The two were locked in a fierce, inseparable battle. Lu Tao was extremely frustrated; the initial frenzy had completely vanished. This Lin Yun was like a Humanoid Demon Beast, his physical prowess far exceeding Lu Tao's expectations.
Not only that, but aside from having no Elemental Power, Lin Yun surpassed him in both strength and speed. Being beaten down like this by someone at the Eighth Layer of Body Refining Realm gave Lu Tao the urge to just bash his head in.
'Dammit. Since it has come to this, Lin Yun, don't blame me. I'll wear you down today even if it's the last thing I do.' With this thought, Lu Tao changed his fighting style.
He switched from a frenzied offense to a defensive posture. Clearly, Lu Tao intended to wear Lin Yun down in a battle of attrition.
Without the enhancement from Elemental Power, Lin Yun's stamina should drain much faster. Once Lin Yun was exhausted, Lu Tao could easily defeat him.
Lin Yun threw a punch, which Lu Tao dodged. Looking at his opponent, Lin Yun said, "Trying to wear me down? Then let's see which one of us falls first."
Knowing Lu Tao's plan, Lin Yun sneered, though he also felt a bit helpless. He had the advantage in strength and speed, but without Elemental Power, he simply couldn't break through Lu Tao's defense.
Facing Lu Tao was like trying to fight a turtle; he could only land ineffectual blows on its shell and had no way to inflict any real damage.
'If he wants a war of attrition, then so be it.' Lin Yun didn't shrink away from the challenge.
A quarter of an hour passed, then half an hour, yet Lin Yun and Lu Tao still hadn't determined a winner. The two were still locked in a heated battle on the stage.
"This... General, Lu Tao is trying to completely drain Yun'Er's stamina," a Vice General said to Lin Xiaotian as he watched the stage, a hint of worry in his voice.
Hearing this, Lin Xiaotian remained expressionless, but inwardly he was wondering if he should stop the match. When it came to endurance, a Body Refining Realm Martial Artist was no match for one in the Opening Realm. The gap between them was enormous.
"A duel between Martial Artists is a battle of both wits and courage. It's perfectly reasonable for Lu Tao to opt for a war of attrition. Surely the General isn't thinking of stopping the match, is he?" Lu Xiong said with a smile just as Lin Xiaotian was lost in thought.
He wanted Lu Tao to wear Lin Yun down precisely so that Lin Xiaotian would lose face.
Hearing Lu Xiong's words, Lin Xiaotian shot him a cool glance. 'This man is truly detestable,' he thought. 'Relying on his backers, he's never shown an ounce of respect for me, his commander.'
With Lu Xiong there, Lin Xiaotian dismissed the idea of stopping the match. It wasn't a fight to the death, after all. Everything now depended on Lin Yun himself.
For the first half hour, the crowd wasn't particularly impressed. But as time wore on, and a full hour had passed, some people began to show expressions of shock.
After a full hour of intense combat, Lin Yun was still as energetic as ever, showing no signs of exhaustion. Lu Tao, in contrast, had suffered a significant drop in both speed and strength.
"This... Since when are those in the Body Refining Realm so monstrous? Even an Opening Realm Martial Artist can't wear him out!"
"Is he some kind of Humanoid Demon Beast? His physical body is so powerful, and his endurance is incredible."
It wasn't just the spectators in the stands who were shocked; Lu Tao, who was on the stage, was growing even more anxious. 'It's been a whole hour! I can barely hold on anymore, yet Lin Yun is acting as if nothing's happened, his attacks not letting up in the slightest.'
Lu Tao had no idea that you simply couldn't measure Lin Yun by normal standards. A body tempered by Elemental Power possessed, in terms of pure endurance, more than ten times that of an ordinary Martial Artist.
Therefore, trying to wear Lin Yun down was simply unrealistic—unless, perhaps, his opponent was a Martial Artist at the Third or Fourth Layer of the Opening Realm.
'Hmph. Trying to wear me down? We'll see who wears down whom.' Sneering inwardly, Lin Yun intensified his assault.
Facing Lin Yun's sudden surge of power, Lu Tao, who was already nearing his limit, grew careless and took a direct hit to the chest. Even with the protection of his Elemental Power, the blow made Lu Tao grimace in pain.
"Lin Yun, stop! I admit..." Lu Tao no longer wanted to continue. He had reached his absolute limit, and a wave of extreme fatigue washed over him.
Before Lu Tao could finish, however, Lin Yun pressed his attack and shouted, "Alright, Lu Tao! Since you want to go another hundred rounds, I, Lin Yun, will see you through to the end!"
Lin Yun's voice boomed, and everyone in the Martial Arts Training Ground heard him. The spectators below looked on with admiration, giving thumbs-ups. That Lu Tao was a real man, to be so full of fighting spirit.
To have fought this far and still want to go another hundred rounds!
While the crowd looked on with reverence, Lu Tao was crying out in misery on the inside. He had no such thoughts at all; all he wanted was to rest, to get a good long rest.
"Lin Yun, that's enough! I already said..." Lu Tao continued, his misery palpable.
"What? Lu Tao, do you really think I'm a pushover? Fine! If you're so determined to wear me down, then I'll see it through to the end!" Repeating his previous tactic, Lin Yun completely ignored Lu Tao and shouted at the top of his lungs.
Lin Yun's voice echoed across the Martial Arts Training Ground. Hearing his words, Lu Tao nearly stumbled and fell. He was the one who had planned to wear Lin Yun down, but he never imagined the tables would turn and Lin Yun would be the one exhausting him instead.
Realizing that a verbal surrender was pointless, Lu Tao began to fight while retreating, making his way to the edge of the arena. According to the rules, falling off the stage constituted a loss.
A glint flashed in Lin Yun's eyes. He had, of course, seen through Lu Tao's plan. He discreetly moved to Lu Tao's side and deliberately exposed an opening, allowing Lu Tao to strike his lower abdomen.
Because both his Elemental Power and stamina were depleted, Lu Tao's strike didn't even carry one-third of his usual strength. It naturally failed to injure Lin Yun.
The crowd, seeing Lin Yun take a punch from Lu Tao, roared with approval. Lin Yun seized the opportunity, using the force of the blow to take two steps back and circle behind Lu Tao. Then, he delivered a swift kick right to Lu Tao's rear end.
'Not good, I've fallen for it!' Lu Tao's heart sank. But by then, Lin Yun's foot had already connected with his rear. He was sent flying three meters, right back to the center of the stage, where he landed face-first.
The general audience couldn't clearly grasp the situation on stage, but the dozen or so other young contestants and dignitaries like Lin Xiaotian in the stands could see it perfectly. Lin Yun now had the absolute advantage, and Lu Tao didn't even have a chance to surrender.
"Lin Xiaotian, don't you think your son is going too far? This is just a friendly sparring match. Is there a need to be so ruthless?" Lu Xiong snarled, his eyes burning with fury as he stared at Lu Tao on the stage.
Hearing this, Lin Xiaotian simply smiled faintly and said something that nearly made Lu Xiong cough up blood in a fit of rage.
"How is Yun'Er being ruthless? It's a sparring match. If Lu Tao knows he's beaten, he should just surrender. How can you blame my son for this? But I must admit, your son certainly is spirited. He's refusing to yield even in the face of death, haha."