated the domain, and the very space seemed to show signs of solidifying.

Lin Yuan had not specifically studied how to perfectly integrate the Law of Space Origin into his domain; this was an application he had automatically grasped while practicing the third level of the Thousand Mountain Secret Code after achieving a slight breakthrough in his understanding of the Law of Space Origin.

Although the fusion was still not perfect, it was far stronger than his previous combined domain of earth and metal.

With the heaviness of the Law of Earth Origin combined with space and the domain, Lin Yuan's current defensive power was truly astonishing.

In terms of defense alone, Lin Yuan was now not even inferior to Long Yun, who could crush his peers during the genius tournament.

After all, although Lin Yuan's fusion was imperfect, his comprehension of the laws was stronger than Long Yun's had been back then.

Lin Yuan did not use any secret techniques, meeting the blow with his axe.

"Clang--!"

The golden giant axe in Resk's hand, imbued with deep comprehension of the Law of Metal Origin, should have been incomparably sharp, but it bounced off the moment it touched Lin Yuan's Thousand Mountain Axe.

"Hm?" Resk's pupils constricted; this strike felt as if he had hacked into a massive mountain.

Seeing Resk's reaction, the corners of Lin Yuan's mouth curled up slightly.

Lin Yuan was very satisfied with his current defensive power.

Resk retreated rapidly, regained his stance, and attacked once more.

"Hah! Phantom Gold Slash!" Resk was finally getting serious.

The secret technique Resk unleashed not only condensed the sharpness of the Law of Metal but also drew upon a trace of the mysteries of the Law of Space Origin.

Outside the giant axe, a much larger golden axe shadow suddenly manifested.

Resk charged toward him again, his speed even faster than before.

Lin Yuan's expression remained calm.

"Earth Tremor!"

Lin Yuan uttered the two words. Instantly, the space covered by his domain became even heavier.

The second move of the Thousand Mountain Secret Code, "Earth Tremor," was inherently a defensive secret technique. At this moment, phantom images of mountains seemed to emerge around Lin Yuan, and his defensive power increased once again.

Previously, when sparring with the chubby Cohen, Lin Yuan could withstand the second-level moves of the Blood Edge God Weapon relying solely on his Domain of Earth and the "Earth Tremor" technique.

Now that Lin Yuan's strength had progressed further, he didn't even know what level his current defense could reach. Lin Yuan had always buried himself in cultivation and had never tested it.

The massive golden axe shadow smashed down toward Lin Yuan; beneath this axe shadow, Lin Yuan's figure appeared very small.

"Boom--!"

A violent collision sound rang out, and under the immense impact, dust and dirt rose across the grassland.

The spot where Lin Yuan stood was smashed into a deep crater.

Resk smiled confidently.

This was the first time since the start of the Ranking Tournament that Resk had unleashed the second level of the Space-Shattering Gold-Splitting Axe, "Phantom Gold Slash."

Although Resk had only barely grasped a trace of the Law of Space Origin, his comprehension of the Law of Metal Origin was very deep. The Law of Metal Origin was extremely rigid and masculine, possessing immense attack power.

Coupled with his high speed, he could hold his own even against Spirit Reader controllers, and he could always finish off his opponents with the fastest speed in every battle.

"Hoo... hoo..."

A gust of wind blew across the grassland, gradually scattering the dust.

The figure in the deep crater became clear.

Lin Yuan stood at the bottom of the crater, his entire body unscathed, having not suffered the slightest injury.

Resk widened his eyes, his face full of disbelief.

Rex had originally assumed that if his opponent took this strike head-on, he would be severely injured, if not dead.

Lin Yuan looked up, gazing at Resk outside the deep crater.

"My turn."

Before the words had even faded, Lin Yuan took a step forward, his figure vanishing instantly and leaving behind a lingering afterimage.

Resk had just intended to regain his stance and unleash Phantom Gold Slash once more, but Lin Yuan's speed was simply too fast.

Lin Yuan's movement technique was ghostly, and several afterimages appeared simultaneously all around Resk.

The afterimage directly in front of Rex suddenly solidified, revealing Lin Yuan's true form.

"Rift Wave!"

Lin Yuan swung the Thousand Mountain Axe in his hand, forming an earthy-yellow shockwave that tore through the air.

Shock flashed in Resk's eyes; he had not expected Lin Yuan to possess not only astonishing defense but also such terrifying speed.

Rex hurriedly pushed his Domain of Metal to its limit, raising his axe to block the incoming shockwave.

However, at this moment, Lin Yuan's figure vanished again, his original position once more turning into an afterimage.

In the next instant, Lin Yuan's figure emerged from an afterimage behind Rex, the distance between them now extremely close.

"Mountain Collapse!"

Lin Yuan shouted, swinging his Giant Axe with all his might.

Rex reacted instantly, turning around to prioritize defending against the attack coming from behind.

"Blade-Breaking Slash!"

"BOOM--!"

The two axes collided, erupting with a deafening roar.

Resk was blasted back several steps before he could barely steady himself. However, by then, the earthy-yellow shockwave from behind had already whistled toward him.

"Pfft!"

The shockwave instantly pierced through Resk's massive body, slicing him in two at the waist.

"Battle ended, winner—Lin Yuan!"

A mechanical voice rang out in Lin Yuan's mind.

"Student Lin Yuan, your current record is '111 wins, 0 losses'."

A flash of light passed, and Lin Yuan was teleported out of the Battle Space.

In the Virtual Universe, inside the Spectator Hall.

Layton's mouth hung wide open, his face filled with an expression of disbelief.

He had originally thought his disciple Resk would be able to win, perhaps just taking a bit longer than expected, but he had never imagined such an outcome.

Marquis Yuankun smiled with satisfaction, looking toward Marquis Golden Sword and Marquis Huanyu beside him:

"Well?"

"The junior brother truly has astonishing talent. His comprehension of the Law of Earth Origin is profound, and his Law of Space Origin is far beyond a mere entry-level grasp; he has actually managed to master the second layer of Ten Thousand Shadow Steps, the Ten Shadow Steps."

Marquis Golden Sword's tone was full of admiration.

Marquis Huanyu also nodded and said: "This little disciple of yours has a limitless future; he is far better than that youngster of mine."

Listening to the two men's praise, Marquis Yuankun felt extremely gratified.