Ye Lin was speechless at the sight of Ren Dong putting on such an extreme display of bravado.
"I already gave you a chance. Since that is the case, I will make my move."
Seeing that Ye Lin had yet to act, Ren Dong formed a sword gesture with two fingers of his right hand and slashed at Ye Lin.
At once, an incomparably blazing sword light slashed toward Ye Lin.
Seeing this, Ye Lin silently thought to himself.
Demon Shadow No Trace.
In an instant, Ye Lin's figure turned into an afterimage before the disciples' eyes. With several swift steps, he arrived behind Ren Dong and threw a punch at his back.
Ren Dong had no time to react. His entire body was sent flying off the Arena by Ye Lin's punch, and blood gushed wildly from his mouth.
To avoid killing him, Ye Lin had used only thirty percent of his strength in that punch. Had he used his full power, Ren Dong might already have been dead.
"How... how is this possible? Pfft."
Ren Dong, lying on the ground, spat out a huge mouthful of blood and fainted.
At that moment, the entire venue erupted in an uproar.
Ren Dong was publicly acknowledged as the strongest among the Inner Sect disciples. Especially with his Great River Sword, even Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivators had to avoid its edge when it was unleashed.
He had lost... so quickly?
"Hmm? Not bad. This is rather interesting."
The beautiful woman in the sky looked at Ye Lin, a faint smile appearing on her face.
Meanwhile, the old man beside her stroked his beard, his eyes flickering without cease.
"Ren Dong versus Ye Lin. Ye Lin wins."
The Ninth Elder shouted from above.
"It's confirmed! Junior Brother Ye is definitely in the Foundation Establishment Realm—no, Senior Brother Ye."
"How could Senior Brother Ye be this powerful? This is incredible!"
The disciples below burst into cheers.
"This will be difficult now. Foundation Establishment Early Stage, tsk tsk tsk."
A chubby disciple beside Lin Zisheng wore a broad grin.
Lin Zisheng's expression, however, was unsightly. They had not met for a month—how had Ye Lin already reached the Foundation Establishment Realm?
"So what if you are in the Foundation Establishment Realm? Killing you will still be as easy as slaughtering a dog."
Lin Zisheng sneered inwardly. After all, he had forged a Third-Grade Dao Platform. At most, Ye Lin's could only be second-grade, right?
So what if Ye Lin was in the Foundation Establishment Realm? Beneath a Third-Grade Dao Platform, all were ants. That was Lin Zisheng's confidence.
The battles continued bit by bit. By the time of the second drawing, Ye Lin received a bye. There were only five people left, after all, so it was only normal for someone to sit out.
Half an hour later, only three people remained: Ye Lin, Lin Zisheng, and Li Miaoling.
"Junior Brother, step down. You are not my match."
On the stage, Lin Zisheng looked at Li Miaoling. A trace of affection flashed through his eyes before he spoke gently.
"In that case, Senior Brother, I'll step down."
Li Miaoling smiled sweetly, then flew off the Arena.
"Since core disciple Li Miaoling has conceded, the final match will be core disciple Lin Zisheng against Inner Sect disciple Ye Lin."
The Ninth Elder shouted, and Ye Lin stepped onto the Arena.
As the saying went, when enemies met, their eyes burned all the brighter. An indescribable aura spread across the Arena, and the air was thick with the scent of gunpowder.
"What is going on? It seems these two bear some deep-seated hatred for each other."
"Even standing below the stage, I can feel the intense scent of gunpowder between them. This battle will definitely be exciting."
The disciples beneath the Arena discussed it animatedly.
"So what if you have entered the Foundation Establishment Realm? You simply do not understand the gap between Foundation Establishment cultivators."
Lin Zisheng slowly drew the Long Sword from his back, his face full of cold laughter.
"Then I will have to ask Senior Brother for guidance."
Ye Lin said in a low voice.
At that moment, Lin Zisheng abruptly increased the speed of his draw. Before the disciples below could see clearly, an incomparably blazing sword light slashed toward Ye Lin.
Sword Slashes Heaven and Earth.
Seven Kill Fist, kill.
Ye Lin narrowed his eyes slightly. His right hand clenched into a fist, and he no longer concealed the aura of his Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation as he punched toward the sword light.
With a tremendous boom, the originally fierce sword light was shattered by Ye Lin's punch. Ye Lin took three steps back, yet stood firmly upon the Arena, while Lin Zisheng's feet did not move in the slightest.
"To be able to receive one strike from my sword, you are quite impressive."
Lin Zisheng was slightly surprised. Ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators could not withstand that strike at all.
"Hiss, so powerful. Especially Senior Brother Ye's punch just now—if it had landed on me, I might have died on the spot."
A Foundation Establishment Realm Inner Sect disciple beneath the stage said gravely. At his words, the surrounding disciples all sucked in a cold breath.
Even a Foundation Establishment senior brother said so. Wouldn't they be blown apart by a single punch?
"Interesting. He has not used his full strength. What secrets does he possess?"
The beautiful woman watching from the sky developed a keen interest in Ye Lin. She then extended a fair, delicate finger and pointed. A layer of light covered the entire Arena.
From outside, nothing could be seen at all.
As a Golden Core cultivator, she could see through the clues at a glance. Ye Lin had not used his full strength—or rather, he had not even revealed half of it.
What exactly was this person worried about?
The two people at the center of the Arena also noticed the change.
"Someone has acted to conceal the Arena?"
Ye Lin looked around and saw an earthen-yellow glow appear along the Arena's edge. This glow could block perception. In other words, the Arena had been isolated by some great expert using immense magical power.
"Just as I wished."
A smile appeared on Ye Lin's face. He had too many secrets that could not be exposed, but now he could finally fight without restraint.
Since someone had shielded the Arena, it meant that person bore him no ill will.
Moreover, this light curtain was not something a Foundation Establishment cultivator could create. The person who acted was very likely that mysterious Tenth Elder.
Seven Kill Fist, kill.
Ye Lin gave a cold snort and threw a punch at Lin Zisheng.
Sword Slashes Heaven and Earth, slash.
Seeing Ye Lin charging in fiercely, Lin Zisheng did not dare to be careless. He immediately mobilized the spiritual power throughout his body and slashed out with his sword.
A Heaven-Shaking sword light appeared, as if it would split the entire Arena in two.
The next moment, Ye Lin's punch struck the sword light. The originally incomparably powerful Sword Qi was directly blasted apart by his fist.
Without losing momentum, Ye Lin's punch slammed directly into Lin Zisheng's chest and sent him flying.
Lin Zisheng's body crashed against the edge of the Arena, and he sprawled over it in a miserable state.
"I never expected that, within a single month, you would grow to such a degree. I underestimated you."
Lin Zisheng stood up awkwardly, looking at Ye Lin with a sinister tone.
"But you revealed yourself too early."
Lin Zisheng suddenly burst into laughter. Then, his entire body was engulfed by purple flames.
"See this clearly. Mystic-Grade High-Tier Spirit Fire. Today, I will definitely kill you."
Spirit Fire coiled around Lin Zisheng's body, making him look like a celestial god descending into the world, incomparably arrogant.
Seeing this, Ye Lin felt somewhat strange. Mystic-Grade High-Tier Spirit Fire? It was not enough to look at.
Yet at that moment, the Spirit Fire received the empowerment of a mysterious force and grew even stronger. Even Ye Lin, standing some distance away, could feel a slight burning sensation.
"Now that I have the support of Mystic-Grade High-Tier Spirit Fire and possess a Third-Grade Dao Platform, what do you have to defeat me?"
Lin Zisheng said arrogantly to Ye Lin.
Ye Lin understood that Lin Zisheng was using a psychological tactic. If it had been anyone else, they might already have fallen into despair. Then Lin Zisheng would crush them with overwhelming force, perhaps shattering the defeated person's Dao heart.
First, make you feel despair. Then defeat you within that despair, leaving you no possibility of ever rising again.
Before you continue