Clear Wind Palm Reaches Mastery

After one sparring session.

Lu Yongfeng, Zhao Jingchuan, and Cheng Ying all fell into deep self-doubt.

They had been crushed far too thoroughly!

Not one of the three had lasted three moves under Lin Chen. Every one of them had suffered a devastating defeat within three moves.

Zhao Jingchuan and Cheng Ying finally understood why Senior Brother Lu had asked that question earlier.

Only after experiencing it firsthand could one truly feel how terrifying Lin Chen's Clear Wind Palm was.

Its movements were ethereal and impossible to trace, yet when his palm landed, it was incredibly precise. Every strike went straight for a vital point.

At the martial hall, they had not never sought out Senior Brothers who had opened three acupoints for sparring. But their feeling was that even those Senior Brothers who had opened three acupoints might not be a match for Lin Chen.

"Don't ask. If you ask, the answer is: train more. Train until death."

Lin Chen did not try to comfort the three of them. Having come from the same Martial Hall, he also hoped that Lu Yongfeng and the other two could go farther along the martial path.

Only a brutal blow could stir up their fighting spirit.

As for whether their martial hearts would shatter, he believed the three of them were not so fragile.

"Senior Brother Lin..."

After a long while, Zhao Jingchuan gave a helpless bitter smile. "Forget it. We won't continue sparring today. I'll take you to the liveliest place in the Martial Garden."

"Right. I don't feel like practicing martial arts at all today either. It'll take at least several hours for me to calm down." Cheng Ying nodded along.

"Junior Brothers, don't reveal anything about my situation to outsiders." Lin Chen gave them a reminder.

The new disciples of the Eight Great Martial Halls competed once every three months. He did not want others to sound him out in advance.

"Rest assured, Senior Brother Lin. We know what's appropriate and will never reveal it. Only the three of us know about this." Lu Yongfeng looked completely serious.

They did not continue sparring. Zhao Jingchuan led the three of them out of the courtyard. After walking to the end of a covered corridor, their view suddenly opened wide.

Ahead lay a spacious Training Ground with several arenas. At that moment, martial artists were fighting on several of them, while many others gathered below to watch.

The crowd buzzed with excitement, and the place was extraordinarily lively.

Most of these martial artists, however, appeared to be just over twenty.

"Senior Brother Lin, these twelve arenas correspond to opening one acupoint through twenty-four. Anyone who meets the required cultivation level can take the stage and fight the other martial artists. After defeating ten opponents, they can participate in the Arena Master Competition at the end of the month. The martial artist who claims the arena title will receive ten taels of silver from the Martial Garden."

Seeing Lin Chen staring at the two martial artists fighting on one of the arenas, Zhao Jingchuan explained in a low voice, "The arena you're looking at is for martial artists who have opened seven or eight acupoints, so it draws the most attention. After all, once someone has opened ten acupoints, they're already a figure of some standing and won't frequently fight in arena challenges."

Someone who had opened ten acupoints could secure a position in the government office. They truly counted as a person of status and reputation. Fighting so openly in public would indeed be somewhat inappropriate, and Lin Chen understood.

"Senior Brother Lin, with your current strength, you can go to the first arena and spar with the other martial artists. If you don't want to reveal yourself, you can also cover your face with a mask."

Lin Chen's eyes narrowed slightly as he considered whether what Zhao Jingchuan had suggested was feasible.

Seeing Lin Chen deep in thought, Lu Yongfeng interjected, "Actually, many disciples from the Eight Great Martial Halls come here for arena fights too. It's also an opportunity for practical sparring. Besides, many of the martial hall disciples choose to wear masks to conceal their identities."

"Why?"

"Because losing isn't embarrassing that way." Cheng Ying chimed in.

That made perfect sense!

After pondering for a moment, Lin Chen asked, "How do I participate in the arena fights?"

"Just go to the Martial Garden and claim an Identity Token."

"Are there any restrictions on claiming an Identity Token?"

"None at all. An elder in my family once said that the Martial Garden itself only provides a place. One can stay in a martial hall for at most three years, but a martial artist's journey is long. The Martial Garden was established to make things more convenient for everyone."

After hearing Zhao Jingchuan's explanation, Lin Chen understood.

A young man entered the Martial Hall at fifteen. Even if it took him three years to enter a martial hall, he would only be in his early twenties when those three years ended. A martial artist would not begin to suffer a decline in vital energy until the age of forty.

That left more than a decade in between!

The martial artists of Poyang County needed a place like the Martial Garden to communicate, spar, and even exchange resources.

For disciples still in the martial halls, coming to the Martial Garden to participate in arena fights could also improve their combat skills.

The martial artists fighting in the arenas might not have very high cultivation levels. They were all below ten opened acupoints, but some of them had already cultivated along the martial path for over a decade and possessed extremely high proficiency in their techniques.

Fighting such people allowed one to discover one's shortcomings and improve rapidly.

If one was afraid of embarrassment, one could simply wear a mask.

Having figured this out, Lin Chen, Lu Yongfeng, and Cheng Ying followed Zhao Jingchuan to the Martial Garden's Registration Pavilion. The Martial Garden steward glanced at the three of them without asking about their identities or origins, then took three Identity Tokens from beneath the counter and informed them of the rules.

The Martial Garden's Identity Tokens could not be lent to others!

That was the Martial Garden's only requirement of the martial artists.

Lin Chen took his Identity Token. It bore only a numerical designation.

1208!

Lin Chen glanced at the numbers on Lu Yongfeng and Cheng Ying's tokens. The three numbers were consecutive, with the other two coming after his.

Judging from the registration clerk's attitude, Lin Chen believed Zhao Jingchuan's words. The Martial Garden truly did not care about martial artists who had opened acupoints. They had not even asked for his real name before giving him an Identity Token.

After taking the Identity Token, Lin Chen did not hurry to challenge anyone in the arena. Since the martial halls opened on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, it was only the middle of the month. He could wait until the end of the month before coming to challenge them.

He would first cultivate Clear Wind Palm to mastery. That way, his chances would be greater.

After arranging a time to meet Zhao Jingchuan and the others again, the four of them left the Martial Garden and returned to their respective martial halls.

Five days later!

The nineteenth day of the second month in the 298th year of the Great Liang calendar.

Still Water Hall dormitory!

Lin Chen struck the camphor tree with his palm once again.

Bang!

The camphor tree trembled. Around the spot where his palm had struck, the bark peeled away several feet up and down, exposing the smooth wood beneath. This time, a full twenty percent of the leaves fell.

The camphor tree was lush and flourishing, its leaves as dense as a canopy. Yet after this fall, the gaps between the leaves visibly widened.

As for the place where Lin Chen's palm had landed, it had sunk half a foot into the wood.

Clear Wind Palm had reached mastery!

"Keep going!"

After glancing at the System Panel, where Clear Wind Palm was displayed as Mastery (1/10), Lin Chen did not stop.

Once Clear Wind Palm reached mastery, every time Lin Chen struck his palm, the palm wind howled. At the same time, while he circulated the technique, vital energy began surging continuously through his left shoulder and right arm, all of it flowing toward the third acupoint: the one at his right shoulder.

Once a martial technique reached mastery, the circulation of vital energy accelerated. Lin Chen naturally would not let this opportunity slip by.

Another night of hard training.

The next day, after waking up.

Lin Chen continued practicing Clear Wind Palm for an hour, but the progress displayed on the System Panel did not move at all.

"No wonder the progress changed to (1/10). It seems that after Clear Wind Palm reaches mastery, simply practicing more won't be enough. What matters more is comprehending the true essence of Clear Wind Palm."

"With the title Black to the End, my comprehension improves at night. Cultivating Clear Wind Palm after nightfall is the most suitable choice. During the day, I can practice other martial techniques and make the most of my time."

Although he felt some regret that Clear Wind Palm's progress had stopped increasing, Lin Chen was not greedy. His progress in martial techniques had already far surpassed that of most people.

After taking off his training clothes, Lin Chen changed into his own clothes, left the dormitory, and headed straight out of the martial hall.

The joy of a breakthrough in martial cultivation should not be enjoyed alone.

He planned to visit Instructor Yu!

Instructor Yu had shown him great kindness. Now that his Clear Wind Palm had reached mastery, it was time to tell Instructor Yu the good news.