Chapter 30: Ambitious Youth, Walking the Martial Path Together

After the village chief left, Lin Chen took Lu Yongfeng and the other three on a tour of Linhu Village.

The only scenery in Linhu Village was Linhu Lake.

Standing by the lake, gazing at Poyanghu shrouded in cold mist, all four wore troubled expressions.

“When I joined the martial arts hall, I asked the instructor: of the ten students in our hall who received Opening Pills, the earliest one developed essence-qi four months ago.”

Lu Yongfeng spoke suddenly, his tone tinged with melancholy.

In the martial arts hall, he had been unquestionably first; though Lin Chen had overtaken him at the very end, he still carried his own pride.

But this trip into the city, compared to the sons of the county’s elite, made him realize his cherished martial progress meant nothing to them.

“Our hall also had two students who developed essence-qi in just seven months,” Cheng Ying muttered as well.

“They received their Opening Pills long ago and now have opened two, three, or even more acupoints. By the time we enter the martial arts academy, we’ll be like ordinary hall students—forced to look up at them, full of resentment!”

The excitement and joy of developing essence-qi within a year had been utterly crushed after entering the city and learning how far ahead the elite youths of the county were.

Listening to Lu Yongfeng and the others, Lin Chen frowned—this mindset was unacceptable.

Lu Yongfeng and the others’ mindset reminded him of some classmates from his past life: top students from small towns who, after entering the county’s elite high school, lost their academic edge against city kids, grew discouraged, and eventually gave up entirely, their grades plummeting.

“Why must you three be so disheartened? Simply reaching the martial arts academy means you’ve already surpassed many of your peers in martial cultivation. To speak bluntly: if you three are resentful, have you ever considered whether the other students in the martial arts hall feel any less so?”

Lin Chen’s expression turned solemn as he looked at the three: “I don’t know what the prefectural city is like, but I imagine its young martial artists are far stronger than those in the county. If you’re discouraged by this alone, you might as well become a wealthy landowner—your family backgrounds are more than enough to make you rich, surrounded by concubines and comfort.”

“Lin Brother is right!”

Cheng Ying shouted out excitedly, and Lu Yongfeng’s eyes gradually brightened.

If anyone else had said this, it would have carried little weight—but this Lin Brother was the living proof.

“May I ask, Lin Brother, how did you manage to persevere back then?”

Lu Yongfeng bowed, formally acknowledging Lin Chen as his senior—until now, though Zhao Jingchuan and Cheng Ying had called Lin Chen “Big Brother,” he had never truly accepted it.

Only after entering the academy and realizing the gap between himself and the county’s elite did he feel fear—and only then did he understand how astonishing it was for Lin Chen to overtake him and claim first place in the martial arts hall.

That was also why, when Zhao Jingchuan suggested coming to Linhu Village to find Lin Chen, he had offered no objection.

“Don’t compare yourself to geniuses—compare only to yourself. One step a day, a hundred days brings you several zhang forward.”

Lin Chen didn’t hold back—he shared with them the motivation that had kept him going, and Lu Yongfeng and the others were deeply moved.

Easy to understand, hard to practice!

The principle was simple, but actually sticking to it was no easy feat.

“Actually, just focus on the positive side,” Lin Chen smiled slightly, seeing their curious gazes. “The academy isn’t filled only with students who developed essence-qi within a year—many take three years to do so. Compare yourself to them, and your confidence will return.”

Looking downward, confidence swells!

Lu Yongfeng and the others wore strange expressions—this advice sounded odd, yet upon reflection, the logic held.

Watching their thoughtful faces, Lin Chen secretly smiled—he had persevered not only because he had no other path, forced to grind relentlessly on the martial road, but also because of his destiny.

His destiny had given him hope.

But Lin Chen believed that even without his destiny, he would never have given up.

No matter how hard, he would walk this martial path.

Lu Yongfeng and the others had no destiny, yet compared to other martial hall students, their starting point was already high—so what if they couldn’t match the city’s elite?

“Lin Brother speaks wisely. Compared to other students, we are already fortunate. Since we’ve stepped onto the martial path, we must press forward bravely,” Lu Yongfeng’s eyes blazed with determination.

“We four come from different martial halls. Before classes begin, let’s spar with each other—aim to earn a strong ranking in the academy’s tri-monthly competitions.”

Zhao Jingchuan’s suggestion was agreed upon by Lin Chen and the others.

It was a good idea.

Once in the academy, sparring would be real combat—Lu Yongfeng entered the Seven Stars Martial Hall, Zhao Jingchuan the Cloud Veil Martial Hall, and Cheng Ying the Stormwind Martial Hall.

In future competitions, they’d inevitably face students from these three halls—this was perfect practice.

“Lin Brother, let me spar with you first.”

Lu Yongfeng looked at Lin Chen, who nodded: “Agreed.”

Seeing Lin Chen and Lu Yongfeng prepare to fight, Cheng Ying and Zhao Jingchuan relaxed—they were both curious who would prevail.

Brother Lu had held first place in the martial hall for months—technically, he was first every month except the last.

Brother Lin had been at the bottom of the hall until the final two months, when he surged ahead and claimed first place.

And both had developed essence-qi within a short time of each other—this fight would be worth watching.

“Zhao Brother, who do you think will win?” Cheng Ying whispered.

“I think Lin Brother will win.”

“I think Brother Lu will win,” Cheng Ying explained. “Not that I underestimate Lin Brother—both have similar timing in their Qi Refining breakthroughs, and lately Brother Lu reportedly spent thirty taels to touch his second acupoint.”

“Still, I think Lin Brother will win,” Zhao Jingchuan smiled faintly. “I can’t explain why—it’s just a feeling…”

Cheng Ying: …

…

Lin Chen and Lu Yongfeng stood a zhang apart, fully focused on each other.

“Lin Brother, please instruct me!”

As he spoke, Lu Yongfeng stepped forward with his right foot, his body shifting in an instant—he appeared before Lin Chen, his fist striking from a sharp left angle.

“Good!”

Lin Chen’s eyes sharpened—he’d been watching Lu Yongfeng’s movements closely. As the fist came, he raised his right hand and met it head-on.

Thud!

Their fists collided—Lu Yongfeng stood firm, while Lin Chen stepped back half a pace.

“I told you—Lin Brother still has the disadvantage in blood and qi.”

Cheng Ying muttered. In the early stages of martial cultivation, when techniques are still crude, direct clashes depend entirely on who has greater strength.

“It’s only begun—let’s wait. I still believe Lin Brother wouldn’t have accepted this sparring unless he’d anticipated this.” Zhao Jingchuan trusted his instinct.

In the arena, Lin Chen stepped back half a pace—he knew his blood and qi were weaker than Lu Yongfeng’s, but the gap wasn’t significant.

Having gained the upper hand with his first punch, Lu Yongfeng hesitated whether to press on—yet as he paused, Lin Chen’s palm struck.

The palm moved with blinding speed. Lu Yongfeng instinctively dodged, stepping back—but Lin Chen’s palm followed, like a continuous, gentle breeze, never ceasing.

Lu Yongfeng could only block—but to his shock, as soon as he swung his fist, Lin Chen seemed to predict it, instantly shifting his palm to strike precisely into the gap in his defense, forcing Lu Yongfeng to change tactics again.

Back and forth, Lu Yongfeng was trapped in defense, with no offensive moves left. Had his blood and qi not been stronger, and had he not repeatedly forced Lin Chen to change techniques with brute-force strikes, he would have lost long ago.

Even so, Cheng Ying and Zhao Jingchuan could see: if this continued, Lu Yongfeng would inevitably lose—he was now completely enveloped by Lin Chen’s palm techniques.

As one weakens, the other grows stronger—eventually, defense will fail.

“Has Lin Brother mastered the Clear Wind Palm?”

Zhao Jingchuan murmured, astonished—how could he have mastered it so soon?

“Incredible—Lin Brother is truly… I now believe that even if our families were wealthier than his, we’d still be left behind on the martial path,” Cheng Ying exclaimed, eyes wide with shock.

“Cheng Brother, watch your wording—it’s not ‘left behind,’ it’s ‘left far behind.’ From the moment Lin Brother developed essence-qi in the martial hall, he surpassed us,” Zhao Jingchuan corrected him.

“I… never mind, you’re right.”

…

…

After fifteen minutes, having taken several palm strikes, Lu Yongfeng finally collapsed under another blow to his left shoulder—he groaned, staggered back several steps, raised his arm, only to find it trembling uncontrollably, and finally let it drop helplessly.

“Thank you, Lin Brother, for holding back.”

Lu Yongfeng knew well—Lin Brother had pulled his palm’s force by a fraction when it struck him; otherwise, his arm would be broken, not just painful.

“Has Lin Brother truly mastered the Clear Wind Palm?”

Cheng Ying, unable to contain himself, asked. Lin Chen nodded—there was no need to hide mastering the Clear Wind Palm.

“Gosh, Lin Brother is truly amazing—he mastered the Clear Wind Palm so quickly!”

“What’s so hard? Train day and night. You three know my family isn’t as well-off as yours, let alone the city’s elite. The only path for me on the martial road is relentless practice.”

Lin Chen spoke calmly, but to Lu Yongfeng and the others, it was like thunder.

None of them were lazy—they’d trained daily since receiving their martial techniques, yet none had yet mastered the Clear Wind Palm.

To master it in eight days—clearly, Lin Brother had trained almost nonstop, sacrificing even sleep.

“Let’s continue. Since we’re sparring, we’ll take turns. Brother Lu, rest for now—I’ll spar with Brother Cheng.”

“Alright!”

…

“Brother Zhao, your turn!”

…

Fist techniques, leg techniques, palm techniques, body movements…

By the lake, four youths trained relentlessly, becoming a vivid scene.

Youth with ambition, driven by endless pursuit of martial arts.

(End of Chapter)