"Thank you for the match, Lin Dong."
Hearing Lin Dong concede, Lin Yan smiled and clasped his hands toward him.
Lin Xiao and Qing Tan soon came over from behind.
As soon as he arrived, Lin Xiao praised Lin Yan without holding back:
"Lin Yan, I never expected you to be so strong."
"Lin Dong and Qing Tan told me you were powerful before, but I didn't really have a clear idea."
"But seeing you today, I can tell you're truly impressive. Among the younger generation of the Lin Clan, you're probably the strongest."
With that, Lin Xiao asked Lin Yan:
"So, have you reached the Seventh Layer of Body Tempering yet?"
Lin Yan had certainly reached the Seventh Layer of Body Tempering; in fact, he had entered the Earth Origin Realm some time ago. But he was a low-key person who disliked drawing too much attention, and Lin Dong was here now. He didn't want to make him lose face.
So Lin Yan merely smiled and nodded, giving a vague answer without lingering on the topic. "Heh, you're too kind, Uncle Xiao. I'd say my strength is only passable. There's still plenty of room for improvement."
Seeing this, Lin Xiao was even more pleased with Lin Yan's manners. He smiled and patted Lin Yan on the shoulder, then turned to Lin Dong and said with a reproachful look, "Now you know where you fall short, right?"
Lin Dong awkwardly scratched his head.
After obtaining the Stone Talisman, his strength had advanced by leaps and bounds, and for a while, Lin Dong had indeed grown somewhat overconfident.
But sparring with Lin Yan had made him realize one thing: there was always someone stronger, and there was always a higher mountain.
At least, Lin Dong knew he had absolutely no chance of beating the Lin Yan standing before him right now.
So Lin Dong gave Lin Xiao an awkward grin and nodded. "Heh. I've certainly learned my lesson."
"Learning martial arts is important, but if you lack combat experience and there's too great a gap in raw strength, even the strongest martial art won't help you."
"You can't rely on one trick to win every fight. Martial arts are mainly there to deliver the decisive blow."
Lin Dong shared what he had learned.
Lin Xiao seemed very pleased after hearing Lin Dong's reflections.
Although Lin Dong had lost this time, and without a shred of suspense, it seemed he had still gained quite a bit from the spar. To Lin Xiao, that was enough.
"As expected of the future Martial Ancestor."
"So good at finding his shortcomings in defeat."
"Truly impressive."
Lin Yan silently gave Lin Dong a thumbs-up.
Compared to Lin Dong, Lin Yan had simply gotten a head start. Yao Lao had already begun teaching him, while Little Marten hadn't even shown himself yet.
So it was perfectly understandable that Lin Dong hadn't caught up with him.
"You boys, come eat!"
While everyone was still standing around, Liu Yan had already come out to call them. She had made the food while they were sparring.
Lin Yan and the others went inside to eat.
The meal was filled with cheerful warmth. Strictly speaking, Lin Yan wasn't part of Lin Dong's family, but they seemed to have accepted him as one of their own, treating him no differently.
Liu Yan even seemed especially fond of Lin Yan.
As soon as the dishes were served, she picked the best pieces of meat and placed them in Lin Yan's bowl, making Qing Tan a little jealous.
"Mother! Am I really your daughter? You haven't given me any!"
The whole family burst into laughter. Then Lin Xiao stood up and put a piece of meat in each of Qing Tan's and Lin Dong's bowls. "If your mother won't give you any, your father will."
"Father's the best," Qing Tan said with a giggle.
The happy meal lasted nearly an hour.
Beast meat was rare, and it made for delicious dishes, so Lin Yan and the others savored every bite.
But what mattered most was the warm, cheerful atmosphere. After all, sometimes the atmosphere itself was a rare delicacy.
Afterward, Lin Yan resumed his usual cultivation.
Over the next few days, he continued practicing Eight Extremities Collapse and successfully advanced it to the Great Accomplishment stage.
"Eight Extremities Collapse!"
At the Lin Clan's Back Mountain, Lin Yan punched a huge boulder. Powerful force burst from his fist, and under its impact, the massive rock was soon smashed to pieces.
"Good, good!"
"Young friend, your Eight Extremities Collapse has reached Great Accomplishment. Your fist is imbued with powerful Yuan Force and strength, giving it tremendous might."
"If you can take it one step further, develop Hidden Force, and stack eight layers of Hidden Force, then your Eight Extremities Collapse will truly reach perfection!"
Yao Lao's voice rang out from nearby. He shared his thoughts, a hint of surprise in his eyes as he watched Lin Yan. After all, Lin Yan had only been practicing Eight Extremities Collapse for a few short months, yet he had already reached Great Accomplishment. Even though Yao Lao had seen Lin Yan's terrifying talent before, he still couldn't help feeling humbled by it.
"It's mainly thanks to your excellent guidance, Senior Yao Lao," Lin Yan replied, as modest as ever.
"Young friend, there's no need to be modest."
"I only helped you get started. Everything after that was mostly thanks to your extraordinary talent."
Yao Lao smiled and shook his head. He knew better than anyone how formidable Lin Yan's talent was.
Lin Yan said no more. He casually struck out with a palm, using the Eight Desolations Palm, which he had already cultivated to perfection.
This was a Second Grade Martial Art of the Lin Clan.
But to Lin Yan, who had already mastered Eight Extremities Collapse, this was child's play. He had learned it with ease.
"Tomorrow is the Clan Competition."
"In that case, I'll take the afternoon off to relax. I'll bring Lin Dong and Qing Tan along to go fishing."
Lin Yan stopped cultivating, went home to get his fishing rod, and took Lin Dong and Qing Tan fishing with him.
Qing Tan was naturally happy to go. As long as she could be with Lin Yan, she always felt delighted.
Lin Dong, on the other hand, didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The Clan Gathering was tomorrow, and with such an important event coming up, they should be cramming and cultivating as much as possible.
Yet Lin Yan seemed so relaxed.
Was this what it meant to be him?
Still, Lin Dong didn't want to spoil the mood. Though he felt a little helpless, he agreed and went fishing with them.
The next day, as dawn broke through the clouds and sunlight spilled across the land, the Lin Clan suddenly burst into noise.
The Lin Clan's younger generation had arrived at the grounds early, ready for the Clan Competition.
Lin Yan wasn't late either. After a quick breakfast, he headed to the grounds.
But Lin Yan hadn't expected so many people to hear about him driving Lin Hong back last time.
As soon as he entered the grounds today, he noticed many people discussing him.
"Lin Yan's here."
"I heard he was the one who drove Lin Hong back last time."
"He's amazing! I never expected him to have hidden his strength so well."
"But I heard Lin Hong broke through again. He's at the Seventh Layer of Body Tempering now. I wonder if he can still beat Lin Hong."
Before you continue