In contrast, his own Fist Momentum was flagging.
Chen Zheng’s heart clenched. He abruptly halted his attack, his gaze fixed firmly on Lin Yan.
"You..."
Seeing Chen Zheng about to speak, Lin Yan knew. ’The show’s over.’
’I was originally planning to humor Chen Zheng for a bit longer. What a shame.’
To have reached the Third-Time of Skin Smoothing in his cultivation, Chen Zheng was no fool. He had already sensed something was wrong. ’If I keep this up, he’ll likely see right through me.’
"Then let’s settle this in three moves."
With a fierce roar, Lin Yan no longer concealed his Fist Momentum. The instant he threw his punch, an intangible presence erupted from him, as imposing as a towering mountain and as overwhelming as a landslide.
The others couldn’t sense it, but Chen Zheng perceived it clearly.
The moment Lin Yan punched, Chen Zheng’s pupils contracted. The honed danger Perception of a Third-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist made a sliver of fear involuntarily bloom in his heart.
This feeling... it was exactly the same as when he faced that punch from the master of the Cyan Pine Martial Arts Hall.
’I can’t be mistaken. This is definitely Fist Momentum!’
With no time to wonder how Lin Yan had developed Fist Momentum, Chen Zheng was horrified. He threw up both his palms to block with all his might.
BANG!
A muffled thud, like a heavy hammer striking worn-out leather.
He felt an overwhelming Power crash down on him. His arms went numb, trembling uncontrollably as he was driven back several steps. His Qi Blood roiled, and the words on the tip of his tongue were forced back down his throat.
Before he could even regain his footing, the second punch arrived.
This one was faster, heavier.
Chen Zheng hastily raised his arms to block. Fist met forearm. With a sickening CRACK, the bones in his left forearm fractured.
His face contorted in agony, but he couldn’t even scream. The immense force blasted him back again, his chest tightened, and a metallic sweetness flooded his throat.
Before he could spit out the blood, the third punch came.
There was nothing fancy about this punch, no feints—just a simple, direct strike.
But as the fist tore through the air, it created a sonic boom. An invisible, oppressive force crashed down on him like a mountain.
Chen Zheng saw the fist.
But he couldn’t block it.
His own fists had been blasted aside, leaving his center completely exposed.
THUD!
The punch landed square in his chest.
The muffled crack of his sternum shattering was terrifyingly clear.
Chen Zheng was sent flying. While still in mid-air, he finally coughed up a spray of blood that splattered starkly against the ground.
Three breaths later, he crashed onto the ground dozens of feet away and fell silent.
From Lin Yan’s roar to Chen Zheng hitting the ground, barely two breaths had passed.
In that time, Chen Zheng hadn’t managed to utter a single word.
At that moment, the crowd of onlookers, standing well over a hundred feet away, was completely silent.
The Chen Family Martial Artists were frozen in place. The arrogance and confidence they’d felt just a moment ago had curdled into sheer horror.
They had expected their Second Master to win. They had even considered the possibility of a difficult fight.
But they had never, ever imagined he would lose.
The shocking reversal was so stunning that they didn’t even think to rush over and check if their Second Master was dead or alive.
A dead silence had fallen over the Tang Family’s affiliated Martial Artists as well.
Xia Mingtang stood at the front of the group, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.
He had watched the entire duel from start to finish. ’Lin Yan was clearly on the back foot at the beginning,’ he thought, ’getting pushed around by Chen Zheng. How did he suddenly turn it all around?’
’And he killed him in just three punches?’
Lin Yan lowered his fist and stood there, his expression as calm as if he had just swatted a fly. He glanced toward the Chen Family Martial Artists. "Take his body, and get lost."
The Chen Family Martial Artists finally snapped out of their stupor. A few of them ran over to their master. When a quick check confirmed that their Second Master was no longer breathing, they froze for a second. None of them dared to look at Lin Yan. They hoisted the body onto their backs and fled without a single glance behind them.
Lin Yan watched the Chen Family Martial Artists retreat, his expression impassive. ’Since I’ve made my move, it can’t be for nothing,’ he thought. ’I’m not one to loot corpses, but I can at least earn a Martial Arts Fruit from this.’
"Young Master Lin..."
"Clean this up. I’m going back to my courtyard. Don’t disturb me for the rest of the day."
Seeing Xia Mingtang approach, Lin Yan left him with those words and turned to leave. As he walked away, his posture seemed to hunch over slightly.
’The more you put on a show, the easier it is for people to spot the cracks.’
’But if I just leave silently, these onlookers will fill in the gaps with their own imaginations.’
"Looks like Young Master Lin was putting his life on the line. He must be injured too, just not showing it."
Xia Mingtang muttered softly, watching Lin Yan’s retreating back.
And it wasn’t just the Tang Family’s affiliated Martial Artists who saw Lin Yan leave with a hunched back. The Chen Family Martial Artists, who had already fled over a hundred feet away, also turned to look. When they saw this, they all had the exact same thought.

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