Rise from a Low-class Family to Martial Artist

Chapter 68: Chapter 64: Martial Artists Must Not Be Seen With White Hair

The next day!

The courtyard was a mess, covered in fallen leaves.

Lin Chen felt a bit embarrassed when he saw the fallen leaves on the ground.

He had been too engrossed in his training last night and lost control towards the end, causing the trees in the courtyard to suffer.

Hopefully... they won’t make me pay for this.

For the first time, Lin Chen didn’t start practicing martial arts as soon as he got up, but instead took a broom and swept the fallen leaves in the yard to one side, piling them up like a small hill.

Just as Lin Chen finished sweeping the ground, the courtyard door was pushed open, and the maid who had brought him here yesterday walked in with a food box.

”Young Master Lin, this is the breakfast prepared by the Martial Arts Garden.”

The maid placed the food box on the stone table in the courtyard and smiled, ”How could we trouble Young Master Lin with such trivial tasks? Leave them to us servants.”

”I woke up early with nothing to do.” Lin Chen awkwardly smiled and pointed to the trees that he had knocked askew with his palms: ”These trees...”

”There was a gale last night, these trees needed replacing anyway, Young Master Lin need not worry.”

The maid chuckled quietly, having spent the previous night in a small side room outside the courtyard, listening to the howling wind.

Hearing he didn’t need to pay, Lin Chen also breathed a sigh of relief.

”Please have breakfast, Young Master Lin.”

The maid had already laid out the dishes from the food box on the table. To Lin Chen’s surprise, there was a small dish of rare bird meat.

Gray-winged Seagull meat!

Although he had never eaten Gray-winged Seagull meat, he had seen it a few times when exchanging meat tickets with Senior Sister Jiang, and knew what it looked like.

This small dish had about two taels. The canteen sold Gray-winged meat at five taels per jin, while outside it was six taels per jin; these two taels of meat alone cost more than one tael of silver.

”Ahem, may I ask, sister, does this breakfast cost money?” Lin Chen didn’t hurry to pick up the chopsticks; he needed to ask clearly.

”Young Master Lin, you’re joking. Any martial artist who can stay in our Martial Arts Garden can enjoy the breakfast here for free.”

Getting a firm answer, Lin Chen finally picked up the chopsticks and began eating.

After eating his fill and seeing the maid take away the food box, Lin Chen didn’t linger in the courtyard but headed to the ring.

This time, he consecutively defeated five martial artists on the second ring. These five were all masked students from a martial arts hall.

Until the sixth and seventh rounds did he meet real opponents, one who had achieved small success with the Seven Stars Fist and another with a great success in the Gale Leg technique.

In the battle with the martial artist of small success with the Seven Stars Fist, he barely won.

But when faced with the martial artist of great success with the Gale Leg technique, for the first time, he understood what was meant by a leg technique like a gale and storm. The opponent’s legs fell swiftly like a gale, knocking him off the ring in just fifteen seconds.

This is the gap between small success and great success.

The further one progresses in a cultivation technique, the harder it is to improve, but once past that juncture, the power increases terrifyingly.

Noon.

The Martial Arts Garden also provided a meal.

However, this time there was no rare bird meat, just ordinary beef, mutton, and rice.

As night fell.

Lin Chen glanced at the panel.

[Host: Lin Chen]

[Realm: Opening Acupoints Realm (4/24): (35/100)]

[Clear Wind Palm: Small Success (6/10)]

[Water Cloud Palm: Mastery (2/10)]

Four points away from Great Success!

The Martial Arts Garden arranged four opponents for him again.

As Senior Yan told him, these four martial artists were also practitioners of the Clear Wind Palm.

Have I stirred up the Clear Wind Martial Arts Hall’s nest?

Lin Chen was a bit puzzled, but being able to spar with the Clear Wind Palm practitioners was naturally a good thing, as it allowed him to deepen his understanding of the Clear Wind Palm through their moves.

Even among small successes, there are differences.

In the first three matches, Lin Chen easily won, defeating the fastest in ten moves and the slowest in just thirty moves.

Inspector Yan He’an watched, his pupils constantly shrinking. He witnessed Lin Chen’s progress from yesterday’s first match to today’s three matches.

Lin Chen’s improvement in the Clear Wind Palm was visible to the naked eye!

Why would the Clear Wind Martial Arts Hall give up on such a talented student?

Even though the Elder didn’t ask him to investigate Lin Chen, he still inquired a bit and learned about the incidents between Lin Chen and the Clear Wind Martial Arts Hall.

Lin Chen entered the Martial Hall and first chose the Clear Wind Martial Arts Hall, but was rejected by them. Eventually, due to the former Inspector, the Clear Wind Martial Arts Hall took Lin Chen back as a disciple, but then placed him in the Jingshui Martial Arts Hall.

However, after Inspector Shu left, Lin Chen’s name appeared again on the list submitted by the Jingshui Martial Arts Hall, indicating that the Clear Wind Martial Arts Hall abandoned Lin Chen once more.

The inside story, Yan He’an reckoned he could guess most of it: Inspector Shu left, and the Clear Wind Martial Arts Hall didn’t care about Lin Chen. When the Jingshui Martial Arts Hall requested him, the Clear Wind Martial Arts Hall likely just let him go.

It’s because the Jingshui Martial Arts Hall discovered Lin Chen’s gifted comprehension in Martial Arts Techniques that they asked for him. Are the Hall Master and Instructor of the Clear Wind Martial Arts Hall fools?

The Jingshui Martial Arts Hall only admitted female disciples, yet they made an exception for Lin Chen, indicating his extraordinary qualities.

Yan He’an couldn’t understand. Watching Lin Chen on the ring, he also sighed inwardly, thinking Lin Chen must be harboring a sense of defiance after being abandoned twice by the Clear Wind Martial Arts Hall.

Last night, Lin Chen’s training in the courtyard until the moon nearly set before going to sleep had already been reported to him by the servants.

Such desperate training, I’m afraid, is also to prove oneself in the upcoming martial arts hall competition.

...

...

”Senior Yan, please notify the fourth martial artist to come in.” After resting, Lin Chen nodded toward Yan He’an.

”The fourth martial artist’s situation is somewhat special. He once reached Great Success in the Clear Wind Palm, but now, past forty, his Qi blood is in decline. He was once a Six Acupoints Realm expert. Does Young Master Lin want to fight against him?”

An Opening Four Acupoints martial artist, especially one who practices the Clear Wind Palm, is hard to find even for Yan He’an in a short time.

Lin Chen was somewhat surprised; he had never fought against a martial artist over forty.

”May I ask, Senior, what is this martial artist’s current strength?”

”The martial artist, over forty, in the Opening Acupoints Realm, declines by one acupoint every year; this person is forty-two this year.”

Hearing this explanation, Lin Chen understood that this old martial artist’s current realm is the Opening Four Acupoints, but his Clear Wind Palm has reached Great Success.

”I, the junior, am willing to fight.”

In the end, Lin Chen accepted. His current Clear Wind Palm is not far from Great Success, and the previous Clear Wind Palm Small Success martial artists could not give him much insight.

”Good.”

Yan He’an left the courtyard, and after the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, returned with a middle-aged man not much younger than him.

The martial artists who came to accept the challenge today evidently had received instructions from Yan He’an, asking Lin Chen no questions, silently stepping onto the stage.

”Senior, please!” Lin Chen still saluted.

”Please.”

Guo Xuesong looked at the masked Lin Chen. He knew the purpose for which the Martial Arts Garden called him—to spar with this young man.

Being a Six Acupoints martial artist, acting as a sparring partner for a Four Acupoints martial artist was originally a disgraceful affair, but now his Qi blood was declining, the avenues for earning money would only become fewer, so earning some was better than none.

This time Lin Chen didn’t wait for the opponent to make the first move. For this old master, he still needed to show necessary respect.

Whoosh!

Lin Chen took a deep breath, and in the next moment his body shot forward like a swift swallow, with a whistling right palm directly striking Guo Xuesong’s face.

This move was fierce and violent, contrary to the Clear Wind Palm’s ethereal style.

Guo Xuesong saw Lin Chen’s offensive, admiration flashing in his eyes; this young man’s understanding of the Clear Wind Palm was not just at Small Success.

The True Meaning of the Clear Wind Palm lies in being formless and ethereal, but it doesn’t mean the palm must be gentle.

There’s the breeze brushing the face, and also the storm tearing apart.

Facing Lin Chen’s palm, Guo Xuesong was unhurried, slightly sidestepping to easily dodge the fierce strike.

Missing his strike, Lin Chen was not disheartened, he brushed his foot, his left palm following closely, transforming into a wind blade, whistling diagonally downward.

This time Guo Xuesong didn’t dodge, placing both palms in front of his chest, then suddenly pushing outward, a thick palm force exploding forth, like a storm rising, directly dissolving all of Lin Chen’s offensive.

Moreover, this palm force numbed Lin Chen’s arm, leaving him unstable.

Breaking Lin Chen’s offensive in one move, Guo Xuesong advanced, his form ghostly fast, in a blink arriving in front of Lin Chen.

His palms flew swiftly like lightning, fierce palm shadows accompanied by thunderous tearing sounds, overwhelming towards Lin Chen.

Lin Chen’s pupils contracted, facing the storm-like onslaught of Guo Xuesong, could only keep retreating, soon beads of sweat appeared on his face, if not for his Flying Swallow Technique and nimble footwork, he might already have been defeated.

Facing this veteran martial artist, he found scarcely any opportunity to strike back.

The power of a Great Success Clear Wind Palm, at this moment, he truly felt it.

Clap!

Five breaths later!

Lin Chen took the first hit, the strike causing his Qi blood to surge, blood rushing to his throat, almost spilling forth.

”Something’s odd?”

Feeling the power of the blow, Lin Chen frowned slightly; for a Four Acupoints martial artist with Great Success Clear Wind Palm, he shouldn’t get injured so easily.

Lin Chen raised his gaze to Guo Xuesong, quickly noticing something amiss.

Guo Xuesong’s breathing was heavy and rapid, like a worn-out bellows difficultly working, the palm technique fierce, but at the last instant of a strike, somewhat lacking in follow-up force.

Under the stage, Yan An also sighed slightly, once the Qi blood of a martial artist declines, their strength limit drops drastically.

Qi blood affects not only the realm but also the performance of cultivation techniques.

In Guo Xuesong’s current state, to maintain the Great Success power of the Clear Wind Palm, it couldn’t last long, like a spent arrow.

Ten breaths, already Guo Xuesong’s limit.

”Senior, my apologies.”

Feeling the opponent’s diminishing strength, Lin Chen didn’t concede defeat. Although this battle seemed a bit unfair, the five taels of silver wager was significant to him as he needed to use this prize to continue battling other martial artists.

Thirty breaths later.

Seeing the boy across taking several of his palm strikes, then primarily defending after a few attacks, emotion flickered ambiguously in Guo Xuesong’s eyes.

The full exertion of the Clear Wind Palm just now left him somewhat exhausted, and the young man before him noticed it, opting not to exploit the situation aggressively.

He must be sensible.

”You’ve won.”

Guo Xuesong slowly spoke, walking away from the stage with a sense of melancholy. Watching the leaving figure, Lin Chen could only clasp his fists in a formal send-off.

The Martial Path is cruel, not allowing martial artists to see old age!