C11 He Beat up Lin Tianyi!

"Lin Xuan, surely you're not planning to master the Falling Cloud Palm just to take on Lin Tong's own brother?" Lin Tianyi's voice dripped with sarcasm. He burst into laughter, then added, "You must be out of your mind. Are you aware that the Falling Cloud Palm is among the most challenging spirit techniques to learn at its level?"

"It demands exceptional comprehension skills, and it's not something you can master overnight!"

"Remember when Lin Tong unleashed that move on you? Do you have any idea how long it took him to master the Falling Cloud Palm?"

Lin Tianyi posed the question mockingly, with no intention of listening to Lin Xuan's response, and declared, "Three months!"

"But are you aware that Lin Tong's brother is due back soon? In just three days, Lin Lang will return from the depths of the Abyssal Forest."

"With Lin Lang's protective nature, he won't just let you off the hook!"

"By then, you'll likely be nowhere near mastering the Falling Cloud Palm. How do you plan to face Lin Lang? You're probably heading for the same fate as Lin Tong!"

Lin Tianyi couldn't help but laugh scornfully once more.

Upon hearing this, Lin Xuan, who had been somewhat puzzled by Lin Tianyi's earlier behavior, wondering if he might be an ally, now understood the mockery and contempt. He realized he had given it too much thought.

"Heh, I actually thought he was on my side, that he was giving me a deliberate heads-up earlier. But it turns out I was overthinking it. He's just foolish, putting that so-called Lin Lang on a pedestal!"

"Do you honestly believe Lin Lang will come back and defeat me?" Lin Xuan couldn't help but laugh derisively, his tone icy.

"Huh? Lin Xuan? Am I hearing things, or have you lost your mind? You think you stand a chance against Lin Lang? On what basis?"

"Just because of that scroll in your hands?"

"Hahaha, that's hilarious!"

"Yes, precisely because of this scroll. It might take others three months to grasp it, but that doesn't mean I'll need three months," Lin Xuan stated with confidence.

Lin Tianyi, as if amused by a joke, sneered back, "Hmph, I'll concede you have some skill to have advanced to the sixth level of Spirit Cultivation so quickly. Even if you're more talented than Lin Tong, you'd still need at least a month. By then, you might not even have the chance to comprehend it at all!"

"One month? Hahaha, give me just one night!" Lin Xuan's lips curled into a smirk. With the upgrade system at his fingertips, a month was laughably unnecessary.

"A single night? You're full of yourself. Just wait a few days, and we'll see who's boasting then!"

Lin Xuan had barely finished his taunt. He might not have grasped the meaning of "No," but he certainly caught the gist of the challenge.

Lin Tianyi's face turned to ice, his gaze piercing Lin Xuan as if he'd been made a fool of.

Yet, in that instant, Lin Xuan's grin only grew. "No need to wait," he retorted. "I'll handle you now and save Lin Lang for later."

With that, Lin Xuan dismissed the madman before him, tossing aside the scroll and encyclopedia, and lunged at Lin Tianyi!

Having easily bested Lin Tong, a Spirit Cultivator of the Eighth Level, with his own Sixth Level prowess, Lin Xuan was confident he could take on Lin Tianyi, freshly promoted to the Ninth Level. He attacked with bold ferocity, fearless.

But the Ninth Level of Spirit Cultivation was significantly more formidable than the Eighth, and despite seizing the initiative, Lin Xuan found himself in a dead heat with Lin Tianyi.

A sense of foreboding crept over him. "Lin Tianyi might be an idiot, but he's got skills. Far more than that waste, Lin Tong!"

In the heat of the moment, Lin Tianyi sneered with contempt. "I had no intention of getting my hands dirty, but if you're hell-bent on digging your own grave, don't blame me for what happens next!"

"Courting death? Haha, it remains to be seen who the real victim will be!"

Lin Xuan's laughter boomed, his spirit undiminished even as the battle taxed him.

The clash was so fierce that it didn't just rouse Lin Yumo and the others in the courtyard; it drew the attention of the Lin family disciples from the neighboring residence as well.

"Hmph, you think a mere Sixth Level Spirit Cultivator can challenge me? You're about to learn I'm nothing like that waste, Lin Tong!"

"Surging Wave!"

With a thunderous roar, Lin Tianyi unleashed a torrent of spirit energy from within, like a tempestuous sea, its vast momentum crashing towards Lin Xuan with ferocity!

"Surging Wave? That's the technique I saw in the library. I can't believe Lin Tianyi managed to get his hands on a main family spirit technique!"

But Lin Xuan was no pushover. Even without mastery of the Falling Cloud Palm, he had already mastered his own spirit technique.

"Wind and Cloud Wave!"

A system reward, albeit a low-grade, low-level technique, it was perfectly capable of countering the similarly ranked Surging Wave!

No sooner had Lin Xuan spoken than a yellow twister erupted before him, scattering the oncoming waves and relentlessly barreling towards Lin Tianyi!

"Swallow's Flight!"

Another technique in play, Lin Tianyi was as agile as a swift. With a graceful leap, he landed on the rooftop, evading the slicing wind.

The small tree that had been in his place was shredded by the tornado, reduced to splinters.

"Hmph, what of it? Phantom Flame!" Lin Xuan scoffed, unfazed by the distance Lin Tianyi had put between them.

The system had granted him another technique, the Phantom Flame, a long-range attack that turned his spirit energy into fiery orbs.

With lightning speed, he launched three fireballs, sealing off Lin Tianyi's every escape path, trapping him with no place to go.

Though the Phantom Flame resembled fire, it was but a construct of spirit energy and could not truly burn. Otherwise, their battle might have risked setting the house ablaze!

As expected, cornered with no escape, Lin Tianyi steeled himself to face the fireball. Struck by the potent orb of spirit energy, his complexion soured, betraying his shock.

"Is this for real? Who is this guy? He's actually dominating that Ninth Stage Spirit Cultivator with just a Sixth Stage cultivation. Have all the young cultivators become this monstrous?"

"The residents of this quaint courtyard... appear to be a select few prodigies identified by the family branch this year... And from the looks of it, their reputations are well-deserved. The combat unfolding here is absolutely thrilling!"

"That's Lin Xuan, the one who wounded Lin Lang's brother. Hmph, it's clear he's got some skills. Lin Tong's defeat was no fluke!"

The family's young disciples gathered around, buzzing with conversation. Their own spiritual cultivation might not be particularly advanced, but being born into the main family afforded them the privilege to train there, giving them a head start over Lin Xuan and his peers!

"Ah, so it's him. Hehe, word has it that Lin Lang will soon be back from his training in the Abyssal Forest. Looks like we're in for quite the spectacle."