At that moment, the other youngsters from the Lei and Xie Families stared in shock as Lei Li, widely regarded as the strongest of Green Sun Town's younger generation, was sent reeling by a single punch from Lin Yan.
"Lin Yan? I've never heard of him before. But he's strong."
"Exactly. That's the first time I've seen Lei Li get knocked back by someone his own age. Just who is this Lin Yan?"
"If I remember right, Brother Lei Li is already at the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering. If even he was knocked back by Lin Yan, could he be in the Earth Origin Realm?"
"A Earth Origin Realm expert this young? Impossible. Absolutely impossible!"
The youngsters couldn't help chattering among themselves, their eyes filled with wariness as they looked at Lin Yan.
Xie Yingying, standing off to one side, couldn't take it anymore. Annoyed by the frightened looks on the other youngsters' faces, she gave a cold snort. "All of you, shut up!"
"Lei Li was knocked back only because Lin Yan took him by surprise. In a face-to-face fight, how could he possibly be a match for Brother Lei Li?"
"So stop making stupid guesses and watch quietly!"
Lei Li, meanwhile, stared at Lin Yan with a grave expression.
He had already fought Lin Yan, so he knew better than anyone what the other boy was capable of.
Even allowing for the fact that Lin Yan had caught him off guard, Lei Li still felt that his opponent was very strong.
If Lin Yan's strength had been too far below his own, even a sneak attack wouldn't have been enough to break through his defenses.
What was more, Lei Li could still feel a dull ache where Lin Yan had struck him. He knew that even if Lin Yan wasn't his match, the gap between them couldn't be very large.
"Lin Yan, huh? I heard the Lin Clan recently produced a new genius named Lin Yan. That must be you, right?"
"I thought you'd be another good-for-nothing like Lin Hong. Seems I underestimated you."
"You've got some real ability."
Lei Li spoke to Lin Yan with a grave expression. He was no longer as relaxed as before.
Lin Yan couldn't be bothered to pay Lei Li any mind.
He let Lei Li talk to his heart's content, then turned to Lin Dong, Qing Tan, and Lin Xia and asked, "Lin Dong, Qing Tan, Sister Lin Xia, are you all right?"
The three of them were delighted to see Lin Yan arrive.
"Brother Lin Yan, thank goodness you came. Otherwise, this might've been hard to handle. I don't think I could've beaten that guy," Lin Dong said, relieved.
Qing Tan beamed at Lin Yan.
Lin Xia gave him a slightly haughty look. "You always show up at the critical moment. If you'd come any later, we'd have been in for a rough time."
Lin Yan gave an awkward chuckle.
But Lei Li was annoyed at being ignored. Without another word, he charged at Lin Yan. "Looks like you're the arrogant one here!"
Lin Xia hurriedly called out a warning. "Watch out!"
Lin Yan turned and stepped forward, easily dodging Lei Li's attack. He immediately followed up with Eight Extremities Collapse, slamming his fist into him.
"Think you're going to get the better of me? Last time was nothing but a sneak attack!"
Lei Li snorted and didn't bother dodging, intending to meet Lin Yan head-on.
Bang!
Their fists collided.
The result was a foregone conclusion: Lei Li was utterly defeated.
He had only used a Second Grade Martial Art from the Lei Clan.
Lin Yan, on the other hand, had used Eight Extremities Collapse, a technique on par with a Ninth Grade Martial Art.
When Lin Yan's fist struck Lei Li, Lei Li felt as if a small mountain had slammed into him. He was sent flying on the spot, tumbling across the ground in a wretched heap.
The youngsters from the Lei and Xie Families, along with Xie Yingying, were completely dumbfounded.
If Lin Yan had knocked Lei Li back before because he'd caught him by surprise—
This time, Lin Yan had beaten him fair and square, head-on.
They stared at Lin Yan in utter shock. "How is this possible? Brother Lei Li actually—"
"Heh heh, Lei Li of the Lei Clan got beaten this badly? Tsk, tsk, tsk. What a treat to see!"
More than ten figures suddenly leaped down from a nearby pavilion and appeared before the crowd. Then a faint laugh came from the boy leading them.
"Wu Yun. Mad Blade Martial Hall."
Lei Li struggled to his feet. Even now, his fist still throbbed with numb pain. He could only grit his teeth and endure it as he glared angrily at the boy in front.
"Wu Yun, is your Mad Blade Martial Hall sticking its nose into this too?"
Wu Yun smiled brightly. "The Mad Blade Martial Hall has always been fair. We hate seeing the strong bully the weak. The Lei and Xie Families are ganging up on the Lin Clan, so of course we had to step in."
"You!" Xie Yingying nearly spat blood at that. Anyone with eyes could see that the Lei and Xie Families were the ones getting beaten down, yet Wu Yun had the gall to lie through his teeth. She was furious.
"Fine! We'll remember this!"
Seeing how things stood, Lei Li knew there was no point hanging around.
He looked toward Lin Yan behind him and said, "Lin Yan, we'll settle our score at the Hunting War! Then I'll show you what regret really means!"
After leaving those harsh words behind, Lei Li led the youngsters from the Lei and Xie Families away.
Before leaving, Xie Yingying stole one more glance at Lin Yan.
"Brother, you're Lin Yan, right?"
"That was incredible! We saw it from behind—you sent Lei Li flying with one punch. You're amazing!"
"Lin Xia, your Lin Clan has really produced an extraordinary talent!"
Meanwhile, Wu Yun's whole demeanor changed once Lei Li and the others had left.
He'd been a prickly troublemaker just moments ago, but now he acted like an old friend, joking around. First, he praised Lin Yan, then he turned to Lin Xia to chat with her, clearly someone he'd known for a long time.
Lin Xia was still shocked herself, but with outsiders present, she put on a smug expression.
She rested her elbow on Lin Yan's shoulder and said to Wu Yun, "Of course. Lin Yan's the Lin Clan's super-genius."
Lin Yan modestly replied, "Brother Wu Yun, thanks for coming to help us out today."
Wu Yun and the others hadn't expected Lin Yan to be so humble. They'd assumed someone as strong as him would be arrogant, so his words left them feeling a little awkward.
"Brother Lin Yan, you're too kind. Even if we hadn't come, Lei Li and the others wouldn't have been able to do much to you. Your strength is just too impressive."
After saying that, Wu Yun gave a hearty laugh. "It's getting late, and we've got things to do, so we'll be off. See you at the Hunting War. Next time, I hope I get to watch you thrash that bastard Lei Li."
Wu Yun chatted a little longer, then waved with a smile and led his group away.
Lin Yan watched them go with a smile.
But as soon as he turned back, he noticed Lin Xia had crept up beside him without his noticing. Her face was so close to his that they were almost touching.
Lin Xia looked at Lin Yan with a mischievous grin. "I never would've guessed, little brother Lin Yan. You're already this strong?"
"Even Lei Li can't beat you. Tsk, tsk, tsk. You told us before that you were about as strong as we were. You're quite the one for keeping secrets!"
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