The arena grounds.
Lin Chen's arrival caused no stir at the scene.
Of the twelve arenas, no one occupied the five at the back, while martial artists were fighting on all the others.
But the third arena drew the most spectators.
It had several times as many onlookers as the other arenas. The two martial artists fighting on it were both wearing masks, but what drew his gaze was that one of them was using Water Cloud Palm.
Could she be a senior sister from Still Water Martial Arts Academy?
Although the martial artist using Water Cloud Palm wore a ghost mask with a green face and protruding fangs, the difference between male and female builds was still obvious. Combined with the fact that she was using Water Cloud Palm, Lin Chen estimated that she was probably a senior sister from the academy.
This senior sister wielded Water Cloud Palm with effortless grace. Almost all anyone could see across the entire arena were palm shadows. Her opponent could do nothing but parry constantly, and in the end, he was forced back until he had nowhere left to retreat and fell from the arena.
"She's quite impressive. She's already defeated four opponents in a row."
"She has cultivated Water Cloud Palm to the proficient stage and opened six acupoints. She should have been at the academy for more than two years. She isn't one of those famous academy disciples."
The watching martial artists speculated about the identity of the female martial artist in the green-faced, fanged mask. After listening for a while, Lin Chen also felt their guesses were reasonable.
Those top senior sisters from the academy's previous class had reached at least twelve opened acupoints. Their realms did not match.
Having ruled out those famous senior sisters from the previous class, if she was a new student, then only Senior Sister Jiang's realm matched in the entire academy. But Senior Sister Jiang's Water Cloud Palm should not have reached the proficient stage yet.
The proficiency of martial arts techniques could be caught up through time. In one year, as long as one was not exceptionally lacking in comprehension and was willing to invest time and effort, it was possible to cultivate Water Cloud Palm to the proficient stage.
This masked senior sister should be a veteran student of the academy.
If she had already left the academy, she generally would not continue wearing a mask to conceal her true appearance.
Seeing that this senior sister had defeated her opponent and left the arena to sit nearby and rest, Lin Chen withdrew his gaze. He had not come to the Martial Park arena grounds to watch the fights.
He had only two purposes in coming here. The first was to gain practical combat experience, and the second was to claim the ten-tael prize money for defeating an arena champion.
The fight on the first arena had just ended.
Lin Chen walked to the referee's station below the arena and presented his Martial Park Identity Token.
The referee was a middle-aged man with several strands of white hair on his head. Lin Chen immediately understood that the man was probably over forty, and that his qi and blood had begun to decline.
White hair was a sign of declining qi and blood.
"Anyone with one to two opened acupoints may enter the arena. If you falsify your cultivation, your qualification will be revoked, and you will be forbidden from entering the Martial Park for life."
"Thank you for informing me, Senior."
Although the other party's qi and blood had already begun to decline, Lin Chen did not dare underestimate him. Not to mention that the man had the Martial Park behind him—even decline was a process.
At least in his current state, Lin Chen should not be the man's opponent.
Lin Chen registered his identity number and stepped onto the first arena. Not long after he took the stage, the previous victor returned.
The young man in his twenties sneered when he saw Lin Chen. "Another tender greenhorn from a martial arts academy. I'll defeat you in ten moves."
"Please."
Lin Chen said no more. Judging by his appearance, the other man was twenty-five or twenty-six, yet he had only opened two acupoints. His achievements in martial arts were destined to be limited, and his words clearly revealed hostility toward academy disciples.
He was very likely a martial artist who had failed to enter an academy—or perhaps someone at the very bottom of one. In plain terms, such people were consumed by jealousy.
Still, Lin Chen did not underestimate him because of that. Given the man's age, he had practiced martial arts for at least seven or eight years. As long as he was not a fool, his technique proficiency certainly would not be low.
Wu Bin let out a cold snort. His legs bent and extended, and he erupted like a hawk soaring through a storm. With a single leap, he reached Lin Chen, his right leg sweeping over with a howling sound, aimed straight at a vital point.
Lin Chen shifted slightly, like a clear breeze through the forest. Facing Wu Bin's sweeping kick, he retreated several steps.
"You don't even dare clash with me head-on, yet you have the nerve to take the stage!"
Seeing Lin Chen retreat, Wu Bin's eyes filled with disdain. His attacks sped up once more. Every kick was vicious and impatient; he intended to defeat Lin Chen within ten moves.
After retreating several times, Lin Chen reached the edge of the arena behind him. But he did not panic. He had never seen the leg technique his opponent was using, but after several exchanges, he had already grasped some of its fundamentals.
The reason Wu Bin claimed he could defeat him in ten moves was that his leg technique followed a fierce and swift path. Although his attacks remained sharp, their accuracy had already begun to decline.
"Can you only dodge? Are all the disciples from martial arts academies such cowards? If you're so timid, why come to the arena? Go back to your academy and play house with your senior and junior brothers."
Seeing that Lin Chen managed to evade his attacks every time, Wu Bin grew anxious and began taunting him.
"As you wish."
Lin Chen spoke softly. Taking advantage of the moment Wu Bin swept out with one leg and had yet to recover his momentum, he turned sideways and easily avoided it. But immediately afterward, he struck back with a palm, displaying the essence of Clear Wind Palm to perfection.
His palm was like a clear breeze, and his body moved with it. The palm landed precisely on Wu Bin's chest.
Smack!
The powerful palm wind sent Wu Bin staggering backward. Lin Chen gave him no chance to catch his breath. His figure flashed, and he was before Wu Bin again, several consecutive palms raining down.
Wu Bin excelled at leg techniques, but once Lin Chen closed in, his legs could no longer bring their strength to bear. He could only hurriedly swing his fists to block.
Crack!
As palm and fist collided, Wu Bin's eyes widened. At that moment, he felt as though all the bones in his hand had been jolted out of place.
Strike while the iron is hot!
If this had been a spar in the academy, or a practice match with Lu Yongfeng and the others, Lin Chen would have stopped at this point. But against the fellow before him, he had no intention of holding back.
According to the arena rules, the fight was not over unless one side voluntarily admitted defeat or fell from the arena.
Three palms struck in succession!
Wu Bin was blasted straight off the arena and crashed to the ground.
The first arena had not originally attracted much attention, but when Wu Bin hit the ground with a resounding crash, many gazes turned toward it.
The first arena had actually seen such a fierce fight?
"Wu Bin actually lost. This shouldn't be a new student from Clearwind Martial Arts Hall, right? Is he a veteran student?"
Wu Bin had some renown around the arena grounds. He was known as the gatekeeper of the first arena.
He had practiced martial arts for ten years. Although his realm was not high, his technique proficiency was absolutely beyond that of new students from the various martial arts academies.
"Even if he's a student from the previous class, defeating Wu Bin is still quite impressive."
"Not as good as those above him, but better than those below him. He's probably a veteran student who has diligently practiced his techniques at the academy."
Most of the martial artists watching were from ordinary families. Reaching their current realms depended more on grinding away at it over time.
Wu Bin crawled to his feet. Resentment filled his eyes as he glared fiercely at Lin Chen. After a long while, he finally turned and left unwillingly.
Lin Chen did not leave the arena to rest. He had not even used his full strength against Wu Bin, so there was no need to rest.
After that first battle, Lin Chen also discovered the difference between fights at the Martial Park arenas and matches between academy students. The battles here were more realistic and more brutal.
Yet it was precisely this kind of battle that made his blood surge. Martial artists should truly pit themselves against one another like this. Losing meant more than defeat; it could also mean injury.
A new year, a new beginning. Asking for a monthly ticket and some follow-up reading shouldn't be too much, right?
Before you continue