"Rui'er, look at Lin Tian and Lin Zhen. Who is stronger and who is weaker?" The chief steward looked at Lin Xiurui in front of him and asked with a smile.
"Lin Zhen's cultivation of the 'Golden Saint Body' is indeed very strong, seemingly reaching the fifth level. Ordinary swords and spears cannot penetrate his defense, and even some ordinary inner disciples might not be his match." Lin Xiurui's gaze was sharp, focusing on the battle platform. After a moment of contemplation, he continued, "However, Lin Tian's 'Heartless Palm' should have already reached the sixth level, and is even close to the seventh level. It can break through Lin Zhen's defense. Moreover, there is a gap in their realms. If there are no unexpected events, Lin Tian will surely win."
Hearing this, the chief steward nodded. Lin Xiurui's insight was indeed sharp, exactly as he had thought. This fierce battle would determine the strongest outer disciple, and it would undoubtedly still belong to Lin Tian.
"Lin Tian, shouldn't the throne of the outer disciples' first place be given to me now?" Lin Zhen laughed.
Before Lin Tian could respond, Lin Zhen suddenly raised his right arm and punched toward Lin Tian.
In the air, it seemed as if a huge mountain shadow appeared, filled with boundless pressure. If it were another elite disciple, they might have been injured by the momentum of this punch.
"Hmph!" Lin Tian let out a heavy cold snort and instantly leaped forward. Facing Lin Zhen's punch, he did not retreat but advanced, his momentum not at all inferior to Lin Zhen's.
Lin Tian's aura was completely different from Lin Zhen's. It was an extreme cold, penetrating to the bone, making one doubt that it was already deep autumn. Lin Zhen, on the other hand, possessed the might of Mount Tai, and every move he made exuded boundless pressure.
Heartless Palm!
Lin Tian snorted coldly, piercing through Lin Zhen's layers of momentum and colliding with Lin Zhen's punch.
Boom!
The collision of fist and palm was like the impact of two massive meteors. An invisible wave of air swept over, flapping their clothes and howling with the wind.
"Overlord Force Palm!" Lin Zhen sneered, his fist technique changing, as if layer upon layer of mountains were falling from the sky, aiming to knock Lin Tian down.
Swish!
At this moment, Lin Tian quickly retreated backward. Lin Zhen's body was like a wall of copper and iron, with extremely strong defense and immense strength. If he were to land a solid punch, even Lin Tian would not be unscathed.
Heartless Sweep!
Lin Tian exerted force with his feet, his figure moving gracefully. His right palm flipped lightly in the air, emitting a cold, sword-like light that quickly spread everywhere, aiming to kill Lin Zhen.
"Hahaha, it's useless. No one in the outer disciples can hurt me. Once I cultivate the 'Golden Saint Body' to the ninth level, I, Lin Zhen, will sweep through the inner disciples and become the strongest king!" Lin Zhen laughed, his expression full of madness. He seemed like a prehistoric beast, rapidly charging toward Lin Tian.
When the small cold lights touched Lin Zhen, they could only leave a mark on his body and could not break through his super-strong defense.
Lin Zhen was a specialist in physical cultivation, with a powerful defensive spirit body and the 'Golden Saint Body' technique, making his physical strength reach a terrifying level. This was why he could look down on everyone and challenge Lin Tian.
"Fierce Tiger Out of the Cage!" At this moment, Lin Zhen roared, his fists like pillars supporting the sky, forming a several-zhang white tiger shadow.
The white tiger bared its fangs and claws, vividly alive. Lin Zhen's momentum reached its peak, and the air was filled with a fiery red ripple of light.
...
"This Lin Zhen has such terrifying attack and defense. I doubt I could even withstand one of his moves!" Lin He exclaimed.
However, people like Lin Yan'er had more composed expressions. They had heard Lin Xiurui's analysis, and almost no one doubted the judgment of the first inner disciple.
The momentum on the battle platform collided fiercely, producing continuous explosions. The faces of the several stewards were solemn, not daring to be distracted for a moment. This battle had already surpassed the limits of ordinary disciples, and any slight mistake could lead to an accident.
"Heartless Heaven-Overturning Palm!"
Lin Tian leaped several meters, bursting with intense light from the air. A several-zhang Heaven-Overturning Seal fell straight down.
"Heartless Heaven-Overturning Palm?! He has actually comprehended the strongest killing move in the Heartless Palm!" The stewards were surprised. The Heaven-Overturning Seal had extremely strong destructive power and could suppress people with a single move.
Golden light shone like a small sun, and the massive Heaven-Overturning Seal pressed down on Lin Zhen, making people breathe rapidly and their blood boil.
The white tiger shadow Lin Zhen had created roared angrily, as if its authority was being challenged, and quickly pounced at the Heaven-Overturning Seal.
The moment they touched, there was a loud boom. The white tiger shadow was shattered into nothingness, while the several-zhang Heaven-Overturning Seal swept across the entire battle platform, with a devastating force.
"Golden Saint Body!" Lin Zhen, under the pressure of the Heaven-Overturning Seal, trembled slightly. He then roared, and a layer of golden film appeared on his body.
Boom!
A flash of golden light, and Lin Zhen punched upward into the air. Despite the 'Golden Saint Body,' he still could not withstand Lin Tian's 'Heartless Heaven-Overturning Palm' and was blasted off the battle platform.
Lin Zhen's blood surged, and a trace of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He swayed, almost falling to the ground.
At this moment, the entire venue erupted. Lin Tian's strength was beyond imagination, and even Lin Zhen could not match him, making him the undisputed first of the outer disciples.
Lin Yan'er and Lin Caiyi looked at Lin Tian with admiration. This was a true strong person, whose every move exuded boundless divine power. It was hard to imagine how strong Lin Xiurui and Lin Wuxin, elite inner disciples, had become.
"Lin Tian wins. The last match, Lin Hao versus Lin Tian, will begin in half an hour." The steward announced.
Now, only Lin Hao and Lin Tian had not yet faced each other. This would be the final battle of the outer disciples.
"What's the point of this? It's just a waste of time. We might as well end it now."
"Exactly. Lin Tian is the undisputed first of the outer disciples, invincible in the Lin family's outer disciples. Even if the match continues, there won't be any change. Lin Zhen has already lost, so there's no suspense."
"Lin Hao has already done a great job to reach this point, but if his opponent is Lin Tian, it's likely..."
"Hehe, it must be said that Lin Hao's luck is really good. His original opponent was Lin Zhen, but unfortunately, Lin Zhen is seriously injured and has lost his fighting ability in the short term. This is a lucky break for him. Even if he loses to Lin Tian, it won't be embarrassing, and he will have something to brag about in the future."
At this moment, everyone was discussing, not optimistic about Lin Hao.
Lin Zhen had already been taken away by the steward for treatment and could not continue the competition. The next match was originally supposed to be between Lin Hao and Lin Zhen, but now he had no choice but to face Lin Tian.
At this moment, Lin Hao sat quietly, not speaking, as if isolated from the outside world. His eyes were tightly closed, accelerating the absorption of the 'True Return Pill.'
In fact, Lin Hao thought that continuing the competition was meaningless. He had no interest in the position of the first outer disciple. As long as he could rank in the top five and have the qualification to challenge inner disciples, it would be enough.
But since the battle with Lin Tian could not be avoided, Lin Hao did not have the habit of losing and could only try his best to win.
Lin Hao had watched the match between Lin Tian and Lin Zhen clearly. Both Lin Zhen and Lin Tian were several times stronger than the hooded swordsman from that day. If they faced each other, even the hooded swordsman would not be their match.
Of course, such assassins also had their own methods. It was said that the hooded swordsman had even surrounded and killed a third-stage Earth Gate expert. Otherwise, Bai Zhen would not have hired him to surround and kill Bai Zhanchen.
...
"The effect of the True Return Pill is excellent. For the second-stage Earth Gate realm, it is like divine assistance." After a while, Lin Hao opened his eyes and thought to himself.
Now, his strength had reached the peak of the sixth level, but a few days ago, Lin Hao had sealed one level of his realm to achieve the effect of a great completion in his realm. In other words, the strength he could currently display was only the peak of the fifth level.
"Using the peak of the fifth level to deal with Lin Tian seems a bit difficult, but if I can't defeat him, I will have to unseal one level of my realm." Lin Hao pondered for a moment and made up his mind. His realm of enlightenment had awakened to a billionth of a second, twice as much as before. Perhaps he could defeat Lin Tian with just the peak of the fifth level, which would be the best outcome, without needing to unseal his realm.
The second-stage Earth Gate is the most important foundation in martial arts. If he could elevate his realm in the second-stage Earth Gate to the great completion level, it would be very beneficial for his future advancement to the Heaven Gate realm.
Of course, if he really couldn't defeat Lin Tian, Lin Hao would unseal his realm. Since he was fighting, there was no reason to lose.
Many eyes around the training ground were looking at Lin Hao, either intentionally or unintentionally. They expected to see panic on his face, but Lin Hao remained calm, as if the person about to face Lin Tian was not him but someone else.
"Hmph, that boy... If he hadn't used his spirit body to counter my 'Rain of Pear Blossoms,' he would have been severely injured and defeated long ago. What qualifications does he have to face Lin Tian?" Lin Caiyi's face was cold, and she wished to tear Lin Hao to pieces.
Lin Caiyi's boxing and kicking skills were inferior to those of Lin Xuan and Lin Tao, but she excelled in her 'Rain of Pear Blossoms' needles. Her ranking fourth in the previous session was due to her proficiency in hidden weapons. Today, being restrained by Lin Hao, she felt extremely frustrated.
"Sister, don't be angry. Even if Lin Hao doesn't fight, Lin Tian will still find trouble with him." Lin Yan'er's expression was cold and disdainful. She looked forward to Lin Hao's quick confrontation with Lin Tian, to make him realize his place and understand what a true strong person was.
"Brother Lin Hao is not as simple as you think. I believe that even if he loses, it will be after a hundred moves. A draw or even a win is possible." Lin Fei said.
"Draw? Win?" Lin Caiyi laughed coldly. "Lin Fei, are you exaggerating him because you lost to him? This indirectly boosts your own reputation. Fighting Lin Tian to a draw or even winning, you must be dreaming."
Lin Caiyi's words were echoed by many elite outer disciples. Even if Lin Hao was now very strong, he could at most rank third. Lin Zhen could easily crush him, let alone Lin Tian.
"Is that so? Then let's make a bet." Lin Fei smiled.
"Bet? You want to give us money, and we wouldn't refuse." Lin Yan'er sneered.
"I'll bet fifty thousand silver coins that Brother Lin Hao will last at least a hundred moves." Lin Fei was generous, offering fifty thousand silver coins.