Chapter 329: The Martial Artist, Regarded as Lin Yi.
As he spoke, Zhang Qiankun turned his head to look at Qin Daoming.
Qin Daoming, of course, didn't dare to refuse and hastily agreed.
In fact, even if he hadn't agreed, there was nothing he could do. His strength was no match for Lin Yun, and continuing to fight Lin Yun would only continue to embarrass him.
At this point, he had already embarrassed himself to the utmost extent and naturally did not want to continue doing so.
Therefore, after Qin Daoming agreed, he hastily and awkwardly left the stage.
As for Zhong Nan, who was injured earlier, he had already been carried off by other disciples of the Baji Sect.
Lin Yun's eyes narrowed slightly.
He wanted to kill the opponent, and even wanted to destroy the Baji Sect, but there was no rush. He had not forgotten his current mission - to win first place in the New Talent Competition and get that item with higher spirituality.
Not long after the life and death duel ended, the final round of the New Talent Competition officially began.
Lin Yun was naturally able to participate.
However, many martial arts prodigies looked at each other and bitterly smiled.
This person who could contend with a martial arts grandmaster might be their opponent.
If they encountered Lin Yi, who would be a match for him?
Originally, some of them were under orders from their elders to win first place in the New Talent Competition and then acquire that sword.
Now with Lin Yi present, there was no way they could complete this mission.
"I didn't expect ..."
"What terrible luck ..."
Some martial arts prodigies sighed.
"Lin Yi, what a powerful Lin Yi ..."
"Being able to fight against a martial arts grandmaster and not be defeated, earning the admiration of all prodigies. We martial artists should strive to be like Lin Yi ..."
"Every martial arts grandmaster is a legend in the martial arts world. This Lin Yi is the legend of legends ..."
Many ordinary martial artists were filled with excitement and exclaimed.
Today, they had witnessed a great show. When they left this martial arts meeting, they would have something to brag about.
"He ... he's reached such a powerful level ..."
In the crowd, Lin Mengmeng's eyes sparkled as she murmured.
Seeing Lin Mengmeng like this, Lin Yuanshan bitterly smiled in his heart.
He had to admit, his daughter knew someone called Lin Yun, who turned out to be very powerful.
Now, she knew a Lin Yi, who also turned out to be extremely powerful.
However, such a character... even if they showed interest in his daughter, he was somewhat uneasy. Such astonishing geniuses often have high ambitions. He was afraid that his daughter wouldn't be able to hold onto their hearts.
"It's over. It's over. Lin Yi's strength is too strong ..."
"The vice league leader of the Martial Arts Meeting even addresses him as a young friend. He's a peak Huajin powerhouse, a legend among legends ..."
"Our senior brother is doomed ..."
The Seven Injuries Sect disciples all felt a chill in their hearts, their faces pale and panic-stricken.
Originally, they were hoping to see Lin Yi be made a fool of. But they realized that the biggest joke was their Seven Injuries Sect, their senior brother.
Their Seven Injuries Sect had just one Martial Arts Grandmaster, the Ancestor, and he rarely got involved in worldly affairs. Meanwhile, Lin Yun himself was so powerful, how could their Seven Injuries Sect, their senior brother possibly compete against him?
"I didn't expect that this disciple of Dashan's is so powerful. No wonder he was so confident, no wonder he didn't care about having a martial arts grandmaster as a master. His own strength is comparable to a martial arts grandmaster... and even more impressively, his understanding of various martial skills far exceeds that of an average martial arts grandmaster.
Even a Martial Arts Grandmaster at the peak of Huajin would not dare to say that they could teach him ..."
Zhu Haoran took a deep breath and said.
"It's over. I actually provoked such a figure. He said he won't show me mercy anymore. Xin Tang junior brother, how did you get me involved with such a monster ..."
Among the Seven Injuries Sect disciples, Sun Moshang almost sat on the ground in shock, murmuring in a trance.
"No, how can he be so strong? He's just a disciple of Yan Dashan, an ordinary martial artist. How could he ... how could he ..."
In the crowd, Xintang Lee, clutching his ruined arm, wore an ugly expression, finding it hard to believe.
"I ... I'm truly courting death. I've actually provoked such a heaven-defying existence. I should leave the martial arts conference as soon as possible and lay low for a while..." Jiang Wei also felt a chill in his heart and said with great regret.
In contrast to Lin Yun, a legend among legends and genius among geniuses, he was just a little figure in the Late Mingjin Stage. Lin Yun could easily crush him. How could he not be afraid?
Zhang Haoran... Zhang Wentian... were all shocked ...
Soon, the first round of the tournament, the draw, was completed.
Minus Zhong Nan from the top twenty, and adding the five who passed through the resurrection match, there were a total of twenty-four people.
Originally, the resurrection match was only supposed to have four people go through. However, since Zhong Nan, who had already advanced to the top twenty, was crippled and obviously could not participate in the match, they hurriedly added another person, much to that person's surprise.
Because in this way, even if he lost as soon as he entered the stage, he could say he made it to the top twenty-four.
Being in the top twenty-four sounds good when you say it out loud.
Moreover, if he got lucky, he might not necessarily lose in the first match.
Out of the twenty-four people, eighteen were of the Dark Strength Realm, with the remaining six all at the Peak of Mingjin Stage.
This time, Lin Yun's opponent turned out to be a Shaolin disciple, a martial artist at the initial stage of Dark Strength, named Yongjie, a fair and slim monk. Shaolin and Wudang were held in equal regard, yet Shaolin was a bit more powerful than the Baji Sect, housing some of the best disciples.
"Amitabha Buddha, this humble monk is no match for you. I will forfeit..." Yongjie stepped onto the stage, bowed to Lin Yun, giving a single-handed Buddhist salute and said with a slight bitter smile.
Having said that, Yongjie turned around and walked off the stage.
The strength of talented martial artists like them fell far short when compared to Lin Yun. If a fight were to break out, none of them could guarantee they wouldn't get hurt. It all depended on Lin Yun's mood. Under such circumstances, anyone smart enough would hurry to admit defeat.
By preserving their strength, they could ensure sufficient vitality for the subsequent competitions.
Even if they had to participate in the resurrection match, it was still better than having a direct combat with Lin Yun.
And just like that, Lin Yun advanced directly to the top twelve.
The referee then came onto the stage to announce the rankings.
"Tsk, I initially thought Yongjie would go toe-to-toe against Lin Yi..."
"Exactly, I got all worked up for nothing. I wanted to see how Lin Yi would effortlessly take him down..."
"And he calls himself a Shaolin disciple. How disgraceful to the Shaolin..."
A number of those watching disapprovingly scoffed.
Even though Yongjie was from the Buddhist sect and had a good grasp over his emotions, his face flushed slightly upon hearing these disdainful remarks.
The first round ended quickly.
All six competitors at the Peak of the Mingjin Stage were eliminated.
The top twelve emerged, revealing two more secret disciples from renowned sects at the Mid Term Realm of Dark Strength, and another disciple at Initial Stage of Dark Strength but boasting the same power as those at the Mid Term Realm.
Including the senior brother from the Wudang Sect who was already quite well-known, Li Shaoning, there were a total of three disciples at the Mid Term Realm of Dark Strength and another disciple possessing power on par with them in this Newcomer's Competition.
If you added Lin Yun to this list, the roster of competitors was unlike anything seen before, making this a grand occasion.
Soon, the lot drawing for the second round began.
This time, Lin Yun's opponent turned out to be Li Shaoning, a martial artist at the Mid Term of Dark Strength from the Wudang Sect.
"I highly admire Brother Lin Yi's abilities. I also practice Tai Chi and would greatly appreciate any advice from you..." Li Shaoning humbly saluted Lin Yun and spoke very politely.
Lin Yun simply nodded slightly without uttering a word.
"Thud, thud, thud..."
Since Li Shaoning was polite, Lin Yun decided to not embarrass him either. Initially, he adopted a defensive style. To be fair, he wanted to take this opportunity to observe what level his opponent's Tai Chi had achieved and how it differed from his own practice.
"His standard of Tai Chi doesn't even compare to my experience gained from practicing over two hundred different martial arts, but it does exceed the intermediate-level Tai Chi Fist I learned. That move, and the one before it, are slightly different from the Tai Chi Fist I practice..."
It turned out, Lin Yun did gain some insights.
Li Shaoning, being in his twenties and at the Mid Term of Dark Strength, naturally was a core disciple of the Wudang Sect. He had acquired some true skills of Tai Chi and even knew its mysteries.
Among them was the Tai Chi Fist, which Li Shaoning had mastered efficiently.
Moreover, the Tai Chi Fist that Li Shaoning had learned was somewhat different from the one Lin Yun had learned from the Cosmic Trading System. However, this difference didn't necessarily mean that Li Shaoning was more advanced. Rather, it gave Lin Yun an inspiration to juggle and connect relevant tricks.
Nevertheless, after thirty-odd moves, Lin Yun couldn't find anything new, so he sent his opponent flying off the stage with a light flick of his hand with the technique called 'Leveraging Force'.
"Thank you for showing mercy, Brother Lin Yi. Your Tai Chi has truly opened my eyes. I am gracious for your advice." Li Shaoning once again saluted Lin Yun with a gesture of deep admiration.
He sincerely admired Lin Yun's strength. Only after facing him in combat did he realize how formidable Lin Yun truly was.
Initially, he feared that Lin Yun might go all out, so he held back a little bit to prevent any unforeseen accidents. Later, when he saw Lin Yun had no intention of intentionally hurting him, he let loose. Despite using all his tricks and some moves that he was particularly proud of, he wasn't able to land a single blow on Lin Yun.
Lin Yun stood before him like a wide ocean, swallowing up all his strength and moves within it.
The fact that Lin Yun didn't fall back while contending against Qin Daoming wasn't pure luck as he initially thought.
He admired Lin Yun in his heart.
The second round ended and the top six were revealed.
The six eliminated competitors could still vie for the top ten positions and their specific standings from the seventh to the tenth.
However, that was no longer the core competition. The fight that the top six would face next was the main competition.
The third round would decide the top three.
This time, Lin Yun's opponent merely was a martial artist at the Initial Stage of Dark Strength, known as Wang Zhu. He wasn't from any prestigious sect, merely an ordinary disciple. However, he was considered a dark horse in this competition.
The fact that he managed to come this far stirred up wild enthusiasm among his fellow disciples from the same sect. They cheered vigorously from below the arena.
"I look forward to learning from you, Brother Lin Yi..." This martial artist at the Initial Stage of Dark Strength saluted Lin Yun, speaking very politely too.
He was also aware of Lin Yun's horrifying strength. Even though he had great confidence in his own power, he knew very well it was nowhere close to Lin Yun's.
As a matter of fact, making it this far already signified his good fortune.
Perhaps getting Lin Yi as an opponent was also a part of his good fortune. At least he wouldn't have felt too much regret upon losing...
Wang Zhu tried to console himself.
At this moment, he was very relaxed.
After all, he was destined to lose.