Chapter 180: Mastery of Tricks Makes One Fearless Under Heaven

"Senior Brother Zong, that was amazing."

After Zong Hentian was pulled down, the prodigious disciples congratulated him. Although the first match was lost, Senior Brother Zong had forcefully dominated the second, winning one back and boosting morale.

Zong Hentian, now somewhat calmed, looked at Lin Fan with admiration. "All of this is thanks to Uncle Lin. Without him, I might not have been a match for that guy."

Now, thinking back to how he had pounded his chest and roared at Feng Xiaoling on the stage, Zong Hentian felt a bit embarrassed.

The image he had painstakingly built in the sect was shattered in that moment.

"Uncle Lin, what kind of secret technique was that?" Zong Hentian asked curiously. He had never heard of such a cultivation method.

He knew of combat techniques that could boost cultivation, but they were rare, difficult to cultivate, and their amplification effects were nowhere near as powerful as what he had just experienced.

"That's not a technique, just a trick. How do you feel?" Lin Fan asked.

"It hurts a lot. I feel completely drained, as if my vitality and spirit have been hollowed out."

Lin Fan had a rough idea. It seemed that after the boost, one became utterly weak. He wondered if the "groin kick" would work on himself.

But he dismissed the thought—he couldn't kick himself, after all.

"What about you all? Want to give it a try?" Lin Fan asked the younger disciples with a smile.

The prodigious disciples immediately waved their hands.

"Uncle, forget it. Winning or losing doesn't matter; what matters is doing our best."

"Yeah, as long as Uncle wins the top prodigy spot, we'll just do our best."

…

They had all seen Senior Brother Zong's twisted expression—it made them uneasy.

And the way he clamped his legs together was unbearable to watch.

Losing the match was one thing, but with so many junior sisters watching from the stands, they couldn't afford to lose face.

How would they find partners later?

Lin Fan glanced at them, a bit helpless. It seemed he couldn't test it multiple times to analyze the effects.

…

The subsequent matches had mixed results, but overall, the Nine Heavens Sect disciples held the advantage.

Lin Fan also appeared once, winning in a crushing fashion.

As soon as Lin Fan stepped onto the stage, his aura exploded. Just his presence overwhelmed his opponent, leaving no room for resistance. Everything went smoothly.

In the final showdown, only five remained.

Three from the Nine Heavens Sect, two from the Sacred Sect.

"Brother Wuyai, it seems your chances are slim," Liang Yichu said, satisfied with the result, though it fell slightly short of his expectations.

In Liang Yichu's view, all finalists should have been from the Nine Heavens Sect.

But as it stood, the Nine Heavens Sect was sure to win.

"Not necessarily. The outcome is still uncertain," Wuyai said with a smile.

"Brother Wuyai, look at that disciple. His legs are already trembling; he's a spent force. That makes it three to one," Liang Yichu laughed.

"Heh..." Supreme Elder Wuyai didn't reply, responding with a cold laugh.

…

"Uncle, I'm afraid I'm done," Zong Hentian said regretfully.

After receiving the boost from Uncle, he had been completely drained. Making it this far was pure luck.

"It's fine..." Lin Fan waved his hand casually.

Seeing Uncle Lin's calm expression, Zong Hentian felt reassured. Uncle Lin seemed confident of victory.

Whether he himself was there or not probably didn't matter.

Lin Fan looked at the three Nine Heavens Sect prodigies and felt troubled. This was a real pickle.

In terms of strength, he couldn't beat any of them.

Though he could remain undefeated, he still had to defeat them.

What would he do when it was his turn on stage?

In the audience, disciples discussed the situation. Things looked grim.

"What do you think the final outcome will be?"

"I don't know. Those three Nine Heavens Sect prodigies are undeniably strong."

"Yeah, Senior Brother Zong seems exhausted. Only Uncle Lin is left to hold the line. Things don't look good."

"By the way, does anyone know Uncle Lin's cultivation level?" a disciple asked curiously.

"Uh... I really don't know."

"..."

Lin Fan knew he had to think of something. Fighting them one by one wouldn't work.

If he could go straight against Xin Feng, maybe he could figure something out.

Stepping forward, Lin Fan raised his head and fixed his gaze on the Nine Heavens Sect disciples. "Xin Feng, you and I are the strongest prodigies. Let's not waste time. How about we settle this on stage, just the two of us?"

Xin Feng looked at Lin Fan and said fiercely, "Fine."

With Lin Fan's proposal, the other Nine Heavens Sect disciples had no complaints. As Lin Fan said, Xin Feng was their strongest prodigy, and they understood.

It would be a waste of time not to let the two decide the outcome.

"Brother Wuyai, your disciple is clever. He knows my disciple's temperament. But even with these tricks, he'll still lose," Liang Yichu said.

"And what would happen if your other prodigies went up? Just a waste of time?" Wuyai retorted.

…

Lin Fan and Xin Feng stood on the arena, facing each other, their eyes gleaming.

"Yesterday was my carelessness, but today you won't succeed," Xin Feng said, remembering the brick incident. He was determined not to let Lin Fan get close.

"Ah, Brother Feng, I apologize for yesterday. I reflected on it afterward and felt sorry," Lin Fan sighed.

"Hmph, enough talk. Let's settle this with our skills. The title of strongest prodigy will be mine," Xin Feng said coldly.

He had once thought Lin Fan was a kindred spirit, someone who could be his first friend. But Lin Fan had shown him no respect, and that was unbearable.

This time, he would make Lin Fan understand his terror.

Seeing Xin Feng's determined look, Lin Fan's mind raced, plotting a scheme. He had to make Xin Feng realize the world was treacherous and caution was key.