The wind from his fist crackled through the air.
But at the very moment Lin Wang threw his punch, Lin Yan’s sword had already left its scabbard.
SHING!
The Longsword shot from its new Sword Scabbard, its light pouring forth like an unending torrent of Flowing Clouds.
It wasn’t one strike, but three.
In Lin Yan’s hands, the first three forms of the Flowing Cloud Thirteen Techniques were as fluid as Flowing Clouds and Flowing Water, without the slightest hesitation. Three streaks of light from his blade thrust out almost simultaneously.
The crowd of watching Martial Artists saw only a single flash of the blade, unable to make out anything clearly.
A moment later, the blade was sheathed, and Lin Yan stood motionless in his original spot.
Many people had yet to understand what had just happened when they heard a loud THUD. Lin Wang had collapsed heavily onto the platform.
The uproar from the crowd below came to an abrupt halt, as if someone had seized everyone by the throat.
"Sword Momentum!"
From the back of the crowd, Lin Chengzhi uttered the two words, his expression grave.
On the Combat Platform, the fight was already over.
Below the stage, a deathly silence fell.
Then, the crowd erupted.
"One strike! They’re both at the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing, but Lin Wang couldn’t even take a single strike from Lin Yan. It’s unbelievable."
"The last time he fought Lin Kang, he was still at the Third-Time of Skin Smoothing. How long has it been since then? And he’s already broken through to the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing."
"That’s not the point. Maybe his Qi Blood was already at the peak of the Third-Time of Skin Smoothing back then. Wasn’t Lin Wang also at the Third-Time of Skin Smoothing before this? The point is that strike—that Sword Momentum was terrifying."
The first to erupt were the members of the other branches who had come just for the spectacle.
They had come expecting a complete rout, to watch the Fourth Branch grind the Third Branch’s face into the dirt. And it was a rout, alright—but it was the Fourth Branch that got routed.
And in such a clean, decisive, and utterly one-sided fashion.
Lin Yan was already strong at the Third-Time of Skin Smoothing, but no one had expected that after breaking through to the Fourth-Time, he would be this powerful.
One strike.
Just a single strike.
The Fourth Branch’s new Fourth-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist, Lin Wang, couldn’t even withstand a single strike.
This wasn’t just slapping Lin Wang in the face; this was grinding the entire Fourth Branch’s face into the dirt and rubbing it back and forth.
Many people’s gazes subconsciously drifted toward the members of the Fourth Branch.
They saw that the members of the Fourth Branch now stood as if struck dumb. The sneers and gloating smiles that had been on their faces just moments ago were now frozen in place, looking uglier than a crying face.
Over with the Third Branch, Lin Zhaowu still had his arms crossed, but his expression flashed through several changes in an instant, like a spinning lantern.
It went from the schadenfreude he felt when he first heard Lin Yan was challenged, to shock when Lin Yan revealed his Fourth-Time Skin Smoothing Realm, to disbelief as Lin Yan sheathed his sword, and finally, it settled into a complex emotion that was somewhere between a bitter smile and self-mockery.
’He had always thought that since Lin Yan refused to associate with them—his fellow members of the Third Branch—and chose to pursue his Cultivation alone, he would sooner or later stumble and fall.’
’But now, it seemed they were the ones who had been blind.’
’Lin Yan’s refusal to join them wasn’t due to arrogance. It was because he and they were simply not on the same level.’
’Since they were on different levels, why force an association?’
The young man beside Lin Zhaowu, who had been mocking Lin Yan just moments before, now stood with his mouth agape. It was as if something was caught in his throat; he couldn’t utter a single word.
Just a moment ago, he had belittled Lin Yan as worthless, called him arrogant and unaware of his own limits, said he deserved to lose, and that his defeat would be a disgrace to the Third Branch.
And now?
Lin Yan had defeated Lin Wang with a single strike.
His own mocking words now echoed in his ears, sounding like a joke—the most ridiculous kind of joke.
"See, I told you..." another young man from the Third Branch coughed drily, trying to break the awkward silence, but trailed off halfway. In the end, he just shut his mouth in embarrassment.
The few members of the Third Branch stood there, looking at each other in dismay. A complicated feeling churned in each of their hearts.
Lin Yan had won, which meant the Third Branch had won. They should have been happy.
But they couldn’t bring themselves to be.
Because the one who had won was Lin Yan.
At the back of the crowd, the expressions on Lin Chengzhi and his three companions grew more solemn.
"Did any of you recognize the Swordsmanship Lin Yan just used? That Sword Momentum is impressively powerful."
"The Flowing Cloud Thirteen Techniques," Lin Song stated.
"The Flowing Cloud Thirteen Techniques? The main family’s Cultivation Technique? Brother Song, are you sure?"
"I’ve acquired this Swordsmanship myself," Lin Song replied. "I’m proficient in it by now. Do you think I’d be mistaken?"
At this, the expressions of the other three men changed. It was no longer just solemnity.
They could accept Lin Yan developing Sword Momentum—after all, the three of them had also cultivated their own techniques to the point of developing momentum. But for it to be the Sword Momentum of the Flowing Cloud Thirteen Techniques... that was something else entirely.
The Flowing Cloud Thirteen Techniques was a Cultivation Technique of the main family. Moreover, it was stored on the second floor of the Library Pavilion, which one could only set foot on after reaching the Fourth-Time Skin Smoothing Realm.
Even if Lin Yan had broken through to the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing immediately after defeating Lin Kang and had gone to the Library Pavilion to acquire the Flowing Cloud Thirteen Techniques, it had only been a little over a month. To develop Sword Momentum in a Top-grade Swordsmanship in just one month...
’That kind of talent... They had to admit, they couldn’t compare.’
"Gentlemen... a silver lining is that Lin Yan has only just reached the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing. We still have a slight advantage in our Realm. Let’s all strive to do our best in the coming months."
Lin Song glanced at the other three men, then his gaze returned to the figure on the Combat Platform. He stared intently for a few moments before finally turning to leave.
"Lin Xiao, we’ll take our leave as well."
At this point, Lin Chengzhi and his companion were no longer in the mood to laugh at the Fourth Branch’s expense.
The year-end branch competition concerned the vital interests of every one of them. Although Lin Yan couldn’t be considered a major rival yet, there were still six months to go. Who could guarantee he wouldn’t improve in that time?
To develop Sword Momentum in a Top-grade Swordsmanship in just one month... Even if Lin Yan had some prior experience with Swordsmanship, his talent for the Sword Dao was astonishing.
Perhaps only those few who had been at the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing for a long time wouldn’t consider Lin Yan a threat. But as for them, they didn’t have that luxury.
PS: I decided not to split the Chapter. This combination of two Chapters is nearly 20,000 characters long. The bonus update for hitting 3,000 monthly tickets is here. Thanks, everyone, and please keep voting with your monthly tickets!

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