"Lin Changqiang."
Lin Changqiang looked at his opponent and politely saluted.
The young man opposite him smiled slightly, his dimples becoming more pronounced.
"Lin Jiejun."
"???" Lin Changqiang's expression became odd. "Do you like singing?"
Lin Jiejun was stunned. "How do you know? I used to dislike practicing, preferring singing. But my father always told me that children from poor families grow up early, and my mother said singing can't make a living, so I stopped singing."
"Alas," Lin Changqiang shook his head and sighed. "Young man, you were born in the wrong place."
Without waiting for Lin Jiejun to react, he unleashed the Eight Desolate Palm and charged at him. As Lin Jiejun frantically raised his hand to block, the blow had already reached him.
With a loud "crack," Lin Changqiang's right hand collided violently with the opponent's palms. The next second, Lin Jiejun was thrown back by the immense force, stumbling and falling to the ground, losing the match.
On the ring, Lin Changqiang remained motionless, unsurprised. As far as he could remember, aside from Lin Hong and Lin Xia, both Lin Dong's seventh-level Body Tempering Realm opponents, almost no one else in this clan competition was a match for him.
"Lin Changqiang wins!"
Lincoln, from the audience, gazed at Lin Changqiang in astonishment. He remembered that Lin Changqiang had only been at the third level of the Body Tempering Realm two or three months ago, and now he was probably only at the fourth or fifth level. He shouldn't have been able to defeat a fourth-level opponent so easily.
Hearing Lincoln's voice, Lin Dong, sparring with his opponent, took a moment to turn and look at Lin Changqiang. As if sensing Lin Dong's gaze, Lin Changqiang returned his gaze. The two exchanged a smile, their words speaking volumes.
"Bang!"
The next second, Lin Dong, in earnest, unleashed his mastered Tongbei Fist, sending his opponent flying off the ring.
"Lin Dong wins!"
In this round, neither Lin Changqiang nor Lin Dong faced any serious opponents, both managing to make the top ten without much fanfare. But because of this, neither of them showed much of their true strength. Some even thought they were just lucky, facing weak opponents.
Of course, Lin Dong and Lin Changqiang didn't care.
"Round two begins, Lin Changqiang."
Lincoln turned his gaze to where Lin Changqiang was, then pointed to Arena Number 3 in the center of the Trial Hall.
Since the competition had already reached the top ten, it was bound to be even more exciting than the previous round. Therefore, this round did not have five matches all at once, but was divided into separate matches to provide a clearer view.
Hearing Lincoln's voice, Lin Changqiang took a deep breath, and then, under the gaze of many people, he quickly stepped onto the arena.
"Against Lin Xu Ze!"
After Lincoln announced the other contestant, a young man dressed in black with a resolute face quietly stepped out of the crowd and steadily walked onto the stone platform.
"I've long heard of you. My name is Lin Changqiang." Lin Changqiang suddenly clasped his hands together, his face solemn. "I will do my best to defeat you!"
The young man across from him was visibly stunned. Although he calmly returned the greeting, he was deeply puzzled. How could he be so famous?
Offstage, Lin Zhentian and the others also locked their gazes on Lin Changqiang, each of them equally curious about his strength.
Only Lin Dong smiled faintly. No one understood Lin Changqiang better than he did. In his opinion, although Lin Changqiang was probably a little weaker than himself, who had just broken through to the seventh level of the Body Tempering Realm yesterday, with his strength at the sixth level of the Body Tempering Realm, it would be easy for him to secure a top five spot in the clan competition.
"Begin!"
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As soon as the words "bang"
fell, Lin Xuze's expression darkened, his eyes becoming serious. He stomped his foot onto the ground, using the momentum to charge forward. He clenched his right hand into a fist and launched a relentless attack at Lin Changqiang.
But to everyone's surprise, facing Lin Xuze's powerful punch, Lin Changqiang didn't retreat, but advanced. He stepped forward, taking the blow head-on with his chest!
"Bang!"
As Lin Xuze and the others stared in shock, Lin Changqiang merely grunted before thrusting out his left hand and fiercely grasping Lin Xuze's wrist.
Lin Xuze reacted quickly. He tried, but finding his fist unable to pull out, he thrust his left hand hard and struck Lin Changqiang's elbow.
Unfortunately, Lin Changqiang was prepared. His right hand, poised for impact, shot out, firmly grasping Lin Xuze's wrist. For a moment, Lin Xuze was stuck, unable to advance or retreat!
Amidst his opponent's slightly panicked gaze, a bright smile graced Lin Changqiang's handsome face. He thrust his arms outward, drawing his opponent's body towards him. Then, with lightning speed, he lowered his head!
"Bang!"
Seventh-level Body Tempering Realm vs. Fifth-level Body Tempering Realm, the head prevailed!
Lin Xuze collapsed to the ground, unconscious...
"...Lin Changqiang wins!" Lincoln was stunned by Lin Changqiang's display of strength and ferocious fighting style. After a moment, he reacted and quickly announced the result. "Come on, some people, quickly take Lin Xuze down for treatment!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Trial Hall, once so quiet you could hear a pin drop, erupted in resounding applause and cheers. Some even couldn't help but scream at Lin Changqiang's handsome, smiling face.
"Lin Changqiang! Lin Changqiang!"
"Lin Changqiang! I want to marry you in the future!"
"You're so strong and so handsome! This is so unfair!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Changqiang's eyes lit up, and he excitedly looked around the crowd. But he was horrified to find that among those who shouted to marry him, there were both men and women!
Frightened to the point of goosebumps, he quickly jumped off the stone platform and trotted over to Lin Dong's family. Seeing Lin Xiao, who was in the Tianyuan Realm, in front of him, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a little more secure.
"Brother Changqiang, you're awesome!"
Looking at Lin Changqiang to Lin Dong's left, Qingtan also smiled, his bright eyes twinkling in an adorable way.
"Boom, Lin Qingtan's favorability towards the host has reached 61. However, her cultivation level is lower than the host's
. Her skill and gift cannot be triggered."
"Thank you!"
At this moment, Lin Changqiang's face was filled with a professional smile, but the pain in his heart was known only to him.
"Not bad, Changqiang. You're quite well-hidden." Lin Xiao was also cheerful. Ever since Lin Dong used the spiritual fluid condensed from the ancestral stone to heal his old injuries not long ago, he'd been smiling more often than before.
"Third Uncle, you're too kind." Although Lin Changqiang often took advantage of Lin Dong in private, he naturally had to behave properly when meeting his father's parents. He scratched his head with a feigned innocence and then, without any psychological burden, teased Lin Dong. "Compared to Lin Dong, I'm still far behind."
"Oh?"
Lin Dong, who had been smiling faintly, noticed his father's eyes shining at him, and his mouth twitched. "Dad, I was just joking. Don't take it seriously."
Lin Xiao simply smiled, noncommittal, and turned back to the arena.
Soon, Lin Dong and the others began their competitions. With the exception of Lin Changqiang, those who made it into the top ten were all somewhat well-known among the younger generation of the Lin family, and nearly all of them were at the fifth level of the Body Tempering Realm or higher. Therefore, compared to the first round, it was naturally more exciting, often evoking cheers within the Trial Hall.
The five competitions quickly concluded. As expected, Lin Dong, Lin Xia, and Lin Hong all stood out with their impressive strength. With the addition of Lin Changqiang and another young man who was somewhat well-known within the Lin family, the top five spots in the clan competition were confirmed.
As the top five were announced, the atmosphere in the Trial Hall quietly heated up. They all knew that what was about to happen was the highlight of the clan competition!