Chapter 258: How’s Your Decision?

The students of Chen’s Martial Arts Hall didn’t retreat an inch. They charged head-on against the Golden Claw Sect’s disciples. In an instant, the two groups, wearing different training uniforms, clashed and became a chaotic brawl.

After a brief stalemate, the situation quickly turned. Even though the Chen Martial Arts students had the numbers, their individual strength was far inferior. It wasn’t long before they were overwhelmed, with Golden Claw Sect students easily knocking them to the ground.

Bang!

One of the Chen Martial Arts students was kicked over. He tried to get back up and fight, but a few more brutal kicks left him with a swollen face and blood streaming from a head wound.

Smack!

Another Chen Martial Arts student was slapped hard across the face. Several teeth flew along with blood. With a groggy roar of rage, he tried to charge again but was sent flying by a powerful palm strike.

Scenes like this played out everywhere. In no time, the ground was littered with defeated Chen Martial Arts students, while the Golden Claw Sect was firmly in control. Only a few Chen students were still struggling to hold their ground.

Hearing the commotion outside, Chen Lingxin and Chen Tianli rushed out of the hall. When they saw what was happening, their fury was palpable, as if their hair was standing on end.

Chen Tianli clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, demanding answers from Duan Fei.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

Duan Fei stood off to the side, arms crossed, disdain in his eyes.

“You idiots from Chen Martial Arts have no idea who you’re messing with. Since you refuse to accept a peaceful offer, you’re going to learn the hard way.”

Chen Lingxin didn’t say a word. She jumped straight into the fray, forcing back several Golden Claw Sect students who were ganging up on a Chen Martial Arts student. She quickly helped the fallen student to his feet.

“Are you alright?”

The student’s chest was covered in bloody wounds, but he barely noticed.

“Senior Sister, I’m fine. I’ll fight these bastards till the end!”

“That’s right! We’ll take these punks down!” Chen Lingxin coldly smiled, her eyes flashing with fierce determination as she charged at the strongest Golden Claw Sect students.

Chen Lingxin was incredibly powerful, having recently broken through to the middle stage of Bright Force. Even though her breakthrough was fresh, she was still far beyond what the Golden Claw Sect students could handle.

With her in the fight, four or five Golden Claw students were soon lying on the ground, and the tide of the battle shifted. The two sides became more evenly matched.

Watching this, Duan Fei furrowed his brow.

“A bunch of troublesome guys. Looks like I’ll have to step in.”

Chen Tianli extended an arm, blocking Duan Fei’s path. “Your opponent is me.”

“You?” Duan Fei glanced Chen Tianli up and down, then sneered with disdain. “You think a piece of trash like you is worthy of being my opponent? Get out of my way!”

Chen Tianli knew deep down he wasn’t a match for Duan Fei. He had seen Duan Fei spar with his father, Chen Tianxing, and realized his own strength fell far short. But despite this, he stood firm. He refused to back down.

A flicker of malice flashed in Duan Fei’s eyes. He took a sudden step forward. He appeared in front of Chen Tianli in the blink of an eye and punched him hard in the chest.

Bang!

Duan Fei moved so fast that Chen Tianli had no time to defend himself. The force of the punch sent him flying several meters, crashing to the ground and coughing up blood, unable to stand.

“Trash will always be trash,” Duan Fei looked down at Chen Tianli with cold contempt. “Someone like you, who hasn’t even reached mid-stage Bright Force, should feel honored that I bothered to lift a finger.”

With that, Duan Fei didn’t spare Chen Tianli another glance. He stepped past him and headed toward Chen Lingxin.

Lying on the ground, Chen Tianli clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his palms. He tried to get up, but Duan Fei’s punch had been brutally powerful. Not only had it fractured his ribs, but it had also injured his internal organs. He collapsed again after barely making it halfway up.

“Damn it!”

Chen Tianli bit down hard, his teeth sinking into his lip until it bled.

He had never felt such hatred for his own weakness. Never had he despised his own helplessness more.

If only he had trained harder in the past. Then he wouldn’t be lying here, watching helplessly as the martial Arts Hall was torn apart.

On the other side of the courtyard, Chen Lingxin had already taken down several Golden Claw Sect disciples.

As her anger peaked, Chen Lingxin paradoxically became calm. She channeled all of her fury into her strikes, performing at a level far beyond her usual capabilities.

Her face showed no trace of rage—only a deep, icy detachment.

It was clear that Chen Lingxin’s fighting style had started to resemble Lin Xiao’s. When Lin Xiao fought, he, too, kept his emotions hidden, his expression calm as still water. But when he struck, it was with the force of lightning, swift and merciless.

Whoosh!”

With a whip-like kick, Chen Lingxin’s long, well-proportioned leg became a blur. It struck a Golden Claw disciple in the stomach and sent him sprawling to the ground.

At that moment, Chen Lingxin suddenly felt a surge of danger. Her legs tensed, and with a powerful push, she leaped backward like she had springs in her feet. She landed two meters away.

“Tsk tsk, sharp senses,” Duan Fei said.

He clapped his hands as he walked toward Chen Lingxin. “Let me have some fun with you.”

His gaze lingered on Chen Lingxin’s shapely figure, a flicker of lust flashing in his eyes.

Chen Lingxin’s face was as cold as ice. She darted forward like an arrow, closing the distance between them in a blink. Her palm shot toward Duan Fei’s face. Her other hand stood at her side, poised for a follow-up strike.

Her movements were swift and direct. No wasted flourishes—just pure, deadly efficiency. The force of her attack whipped the air. A sharp gust stung Duan Fei’s face.

Duan Fei raised an eyebrow, his interest in Chen Lingxin growing even more.

“Not bad. If you hadn’t just recently broken through to mid-stage Bright Force, you might actually be a worthy opponent.”

With a casual sway of his body, Duan Fei easily dodged Chen Lingxin’s attacks. He didn’t strike back immediately but played with her like a cat toying with a mouse.

“Let’s see how much you’ve got. Once you’re done, it’ll be my turn.”

He chuckled maliciously, his intentions all too clear.

Chen Lingxin said nothing, her lips pressed into a tight line, eyes icy and cold. Her face grew paler as her attacks became fiercer, launching a barrage of strikes at Duan Fei like a raging storm.

While Chen Lingxin was locked in combat with Duan Fei, the other Golden Claw Sect disciples had no one left to challenge them. They took their pent-up anger out on the remaining Chen Martial Arts Hall disciples, swiftly knocking them all to the ground within minutes.

But it didn’t stop there. After taking down the Chen disciples, the Golden Claw Sect members began smashing up the martial Arts Hall. Loud crashes echoed through the courtyard.

Chen Lingxin clenched her teeth harder. Her anger boiled over. It was almost impossible to contain.

But she knew better than to let her rage cloud her judgment. Losing control would only give her opponent an opening. She had to stay calm, endure, and hold out until Lin Xiao arrived.

***

Inside the main hall.

Old man Chen and Chen Tianxing could hear the sounds of fighting and the pained cries of the Chen disciples. Their hearts burned with frustration, desperate to rush outside.

However, with Duan Changhan standing guard, coldly watching them, they had no way out.

“So, old master Chen, Master Chen, have you come to a decision?” Duan Changhan asked with a sinister smile.