[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-rising-from-obscurity-my-martial-path-comeback":3,"chapter-rising-from-obscurity-my-martial-path-comeback-rising-from-obscurity-my-martial-path-comeback-chapter-33":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Rising from Obscurity: My Martial Path Comeback",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2265868,4424,"Chapter 33: The One Standing Before You Is the Founder of Hard Work, Frugal Study","rising-from-obscurity-my-martial-path-comeback-chapter-33",33,"\u003Cp>At the dock, Lin Chen waved to his elder brother, watching him depart before shouldering his pack and heading into town.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today’s county town was far more bustling than when Lin Chen had last visited, with crowds thronging the streets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lanterns from yesterday’s Lantern Festival still hung beneath shop eaves, drawing many children to gather and stare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chen did not dawdle; he headed straight for Qingfeng Martial Arts Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qingfeng Martial Arts Hall, Wudao Pavilion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, do you need something?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A young man inside the Wudao Pavilion spotted Lin Chen entering and smiled as he came forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His qi and blood were tightly contained—he had already reached the Opening Meridians realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew all the Opening Meridians students from last year’s cohort; this one looked unfamiliar, so he must be a new student this year—and a new student entering already at Opening Meridians.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without a doubt, he came from a wealthy family and got an Opening Meridians Elixir. He himself had opened his meridians too, but only after three months in the hall—no comparison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With an empty purse, progress in martial cultivation could only be painfully endured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, this year the Wuzheng Office introduced a policy called “Hard Work, Frugal Study,” allowing students to earn some silver by doing chores around the hall—though little, it was better than nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thanked the official who proposed the “Hard Work, Frugal Study” policy—he was truly a benefactor to ordinary students.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve come to return the Qingfeng Palm manual.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Please show me your identity token,” Ma Hao said with great humility, showing no arrogance despite having opened four meridians—he knew this junior brother would surpass him in half a year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All these students were future stars of the hall; even if he couldn’t befriend them, he mustn’t offend them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Lin Chen’s token, Ma Hao was surprised: “Junior Brother Lin, in the hall we use the hall’s student token, not the government’s household registry token.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I haven’t gotten the student token yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Lin Chen’s words, Ma Hao, though puzzled, still took the token and manual: “Wait a moment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Hao entered the back courtyard of the Wudao Pavilion and respectfully asked Zhao Ce, who was sipping tea: “Master Zhao, is there a new junior brother named Lin Chen in this cohort?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lin Chen?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Ce set down his cup and nodded: “Yes, there is such a new student. What’s the matter?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Junior Brother Lin has come to return the Qingfeng Palm manual.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm.” Zhao Ce gave a faint reply. Seeing no further instructions from the instructor, Ma Hao turned to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ask him how many meridians he’s opened. If he’s opened two, let him in; if he hasn’t opened even two, let him leave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Master Zhao’s words, Ma Hao, though puzzled, complied and returned to the front pavilion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Junior Brother Lin, I’ve confirmed everything—the manual is fine. Please sign here,” Ma Hao pulled out a ledger from beneath the counter and handed it to Lin Chen; as Lin Chen signed, he feigned casualness: “How many meridians have you opened so far, Junior Brother Lin?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Embarrassing—I’ve only opened one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chen didn’t lie about this; the hall surely had ways to verify.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No problem. With your talent, you’ll open your second meridian soon after joining the hall.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Hao didn’t look down on Lin Chen for still being at one meridian—again, they weren’t from the same class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Junior Brother Lin, is there anything else?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, thank you, Senior Brother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chen had wanted to ask about Qingfeng Palm, but decided against it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wudao Pavilion surely had instructors on duty; just now, this senior brother went inside to report him—since they didn’t want to see him, why invite rejection?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More importantly, he had the booklet given to him by Instructor Yu, which contained all of Instructor Yu’s personal insights on practicing Qingfeng Palm—he didn’t need guidance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jingshui Martial Arts Hall—Lin Chen returned for the second time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to its previous emptiness a year ago, the hall now buzzed with activity; many female students stood at the gate, each striking and spirited, and as he glanced at them, they were studying him in return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among these female students, Lin Chen, as a male student, drew even more attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the gaze of these female senior sisters, Lin Chen strode boldly through the hall’s main gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, we’ve got a male student? How unusual.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He must’ve gotten lost—how could he mistake Jingshui Martial Arts Hall? The sign’s right there, four big characters.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could he be a girl with a masculine face?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“His Adam’s apple is obvious—he’s definitely male.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A male student’s great—I haven’t seen a man in ages. If he’s really from this cohort, I’d love to reach out and feel him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Which part would you feel, Sister Yu?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All of it—even the part with the thing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having entered the Opening Meridians realm, Lin Chen’s senses had sharpened; hearing these female senior sisters’ crude remarks, he nearly stumbled—when women turned lewd, men had no chance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this world, women could cultivate martial arts too, and social norms weren’t so rigid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back in his village, when he helped his brother set traps, he’d often heard the women washing clothes by the river gossiping—those bawdy tales had truly opened his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he walked toward the dormitory, just before passing the corridor corner,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the corridor, Lin Chen heard voices around the corner and stopped to listen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister, congratulations on becoming a hall student. Today I’m treating you to celebrate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How could I let Senior Sister Chen spend? It should be me treating you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This conversation sounded familiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The kind-hearted Senior Sister Chen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chen sighed inwardly—if only he had money, he’d treat Senior Sister Chen to a meal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, he could only avoid them, to spare both of them embarrassment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the dormitory, Lin Chen was pleased with the room assigned by the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A private room with a small courtyard—this was the special treatment given to students who took the Opening Meridians Elixir.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tuition free, meals free, lodging free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bed already had bedding laid out; Lin Chen touched it—new cotton quilts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the half-year since his reincarnation, this was his first time touching cotton quilts; at home, bedding was hemp cloth stuffed with straw—according to the original body’s memories, it offered no warmth in winter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his current qi and blood, warmth didn’t matter much, but cotton quilts were far more comfortable than straw and hemp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the dormitory table sat two sets of hall training robes, but Lin Chen didn’t change yet—he put his own clothes into the wardrobe, then took out all his silver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One twenty-silver-tael note from Instructor Yu, one thirty-silver-tael note from his village (also converted to a note), and thirteen taels in silver from the Wutang—though now only seven taels remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fifty-seven taels of silver—his entire fortune.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instructor Yu had written in the booklet: the Opening Meridians realm has twenty-four meridians; the first ten require thirty taels per month to buy Meridian-Opening Elixirs, opening one meridian every one and a half months.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To accelerate progress, one must spend more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each bottle of Meridian-Opening Elixir costs thirty taels, contains ten pills, and one pill is taken every three days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wealthy students can buy two or even three bottles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hall offers discounts: the first bottle is thirty taels, but the second returns to the full price of forty taels, and the third costs fifty taels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noble students don’t care about these taels—they even take extra precious poultry meat beyond their three bottles monthly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The money he had wasn’t enough for one month of their expenses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having experienced Qi Refining, Lin Chen understood the [Water Flows Naturally] destiny well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Opening Meridians realm has twenty-four meridians; before the first sixteen, his destiny offered no advantage—meaning he had no edge over other students in opening the first eight meridians.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the early stage, he must endure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he couldn’t afford the monthly Meridian-Opening Elixirs, his progress would delay further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Martial cultivation is so hard!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder the hall looked down on him—where could someone with his background find so much silver?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a quiet sigh, Lin Chen summoned his panel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Name: Lin Chen】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Profession: Martial Artist】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Realm: Opening Meridians (1\u002F24)】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Technique: Qingfeng Palm (Proficiency: 1\u002F100)】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Destiny: [Water Flows Naturally]: In one martial realm, ascend against the current, progress step by step, surge forward, cleave through thorns.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Martial Title: Black to the End】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through sheer effort, Qingfeng Palm had finally reached Proficiency this morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instructor Yu’s booklet mentioned that most students—even those from noble families—needed a full month to enter a ranked martial technique, three months to reach Proficiency, and beyond that, mastery depended on insight; achieving Mastery within half a year meant above-average insight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant a student needed seven to eight months, or longer, to go from first contact to Mastery—achieving Mastery within a year was considered meeting the standard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the early stage, his destiny gave no advantage—his martial insight was his only edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seek follow-reads; if you’re out of books, check out my old ones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1519,"2026-06-19T20:25:56.550Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","9dd84138ab6c2afdeae8dbd6f247aff78a680efbd1422b894c052afb1f95b438","rising-from-obscurity-my-martial-path-comeback-chapter-34","rising-from-obscurity-my-martial-path-comeback-chapter-32",591,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frising-from-obscurity-my-martial-path-comeback-cover.jpg"]