Chapter 263: How… How Could This Be?!

Duan Fei was basically a hero to all the Gold Claw Sect disciples, not to mention a crush for a lot of the girls. But now, this genius martial artist was actually pushed back in a single move by some guy who looked even younger than him.

If word got out, the whole martial arts community in Jiangdong Province would be buzzing.

He glared at Lin Xiao, chest heaving with fury.

The way he looked at Lin Xiao was as if he were staring at a sworn enemy.

He couldn’t believe it. Not just the disciples watching, Duan Fei himself couldn’t believe it. But the stinging pain in his arm made it all too real. It wasn’t a hallucination. He’d been hit back.

In his mind, three words kept echoing: What a disgrace!

He’d been a prodigy, groomed by the Gold Claw Sect since he was a kid. Duan Fei had always held his own in any fight, especially against other young talents. When had he ever been pushed back like this? This kind of humiliation could only be washed away by his opponent’s blood.

What he didn’t know was that it was all pointless. Lin Xiao hadn’t even used much force. If he had, Duan Fei wouldn’t just be taking a few steps back—he’d be dead. With Lin Xiao’s level of skill, holding back was the only reason Duan Fei was still standing.

Duan Fei steadied his breathing, eyes narrowed like a hawk’s. With a sudden, piercing shout, he launched himself at Lin Xiao again. His fingers, powered up with internal energy, clawed straight for Lin Xiao’s chest.

The attack was deadly and filled with malice. If he hit his mark, it would be bad news. At best, Lin Xiao would be left with five bloody holes. At worst, he’d be torn wide open.

In a flash, Duan Fei was right in front of Lin Xiao. His fingers were inches away from ripping into Lin Xiao’s chest.

But Lin Xiao didn’t move. He stood there, calm as ever. He even had a faint, cold smile. With one smooth motion, Lin Xiao threw a punch.

Just before Lin Xiao’s fist could connect, Duan Fei’s claw reached Lin Xiao’s chest. For a split second, Duan Fei felt triumphant. He thought he had him. He dug his fingers in with all his might, ready to tear through flesh. But then, his smirk froze.

“No way!” Duan Fei blurted out in shock.

His claws couldn’t even scratch Lin Xiao. It was like hitting solid steel. His mind reeled. He had trained for years to make his Eagle Claw technique deadly enough to pierce three layers of hide. And yet, here he was, unable to even dent Lin Xiao’s chest.

‘Is this guy even human?’

The thought barely registered before Lin Xiao’s punch landed.

The Gold Claw Sect disciples watched in stunned silence as Lin Xiao’s fist sent Duan Fei flying. He spun through the air. Blood sprayed everywhere, and crashed to the ground with a loud thud. His training uniform was torn open, revealing a deep, inch-long fist mark embedded in his chest.

Coughing up blood, Duan Fei lay sprawled on the ground, completely wrecked.

He pressed his hand to the ground, trying to get up, but his arms gave out halfway. He collapsed back into the dust, his whole body shaking. At least three or four of his bones were cracked, maybe even broken. But the worst part was the damage inside. Lin Xiao’s attack had messed up his internal organs. Even with proper treatment, who knew if he’d ever fully recover?

Lin Xiao had no sympathy for these Golden Claw people. They’d shown up out of nowhere, hurt so many of the Chen family students, and now they were getting exactly what they deserved. He made sure every blow was powerful, relentless, and with no mercy.

After that last hit, Duan Fei wouldn’t be fighting anyone anytime soon.

Seeing Duan Fei go down in just two moves, Chen Lingxin felt a rush of satisfaction. She couldn’t help but want to cheer. The students lying around on the floor also managed to smile a little.

But the Golden Claw disciples were in shock. They looked at Lin Xiao, then over at Duan Fei, lying there and spitting up blood. It was hard to believe he’d been defeated so quickly.

“Did senior brother really lose?”

“No way, how could he lose?”

“This guy’s got guts, hurting our senior brother like that! Doesn’t he know he’ll have our whole sect after him?”

Then someone yelled, “Get him! We have to avenge the senior brother!”

The Golden Claw students snapped out of their daze and, eyes blazing with anger, charged at Lin Xiao. He just stood there, calm, and then met their charge head-on. These guys might be considered experts among ordinary folks, but they were no match for him.

Like a tiger tearing through a flock of sheep, he moved faster than they could react. Anyone in his way was either knocked down or sent flying.

Thud!

A short, stocky guy tried to sneak up on Lin Xiao, going for his eyes with a clawed hand. Lin Xiao just kicked him square in the chest, sending him flying. The guy landed hard, rolling a few times before finally coming to a stop, unable to get back up.

Then, two more charged in at the same time, hoping to grab hold of Lin Xiao and give the others an opening. Lin Xiao let them latch on, but with a quick jolt, he sent them both flying too. He threw in a kick for good measure.

In no time at all, Lin Xiao had taken down a dozen or so Golden Claw “elites.” They never stood a chance. And really, it all happened so fast.

Since Lin Xiao had walked into the dojo, barely five minutes had passed.

Duan Fei, watching his comrades drop one by one, was seething. His eyes were bloodshot, practically bulging with fury and disbelief.

“Who are you, really?” Duan Fei gasped, struggling to prop himself up with one hand. “With skills like that, there’s no way you’re just some nobody.”

“Didn’t I tell you? I’m Lin Xiao.” Lin Xiao’s tone was ice-cold.

“That’s impossible! Lin Xiao supposedly hurt Uncle Jiang, and he’s got Dark Force power. You…!”

Duan Fei couldn’t believe it. He looked around at his fellow students sprawled out on the ground, his words trailing off.

Because unless this guy had Dark Force too, there was no way he’d be able to crush them like this.

“You… you’re really Lin Xiao?”

“Heh, believe what you want.”

“No way… there’s no way! How could you possibly be—!?”

Duan Fei just couldn’t wrap his head around it as he stared at Lin Xiao’s young face.

Duan Fei’s face went pale with shock, his expression twisted with jealousy. He prided himself on being a prodigy, yet here he was, completely outmatched by someone who was not only his age but possibly even younger. He just couldn’t accept it.

Only one thought kept running through his mind now.

Lin Xiao had to die. If Lin Xiao were out of the picture, then Duan Fei could go back to being the undisputed genius, the pride of Golden Claw.

With a crazed laugh, he snarled, “Hah! So what if you’re Lin Xiao? Do you have any idea who I am? You’ve messed with Golden Claw, and you’ll pay for it. No one can save you now!”

But Lin Xiao just looked at him, completely unfazed. To him, Duan Fei’s threats sounded like nothing more than the whining of a sore loser.

“Ugh!”

Chen Lingxin walked right up to Duan Fei and spat in his face, then gave him a solid kick.

“Who do you think you are, running your mouth like that? You lost. Deal with it!”

Fuming, Duan Fei couldn’t believe the insult. He was so furious that his eyes rolled back, and he passed out right then and there.

Lin Xiao didn’t give him a second glance. He turned to Chen Lingxin.

“Where’s your dad?” he asked.

Only then did Chen Lingxin remember. Her father was still in the hall, fighting Duan Changhan. Her face went pale, and she sprinted toward the hall. She had barely taken a few steps when a figure came flying out, landing with a heavy thud. His face was battered, his skin was pale, and he was covered in bruises. It was Chen Tianxing.

“Dad!”

Chen Lingxin let out a piercing cry, tears streaming down her face.