The Difficulty of Martial Arts, Harder Than Reaching the Heavens

The next evening, at the River Gazing Pavilion in the inner city, inside the Wave-Listening Chamber.

Built right along the river, the view from the window revealed the Ping River winding its way through the landscape; as the lanterns were lit at dusk, the scenery was quite exquisite.

The private room was elegantly furnished, and a sumptuous banquet had already been laid out.

When Lin Qing arrived with Zhang Shun, several people were already inside.

Sitting in the main seat was a young man of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, possessing a handsome face and a gentle temperament, with a smile on his lips that felt as refreshing as a spring breeze.

It was none other than the head senior brother of the Iron Thread Fist Martial Hall, Qi Yunfei.

He sat there quietly.

Yet he naturally became the center of attention for everyone present.

As for the others, Lin Qing recognized most of them or had at least heard of them.

Sitting to the lower left of Qi Yunfei was the second senior brother, Feng Jianyun, the man with the frivolous air who had been instructing Liu Ying that day.

Today, he wore a bright red silk shirt, which made him appear even more flamboyant.

There was also the third senior sister, Zhao Hongxiu, a woman with a beautiful face but a heroic spirit between her brows. Because she usually buried herself in diligent practice, one rarely saw her.

Then there was the fourth senior brother, Zhang Shun, who had only recently been promoted to the inner sect.

And sitting to the lower right of Qi Yunfei, wearing a pale pink gauze dress that set off her snow-white skin, bright eyes, and pearly teeth, was Liu Ying.

Seeing Zhang Shun bring Lin Qing in, Qi Yunfei was the first to look up, his gaze landing on Lin Qing with a gentle, smiling nod.

"This must be Junior Brother Lin, right?"

"I have often heard Zhang Shun mention that your comprehension is outstanding and your progress quite rapid."

"Seeing you today, you truly possess an extraordinary bearing."

His voice was calm, carrying a comfortable sense of approachability.

"Senior Brother is too kind; this humble one is unworthy of such praise."

Lin Qing quickly cupped his hands in a salute, his attitude neither servile nor overbearing.

Qi Yunfei smiled and said nothing more, the greeting concluded.

However, aside from that ritualistic acknowledgment from Qi Yunfei.

The others at the table, including the third senior sister Zhao Hongxiu, merely glanced at Lin Qing casually before returning to their own conversations or laughing with those beside them.

Clearly, they did not hold this suddenly appearing outer sect disciple in any high regard.

The hierarchy within the martial hall was strict.

The inner sect and the outer sect were practically two different worlds.

Zhang Shun seemed to have expected this and did not mind.

He pulled Lin Qing to sit at the end of the table, then smiled at Liu Ying: "Junior Sister Liu, let me introduce this young talent to you."

"This is Junior Brother Lin Qing. Although he entered the hall a bit late, his comprehension is extremely high, and he has already mastered the Iron Thread Fist to a divine level; he is truly the cream of the crop among us outer sect disciples." He gave a thumbs up.

Upon hearing this, Liu Ying's bright eyes finally turned toward Lin Qing, carrying a hint of scrutiny.

She saw that Lin Qing's figure was upright, and while his face was not exceptionally handsome.

His features were well-defined, his gaze bright, and he possessed an inherent air of composure.

At first glance, her impression was not bad.

She nodded slightly as a greeting, her voice crisp and pleasant:

"Liu Ying, greetings to Senior Brother Lin."

"Greetings, Junior Sister Liu." Lin Qing returned the salute calmly.

Liu Ying spoke seemingly at random, her tone carrying a trace of the superiority typical of inner sect disciples.

"I heard from Senior Brother Zhang that Senior Brother Lin's fist technique has reached a divine level; that is truly rare."

"I wonder what your current martial cultivation level is, and what your aptitude is?"

She did not ask about his family background directly.

But the subsequent questions already implied that layer of meaning.

Lin Qing's expression remained unchanged as he replied frankly: "I was fortunate enough to break through to Skin Refining not long ago. My aptitude is merely average, I'm afraid I've let you down, Junior Sister."

"Average aptitude?"

A trace of imperceptible surprise flashed in Liu Ying's eyes.

Immediately, her expression took on a faint sense of detachment.

With average aptitude, being able to break through to Skin Refining in just over two months and mastering the fist technique to a divine level was indeed a sign of good comprehension.

But that was all it was.

On the path of martial arts, the further one went, the more important aptitude and resources became.

With mediocre aptitude, it was almost fated that he would struggle to reach the pinnacle.

As for his family background, though she did not ask further, seeing Lin Qing's plain attire and his origins from an outer-city apothecary, she assumed it could not provide much assistance.

A judgment formed in her mind in an instant.

This person might have some potential, but his ceiling was low; he was not worth much attention.

Thus, she merely offered a polite smile and said, "Senior Brother Lin is certainly commendable for his diligence."

Having said that, she did not spare Lin Qing another glance, turning instead to converse in low tones with Qi Yunfei beside her, occasionally letting out crisp laughter.

Seeing this, Zhang Shun wanted to put in a few more words for Lin Qing, smiling as he said to the group, "Senior brothers and sisters, don't underestimate my Junior Brother Lin. He is actually..."

"Ah, Junior Brother Zhang."

Before he could finish, he was interrupted by the Second Senior Brother, Feng Jianyun.

Feng Jianyun cast a sidelong glance at Lin Qing, a mocking smile curling his lips as he swirled the wine cup in his hand, his voice tinged with superiority.

"Junior Brother Zhang, I know you have a heart for mentoring newcomers."

"However, on this path of martial arts, aptitude, resources, and comprehension are all indispensable."

"To have only comprehension is, in the end, building a castle in the air; one cannot go far."

His gaze swept over the people present before finally landing on Qi Yunfei, his tone filled with admiration.

"Take the Eldest Senior Brother, for example. With top-tier aptitude, extraordinary talent, and the master's full instruction, is he not still stuck at the Organ Cleansing realm, unable to glimpse the gateway to the Blood Refining realm?"

"It just goes to show that the difficulty of martial arts is harder than ascending to the blue heavens!"

Feng Jianyun then pointed to himself and the others: "Even for us, all possessing at least superior aptitude and supported by our families with daily medicinal baths for body tempering, are we not mostly still lingering in the Bone Forging Realm?"

"Especially the Third Senior Sister, who has superior aptitude yet has twice failed to break through to Organ Cleansing."

"How much more so for Junior Brother Lin, with his average aptitude and ordinary background..."

He shook his head, though he did not state it explicitly.

The contempt in his unfinished words was already overflowing.

The atmosphere at the table grew slightly stagnant.

The Third Senior Sister, Zhao Hongxiu, frowned slightly, seemingly feeling that Feng Jianyun had gone too far, but she did not speak up.

The Eldest Senior Brother, Qi Yunfei, maintained his smile as if he hadn't heard, though a flicker of indifference passed through the depths of his eyes.

Zhang Shun's expression was awkward; he opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing more.

Lin Qing sat at the end of the table, listening with a calm expression.

It was as if the person Feng Jianyun was talking about was not him at all.

He even picked up his wine cup and took a light sip, savoring the sharp burn of the liquor.

There was no anger in his heart, only a rare sense of clarity.

Though Feng Jianyun's words were grating, they were the naked reality of this world.

These disciples from prominent families, with the exception of Zhang Shun and Zhao Hongxiu, were all born into comfort and raised on praise; naturally, they had their pride.

But he, Lin Qing, had never lived by the evaluations of others.

He had his own path to walk.

The slights of today.

Might one day become the stepping stones beneath his feet.

Seeing that Lin Qing still did not speak or react, the smile in Feng Jianyun's eyes grew even wider.

After all, Zhang Shun bringing Lin Qing here and introducing him to Junior Sister Liu Ying had already touched his raw nerve.

"Junior Brother Zhang, I'm sure Junior Sister Liu Ying appreciates your good intentions," Feng Jianyun drawled, dragging out his tone.

"However, there are some circles that cannot be entered simply by relying on a bit of comprehension and hard work."

"As one climbs the path of martial arts, the further one goes, the more it depends on one's foundation. Do you know what an ordinary martial artist needs to break through the Third Barrier, the Bone Forging Realm?"

Feng Jianyun stared directly at Lin Qing with a naked, piercing gaze.

"Please enlighten me, Senior Brother Feng."

Lin Qing cupped his hands in a salute.

He truly harbored curiosity in his heart.

This information, which was difficult for ordinary people to uncover, was precisely the reason he had come here today.