Lin Hao was not afraid at all. To him, Lin Tao posed no threat. His true enemies were only Lin Zhen and Lin Tian. As for the other disciples, Lin Hao rarely took them seriously.
Lin Zhen had an incredibly strong physique, and ordinary weapons found it hard to harm him, making it difficult to defeat him. As for Lin Tian, his strength was at the eighth level, and his realm of intent was the highest among the outer disciples of the Lin family. Even Lin Fei, with his black spear, was inferior to Lin Tian in terms of willpower and intent.
Lin Yan sat in front of Lin Tao and Lin Tian, a cold smile on her lips.
Lin Hao's ability to advance to the top sixty of the outer disciples indeed surprised some people. However, the opponents that followed were even stronger. Lin Yan speculated that Lin Hao could at most enter the top fifty or forty.
Soon, Elder Lin Chen and ten enforcers arrived at the arena, and the competition began.
...
Boom!
On the first platform, an elite disciple was instantly knocked away, and the victor was a bald giant, a disciple of the Lin family's outer disciples who specialized in body cultivation, second only to Lin Zhen.
"What incredible strength... Damn, Lin Zhenhu has improved so much, his strength has reached the sixth level..." The defeated elite disciple was severely hit, having been defeated by a single punch.
The enforcers cast their gazes, and indeed, Lin Zhenhu had made significant progress, winning dozens of consecutive matches without a single defeat. His opponents were almost all knocked away with a single punch or palm strike, showing his formidable strength.
"Ah! I surrender!" Suddenly, a cry of despair came from the third platform, where a black-robed youth's nearly invincible slash almost pierced his opponent.
"That's Lin Fang, what a terrifying blade momentum, sweeping through dozens of matches without a single defeat. He might be able to match Lin Fei's black spear!" someone exclaimed.
Soon, several platforms produced their champions, all of whom were elite disciples who had won dozens of consecutive matches without a single defeat. This had a significant impact on the top ten of the older generation. This session had many dark horses, and apart from Lin Tian and Lin Zhen, whose expressions remained unchanged, the others were somewhat worried.
After that, Lin Hao also took the stage several times, knocking his opponents away with a single strike. He had not yet encountered any disciples at the sixth level, so the crowd could still accept it.
Half an hour later, the two dark horses on the sixth platform finally met.
One of them was named Lin Sha, who had excellent martial arts skills and reached the mid-sixth level, giving off an inexplicable sense of oppression. The other was Lin Hao.
"Surprisingly, it's Lin Sha... He has improved so much after training outside for a few months!" someone exclaimed.
"Lin Sha's martial arts skills rank among the top three in the outer disciples, and his aura has improved significantly. He is almost at the mid-sixth level. This time, Lin Hao is likely to lose!"
"Defeat is certain, it's just a matter of how many moves."
"Lin Hao has a solid foundation. Remember, his strength has been suppressed by the Treasure Spirit Body for several years. Don't underestimate him... I estimate that Lin Hao can last fifty moves without much trouble."
"Not necessarily. Lin Hao hasn't lost in dozens of matches and has defeated late-fifth-level strong opponents with a single move. Only mid-sixth-level or even late-sixth-level disciples can quickly defeat Lin Hao. As for Lin Sha, he might be able to fight Lin Hao to a draw." Some keen-eyed disciples spoke up.
"Hmph, I believe Lin Hao's foundation is stronger than ours, but foundation is only part of one's strength. No one can win solely based on their foundation. If that were the case, wouldn't the senior members of the branch be all-powerful?" someone raised an objection.
Everyone thought about it and found it reasonable. The strength of the senior members of ordinary branches was mostly at the second or third level of the Earth Gate, with eighth or ninth levels being rare.
Just like the Fenglin Town branch, any outer elite disciple could easily defeat those senior members. Therefore, foundation was only part of one's strength, not the whole.
Of course, some people did not agree. Lin Hao's current strength was not weak, at least reaching the fifth level. With his strong foundation, he might be able to fight Lin Sha to a draw, at least for several hundred moves, making it hard to determine a winner.
At this moment, Lin Hao had already stepped onto the platform and nodded to Lin Sha.
"Hmph, Lin Hao, the Fenglin Town branch was shattered because of you. Today, I will crush you to dust!" Lin Sha's eyes were dark, staring at Lin Hao.
Fenglin Town?
Lin Hao saw that this person hated him to the bone and immediately understood. Lin Sha must have been a disciple of the Fenglin Town branch.
"You are a disciple of the Fenglin Town branch," Lin Hao said.
"Hmph, exactly. Because of you, this beast, the Fenglin Town branch was shattered. You will regret it now, but it's too late!" Lin Sha sneered.
Back then, the Fenglin Town branch colluded with the grand enforcer to take Lin Hao's spirit root. Everyone knew who was right and who was wrong.
Soul Snatching Ghost!
Lin Sha did not waste words. With his enemy in front of him, he wanted to tear him apart immediately. His figure flashed, and his palms resembled hooks, attacking Lin Hao.
A sinister aura emanated from Lin Sha's body, like a dense ghostly mist, enveloping part of the platform, even having a subtle corrosive effect on the mind.
Seeing this, Lin Hao remained calm, lightly raising his right palm and sending out a palm wind to disperse the ghostly mist.
Sinister Dragon Sweep!
Lin Sha leaped, his legs like deep-sea dragons, full of explosive power, instantly spreading in the air.
Cloud Wind Step
Lin Hao's expression remained unchanged as he used the Cloud Wind Step, a technique as mysterious as clouds and wind. Facing Lin Sha's attacks, he was not at all flustered, handling them with ease.
The crowd below remained silent, and even the battles on the other nine platforms were not as intense.
Lin Sha's strength was not weak. He had been trained with a trace of ghostly aura during his external training, which greatly improved his strength and realm.
This ghostly aura could cause panic in the hearts of martial artists, subtly restraining them. Even ordinary sixth-level martial artists were no match for Lin Sha.
At this moment, Lin Hao's Cloud Wind Step was extremely fast. Although Lin Sha's strength was good, his ghostly aura could not restrain Lin Hao, and he could not even touch the edge of Lin Hao's clothes.
"What a strong sinister ghostly aura. Lin Sha must have had some extraordinary experiences during his external training. Lin Hao is no match for him!"
"Lin Hao's movement speed is incredibly fast. This technique is likely something he cultivated in the sect's world, surpassing most movement techniques. Just based on speed, Lin Sha might not be able to do anything to him!" someone pointed out the key point, exclaiming.
"Not necessarily. Lin Hao's speed is indeed fast, but maintaining such a speed requires a large amount of true qi. Lin Hao won't last long, and Lin Sha seems to have noticed this, planning to fight a war of attrition." an elite disciple said.
Above the platform, two figures intertwined in the air, as if merging into one.
Star-Breaking Palm!
Lin Hao's right palm struck out, and the sky and clouds changed color. The intense sinister aura was dispelled by his palm.
A cold, bone-chilling wind spread in the air, rippling like water, and the Star-Breaking Palm was incredibly fast, the palm image like a ray of light, impossible to see with the naked eye.
Feeling this terrifying palm force, Lin Sha was shocked. The Star-Breaking Palm was just an ordinary palm technique that could be learned in the Lin family's martial arts library. Many outer disciples had practiced it, but when Lin Hao used it, it put immense pressure on Lin Sha. His powerful sinister aura seemed to be restrained, as if his strength was locked, making him feel extremely frustrated.
"Hmph, even if his palm technique is strong, it can't break through my ghostly aura defense!" Lin Sha was determined. He planned to wear down Lin Hao's true qi and then defeat him when it was depleted.
Suddenly, a giant palm seemed to descend from the sky, splitting through layers of ghostly aura, and the terrifying palm force instantly surrounded Lin Sha.
"This... How can this be!" Lin Sha was terrified. Facing Lin Hao's palm, his soul seemed to tremble, a sense of powerlessness growing in his heart, making it hard for him to stand up straight.
A loud boom echoed, and the platform trembled. A figure flew out from the black ghostly aura and fell heavily below, almost crashing into the crowd.
Lin Sha let out a "wa" and spat out a stream of blood. The ghostly aura dissipated, and he looked at Lin Hao, who stood on the platform with his hands behind his back, with great apprehension.
"Lin Hao wins!" The enforcer of the sixth platform couldn't help but look at Lin Hao a few more times. This enforcer was closest to the platform and had the clearest view of the battle. Lin Hao's Star-Breaking Palm contained a certain indescribable intent, which was truly terrifying.
Below the arena, the disciples were amazed. Lin Sha's sinister ghostly aura was so strong and domineering, yet he was quickly defeated by Lin Hao, which was unbelievable.
Lin He was even more convinced that the three sixth-level martial artists and the peak seventh-level assassin who had pursued Lin Hao in the Tianrang Mountains were likely defeated by Lin Hao.
"Brother Lin Tao, Lin Hao's foundation seems much stronger than Lin Sha's..." The surprise in Lin Yan's eyes quickly disappeared as she looked at Lin Tao in front of her.
Lin Tao was a genius disciple of the Lin family's outer disciples, ranked eighth, and even had the potential to reach fifth place. He was not comparable to Lin Sha. If Lin Tao were to fight, he could determine the winner in ten moves.
Lin Tao sneered, "To deal with Lin Sha, one move is enough."
Hearing this, some of the top ten disciples fell silent, no one questioning Lin Tao's words. He had reached the peak of the sixth level, almost entering the seventh level. Even facing seventh-level disciples, he had the strength to fight.
"Very well, then let Lin Hao be dealt with by you." Lin Tian looked at Lin Tao meaningfully.
"Brother Lin Tian, rest assured. With me handling it, that boy will be easily captured." Lin Tao nodded quickly.
...
Lin Hao sat above, not planning to continue participating for the time being, as he had already reached the strongest on the sixth platform. Only the first, ninth, and seventh platforms were still in competition.
Lin Hao was not very interested in the matches on those three platforms and did not pay much attention.
Not long after, the arena was filled with noise as several astonishing auras arrived.
A middle-aged man with a stern expression led more than ten young men and women to the arena. These young men and women were all inner disciples.
Grand Enforcer?!
Lin Hao looked down and recognized the identity of the middle-aged man. He was the grand enforcer of the Lin family, one of the most powerful figures in the Lin family, second only to the elders and the family head.