130: Chapter 130 Sparring: Who Will Stop When They've Made Their Point?

Upon hearing Battalion Commander Li's words, Soldier King Xue immediately felt provoked:

"What do you mean I'm asking for a beating? Fine, I'll ask for a beating today then. I really want to see how your new Soldier King will beat me."

"Sigh... Old Xue, since you won't listen to advice, suit yourself.", Battalion Commander Li made a gesture of invitation.

Soldier King Xue snorted coldly and walked toward Lin Yuan's barracks.

When he reached the door, he stopped, gave a salute toward the barracks, and then spoke loudly:

"Xue Zhiqiang of the First Regiment requests a friendly spar with the Soldier King of the Third Regiment!"

Xue Zhiqiang's voice was booming, immediately attracting the attention of the soldiers training nearby. Several battalion commanders also paused their training, letting the soldiers gather around to watch and learn.

The strength of Lin Yuan was evident to all the soldiers of the Third Regiment. Although they didn't know his exact cultivation level, the strength he had displayed before was truly formidable.

Now that they had a chance to learn from Lin Yuan, they naturally wouldn't let it pass.

When the soldiers had all gathered, Xue Zhiqiang smiled slightly. This was the effect he wanted; under the gaze of the public, the new Soldier King couldn't find an excuse not to fight.

However, the expressions of the surrounding soldiers confused Xue Zhiqiang somewhat; there seemed to be a hint of pity, mixed with a sense of waiting to see him make a fool of himself...

Xue Zhiqiang immediately frowned. He hadn't displayed his skills in front of most people in the Third Regiment, so it was no wonder they underestimated him. But it didn't matter; soon they would know what a true Soldier King was.

Lin Yuan heard the noise outside, but he wasn't interested. The opponent only had the strength of the Sixth Tier. If he made a move, it would truly be bullying.

But Xue Zhiqiang's voice came again from outside, "What? Does Soldier King Lin look down on me? Won't you even grant a chance to spar? So many brothers are waiting to see you display your skills. Don't disappoint everyone."

Even through the door, Lin Yuan could clearly sense Xue Zhiqiang's intense fighting spirit.

Soldiers are skilled in combat and do not shy away from fighting; the military encourages mutual sparring for improvement.

Moreover, although the opponent wanted him to fight, he didn't use the kind of mocking language found among scoundrels in society. This was the high caliber of a soldier, which Lin Yuan greatly appreciated.

Simply put, the military camp was filled with simple, honest, positive, righteous, and loyal heroes dedicated to protecting the nation.

Since the opponent wanted to spar, refusing to fight would make him seem small-minded. Thinking of this, Lin Yuan stood up directly and pushed the door open.

The moment Lin Yuan stepped out, Xue Zhiqiang froze on the spot. This was the new Soldier King? This was clearly just a young man barely an adult...

How could someone so young possess the strength recognized by high-ranking military officials? Even if he were a monstrous genius, he couldn't possibly be past the Third Tier.

"Are you Lin Yuan? The new Soldier King?", Xue Zhiqiang asked tentatively.

"Hello, Soldier King Xue, I am indeed Lin Yuan.", Lin Yuan replied with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Xue Zhiqiang glanced around. Seeing the fiery gazes fixed on Lin Yuan, he started to believe it.

"Incredible. He's only eighteen or nineteen, such a monstrous genius. No wonder he was rated as Special Grade. If his strength is truly close to mine, even if slightly weaker, he absolutely deserves the title of Special Grade.", Xue Zhiqiang mused internally.

"Soldier King Lin is truly remarkable. Achieving this at such a young age, your future is limitless. It is a great fortune to have the chance to exchange blows with a young genius like you today. May I ask if Soldier King Lin would be willing to spar with me?", Xue Zhiqiang said with a smile.

"Brother Xue, just call me Lin Yuan. The title 'Soldier King' sounds strange. Since Brother Xue has such interest, your younger brother will certainly oblige...", Lin Yuan replied humbly.

"Hahahaha... Good! You little brother are quite interesting. Then this old brother won't be polite. Let's go, we'll go to the training ground to play around."

Xue Zhiqiang laughed heartily. Young geniuses his age were usually arrogant and conceited, but he hadn't expected Lin Yuan to be so humble.

"No need for such trouble, Old Brother Xue. Let's do it here. We'll just know when to stop.", Lin Yuan made a gesture of invitation.

Hearing this, Xue Zhiqiang glanced around. The space wasn't large; a major battle here would surely be constraining. But he immediately understood the implication of Lin Yuan's words.

"Perhaps Brother Lin's strength isn't as high as mine, and he feels he can't withstand even one of my moves, which is why he suggests we know when to stop."

"That's fine too. It's not a wasted trip just to witness the demeanor of such a genius. Then I will know when to stop."

Thinking this, Xue Zhiqiang grinned, "No problem, we'll do it here. Don't worry, Brother Lin, Old Brother knows his limits."

Saying that, he assumed the starting posture of a boxing technique, showing no intention of drawing a weapon.

Lin Yuan knew the other party might have misunderstood, but he didn't say much. He stood with his feet slightly apart, raised a fair hand, and made a simple starting gesture.

"Who do you think is stronger?"

"Of course it's our regiment's Soldier King Lin. Is that even a question?"

"But Soldier King Xue is very famous in the Division. I heard his strength is second only to the Division Commander, unrivaled beneath the Grandmaster."

"That's useless. Haven't you seen Soldier King Lin fight? That godlike technique—I'll never forget it in my life."

Ignoring the discussions around him, Xue Zhiqiang's fighting spirit was already ignited to its peak.

"Brother Lin, be careful!"

Xue Zhiqiang shouted loudly, and the surface of his right arm was immediately covered in frost, making his fist look massive.

He stomped hard, rushing forward, enveloped by powerful spiritual energy and an extremely cold aura. His peak Sixth Tier strength was fully revealed.

Lin Yuan stood rooted to the spot, not moving an inch, still maintaining that simple starting gesture.

Seeing this, Xue Zhiqiang was puzzled and involuntarily reduced the force of his punch by two-tenths.

Just as the two were about to collide, Lin Yuan slowly raised his palm to meet Xue Zhiqiang's fist.

Spiritual energy immediately surged around his body, releasing an aura of peak Fifth Tier.

"What? Fifth Tier?"

Xue Zhiqiang was suddenly shocked. He exerted all his strength, urgently withdrawing three-tenths of the force from his fist.

Seeing this, Lin Yuan nodded secretly...

Boom!!

Fist and palm met. Xue Zhiqiang's massive, powerful fist was easily blocked by Lin Yuan's palm.

Lin Yuan's body didn't even sway, let alone retreat.

Xue Zhiqiang stared at Lin Yuan in shock. Even though he had retracted half his strength, it was absolutely not something a peak Fifth Tier martial artist could withstand, yet Lin Yuan looked completely composed, as steady as Mount Tai.

Lin Yuan smiled slightly and suddenly exerted force on his palm, pushing back against the opponent's fist. Xue Zhiqiang, unprepared, staggered back five or six steps.

Feeling the force emanating from Lin Yuan's palm, he was instantly bewildered. Then he heard Lin Yuan's friendly voice ring out:

"Old Brother Xue, there's no need to hold back. Just go all out."

Hearing this, Xue Zhiqiang immediately summoned his battle saber. If he still hadn't realized he had underestimated the opponent at this point, he would be too slow-witted.

The battle saber instantly transformed into a long ice blade. Xue Zhiqiang surged his spiritual energy, leaped into the air, and slashed down with the long saber in his hand. Streaks of cold ice blades shot out from the blade, blocking all of Lin Yuan's escape routes.

But Lin Yuan had no intention of retreating. He kept his left hand behind his back and brought his right hand's two fingers together, flicking them out like lightning in quick succession.

The cold ice blades attacking from the air instantly froze in place, then shattered with a 'bang,' scattering into countless ice shards on the ground.

Xue Zhiqiang sucked in a cold breath. His most fierce Martial Arts technique had been casually shattered by the other party.

It turned out that when the other person said 'know when to stop,' he didn't mean Xue Zhiqiang should stop; he meant *he* would stop for Xue Zhiqiang...