"Father is watching me, he is watching me!" A faint smile appeared at the corners of Lin Yun's mouth. The feeling of being cared for and watched over by a family member was truly wonderful!
In an instant, Lin Yun felt that even though Lin Li in front of him had reached the eighth rank, he no longer instilled the slightest bit of fear in him. He was just a tool of a collateral branch, whereas he, Lin Yun, was the son of his father, with his father's support behind him, even if it was just a single sentence;
"Death is at hand, and you're still smiling!" Lin Li roared loudly, charging fiercely toward Lin Yun and shouting at the top of his lungs, "I'll tear that mouth of yours to shreds right now!"
For some reason, he felt that Lin Yun's smile was so dazzling that it uncontrollably stirred up a trace of hostility deep within his heart;
"Your Physical Strength makes you a match I can't beat head-on," Lin Yun calmly watched Lin Li charging toward him and said in a low voice, "Then I'll use speed to deal with you. Your Berserk isn't normal—you won't be able to hold out much longer!"
"Roar!" Lin Li let out a loud roar, smashing a vicious punch straight at Lin Yun's face. The whistling momentum of that fist seemed as though it would shatter Lin Yun's entire head to pieces.
"Ah!" The onlookers could not help screaming, and even the Sixth Elder's body stiffened slightly.
"Hah!" Lin Yun held his breath, staring unblinkingly at the fist Lin Li was using to attack him. As that fist drew close to his face, a voice suddenly seemed to echo in the depths of his mind:
"Dodge!"
"Hah!" Lin Yun let out a low shout, concentrating all his Dragon Battle Energy into his feet, and his body violently darted toward the right.
"Boom!"
Lin Li's fist smashed into the ground, grazing past Lin Yun's face. By the narrowest of margins, Lin Yun avoided Lin Li's fatal punch.
"Wow, he dodged it, he actually dodged it!"
"Yeah, how is that even possible?!"
"That was a full-power strike from an eighth-rank peak expert, and it was dodged by someone at the early fifth rank—how can this be?!"
The crowd outside the arena cried out in alarm upon seeing Lin Yun dodge that punch. Both direct and collateral family members stared at Lin Yun in shock, seemingly unable to comprehend why Lin Yun was able to evade a punch backed by eighth-rank Dragon Battle Energy!
"Hoo, hoo..." After taking a few heavy breaths, Lin Yun quickly regulated his breathing, watching Lin Li warily while thinking to himself: Rogue Bird, I thank you. This time, you've saved my life!
..........
"Lin Yun, listen to me, whatever Big Brother is telling you right now, you must remember it firmly!" the Rogue Bird said with a ruffian-like swagger. "When you encounter an enemy stronger than you, you must calm your heart completely, and then watch the opponent's attacks against you very carefully. Even if you are going to die, you must watch the other person kill you. Although it sounds cruel, as long as you do as Big Brother teaches you, you will understand. Perhaps right before death, you can find that doorway to life!"
..........
"Turns out you were right after all!" Lin Yun muttered to himself. "It seems that old Rogue Bird really knows a thing or two!" With that, he once again stared intently at Lin Li, his eyes unblinking!
"Splendid!" High up on the grandstand, the Sixth Elder clicked his tongue in praise as he watched Lin Yun. "To be able to evade an attack under circumstances like that is truly extraordinary!"
"Indeed," the Ninth Elder said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "It certainly is quite astonishing. But what a pity, Lin Li is far too much stronger than Lin Yun. Even if he managed to dodge by a stroke of luck, doing it a second time will be very difficult!"
"Luck?!" The Sixth Elder shot the Ninth Elder a sarcastic glance and didn't say another word. But that mocking expression caused the Ninth Elder to grind his teeth, his face turning gloomy.
"You dodged it?!" A trace of astonishment flashed across Lin Li's somewhat distorted face. He had never expected that his full-power punch would actually be evaded by his opponent—but this would be the last time!
"Hah!" Lin Li let out a loud roar and charged at Lin Yun once again. He knew his time was running out; that person had once told him that he had to kill Lin Yun in the shortest time possible, and only then would there be a chance to save him. But if it took too long, this body, which lacked strong Physical Strength, would be completely destroyed by the surging, explosive power!
"Humph." Lin Yun caught sight of this as well, a disdainful smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he carefully observed Lin Li's attack. Just as Lin Li was about to strike right in front of him, and Lin Yun was just thinking of dodging to the side, a sudden jolt shook his heart. A very strange sensation abruptly emerged within his mind, causing Lin Yun's gaze to blank out for a fraction of a second.
"Hmm?!" Not even the four elders on the grandstand noticed this subtle change, but it did not escape Lin Tianheng's eyes. Seeing that trace of imperceptible daze on Lin Yun's face, Lin Tianheng's eyes suddenly lit up, and a thought flashed instantly through his mind.
Could it be that Yun'er...
The brief moment of vacancy did not affect Lin Yun's movements, except that this time, Lin Yun did not dodge to the side. After recovering from the trance, his body suddenly blasted backward in rapid retreat;
"Oh?"
Lin Yun's action left everyone watching in bewilderment, unable to understand why he was retreating backward. If Lin Li pressed the attack at this moment, Lin Yun would be in grave danger—yet they found out immediately after!
Having thrown that punch, Lin Li did not press the attack. Instead, his body twisted, one hand violently lashing out with a fist to the left while his foot kicked toward the right. Yet he hit nothing, and what made it bizarre was that Lin Li's face still bore a look of shock at Lin Yun's retreat.
"You!" Lin Li stared at Lin Yun in horror. How did the other guy know he was going to attack to the left and right? Could he predict the future?
"Huh?" Lin Li stared at Lin Yun and suddenly froze, a flicker of puzzlement crossing his features immediately afterward.
Just a moment ago, Lin Yun's eyes seemed to have turned golden, but how could that be possible? Lin Li shook his head hard. It must have been because he was too shocked that Lin Yun had managed to dodge this attack. Everyone in the Lin family had black eyes; even some of mixed blood wouldn't affect the Lin family's lineage.
Gold—that was the symbol of the God Clan. Could Lin Yun's mother be a member of the God Clan after all? But even an ordinary God Clan member couldn't alter the Lin family's bloodline!
An illusion, it had to be an illusion! And his dodge just now must have been a fluke!
"You sure run fast!" Lin Li taunted as he looked at Lin Yun. "Never would I have thought the patriarch's son could run so fast!"
"You don't need to provoke me," Lin Yun replied, showing not the slightest sign of anger at Lin Li's words. Instead, he smiled faintly and said softly, "Your time should be running out."
"Humph," Lin Li sneered disdainfully. "If you've got the guts, stop running! As the patriarch's son, do you only know how to run when facing an enemy?!"
"I already told you, you don't need to provoke me," Lin Yun said, shaking his head with a smile as he spoke softly. "Your current state shouldn't be very good. I imagine not just I, but the other direct members can see this as well."
"You—" Lin Li gritted his teeth and charged at Lin Yun once more, though right at this moment, the voices of the surrounding crowd kept drifting into his ears:
"Yeah, do they take Lin Yun for a fool? Since he can win so easily just by watching the opponent run himself into the ground, why would he stupidly go up and trade blows with Lin Li?"
"Exactly!"
"Hmph, it's easy for you guys to talk, but can you call this Lin Yun defeating Lin Li?" Lin Yan's angry voice rang out once again. "Lin Yun, if you're a man, go and defeat Lin Li! What's the point of darting back and forth like a monkey?!"
"You're a man!" Lin Yun dodged Lin Li's attack once more, then looked at Lin Yan with a teasing smile. "Then if you've got the ability, go and defeat the patriarch, and I'll acknowledge you're a man. Otherwise, don't talk to me about being a man!"
"Ha ha!" Laughter erupted among the youths around the Duelling Platform, and several young lords called out to Lin Yan: "Go on then, we're watching right here, and we'll even cheer you on!"
"Hahaha!"
"You!" Lin Yan glared at Lin Yun with eyes spitting fire, to which Lin Yun merely responded with a light, breezy smile.
"No unruly behavior!" The Ninth Elder suddenly shouted, utilizing his Dragon Battle Energy. His voice rolled in thunderous waves, seemingly echoing throughout the entire Lin family estate and even to places far beyond.
"What status does the patriarch hold? Is he someone the likes of you can casually make jokes about? Young Lord Lin Yun is the patriarch's son, and even if he keeps evading, that is his own affair—what does it have to do with any of you?"
Lin Yun's expression sank abruptly as he coldly glared at the Ninth Elder, who wore a look of smug triumph. If things were framed this way, he could no longer keep dodging. Otherwise, not only would he lose face, but Lin Tianheng would lose face as well. Outsiders wouldn't care about the details, nor would they care how he chose to fight; they would only say:
Look, the son of Lin family patriarch Lin Tianheng only knows how to run away repeatedly during a duel! People in Ten Thousand Wood City would probably say the exact same thing!
"This old bastard!" Lin Yun's face turned icy cold. He glanced at the expressionless Lin Tianheng, then suddenly stopped in his tracks, staring coldly at the approaching Lin Li and refusing to dodge any further!
"Lin Yun!"
Lin Feng shouted from beneath the platform, "Don't listen to that old fogey! Just do whatever you were going to do!"
"Impudent!" Lin Yan bellowed. "Is an elder someone you can insult?!"
"Does he have even an ounce of an elder's demeanor?" Lin Feng said with open disdain.Reply with only the corrected sentence. "Don't use elders to pressure me. You'd better think about how that young lady is going to settle accounts with you when she comes out of seclusion! As for that old bastard wanting to make trouble for me, let him come if he dares—do you think I, Lin Feng, am afraid of him? He should take a look at what kind of trash he really is!"
"You—" Hearing Lin Feng's words, Lin Yan glared at him with a dark expression, especially when Lin Feng mentioned that young lady, revealing a look of terror mingled with a trace of greed...
"Done running, are you?" Lin Li sneered as he watched Lin Yun, his breathing coming in slight gasps. He was reaching his limit!
"No need to run anymore. You're about to collapse," Lin Yun said calmly.
"Is that so? Then come and try!" Lin Li let out a wild roar and lunged at Lin Yun.
A faint gleam flickered in Lin Yun's eyes. Even if he were to fight this fellow head-on, he wouldn't necessarily lose. Just now, it seemed he had begun to grasp a hint of his own special nature!