Early morning!
[Name: Lin Chen]
[Occupation: Martial Artist]
[Qi Blood: 4150/5000]
[Life Chart: [Natural Progress]: Martial Arts First Realm, Perseverance, Gradual Progress, Unstoppable, No Bottleneck Problem.]
Since he cultivated Essence Qi, apart from gaining a thousand Qi Blood that day, the daily increase thereafter dropped to 50 points.
The two-day leave given by Instructor Yu had ended, and after notifying his family, Lin Chen headed to the town.
On the way out of the village, the villagers he met greeted him warmly, and Lin Chen responded with a smile, one by one, until he left the borders of Linhu Village, then he quickened his pace.
When he arrived at the Martial Hall, the Martial Arts Arena was extremely deserted, without a single student; he didn't linger there and went straight to Instructor Yu's small courtyard.
Lin Chen knocked on the door, and Instructor Yu's voice came from inside: "Come in."
Opening the courtyard door, Lin Chen glanced around but didn't see Instructor Yu's figure; however, the door of the inner hall was open.
"Look at the papers on the table first," came a voice from inside.
"Yes."
Upon hearing Instructor Yu's instructions, Lin Chen walked to the stone table, picked up the papers on the table, and after a brief glance, he understood why the instructor asked him to check them out first.
The papers contained information about the eight great martial arts halls in the county.
[Iron Blood Martial Arts Hall: Specializes in Iron Collapse Fist, the most ferocious fist technique, with the highest killing power among the eight halls, focusing on overpowering finesse with strength. Every year, Iron Blood Martial Arts Hall has a disciple ranking in the top three at the county martial arts competition.]
Seeing the description of Iron Blood Martial Arts Hall, Lin Chen's pupils shrank. It seemed the Iron Blood Martial Arts Hall was the most formidable, attracting many applicants.
[Annually, the number of disciples enrolling in Iron Blood Martial Arts Hall isn't in the top three because practicing Iron Collapse Fist requires secret medicine as auxiliary, incurring high costs unaffordable for ordinary affluent families.]
Hiss!
Lin Chen winced; the content on the paper was written by Instructor Yu, so "ordinary affluent families," according to him, referred to wealthy people like Zhao Jingchuan in the town.
Even Zhao Jingchuan couldn't afford it, let alone himself.
His gaze dropped.
[Seven Stars Martial Arts Hall: Specializes in Seven Stars Fist. Though not as ferocious as Iron Collapse Fist, it stands out for having accompanying footwork...]
[Mountain Shaking Martial Arts Hall specializes in Horizontal Training Iron Bone Skill, mainly resistant to blows, with a similar drawback to the Iron Blood Martial Arts Hall, requiring secret medicine assistance.]
[Gale Martial Arts Hall focuses on Gale Leg Technique...]
[Cloud Conceal Martial Arts Hall mainly features Body Technique...]
[Mantis Martial Arts Hall: Specializes in Mantis Fist, not as ferocious as Iron Collapse Fist nor as agile as Seven Stars Fist, but excels in Tendon Conditioning and Bone Softening, requiring little secret medicine, winning in steady improvement.]
Lin Chen marked down Mantis Martial Arts Hall, as the instructor's description of it suited him well: spending more time and less money.
[Clear Wind Martial Arts Hall: Specializes in Clear Wind Palm, initially weak but grows stronger later. The advantage is that the cost in the late period isn't much higher than the early period, but the drawback is its initial power is lower than other martial arts hall techniques.]
"Clear Wind Martial Arts Hall can also be added to the shortlist."
[Jingshui Martial Arts Hall: Specializes in Water Cloud Palm, focusing on overcoming hardness with softness. The palm technique is splendid yet beautiful, but unfortunately, its power ranks at the bottom among the eight great martial halls; the advantage is having many female disciples.]
Reading Instructor Yu's description of Jingshui Martial Arts Hall, Lin Chen's mouth twitched slightly, so Jingshui Martial Arts Hall was essentially a school for girls.
…
…
After Lin Chen finished reading about the eight great martial arts halls, Yu Yongnian timely stepped out from the house.
"Finished reading?"
"Disciple has finished reading."
"What are your thoughts?"
Lin Chen pondered for a moment: "Disciple's family is average in wealth; according to the paper's content, Iron Blood Martial Arts Hall and Mountain Shaking Martial Arts Hall aren't suitable for me, whereas Clear Wind and Mantis Martial Arts Halls are more suitable."
Yu Yongnian nodded slightly, with a satisfied expression on his face.
Lin Chen's answer satisfied him.
Not only because he also selected those two for Lin Chen.
What's more, it's because Lin Chen did not become arrogant and lose himself just because he was the first student at the Martial Hall to cultivate Essence Qi.
Although Lin Chen was the first student at the Martial Hall to cultivate Essence Qi, his struggles in the Martial Path did not significantly improve.
A financial struggle!
"The Mantis Fist of the Mantis Martial Arts Hall, although the least expensive to cultivate, is also the weakest among the Eight Great Martial Arts Halls. It's fine for internal competitions among the hall's students, but in matches with students from other halls, you would be at a disadvantage."
"In contrast, the Clear Wind Palm of the Clear Wind Martial Arts Hall may not be strong in the early stages, but once mastered, it could rival the Iron Collapse Fist. Your temperament is quite steady, capable of enduring hardships, making the Clear Wind Martial Arts Hall a good fit for you."
Hearing the instructor's analysis, Lin Chen nodded in agreement. Instructor Yu had indeed put thought into it, recommending the most suitable martial arts hall based on Lin Chen's situation and performance at the Martial Hall.
"Then I will sign up for the Clear Wind Martial Arts Hall."
"I went to the Clear Wind Martial Arts Hall the day before yesterday, and they have agreed to take you in. Today, you can go with me."
Yu Yongnian smiled slightly. He didn't tell Lin Chen that he too had come from the Clear Wind Martial Arts Hall, for fear it would affect Lin Chen's decision.
...
...
A quarter of an hour later, Lin Chen followed Yu Yongnian, riding a horse out of Kaohe Town towards Poyang County.
Lin Chen had never ridden a horse before, but he was now much more agile than an ordinary person. Under Yu Yongnian's guidance, he easily learned to ride, and after traveling a while, he became completely proficient, even increasing his speed.
It typically takes a five two-hour journey by foot from Kaohe Town to Poyang County, and many villagers from Kaohe Town often choose to take a boat to save time.
However, with a horse, the speed is much faster than by boat.
In just one two-hour period, Lin Chen saw the city walls of Poyang County.
The towering city walls are three zhang high.
Lin Chen stood on the horse, gazing at the city gate, where the towering gate tower stood with flying eaves and carved beams, looking magnificent.
The entrance to the gate was bustling with pedestrians and carriages coming and going, and a few soldiers wielding long spears and carrying sharp blades were checking the identity cards of everyone entering the city.
These soldiers had robust Qi Blood and sharp gazes; Lin Chen understood these were likely Opening Acupoints Realm martial artists.
The soldiers guarding the gate were all in the Opening Acupoints Realm, a testament to the flourishing martial arts in Poyang County and throughout Liang.
"Although the gate-keeping soldiers are in the Opening Acupoints Realm, without any accident, they'll have opened around three acupoints in their lifetime, with a few reaching five."
Seeing Lin Chen's interest in these soldiers, Yu Yongnian explained, "Though you haven't opened any acupoints yet, once you join the martial arts hall and receive the Opening Acupoints Pill, you'll be able to enter the Opening Acupoints Realm. In the three years there, you'll at least open five acupoints."
"According to the county government, opening ten acupoints qualifies you for a position at the Government Office with a salary. Otherwise, gate-keeping soldiers only earn from a share of the entry fees, without any salaried positions."
Lin Chen understood the instructor's words—opening ten acupoints to gain a government position equates to being on the payroll, whereas the gate-keeping soldiers are more like contract workers without job security.
As Lin Chen and Yu Yongnian crossed the city gate, the sharp gaze of the soldiers softened, even showing smiles. Lin Chen instinctively nodded slightly in return.
Beside the city gate stood a large wooden box where incoming citizens continually tossed in copper coins.
It's stipulated in Poyang County that locals pay three copper coins to enter the city, while those from other counties pay ten coins. Fees for merchants transporting goods are calculated separately.
Next to the wooden box was a wooden table, with a man placing his saber on it, snacking on melon seeds. Upon seeing Yu Yongnian, he stood up with a smile and cupped his hands in greeting. Then he glanced at Lin Chen, "Looks like Instructor Yu is bringing his beloved disciple to the martial arts hall. Kaohe Town is going to produce another martial arts genius."
"Brother Ge, you are too kind."
Yu Yongnian humbly replied, chatted briefly, and then left with Lin Chen.
Lin Chen understood this must be the only government official with a formal position, having opened at least ten acupoints, possibly more.
After Lin Chen and Yu Yongnian vanished into the street, a soldier curiously asked, "Chief, isn't the martial arts hall recruiting new students next year?"
"What do you know? Those who wait until spring to sign up for martial arts halls won't achieve much in martial arts, ending up similar to you. However, those who can cultivate Essence Qi within a year are recruited early by the Eight Great Martial Arts Halls. They receive the Opening Acupoints Pill and immediately enter the Opening Acupoints Realm, easily opening ten acupoints in three years. By then, they'll reach my level when they leave the hall."
"Opening ten acupoints in three years?" The other soldiers were shocked.
"Chief, isn't it unfair to other students?"
"What do you mean unfair? Those who cultivate Essence Qi within a year usually come from wealthy families, spending no less than sixty or seventy taels of silver, maybe even more. If you had that money, you could also do it. After obtaining the Opening Acupoints Pill and spending a lot of family money, rapid progress is inevitable. Just remember this young man's face and don't offend him—I don't want any trouble."
Hearing this, the young soldier looked a bit forlorn. He trained at the county's martial hall, but due to family misfortunes, he didn't have extra money to continue. He left after a year, taking three years to cultivate Essence Qi.
The martial arts hall enrollment fee was twenty taels, which he couldn't afford. Even if he had that money, he wouldn't spend it on enrollment. After years of savings, he finally opened his acupoints after several more years.
At the beginning of the year, he relied on a distant relative's connection to obtain his current job as a gate-keeping soldier.
For him, the Martial Path had already ended.
PS: Brothers, today at midnight, we're entering a PK (Player Kill) round. Many of you should know that in the same phase, there are 24 new books competing, and only the top eight can advance to the next round. The advancement criteria are based on reader engagement, specifically the number of people reading the latest chapter within 24 hours. If we pass the PK, Jiu Deng will add an extra chapter!