Rise from a Low-class Family to Martial Artist

Chapter 88: Chapter 3: Dual Cultivation Techniques at Small Success—How Did He Do It?

Lin Chen defeated Peng Bo.

But the atmosphere at the scene was strange; not many eyes were on the arena. Most trainees’ gazes were shifting back and forth between the Clear Wind Martial Arts Hall and Jingshui Martial Arts Hall areas.

Spectating is a common hobby for humans, and martial artists are no exception.

Though Lin Chen’s Small Success in the Clear Wind Palm was surprising, at this moment, they were more curious as to why the Clear Wind Martial Arts Hall would let Lin Chen join the Jingshui Martial Arts Hall.

Chen Chunfeng’s expression didn’t change much. The martial arts hall misjudged; it’s indeed the hall’s problem.

He was more concerned with whether, after this duel, he could have Lin Chen return to the Clear Wind Martial Arts Hall. Seeing that Lin Chen achieved Small Success in the Clear Wind Palm in such a short time, if he were carefully nurtured after returning to the hall, he would definitely achieve Great Success within a year.

Moreover, this time, Senior Brother Qi should not object to Lin Chen receiving the top grade treatment.

But there’s no hurry for this matter; after the duel, he’ll discuss it with the Jingshui Martial Arts Hall.

On the Jingshui Martial Arts Hall side, Kong Yinglei’s lips curved upward, watching Lin Chen use the Clear Wind Palm to defeat Peng Bo was satisfying.

Especially seeing Qi He’s darkened face, it made her feel even more delighted.

Initially, when their Jingshui Martial Arts Hall nurtured Lin Chen for the Clear Wind Martial Arts Hall, it was without selfish intentions, but unexpectedly, the Clear Wind Martial Arts Hall didn’t appreciate it; they must be filled with regret now.

However, according to her understanding of Qi He, his regret was more due to losing face and being laughed at by other martial arts halls.

Just wait.

It’s still early. She really wanted to see Qi He’s expression when Lin Chen displayed Great Success in the Clear Wind Palm.

It’s a pity the duel isn’t over yet; Lin Chen still had to conceal his strength. Otherwise, she would have wanted Lin Chen to fully exhibit the Clear Wind Palm right now. She was already eager to see Qi He’s expression.

As for Chen Chunfeng, when she saw him give her a slight smile, Kong Yinglei was a bit stunned, not understanding the meaning behind his smile.

The few girls from Jingshui Martial Arts Hall, including Fu Jingya, were not particularly surprised. Instead, they were cheering for Junior Brother Lin silently in their hearts because they already knew Junior Brother Lin had mastered the Clear Wind Palm.

The last match in Group C.

Lin Chen versus Zhou Yu.

”I’ve heard of you.”

Zhou Yu stood opposite Lin Chen and slowly spoke as Lin Chen raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.

”Junior Brother Zhao mentioned you to me. When he studied martial arts in the Martial Hall, he admired you the most. He spoke highly of you, and I thought he might have exaggerated. But now, it seems Junior Brother Zhao didn’t exaggerate.”

Lin Chen smiled, understanding that the Junior Brother Zhao Zhou Yu mentioned was Zhao Jingchuan. Junior Brother Zhao was also from the Cloud Conceal Martial Arts Hall, and with his personality, he naturally had good relationships with other brothers in the hall.

Lin Chen didn’t think that Junior Brother Zhao mentioning him to Zhou Yu was a betrayal to reveal his true strength. With Junior Brother Zhao’s character, at most, he would have just mentioned his admiration without divulging his real strength.

Indeed, when Lin Chen’s name appeared in first place in Group C, Zhao Jingchuan had quietly advised Zhou Yu to choose another group if possible.

However, Zhou Yu was confident and did not heed the advice.

”Your family background isn’t as good as Junior Brother Zhao’s, yet you have come this far. I can understand why Junior Brother Zhao admires you. If I were in his position, I’d feel the same.”

From Zhou Yu’s perspective, Junior Brother Zhao admired Lin Chen because he had emerged from a village and reached this point, surpassing more than half of the city’s trainees.

However, this is as far as it goes.

”Storytellers love narrating tales of students from low-class families who rise to prominence, but stories remain stories. Junior Brother Lin, I’m sorry, but your story ends here.”

Hearing Zhou Yu’s comments, Lin Chen blinked a few times, unsure how to respond.

The other party wasn’t arrogant; there was even a hint of apology in his voice.

”Senior Brother Zhou, that’s not necessarily the case.”

Given the opponent’s good attitude, Lin Chen naturally didn’t provoke him. For Zhou Yu’s sake, he decided to start the duel quickly.

Otherwise, the more Zhou Yu spoke, the more embarrassing it would be for him when the result was revealed.

”Please give me your guidance!” Lin Chen cupped his fists.

At the same time, the referee announced the start of the duel.

Almost at the exact moment the referee announced the start of the duel, Zhou Yu lightly tapped his foot, ghost-like, instantly closing in on Lin Chen, moving so swiftly that he left behind afterimages.

Zhou Yu’s figure appeared ghost-like to Lin Chen’s left, eyes gleaming with pride. His five fingers bent like hooks, accompanied by a sharp wind sound, attacking Lin Chen’s arm with fierce and precise movements.

This Junior Brother Lin would never have anticipated that after a conversation like that, Zhou Yu would launch an attack first, catching him completely off guard.

His prior words were true, but that didn’t mean he underestimated Lin Chen.

He wouldn’t underestimate Small Success in Clear Wind Palm unless he were a fool.

In martial contests, reality and deception are intertwined, making the opponent’s predictions unreliable.

This is something their Instructor told him and a characteristic of their Cloud Conceal Martial Arts Hall’s cultivation technique.

Cloud Tracing Hand, a Grade-Entering Technique of the Cloud Conceal Martial Arts Hall, focuses on footwork and grappling. When mastered, one moves ghost-like, leaving opponents clueless about where the attack will come from.

The audience was in an uproar.

The trainees from other martial arts halls did not expect Zhou Yu to initiate the attack.

”Despicable!”

”Utterly shameless!”

Over at the Jingshui Martial Arts Hall, Fu Jingya and a few other women had looks of displeasure on their faces; Zhou Yu was too despicable.

Lin Chen’s expression remained calm and composed. Although he hadn’t expected Zhou Yu to use this tactic, Zhou Yu’s movements didn’t seem fast in his eyes.

To be precise, it wasn’t that he visually perceived Zhou Yu’s move, but his mind automatically predicted Zhou Yu’s next step and move.

He had battled with Zhao Jingchuan before and was familiar with the Cloud Tracing Hand.

When Zhou Yu’s figure appeared on his left side, he already guessed which move Zhou Yu would use.

Being able to predict the opponent’s move in such a duel was impossible before achieving Perfection in Clear Wind Palm.

This was the transformation brought by reaching Perfection in Clear Wind Palm.

Clear Wind Palm’s Perfection not only meant understanding the true essence of the Clear Wind Palm, but it also provided a more subtle perception of the Martial Path.

As Zhou Yu’s hands were about to touch his arm, Lin Chen deftly sidestepped, skillfully evading the fierce grab, and then immediately launched a move, ”Cloud Ascending Dragon Soaring,” striking directly at the opponent’s chest.

This time, Lin Chen was using the Water Cloud Palm.

Zhou Yu’s heart tightened. He hadn’t expected Lin Chen to react so quickly at such a close range, not only avoiding his fierce assault but also counterattacking him.

A trace of reluctance flashed in Zhou Yu’s eyes. His footwork instantly changed, moving like a flying cloud, constantly shifting positions, but always circling Lin Chen. With each movement, he would strike at Lin Chen with a grabbing hand.

Even though his realm was higher than Lin Chen’s, Zhou Yu had no intention of confronting Lin Chen head-on. Using one’s strengths against the opponent’s weaknesses is the smart choice in a duel.

The advantage of the Cloud Tracing Hand is its flexibility, with both agile movements and attacks, keeping the opponent defensive until they reveal a flaw for a decisive strike.

However, whenever Zhou Yu felt he’d found the right moment to strike, Lin Chen would accurately neutralize it.

After dozens of breaths, Zhou Yu gradually became impatient. He tried various methods, but each time he attacked, Lin Chen would repel him with a palm strike, forcing him to withdraw.

Lin Chen noticed Zhou Yu’s slowing movements and dwindling attacks, recognizing that Zhou Yu was exhausted.

In fact, he could have ended things faster. He dragged it out to verify whether his predictive ability against opponents’ moves during fights was accurate.

Now, with the verification nearly done, it was time to conclude this duel.

After once again repelling Zhou Yu, Lin Chen’s aura surged. Employing the Water Cloud Palm technique, his palm strikes flowed like the rolling sea, leaving Zhou Yu feeling overwhelmed by the endless waves and palm shadows.

Each collision transmitted a force through the opponent’s palm that was difficult for Zhou Yu to withstand, forcing him to retreat continuously, unable to dodge Lin Chen’s offensive.

It seemed as if Lin Chen could foresee his every movement, sealing his retreat at every opportunity.

Hiss!

The onlooking disciples fell silent, witnessing the dazzling palm shadows and the sound of surging water accompanying Lin Chen’s palms.

They had thought Lin Chen had only achieved Small Success in Clear Wind Palm, but unexpectedly, his Water Cloud Palm was also at Small Success.

To have dual Grade-Entering Techniques both reach Small Success—is this even human?

Among the present disciples, only a few had mastered even one cultivation technique to such a degree, with Small Success being extremely rare.

Meng Yuan from the Mantis Martial Arts Hall stood with his mouth slightly agape. Initially believing that his Small Success in Mantis Fist would make him a topic of great discussion among the Martial Arts Halls, now no one paid him any attention.

All eyes were on Lin Chen, and no one remembered that Meng Yuan with his Small Success in Mantis Fist even existed.

Ten breaths later.

Everyone heard a crisp cracking sound, and Zhou Yu’s right hand fell, with his left shoulder simultaneously struck again, causing him to stagger back dozens of steps.

Feeling that his right hand was powerless to lift and the tearing pain in his left shoulder, Zhou Yu’s face turned gloomy: ”I lost.”

Zhou Yu was well aware that Lin Chen had shown mercy; the palm that struck his left shoulder had clearly held back.

He’s not someone who cannot accept defeat, and even if he didn’t concede, his right hand couldn’t lift, and he had no strength left to fight.

”Thank you for letting me win.”

Lin Chen cupped his fists, his expression unchanged from before.

From when he started rapidly advancing in realm in this last month, his goal had been to get into the top ten or even higher. Defeating a non-seeded contestant like Zhou Yu didn’t stir any significant emotion in him.

With the referee announcing the winner of Group C, a cheer erupted from the Jingshui Martial Arts Hall’s side, and Lin Chen smiled as he walked towards the section of his Martial Arts Hall.

”Hall Master Kong, I did not disappoint.”

Kong Yinglei had a stern face, only responding with a ”hmm,” as her senior sister had instructed her. As the Vice Hall Master, she must maintain her poise.

”Haha, Lin Chen, you gave me a great surprise,”

Shen Lin didn’t hide her excitement. Lin Chen’s victory in his group meant his worst possible rank was sixteenth. If he won the next match, he could very well enter the top ten.

As long as luck wasn’t against him—avoiding an encounter with Jiang Qing and the eight other seeded contestants—and he faced others who won their groups, he very much had this opportunity.

At the Wuchang Pavilion.

Su Lingchuan appeared deep in thought, and after a moment he said: ”Since Senior Brother He wishes to reward this year’s Martial Arts Hall disciples, why not hold tomorrow’s matches at the city gate?”

Lin Chen, the disciple from Jingshui Martial Arts Hall, had given him some surprises and also sparked some thoughts.

He Ruyun pondered for a moment, nodding: ”Alright, I’ll have the government office set up an arena and send out a message to the entire county. The Martial Arts Hall matches at the city gate tomorrow will be open to all county residents.”