"What will you do?" The Second Elder's voice trembled slightly as he looked at Lin Hai with a wary gaze.
Just now, the crowd was shocked by Lin Feng's strength, and only now did they realize that Lin Hai had already quietly made his way onto the battle platform, with the Second Elder as his target.
"What will I do? You didn't forget the nod you gave just now, did you?" Lin Hai sneered.
"Second, Lin Hai is after all the Second Elder of our Lin family, who has worked hard and made great contributions. Why don't we forgive him this time?" Lin Badao said loudly.
"Forgive? Lin Badao, don't you find your words ridiculous? Just now, you all targeted me and my son Lin Feng. Did you ever think about how much I, Lin Hai, have done for the family? Could it be that you want to go back on your word in front of all the Lin family's young disciples?" Lin Hai shouted sternly. Lin Badao's face turned grim. Everyone had seen what happened just now, and he had no reason to go back on his word, which would only damage his dignity.
"From now on, I declare that the position of Second Elder is abolished. Furthermore, take this palm strike." Lin Hai no longer looked at Lin Badao.
"No way." Lin Ye's body trembled, and he tried to escape.
"Hmph." Lin Hai's hands trembled, and the entire space seemed to pause. A cracking sound echoed, and Lin Ye's body, which was trying to escape, became slightly stiff, cold to the bone, almost freezing him solid, affecting his movements.
"Boom!" The icy palm print directly struck Lin Ye's body. Lin Ye's body stopped, covered in a layer of frost, even the blood at the corner of his mouth froze. He fell to the ground, his body curled up, trembling, with only his evil eyes staring at Lin Hai.
Lin Ye's cultivation was not weak, and he should not have been defeated so thoroughly. However, he did not dare to fight Lin Hai, as it would be suicide to turn his back on him.
Many people's gazes froze. They did not expect Lin Hai to be so ruthless. It seemed that their clan leader was truly angry today, using this to warn and cut off the wings of Lin Badao and others.
"Bring him away. The annual meeting will continue, presided over by the Sixth Elder. Those who disagree, speak up." Lin Hai flicked his sleeves, and the authority of the clan leader was evident.
Lin Feng smiled at his father's dominance. This was a world where the strong were respected. Lin Hai's previous lack of contention did not mean he lacked the strength to contend; he simply did not want to.
No one dared to question. Although Lin Badao and the First Elder were angry, they could only endure it.
The battles continued. Lin Feng's group was the weakest, with only Lin Yu having the cultivation of the Eighth Level of Qi Martial Realm, while the others were at most at the Seventh Level. After six battles, Lin Feng, who had been regarded as a waste, had not lost a single match. In the fourth group, only he and Lin Yu had achieved this, so the qualifiers for the fourth group were almost certain to be Lin Feng and Lin Yu.
As for the first three groups, Lin Qian in the first group had not even fought once, as all her opponents had conceded, preserving their strength to compete for another spot. Lin Hong in the second group and Lin Wu in the third group, as the seeds, unsurprisingly had no losses. Another person's strength surprised everyone: Lin Hen, the son of the Sixth Elder, who had won all his matches, though he had not yet faced Lin Wu.
Finally, although the battles were not yet over, the qualifying spots were already determined. The first two groups had completed all their battles, while the third and fourth groups were still missing one match each.
"Third group, Lin Wu vs. Lin Hen. Fourth group, Lin Feng vs. Lin Yu." As the Sixth Elder announced, the crowd's interest was piqued. These four were all undefeated, and they wanted to see how strong Lin Hen was and whether Lin Feng could defeat Lin Yu, who was at the Eighth Level of Qi Martial Realm.
However, most people did not have high hopes for Lin Hen and Lin Feng. Lin Wu's strength had always been strong, making him one of the best among the younger generation. Although Lin Feng had surprised everyone, he had only just broken through to the Sixth Level of Qi Martial Realm three months ago. Even if he had improved, he was at most at the Seventh Level or just broken through to the Eighth Level, which was not enough to defeat Lin Yu, who had long been at the Eighth Level.
The four stepped onto the battle platform. Lin Hen, however, simply bowed to Lin Wu and said, "We have already qualified. There's no need to fight this battle."
"Although the spots are already determined, why should I, Lin Wu, hesitate to fight? Let everyone see who is the strongest in the third group." Lin Wu shook his head, his voice bold.
"I concede." Lin Hen smiled, not caring, and then walked off the platform.
"Lin Wu wins." The Sixth Elder smiled bitterly, announcing his son's defeat.
"Coward." Lin Wu cursed, then turned and left. Only Lin Feng and Lin Yu remained on the platform.
"Ha ha, finally, it's Lin Yu and this waste. I hope Lin Yu can give him a good lesson." Lin Badao's voice was cold. He had thought Lin Feng would be crushed in the second round, but he did not expect this waste to have such strong cultivation and to be in the fourth group, almost finishing with a perfect record.
"Don't worry, Yu has a plan. He will definitely make that waste pay." The Third Elder smiled confidently, trusting his son's strength. The top three spots were a bit difficult, but the top five was within reach.
"Let's wait and see." Lin Badao nodded.
The palm print on Lin Yu's face had long disappeared, but the mark in his heart remained. He could not forget Lin Feng's slap. He hated Lin Feng, but he was also afraid. The former waste master now exuded a mysterious aura. Gu Song, whose strength was not inferior to his, had been thrown off the wine shop by Lin Feng. Lin Yan, who was proud of his sword, found his sword to be a toy in front of Lin Feng. This made Lin Yu lack confidence in defeating Lin Feng.
Feeling the gazes of the entire crowd, the lines on Lin Yu's face twitched. He knew that many people were waiting for him to teach Lin Feng a lesson, including his father. But could he really teach Lin Feng a lesson?
"Since we have already qualified, why not skip this fight?" Lin Yu said in a very soft voice.
Lin Feng looked at Lin Yu with a half-smile, saying nothing.
"Damn it." Lin Yu cursed in his heart, took a deep breath, and said helplessly, "I concede."
"Huh?" Hearing Lin Yu's words, the Third Elder and others were stunned, as was the crowd. Lin Yu, he conceded?
Just as everyone was eager to see Lin Feng's true strength, Lin Yu, like Lin Hen, chose to back down without a fight.
"What's going on?" Lin Badao's face turned grim.
"Maybe Little Yu wants to humiliate him in the final." The Third Elder explained, but he did not believe it himself.
The second round ended, and the qualifiers were Lin Qian, Lin Hong, Lin Feng, Lin Yu, Lin Wu, Lin Hen, Lin Ying, and Lin Li.
The third round, the final, would be a two-on-two match, eliminating four people.
Lin Ying and Lin Li's gazes both fell on Lin Feng. They prayed in their hearts that they would face Lin Feng, so they could advance to the semi-finals by chance.
"First match, Lin Qian vs. Lin Ying." As the Second Elder spoke, Lin Ying's face turned pale. She had encountered the worst possible situation.
"Lin Qian, although I am not your match, I still want to fight. I hope you can show me your strength." With no other choice, Lin Ying had to fight. Everyone nodded in agreement, acknowledging her courage to fight despite knowing she would lose.
"I will." Lin Qian said coldly, not even glancing at Lin Ying.
"I will attack." Lin Ying shouted, rushing towards Lin Qian without using her martial soul. Since she was bound to lose, she just wanted to see how strong the Spirit Martial Realm was.
"Ice." Lin Qian shouted. Before Lin Ying could touch Lin Qian, her hand suddenly became sluggish, feeling as heavy as a thousand pounds.
The moment Lin Qian's delicate hand touched Lin Ying, a layer of ice instantly covered Lin Ying's body, white frost spreading over her entire body.
"Defeat." Lin Qian's hand trembled on Lin Ying's body, and Lin Ying fell to the ground, trembling, similar to the Second Elder earlier.
"So strong. This is the power of the Spirit Martial Realm. I'm lucky I don't have to face Lin Qian." The others felt fortunate, some feeling sympathy for Lin Ying.
"First match, Lin Qian wins. Second match, Lin Hong vs. Lin Yu." The Second Elder announced.
"I concede." Lin Yu smiled bitterly. He naturally would not fight Lin Hong, not expecting to have to concede twice and be eliminated.
"Second match, Lin Hong wins. Third match, Lin Feng vs. Lin Li."
"Phew... Good." Lin Li's face lit up with a smile. Lin Li was also at the Eighth Level of Qi Martial Realm. He could not guarantee a win against the other seven, but only against Lin Feng, or so he thought.