Chen Chunfeng: I Spoke Too Loudly Just Now

In the courtyard.

Lin Chen stood there as if he were being punished.

He didn't know how he had offended this Instructor Chen. Ever since he entered the courtyard, this Instructor Chen had been staring at him without saying a word, his face so cold it could frost over.

The only possible way he could have offended this Instructor Chen was by not having bowed before him.

It wasn't that he intended to be rude. When he came to the Clearwind Martial Arts Hall to return the Clear Wind Palm manual, that Senior Brother Ma had clearly gone into the backyard to inform the instructor. It was the instructor who didn't want to see him.

"How many apertures have you opened?"

After a long while, Chen Chunfeng finally spoke, his voice cold.

"This disciple has currently opened two apertures, but within ten days, this disciple is confident of opening the third."

Lin Chen looked up and answered truthfully.

The last sentence wasn't him boasting. Ever since the Clear Wind Palm reached the proficient level, every time he took a Nourishing Aperture Pill to cultivate, he could already feel a tingling sensation in his third aperture, located in his right shoulder.

Based on his experience with the first two apertures, this meant he was not far from Aperture Opening. Ten days was a conservative estimate; it was very possible he would open the third aperture within three to five days.

"Confident of opening three apertures?"

Chen Chunfeng chuckled. He really dared to say it.

Among the five students he had given Grade A Treatment spots to, the strongest had already opened five apertures, and the lowest had opened four.

"This disciple's family background is average, I can't compare to my senior brothers."

Lin Chen heard the sarcasm in Instructor Chen's tone. He didn't understand why Instructor Chen harbored such malice towards him, but he still offered an explanation.

"So, because you received an award from the Martial Arts Administration at the Martial Arts Hall back then, you're scheming and speculating, not focusing on practicing martial arts, and thinking that by cozying up to Inspector Shu, you can go far on the Martial Path?"

Chen Chunfeng showed no mercy to Lin Chen: "This instructor tells you, students like you will absolutely not go far on the Martial Path. Those who can go far on the Martial Path are never those who curry favor and scheme!"

"This disciple doesn't quite understand what Instructor Chen means!"

Lin Chen frowned. He wasn't so naive as to believe that every instructor he encountered on the Martial Path in the future would treat him like Instructor Yu.

One would not encounter more than three noble people like Instructor Yu in their lifetime.

But he felt he hadn't offended this Instructor Chen, so why had he become someone who curried favor and schemed in the other party's eyes?

He respected the instructors at the Martial Arts Hall, but that didn't mean he could accept such an insult from this Instructor Chen.

"Don't understand?" Chen Chunfeng's face was full of disgust: "Tell me, you still haven't opened three apertures. When you went to the Still Water Martial Arts Academy, you were probably still at two apertures. Why would the Still Water Martial Arts Academy give you a Grade A Treatment spot? Each Martial Arts Hall only has five Grade A Treatment spots, why did it fall to you?"

Only five Grade A Treatment spots?

Lin Chen was a little surprised. This was something he truly hadn't expected. He had thought that every student who received an Aperture Opening Pill was eligible for Grade A Treatment.

So, that Hall Master Kong had given him this treatment because of his diligence in the Martial Path.

"This disciple truly did not know that there are only five Grade A spots. Hall Master Kong of the Still Water Martial Arts Academy giving this disciple a spot was because when this disciple took the entrance exam at the Martial Arts Hall, this disciple had cultivated the Clear Wind Palm to the proficient stage. This disciple assumes Hall Master Kong gave the spot for this reason..."

Lin Chen recounted the situation when Hall Master Kong had led the new students to face the old students.

"When you entered the Martial Arts Hall, you had already cultivated the Clear Wind Palm to the proficient stage?"

Chen Chunfeng's face showed obvious suspicion. He thought Lin Chen was lying. The reason he said this was very likely because Lin Chen had only now cultivated the Clear Wind Palm to the proficient stage.

Cultivating the Clear Wind Palm to proficient in two months was enough to prove his diligence.

Thinking that Lin Chen was somewhat diligent, Chen Chunfeng's expression softened slightly, but this alone wasn't enough to qualify for Grade A Treatment.

"Since you have the heart to practice martial arts diligently, you should..."

"This disciple came to the Martial Arts Hall this time to report this disciple's progress on the Martial Path to the instructor."

Lin Chen directly interrupted Chen Chunfeng. He didn't want any misunderstandings or awkward "face-slapping" scenes. Compared to that, what he needed more was to exchange his displayed talent for resources.

"Progress?" Chen Chunfeng was stunned. With less than three apertures opened, what progress was there to report?

"Not long ago, this disciple cultivated the Clear Wind Palm to the mastery level."

Chen Chunfeng's pupils contracted: "Do you know what you're saying?"

In two months, the Clear Wind Palm had reached the initial stage. In his years as a Martial Arts Hall instructor, he had never encountered a student with such martial arts talent.

"This disciple has not lied. If Instructor Chen doesn't believe it, this disciple can demonstrate the Clear Wind Palm on the spot."

Seeing Lin Chen's confident expression, Chen Chunfeng hesitated. After a long while, he said, "Alright, demonstrate it for me to see."

If the Clear Wind Palm had reached the mastery stage, it could be judged from the palm strikes; it couldn't be faked.

Lin Chen didn't hesitate and struck out with a palm.

Whoosh!

As his hand moved, the sound of wind whistling was extremely obvious.

"That's enough!"

Watching Lin Chen strike three consecutive palms, Chen Chunfeng called a halt.

As an instructor of the Clearwind Martial Arts Hall, he naturally understood the Clear Wind Palm extremely well. From these three palms, it was clear that Lin Chen had indeed cultivated the Clear Wind Palm to the mastery stage.

"Good, good, good!"

Chen Chunfeng uttered three "good"s in succession, a smile appearing on his face, no longer cold as before, and his gaze towards Lin Chen was filled with warmth.

What a good prospect.

The Martial Arts Hall hasn't had a student with such a high degree of compatibility with Clear Wind Palm in recent years.

Based on Lin Chen's progress, there's hope he can cultivate Clear Wind Palm to perfection within three years.

"Ahem, Lin Chen, I was too hasty earlier. Before I met you, I already had a bias against you. This was my fault, don't take it to heart."

Seeing Instructor Chen's rapid change in demeanor, a world of difference from before, Lin Chen's mouth twitched slightly, but his impression of Instructor Chen also improved somewhat.

To be able to admit to a student's face that he was too hasty and even apologize showed that Instructor Chen had excellent teaching ethics.

"I understand, Instructor. I should have come to see you sooner and explained the situation so this misunderstanding wouldn't have occurred."

"A mistake is a mistake, you don't need to make excuses for me."

Chen Chunfeng stepped forward and patted Lin Chen's shoulder. He was now genuinely delighted to have found such a talent and was very satisfied with Lin Chen.

"Why have you come to the Martial Arts Hall now?"

"I want to learn another skill. I just went to the Martial Arts Pavilion and chose the Flying Swallow Art. I'd like to ask Instructor Chen if it's suitable?"

"Cultivate another skill?"

Chen Chunfeng was about to blurt out that new students should focus their energy on Clear Wind Palm, but then he remembered that Lin Chen had already cultivated Clear Wind Palm to proficiency. It was indeed time for him to explore other skills.

Once Clear Wind Palm reached the proficiency stage, diligent practice alone was useless. It required more insight, and that insight could only be gained through one's own understanding. As an instructor, he could only offer guidance.

However, Lin Chen's instructor in the Martial Arts Hall was Junior Brother Yu. He likely guided Lin Chen privately; otherwise, it would have been impossible for Lin Chen to reach the proficiency stage so quickly through just hard work.

"The Flying Swallow Art can be combined with Clear Wind Palm, but the difficulty of cultivating the Flying Swallow Art is higher than other ordinary skills. Among many ordinary skills, its difficulty ranks among the top. If you decide to cultivate the Flying Swallow Art, you must be mentally prepared."

"Thank you for informing me, Instructor. I've still decided to cultivate the Flying Swallow Art."

Lin Chen wasn't afraid of difficulty; he had his comprehension boost.

"Alright, since you've chosen the Flying Swallow Art, I'll demonstrate it for you to see. Watch closely."

Chen Chunfeng was very satisfied with Lin Chen's choice. A martial artist should face challenges head-on.

Back then, he had also chosen the Flying Swallow Art.

"The technique of the Flying Swallow Art lies in being as light as a swallow, using a burst of breath to leap. First move: Swallow Returns to Nest."

As his voice fell, Chen Chunfeng's body slightly crouched, his feet lightly tapping the ground. He leaped up quickly like a swallow returning to its nest, completing a nimble turn in the air before landing steadily.

With a single leap, he covered a distance of ten zhang, leaving Lin Chen wide-eyed with astonishment.

"With your current realm, you naturally can't achieve this distance. The distance depends on your own realm. The difficulty lies in the body adjustment when turning in the air after leaping."

"Next is the second move: Shadow Piercing Through Woods..."

This time, Chen Chunfeng's figure didn't leap up. Instead, he turned and moved forward rapidly. As he moved, his body was as elusive as a shadow.

After six consecutive demonstrations, Lin Chen, in addition to his shock, also had a look of contemplation on his face.

Instructor Chen's demonstration had deepened his understanding of the Flying Swallow Art by several points.

Half an hour later, Lin Chen left Instructor Chen's courtyard and the Clearwind Martial Arts Hall.

Chen Chunfeng watched Lin Chen walk out of the courtyard, the smile on his face instantly turning into a wry smile: "There are only five Grade A Treatment spots in total. How should they be allocated now?"

"Forget it, I'll leave this headache to Hall Master Qi and the others!"