C17 Struggle to Win

"Big brother, Lin Hao isn't as impressive as I thought. I must have overestimated him," Lin Hu remarked with a smirk, watching Lin Hao struggle against the Dragonsbane Rope.

"Hehe, indeed. It would take us considerable effort to break free from the Dragonsbane Rope, and it looks like Lin Hao is out of luck," Lin Lang responded.

Just when they were convinced of Lin Hao's impending defeat, the situation took a dramatic turn.

"Crack!"

Lin Bao's face drained of color. "What! He actually managed to destroy my Dragonsbane Rope?"

In a rush, Lin Bao assumed a defensive stance, doing everything he could to avoid being struck by the Fireball.

"Hmm? What's happening? The Fireball Lin Hao released is incredibly powerful?" Lin Xiao exclaimed in surprise, "It destroyed a low-grade magic weapon."

"The Small Fireball our family uses is just average in power. Lin Hao must have had some kind of extraordinary experience," Lin Meng chimed in.

"Humph, whatever good fortune he's had, he ought to share it with the family," Lin Xiong grumbled discontentedly.

"Everyone, quiet down and focus on the match," Lin Xiao commanded, noticing Lin Meng and Lin Xiong on the verge of another argument.

"Big brother, this is bad!" Lin Hu interjected urgently.

"What's the rush? Let's keep watching," Lin Lang chided.

At that moment, Lin Bao was inwardly tormented. A Fireball capable of destroying a low-grade magic weapon could severely injure him if it made contact, potentially leaving him with grave injuries.

Thus, Lin Bao could only hope that Lin Hao would run out of spiritual energy and be unable to cast another Fireball.

"I never expected the Fireball to be so formidable. It seems the other techniques are also far from ordinary. I'll have to take some time to study them," Lin Hao thought to himself, astonished to see the Dragonsbane Rope incinerated by his Fireball.

Consequently, Lin Hao continued to launch Fireballs, hoping to force Lin Bao into surrendering.

However, Lin Hao soon realized his strategy was futile; he simply couldn't land a hit on Lin Bao. If he ran out of spiritual energy, Lin Bao would easily overpower him, and he might not even get the chance to unleash the gold needle.

Lin Hao found the situation unacceptable and decided to halt his advance.

"Opportunity!"

Lin Bao wasted no time, unleashing a barrage of Fireball spells at Lin Hao.

A swarm of Small Fireballs came at Lin Hao, leaving him with no room to dodge.

Without a moment's hesitation, Lin Hao sprang into the air, his movements swift.

At this stage, Lin Hao was unable to fly, so each leap consumed a significant amount of his spiritual energy.

Fireballs narrowly missed him, making for a perilous situation.

"I'll see how long you can keep this up!" Lin Bao growled menacingly.

Lin Hao had ruined the low-grade magic weapon that Lin Bao had painstakingly crafted. Lin Bao had counted on showcasing its power in the upcoming competition, and its destruction infuriated him.

Thus, Lin Bao's attacks were particularly vicious.

Lin Hao dodged desperately, sweat beading on his forehead.

Lin Bao was the most formidable opponent he had faced thus far, relentless and tricky to evade. A moment's inattention could result in being struck by a Fireball.

"If I can't stay airborne, then underground it is!"

Lin Hao stopped abruptly and quickly employed the Burrowing technique, vanishing from the arena.

"Burrowing?" Lin Xiao pondered. "Lin Hao seems to know a surprising array of techniques. Has he been concealing his true power all this time? But that's improbable; how could I have missed it? Perhaps he's had some extraordinary encounter..."

Seeing Lin Hao in such a dire state, Lin Fu turned to Lin Wen and expressed his concern, "Sis, Brother Lin Hao is in trouble."

Lin Wen, too, was visibly worried, anxiously biting her lip.

"Huh? He's even mastered Burrowing. That's quite the surprise," Lin Bao remarked to himself as he surveyed the deserted arena.

His tone darkened as he continued, "But what does it matter? I'll flush you out!"

"Ice Piton!"

Lin Hao had been lying in wait beneath the surface, looking for a chance to launch a surprise attack.

But with Lin Bao casting Ice Piton across the entire field, Lin Hao had no choice but to resurface in the arena.

With a sharp intake of breath, Lin Hao emerged from the ground and leapt into the air, but not before an ice piton struck him in the back.

Blood was streaming down!

Lin Wen's complexion turned deathly pale!

Meanwhile, Lin Hao quickly channeled his spiritual energy to stem the bleeding and decided it was time to strike back.

With a swift motion of his fingers, Lin Hao conjured a hand seal, and five gold needles materialized before him.

"Go!" Lin Hao commanded.

The gold needles launched towards Lin Bao from five different angles.

This was Lin Hao's ace in the hole, a technique he hadn't intended to reveal today, but now he had no choice—he had to succeed.

The needles, forged from concentrated spiritual energy, were razor-sharp, slicing through the Fireball and rapidly advancing towards Lin Bao.

Forced on the defensive, Lin Bao's situation was quickly reversing!

Suddenly, Lin Bao found himself in a dire predicament. Lin Hao continued to unleash gold needles, hoping to either overwhelm Lin Bao's defenses or drive him out of the ring.

Should that happen, victory would naturally be Lin Hao's.

"Lin Bao's finishing move has been effortlessly countered by Lin Hao; he's truly remarkable," Lin Meng remarked with admiration. "Lin Bao initially used the Fireball to push Lin Hao into the air, followed by the ice piton to strike him. Now, he's the one in disarray due to the spiritual energy sword released by Lin Hao. It looks like Lin Hao stands a great chance of winning."

"Indeed, Lin Hao's recent performances have been nothing short of dazzling. He's been making a name for himself within the family. It seems Lin Hao is poised for victory," Lin Xiao said with a smile.

Lin Xiong let out a disdainful snort, "Defeating Lin Bao won't be that simple!"

The entire family's gaze was fixed on the arena.

Up on the stage.

Lin Bao continued to struggle, narrowly avoiding the gold needles.

"Brother Bao! Use your secret technique!" Lin Lang called out to Lin Bao.

"Secret technique?" Lin Hao echoed, puzzled, and paused.

Lin Bao proposed to Lin Hao, "How about we decide the outcome with one move? It seems you're running low on spiritual energy, and at this rate, we'll get nowhere."

Hearing Lin Bao's suggestion, Lin Hao wondered if Lin Bao had a secret move up his sleeve.

"Fine, let's settle it your way!" Lin Hao agreed resolutely.

"We can unleash our strongest strike, and naturally, you're free to defend," Lin Bao stated. "Whoever remains standing in the ring at the end will be declared the victor."

"Then let's get started," Lin Hao responded.

Upon hearing Lin Bao's intention to settle the match with a single move, Lin Hao decided to employ Petrification, realizing that his most potent technique, the gold needle, had failed to harm Lin Bao. Defense seemed the wiser choice.

Moreover, Lin Hao was confident that Petrification could withstand Lin Bao's full-powered strike, especially since Lin Bao was only at the sixth level of Qi Refining and had already expended a significant amount of spiritual energy.

"Titanic Soul Punch!" Lin Bao bellowed, unleashing the move once more.

"Why the Titanic Soul Punch again?" Lin Hao wondered. Nonetheless, he quickly recited the incantation and activated Petrification.

Instantly, a golden dome resembling a stone statue enveloped Lin Hao, sealing him inside without a single crack.

"It's turned red!" Lin Hao, though concealed within the statue, could see the outside scene.

Lin Bao's fists were now a deep blood red, hurtling towards Lin Hao.

"Watch as I shatter your shell!" Lin Bao declared with determination.

"Petrification!" Lin Xiao and the elders cried out in surprise.

"Isn't that technique only achievable by those at the sixth level of Qi Refining? How has Lin Hao managed this?" one elder questioned.

Meanwhile, on the stage.

Lin Bao's crimson fist struck the stone statue.

"Crack!"

A crisp sound echoed through the air.

"Lin Hao is defeated; his shell is broken, and Lin Bao is victorious," a clan disciple announced.

"Yes, it's unfortunate."

"Boom!"

The stage erupted in an explosion.

For a moment, a dense fog obscured the view of the stage from the onlookers.

"Lin Hao has truly mastered Petrification," Lin Xiao observed. "The key aspect of Petrification is its ability to be detonated on command, inflicting damage on the opponent! Lin Hao is quite remarkable."

"But who has emerged as the winner?" Lin Wen asked, her voice tinged with urgency.

"Quick, look at the stage!" Lin Fu urged.

Lin Wen's gaze snapped to the stage.

As the mist cleared, Lin Hao and Lin Bao were both lying on the ground of the arena.

"Currently, there's no victor; it's merely a tie. I don't believe Lin Hao is in a position to represent our family in the upcoming competition," Lin Xiong remarked.

Lin Xiao furrowed his brow; the situation was indeed tricky. With the competition just a month away, and Lin Hao and Lin Bao having ended in a stalemate, was it expected that they wait until both recovered before facing off again?

Clearly, that wasn't an option.

While Lin Xiao was wrestling with this dilemma, a faint voice drifted up from the arena.

"I believe I've won..."