Chapter 89

The deep, resonant sound of the bell spread out like waves. Before the echo faded, Lin Zheng took a large step and vanished from his spot, instantly appearing in front of Old Zhao. His arm raised high, and a huge, translucent blue hand materialized in mid-air, pressing down with immense force, as if trying to crush the entire Duanjin Platform into the ground. At the same time, Lin Zheng's other hand was not idle; his fingers traced out five streams of white energy that struck Old Zhao's body with a series of loud thuds. Old Zhao's figure stiffened, unable to dodge. The massive hand in the air, with a force that seemed to shatter the heavens, slammed Old Zhao onto the Duanjin Platform.

In the next moment, Lin Zheng suddenly drew a long sword from the air, and with a swift, lightning-like motion, he slashed down on Old Zhao. *Pfft!* Without any chance to react, Old Zhao was split into two halves by Lin Zheng's ferocious strike. The immense sword aura extended from the Duanjin Platform to its edge before dissipating. A huge crack appeared on the platform, and on either side of the crack lay the two halves of Old Zhao's body. Old Zhao's eyes were wide open, staring blankly at the sky, slowly losing their life.

What a violent strike! There was no technique, just pure, raw power, pushed to its absolute limit! The sudden burst of momentum was terrifying! Yet, the strike was also a masterpiece, cutting through everything like a rotten stick! Lin Zheng stood there, letting the blood from the sword drip to the ground. With a casual wave of his hand, the spatial ring from Old Zhao's hand landed securely in his own.

The spectators in the stands seemed to be in shock, their eyes wide open, unable to believe what they had just witnessed! Dou Xuanqiu stared fiercely at the dead Old Zhao, his mind screaming: "Waste! Big waste! I taught him the Great Sage Sacrificial Technique and gave him the Heaven's Mandate Fury Pill! He knew Lin Zheng could kill a Sub-Sage with one strike, yet he still underestimated him! Waste! He deserved to die!"

Dou Xuanqiu became uncontrollably enraged, a wave of evil fire surging within him, his eyes flashing with anger. But in the next moment, he calmed down, thinking to himself: "I didn't expect Lin Zheng to be a Sage! No mistake! To achieve Sage level at such a young age, he must not be allowed to live! He must not be allowed to live!"

It wasn't just Dou Xuanqiu who thought this way; the Feng family members also harbored similar thoughts, their faces filled with murderous intent as they looked at Lin Zheng. Only the Li family members maintained a more normal expression, though they were also inwardly shocked. They knew very well the strength of the Zhao family's patriarch, yet he was killed so directly, without even a chance to retaliate. Just how powerful was this son-in-law of the Li family?

Li Daoyuan and the Li family elders were overjoyed, their faces beaming. While they knew Lin Zheng would win, they never expected the victory to come so quickly, so suddenly, and so decisively! Seeing the shocked and envious expressions of the others, many in the Li family felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction!

"Hey! See that! That's our Li family's son-in-law!" The young generation of the Li family, even the guards, instinctively puffed out their chests, a look of righteous pride on their faces. When they looked at the other noble families, their eyes were filled with a newfound sense of pride and excitement!

Just as Lin Zheng was about to step down from the platform, and everyone thought it was all over, a member of the Feng family made a subtle gesture. A voice suddenly rang out from the stands.

"Brother Lin Zheng, could you spare a few moves? It would be a great honor for me!" A man jumped from the stands onto the Duanjin Platform, holding a long staff, which he plunged into the ground made of red-gold alloy. Leaning on the staff, he looked at Lin Zheng with a challenging expression.

"Hmm? Pathstone? I wonder if you're from the Feng family or the Dou family?" Lin Zheng turned and asked with interest.

"You..." The man's face stiffened, looking somewhat embarrassed.

The crowd, which was about to disperse, excitedly returned to their seats. It seemed there would be more entertainment! Indeed, the Feng and Dou families were not ones to give up easily!

"Since that's the case, let's get started!" Lin Zheng stood there, looking at the enraged martial artist opposite him.

*Bang! Bang!* The Duanjin Bell rang again. Before Lin Zheng could make a move, the martial artist opposite him swung his staff, creating a wall of staff shadows that rushed toward Lin Zheng. As the shadows were about to hit Lin Zheng, they suddenly condensed into a single, powerful staff shadow. The martial artist's face showed a hint of joy; this strike, even if it hit a Sub-Sage, would cause significant damage. Lin Zheng was too overconfident! But the next moment, his eyes widened in shock as he saw Lin Zheng reach out and firmly grasp the end of the staff. The fierce wind from the staff only ruffled Lin Zheng's hair, but nothing else changed.

Lin Zheng grabbed the staff and swung it down to the ground, and the martial artist, unable to let go in time, was slammed onto the Duanjin Platform with a loud *thud*, creating a small crater.

*Pfft!* The martial artist spat out a mouthful of blood but still held onto the staff. Lin Zheng's arm exerted more force, and the staff, along with the martial artist, was swung to the other side. *Bang! Bang! Bang!* The sound of the martial artist's body hitting the ground repeatedly made the spectators shiver. What kind of fighting style was this? It was like an adult playing with a child! Finally, Lin Zheng used his strength to shatter the staff into pieces and casually sent the unconscious martial artist off the platform. Lin Zheng was in a good mood and didn't want to kill anyone! After this insignificant display, Lin Zheng lightly clapped his hands and was about to leave the platform.

"Wait! Lin Zheng! You injured my brother, and you think you can just walk away?" A martial artist roared and rushed onto the platform, his red staff shooting toward Lin Zheng like an arrow.

*Bang!* Lin Zheng punched the staff, and it spun in the air before landing in the hands of another martial artist who had just stepped onto the platform. This red staff was adorned with strange, dragon-like creatures, and at its tip, two fierce eyes emitted a sharp killing intent!

The martial artist holding the red staff bore a slight resemblance to the one Lin Zheng had just thrown off the platform, but this one was much more muscular, his well-defined muscles indicating immense strength. *Thud! Thud!* He landed on the platform, creating two noticeable craters in the ground.

"Hmm? What do you want?" Lin Zheng asked again.

"Leave your arms behind!" Without waiting for the Duanjin Bell to ring, the martial artist swung his red staff like a dragon, a powerful, fiery aura bursting forth on the platform.

As Lin Zheng took a step forward, the Duanjin Bell rang for the third time, as if in sync with his movements. *Thud! Thud! Thud!* The sound of his steps made the entire platform tremble. After three steps, Lin Zheng's body suddenly grew, like an ancient giant. His fists, like two meteors, struck the incoming dragon. The martial artist's face remained calm, and he waved his staff, causing the dragon to wrap around Lin Zheng's arms. For a moment, Lin Zheng's enlarged body seemed to be engulfed in flames. The intense heat made everyone feel a wave of heat, and even the ground of the Duanjin Platform began to melt, showing the terrifying temperature of the flames!

The martial artist watched the burning flames with a hint of satisfaction, but he did not relax. He swung his red staff, and the strange red eyes on it flashed, causing the staff to elongate and merge into the flames. The red eyes aligned with the dragon's eyes, and the flames on the platform intensified. The Duanjin Platform emitted sizzling sounds, and red-hot molten metal began to drip from its edges!

Just as everyone thought Lin Zheng was about to be defeated, a voice slowly emerged from the flames: "Is this your power? And it's borrowed power at that? Disappointing!"

Everyone's attention focused on the burning dragon. In the next moment, Lin Zheng stepped out of the flames, still engulfed in fire, but unharmed. The flames gradually disappeared, as if absorbed into his body. The dragon let out a mournful cry, its red eyes dimming, and it tried to fly away. But Lin Zheng would not let it go so easily. He conjured a large hand and firmly grasped the dragon's neck, like a small snake. The dragon's mournful cry faded, and Lin Zheng now held the red staff in his hand.

At the moment Lin Zheng grabbed the dragon, the martial artist coughed up blood. The mental connection with his holy artifact being severed caused him significant damage. Lin Zheng lightly wiped the staff, seemingly removing the owner's mental imprint, and the martial artist spat out another mouthful of blood, his body instantly wilting. Lin Zheng turned and threw the staff to the Li family's side, where an elder caught it with a smile, nodded in satisfaction, and put it away.

Lin Zheng waved his hand again, sending the martial artist off the platform. This time, however, he did not turn to leave. Instead, he stood there and asked the crowd, "Is there anyone else?"

The clear voice reached everyone's ears, and they looked at Lin Zheng on the platform, their minds filled with different thoughts, but no one immediately responded. Lin Zheng's strength was unfathomable, and the three matches so far had not even made him break a sweat. Going up against him would be like offering oneself as a sacrifice, and it was better not to draw attention to oneself! Those with this thought remained quiet, waiting for the next move, knowing that as long as the Feng and Dou families were still there, the matter was not over.

Sure enough, a young man with a long sword leaped onto the platform, his handsome face exuding a sharp sword aura, and his sword emitting a clear, hissing sound.

At the same time, the Duanjin Bell rang for the fourth time. Lin Zheng and the young man with the sword did not want to delay any longer. The moment the bell rang, they rushed toward each other.

The young man created a series of sword flowers, and a rain of sword energy poured down. Lin Zheng did not dodge, allowing the sword energy to strike his body. However, the energy only touched his clothes before being destroyed by a powerful force. Before the young man could show his shock, Lin Zheng appeared beside him, grabbed his sword with one hand, and punched him in the stomach with the other.

*Bang!* The young man was sent flying, his sword taken by Lin Zheng, who instantly removed the mental imprint and threw it to the Li family's stand. Then, like grabbing a chicken, Lin Zheng threw the young man onto the platform. Before he landed, his body made a series of loud thuds, unable to withstand Lin Zheng's strike, and his bones began to break, the sound of fractures echoing.

*Thud!* The young man created a deep crater on the platform, unconscious and possibly dead.

Lin Zheng looked at the positions of the Feng and Dou families with a half-smile and said lightly, "Next?"

PS: The college entrance exam is coming up soon. Everyone, work hard! Nianhua will cheer you on! A student left a comment saying they are under a lot of pressure before the exam. Nianhua just wants to tell you that after you pass this important milestone in your life, your future will be limitless! Keep going! Here's the second update!