Chapter 166: Fear of Death

Before Jiang Linfeng could voice his thoughts, Lin Xiao, with a forceful stomp on the ground, surged forward once again, rushing towards him.

“I concede… I concede!” Jiang Linfeng, in a state of panic, hastily declared his surrender.

Yet, Lin Xiao did not halt his advance, continuing to close the distance between him and Jiang Linfeng. His expression was one of calm indifference, his eyes tinged with a slight mockery.

The look on Lin Xiao’s face sent a deep shiver down Jiang Linfeng’s spine.

“I’ve already surrendered. Do you still want to attack?” Jiang Linfeng’s voice trembled as he stepped back, his shout verging on hysteria.

It wasn’t that he lacked the will to resist; the mere thought of his speculation about Lin Xiao’s strength, coupled with the helplessness he felt during their confrontation, quenched his desire to fight back as if doused by cold water.

“If you hadn’t resorted to hidden weapons, I would have accepted your surrender. But you chose to stoop so low,” Lin Xiao said, flicking his palm so that two steel needles dropped to the ground with a tinkling sound.

“Whether you surrender or not is your business, and whether I stop or not is mine. Do you really think a mere declaration of surrender would make me spare you? Dream on. You will pay for your actions.”

“Despicable!”

“Shameless!”

Only then did the onlookers grasp the motive behind Lin Xiao’s seemingly perplexing action earlier.

Still, some questioned Lin Xiao’s accusation.

As a master of Dark Force, it seemed beneath Jiang Linfeng to resort to a hidden weapon upon facing defeat, it simply lacked the poise expected of a true master. Yet, the sight of Jiang Linfeng’s ashen face and the two slender steel needles on the ground forced them to confront the truth.

“I…I apologize. I was wrong. But I’ve already surrendered. With everyone watching, would you really disregard the rules?” Jiang Linfeng begged.

Jiang Linfeng’s demeanor surprised everyone. They hadn’t expected the man who had arrived with such a commanding presence to show such a lack of backbone. The crowd viewed him with undisguised contempt.

Little did they know of Jiang Linfeng’s internal turmoil. If Lin Xiao were merely a practitioner of Dark Force, Jiang Linfeng would not have been so quick to bow and scrape, even in defeat. But if his speculations about Lin Xiao were correct, then he was indeed in deep trouble.

Grandmasters of Flowing Force were revered in the ancient martial world not only for their formidable strength but also for their vast array of techniques. For example, being defeated by another master of Dark Force might allow for a valiant, albeit desperate, fight. Since they’re on the same level, even if one’s cultivation was slightly superior, the confrontation would likely result in mutual destruction.

However, against a grandmaster of Flowing Force, such desperate efforts were utterly futile, transforming a dire situation into an outright farce. Additionally, grandmasters could project their internal energy, silently inflicting fatal injuries on ordinary individuals or, in the case of martial artists, stripping them of their cultivation.

In the ancient martial world, cultivation was paramount; losing it was considered a fate worse than death.

This explained the ancient martial adage, ‘It’s better to provoke the King of Hell than to provoke a grandmaster.’

“Rules? Where were your rules when you tried to assassinate me with steel needles? If I weren’t vigilant, a regular master might have fallen to your scheme. And now, after losing, you suddenly speak of rules? Ridiculous!”

Lin Xiao gave Jiang Linfeng a cold smile, devoid of any warmth, “Let me show you what rules really mean. The fist is the ultimate rule.”

With these words, Lin Xiao harnessed his inner strength and, with thunderous might, launched a devastating punch directly at Jiang Linfeng’s face.

The impact sent Jiang Linfeng flying, spinning through the air, his mouth ejecting a mix of broken teeth and blood before crashing down seven or eight meters away.

The force of the punch was so severe that Jiang Linfeng’s eyes rolled back into his head. He couldn’t even utter a sound before losing consciousness.

Simultaneously, his body was thrown into chaos by the internal force carried in Lin Xiao’s punch. Waking from his unconscious state, he might wish he had never awoken.

With a single punch sending Jiang Linfeng flying, Lin Xiao exhaled deeply, his simmering anger calming down.

Chen Lingxin, among the spectators, celebrated enthusiastically, clapping until her hands were red. The students of Chen’s Martial Arts Hall, too, shook off their previous gloom and doom, all beaming with pride and standing tall.

Their admiration and respect for Lin Xiao had reached its zenith at this moment. If they had previously seen Lin Xiao as a competent and honorary headmaster, he had now ascended to the status of their ultimate idol.

It wasn’t just them. Many in the audience found themselves harboring a deep, involuntary respect for Lin Xiao. Despite Chen’s Martial Arts Hall’s lack of direct ties to them, the Four Great Martial Schools were the face of Jiangnan Province’s ancient martial arts community. To see it so underestimated and disrespected stirred a shared sense of indignation among them. Although powerless to act, they couldn’t help feeling aggrieved.

Lin Xiao’s dramatic turnaround, showcasing his mastery of Dark Force at such a young age, was nothing short of mythical.

“You’ve gone too far, boy!”

However, at that moment, an angry shout erupted from behind Lin Xiao, followed by three forceful gusts attacking his back with lightning speed.

Lin Xiao spun around, only to be met by Shen Lin, Zhou Fang, and Wu Yong barreling toward him with fierce determination. Without any intention of restraint, they unleashed their deadliest moves, aiming to besiege Lin Xiao.

This development once again sent shockwaves through the entire audience.

“Are these supposed to be the masters? Looks more like three lowlifes to me!”

“Three grown men ganging up on one young guy, utterly shameless!”

The members of Chen’s Martial Arts Hall, in particular, were seething with righteous anger. Chen Lingxin, unable to hold back, was about to dash forward, her sleeves rolled up, but Old Master Chen grabbed her.

“Grandfather, why are you holding me back?” Chen Lingxin’s face flushed with a mix of urgency and fury. “Those jerks are attacking Lin Xiao together, I have to go help him!”

“What would you do up there?” Old Master Chen spoke with a serene expression, “Don’t worry. Lin Xiao is at the Dark Force stage. If he could defeat Jiang Linfeng, then even those three combined wouldn’t be able to touch him.”

Old Master Chen’s tone brimmed with trust in Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao’s earlier display had far surpassed his expectations.

Old Master Chen had thought that even if Lin Xiao had advanced to the Dark Force stage, he wouldn’t stand a chance against Jiang Linfeng due to the latter’s age advantage and Lin Xiao’s recent breakthrough, suggesting a significant gap in both battle experience and the stability of his cultivation.

Yet, the outcome was a profound surprise to Old Master Chen.

No, “surprise” might not be the right word, more like a shock.

He was simply too powerful.

His discerning eyes could easily see that Lin Xiao was effortlessly in control throughout the entire fight, not even sweating by the end.

“Could it be?” A flicker of disbelief passed through Old Master Chen’s eyes, but he quickly regained composure and shook his head, “It shouldn’t be possible, otherwise…”

He dared not continue that line of thought, fearing not the threat of others, but rather, that he might be scared to death by Lin Xiao himself.