Chapter 64

The second day!

The courtyard was a mess, with fallen leaves everywhere.

When Lin Chen got up and saw the fallen leaves on the ground, he felt a bit embarrassed.

He had been too immersed in his practice last night, and by the end, he couldn't hold back his strength; the trees in the courtyard had suffered.

Surely... they wouldn't make him pay for them.

For the first time, Lin Chen didn't start practicing martial arts immediately after getting up, but picked up a broom and swept the fallen leaves in the courtyard to one side, piling them up like a small hill.

Just as Lin Chen finished sweeping, the courtyard door was pushed open, and the maid who had brought him here yesterday walked in carrying a food box.

"Young Master Lin, this is the breakfast prepared by the Martial Academy."

The maid placed the food box on the stone table in the courtyard and smiled: "How could we trouble Young Master Lin with these menial cleaning tasks? Just leave it to us servants."

"I woke up early and had nothing to do," Lin Chen said with an embarrassed smile, pointing to several trees that had been knocked crooked by his palm strikes: "These trees..."

"There was a strong wind last night, and these trees were due to be replaced anyway. Young Master Lin, please don't take it to heart."

The maid chuckled secretly. She had been in the small side room outside the courtyard yesterday and had listened to the whistling of the strong wind all night.

Hearing that he didn't have to pay for the damages, Lin Chen breathed a sigh of relief.

"Young Master Lin, please enjoy your meal."

The maid had already laid out the dishes from the food box on the table. To Lin Chen's surprise, there was even a small plate of rare bird meat.

Gray-winged gull meat!

Although he had never eaten gray-winged gull meat, he had exchanged meat tickets with Senior Sister Jiang several times and had seen what it looked like.

This small plate was about two taels. Gray-winged meat sold for five taels a catty in the cafeteria, and six taels a catty outside. These two taels of meat were worth more than one tael of silver.

"Ahem, may I ask, sister, does this breakfast cost money?" Lin Chen didn't rush to pick up his chopsticks; he had to be clear about this.

"Young Master Lin, you are joking. Any martial artist who can stay in our Martial Academy can enjoy the Martial Academy's breakfast for free."

Having received a positive answer, Lin Chen picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.

After eating his fill and watching the maid take away the food box, Lin Chen didn't linger in the courtyard and headed to the arena.

This time, he defeated five martial artists in a row on the second arena. All five were martial hall students wearing masks.

It wasn't until the sixth and seventh opponents that he encountered real rivals: one who had reached Minor Mastery in the Seven-Star Fist and one who had reached Major Mastery in the Gale Leg.

In the battle against the martial artist who had reached Minor Mastery in the Seven-Star Fist, he managed a difficult victory.

But facing the martial artist who had reached Major Mastery in the Gale Leg, he felt for the first time what it meant to have a leg technique like a violent storm. The opponent's legs fell as rapidly as a torrential downpour, and in just fifteen breaths, he was kicked off the arena.

This was the gap between Minor Mastery and Major Mastery.

The further one progresses in a technique, the harder it is to improve, but once this hurdle is crossed, the power also receives a terrifying boost.

Noon.

The Martial Academy also arranged meals.

However, this time there was no rare bird meat, just ordinary beef, mutton, and rice.

Night fell.

Lin Chen glanced at the panel.

【Host: Lin Chen】

【Stage: Open-Acupuncture Stage (4/24): (35/100)】

【Breeze Palm: Minor Mastery (6/10)】

【Water Cloud Palm: Mastery (2/10)】

Still 4 points away from Major Mastery!

The Martial Academy arranged four more opponents for him.

According to what Yan Qianbei told him, these four martial artists also practiced the Breeze Palm.

Did I poke a hornet's nest of the Qing Feng Martial Hall?

Lin Chen was a bit puzzled, but being able to spar with martial artists who practiced the Breeze Palm was naturally a good thing, as it allowed him to deepen his understanding of the Breeze Palm from their palm strikes.

There are also gaps between Minor Mastery stages.

In the first three matches, Lin Chen won easily, defeating the fastest in ten moves and the slowest in thirty.

Yan He'an, acting as the referee, felt his pupils contract continuously. He had witnessed Lin Chen from the first battle yesterday to the three matches today.

Lin Chen's progress in the Breeze Palm was visible to the naked eye!

How could the Qing Feng Martial Hall abandon such a genius student?

Although the Elder didn't let him investigate Lin Chen, he had still inquired about some things and knew the anecdotes between Lin Chen and the Qing Feng Martial Hall.

Lin Chen entered the martial hall from the Martial Hall, and his first choice was the Qing Feng Martial Hall, but he was rejected. Later, because of the former Inspector, the Qing Feng Martial Hall accepted Lin Chen as a disciple again, but arranged for him to be in the Jing Shui Martial Hall.

But after that Inspector Shu left, Lin Chen's name was on the list of students reported by the Jing Shui Martial Hall, which meant the Qing Feng Martial Hall had abandoned Lin Chen once again.

Yan He'an believed he could guess most of the inside story: it was nothing more than Inspector Shu leaving, and the Qing Feng Martial Hall didn't care about Lin Chen in the first place. When the Jing Shui Martial Hall spoke up, the Qing Feng Martial Hall probably just let him go.

So the Jing Shui Martial Hall discovered Lin Chen's talent for martial arts techniques and asked the Qing Feng Martial Hall for him. Are the Hall Master and instructors of the Qing Feng Martial Hall idiots?

The Jing Shui Martial Hall only recruited female disciples, but they could make an exception for Lin Chen, which was enough to show that Lin Chen had something extraordinary about him.

Yan He'an couldn't figure it out. Looking at Lin Chen on the arena, he sighed inwardly. Having been abandoned by the Qing Feng Martial Hall twice, Lin Chen must be holding back a breath of anger.

Last night, servants had already told him that Lin Chen practiced in the courtyard until the moonlight almost faded before going to sleep.

Practicing so desperately, he was probably trying to prove himself in the upcoming martial hall competition.

……

……

"Yan Qianbei, please notify the fourth martial artist to come in," Lin Chen said, nodding to Yan He'an after resting.

"The fourth martial artist's situation is a bit special. His Breeze Palm once reached Major Mastery, but he is over forty and his Qi and blood are declining. He was once a powerhouse who had opened six acupoints. Does Young Master Lin wish to spar with him?"

For a martial artist who had opened four acupoints and practiced the Breeze Palm, even Yan He'an found it difficult to find so many in a short time.

Lin Chen was a bit surprised; he had never sparred with a martial artist over forty.

But the exchange of moves just now made him wary of Lin Chen.

"A martial artist over forty, at the Open-Acupuncture Stage, loses one acupoint's worth of Qi and blood every year. This person is forty-two this year."

Hearing this explanation, Lin Chen understood. This old martial artist's current stage was only four acupoints, but his Breeze Palm had reached Major Mastery.

"This junior is willing to fight."

Ultimately, Lin Chen agreed. His Breeze Palm was not far from Major Mastery, and the previous martial artists who had reached Minor Mastery in the Breeze Palm could not bring him much more insight.

"Good."

Yan He'an left the courtyard, and after the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, he brought in a middle-aged man of similar age.

The martial artists who came to accept the challenge today had clearly received instructions from Yan He'an and did not ask Lin Chen any questions, just silently stepped onto the stage.

"Senior, please!" Lin Chen still saluted.

"Please."

Guo Xuesong looked at Lin Chen, who was wearing a mask. He knew the Martial Academy's purpose in calling him here: to act as a sparring partner for the youth before him.

As a six-acupoint martial artist, acting as a sparring partner for a four-acupoint martial artist was originally a shameful thing, but his Qi and blood were declining, and his ways of making money would only become fewer and fewer. He would take what he could get.

This time, Lin Chen did not wait for his opponent to strike first. For this old powerhouse, he still had to show the necessary respect.

Swish!

Lin Chen took a deep breath, and the next moment his figure shot out like a swallow, his right palm striking directly at Guo Xuesong's face with a whistling wind.

This move was fierce and sharp, contrary to the ethereal style of the Breeze Palm.

Seeing Lin Chen's offensive, Guo Xuesong's eyes revealed a look of appreciation. The youth before him had an understanding of the Breeze Palm that went beyond just entering the Minor Mastery stage.

The Breeze Palm has ethereal formlessness as its essence, but that doesn't mean palm strikes must be soft.

There is the breeze brushing the face, and there is the storm tearing things apart.

Facing this palm strike from Lin Chen, Guo Xuesong was unhurried, leaning slightly to the side and easily evading Lin Chen's sharp strike.

Lin Chen didn't get discouraged after missing his first strike. He rubbed his feet, his left palm following closely behind, turning into a wind blade and slashing down diagonally with a whistling sound.

This time Guo Xuesong didn't dodge. He placed both palms in front of his chest and then pushed outward violently. A thick palm force erupted instantly, like a storm rolling up, directly neutralizing all of Lin Chen's offensive.

Not only that, but the force of this palm strike also made Lin Chen's arm numb and his figure unstable.

Breaking Lin Chen's offensive in one move, Guo Xuesong took advantage of the situation, his figure as fast as a ghost, closing in on Lin Chen in the blink of an eye.

He saw his palms flying, as fast as lightning, and one sharp palm shadow after another, carrying the tearing sound of a monstrous storm, swept toward Lin Chen like a blanket.

Lin Chen's pupils contracted. Facing Guo Xuesong's storm-like offensive that ravaged everything, he could only retreat continuously. Before long, beads of sweat the size of beans appeared on his face. If it weren't for his "Flying Swallow Art" and flexible footwork, he would have already been defeated.

Facing this veteran martial artist, he could hardly find a chance to fight back.

At this moment, he truly felt the power of the Major Mastery level Breeze Palm.

Slap!

Five breaths later!

Lin Chen took the first palm strike. This strike made his Qi and blood surge, and a mouthful of fresh blood rushed to his throat, almost spraying out.

"Not right?"

Feeling the power of the opponent's palm strike, Lin Chen frowned. A four-acupoint martial artist with Major Mastery in the Breeze Palm—he shouldn't have been injured so lightly by this strike.

Lin Chen raised his eyes to look at Guo Xuesong, and soon he discovered the clue.

Guo Xuesong's breathing was heavy and rapid, like an old bellows being pulled with difficulty. His palm technique was fierce, but at the moment of the final strike, he was lacking in follow-up strength.

Yan He'an, under the arena, also sighed slightly. For a martial artist, once Qi and blood decline, their strength drops to the limit.

Qi and blood not only affect the stage but also affect the performance of techniques.

In Guo Xuesong's current state, he could not sustain the Major Mastery power of the Breeze Palm; it was like the end of a strong crossbow.

Ten breaths was already Guo Xuesong's limit.

"Senior, I'm sorry."

Feeling the opponent's strength declining, Lin Chen did not concede. Although such a battle was somewhat unfair, the five-tael wager was very important to him; he needed to rely on this wager to continue sparring with other martial artists.

Thirty breaths later.

Watching the youth opposite him take a few of his palm strikes and then, after attacking a few moves, focus mainly on blocking, Guo Xuesong's eyes held complex emotions.

This full-power display of the Breeze Palm just now had left him out of breath, and the youth before him had seen it too. He wasn't taking advantage of him and hadn't seized the opportunity to attack fiercely.

He couldn't be unappreciative.

"You win."

Guo Xuesong spoke slowly and walked off the arena with some loneliness. Watching the other's retreating back, Lin Chen could only cup his fists in respectful farewell.

The Martial Way is cruel; it does not allow martial artists to see white hair!

(End of chapter)