Chapter 46: Chen Chunfeng: Earlier, I Spoke Too Loudly

In the courtyard.

Lin Chen stood there like a student being punished.

He had no idea what he had done to offend this Instructor Chen; since entering the courtyard, the man had been staring at him without speaking, his face so cold it seemed frost could form on it.

The only possible offense he could think of was that he had never paid his respects to this Instructor Chen.

It wasn’t out of disrespect—he had returned the Clear Wind Palm to the Qingfeng Martial Hall, and back then, Senior Brother Ma had clearly informed the instructor inside the inner courtyard, but the instructor had refused to see him.

“How many acupoints have you opened?”

After a long silence, Chen Chunfeng finally spoke, asking coldly.

“This disciple has opened two acupoints so far, but within ten days, I am confident I will open the third.”

Lin Chen looked up and answered honestly.

The last part wasn’t boasting—he had begun to feel a tingling itch in the third acupoint, near his right shoulder, each time he cultivated after taking the Acupoint-Nourishing Pills, now that the Clear Wind Palm had reached the Proficient stage.

Based on his experience with the first two acupoints, this meant he was close to opening the third; ten days was already a conservative estimate—he might open it in three or five days.

“Confident you’ll open the third?”

Chen Chunfeng laughed. How bold to say such a thing.

Of the five students granted A-rank status, the strongest had opened five acupoints, the weakest four.

“My family background is ordinary—I can’t compare with the senior brothers.”

Lin Chen heard the sarcasm in the instructor’s tone. He didn’t understand why Chen Chunfeng held such ill will toward him, but he still offered an explanation.

“So, because you received a reward from the Wuzheng Office after your performance in the Martial Hall, you’ve been scheming and seeking favor, neglecting your martial cultivation, thinking you can go far on the Dao by currying favor with Inspector Shu?”

Chen Chunfeng gave no quarter: “Let me tell you plainly—students like you will never go far on the martial Dao. Those who do go far are never petty, scheming opportunists!”

“I don’t understand what you mean, Instructor Chen.”

Lin Chen frowned. He wasn’t so naive as to believe every instructor he met on the martial Dao would treat him as kindly as Instructor Yu had.

People like Instructor Yu—nobles of that caliber—are rare; one might meet no more than three in a lifetime.

Yet he had done nothing to offend this Instructor Chen—why had he become the man’s target for being a petty schemer?

He respected all the instructors at the martial hall, but that didn’t mean he would tolerate such insults from this one.

“Don’t understand?” Chen Chunfeng sneered. “Tell me this—until now you haven’t even opened three acupoints. When you went to the Jingshui Martial Hall, you were probably still at two. Why did Jingshui Martial Hall grant you an A-rank slot? Each martial hall has only five A-rank slots—why should yours be one of them?”

Only five A-rank slots?

Lin Chen was surprised—he had never known this. He had assumed every student who received an Acupoint-Nourishing Pill qualified for A-rank status.

So Master Kong had granted him this status because of his diligence on the martial path.

“I didn’t know there were only five A-rank slots. Master Kong granted me the slot because, during the entrance examination, I had already brought the Clear Wind Palm to the Proficient stage. I assume that’s why he gave me this honor…”

Lin Chen recounted the incident when Master Kong had led the new students to confront the senior students.

“When you entered the martial hall, you had already brought the Clear Wind Palm to the Proficient stage?”

Chen Chunfeng’s face showed clear skepticism—he believed Lin Chen was lying. He likely hadn’t reached Proficient yet, and was saying this to cover up the fact that he’d only just reached Proficient.

Reaching Proficient in two months proved great diligence.

Thinking of Lin Chen’s diligence, Chen Chunfeng’s expression softened slightly—but even that wasn’t enough to qualify for an A-rank slot.

“Since you have the heart to train hard, you should…”

“I came to the martial hall today to report my progress on the martial path.”

Lin Chen cut him off directly. He didn’t want misunderstandings or public humiliation—he needed to showcase his talent to gain resources, not to embarrass anyone.

“Progress?” Chen Chunfeng blinked. With only three acupoints opened, what progress was there to report?

“I recently brought the Clear Wind Palm to the Proficient stage.”

Chen Chunfeng’s pupils contracted. “Do you know what you’re saying?”

In years as an instructor, he had never encountered a student with such talent—reaching the Entry stage of the Clear Wind Palm in two months.

“I’m not lying. If you don’t believe me, I can demonstrate the Clear Wind Palm right now.”

Seeing Lin Chen’s confident expression, Chen Chunfeng hesitated. After a long pause, he said: “Fine. Show me.”

Once the Clear Wind Palm reached the Proficient stage, the movements were unmistakable—no deception possible.

Lin Chen didn’t hesitate—he struck a palm strike.

Whoosh!

As his hand moved, the wind whistled clearly.

“Enough!”

Watching Lin Chen deliver three strikes in succession, Chen Chunfeng called a halt.

As an instructor of Qingfeng Martial Hall, he knew the Clear Wind Palm intimately—these three strikes proved Lin Chen had indeed reached the Proficient stage.

“Good! Good! Good!”

Chen Chunfeng repeated the word three times, his face now warm with a smile, no longer cold. His gaze toward Lin Chen turned eager.

A fine seedling.

The martial hall hadn’t produced a student so perfectly suited to the Clear Wind Palm in years.

At this pace, Lin Chen had a chance to reach Perfection within three years.

“Cough, cough… Lin Chen, earlier I was too hasty. Before I saw you, I formed a prejudice against you. That was my mistake—I apologize. Don’t hold it against me.”

Seeing how quickly Chen’s attitude had shifted—from icy to warm—Lin Chen’s lips twitched slightly, but his opinion of the instructor rose a little.

To admit one’s own rashness and apologize to a student in person—that showed real moral character.

“I understand, Instructor. I should have come sooner to pay my respects and report my progress—then this misunderstanding wouldn’t have happened.”

“Mistakes are mistakes. Don’t make excuses for me.”

Chen Chunfeng stepped forward and patted Lin Chen’s shoulder. He was now delighted—thoroughly satisfied.

“Why are you here at the martial hall now?”

“I wish to learn another technique. I just selected the ‘Flying Swallow Scripture’ from the Martial Scripture Pavilion. May I ask your advice on whether it’s suitable?”

“Learn another technique?”

Chen Chunfeng was about to say new students should focus solely on the Clear Wind Palm—but then he remembered Lin Chen had already brought it to Proficient. He could now study other techniques.

Once the Clear Wind Palm reached Proficient, mere practice wouldn’t help—it required insight, and only the student could achieve that himself. An instructor could only offer guidance.

But Lin Chen’s instructor in the Martial Hall was Junior Brother Yu—likely Yu had privately guided him, otherwise Lin Chen couldn’t have reached Proficient so quickly through solo practice alone.

“The Flying Swallow Scripture can complement the Clear Wind Palm, but its cultivation difficulty is higher than ordinary techniques—in fact, among all common techniques, it ranks among the hardest to master. If you choose to cultivate it, be prepared.”

“Thank you for the warning, Instructor. I still choose to cultivate the Flying Swallow Scripture.”

Difficulty didn’t scare Lin Chen—he had innate insight.

“Good. Since you’ve chosen the Flying Swallow Scripture, I’ll demonstrate it once for you. Watch carefully.”

Chen Chunfeng was pleased with Lin Chen’s choice—true cultivators must face difficulty head-on.

In his youth, he too had chosen the Flying Swallow Scripture.

“The essence of the Flying Swallow Scripture lies in lightness like a swallow—using a single breath to leap. First technique: Swallow Returns to Nest.”

As he spoke, Chen Chunfeng crouched slightly, his feet barely touching the ground before he leapt upward like a swallow returning to its nest. In midair, he completed a graceful spin, then landed steadily.

A single leap carried him ten zhang away—Lin Chen stared, stunned.

“At your current realm, you can’t achieve such distance—distance depends on your cultivation level. The real difficulty is adjusting your body midair after the leap.”

“Next is the second technique: Shadow Through the Forest…”

This time, Chen Chunfeng didn’t leap—he turned and moved swiftly forward, his body becoming elusive as a shadow.

…

…

After six techniques demonstrated, Lin Chen, though stunned, wore a thoughtful expression.

Chen’s demonstration had deepened his understanding of the Flying Swallow Scripture.

Half an hour later, Lin Chen left Chen’s courtyard and departed Qingfeng Martial Hall.

Chen Chunfeng watched Lin Chen walk out of the courtyard, his smile instantly turning to a bitter one: “Only five A-rank slots total—how do I divide them now?”

“Forget it. Let Master Qi and the others worry about it.”

(End of Chapter)