Taking a deep breath, Lin Xiao sharpened his focus and met Tang Yan head-on.

As a seasoned veteran, he’d already noticed Tang Yan’s elusive movement patterns. Lin Xiao released his divine sense, tendrils of it wrapping around Tang Yan, tracking his every move.

*Boom!* As expected, Tang Yan’s attack trajectory shifted once again.

Fortunately, Lin Xiao was prepared. Without that foresight, Tang Yan’s relentless double strike would’ve put him at a serious disadvantage.

After two consecutive attacks, surely you’d need to catch your breath now, right?

A flicker of triumph danced in Lin Xiao’s mind as he prepared to counterattack. But then, his composure wavered again.

Tang Yan didn’t pause. With a swift pivot, he drove an elbow straight toward Lin Xiao’s chest.

The strike was lightning-fast, carrying the force of a thunderclap. Having just unleashed two uninterrupted counters, Lin Xiao’s strength was waning. Faced with such a ferocious blow, he felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness.

Unable to block it head-on, he had no choice but to evade. Lin Xiao activated his footwork, retreating three steps in a flash!

Dodging Tang Yan’s strike left Lin Xiao’s face burning with embarrassment.

Using the strength of a fourth-rank Mysterious Stage, he’d been forced back by Tang Yan’s onslaught! If word of this got out, where would he hide his old face?

“Watch yourself!” Lin Xiao shed all traces of underestimation, now regarding Tang Yan as a true equal. With a surge of true energy, he stepped into a precise stance. His hand traced a swift circle in the air, unleashing an Origin Stage martial technique toward Tang Yan.

Even limited to Mysterious Stage power, an Earth Stage expert’s aura was still awe-inspiring.

Feeling the devastating force of the palm strike, Tang Yan didn’t meet it head-on. He activated his Phantom Step, his figure darting like lightning to evade the attack and flank Lin Xiao.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

In the split second of his maneuver, three explosive bursts rang out. A formidable aura erupted from Tang Yan as he unleashed the third strike of the Thousand Mountains Fist, aiming squarely at Lin Xiao’s arm.

Lin Xiao’s unstoppable punch was forced to redirect mid-flight.

*Boom!*

The Thousand Mountains Fist grew exponentially stronger with each successive strike. The third punch surpassed the power of a third-rank Mysterious Stage fighter. The impact sent a surge of turmoil through Lin Xiao’s blood and qi.

Such a dominant blow—Lin Xiao could tell it was a martial technique.

And executing a martial technique consumed far more true energy than a standard attack.

A glint of satisfaction flashed in Lin Xiao’s eyes. At such close range, after expending energy on a martial technique, Tang Yan surely couldn’t strike again immediately.

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*Kid, you’re still too green. All I need to do now is make a slight move…*

Lin Xiao’s smugness didn’t last long. His pupils contracted sharply as Tang Yan, fresh off a martial technique, spun around and threw another punch without the slightest pause.

Though he’d witnessed Tang Yan’s duel with Liu Zhi, Liu Zhi’s combat experience was lacking, and Lin Xiao hadn’t fully grasped Tang Yan’s true strength then.

He’d assumed Tang Yan could only chain such seamless moves three to five times. But seeing him unleash a martial technique and continue without breaking stride, Lin Xiao’s heart roared with shock.

What kind of freak was this kid? How could his moves flow so perfectly?

His martial techniques and standard strikes blended together seamlessly!

*Could he have been possessed by one of the Bronze Men from the Assassins’ Tower?*

Suppressing his astonishment, Lin Xiao tilted his body to narrowly dodge. But Tang Yan clung to him like a leech, impossible to shake off. Before Lin Xiao could catch his breath, another attack came barreling in.

No wonder his daughter had improved so much in combat—truly, a great teacher produced a great student!

And no wonder Lin Dongxue always complained his attacks lacked sharpness when he sparred with her. Compared to Tang Yan’s relentless, storm-like barrage, Lin Xiao’s so-called “fierce” strikes felt downright gentle.

Judging by Tang Yan’s level, his moves flowed like water, endless and unbroken. Lin Dongxue had only scratched the surface of his skill!

Lin Xiao was reeling with shock, but Lin Dongxue watched from the sidelines with rapt fascination. Every one of Tang Yan’s strikes was fierce and direct yet endlessly varied—an artistry that was a pleasure to behold.

“Eight Shadows Palm!”

Pushed to his limit by Tang Yan’s onslaught, Lin Xiao’s temper flared. His aura solidified as he drew out his true energy, a massive wave of pressure exploding from him.

Eight palm shadows formed in the air, each as solid as reality, bearing down on Tang Yan.

“What!” Lin Dongxue, engrossed in the spectacle, suddenly gasped. Others might not know, but she did—Eight Shadows Palm was a legitimate Yellow Stage martial technique!

A third-rank Mysterious Stage fighter had forced an Earth Stage expert, restricted to fourth-rank power, to resort to a Yellow Stage technique?

Feeling the immense power behind the eight palm shadows, Tang Yan inwardly marveled. The city lord’s mansion truly had vast resources—always ready with the perfect technique for any situation.

With his soul power now extraordinarily sharp, Tang Yan saw through it in an instant. All eight shadows were illusions.

The real threat lay in the single, hidden strike beneath them.

Yet even the illusory shadows carried some offensive force.

Under the crushing pressure, Tang Yan devised a plan in a flash. His fingers morphed into a sword, and the Tang Family’s “Flowing Cloud Sword” technique unfurled in full.

His finger strikes fell like rain, a torrent of motion targeting the eight palm shadows.

*Pop! Pop! Pop…* Eight consecutive bursts, like bubbles breaking, echoed out. Without even glancing at them, Tang Yan threw a full-force punch straight ahead.

“How is that possible!” Seeing his attack perfectly countered and his true killing move exposed, Lin Xiao’s shock deepened.

*Boom!* After a dull collision, just as Lin Xiao expected, Tang Yan charged at him again without hesitation.

Across twelve consecutive attacks, Lin Xiao gained a clearer picture of Tang Yan’s strength.

But the more he understood, the more stunned he became. What kind of monster was this guy?

Flawlessly chaining martial techniques and moves was one thing—but every strike pinpointed the exact weaknesses in Lin Xiao’s offense.

That precision allowed Tang Yan, with third-rank strength, to hold his own against Lin Xiao’s fourth-rank power.

Lin Xiao’s journey from Origin Stage to Earth Stage had been grueling, forged through countless battles.

In terms of martial mastery, he believed few in the Eastern Domain could rival him.

Yet under Tang Yan’s twelve strikes, he’d been forced to use three martial techniques!

Utter humiliation!

Lin Xiao was starting to regret this. Had he known Tang Yan was this outrageous, he wouldn’t have agreed so readily to spar. He wasn’t a training partner—he was a punching bag!

But Tang Yan clearly had no intention of giving him an out. Like a bolt of lightning, he charged again.

“Six Shadows Slash!”

Now fully enraged, Lin Xiao took a deep breath and unleashed yet another martial technique.

It lacked the overwhelming grandeur of before, but its precision was razor-sharp. Standing there, Tang Yan felt as though a ferocious beast had locked onto him, a stifling sense of restraint washing over him.

“Mysterious Stage technique! Daddy, you’re cheating!” Lin Dongxue couldn’t hold back any longer, shouting her accusation from the sidelines.