“Brother Lin Dong, you’re so good!”
Watching Lin Dong return to his seat, Qing Tan playfully smiled, giving him a small thumbs-up!
“You little rascal, you’ve really hidden your talent well!”
Lin Xiao smiled faintly, but there was no hint of reproach in his words! Lin Dong’s level had truly exceeded his expectations.
Moreover, Lin Dong’s performance today had truly brought great honor to Lin Xiao, filling his heart with excitement, even more intense than when there was hope for his injury to recover!
“Hehe…”
Lin Dong shook his head, chuckling. Seeing that Lin Xiao had no intention of pressing him further, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
In the arena, after Lin Dong’s match concluded, the other pairings also began one after another. Those who could enter the top ten were generally individuals with some renown among the Lin family’s younger generation, most of whom had already reached the Fifth Layer, or even higher. Therefore, these matches were truly spectacular, causing continuous cheers and applause to erupt throughout the arena.
The five matches quickly concluded with results! As expected, Lin He and Lin Hong continued to display their formidable strength, dominating their opponents. Along with Lin Dong and two other elite youths from the Lin family, they entered the group of the top five strongest participants in this clan competition.
After these names were announced, the quiet atmosphere in the Training Hall became somewhat boisterous and lively. Everyone knew that the upcoming matches were the true highlight of this Lin clan gathering!
The draw was completed; only one lucky person randomly drew a bye card and didn’t have to compete. Lin Dong’s opponent for this round was Lin Ting. Lin Ting was a youth from the Lin family, whose strength had reached the Sixth Layer of Body Tempering. However, for Lin Dong, this wasn’t a significant problem.
After the random draw, the match between the two immediately began. The outcome was, once again, exactly as everyone expected! Under the might of Lin Dong’s Eight-Shattering Fists, which had reached the nine-echo level, even though Lin Ting exerted all his effort to display his techniques, he was still sent flying off the stage with a single punch.
Thus, in this match to determine who would advance to the top three strongest, Lin Dong once again easily claimed victory.
Their match proceeded without any unexpected incidents, so as soon as it ended, everyone’s attention turned to the second match.
Because this match had piqued everyone’s interest, including Lin Dong’s. About to compete on the stone platform were none other than Lin He and Lin Hong!
Among the Lin family’s younger generation, these two were the most renowned. Many shared the same speculation: the champion of this clan gathering would undoubtedly be one of them.
But unexpectedly, a twist occurred; the two of them had surprisingly met so early in this round. Yet, it was precisely because of this that the match became even more thrilling and lively…
“Lin He!”
Lin Keng was momentarily stunned after seeing their bamboo slips, then suddenly called out.
Hearing Lin Keng’s announcement, Lin He gracefully responded. With a slight arch of her slender back, the petite and lithe young woman leaped onto the stage, her demeanor both elegant and vibrant, yet also heroic and spirited, causing many young men’s eyes to light up.
After Lin He ascended the stage, Lin Hong also leaped up with a dignified and imposing air. His white attire was quite handsome, causing many spectators to nod in approval.
“Sister Lin He, please go easy on me!”
Looking at Lin Ha, Lin Hong cupped his hands and smiled.
"Perhaps I'm the one who should be holding back!"
Lin Ha pursed her lips, a rare solemnity appearing in her eyes. With Lin Hong's strength, she feared she would have to go all out to contend with him!
Lin Hong smiled, a fiery glint in his eyes! Among the younger generation of the Lin Clan, Lin Ha was considered the most outstanding. If he could defeat her today, then who else but him would claim the top spot!?
"The match begins...!"
Below the stone platform, Lin Keng saw that both sides were ready, and then loudly declared in a deep voice!
As soon as Lin Keng's call ended, a faint aura immediately appeared around the bodies of the two people on the platform! That was their Primal Energy.
"Body Tempering Seventh Layer...?"
Looking at the rather thick auras around them, many in the Training Hall gasped in awe. Although everyone had vaguely guessed it when watching their previous matches, seeing it with their own eyes still made them inwardly exclaim in shock.
To reach the Seventh Layer of Body Tempering at that age spoke volumes about their excellent potential. If carefully nurtured, their future would undoubtedly be bright!
From his seat, Lin Zhengtian saw this, and gently nodded with a smile. The more outstanding these juniors were, the happier and more at ease he felt in his heart...
"Sister Lin Ha, watch out!"
The aura around Lin Hong's body suddenly flickered, his gaze sharpened instantly, and his figure abruptly shot forward. From his twin palms, bone-chilling palm winds swept horizontally towards Lin Ha.
Facing Lin Hong's biting palm winds, Lin Ha merely took a slight step back, her two slender, delicate fingers curled, arching like an eagle's beak, and rapidly jabbed repeatedly at the back of Lin Hong's hand, deflecting his palm winds downwards.
"Eight Desolations Palm...!"
Seeing his palm winds broken, Lin Hong let out a low shout. Immediately, the palm force in his hands suddenly became incomparably fierce and continuous, raining down on Lin Ha's head, emitting whistling sounds of rushing wind, truly extraordinary.
Enveloped by those fierce palm winds, Lin Ha's willow-like eyebrows furrowed slightly, her two fingers joined to form a 'finger-sword', deftly piercing through Lin Hong's palm winds, and thrusting directly at his body, forcing Lin Hong to withdraw his hand to defend.
On the platform, figures flickered back and forth, palms and fingers clashing with whistling sounds, extremely intense. Furthermore, amplified by their Primal Energy, the sounds of tearing wind continuously rang out, making the spectators watch without blinking.
"Brother Lin Dong, who do you think will win?"
Qing Tan was also affected by the intensity of the battle on the platform, her small hands clenched tightly as she nervously asked.
"It's hard to say...!"
Lin Dong hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. Lin Hong's Eight Desolations Palm had clearly been cultivated to an extremely proficient level. Its palm winds were as fierce as a tiger's, and its power was considerable. Lin Ha was no less impressive; the martial art she was employing was the Lin Clan's Second-grade Martial Art, Spirit Sword Finger.
This technique, at first glance, didn't seem to possess sharp power, but if cultivated to mastery, the fingers would become like sword tips. Therefore, even Lin Hong didn't dare to let her strike him easily.
Because of this, it was truly difficult to determine the victor at this moment, though in his heart, Lin Dong still hoped Lin Ha would win...
While the two conversed, the battle on the stone platform grew increasingly intense and fierce. Fists and palms clashed with sharp cracks, and a continuous series of dull thuds resounded.
After struggling like this for about ten minutes, the faint glow on their bodies had now become distinctly brighter. Clearly, they had pushed the Yuan Power within their bodies to its limit.
Just as that aura of light became most concentrated, the two simultaneously retreated backward, then both palms simultaneously pushed forward. Under everyone's watchful eyes, wave after wave of energy surged straight into each other.
Bang!
A loud, dry, explosive sound erupted on the stone platform. The two figures were flung backward, one to each side, their feet stumbling and scrambling for purchase on the ground, before they simultaneously fell off the platform.
Seeing both of them fall off the platform, a collective gasp rose from the Training Hall. Clearly, no one had expected the match to end this way!
"Haha! Not bad... not bad...!" Lin Zhengtian saw that Lin Hong and Lin He were equally matched in strength and couldn't help but nod with joy, laughing heartily. Lin Mang, who was nearby, also beamed at this, smugly glancing at Lin Xiao, who was not far away.
"This match is a draw! So now there are still four people left. If there are no further issues, then Lin He and Lin Hong will share the top spot, while Lin Dong and Lin Chen will take second and third place respectively. Of course, if anyone else wishes to spar, they may speak up..."
Lin Zhengtian stood up, smiled, and spoke. Given the situation now, the rankings within the clan could basically be determined, and there shouldn't be any further changes.
In response to Lin Zhengtian's announcement, everyone nodded. Clearly, there were no objections!
"That fellow got first place...?" Lin Dong frowned, looking at Qing Tan. He saw her clenching her small hands, her delicate and intelligent face filled with worry.
Lin Hong, standing in the middle of the arena, heard Lin Zhengtian announce the results, and the smile on his face became much more pronounced. He turned his head to look at Lin Dong and Qing Tan, a faint smirk playing on his lips, then suddenly stepped forward, intending to strike while the iron was hot and voice his request!
However, before Lin Hong could even utter a word, Lin Dong, who had been intently observing his demeanor, saw this, his gaze darkened, and he stood up abruptly, a voice immediately echoing throughout the Training Hall.
"Cousin Lin Hong! Although this junior is untalented, I wonder if Cousin would be willing to offer some guidance to this junior!?"