After the old village chief left, Lin Chen took Lu Yongfeng and the other two for a walk around Linhu Village.
The only scenic spot in Linhu Village is Linhu.
Standing by the lake, looking at Poyang Lake shrouded in cold mist, the four of them wore expressions of concern.
"When I went to the martial arts hall, I asked the instructor. Of the ten students in the martial arts hall who received the Opening Acupoints Pill, the earliest one had practiced Essence Qi four months ago."
Lu Yongfeng suddenly spoke, his tone a bit forlorn.
In the Martial Hall, he was undoubtedly the first. Although Lin Chen surpassed him at the last moment, he still had his pride.
However, this trip to the city, compared to those county town aristocratic children, made him realize that the martial arts progress he was proud of was completely disregarded by others.
"Our martial arts hall also has two students who took only seven months to practice Essence Qi," Cheng Ying said in a muffled voice.
"They received the Opening Acupoints Pill early, and now they have opened the Two Acupoints, Three Acupoints, or even more. When we enter the martial arts hall, I'm afraid we'll be just like ordinary students in the Martial Hall, only able to look up to those people, unwilling in our hearts!"
The excitement and joy of practicing Essence Qi within a year were thoroughly dampened after entering the city and witnessing the martial arts progress of those aristocratic children.
Listening to Lu Yongfeng and the other two, Lin Chen frowned; this mentality won't do.
The mentality of Lu Yongfeng and the others reminded him of some classmates he met in school in his previous life. Those top students from the town lost their academic advantage when they entered the county's key high school compared to the city students, becoming discouraged, and eventually giving up, causing their grades to plummet.
"Why should the three of you be so dejected? Just reaching the martial arts hall has already surpassed many peers in martial arts. To put it bluntly, if the three of you are unwilling, have you thought about whether the other students in the Martial Hall are willing?"
Lin Chen's expression was solemn, looking at the three of them: "I don't know what the situation in the Prefecture City is, but I'd imagine that the teenage martial artists there are much stronger than those in the county. If you become discouraged because of this, you might as well become wealthy gentlemen. With the family backgrounds of the three of you, wouldn't it be delightful to have numerous wives and concubines?"
"Senior Brother Lin is right!"
Cheng Ying shouted excitedly, and Lu Yongfeng's eyes also gradually brightened.
If these words were spoken by someone else, they wouldn't be very convincing, but Lin Chen himself was the best example.
"Dare I ask Senior Brother Lin, how did you manage to persist in the Martial Hall back then?"
Lu Yongfeng cupped his fists, formally acknowledging Lin Chen's status as Senior Brother in his heart. Before this, although Zhao Jingchuan and Cheng Ying had already addressed Lin Chen as Senior Brother, he remained unconvinced.
Only after going to the martial arts hall and realizing the gap between himself and the county's aristocratic youths did he develop a sense of timidity, allowing him to understand how remarkable it was for Lin Chen to surpass him and seize first place in the Martial Hall.
This was also why, when Zhao Jingchuan suggested visiting Lin Chen in Linhu Village, he didn't oppose.
"Don't compare yourself to those geniuses, only to yourself. With one step a day, in a hundred days, it's several zhang."
Lin Chen didn't hold back, sharing with them the motivation that kept him going, which moved Lu Yongfeng and the other two.
It's easy to understand but hard to practice!
The reasoning is clear, but persisting is indeed difficult.
"Actually, try to look at everything from a positive side." Lin Chen smiled slightly. Seeing the curious looks of the three, he said, "Not every student in the martial arts hall practices Essence Qi within a year. Many register after practicing it in three years. By comparing more with these students, won't your confidence return?"
Comparing downwards, full of confidence!
The expressions of the three seemed a bit strange. This sounded somewhat off, but upon careful reflection, the logic was sound.
Seeing the thoughtful expressions of the three, Lin Chen also secretly chuckled. He could persist because he had no other options and could only stick to the martial path, with another reason being his Life Chart.
The Life Chart gave him hope.
But Lin Chen believed that even without the Life Chart, he wouldn't give up.
No matter how difficult, he would continue down the martial path.
Lu Yongfeng and the others may not have a Life Chart, but their starting point is already much higher compared to other students in the Martial Hall. So what if they cannot compare to the aristocratic youths in the city?
"Senior Brother Lin speaks rightly. Compared to other students, we are already fortunate. Since we have embarked on the martial path, we should move forward bravely." Lu Yongfeng's eyes shone with fighting spirit.
"We four come from different martial arts halls; why not take this opportunity, before the school starts, to spar with each other and strive for a good position in the martial arts hall competitions every three months?"
Zhao Jingchuan's proposal was agreed upon by Lin Chen and the other three.
It's a good idea.
Entering the martial arts hall, the competitions are practical battles. Lu Yongfeng entered the Seven Stars Martial Arts Hall, Zhao Jingchuan the Cloud Conceal Martial Arts Hall, and Cheng Ying the Gale Martial Arts Hall.
In future competitions, they are sure to encounter disciples from these three martial arts halls, so they might as well practice in advance.
"Senior Brother Lin, allow me to spar with you first."
Lu Yongfeng looked at Lin Chen, who nodded, "Sure."
Seeing Lin Chen and Lu Yongfeng about to engage, Cheng Ying and Zhao Jingchuan were in no hurry. Both were curious who would gain the upper hand between these two.
Senior Brother Lu consistently held the first position in the Martial Hall for several months, except for the last month.
Senior Brother Lin, on the other hand, was consistently at the bottom in the Martial Hall, only putting forth effort in the last two months and finally overtaking everyone for first place.
Moreover, the two had practiced Essence Qi not long apart, so this duel would be worth watching.
"Senior Brother Zhao, who do you think will win?" Cheng Ying asked in a low voice.
"I think Senior Brother Lin will win."
"I actually think Senior Brother Lu can win." Cheng Ying explained, "It's not that I underestimate Senior Brother Lin, but when it comes to the Qi Cultivation breakthrough, Senior Brother Lu and Senior Brother Lin are not far apart in time. Recently, Senior Brother Lu reportedly spent thirty taels and has already touched the second acupoint."
"I still think Senior Brother Lin can win." Zhao Jingchuan smiled slightly, "If you ask me the reason, I can't really say, it's just a feeling..."
Cheng Ying: ...
...
Lin Chen and Lu Yongfeng stood a yard apart, fully focused on each other.
"Senior Brother Lin, please advise!"
As the words fell, Lu Yongfeng stepped forward with his right foot, his body maneuvering so briskly that he appeared in front of Lin Chen in the blink of an eye, throwing a punch from a tricky angle from the left side.
"Good one!"
Lin Chen's eyes narrowed. He had been watching Lu Yongfeng's actions closely, and at the moment when Lu Yongfeng's punch came, he also raised his right hand to meet it head-on.
Bang!
As the fists collided, Lu Yongfeng remained unmoved while Lin Chen took half a step back.
"I said, Senior Brother Lin is at a disadvantage when it comes to Qi Blood."
Cheng Ying muttered, at the early stages of cultivating martial arts techniques, such direct confrontations depend on who has more strength.
"It's just the beginning, let's keep watching. I believe Senior Brother Lin accepted Senior Brother Lu's challenge with this in mind." Zhao Jingchuan still trusted his intuition.
On the field, Lin Chen understood that he was a bit weaker in Qi Blood compared to Lu Yongfeng, but this small gap in Qi Blood wasn't significant.
Facing a punch advantage, Lu Yongfeng hesitated whether to continue. During his hesitation, Lin Chen's palm had already struck.
The speed of this palm was extremely fast, causing Lu Yongfeng to instinctively choose to dodge, stepping back. However, Lin Chen's palm followed swiftly like a continuous breeze, persistently advancing.
Lu Yongfeng could only brace himself, but what he didn't expect was that as soon as he swung his punch, Lin Chen seemed to anticipate it, and his palm strike immediately shifted, precisely landing on a defensive flaw. Lu Yongfeng had no choice but to change his move again to block.
In the back and forth, Lu Yongfeng became exhausted by defense, losing his momentum. If not for his stronger Qi Blood, having several times chosen to directly confront in force, forcing Lin Chen to switch moves, he might have already lost.
Nevertheless, both Cheng Ying and Zhao Jingchuan could see that at this rate, Lu Yongfeng would inevitably be defeated, already fully covered by Lin Chen's palm technique.
With gains and losses, there will eventually be a moment when the defense can't hold.
"Has Senior Brother Lin mastered the Clear Wind Palm?"
Zhao Jingchuan murmured with a tone of disbelief, realizing how quickly Lin Chen had achieved the breakthrough.
"Unbelievable, Senior Brother Lin really is... I now reckon that even if our family backgrounds are better than Senior Brother Lin's, we might still be surpassed by him on the Martial Path." Cheng Ying's eyes widened in shock.
"Junior Brother Cheng, watch your words, it's not surpassed, it's left far behind. The moment Senior Brother Lin cultivated Essence Qi in the Martial Hall, he had already surpassed us." Zhao Jingchuan corrected the flaw in Cheng Ying's words.
"Well... whatever, you're right after all."
...
...
A quarter of an hour later, after taking several palm strikes, as another palm from Lin Chen fell on his left shoulder, Lu Yongfeng finally couldn't bear it anymore, grunted, stumbled back a few steps, and upon raising his arm, it began to tremble, leaving him no choice but to drop it in resignation.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Lin, for showing mercy."
Lu Yongfeng understood that Senior Brother Lin had held back a bit when his palm struck, otherwise, his arm wouldn't just be in pain, but broken.
"Has Senior Brother Lin already mastered the Clear Wind Palm?"
Unable to hold back, Cheng Ying asked, and Lin Chen nodded, not intending to hide his mastery of the Clear Wind Palm.
"Wow, Senior Brother Lin is truly amazing, to have mastered the Clear Wind Palm already."
"What's so difficult about it? Practicing day and night. You, my junior brothers, know my family background isn't as well-off as yours, and I cannot compare with those noble children in the city. On the Martial Path, the only way is through diligent practice."
Lin Chen spoke plainly, but in the eyes of the three including Lu Yongfeng, this was akin to thunder.
The three were not lazy. After obtaining the cultivation technique from the martial hall, they practiced daily for quite a while but still hadn't mastered it.
Mastering it in just eight days makes one realize how significant Lin Chen's words of practicing day and night truly are; he likely devoted every moment except for sleeping to training.
"Let's continue. Since we're having a duel, let's take turns. Junior Brother Lu, have a rest first, then I'll spar with Junior Brother Cheng."
"Alright!"
...
"Junior Brother Zhao, you're up!"
...
Fist Technique, Leg Technique, Palm Technique, Body Technique...
By the lakeside, the four young men practiced diligently, becoming a striking spectacle.
With youthful ambition, they harbored an endless pursuit of martial arts.