Having made his decision, Lin Yun returned to his room with practiced ease. After freshening up, he went to the dining room for breakfast.
Today was the second round of the competition. After breakfast, Lin Yun followed behind his father, Lin Xiaotian, and left home as Zhang Jingxiang saw them off.
The arena was the same as yesterday, but only six people remained for the second round. Among the six, besides Lin Yun, the weakest were at the Second Layer of Opening Realm. There were two at the strongest level, the Fourth Layer of Opening Realm, one of whom was Lu Bingning.
When the others saw Lin Yun approach, their eyes filled with contempt. There was one exception: Lu Bingning, whose gaze toward Lin Yun was utterly cold and indifferent.
"Hmph." Lu Bingning snorted coldly at Lin Yun. Her intention was clear: she was definitely going to make him pay.
In the stands, Lin Xiaotian glanced worriedly at Lin Yun. He had tried to persuade Lin Yun to forfeit today's match when they were leaving this morning. After all, the weakest opponent in the second round was at the Second Layer of Opening Realm; Lin Yun had no chance of winning.
But in response to his father's persuasion, Lin Yun had simply smiled faintly and told him not to worry, leaving Lin Xiaotian completely clueless as to what his son was thinking.
"The match begins!" With no other choice, Lin Xiaotian could only put his faith in Lin Yun and loudly announce the start of the competition.
The second round of the competition was different from the first. It used a "ring master" system, where a contestant could choose to become the master of the ring and accept challenges from the other five. The first to defeat all five opponents would win first place.
As expected, the moment Lin Xiaotian's voice faded, Lu Bingning leaped onto the fighting stage. Her beautiful eyes stared coldly at Lin Yun as she said, "Get up here. Today, I'm going to show you the consequences of beating up my brother."
Lu Bingning's words were blunt, but Lin Yun was unfazed. He had anticipated this before even arriving. Given her personality, it would be a true miracle if she let him go.
Followed by the mocking and pitying gazes of the crowd, Lin Yun stepped onto the stage one step at a time and stood opposite Lu Bingning.
A smile on his face, Lin Yun looked as if he didn't have a care in the world. He showed not the slightest bit of nervousness as he looked at Lu Bingning; on the contrary, he was perfectly composed. "Miss Lu, please go easy on me."
The moment he stepped onto the stage, Lin Yun took the initiative to tease her. At his words, Lu Bingning's expression instantly darkened, and a glint of frost appeared in her eyes as she looked at him.
"Lin Yun, cut the clever talk," Lu Bingning said coldly. "Today, you will either apologize to my brother in front of everyone, or I will beat you until you do."
Hearing this, Lin Yun replied with a faint smile, "Then you'll have to beat me. Just be careful you don't overreach and end up losing more than you gain."
"Fine. Wolf Spirit Claw!" With no more wasted words, Lu Bingning attacked, immediately unleashing a Martial Skill.
Lu Bingning's Wolf Spirit Claw was on a completely different level from Lu Tao's. As she unleashed it, her Elemental Power coalesced into a wolf claw so solid it looked almost tangible.
Facing Lu Bingning's Wolf Spirit Claw, Lin Yun's first instinct was to dodge. 'Are you kidding me?' he thought. 'An attack from the Fourth Layer of Opening Realm... I'm in no position to block that head-on.'
For a time, only two figures could be seen on the stage in a frantic chase. Lin Yun dodged relentlessly, as slippery as an eel with greased feet.
Lu Bingning, in hot pursuit, was like a crazed tiger, determined to cripple Lin Yun on the stage with a single strike.
At first, the crowd was openly scornful of Lin Yun's evasiveness. 'All you do on stage is run away. What kind of a fight is that?'
But as time went on, some in the crowd began to see what was happening. Despite facing Lu Bingning, an expert at the Fourth Layer of Opening Realm, Lin Yun hadn't been hit even once. What did that imply?
It implied that Lin Yun's speed was in no way inferior to Lu Bingning's—and might even be a notch faster.
This didn't mean Lin Yun's power was greater than Lu Bingning's. On a small stage like this, where no one had learned any Body Technique Martial Skills, the competition naturally came down to pure speed.
"Damn it, Lin Yun! Is running away all you know how to do?" After chasing him for so long without success, a furious Lu Bingning finally roared.
Hearing her, Lin Yun's expression didn't change as he retorted, "Running away? Lu Bingning, have you no shame? You're a Fourth Layer of Opening Realm Martial Artist fighting a Body Refining Realm Martial Artist like me. You expect me not to run?"
Lin Yun's words left Lu Bingning speechless. She had no comeback; he was telling the truth. What else was a Body Refining Realm Martial Artist supposed to do when fighting someone at the Fourth Layer of the Opening Realm?
Realizing she had lost the verbal battle, Lu Bingning wisely said no more. Instead, her attacks grew even more frantic.
Several times, Lin Yun escaped by a hair's breadth, coming just an inch away from being hit. He knew that against an enraged Lu Bingning, taking even a single blow was no laughing matter.
"This..." The scene on the stage left the onlookers not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
What should have been an instant-kill battle had been completely turned on its head by Lin Yun. A quarter of an hour had passed, and Lu Bingning still hadn't managed to land a single touch on him.
Lin Yun's speed now sparked everyone's curiosity. How could a mere Body Refining Realm Martial Artist be so fast that even Lu Bingning of the Fourth Layer of Opening Realm was helpless against him?
"Hmph. Lin Yun, let's see how long you can keep running. I refuse to believe your stamina is greater than mine." Unable to catch him, Lu Bingning could only switch to a battle of attrition.
The scene was a replay of yesterday's battle—another war of attrition had begun. The only difference was that today's opponent was Lu Bingning, not Lu Tao.
"This kid..." Watching Lin Yun on the stage, Lin Xiaotian muttered helplessly. For someone at the Eighth Layer of Body Refining Realm to push an expert at the Fourth Layer of Opening Realm to this extent... it was truly unheard of.
Now engaged in a war of attrition, Lu Bingning continued to chase Lin Yun, though her attacks were considerably weaker. Her only goal now was to drain his stamina. The moment his movements became sluggish, she would strike.
"Hey, Lu Bingning, it's been half an hour. How long are you going to chase me?" Lin Yun suddenly called out while on the run. "If you can't catch me, just give up. Or could it be... you've fallen for me?"
At his words, the aggressive Lu Bingning stumbled, nearly falling to the ground. Her face instantly flushed bright red.
"Like you? In your dreams!" she roared at Lin Yun, her face crimson. "I, Lu Bingning, would fall for a pig before I ever fell for you!"
Although Lu Bingning was known for her icy beauty, she was still just an eighteen-year-old girl and thus quite thin-skinned. It was only natural for her to feel flustered by Lin Yun's words.
"You don't like me? Then why are you chasing me?" Lin Yun piped up again.
Provoked by Lin Yun's relentless teasing, Lu Bingning became absolutely furious. Red-faced and radiating killing intent, she roared at him, "Lin Yun, I'm going to kill you!"
At that moment, all thoughts of her plan—of the war of attrition—vanished from Lu Bingning's mind. All that remained was the despicable, loose-tongued scoundrel before her. 'I have to kill him. I absolutely have to kill him.' This was the only thought left in her mind.
(This new book needs everyone's support—bookmarks, recommendations, everything! I'm counting on you all. Your support is the motivation for Wufeng to keep writing. Thank you!!!)