After the final round of drawing lots, Lin Changqiang had the "good fortune" of drawing a blank. Lin Dong's opponent was a young man named Lin Guangjiang, rumored to have recently reached the sixth level of the Body Tempering Realm.
On the sidelines, Lin Xiao and Liu Yan frowned slightly, while Qingtan clenched her hands, her face filled with worry.
Only Lin Changqiang smiled faintly. No one understood Lin Dong better than he did! In his opinion, while Lin Dong might be weaker than he had been this morning, having reached the seventh level of the Body Tempering Realm, with his opponent's strength second only to his own, securing a top-three finish in the clan competition would be easy.
As expected, the clash between the two began swiftly after the bamboo sticks were drawn, but the outcome was far from what many expected. Under Lin Dong's Nine-Resound Tongbei Fist, even with Lin Guangjiang's full power, he was still knocked off the stage and disqualified.
"Being able to defeat Lin Guangjiang so easily, it seems Lin Dong has inherited his father's talent." From the main seat, Lin Zhentian looked at his grandson on the ring, stroking his long beard with satisfaction.
"Lin Dong wins."
"Next, Lin Xia."
Lincoln's eyes flickered with a subtle worry.
"Against Lin Hong."
Hearing her father's call, Lin Xia responded with a sweet voice, then twisted her waist and floated onto the ring like a butterfly. Her graceful and elegant figure, her heroic presence, made many young men's eyes light up.
Only Lin Changqiang rolled his eyes, feeling powerless to complain.
"It's just a ring, why make such a fuss?" Of course, he knew it wasn't Lin Xia's fault. After all, in the many worlds of Master Potato, many female characters' appearances were treated like beauty pageants.
At the same time, Lin Hong also leaped gracefully onto the stage from the other side. He smiled and bowed, "Sister Lin Xia, please show some mercy."
"If you do, I'll probably be the one to go." Lin Xia curled her lips, but a rare solemnity lingered in her eyes. Lin Hong's strength was probably no less than hers.
"Begin!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a faint glow suddenly appeared on both of their bodies. It was Yuanli!
"Seventh level of the Body Tempering Realm..."
Many people exclaimed in amazement at the shimmering light. Although they had suspected something while watching the first two rounds, witnessing this scene with their own eyes still filled them with emotion.
To have reached the seventh level of the Body Tempering Realm at this age was in itself a testament to their considerable potential.
"We're both of the same age, yet they're at the seventh and you're at the fifth. How can you sleep well? Have you achieved anything?" Many elders began to lecture their children, leaving the teenagers in a state of rage, unable to speak out.
"Sister Lin Xia, be careful!"
Lin Hong shouted, his body ablaze with light. His eyes were fierce, and he charged forward. A sharp wind emanated from his palms, and he struck Lin Xia horizontally.
Lin Xia stepped back slightly, her right hand like an eagle's beak striking the back of Lin Hong's palm, deflecting the force.
Seeing this, Lin Hong softly shouted "Eight Desolate Palms," and the palm wind suddenly grew stronger and fiercer, enveloping Lin Xia continuously. A deep, breaking sound echoed, a truly extraordinary sound.
Lin Xia frowned slightly, dodging and twisting between Lin Hong's palms. Then, finding the right opportunity, she thrust her sword-like fingers into Lin Hong's vitals, forcing him to withdraw his defense.
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For a moment, figures crisscrossed the arena, palms and fingers clashing in an intense frenzy that captivated the audience below.
"Brother Lin Dong, who will win?" Qingtan, also nervous because of the intense fighting on the stage, clenched her hands. She didn't want that pesky Lin Hong to win.
"It's hard to say..." Lin Dong hesitated and shook his head. Although Lin Hong's Eight Desolate Palm had been mastered to an extremely high level, its winds unleashed an incredibly powerful force, Lin Xia's Spiritual Sword Finger was no less impressive. "Long Spear, what do you think?"
"Lin Xia will definitely lose!"
Lin Changqiang waved his hand casually, jokingly. Although he had almost forgotten many of the Wu Dong episodes, he was still confident in this one.
Lin Hong had always been at odds with Lin Dong and had even mentioned proposing marriage to Qing Tan. If he lost to Lin Xia, how would Lin Dong possibly slap him in the face?
"Definitely lose? Sister Lin Xia's Spirit Sword Finger, while not as powerful as Lin Hong's Eight Desolate Palm, is more powerful than Bagua Palm." Lin Dong frowned, puzzled by her assurance.
"The problem lies with the Spirit Sword Finger!" Lin Changqiang nodded with a pretentious air and began to taunt Lin Dong. "Sister Lin Xia is young, yet she lacks martial ethics. She doesn't even follow the custom of calling out the names of moves before a fight. She's timid before the fight even begins."
"Haha." Lin Dong's actions proved to Lin Changqiang that men can change their expressions quickly. Qing Tan, standing by, gave an awkward smile and turned back to watching the match.
"Bang, Lin Qingtan's favorability towards the host has been detected to have dropped to fifty-nine."
"..." Lin Changqiang's mouth twitched, realizing the joke wasn't very funny.
By then, the battle on the ring had entered a fierce stage. As their fingers and palms clashed, the radiance on their bodies grew brighter, evidently drawing their inner energy to its fullest potential.
When the radiance reached its peak, they both simultaneously took a step back. Then, their palms swung forth once more, clashing forcefully under the gaze of the assembled crowd!
"Bang!"
"Whoosh—pa!"
A resounding sound echoed from the stone platform, sending both figures flying backwards, their steps stumbling across the stone platform before landing simultaneously on the stage.
Seeing both of them fall, the Trial Hall erupted in a commotion, clearly unprepared for such an outcome.
"Haha, well done..." At the main seat, Lin Zhentian nodded in satisfaction at the evenly matched performance between Lin Hong and Lin Xia. Lin Mang, standing nearby, couldn't help but smile, glancing triumphantly at Lin Xiao, who was not far away.
"Let's end this match in a draw. Now that there are four remaining, if all goes well, Lin Xia and Lin Hong will tie for first place in this clan competition, while Lin Dong and Lin Changqiang will take second and third." Lin Zhentian paused, then continued, "Of course, if anyone isn't satisfied with this result and wishes to continue the challenge, feel free to raise the issue."
Lin Changqiang knew this was primarily addressed to him and Lin Dong. Everyone assumed that among the younger generation, only Lin Hong and Lin Xia had reached the seventh level of the Body Tempering Realm, and naturally assumed they were first.
"That guy first?" Lin Dong muttered, frowning, and looked at Lin Hong.
Sure enough, Lin Hong was sneering at him and Qingtan, then took a step forward, ready to strike while the iron was hot and propose marriage to Qingtan.
However, before he could spit out the ivory, Lin Dong, who had been watching him closely, suddenly stood up, his eyes darkening. A resounding voice echoed through the Trial Hall!
"I don't accept!"