Chapter 123: One Man, Stops the Duel (Request Subscription)

Lin Chen’s posture was humble, yet his words echoed throughout the training ground.

The warriors on the spectator stands, already divided over Lin Chen’s entry, now erupted in turmoil.

Gazing at the boy’s figure on the field, the spectators’ eyes held a strange expression.

For a fleeting moment, some wondered if they had misheard.

One man against all twenty students of Yanshan County?

On the Guangxin side, Sheng Tao frowned; even he dared not claim he could face all of Yanshan County’s students alone.

He didn’t know the strength of Yanshan’s other students, but Zhang Qi and Shen Ge alone were enough to make him wary.

This Lin Chen is too arrogant!

Several top students from other counties also regarded Lin Chen with solemn expressions; becoming the top student of a county meant one wasn’t foolishly reckless, yet they couldn’t fathom where Lin Chen’s confidence came from.

“Does he really think being the first to perfect Qingfeng Palm means he’s the strongest?”

“Challenging all of Yanshan County’s students? He won’t even pass Zhang Qi.”

After a brief shock, students from other counties burst into mockery and doubt—they didn’t believe Lin Chen could do it, and refused to believe it.

Yanshan County’s rise had already pressured them; if Lin Chen truly succeeded, wouldn’t it reverse the rankings of all counties henceforth?

“Lin Chen’s confidence is good, but he should be more cautious.”

These were the words of spectators from Poyang County; they wouldn’t mock Lin Chen, but they thought he was being overly presumptuous.

Zhang Qi and Shen Ge’s strength had been witnessed firsthand; add eighteen other Yanshan students, and even someone with eighteen open meridians couldn’t claim to fight twenty alone.

“Senior Brother Lin…”

On the Poyang side, Fu Jingya and others gaped, stunned by Lin Chen’s words.

Ceng Qingyao and Tai Rubai exchanged glances; they knew Lin Chen had perfected Qingfeng Palm and Tiegu Gong, but those alone couldn’t sustain a one-against-twenty fight.

Had Lin Chen broken through again during his two-day absence?

“Senior Tai, Sister Ceng, do you know something? I heard Lin Chen just announced not only Jingshui Martial Hall, but also Zhenyue Martial Hall.” The Iron Blood Martial Hall’s master asked curiously.

“You’ll see soon enough, but since Lin Chen dared say this, he must have grounds for it.”

Tai Rubai smiled faintly, offering no further explanation; beside him, Zhao Qifeng of the Gales Martial Hall wore a thoughtful expression.

On the main spectator stand, Qiu Rufeng sensed the sudden chaos in the surrounding qi the moment Lin Chen spoke, his aged eyes narrowing.

He had long known Lin Chen’s name, but today was the first time he saw the boy in person.

The boy spoke boldly, yet his expression remained calm, utterly unaffected by the surrounding mockery—this composure was exceptional.

“Brother Su, don’t say I’m not giving you a chance. Youthful arrogance I understand—I allow him to choose another opponent.”

Zhang Wangshan looked at Su Lingchuan; for some reason, seeing Lin Chen remain composed amid the noise and mockery, he felt an uneasy premonition.

“No need. I trust Lin Chen.” Su Lingchuan refused outright.

Nearby, the directors of other counties’ Wuzhengsuo now fixed their gazes on Lin Chen, their deep eyes as if trying to pierce through his secrets.

……

……

On the training ground.

The Wuzheng Office’s ranked warrior, after glancing at Lin Chen, then scanned the spectator stands: “Lin Chen of Poyang County challenges all students of Yanshan County. This match requires no selection of opponents.”

With that, the man stepped back to the edge of the training ground.

He no longer needed to oversee the match; having confirmed Lin Chen truly intended to face all of Yanshan County alone, the match had already begun.

“Senior Shen, I’ll go!”

Zhang Qi stared at Lin Chen, spoke to Shen Ge, then tossed a remark to his fellow students: “You lads just watch.”

Zhang Qi harbored resentment toward Lin Chen; had Lin Chen not taken the Tongqiao Pill, he wouldn’t have been forced to take one himself—he could’ve saved it for when opening his nineteenth meridian.

Because of this, he desperately wanted to defeat Lin Chen, but when he arrived and found Lin Chen absent, his fury shifted to Poyang’s other students.

That was why he had been so boastful when he stepped onto the field.

He never imagined that just as the match seemed about to end, Lin Chen reappeared—and was even more arrogant than he was.

Did he think Zhang Qi was injured from fighting Shen Ge, his strength diminished, and now he could take advantage?

Zhang Qi stepped out from the Yanshan side, each step steady, his aura steadily rising.

Tiger Roar Fist, like the might of a tiger, required buildup—the more it was charged, the stronger its power.

Though he hated Lin Chen, Zhang Qi didn’t underestimate him; Lin Chen, eyes half-lidded, felt each step Zhang Qi took amplify his aura.

Sixteen-meridian Zhang Qi—Tiger Roar Fist perfected!

Two days ago, he would’ve had to take this seriously.

But now…

Lin Chen glanced at his panel.

【Host: Lin Chen】

【Realm: Maximum Meridian Opening (14/24): (60/300)】

【Blood Qi: 224000】 (Expand to view past blood qi growth)

【Qingfeng Palm: Beyond Limit】

【Tiegu Gong: Perfected】

【Shuiyun Palm: Beyond Limit】

【Title: All Black (The Cosmos Unsettled, We Are All Dark Horses; Wearing This Title Enhances Martial Aptitude and Perception in Darkness)】

【Destiny: [Water Finds Its Channel]: In the Maximum Martial Realm, steady persistence, gradual progress, unstoppable momentum, no bottlenecks.】

Though he hadn’t fused Qingfeng Palm and Shuiyun Palm, he had surpassed perfection.

He didn’t know how much stronger Beyond Limit Qingfeng Palm and Shuiyun Palm were than Perfected, since he had no benchmark.

But Lin Chen was certain of one thing: they were extremely strong.

The speed and fluidity of blood qi flow when striking were unlike anything he’d felt in the Perfected stage.

Perfected Qingfeng Palm and Shuiyun Palm could unleash ten times his own strength.

How much more Beyond Limit could unleash—he wasn’t sure—but even a doubling would make his power surge terrifyingly.

Seeing Lin Chen let him build his aura, Zhang Qi’s eyes gleamed with delight—then turned to fury.

Lin Chen surely knew his Tiger Roar Fist and understood its charging power, yet still let him build it—this was blatant contempt.

“Lin Chen, I’ll make you realize your so-called Perfected Qingfeng Palm means nothing before my Tiger Roar Fist!”

Roar!

At a distance of one zhang, Zhang Qi finally moved—leaping like a tiger, eyes fierce, fist striking with a tiger’s roar that made ears ache.

With Tiger Roar Fist perfected and fully charged, the air tore apart where his fist passed.

All eyes on the field fixed on Lin Chen, waiting to see how he’d block Zhang Qi’s punch.

Lin Chen’s expression remained calm, utterly unaffected by the punch’s power; as Zhang Qi’s fist neared, he raised his right hand and slowly slapped forward.

At the moment Lin Chen raised his hand, the Wuzheng Office director’s eyes flickered with surprise.

Seeing Lin Chen so careless, many faces twisted into smirks—especially Yanshan’s students, already preparing to mock him after his defeat.

Yanshan’s old tradition, though their masters had warned them to be restrained before coming to the capital, was now forgotten in this moment.

Slap!

Palm met fist!

Zhang Qi’s pupils shrank sharply, his face contorted—as if witnessing the impossible. He felt his punch strike iron, the recoil surging his blood qi.

Merely surging blood qi wouldn’t have shaken him so; after that recoil came a torrent of crushing force from Lin Chen’s palm, like waves crashing down.

Can’t… stop it!

Before the stunned eyes of everyone present, Zhang Qi’s body flew backward.

This can’t be?

Countless voices cried out in shock; the top students of every county lost their smug expressions, eyes locked on Lin Chen.

Most students were confused—they hadn’t even registered what had happened.

They only remembered Zhang Qi leaping, fist swinging at Lin Chen before landing, then Lin Chen raising his palm, and then Zhang Qi flying back.

It all happened too fast—they couldn’t react.

On the spectator stand, Su Lingchuan roared: “Excellent!”

Lin Chen had not disappointed him.

His roar made the other ranked warriors’ expressions turn strange—but remembering Lin Chen’s display, they understood Su Lingchuan.

If they were in Su Lingchuan’s place, with such a prodigy in their jurisdiction, they’d be just as excited. Su Lingchuan wasn’t the forgiving type; earlier Zhang Wangshan had mocked him—now his retaliation was razor-sharp.

“Lin Chen is too naive—he should’ve let Zhang Qi survive three strikes. It’s my fault as his senior for not teaching him better. Senior Zhang, forgive him.”

Zhang Wangshan’s face darkened like ink; he sat silent in his chair.

“Regardless, they’re all students of Raozhou Prefecture. Outsiders will only say they’re from Raozhou, not Poyang or Yanshan. We’re of the same root—Lin Chen… still went too far.”

“Ah, don’t blame Lin Chen. You may not know—he comes from an ordinary family, so his manners aren’t as refined as other students. Senior Zhang, please forgive him.”

Su Lingchuan’s stream of words left the other Wuzhengsuo directors with one thought: Su’s demeanor looked exactly like a petty man who’d just gained power.

“Enough!”

Finally, Qiu Rufeng couldn’t bear it anymore and glared.

At his master’s rebuke, Su Lingchuan reluctantly fell silent, still looking unsatisfied.

……

“I knew it!”

In Poyang County, Fu Ang shouted: “I knew as soon as Brother Lin said the opponent’s strength was equal to his, Brother Lin would win for sure.”

Fu Jingya and the others had been stunned by Lin Chen’s single palm strike defeating Zhang Qi, but Fu Ang’s shout snapped them back to reality; all turned their gazes toward him.

“Hehe, you don’t know—Brother Lin had a catchphrase back in the Martial Garden…”

Seeing everyone’s eyes fixed on him—even the heads of several academies—Fu Ang didn’t dare to stall. He recounted how Lin Chen used to compare the strength of fighters on the arena back in the Martial Garden.

“That’s right—during the March matches, when Zhang Qing stepped onto the stage, I asked Brother Lin the same thing. He gave the exact same reply: Zhang Qing’s strength was equal to his.”

Fu Jingya suddenly remembered what Lin Chen had said during the March matches. As soon as she spoke, Zhang Qing chuckled bitterly: “Brother Lin really is humble. Back then, he could’ve knocked me out with one palm.”

Ceng Qingyao’s lips twitched. She suddenly felt she still had much to learn from Lin Chen in certain ways.

“I get it now. Whenever Brother Lin says someone’s strength equals his, it means he can knock them out with one slap.”

Gu Shan spoke softly, and his summary made everyone in the crowd burst into laughter.

While Poyang County laughed and chatted, the atmosphere among the Qianshan County students was eerily silent.

Complete silence.

Everyone remained mute.

They never imagined Brother Zhang had lost in a single move.

Brother Zhang, with sixteen open acupoints and perfected Tiger Roar Fist, couldn’t even block Lin Chen’s palm—Lin Chen, with only fourteen open acupoints.

Is the Pure Wind Palm truly that terrifying when perfected?

Shen Ge’s hands clenched involuntarily into fists. He refused to believe Lin Chen’s strength came merely from a perfected Pure Wind Palm. His own Blaze Cloud Palm was also perfected, yet he couldn’t defeat Brother Zhang with one strike.

He himself had opened fifteen acupoints; Lin Chen had only opened fourteen.

“Lin Chen, give me four days. Let our fight be postponed until then!”

Shen Ge fixed his gaze on Lin Chen: “You’ve already taken two Tongqiao Pills. I haven’t taken any. Once I take mine, if I still lose to you, I’ll accept it without complaint.”

At Shen Ge’s words, the spectators erupted in murmurs.

“True enough—Shen Ge hasn’t taken a Tongqiao Pill yet. Fighting now is unfair.”

“Unfair? Who stopped him from taking the Tongqiao Pill? If you’re going to say that, cancel all matches altogether—next time someone’s three days from opening their next acupoint, delay it three days; next day, another student’s technique breakthrough, delay it again.”

The speaker was a martial artist from Poyang County—they naturally sided with their own county. With Poyang County now leading, who in their right mind would give Shen Ge another chance?

“Director, Shen Ge’s point has merit.”

Zhang Wangshan, hearing Shen Ge’s words, immediately turned to Qiu Rufeng. With Lin Chen’s current strength, Shen Ge had no chance of winning—but once he took the Tongqiao Pill, things might change.

“Director, Qianshan County already delayed by one day. They shouldn’t get another delay.”

Su Lingchuan firmly objected. The outcome of the county match determined the Wuzheng Office’s rewards. Even if Shen Ge hadn’t taken the Tongqiao Pill, making it seem like an unfair win, that’s how matches work. Blame only Poyang County for being overconfident and underestimating Lin Chen.

Qiu Rufeng said nothing, but raised his eyes toward Lin Chen.

“Sorry. If this were a personal duel, I’d agree to delay. But this is a county match—it concerns Poyang County’s martial reputation. I cannot accept.”

Lin Chen spoke calmly. He had never been a lone hero.

Accepting Shen Ge’s request might elevate his reputation among students from other counties, but that meant nothing to him.

Only tangible gains truly mattered to him.

Hearing Lin Chen’s refusal, many in the crowd looked disappointed. Had Shen Ge been given a few days, it would’ve been a far more spectacular clash.

“I bet you’re scared of Brother Shen. What’s so impressive about having taken Tongqiao Pills?”

Zhu Tao couldn’t hold back. Lin Chen’s eyes narrowed—and in the next instant, his body left a lingering afterimage where he stood.

“Brother Zhu, step back!”

The moment Lin Chen moved, Shen Ge unleashed his Blaze Cloud Palm, striking from the left as Lin Chen appeared before Zhu Tao.

He meant to rescue Zhu Tao.

Lin Chen’s figure surged forward. Facing Shen Ge’s left-side palm, he merely glanced at it, then kicked Zhu Tao without hesitation.

Swish!

Seeing Lin Chen ignore Shen Ge, many Qianshan County students’ eyes lit up with hope.

Lin Chen’s arrogance gave Brother Shen an opening.

Even Shen Ge hadn’t expected Lin Chen to disregard him—his perfected Blaze Cloud Palm, met with utter indifference.

This was the first time he’d ever felt so utterly ignored.

“Fine! I want to see what arrogance gives you the nerve to ignore my palm!”

Fueled by rage, Shen Ge no longer cared if his strike seemed like an ambush. As Lin Chen himself had said, this was a county match—not a private duel.

The rule was: Lin Chen faced all Qianshan County students alone.

Facing Lin Chen’s sudden appearance, Zhu Tao looked flustered—but when he saw Lin Chen wasn’t using the Pure Wind Palm, but a kick instead, a flicker of relief crossed his face.

Too arrogant!

If it had been the Pure Wind Palm, he might not have survived—but this kick? What was there to fear?

Zhu Tao didn’t retreat. He formed his hand into a claw and unleashed the Eagle Claw, both hands slicing through the air toward Lin Chen’s sweeping right leg.

But the moment his claws struck Lin Chen’s leg, Zhu Tao’s face changed. A searing pain shot through his fingertips—his fingers couldn’t penetrate even an inch past Lin Chen’s skin.

Boom!

Lin Chen’s right leg struck Zhu Tao’s abdomen with pinpoint accuracy. The force sent Zhu Tao’s face pale instantly; he spat blood and flew backward, just as Zhang Qi had.

“Using my hands on you would soil them.”

He had witnessed Zhu Tao’s brutality toward Zhang Qing back in the Martial Garden—but since it was a match, victory and defeat were accepted, so he said nothing.

Now he was challenging every Qianshan County student. As long as none of them surrendered, the match wasn’t over.

At the same moment, Shen Ge’s Blaze Cloud Palm landed on Lin Chen’s back.

Slap!

The crisp sound echoed across the entire training ground.

The next instant, a unified chorus of gasps erupted throughout the arena.

On the spectator stands, silence fell.

Guangxin County, Yongfeng County, Xianning County, Wushui County…

All top students from every county stared fixedly at Lin Chen.

How?

How could Lin Chen stand there untouched by Shen Ge’s perfected Blaze Cloud Palm, while Shen Ge staggered backward several steps?

“Perfected Iron Bone Art!”

“Yes—it’s Perfected Iron Bone Art!”

On the main judging stand, numerous ranked martial artists turned their gazes toward the figure on the training ground.

Previously, whether Zhang Qi’s arrogance, Shen Ge’s strength, or Lin Chen’s comeback had merely surprised them slightly—they’d thought these three youths showed decent martial potential.

But now, these ranked warriors felt they were witnessing a rising star of martial arts.

If nothing went wrong, Lin Chen would surely hold a place among the future martial elites of Raozhou Prefecture.

In Poyang County, the heads of the academies glanced at Ceng Qingyao and Tai Rubai.

Now the heads understood why Lin Chen had added Zhenyue Martial Hall to his self-introduction.

Zhao Qifeng of the Gale Martial Hall murmured: “Lin Chen’s kick was slightly off—it still has room for improvement.”

Tai Rubai turned and glanced at Zhao Qifeng, smiling with quiet understanding.

(End of Chapter)