The *Tianji Step*, a form of martial arts, originates from a sect and surpasses secular techniques. Very few martial artists can see through and dodge this technique, but Lin Hao's calm evasion left Luo Yue slightly surprised. He had not even considered that Lin Hao had actively dodged, thinking it was merely due to luck.
Not only Luo Yue, but even the disciples of the Lin and Luo families shared this thought. Even Lin Tian and Lin Zhen could not see through the *Tianji Step* that Luo Yue had performed. How could Lin Hao possibly achieve this?
"Lin Hao's luck was good, allowing him to dodge Luo Yue's attack. It's probably due to luck," a female disciple of the Luo family said at this moment.
Hearing this, the Luo family members nodded. In their minds, Luo Yue was an invincible existence among the outer disciples of the four major families in Liuyun City. Even if he entered the inner sect, it would likely take no more than two years for him to rank among the elites.
At this moment, Luo Yue had already used his second move. He moved through the bamboo garden as if he were a flower in a mirror or a moon in water, so dreamlike that it seemed unreal. Even Lin Zhen's expression changed drastically. Luo Yue's movement was truly bizarre, and even with this technique, he might be invincible.
Even though Lin Hao's strength was not bad, dealing with Luo Yue would still be far beyond his reach.
*Tianji Palm*!
Suddenly, palm shadows crisscrossed, seemingly ethereal, but the palm force was oppressive, as if it were everywhere, making it impossible to escape Luo Yue's palm strike no matter where you ran.
Some of the Lin family's elite disciples fell silent, and Lin Fei's expression was solemn, worrying about Lin Hao. The *Tianji Palm* that Luo Yue was using was part of a complete cultivation system along with the *Tianji Step*. When both were used together, their power multiplied.
Luo Yue's movement and palm technique complemented each other, full of profound mysteries. The Luo family members exchanged smiles, knowing that the situation was already decided. Given Lin Hao's strength, it would be difficult for him to dodge Luo Yue's attack.
Rocks shattered and dust filled the air. Luo Yue seemed to vanish like a ghost, yet he was always right there, especially his palm, which appeared slow but was actually at its fastest.
As the current outer sect king of the four major families in Liuyun City, Luo Yue had his pride. He needed to defeat Lin Hao as quickly as possible, just as he had defeated Lin Tian and Lin Zhen.
Unfortunately, Luo Yue could not achieve his wish this time. Despite the combined power of the *Tianji Step* and *Tianji Palm*, Lin Hao still easily dodged.
If these two techniques were used by ordinary martial artists, they would certainly be considered divine skills with immense destructive power, far beyond the secular realm. However, Lin Hao's insight was extremely sharp. He could find many flaws in techniques that ordinary martial artists considered divine. Moreover, his realm of understanding was several times higher than Luo Yue's, so the possibility of defeating Lin Hao with a sect's yellow-grade technique was not high.
*Yunfeng Step*!
In an instant, Lin Hao leaped, moving like the wind. Before Luo Yue's palm struck, he had already used the *Yunfeng Step* to quickly retreat.
This scene left the disciples of the Lin and Luo families stunned, finding it hard to accept.
"Is this... the *Yunfeng Step*?" Luo Yue was greatly surprised when he saw the movement Lin Hao used.
The *Yunfeng Step* corresponds to the third level of the Earth Gate and is considered the lowest-level technique in the sect's martial arts library, far inferior to Luo Yue's *Tianji Step*. However, the *Yunfeng Step* that Lin Hao performed had a unique realm, seemingly even more profound and mysterious than the *Tianji Step*.
"This is your second move. Young man, do your best and don't disappoint me," Lin Hao said lazily, standing a dozen meters away from Luo Yue.
Hearing this, Luo Yue's expression turned gloomy. A cold light flashed in his eyes, and with a clear sound, his longsword was drawn from its scabbard.
The surface of Luo Yue's longsword had a strange pattern, like a totem, made of extraordinary material that could easily cut through metal. It was a yellow-grade ordinary treasure sword.
"Lin Hao, your movement is much higher than that of Lin Tian and Lin Zhen. Since that's the case, I won't hold back any longer," Luo Yue's surprise quickly faded, and he raised his sword, looking down on the world.
*Tianji Slash*!
Instantly, Luo Yue's longsword let out a light hum as it slashed from top to bottom, creating a myriad of sword shadows, making it impossible to distinguish between real and fake.
This sword strike seemed intangible and unreal, like a giant python moving through the air, creating ripples of sword light that locked Lin Hao in place.
Seeing this, Lin Hao was unperturbed and immediately used the *Yunfeng Step* to dodge. Although the sword technique was not weak, Luo Yue's strength was far from enough, resulting in many flaws. Others might not be able to dodge, but for Lin Hao, it was not difficult.
With a loud bang, Luo Yue's yellow-grade longsword struck the air, and the fierce sword energy cut a several-meter-long crack in the ground.
The disciples of the Lin and Luo families were stunned. Luo Yue's sword strike was extremely powerful, capable of cutting through metal, let alone a martial artist's flesh. Its power even surpassed that of some ordinary inner sect disciples.
Unfortunately, no matter how powerful the technique or sword, if it misses the target, all efforts are in vain.
"How... how is this possible?" Luo Yue's face turned pale. He had almost nothing left to hold back. According to reason, even if Lin Hao blocked his sword, he would still be seriously injured...
"Young man, this is your third move," Lin Hao stood far away, hands behind his back. Throughout the entire process, Luo Yue had not even touched the edge of his clothes, showing the depth of Lin Hao's *Yunfeng Step*.
Luo Yue's face was covered in shame. Every time Lin Hao dodged a move, he would remind him, calling him "young man," which filled Luo Yue with anger.
The Lin family disciples were overjoyed, seeing that Lin Hao's movement speed, even if his strength was not as strong as Luo Yue's, was still enough to ensure he would not be defeated!
On the contrary, the Luo family members looked extremely displeased, not expecting Lin Hao's movement to be so fast that even Luo Yue's *Tianji Step* could not catch him.
Before anyone could react, Luo Yue struck several more times, but each time Lin Hao easily dodged.
"Fifth move..."
"Ninth move."
...
"Ten moves have passed, young man, it's my turn," Lin Hao said coolly, dodging Luo Yue's tenth sword strike and looking at his gloomy face.
"Lin Hao, just relying on your movement speed to dodge a few of my moves, what does that prove?" Luo Yue was extremely gloomy, increasing his speed to the limit. His yellow-grade treasure sword slashed horizontally, creating a series of sword shadows that made the Lin and Luo family disciples pale with shock.
At the same time, Lin Hao activated the *Tian Gang Divine Technique*, concentrating all his strength at his fingertips.
Then, under the astonished gazes of the crowd, Lin Hao raised his right arm and used two fingers to intercept the falling longsword.
With a loud bang, a sound like metal clashing echoed throughout the area. The strength of Lin Hao's two fingers was incomparable to metal.
This scene made the Lin and Luo family disciples gasp in shock. It was so unreal that someone from the outer sect of the four major families in Liuyun City could use two fingers to intercept Luo Yue's sword strike!
"How is this possible!" Luo Yue could not believe it, using all his strength to pull the yellow-grade treasure sword, but it did not budge, restrained by an immense force.
"Luo Yue, you came to the Lin family to provoke. Today, I will give you some punishment. If you do it again, I will not be lenient," Lin Hao said, kicking Luo Yue in the abdomen.
With a loud bang, Luo Yue flew into the air, drawing an arc, and then fell heavily to the ground.
"Luo Yue!"
"How could Luo Yue lose to Lin Hao... This is impossible!"
The Luo family members looked at Lin Hao with fear. The oddball from years ago was now so strong that even the outer sect king of Liuyun City had been defeated by him, and it seemed Lin Hao had not even exerted much effort...
Lin Zhen looked at Lin Hao with great shock. He had thought that with his strength, he could easily defeat Lin Hao, but he never imagined the gap between them was so large. If he had challenged Lin Hao, he would have ended up like Luo Yue.
"Someone said that if they could withstand three of Luo Yue's moves, they would kowtow and apologize. Today, I will let it go. Get out quickly," Lin Hao said, his gaze like an eagle, sweeping over the Luo family members.
No one dared to contradict Lin Hao. They carried Luo Yue away from the Lin family as if they were fleeing.
Afterward, Lin Hao turned and walked into the room, focusing all his efforts on advancing to the eighth level of the Spirit Body realm. With the power of the *Hui Zhen Pill*, his cultivation would progress much faster.
A few days later, Lin Hao's strength had improved, reaching the peak of the seventh level, not far from the eighth level.
On this day, the annual auction event of the Bai family began. The four major families had a total of eight slots, with an average of two slots each.
The Bai family, as a first-tier force, managed several major cities, and Liuyun City was just one of them. If not for the annual tributes from the four major families, they might not even have these two slots.
These two slots were generally reserved for the top disciples of the major families, and there were ten additional slots for observers, but observers could not participate in the auction.
On this day, the Lin family was bustling with activity. The family head and two elders appeared to impart some auction house experience to the Lin family disciples, as dealing with a force like the Bai family could not afford any mistakes.
This time, the Lin family gave the two slots to Lin Xiu Rui and an inner sect elite disciple named Lin Nan Gong. The ten observer slots were mostly given to inner sect disciples, and Lin Yan Er and Lin Cai Yi also received two slots due to their relationship with Lin Wu Xin.
A Lin family executive specially found Lin Hao and gave him an observer slot. As the top outer sect disciple of the Lin family, Lin Hao deserved an observer slot.
Actually, this slot was not necessary for Lin Hao. He already had a VIP token for the auction house, far beyond the level of an observer, even compared to the slot holders.
---
A few days later, Lin Hao's strength had improved further, reaching the peak of the seventh level, not far from the eighth level.
On this day, the annual auction event of the Bai family began. The four major families had a total of eight slots, with an average of two slots each.
The Bai family, as a first-tier force, managed several major cities, and Liuyun City was just one of them. If not for the annual tributes from the four major families, they might not even have these two slots.
These two slots were generally reserved for the top disciples of the major families, and there were ten additional slots for observers, but observers could not participate in the auction.
On this day, the Lin family was bustling with activity. The family head and two elders appeared to impart some auction house experience to the Lin family disciples, as dealing with a force like the Bai family could not afford any mistakes.
This time, the Lin family gave the two slots to Lin Xiu Rui and an inner sect elite disciple named Lin Nan Gong. The ten observer slots were mostly given to inner sect disciples, and Lin Yan Er and Lin Cai Yi also received two slots due to their relationship with Lin Wu Xin.
A Lin family executive specially found Lin Hao and gave him an observer slot. As the top outer sect disciple of the Lin family, Lin Hao deserved an observer slot.
Actually, this slot was not necessary for Lin Hao. He already had a VIP token for the auction house, far beyond the level of an observer, even compared to the slot holders.