At this moment, the outer disciples all stared at Lin Zhen with shock. This kind of powerful physical strength was truly terrifying, completely impervious to blades and bullets. Even Lin Xiaoran, such a powerful disciple, could not cause him any harm.
In just a few breaths, Lin Xiaoran was defeated, heavily injured, while Lin Zhen remained unscathed, even provocatively challenging Lin Tian...
"This... This is too terrifying..." Lin He was dumbfounded. He knew he couldn't withstand a single kick from Lin Xiaoran; in a life-and-death battle, perhaps a single punch from Lin Zhen could kill him!
Lin Hao nodded in agreement. This was no longer about the level of intent. Lin Zhen's physical strength was incredibly powerful, and ordinary attacks were ineffective against him. Even ordinary sharp blades could not threaten Lin Zhen. It was reasonable that Lin Xiaoran was defeated so quickly, and even Lin Hao would find it difficult to defeat him.
Elder Lin Chen glanced at Lin Zhen and commented on the two of them. The initial screening for the top ten was now over.
In theory, each person should have at least two matches to determine the top ten. For example, Lin Tian and Lin Zhen hadn't had the chance to face each other yet. Now that the top ten had each had one match, the rankings were only provisional. The final rankings would be determined in the final competition.
On the tenth arena, a female disciple named Lin Xing was in charge, ranking tenth among the outer disciples. She, along with Lin Tao and Lin Zhen, sat above.
The ten arenas were all reserved for the disciples outside the top ten to compete. The strongest disciple from each arena would be selected, making a total of ten. Adding Lin Tian, Lin Zhen, and other top ten veterans, twenty disciples would participate in the final.
At this moment, ten officials drew number plates from a wooden box. The plates had the names of the participating disciples, randomly selecting the opponents.
Two disciples competed on each arena. Upon seeing their names drawn, the twenty disciples were excited and stepped onto the arenas, ready to show their skills.
Lin Wu and Lin He were both drawn by the official of the tenth arena. They looked at each other, their fighting spirit high, and stepped onto the arena.
"Lin Wu is no match for Lin He..." Lin Hao thought to himself.
The current Lin He had already reached the sixth level of the Spirit Body realm, while Lin Wu was only at the fifth level. If there was no significant difference in their levels of intent, Lin He could win by virtue of his realm.
Sure enough, after about half a moment, Lin He struck with a palm, cutting off Lin Wu's retreat and forcing him off the arena.
"Hmph." Lin Wu coldly snorted, surprised that even Lin He's realm had surpassed his. However, he was not discouraged, as he still had another chance to compete.
"Hehe, Brother Hao, how about that?" Lin He walked down from the arena, his victory making him overjoyed.
Lin Hao smiled lightly but did not say much.
After several matches, Lin Hao lost interest, closing his eyes to rest, seemingly uninterested in the matches on the arena.
"Lin Hao, Lin Zidong!" Half an hour later, the official of the fifth arena called out.
Upon hearing "Lin Hao," everyone's gaze shifted to him.
Lin Hao was well-known in the Lin family, even throughout the entire Flowing Cloud City. He was an older disciple who had come to the Lin family headquarters many years ago and had found a precious Spirit Body in the second Earth Gate, earning the family's favor and being sent to the sect world at great cost.
Unfortunately, Lin Hao's cultivation seemed to have stagnated, remaining in the nineties among the outer disciples without any progress. After entering the Holy Heaven Sect, his Spirit Roots were even broken, and he was expelled from the sect.
A few days ago, for some reason, Lin Hao's Spirit Roots were repaired, but this time, he only found a common Spirit Body, which was quite ironic.
"Lin Hao... Hehe, I didn't expect him to dare come." Lin Kuan stared at Lin Hao from a distance, his expression vicious. Since Lin Hao returned to Flowing Cloud City, he had already been taught a lesson twice...
"Lin Hao, you can do it!" Lin Bai looked at Lin Hao and smiled gently.
Lin Yan sneered. Last time, Lin Hao could fight with Luo Feng, who was at the middle of the fifth level of the Spirit Body realm. It would probably take a peak fifth-level disciple to defeat him. However, there were many peak fifth-level disciples among the Lin family's outer disciples.
The biggest gap between the Lin family's outer disciples and the Luo family's outer disciples was in the top few. For example, Luo Yue, the first in the Luo family, had easily defeated Lin Tian. However, apart from those top few, the Lin family had more elite outer disciples than the Luo family.
This meant that while Lin Hao could defeat the ninth-ranked outer disciple of the Luo family, he might not be able to defeat the top thirty of the Lin family!
...
A young man stepped onto the arena, giving Lin Hao a disdainful glance. He couldn't believe his luck, encountering the Lin family's oddball disciple right from the start. This match was a sure win, with no difficulty.
Lin Zidong's strength was at the peak of the fourth level of the Spirit Body realm. He had only been at the Lin family headquarters for less than seven days after coming from a branch, but he knew that Lin Hao was relatively easy to bully in the Lin family.
At this moment, Lin Hao opened his eyes, moved slightly, and walked onto the arena at a steady pace.
"Hehe, Brother Lin Hao, please." Facing Lin Hao, Lin Zidong was not afraid but secretly delighted.
"Alright." Lin Hao was not polite, taking a step and covering several meters, then striking with a palm. By the time Lin Zidong reacted, it was too late.
With a loud boom, in the blink of an eye, Lin Zidong, who had been secretly delighted, was sent flying off the arena by Lin Hao.
Lin Zidong looked bewildered, not even knowing what had happened.
Some outer disciples who had just returned from external training were shocked. Lin Hao seemed to have broken through his limitations, his strength apparently reaching the fifth level of the Spirit Body realm!
"Hmph, Lin Zidong was too arrogant. Lin Hao, after all, repelled Luo Feng a while ago. Without mid or peak fifth-level strength, he wouldn't be Lin Hao's match."
"Lin Zidong just arrived from a branch a few days ago, so it's understandable that he didn't know."
Some elite disciples commented.
The competition continued, and Lin Hao remained in a meditative state. He had taken the 'Recovery Pill' that day and was currently accelerating the absorption of its power, making every inch of his body feel full, even sensing the true qi becoming more abundant and pure.
Occasionally, when an official called his name, Lin Hao instantly focused his mind and quickly defeated his opponent.
Seeing Lin Hao easily defeat his opponents, people like Lin Kuan were so angry they gnashed their teeth, wishing to tear Lin Hao into pieces.
"Lin Hao's luck is too good! Every opponent is a new disciple at the third or fourth level of the Spirit Body realm. How can this be!"
"If this continues, Lin Hao's ranking will keep rising. Even if he loses later, his ranking will still improve by dozens of places, and he might even win a reward... Damn it!"
Many outer disciples were also furious. Lin Hao's strength was not impressive, but his luck was incredibly good. His opponents were all weak, even including new disciples at the second level of the Spirit Body realm.
Lin Hao didn't care about that. The weaker the opponent, the better. He was happy to have it easy, saving time to accelerate the refinement of the 'True Recovery Pill,' enjoying a leisurely pace.
The competition continued, and a few dark horses emerged, undefeated in fifty consecutive matches, winning many supporters.
As time passed, many weaker disciples were eliminated, but those remaining were relatively elite, with a minimum strength of the fifth level of the Spirit Body realm.
Now, about seventy to eighty disciples had not been eliminated, and some had won dozens of consecutive matches, dominating the various arenas.
As for Lin Hao, he had fought nearly twenty matches, but his opponents were mostly at the third to early fifth level of the Spirit Body realm, making his victories relatively easy.
"Lin Hao, Lin Guang!" The official of the sixth arena called out.
Hearing Lin Guang's name, many disciples' eyes lit up. Lin Guang was also a new outer disciple, but he had reached the peak of the fifth level of the Spirit Body realm and had won seventeen consecutive matches without defeat, showing considerable strength.
"Hehe, Lin Guang, it's your turn." Lin Kuan smiled sinisterly, looking at the young man in front of him.
This Lin Guang was one of their people, and they hadn't expected to meet Lin Hao so soon. This would be an interesting match.
The young man sneered, his gaze falling on the calm and composed Lin Hao in the distance, then walked onto the arena.
For a moment, all eyes were on Lin Hao. Although he had won twenty consecutive matches, his opponents were mostly at the second to early fifth level of the Spirit Body realm, and his victories were largely due to luck. This time, Lin Guang was at the peak of the fifth level of the Spirit Body realm!
"Lin Hao's good luck seems to have run out. Meeting Lin Guang, he will surely lose."
"That's right. Lin Guang's strength is enough to rank in the top twenty of the outer disciples. Unless he meets an elite older disciple, he is practically invincible."
"But I feel that Lin Hao is not simple. He has won twenty consecutive matches, showing great strength. Even Luo Feng, the ninth-ranked outer disciple of the Luo family, was nearly defeated by him a few days ago..."
"Not so. Most of Lin Hao's opponents were at the second to early fifth level of the Spirit Body realm, and his victories were due to luck. As for Luo Feng, it's because the older Luo family disciples have all gone to the inner sect recently, otherwise, he wouldn't be ranked ninth."
Several outer disciples spoke up.
Few people were optimistic about Lin Hao. Only Lin He was clear in his mind. He had witnessed Lin Hao's abilities, even manipulating the strong from the Bai family who had opened the fourth Earth Gate, though it was with the help of a powder. Lin He felt that Lin Hao was more than just that, becoming increasingly inscrutable.
Lin Guang had stepped onto the arena, his gaze fixed on Lin Hao, his fighting spirit intense.
Lin Guang had observed Lin Hao's performance. In the past two to three hours, Lin Hao had won twenty-eight consecutive matches. Although Lin Hao's luck was good, and he had many opponents at the second and third levels of the Spirit Body realm, there were also some at the early and mid-fifth levels.
Yet Lin Hao was still standing, while those opponents had all been defeated.
"Hmph... No matter what, my strength has reached the peak of the fifth level, approaching the sixth level. That kid is definitely not my match." Lin Guang remained confident. He had no reason to lose, and he could not afford to lose!
Losing to an elite older disciple would be understandable, but losing to Lin Hao would be a great disgrace. After all, Lin Hao was once a famous 'oddball' in Flowing Cloud City!
Lin Bai cheered for Lin Hao, while Lin Yan looked extremely disdainful.