Those Who Scramble and Grovel-People Like That Are What I, Chen Chunfeng, Have Always Despised Most!

Clearwind Martial Arts Hall!

Lin Chen did not return directly to Still Water Martial Arts Academy after leaving the martial arts grounds. Instead, he decided to come to Clearwind Martial Arts Hall to choose a technique.

He primarily practiced Clear Wind Palm, so Clearwind Martial Arts Hall surely had other techniques that paired especially well with it.

After entering Clearwind Martial Arts Hall, Lin Chen headed straight for the Martial Arts Pavilion.

The Martial Arts Pavilion at Clearwind Martial Arts Hall was still staffed by the same senior brother as last time.

"Junior Brother Lin?"

A month had passed, but Ma Hao still remembered Lin Chen.

Back then, Junior Brother Lin had come to the Martial Arts Pavilion to return the Clear Wind Palm manual, yet he had not claimed the hall's Identity Token. The matter had left a deep impression on him.

"Senior Brother Ma, I'd like to find a martial arts technique manual."

"A martial arts technique?" Ma Hao asked, somewhat puzzled. "Junior Brother, haven't you been practicing Clear Wind Palm?"

"I want to find another technique for my legs." Lin Chen did not conceal anything and answered honestly.

"I see..."

Ma Hao was confused. In the past, students usually came into contact with other martial arts techniques only after half a year or a year. It was truly rare for Junior Brother Lin to want to practice another technique so soon.

"On the right side of the second floor, there are quite a few ordinary techniques on the row of shelves. However, you can't take those manuals out. You'll have to memorize them yourself."

"Thank you for letting me know, Senior Brother."

Lin Chen nodded and thanked him before heading to the second floor. The second floor of Clearwind Martial Arts Hall was the Library Pavilion, just like at Still Water Martial Arts Academy. He guessed the Martial Arts Pavilions of the other halls were probably laid out the same way.

On the first row of shelves to the right, just as Senior Brother Ma had said, there were more than a dozen technique manuals. Lin Chen casually picked one up to read. Once he finished looking through it, he understood why the hall had the disciples memorize these manuals.

Compared with the Ranked Martial Arts Techniques Clear Wind Palm and Water Cloud Palm, whose manuals were more than a dozen pages thick, these ordinary techniques were only three or four pages long.

Two pages contained illustrations, one page contained the formula, and another explained the technique.

After spending a quarter of an hour reading the introduction pages of the twenty or so manuals on the shelf, Lin Chen ultimately selected two martial arts techniques.

"Swift Wind Steps" and "Flying Swallow Art."

"Swift Wind Steps" focused on speed. It was a technique of shifting one's steps and changing direction, and when combined with the ethereal grace of Clear Wind Palm, the two complemented each other perfectly.

"Flying Swallow Art" was more like a lightness technique. It cultivated the ability to remain airborne, allowing one to leap lightly like a flying swallow.

Compared with "Swift Wind Steps," the advantage of "Flying Swallow Art" was that it allowed one to leap up and close the distance quickly, even catching an opponent off guard at a crucial moment.

Its drawback was also obvious. If one failed to defeat the opponent, it was easy to put oneself in danger. After all, while airborne, one's entire lower body was exposed before the opponent.

"A lightness technique? This was my dream as a child."

Treading on snow without leaving a trace, flying over grass, scaling roofs and walls...

Back in his previous life, when Lin Chen watched martial arts television dramas, he had often fantasized about mastering a lightness technique himself. And now, an opportunity to learn one had appeared right before him.

On one side was the chance to fulfill a dream; on the other was reality...

Two breaths later, Lin Chen still picked up the "Flying Swallow Art." It was not solely to fulfill his dream. The "Flying Swallow Art" contained a description stating that it had six moves in total. If one could master the fifth move, "Swallow Dance in Spring Wind," one's body could twist and turn in midair like a swallow. Thus, even if one could not defeat an enemy in a single strike, one would still have a way to retreat.

The six moves of the "Flying Swallow Art" each had one formula and three illustrations. Lin Chen began concentrating and committing them to memory.

An hour later, he was certain that he had memorized the moves and formulas by heart.

He returned the manual and went down to the second floor.

"May I ask, Senior Brother Ma, which instructor is teaching our cohort of new students?"

After returning to the first floor, Lin Chen asked Ma Hao. He thought it over and decided there was no need to hide from Clearwind Martial Arts Hall the fact that he had cultivated Clear Wind Palm to proficiency.

Perhaps, after seeing his talent for techniques, the hall might even reward him.

"Junior Brother, you don't know?"

This time, Ma Hao was genuinely shocked. The students had been enrolled at the hall for more than a month, yet this junior brother did not even know who his instructor was?

He could not understand it!

"My circumstances are somewhat unusual. I haven't been staying at the hall." Lin Chen offered a brief explanation.

"So that's how it is. The instructors at our hall all live south of the hall. The one responsible for teaching your cohort is Instructor Chen Chunfeng. There's a nameplate hanging outside his courtyard. You'll know it at a glance."

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

Lin Chen thanked him, left the Martial Arts Pavilion, and walked toward the southern side of the hall. It did not take long for him to find the courtyard where Instructor Chen lived.

The instructors' courtyards were arranged in rows, somewhat like the row houses of later generations. A wooden plaque hung to the left of the entrance to every courtyard.

"Chen Chunfeng. This is the place."

After confirming that he had found Instructor Chen's courtyard, Lin Chen still knocked politely despite the door being ajar, and he did not peer through the crack.

"Disciple Lin Chen requests an audience with Instructor Chen."

"Lin Chen?"

Soon, a deep voice came from within the courtyard. Yet the voice carried surprise and displeasure. "Come in."

Lin Chen pushed open the door and entered the courtyard. He looked at the goateed man standing inside. Judging by his features, the man seemed to be a few years older than Instructor Yu.

As Lin Chen looked at Instructor Chen, Chen Chunfeng was also sizing him up. Yet after one glance, his expression turned cold.

As the instructor responsible for this cohort of new students, he naturally knew that their hall had another student who, for special reasons, had been placed at Still Water Martial Arts Academy.

He had no objection to Hall Master Qi's arrangement. After all, it did not take up one of the hall's Aperture Opening Pill allocations. It was obvious that Lin Chen had been accepted only because Hall Master Qi was giving face to Inspector Shu.

However, one thing had happened that made him harbor dissatisfaction toward Lin Chen.

Still Water Martial Arts Academy had actually sent an official letter demanding the silver for Lin Chen's Grade A Treatment.

Grade A Treatment was a reward the Martial Arts Administration granted to various martial arts halls for students with potential. Each hall had only five allocations.

He had long since decided which five students would receive those five allocations. How could there possibly be an extra one?

When he received the news, he had nearly exploded with rage. Still Water Martial Arts Academy was using Clearwind Martial Arts Hall's Grade A Treatment allocation to curry favor with Inspector Shu.

If the allocation went to Lin Chen, then one of the hall's five students would have to lose theirs.

In his eyes, that was unfair to those five students!

The hall's preferential treatment of its disciples had always been determined by examination results. Since when had it become a means of fawning on the powerful?

Because of this, he had even argued with Hall Master Qi. But he was merely a minor instructor, with little influence, and had failed to change the outcome.

Then, five days ago, Senior Brother Zhao told him that Inspector Shu had resigned from office and left Poyang County. He went to find Hall Master Qi again, and after a fierce dispute, Hall Master Qi finally agreed to revoke Lin Chen's Grade A Treatment and return the allocation to the disciple he valued.

Now that Lin Chen had come knocking, he had presumably heard the news and wanted to keep the allocation.

Hah!

Using power to oppress others, scrambling and groveling—none of that would work here with him, Chen Chunfeng!