First Arena Battle

Arena grounds.

Lin Chen's arrival didn't cause much of a stir.

Out of the twelve rings, only the back five were empty. The rest had Martial Artists competing.

But the most crowded ring was the third one.

The number of spectators there was several times that of the other rings. The two Martial Artists fighting on this ring both wore masks, and what drew his attention was that one of them was using Water Cloud Palm.

Is it one of the Senior Sisters from Still Water Martial Arts Academy?

Although the Martial Artist using Water Cloud Palm wore a green-faced, fanged ghost mask, the difference in male and female physiques was still apparent. Combined with the fact that she was using Water Cloud Palm, Lin Chen estimated it was likely one of the Senior Sisters from the academy.

He saw the Senior Sister's Water Cloud Palm flow like water and clouds. The entire ring was almost a blur of palm shadows. Her opponent was forced into constant defense and was eventually backed into a corner, falling off the ring.

"This person is quite strong, won four straight."

"Their Water Cloud Palm has reached the Proficient stage. With six Aperture openings, they should be a student who's been at the Martial Arts Hall for over two years, not one of the notable disciples."

The surrounding Martial Artists were speculating on the identity of the female Martial Artist with the green-faced, fanged mask. Lin Chen listened to their analysis and felt their guesses were plausible.

The top Senior Sisters from the previous year at the Martial Arts Hall were at least at twelve Aperture openings. Their realm didn't match.

Excluding those notable Senior Sisters from the previous year, if she were a new student, only Senior Sister Jiang's realm would match in the entire Martial Arts Hall. But Senior Sister Jiang's Water Cloud Palm shouldn't have reached the Proficient stage yet.

Martial Path techniques' proficiency could be caught up with time. Within a year, as long as one wasn't extremely slow-witted 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 an old student of the Martial Arts Hall.

Those who had already left the Martial Arts Hall generally wouldn't wear masks to conceal their true appearance.

Seeing the Senior Sister defeat her opponent and sit down to rest beside the ring, Lin Chen withdrew his gaze. His purpose in coming to the Martial Garden arena wasn't to watch matches.

There were only two reasons he was here. The first was to gain practical combat experience, and the second was for the ten taels of silver prize money for the ring champion.

The first ring happened to have just finished a fight.

Lin Chen walked towards the referee's stand below the ring and presented his Martial Garden identification token.

The referee was a middle-aged man with a few strands of white hair. Lin Chen understood that this person was likely over forty, and his Qi and Blood had begun to decline.

White hair was a characteristic of declining Qi and Blood.

"Those with one to two Aperture openings may enter the ring. Any falsification will result in disqualification and a lifetime ban from the Martial Garden."

"Thank you for the information, senior."

Even though the other party's Qi and Blood were declining, Lin Chen didn't dare to underestimate him. Not to mention that the Martial Garden was behind him, even the decline was a process.

At least for now, he shouldn't be the other party's opponent.

Lin Chen registered his identification number and walked onto the first ring. Not long after he went up, the previous winner returned.

The young man, in his twenties, looked at Lin Chen with a sneer: "Another greenhorn from the Martial Arts Hall. I'll defeat you in ten moves."

"Please."

Lin Chen didn't say much. The other party looked about twenty-five or twenty-six but was only at two Aperture openings. His accomplishments in the Martial Path were mediocre. His words clearly held hostility towards Martial Arts Hall disciples.

It was very possible he was a Martial Artist who couldn't get into the Martial Arts Hall, or perhaps he was at the bottom tier within the Martial Arts Hall. Such people, to put it bluntly, were extremely jealous.

However, Lin Chen didn't underestimate the other party because of this. Given this person's age, he had been practicing martial arts for at least seven or eight years. As long as he wasn't an idiot, his technique proficiency would definitely not be low.

Wu Bin snorted lightly. Bending and straightening his legs, he exploded upwards like a falcon in a storm, instantly leaping in front of Lin Chen. His right leg swept over with a whistling sound, aiming straight for a vital point.

Lin Chen's body moved slightly, like a gentle breeze through the forest. Facing Wu Bin's sweeping posture, he took a few steps back.

"You don't even dare to face me head-on, and you still dare to come on stage!"

Seeing Lin Chen retreat, Wu Bin's eyes were full of disdain. His offensive accelerated again, each kick filled with viciousness and impatience. He wanted to defeat Lin Chen in ten moves.

After retreating several times, he was at the edge of the ring, but Lin Chen didn't panic. He hadn't seen the leg technique this person was using, but after a few moves, he had grasped some of its fundamentals.

Defeating him in ten moves was because this set of leg techniques followed a fierce and rapid route. Although the offensive was still sharp, its accuracy had already dropped somewhat.

"Do you only know how to dodge? Are all Martial Arts Hall disciples such cowards? If you're so timid, why are you even on the ring? Go back to your Martial Arts Hall and play house with your Senior and Junior Brothers."

Seeing that Lin Chen was able to dodge his attacks every time, Wu Bin became a little anxious and started to verbally provoke him.

"As you wish."

Lin Chen whispered softly. Taking advantage of the moment Wu Bin swept out a kick and hadn't fully withdrawn his strength, he shifted his body to the side, easily avoiding it. But immediately after, he struck out with a backhand palm. The essence of Clear Wind Palm was displayed to its fullest.

His palm was like a clear breeze, and his body moved with the palm. This palm struck Wu Bin precisely in the chest.

Crack!

The powerful palm wind sent Wu Bin staggering back. Lin Chen didn't give Wu Bin a chance to catch his breath. His body flickered, and he was in front of Wu Bin again, delivering several consecutive palms.

Wu Bin was skilled in leg techniques, but after Lin Chen closed in on him, his legs couldn't display their strength at all. He could only hastily swing his fists to block.

Snap!

Palm met fist. Wu Bin's eyes widened. At this moment, he felt as if his entire hand bone had been dislocated by the shock.

Strike while the iron is hot!

If they were sparring at the Martial Arts Hall or practicing with Lu Yongfeng and the others, Lin Chen would have stopped by now. But facing this guy in front of him, he had no intention of holding back.

According to the rules of the arena, a match isn't over unless one side actively surrenders or falls off the platform.

Three palms struck in quick succession!

Wu Bin was directly blasted off the platform and fell to the ground.

The first arena wasn't particularly eye-catching initially, but as Wu Bin crashed to the ground, many people's gazes turned towards it.

The first arena was being fought so intensely?

"Wu Bin actually lost. This shouldn't be a new student from Clearwind Martial Arts Hall, should it? Is he an old student?"

Wu Bin had some reputation in the arena, known as the gatekeeper of the first platform.

He had trained in the Martial Path for ten years. Although his cultivation level wasn't high, his proficiency in martial arts techniques was definitely not something the new students from the various martial arts halls could compare to.

"Even if it's a student from the previous year, being able to defeat Wu Bin is still quite good."

"They're not the best, but better than the worst, I guess. Probably an old student who's been diligently practicing techniques in a martial arts hall."

Most of the Martial Artists watching were from ordinary families. Their current level was achieved more through enduring over time.

Wu Bin got up from the ground, his eyes fixed on Lin Chen with resentment. After a long moment, he turned and left, unwilling to accept defeat.

Lin Chen didn't get off the platform to rest. He hadn't used his full strength against Wu Bin and didn't need to rest.

After the first battle, Lin Chen also discovered the difference between the arena in the Martial Garden and sparring among students in a martial arts hall. The battles here were more real and more brutal.

But it was precisely this kind of battle that made his blood boil a little. A Martial Artist should have such true contests. The loser not only fails but also has the possibility of getting injured.

New year, new beginning. Asking for a monthly pass and continued reading isn't too much, right?