Rise from a Low-class Family to Martial Artist

Chapter 203: Chapter 56: Lin Chen: What a Messy Reply After Reading

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In an open area within the bamboo forest, Lin Chen stood quietly in front of a bamboo house. By now, he had come to his senses.

He had been deceived!

Deceived by that old senior!

From start to finish, that senior never said he had any relation to the Gale Martial Arts Hall; he merely hinted at it considering the face of the Gale Martial Arts Hall...

As for why he gave face to the Gale Martial Arts Hall, there could be countless reasons, anything could be concocted as an excuse.

No wonder that old senior didn’t let me ask directly. If I had pressed him, he surely wouldn’t lie to me.

And now, I realize everything was a misunderstanding, plainly, I had overthought things.

Old ginger is indeed spicier!

”So, looking at your expression, do you feel deceived and regretful?”

Zhao Cangsheng’s figure appeared before Lin Chen, admitting his earlier deception as soon as he spoke.

”I deceived you because your comprehension of the Martial Path is indeed excellent, sparking my admiration for talent. I ask you, if you were my age, nearing the end, but without a disciple to inherit your lifetime’s knowledge, and you meet a young man perfectly suited to inherit it, what means would you use to make him your disciple?”

Lin Chen pondered for a moment and replied, ”I would showcase my strength to make the young man convinced of my abilities, leading him to willingly apprentice to me.”

Zhao Cangsheng nodded in satisfaction, ”Well said, by any means, make the young man apprentice to you, cement the relationship first.”

Lin Chen: ...

No, that’s not what I meant, right?

This is not just misinterpretation, it’s taking the wrong answer to jumble the question.

”Senior, are you sure we’re talking about the same thing?”

”I understand your meaning, but a formal apprenticeship ceremony is unnecessary. I’m not concerned with such formalities. You can call me Instructor Zhao, or even Old Zhao.”

An unread response?

Lin Chen fell into complete silence.

”This bamboo house is prepared for you. Your batch of students will start formal special training in two days. In these two days, there’s a book inside that you must finish reading and memorize completely.”

Zhao Cangsheng looked at Lin Chen, ”Do you have any objections?”

Lin Chen shook his head, having no objections. He hadn’t seen what was written in the book inside the house, and more importantly, even if he voiced objections, with Senior Zhao’s unread response tactics, objections would be futile.

”Very well, since there are no objections, go inside and follow me. For these three months, prepare to endure hardship. I am extremely strict in teaching students.”

Zhao Cangsheng was very pleased with Lin Chen’s attitude, clasped his hands behind his back, and strode away from the bamboo forest.

Watching this senior’s departing figure, Lin Chen’s face showed no trace of complaint.

Accept what comes one’s way.

Furthermore, for Senior Zhao to insist on guiding one’s cultivation in such a manner, it must be unconventional, yet he managed to achieve it despite its unconventionality, proving his uniqueness.

To break the rules successfully requires either substantial background or strength. Having this senior guide my cultivation, I’m not at a loss.

Opening the wooden house door, Lin Chen sniffed the air, detecting a strong herbal scent. Inside were several wooden racks, filled with various dried medicinal herbs.

However, what caught Lin Chen’s attention the most was the human-shaped wooden sculpture in the middle of the room.

The wooden sculpture was similar in build to him, but it was covered in dense red lines.

”Meridian and acupoint diagram? No, it’s a Qi Blood flow diagram!”

Lin Chen studied the sculpture intently, recalling the Qi Blood flow felt within his body during the mist, which matched the red lines on the sculpture.

Soon, Lin Chen discovered there wasn’t just one such sculpture; in one corner, there were over a dozen similar sculptures, though slightly smaller in size.

”Meridians, acupoints, is this the internal organs?”

All these sculptures shared a common trait: they were marked with red lines. If not certain he was in an Otherworld, Lin Chen might have thought he walked into a traditional medicine hall from his previous life.

Besides the sculptures, Lin Chen also found the book Senior Zhao mentioned.

”Senior Zhao truly has high expectations of me, to finish and memorize this entire book in two days.”

Looking at the book, about a finger thick, Lin Chen’s mouth twitched. After opening it and glancing through a few pages, he was immediately captivated.

This book had no title, yet it contained records of the body’s acupoints, including various meridians.

But if merely that, it would just be a book aiding the recognition of internal acupoints and meridians, not enough to engross Lin Chen.

This book detailed the names and functions of each acupoint, even the subtle changes influenced by different Qi-Running techniques on Qi Blood flow to the acupoints.

Small deviations can lead to vast differences.

”This book solves my urgent need.”

As he read, Lin Chen’s eyes brightened. The reason he couldn’t merge the Clear Wind Palm and Water Cloud Palm was due to uncertainty in altering the Qi Blood flow, eventually causing chaotic Qi Blood collisions internally.

This book wouldn’t directly help in increasing the cultivation realm for martial artists, but in Lin Chen’s view, its value rivals the Thousand Hammer Map.

To do a good job, one must first sharpen one’s tools!

So far in cultivation, Lin Chen’s understanding of Qi Blood and acupoints was vague.

Yet, the Martial Path is inherently a path of self-refinement.

If one doesn’t understand their own body, how can they proceed far?

He had asked Hall Master Zeng and Hall Master Tai, but even the Iron Bone Martial Arts Hall, which trained in horizontal practices, had no such books.

All martial artists throughout Poyang County only knew that unlocking more acupoints resulted in more vigorous Qi Blood, thus stronger power.

They knew the outcome but not the reasons behind it.

”The human body’s acupoints amount to twenty-four major acupoints and seventy-two minor acupoints. The twenty-four major acupoints are the roots of vitality, the source of Qi Blood, while the seventy-two minor acupoints are parasitic within the twenty-four major ones. Thus, unlocking the twenty-four acupoints is sufficient for martial artists.”

Lin Chen held a wooden sculpture marked with the locations of twenty-four acupoints, along with the seventy-two minor acupoints.

”When born, human acupoints are closed, later opening as one absorbs postnatal Qi. Occasionally, those born with mental or physical disabilities have acupoints damaged in utero...”

Sitting on a small stool in the wooden house, Lin Chen read the book’s content avidly, while cross-referencing with the wooden sculpture in hand.

”Eight upper body acupoints, eight lower body acupoints, and eight horizontal practice acupoints. This classification correlates with the variations in Qi Blood circulation through the acupoints.”

”Upper body Qi Blood circulates slowly, while lower body Qi Blood circulates quickly. Therefore, the average person’s leg speed surpasses hand speed.”

”Yet I have a query: if hand speed is slower than leg speed, why is punch speed comparable to leg speed? What is the mystery behind it?”

”This question was challenging for my mentor and couldn’t be answered by books.”

”For this, I devoted sixty years to deeply studying human acupoints and the subtleties of Qi Blood circulation, ultimately gaining a deep insight in the later years of my life, concluding this book for posterity.”

”I have named this book the ’True Understanding of the Twenty-four Acupoints’”

Upon seeing the book’s title, Lin Chen paused slightly; the title was quite fitting.

Lin Chen felt admiration for the author, a senior devoted to research.

For a question left unanswered, he spent his life researching this path.

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Outside the bamboo forest, Zhao Cangsheng gazed at the sky with hands behind his back.

The book inside the house was left by an old acquaintance. However, the contents were too sensational and unverifiable.

Yet, Zhao Cangsheng believed in his acquaintance’s research. Over the years, he had stayed here, hoping to find a student to prove this path was feasible.

PS: Two thousand monthly tickets, owe one update, to be completed within three days.