Chapter 96: Chapter 96: Fighting Yue Xiuchuan
Defeating his opponent with a single punch, Lin Yun’s decisive move left everyone dumbfounded. Those young men who originally thought Lin Yun could only run away now felt their faces burn with shame—it was a silent slap in the face.
With both arms shattered, the man lay on the ground, wailing incessantly. Raw, white bone protruded through the skin of both his forearms—a gruesome sight.
"Young Master Tang, I may not have any backing," Lin Yun said, his eyes fixed on Tang Wushuang without sparing the man on the ground a glance, "but when facing someone who wishes to humiliate me, is this really going too far?"
Their eyes met, and the atmosphere instantly dropped to a freezing point. Many had seen Tang Wushuang exchange a meaningful glance with the man. Even those who missed it knew Tang Wushuang’s character well enough.
This seemingly refined young man was, in fact, incredibly cruel in both his methods and temperament. The man Lin Yun had crippled was undoubtedly acting on Tang Wushuang’s orders when he issued the challenge.
"Hmph! We were just supposed to be sparring with Martial Skills, Lin Shan, yet you crippled his hands! Today, I, Yue Xiuchuan, will test your ’high moves’ myself!" Yue Xiuchuan roared, speaking before Tang Wushuang could.
With a light leap, he landed opposite Lin Yun. Yue Xiuchuan wore an expression of righteous indignation, while Tang Wushuang, from his seat of honor, spoke with false sincerity, "Brother Yue, Brother Lin Shan may have just lost control of his strength for a moment. You needn’t be so serious."
Tang Wushuang was still putting on an act, but Lin Yun no longer had the patience to expose the charade. ’This man’s hypocrisy knows no bounds. Even though he clearly hates me now, he still keeps up this facade of a perfect gentleman.’
"Young Master Tang, you may be magnanimous enough not to stoop to his level, but I, Yue Xiuchuan, must teach him a lesson and show him how to properly conduct himself," Yue Xiuchuan declared.
"In that case, bring it on." Hearing this, Lin Yun ignored Tang Wushuang. ’If Yue Xiuchuan wants to step up, then I’ll just have to fight.’
After that, Tang Wushuang said nothing more. A faint, sinister smile crept onto his face. ’Against Yue Xiuchuan, can Lin Yun possibly win?’
As one of the Four Great Geniuses, Tang Wushuang knew Yue Xiuchuan’s strength very well. Even ordinary Martial Artists at the First or Second Layer of the Qi Sea Realm were no match for him. No matter how high Lin Yun’s Combat Power was, it was impossible for him to defeat Yue Xiuchuan.
There was one thing Lin Yun didn’t know. Back in Mysterious City, he had indeed crossed a Great Realm to defeat a Martial Artist at the First Layer of the Qi Sea Realm. The Martial Artists there had even called him the Eastern Domain’s sixth great Demon Fiend.
However, across the entire Celestial Rain Road, there was a commonly accepted rule for judging a "Demon Fiend" genius: the ability to fight across realms.
A "genius" could cross a Great Realm to defeat an ordinary Martial Artist, but a "Demon Fiend" had to be able to cross a Great Realm and defeat a *genius* Martial Artist.
Therefore, Lin Yun’s victory over that Martial Artist at the First Layer of the Qi Sea Realm didn’t truly qualify him as a Demon Fiend. His opponent had not been a genius—in fact, even among ordinary Martial Artists, he was considered bottom-of-the-barrel.
As the Four Great Geniuses of Yunlu County, Tang Wushuang and the other three all possessed the ability to defeat opponents across a Great Realm, but this was limited to defeating *ordinary* Qi Sea Realm Martial Artists.
To earn the title of Demon Fiend, one absolutely had to defeat a *genius* Martial Artist from a higher Great Realm. This was precisely why there were only five recognized Demon Fiends in the entire Eastern Domain.
"Lin Shan, you have a vicious heart! Today, I shall teach you a lesson on behalf of all the young talents of Yunlu County!" Without another word, eager to perform for Tang Wushuang, Yue Xiuchuan lunged forward the moment he finished speaking.
Neither used a Martial Skill at first, instead clashing with pure physical power. Lin Yun’s Flawless Flesh Body was formidable, while Yue Xiuchuan’s Elemental Power possessed an extreme, biting cold—likely a result of his Cultivation Technique.
Yue Xiuchuan’s Cultivation was at the Seventh Layer of Opening—a full layer higher than Wu Ze’s—and his Combat Power was immense. Dozens of exchanges went by, yet Lin Yun failed to gain even the slightest advantage.
’So this is the true strength of one of the Four Great Geniuses?’ Lin Yun wondered, sensing Yue Xiuchuan was considerably stronger than Wu Ze had been. ’Could it be that Wu Ze didn’t use his full strength against me back then?’
"This guy is so strong! He’s actually fighting on even footing with Yue Xiuchuan."
"Yeah, and he’s only at the Fifth Layer of Opening Realm, a whole two layers below Yue Xiuchuan."
The crowd now saw Lin Yun in a completely new light. Besides the other three Great Geniuses, there was no one else in Yunlu County’s younger generation who could fight Yue Xiuchuan to such a standstill.
"Hmph, Young Master Yue hasn’t even used a Martial Skill yet. Once he does, the outcome will be decided instantly."
"Don’t forget, Lin Shan hasn’t used a Martial Skill either. It’s too early to call."
The spectators murmured amongst themselves. Frustrated by his inability to defeat Lin Yun, Yue Xiuchuan decided to stop holding back. Elemental Power surged violently from within him, and faintly, the floor beneath his feet began to frost over.
"Lin Shan, today I’ll show you that there’s always someone better out there! Frost Fist!" Yue Xiuchuan roared, throwing a punch. His entire fist was instantly encased in a thick layer of solid ice.
"Here it comes! Young Master Yue’s Frost Fist! Lin Shan is definitely going to lose now."
"He’s using Frost Fist already? Looks like Yue Xiuchuan is really being pushed hard," Chen Dalong commented.
Yue Xiuchuan had used a Martial Skill, and it was the Yue Family’s signature technique: the Earth Level Lower Tier Frost Fist. Watching Lin Yun in the arena, the smile on Tang Wushuang’s lips slowly widened, as if he could already picture Lin Yun being crushed by a single punch.
Seated, Lu Bingning clenched her hands tightly, unsure why she was so worried about Lin Shan.
"A fine move! Let’s see what you can do besides suck up!" Lin Yun bellowed. He unleashed his Black Steel Tyrant Fist, and a domineering aura instantly billowed out. In the next moment, their fists slammed into each other.
With a thunderous BOOM, even the supposedly indestructible Yunlu Tower trembled slightly, a testament to the immense power behind their clash.
"Kid, you dare meet me head-on? You’re courting death!" The impact forced Lin Yun back three steps, but Yue Xiuchuan pressed forward, attacking with unstoppable momentum.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! After a series of rapid-fire punches, to the astonishment of the onlookers, Lin Yun shattered the solid ice on Yue Xiuchuan’s fist by sheer force.
"What? He broke it?" The crowd was utterly dumbfounded. Lin Yun had actually broken Yue Xiuchuan’s Frost Fist.
"True Intent... Even though it’s only a Profound Level Upper Tier skill, he’s comprehended its True Intent!" someone with a keen eye shouted, having recognized the True Intent within the Black Steel Tyrant Fist.
To have comprehended the True Intent of a Profound Level Upper Tier Martial Skill before the age of twenty? This filled the crowd with both envy and jealousy. Just how heaven-defying did one’s talent have to be?
Yue Xiuchuan’s expression turned ugly. His failure to defeat Lin Yun with his Frost Fist felt like a personal insult. ’I wanted to put on a good show, and now it’s just an evenly matched fight? This is just helping Lin Shan make a name for himself!’
"Lin Shan, you’ve successfully enraged me! I’m going to cripple you today!" Utterly furious, Yue Xiuchuan dropped all pretense. The frigid aura emanating from him became almost tangible as it radiated outwards, and a thin layer of ice began to form on the floor where he stood.
