On the platform, Lu Tao was on the verge of tears. He was no match for his opponent, yet he had no opportunity to concede. He was simply being beaten one-sidedly by Lin Yun.
Lin Yun, for his part, was thoroughly enjoying himself. He didn't land a single heavy blow to seriously injure Lu Tao, instead choosing to slowly, methodically torture him. In less than fifteen minutes, Lu Tao's face was a mess of black and blue, a truly miserable sight.
HISS… Many in the crowd below gasped. A man at the Eighth Layer of Body Refining Realm was brutally beating an Opening Realm Martial Artist, and Lu Tao was utterly powerless to fight back.
"Even though he's only at the First Layer of the Opening Realm, he's still an Opening Realm cultivator. This Lin Yun is just incredible." Some of the soldiers gazed at Lin Yun with admiration. The boy was a monster.
"Enough, Lin Xiaotian! My son, Lu Tao, has already lost. Don't you and your son take this too far!" Unable to restrain himself any longer, Lu Xiong's rage finally exploded, and he spoke to Lin Xiaotian with no regard for decorum.
"Lu Xiong, know your place." Hearing this, before Lin Xiaotian could even speak, two of his Vice Generals shouted with grim expressions. They were Lin Xiaotian's true confidants, men who had fought alongside him through countless battles.
At their shouts, Lu Xiong said no more, but his face was terrifyingly grim. It was clear he would not soon forget the events of this day.
Lin Xiaotian couldn't care less. He and Lu Xiong had never been on the same side, and there was no room for reconciliation. Even if this incident hadn't happened, Lin Xiaotian was already planning to deal with him.
No one would feel comfortable with a spy constantly by their side. So, even if Lu Xiong had powerful backers, Lin Xiaotian was determined to eliminate him—or at the very least, drive him away.
The commotion in the stands went unnoticed by the crowd, because on the platform, the most exciting part was just beginning.
Lin Yun lifted Lu Tao with one hand, a faint smile playing on his lips as he asked, "Eldest Young Master Lu, shall we continue?"
Dangling from Lin Yun's grasp like a helpless chick, Lu Tao's eyes were filled with venom. From his swollen face, a muffled voice emerged, "Lin Yun, if you have the guts, kill me! Otherwise, I, Lu Tao, will never let you off the hook!"
Having been beaten so thoroughly, Lu Tao was no longer afraid. He was certain Lin Yun wouldn't dare to kill him anyway.
Hearing this, the smile on Lin Yun's face only widened. Without a word, he slapped Lu Tao across the face. But he wasn't finished. He followed up with five or six more slaps before he finally stopped.
Watching Lu Tao get hit, both Lu Xiong and Lu Bingning's eyes burned with fury. From below the platform, Lu Bingning's cold voice rang out, "Lin Yun, release my brother within three breaths, or you won't be walking out of this Martial Arts Training Ground today."
Hearing Lu Bingning's threat, Lin Yun glanced at her, then looked away. Seeing that Lu Tao was still glaring at him with a sullen expression, Lin Yun said nothing and delivered another resounding slap to his face.
"You…" Seeing Lin Yun completely ignore her words, Lu Bingning took a step, about to leap onto the platform. But just then, a cold snort echoed from the stands, where Lin Xiaotian sat.
Simultaneously, an immense and powerful aura erupted from Lin Xiaotian's body. Sensing this pressure, the furious Lu Bingning instantly sobered up.
Lin Xiaotian was one of the three great generals of Yanhuang Country, a man with a fearsome reputation throughout the nation. In his presence, the current Lu Bingning was an existence he could snuff out with ease.
No one dared to make a move. They could only watch the platform in silence. As for Lu Tao, after being slapped more than a dozen times by Lin Yun, all of his earlier venom was gone.
His eyes, when they looked at Lin Yun, were filled with terror. He mumbled indistinctly, "Young Master Lin, I surrender! Stop hitting me, I surrender!"
Only then did Lin Yun finally release Lu Tao. Two soldiers from below the platform hurried forward and helped him away.
"Lin Yun is victorious and advances to the second round." A Vice General quickly rose from the stands to make the announcement.
Having successfully advanced to the second round, Lin Yun just gave a faint smile. Lu Tao was weak. Never mind entering the Opening Realm—even at the Ninth Layer of Body Refining Realm, Lin Yun could have defeated him with ease.
'I need to break through soon, or I'll miss the Academy's enrollment deadline.' Lin Yun thought to himself as he slowly walked off the platform.
The competition was supposed to finish in one day, but because Lin Yun and Lu Tao's battle had taken so long and it was now getting late, Lin Xiaotian announced that the remaining matches would be held the next day.
The crowd dispersed from the Martial Arts Training Ground. Walking beside his father, Lin Yun seemed no different than when he had arrived. Lin Xiaotian, however, kept glancing at his son.
"Yun'Er, when did you learn the Tiger Roar Fist?" Lin Xiaotian finally voiced the question that had been puzzling him.
Having already prepared an answer, Lin Yun smiled and replied, "I learned it by secretly watching you practice, Father."
"Hm? You learned just by watching me?" Lin Xiaotian was skeptical. He only ever practiced the Tiger Roar Fist once each morning and rarely trained with it otherwise. After all, for someone at his level, the Tiger Roar Fist was far too elementary.
But despite his doubts, Lin Xiaotian didn't press the issue. As long as his son was doing well, that was all that mattered. He couldn't be bothered with the rest.
Back home, Lin Xiaotian was in high spirits. During dinner, he even drank several large bowls of wine, much to the chagrin of Zhang Jingxiang, who nagged him relentlessly.
After dinner, as was his custom, Lin Yun went to the small hill outside the city to begin his daily Body Tempering cultivation.
Elemental Power continuously tempered his body, causing a faint glow to emanate from him.
'I can break through tonight.' Murmuring to himself, Lin Yun accelerated the speed of his Elemental Power tempering and began his push for the Ninth Layer of the Body Refining Realm.
The Elemental Power coursed through his bones and muscles, continuously remodeling and strengthening his physical body. Lin Yun was now at the peak of the Eighth Layer of Body Refining, just one step away from the Ninth Layer of Body Refining.
The glow emanating from him grew increasingly brilliant, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably. It was the rattling of his very bones, a sign that a breakthrough was imminent.
Finally, two hours later, the Elemental Power inside Lin Yun condensed, adhering to his skeleton like a second skin, as the Elemental Power from the surroundings flooded into his body.
This process continued for half an hour before the glow around Lin Yun slowly faded and disappeared. At that moment, Lin Yun slowly opened his eyes. 'I've finally broken through. The next step is to open my Dantian and enter the Opening Realm.'
Having successfully broken through to the Ninth Layer of Body Refining, Lin Yun felt his strength had nearly doubled. If he were to face Lu Tao now, Lin Yun was confident he could shatter his Elemental Power defense.
He casually stretched his limbs, and the bones throughout his body let out a series of satisfying CRACKS.