Dad Is Mighty!

"Okay."

Lin Hai nodded, his smile fading as his expression turned solemn. "In that case, show me where your confidence comes from!"

Before he finished speaking, the surging spiritual power around Lin Hai abruptly subsided. He suppressed his strength to Lin Chen's level.

Then his figure blurred. In the next instant, he appeared beside Lin Chen like a ghost and chopped down with one hand. The force behind his palm was not overwhelming, but it was as concentrated as a blade, slicing through the air with a piercing shriek.

Lin Chen's pupils contracted, but he neither dodged nor retreated. Using his fingers as a sword, he made a light slash across the side of the oncoming strike.

Pfft!

An invisible yet chillingly sharp force burst forth, striking precisely at the weakest point of the palm strike.

With a faint tearing sound, the concentrated force was knocked aside and scattered into nothing.

The sword energy had not spent itself. Even Lin Hai's outstretched hand felt a trace of bone-piercing cold.

Surprise flashed through Lin Hai's eyes. He changed moves in an instant, his palms blurring. Layer upon layer of palm shadows descended on Lin Chen's vital points like a violent storm.

Every strike came from a tricky angle, its force shifting unpredictably. They showed the seasoned skill of a man who had spent decades honing his palm techniques.

Yet Lin Chen moved like a fish through water. His steps seemed casual, but he always evaded by a hair's breadth. The sword energy he unleashed made it harder still for Lin Hai to press his attack.

After dozens of exchanges, Lin Hai grew increasingly astonished. Far from gaining the upper hand, he found himself faintly restrained by that sharp force, and his palms stung.

That... was no ordinary sword energy!

"Dad."

Lin Chen suddenly smiled. "If you only use the strength of the Seventh Level of the Spirit Martial Realm, you won't be able to beat me."

"You little rascal! Well done!" Rather than getting angry, Lin Hai laughed. "Then how about the Spirit Martial Eighth Layer?"

Boom!

Lin Hai's spiritual power surged to a new level. A weighty pressure bore down on Lin Chen, and every strike of Lin Hai's palm made the surrounding air hum.

Lin Chen's gaze sharpened. Sensing a genuine threat, he stopped holding back and seized his sword hilt with his right hand.

The sword rang out. Its gleaming blade swept forth wreathed in pale blue lightning, Sword Intent running through it. One by one, it dissolved the attacks of a Spirit Martial Eighth Layer fighter, leaving Lin Chen strength to counterattack.

Lin Hai was more shaken than ever. He abandoned his probing attacks, and his aura erupted like a volcano, soaring once again.

Ninth Level of the Spirit Martial Realm!

Violent spiritual power swept outward from Lin Hai, driving dust and loose stones across the ground.

He shifted his palms, and his strikes surged toward Lin Chen like towering waves, threatening to overwhelm him through sheer force.

Lin Chen's expression grew more solemn than ever.

Suddenly, a fierce, resolute edge surged skyward from within him, as though it could cut through any obstacle. It collided head-on with Lin Hai's sweeping spiritual pressure!

Boom.

A thunderous sound seemed to shake the sky.

The two powerful forces clashed and tangled in midair, each claiming half the battlefield. For a moment, neither gave way.

On one side was vast, surging spiritual pressure. On the other was Sword Intent, honed fine as a thread and sharp enough to pierce anything!

Lin Hai's pupils contracted. He had begun to suspect it during their fight, but seeing it before his eyes still shook him to the core.

"Sword Intent. My son has truly comprehended Sword Intent!"

While Lin Hai stood stunned, Lin Chen seized the chance without ceremony and attacked. Their figures crossed again like flashes of lightning.

Sword light and palm shadows clashed fiercely. The ring of steel and bursts of compressed air echoed across the Wasteland.

Lin Chen pushed his fully mastered Thunderlight Sword Technique to its limit. Every strike was as swift as thunder, and he fought Lin Hai, now displaying the strength of the Ninth Level of the Spirit Martial Realm, to a standstill!

"You little rascal... No wonder you challenged me at the Seventh Level of the Spirit Martial Realm. Now I see."

"You wanted to use this fight to understand the power of your Sword Intent—and to spare your father's pride..."

The thought filled Lin Hai with emotion.

"In that case, I'll give you what you came for. Your father will show you the true weight of the Tenth Level of the Spirit Martial Realm!"

He drew a deep breath and stopped holding back, unleashing his full strength.

Rumble.

In an instant, the immense pressure of the Tenth Level of the Spirit Martial Realm erupted without restraint. Like a raging sea, it swept across the entire battlefield with unstoppable force!

The edge of Lin Chen's Sword Intent, which had held its own until now, was crushed back by the sheer gap in cultivation.

In the end, it could only hold the ground within several feet of Lin Chen, struggling to withstand the vast spiritual pressure.

The pressure on Lin Chen multiplied. His once-fluid sword strikes began to falter, and the web of flesh between his thumb and forefinger went numb from the impacts.

Each time he met a blow head-on, the returning force sent his blood and energy roiling, leaving his meridians aching.

His Sword Intent was unmatched in sharpness, but it could not overcome a gap of three levels!

Only now did Lin Chen understand how his past opponents had felt when he had crushed them with his higher cultivation.

He could not win. He really could not win, no matter what he tried.

And as Lin Hai fought at full strength, his palm technique changed. He abandoned its elaborate variations for broad, powerful movements, returning to a simpler form.

Every palm strike looked plain, but carried tremendous weight. He was winning through raw power and overwhelming force!

After another thirty exchanges, Lin Chen's spiritual power was draining rapidly, and his sword strikes slowed despite his efforts.

Lin Hai spotted an opening. One palm knocked the Greenedge Sword aside, while the other drove straight toward Lin Chen's shoulder.

At the last moment, Lin Hai held back. His palm landed, but not with its full force. At the same time, a sweep of his sleeve brushed the sword tip aside.

Bang!

Lin Chen was sent flying. He planted his sword against the ground and finally steadied himself.

Silence fell over the battlefield. Only the wind rustling through the wild grass and Lin Chen's slightly labored breathing could be heard.

After a moment, Lin Chen caught his breath and conceded without hesitation.

"Dad, you're mighty!"

"I really was no match for you in this fight."

There was not a trace of dejection in Lin Chen's eyes. Instead, he beamed.

Though he had lost, he had found the limits of his fighting strength. He had gained a deeper understanding of how to use his Sword Intent and control his power—far more than he would have gained from months of training alone.

Lin Hai did not answer at once.

He studied Lin Chen with a complicated look. There was astonishment in his eyes, and emotion, and a trace of anticipation he could not put into words.

At last, he looked down at the fine cuts left by stray sword energy in his gray brocade robe. He slowly let out a breath and sighed.

"At the Seventh Level of the Spirit Martial Realm, you forced me to use my full strength to win... Chen'er, if word of this fight gets out, you'll make a name for yourself throughout the region."

Lin Hai's voice carried a note of wonder as he looked toward the horizon.

"When I was your age, I had only reached the Fourth Level of the Spirit Martial Realm. Forget comprehending Sword Intent—I hadn't even mastered a single Spirit-Grade Martial Art. I couldn't have withstood one strike from you."

His voice was full of praise.

But then his expression gradually turned serious. He frowned slightly, as though something was on his mind.

"Chen'er."

Finally, Lin Hai spoke. "Come to my study tonight. We need to have a long talk."