"Interesting. I don’t know what kind of Demon Beast you are, but for a mere Tier Two Demon Beast to have such combat power... So be it. You’ll follow me from now on." The youth smiled as he spoke, having just forced Little Ape back with a palm strike.

The youth was both curious about and fond of Little Ape. The palm-sized creature could actually control its own size, which had startled him at first.

Furthermore, Little Ape’s combat power was formidable. Even he had only managed to force it back after a hundred moves. It was clear that Little Ape’s combat power was on par with the weakest of the ten geniuses on the Yanhuang List, or at least very close.

Just as the youth was about to claim Little Ape for himself, an indifferent voice drifted over. "They say a gentleman does not take what another cherishes. Are you, my friend, planning to seize it by force?"

As the voice spoke, Lin Yun arrived beside Little Ape, mounted on the back of a Black-striped Tiger.

At the sight, the youth merely glanced at Lin Yun. He paid no mind to someone at the Third Layer of the Qi Sea Realm. He was far more wary of the Black-striped Tiger that Lin Yun was riding.

The Black-striped Tiger was a Tier Three Demon Beast, and even the youth felt immense pressure from it. While he was in no danger of being killed by the tiger, killing it himself would be no easy feat either.

Lin Yun could tell from the youth’s expression that he wasn’t being taken seriously. After a moment, a smirk touched the youth’s lips as he spoke to Lin Yun. "I’m not the one doing the stealing here, am I? From the looks of it, you must be with this Monk and Daoist. In that case, just hand over this Little Demon Beast as compensation, and I’ll pretend this whole thing never happened."

After a brief moment of consideration, the youth made up his mind. Little Ape was simply too mysterious and powerful. He decided he had to have it, even if it meant fighting the Black-striped Tiger.

Although the Black-striped Tiger was a Tier Three Demon Beast, the youth possessed a Forbidden Artifact forged by a Primordial Ocean Realm expert. Combined with his own combat power, he wasn’t particularly afraid of the tiger.

Hearing this, Lin Yun smiled faintly. He hopped off the Black-striped Tiger’s back and stood before the youth. From the young man’s expression and words, Lin Yun knew this couldn’t be settled peacefully.

The man coveted Little Ape and demanded it as compensation. How could Lin Yun possibly agree? Besides, Lin Yun thought, ’You haven’t lost anything. In fact, it’s the Monk and Daoist who were injured by you.’

"You want to fight me?" the youth said with a laugh, sensing a hint of battle intent emanating from Lin Yun.

"Little Ape is my friend. If you have designs on my friend, then of course we must fight," Lin Yun replied coolly.

"Haha, so be it! In that case, do you dare make a wager with me?"

"What’s the wager?"

"If I win, you give me that little ape. If I lose, I am at your disposal," the youth said with confidence.

With things having come to this, Lin Yun naturally wouldn’t back down. The world of Martial Artists was simple: everything came down to the strength of your fist. If your fist was strong enough, your words carried weight. If not, you were just fish on a chopping block.

"Bring it on," Lin Yun said coolly. Terrifying fluctuations of Elemental Power erupted from both of them.

Sensing Lin Yun’s incredibly dense Elemental Power, the youth’s expression flickered. ’I didn’t expect this guy at the Third Layer of the Qi Sea Realm to actually have some skill. Judging by the sheer density of his Elemental Power, it’s no weaker than that of an ordinary Martial Artist at the Ninth Layer of the Qi Sea Realm.’

"Not bad. You can be considered a genius. But today, I’ll show you that there are levels even among geniuses." With a faint smile, the youth’s figure suddenly blurred into motion.

The moment he moved, the youth’s power was on full display. His speed alone was enough to leave any other Martial Artist at the Ninth Layer of the Qi Sea Realm in the dust.

But his opponent was Lin Yun, and when it came to speed, Lin Yun had never feared anyone. Executing Inch Step, his body dissolved into a series of afterimages.

"Afterimages... It seems I’ve underestimated you." The youth’s gaze sharpened, his appraisal of Lin Yun growing more serious. ’To create afterimages at only the Third Layer of the Qi Sea Realm... that’s practically heaven-defying.’

In all of Yanhuang Country, only the ten great geniuses on the Yanhuang List could achieve such speed while still in the Qi Sea Realm.

Pushing his speed even further, the youth also began leaving a trail of afterimages. In the blink of an eye, the two met in mid-air. The youth thrust out a palm, and Lin Yun threw a punch.

Fist met palm. BOOM! A large crater formed beneath them. After the first exchange, they were evenly matched. Then, they began to continuously clash in the air, trading blows.

Ripples from tearing space were visible everywhere. Each of their collisions caused the very air to fracture, and the BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! of these ruptures echoed without end.

The terrifying battle made the gathering onlookers afraid to get too close, yet unwilling to leave.

A battle this spectacular wasn’t something you could see every day. Judging from the sheer power on display, neither fighter was an ordinary person. The shockwaves from each of their clashes were powerful enough to kill a Martial Artist at the Mid-Stage of the Qi Sea Realm.

"Who are those two? Could they be from the top ten of the Yanhuang List?"

"I have no idea, but their combat power is incredible. I’m also a Martial Artist in the Qi Sea Realm, but I couldn’t withstand a single one of their attacks."

The spectators discussed amongst themselves in awe. Soon, the area where Lin Yun and the youth were fighting was surrounded by a crowd of at least a thousand people.

After dozens of exchanges, neither Lin Yun nor the youth had gained an advantage. Following one last clash, they both retreated simultaneously.

They stared at each other, both shocked by their opponent’s combat power. The youth was especially stunned. He was at the Ninth Layer of the Qi Sea Realm, while Lin Yun was only at the Third Layer. Despite a gap of six small realms, Lin Yun was able to fight him to a draw.

"Who are you?" the youth asked. He couldn’t believe Lin Yun was a no-name. In the entire Yanhuang Country, the only people who could fight him to a standstill were the top ten geniuses on the Yanhuang List.

"Lin Shan," he answered simply. Upon hearing those two words, everyone—from the surrounding crowd to the youth himself—was struck with utter shock.

Lin Yun, the one who had successfully challenged the Yanhuang List, was now a celebrity in Yanhuang Country. After all, the Yanhuang List candidate he had challenged was hailed as the strongest in history.

"So you’re Lin Shan! Haha! I, Wu Tianyuan, never expected to run into the newest top-ten genius. How interesting." Discovering Lin Yun’s identity, Wu Tianyuan wasn’t panicked at all; on the contrary, he seemed thrilled.

Wu Tianyuan was ranked sixth among the top ten geniuses of the Yanhuang List and was also a disciple of the Yanhuang Academy’s Genius Class. However, after becoming one of the top ten, Wu Tianyuan rarely stayed at the Academy, spending most of his time out in the world, training and gaining experience. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

He had just returned from the Nan Feng Kingdom and was on his way back to the Academy. He had heard many stories about Lin Yun along the way, but he never expected to actually run into him.

"I heard you’re a student of Vice Director Zhong. I guess that makes you my junior," Wu Tianyuan said with a smile.

"Come on. Let this senior see just how strong you really are. I’d hate for you to tarnish the name of our Yanhuang Academy while carrying the title of genius," Wu Tianyuan declared with a booming laugh. As he spoke, his Space Ring flashed, and a pair of Twin Blades appeared in his hands.

*(Seeking collections, recommendations, and tips!)*