Tree Brother, Sorry!

One match, then another...

Over the next half-hour, Lin Chen went through five more matches.

Every opponent was formidable. Although they were all only at the Second Aperture Opening, their martial arts techniques were highly proficient. It was just that they had not practiced Ranked Martial Arts Techniques, so their power was somewhat lacking.

By the time Lin Chen reached his third match, he had to rest for a quarter of an hour after every fight.

Perhaps because of Lin Chen's winning streak, the first arena, which few people had paid attention to before, now drew quite a few gazes.

Especially after the masked senior sister from Still Water Martial Arts Academy on the third arena had also lost, even more martial artists shifted their attention here.

While resting, Lin Chen also glanced at the battle on the third arena. That senior sister had just lost to a Six-Aperture martial artist who practiced Iron Collapse Fist.

From the surrounding martial artists' discussion, Lin Chen learned that the Six-Aperture martial artist who practiced Iron Collapse Fist was already thirty years old. He had also once held the Arena Master title of the third arena for two months.

Lin Chen understood. A martial artist who had never learned a Ranked Martial Arts Technique could not claim the Arena Master title at the end of the month. The title would still fall to martial artists who had come out of martial arts academies.

That senior sister from Still Water Martial Arts Academy was already quite impressive to have lasted ten moves. The Iron Blood Martial Arts Academy practitioner had already cultivated Iron Collapse Fist to mastery. Lin Chen estimated that if he were in her place, he probably would not have lasted even a single punch.

It seemed that earning those ten taels of silver would not be easy. A group of people who had cultivated their techniques to the utmost were competing for the Arena Master title, while his own technique was only at the proficient stage. He truly was not enough to be noticed.

The rules of Martial Arts Garden stated that the twenty-fifth of every month was the Arena Master Competition.

Only those who had defeated ten opponents during that month were qualified to challenge the previous month's Arena Master on that day.

After losing, the senior sister from Still Water Martial Arts Academy did not linger. She left directly with her face still masked. Lin Chen also finished resting and returned to the first arena.

At that moment, his opponent had already stepped onto the arena.

"This newcomer ran into Qiao Yi. He's definitely losing this round!"

"Qiao Yi is known as the Arena Master Gatekeeper. Anyone who can defeat him is qualified to challenge the Arena Master."

"I'm curious too. Qiao Yi also practices Clear Wind Palm, and he's from the same school as this one. Why did he come onto the arena at this time?"

Lin Chen heard the discussion below the arena clearly. Through his mask, his eyes turned toward the young man before him.

He sensed a thread of pressure from the other man. Was this person also a disciple who had come out of Clearwind Martial Arts Hall?

"Which class are you from, Junior Brother?"

On the arena, Qiao Yi looked at Lin Chen and asked calmly.

He had left the martial arts academy seven years ago. He had stayed there for only one year, and the reason was simple: he had no money and could not afford to remain.

When he left the academy, he had not yet opened an aperture. The other senior brothers from his class had all given up, but he was unwilling to accept that. After spending another year, he finally opened an aperture.

After that, he worked as a guard escorting caravans. He spent another year reaching the Second Aperture Opening, and it cost him fifty taels of silver.

After reaching the Second Aperture Opening, Qiao Yi gave up on the path of martial arts. He knew very well that even if he persisted with his finances, he could reach at most the Fourth Aperture Opening in his lifetime.

Rather than continuing to waste money on martial arts, he might as well save it to raise his descendants.

The arena matches at Martial Arts Garden were one of his goals for saving money.

For five years, aside from escorting caravans, he had continued practicing Clear Wind Palm. He had finally cultivated it to the minor mastery stage.

The hateful part was that minor mastery still was not enough. Several of his competitors had already reached major mastery.

As for why he had stepped onto the arena now, the reason was simple. He had sensed a certain arrogance from this masked junior brother.

A martial artist's pride needed no words. It could be felt from their moves.

What he did not understand was this: with a realm of only the Second Aperture Opening and Clear Wind Palm merely at the proficient stage, what did this junior have to be proud of here?

If he were a new student who had achieved this in such a short time, it would indeed be worth being proud of. But this junior before him could not possibly be a new student.

It was extremely rare for a new student at the martial arts academy to cultivate a technique to proficiency in such a short time. Even if there were one, his realm would likewise be far ahead. It was impossible for him to still be at the Second Aperture Opening at this point.

"Please enlighten me, Senior Brother."

Lin Chen did not answer directly. Qiao Yi gave a soft snort.

"There's a world of difference between proficiency and minor mastery. Since you want me to instruct you, I'll give you a few pointers."

Qiao Yi's figure flashed like a breeze sweeping past, instantly closing in on Lin Chen. He raised both hands slightly and struck out with a palm as gentle as a breeze brushing the face. Yet this seemingly gentle palm made Lin Chen's clothes billow and snap in the wind.

Lin Chen raised his hand to block. A fierce gale blasted toward his face, making his eyes narrow in an instant. In that split second, he felt a heavy blow strike his chest, sending him flying off the arena and crashing to the ground.

Cough, cough!

Lin Chen gave a light cough and rose from the ground. The palm had left his chest aching and tight, and he could not help rubbing it as he looked up at Qiao Yi on the arena.

This was the first time since he had embarked on the path of martial arts that he had lost in a fight.

At the Martial Hall, everyone had competed over strength, and there had been no real fights. Later, after he had cultivated Essence Energy and opened an aperture, he had sparred with Lu Yongfeng and the other two. Relying on his proficiency in Clear Wind Palm, he had never lost.

Was this the power of Clear Wind Palm at the minor mastery stage?

Lin Chen did not become discouraged or dejected. The Arena Masters of the first few arenas in Martial Arts Garden had all given up on advancing their Martial Arts Realm and focused solely on cultivating martial arts techniques.

He had practiced Clear Wind Palm for only a few months. Losing to them was nothing shameful.

But this defeat also made Lin Chen wary. During this period, especially as everything had gone smoothly after he opened an aperture, pride had quietly begun to grow deep in his heart.

He had not noticed it before, but this defeat had just jolted him awake. Pride had probably been quietly taking root in his heart.

Even at the martial arts academy, as he watched senior sisters such as Jiang Qing continuously open apertures, he had not felt particularly dejected. He had confidence. As long as he made it through the early stages, he could take off alongside them.

He could wait until the later stages to raise his realm, while his martial arts technique was already ahead.

To use a famous line from his previous life: Although I'm surrounded by a horde of enemies, the advantage is mine.

The appearance of this thought precisely proved that pride had already sprouted deep within him. He simply had not realized it himself.

This defeat had awakened him.

The path of martial arts was not limited to the martial arts academy. As Deputy Hall Master Kong had said, the outside world would not care how long one had practiced. Everything depended on strength. If one encountered a life-and-death battle, would the opponent tie up one hand just because they had practiced for several years longer?

This defeat had come at exactly the right time. It had knocked him awake.

Lin Chen looked toward Qiao Yi on the arena, his eyes filled with intense battle intent. His pride had been shattered, yet it had stirred up his martial fighting spirit.

He would return to this arena competition.

Lin Chen did not remain beneath the arena. Like the senior sister from Still Water Martial Arts Academy, he left Martial Arts Garden directly and returned to the dormitory.

At the martial arts academy dormitory,

Lin Chen did not delay for even a moment and began practicing Clear Wind Palm.

Although he had been defeated miserably just now and had not even blocked two moves, recalling Qiao Yi's palm strike had given him some insight.

Though he still could not describe exactly what he had understood, once his comprehension improved that evening, he would certainly gain something.

Night fell.

Lin Chen stood in the courtyard, his eyes closed as he recalled the battle on the arena that day.

"Ethereal as the wind, formless and shapeless."

After a long while, Lin Chen murmured those words. Instructor Yu had recorded them in the manual, but before today, he had only understood their literal meaning. Now, recalling Qiao Yi's palm strike, he felt a stir in his heart.

Whoosh!

Lin Chen struck out with one palm, and palm wind flowed around it.

"No, that's not right! Qiao Yi's palm not only stirred the airflow, it also carried a touch of a goat leaping over a cliff edge, free and untraceable. My palm strike now has a clear trail."

Clear Wind Palm was a Ranked Martial Arts Technique. Ranked Martial Arts Techniques could unleash power beyond one's own limits because, once cultivated to proficiency, they could borrow the power of the airflow in the air.

Instructor Yu called it the power of heaven and earth. In Lin Chen's view, it was simply the power of airflow.

Lin Chen's gaze fell on a water vat in the courtyard, but his mind thought of a scene from his previous life, when he had watched a certain celebrity practice taiji as a child.

Walking to the water vat, Lin Chen plunged his hands into it and began stirring the water. Soon, the current changed direction with the movement of his hands.

"If I compare water flow to airflow, then when I move my palm along the direction of the current, there's little resistance. But if I reverse my palm against the current, I immediately encounter resistance. The water flow I set in motion changes from assistance into resistance."

Under the night sky, watching the current swirl in the water vat, Lin Chen gained enlightenment.

The difference between Clear Wind Palm's proficiency and minor mastery lay here. When he struck out, he stirred the airflow, and the airflow became his assistance, greatly increasing the power of his palm. But the flaw was obvious: he could not change his move instantly.

More precisely, he could not move against the airflow he had struck out. If he reversed direction, there would inevitably be a moment of lag. Thus, in the eyes of someone with greater mastery of Clear Wind Palm, the landing point of his palm could be captured with ease.

"No, that's not right. Qiao Yi hasn't reached the state of being formless and shapeless either. That palm looked as free as a goat leaping over a cliff edge, but I still caught it. It was simply too fast for me to react."

Lin Chen pulled his hand from the water vat and closed his eyes once more. What exactly did it mean to be ethereal as the wind?

In an instant,

A night breeze blew over. The sparse remaining leaves on the camphor tree in the courtyard began rustling.

Lin Chen focused with his eyes closed and listened to the wind. The next moment, he lightly slapped the camphor tree with his right hand, and several leaves drifted down.

Smack!

The fallen leaves floated in front of him. After Lin Chen struck out, his palm wind tore through the air and swept the few leaves forward.

Before their forward momentum faded, Lin Chen followed with another palm. It was a foot away from the direction of his previous strike, but the three leaves were not swept along by the palm wind. Instead, when the two currents of palm wind collided, they fell toward the ground.

"The feeling's wrong. I'm still missing something."

Lin Chen opened his eyes and looked at the three leaves that had just landed on the ground. He frowned, then his gaze shifted to the camphor tree before him.

"Tree Brother, sorry for the trouble. When I achieve something on the path of martial arts someday, Tree Brother will certainly deserve some of the credit."

Smack!

He struck down with another palm. The camphor tree trembled, and several leaves fell.

Again and again, Lin Chen's understanding of Clear Wind Palm deepened bit by bit.

Clear Wind Palm: Proficient (2/10)

P.S. As of Monday's follow-up reading, the editor said there's a 30% chance of getting onto Sanjiang next week. It all depends on whether the concurrent titles are bad enough. Sigh!

If it's confirmed this afternoon that I can get onto Sanjiang, I'll add another chapter. If I can't, I'll still add another chapter. Damn it, either way, there's going to be an extra chapter!