C12 Victory

Zhao Lin moved at a sluggish pace, looking as if he hadn't eaten a thing. Zhang Yun let out a cold, mocking laugh. "You're seeking your own demise. You're so weak, and yet you dare to accept my challenge?" With a thud, Zhao Lin's fist connected with Zhang Yun's chest. Zhang Yun sneered with contempt, and with a jolt of his body, sent Zhao Lin stumbling backward.

"Senior Brother truly is a master of the Foundation Building realm. Without the Foundation Building Pill, I, as your Junior Brother, would never have dared to accept your challenge!" Zhao Lin shook his numb arm and trotted closer to Zhang Yun. Zhang Yun gave a peculiar smile. "Do you think my Foundation Building Pill comes without cost, that you'd receive it for nothing?"

Thud! Zhao Lin's fist came flying in, but Zhang Yun turned away dismissively, not bothering to defend himself. Suddenly, Zhao Lin's speed surged. By the time Zhang Yun realized, it was too late. "Ahh!" Zhang Yun let out a terrible scream as Zhao Lin's devious punch landed viciously on his chin. "Ah, Senior Brother, I beg for mercy!" As Zhang Yun's cries filled the air, Zhao Lin also let out his own agonized scream.

Both were screaming, yet Zhao Lin's fists moved with incredible speed, pummeling Zhang Yun's face with dozens of rapid blows. "You... scoundrel!" After a scream that resembled a pig being slaughtered, Zhang Yun finally found an opening and broke free. His face was a mess of bruises, making his words nearly unintelligible. "What, you're saying I beat you?" Zhao Lin exclaimed in a bizarre tone. He charged forward, appearing instantly before Zhang Yun, and slapped his Spatial Pouch, summoning several runes.

As the runes neared Zhang Yun, Zhao Lin let out another strange scream, and the runes exploded with a resounding boom. "Ah!" Caught in the center of the blast, Zhang Yun let out a miserable cry and was blasted off the ground, arcing through the air. The onlookers, more than a dozen strong, exchanged bewildered glances. "Shameless!" The two who had come to fetch Zhao Lin shouted in anger.

Zhao Lin's recent scream had clearly signaled an explosion, while his earlier cries had masked Zhang Yun's own. Hearing the accusations, Zhao Lin's expression turned grave, and he swiftly dodged to the side. Just as he moved, the spot where he had been standing erupted in an explosion.

"You've really managed to infuriate me. You're going to pay dearly for your vile behavior!" Nearby, Zhang Yun's swollen eyes, narrowed to mere slits, glinted with indignation. "Senior Brother Zhang, teach him a lesson!" The faces of those who had been jeering at Zhao Lin lit up with glee. "Die!" With a swift motion of his palm, Zhang Yun launched an attack, causing Zhao Lin's face to pale. Was this the power of someone at the Foundation Building level?

Zhao Lin could feel a surge of Qi hurtling towards his chest. A direct hit would leave him gravely injured, if not dead. "Break!" Realizing it was too late to dodge, he tapped his Spatial Pouch and stabbed forward with his dagger. The dagger met the Qi with a pfft, and with a series of such sounds, the Qi was torn apart, dissipating into nothing. "Go!" Without hesitation, Zhao Lin tapped his Spatial Pouch again, sending several flying swords from within to pierce towards Zhang Yun.

Seeing Zhao Lin's audacity in launching an offensive, Zhang Yun was furious. He too slapped his Spatial Pouch, summoning several flying swords of his own. The swords clashed, sending sparks scattering in every direction. "Explode!" In a sudden twist, Zhao Lin's sly smile signaled trouble. Zhang Yun's face twisted in horror as he watched the leading sword in Zhao Lin's control detonate. The lone sword had been a decoy, a tactic Zhang Yun had not anticipated.

With a thunderous boom, Zhao Lin's remaining swords had already cleared the blast zone, while Zhang Yun's, caught in the fray, were unable to escape the cunningly timed explosion. The resulting blast reduced Zhang Yun's five flying swords to fragments. "Ah, I'll make you pay with your life!" For an Outer Sect disciple, acquiring five flying swords was no small feat. To have them destroyed in an instant sent Zhang Yun into a blind rage.

"Explode!" At that critical moment, another of Zhao Lin's swords detonated right before the horrified eyes of Zhang Yun. "Ah!" His scream was akin to that of a pig being butchered, as he demonstrated the ungraceful spectacle of landing rear-first on the ground. "Damn, that's just low!" At this point, everyone present couldn't help but agree that Zhao Lin's tactics were utterly dishonorable.

"Senior Brother Zhang Yun, how are you holding up? Can you handle three more moves from me?!" Zhao Lin ignored the jeers and mockingly expressed his concern for Zhang Yun. "Pfft!" Zhang Yun, who had just hit the ground, coughed up blood, his eyes blazing with fury that seemed to scorch the earth itself. "Zhao Lin, I'm going all out!" With a clap of his hands, over ten flying swords emerged from his Spatial Pouch, forming a sword array that lunged at Zhao Lin.

"Holy shit, Senior Brother, stop!" Zhao Lin's face paled as he shouted, quickly retracting his remaining three flying swords to fend off the incoming sword array. Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! The three flying swords were no match for the dozen, and within moments, they shattered, leaving Zhao Lin to watch in dismay. "Die!" Zhang Yun's murderous intent was palpable as he flipped his palm, and the sword array bore down on Zhao Lin's head.

In a desperate move, Zhao Lin bit down hard and, with a dagger in hand, leaped into the center of the sword array. Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! He immediately paid the price for his rashness, as the formidable sword array inflicted numerous gashes across his body, staining him with blood. Had he not moved swiftly, his right arm might have been severed.

"No, the longer the weapon, the greater its advantage. I can't clash with him directly!" Zhao Lin spat out another mouthful of blood and retreated rapidly. He slapped his Spatial Pouch, and a large bow appeared. He quickly nocked three ironwood arrows, drew the bow, aimed, and fired in rapid succession. "This is bad!" Zhang Yun's face twisted as he sensed imminent danger. Three arrows sped toward the center of the sword array, while two more targeted his forehead and chest.

A thunderous explosion echoed as the ironwood arrows met Zhang Yun's sword array, sending his flying swords scattering. The remaining two arrows were on a collision course with Zhang Yun's body. Zhao Lin swiftly nocked two more arrows and released them with a swish, the arrows whistling as they pursued the first pair.

Then, the unexpected happened. The two arrows, mere inches from Zhang Yun, suddenly split in half, and to the crowd's horror, the latter two arrows shot through the gap created by the first pair. The onlookers' faces turned ashen, some even turning away, unable to stomach the gruesome spectacle that was about to ensue.

Zhang Yun stood there, utterly dazed, having forgotten to evade. He could even sense the rush of air from the incoming arrows. In that moment, Zhang Yun was eerily calm, accepting the certainty of his impending death. A pair of sharp snaps pierced the air, and a complex expression flickered through the sliver of sight left in Zhang Yun's barely open eyes. The disciples, who had been bracing for a gruesome outcome, gasped in disbelief at the sight of the young man standing before Zhang Yun.

"Are you out of your mind? Why didn't you dodge?" Zhao Lin yelled, seizing the arrow just as it grazed Zhang Yun's skin. Blood streamed from Zhao Lin's palms, a testament to his split-second intervention where he had shattered the leading arrows with the two following, buying those precious milliseconds. "You win!" Zhang Yun declared, eyeing the blood dripping from Zhao Lin's hands with a mix of emotions, before turning to walk away.

"Damn right, I won!" Zhao Lin grumbled, tossing the arrow into his Spatial Pouch. He glanced at his mangled palms with a wince of pain, then strode away from the scene, leaving a group of more than ten disciples staring in shock.