Lin Xuan didn't need to be polite with Lin Hai either.
Hearing this, Lin Hai's face turned cold. Without another word, he charged straight at Lin Xuan.
"Wind-Sweeping Palm!"
With a single palm strike, the wind howled, the force surged, and its power was formidable.
Determined to teach Lin Xuan a harsh lesson, Lin Hai held nothing back with this palm strike.
Even other Body Refining Layer 8 cultivators would find it nearly impossible to withstand.
This time, Lin Xuan would surely be severely injured!
Lin Hai sneered inwardly.
On the square, everyone's gaze converged.
Many disciples sensed the might of Lin Hai's palm strike and their expressions shifted slightly.
Most of them couldn't block it.
Lin Xuan would likely struggle too.
They all stared intently at the arena, eager to see how Lin Xuan would respond.
On the arena.
Feeling the howling wind and the explosive force of the palm tearing through the air, Lin Xuan's expression remained unchanged as he delivered a punch.
"Stone-Crushing Fist!"
The fist's power was ferocious, piercing through layers of air with a force like splitting metal and crushing stone, meeting Lin Hai head-on.
The surrounding disciples gasped in surprise when they saw Lin Xuan choose to clash directly with Lin Hai instead of dodging.
Lin Shiyun watched this scene, filled with deep worry.
Many other disciples wore gleeful smiles, eagerly anticipating Lin Xuan's miserable defeat.
The next moment, on the arena, fist and palm collided.
Crack!
A sharp sound rang out.
After the exchange, both retreated backward.
But the outcome still exceeded nearly everyone's expectations.
Lin Xuan stepped back three times before stopping and steadying himself.
On the other side, Lin Hai, as if struck hard, stumbled backward for dozens of meters before barely halting.
His entire body trembled uncontrollably.
Ah!
Then, a scream rang out, drawing everyone's attention.
They saw blood dripping from Lin Hai's hand, and his entire right arm was bent at an irregular angle—broken.
Witnessing this, the disciples in the training ground froze, their eyes wide with disbelief.
After a long moment, some gradually came to their senses.
Hiss...
A wave of sharp intakes of breath spread.
The arena erupted into chaos.
"Is this for real? With one strike, Lin Xuan defeated Lin Hai?"
"Lin Xuan's strength is this formidable? Even Lin Hai couldn't withstand his punch?"
"It seems Lin Xuan has been hiding his true abilities all along?"
"..."
The disciples buzzed with noise, their gazes fixed on Lin Xuan on the arena, filled with shock.
None of them had expected Lin Xuan to win this match.
And he had defeated Lin Hai with a single punch.
This scene was almost too hard for them to believe.
In the crowd, Lin Shiyun's expression froze for a moment, then turned to joy.
She had thought Lin Xuan would suffer serious injuries, but instead, he, at Body Refining Layer 7, had reversed the defeat of Lin Hai at Layer 8.
This outcome filled her with unexpected delight.
Meanwhile, the disciples aligned with the Grand Elder and Lin Hai's lackeys were stunned, utterly unable to believe that Lin Hai, one of the Lin family's three geniuses, had been defeated.
And by Lin Xuan, no less.
On the high platform, the Lin family's high-ranking members were also greatly shocked.
The three geniuses of the Lin family had long held unshakable positions, rarely challenged.
Today, one of them, Lin Hai, had been defeated by Lin Xuan in a single move, catching them off guard.
The Lin family's Grand Elder, Lin Qiyu, stared at Lin Hai's miserable state on the arena, his face first stiff with disbelief.
After hearing Lin Hai's screams, he snapped back to reality, rage surging in his chest as he bellowed:
"How dare you! As fellow Lin family disciples, in a sparring match, you'd strike so viciously? Watch me teach you a lesson!"
With that, he unleashed the aura of the Qi-Gathering Realm, ready to charge down from the high platform.
"Enough, Grand Elder. Injuries are inevitable in sparring among peers. As an elder, you should refrain from interfering."
A voice rang out.
Though calm, it carried an invisible force.
In an instant, it suppressed Lin Qiyu's aura and forced him back into his seat involuntarily.
All the Lin family high-ranking members turned to look.
They saw a tall, handsome middle-aged man in white robes sitting nearby, smiling faintly at them.
Seeing this man, the high-ranking members' hearts jolted, their gazes shifting to wariness and reverence as they quickly looked away.
Even Lin Qiyu, who had been about to reprimand Lin Xuan, wilted like a frostbitten eggplant, slumping back into his seat, his earlier impulsiveness gone.
On the arena, Lin Xuan was unaware that his actions had angered the Grand Elder, but someone had stopped him.
At that moment, he was smiling as he gazed at the attribute panel floating before him in the void.
Watching the energy points grow faster, Lin Xuan's smile deepened by three parts.
Sure enough, he had made the right choice.
In just this short time, the energy points had already exceeded ten thousand.
And they were climbing rapidly.
Next, he would aim for an even bigger haul.
By the time this strength assessment ended, his energy points might even break through the hundred-thousand mark.
Lin Xuan made his plans inwardly.
On the opposite side.
Lin Hai, feeling the sharp pain in his right arm, let out low cries of agony as he stared at Lin Xuan in disbelief:
"How is this possible? How can you be this strong?!"
Lin Hai refused to accept that he had lost to Lin Xuan, and by a single, instant kill at that!
But the relentless pain in his right arm and the dripping blood forced him to believe it.
"Get down!"
At that moment, Lin Xuan's gaze swept over him, sharp as an icy blade, making Lin Hai unable to meet his eyes.
"What, do I need to escort you off?"
Lin Xuan snorted coldly, ready to strike again.
Seeing this, Lin Hai's body trembled.
Recalling the terrifying force of Lin Xuan's earlier punch, a flicker of fear crept into his heart.
"Lin Xuan, you win this time, but it won't happen again!"
After hurling a harsh threat, Lin Hai slunk off the arena, disappearing into the crowd.
Lin Xuan watched Lin Hai's retreating figure and smiled.
This battle had taught him the power of talent.
He was one layer lower in cultivation than Lin Hai, and they used martial arts of the same grade.
But after fusing three inferior strength talents into a mid-grade strength talent, he had overwhelmed Lin Hai in a direct clash, leaving him with serious injuries.
It was as if he were the one at Body Refining Layer 8, and Lin Hai at Layer 7.
Such was the gap.
It made Lin Xuan value martial talent even more.
Then, Lin Xuan turned to the referee, Li He.
Li He was still in a daze.
He had thought Lin Xuan would surely lose, hoping only that he wouldn't be too badly hurt.
After all, Lin Xuan was a layer behind Lin Hai in cultivation.
But the result was the complete opposite.
With one strike, Lin Xuan had reversed the defeat.