Arena.
The arrival of Lin Chen did not cause a stir at the scene.
Out of the twelve arenas, five at the back were empty, while the others had martial artists competing fiercely.
However, arena number three attracted the most onlookers.
The number of spectators was several times that of the other arenas. The two fighters on this arena were both masked, and the reason his attention was drawn was because one of them was using the Water Cloud Palm.
Was it a senior sister from the Jingshui Martial Arts Hall?
Although the martial artist executing the Water Cloud Palm wore a hideous ghost mask, the difference in body shape between male and female was still evident, and coupled with the fact that Water Cloud Palm was being used, Lin Chen estimated it must be a senior sister from the martial arts hall.
The senior sister's Water Cloud Palm moved like flowing water, and the entire arena was filled with palm shadows. Her opponent could only defend continually and was eventually forced off the arena.
"She's quite formidable, defeating four in a row."
"This person's Water Cloud Palm has reached mastery, having opened six acupoints; she should be a student who has been in the martial arts hall for more than two years, not one of the renowned disciples."
The surrounding martial artists speculated about the identity of the female martial artist with the hideous mask. Lin Chen listened to the analysis and felt these guesses were plausible.
The top senior sisters from the previous class had at least opened twelve acupoints, so the realm didn't match.
Excluding the top senior sisters from the previous cohort, if it's a new student, the only one at the martial hall who fits the realm would be Senior Sister Jiang, but Senior Sister Jiang's Water Cloud Palm shouldn't have reached mastery yet.
The proficiency of martial arts techniques can be caught up with over time. As long as one's comprehension isn't extremely poor, it is possible to reach mastery in Water Cloud Palm in a year's time by dedicating effort and energy to it.
This masked senior sister should be a long-standing student of the martial arts hall.
If they've already left the martial arts hall, generally, they wouldn't mask their real identity anymore.
Seeing this senior sister defeat her opponent and sit down to rest, Lin Chen looked away, as he wasn't here at the Martial Arts Garden's arena just to watch the fights.
He came here for two purposes only: one was to increase his actual combat experience, and the other was to aim for the arena master's ten taels of silver prize money.
The first arena had just finished a match.
Lin Chen approached the judge beneath the arena and presented his Martial Arts Garden ID.
The judge was a middle-aged man with a few strands of white hair, which made Lin Chen realize he was likely over forty and starting to experience a decline in Qi blood.
White hair is a sign of declining Qi blood.
"Those in the One Acupoint to Two Acupoints realm may enter the arena. If there is any falsification, disqualification will be enforced, and you will be banned from ever entering the Martial Arts Garden again."
"Thank you for the information, senior."
Even though the judge's Qi blood was declining, Lin Chen didn't dare to underestimate him—not just because the Martial Arts Garden backed him, but also because decline is a process.
At least, Lin Chen knew he wasn't his match right now.
Lin Chen registered his ID number and ascended the first arena. Soon after he got on stage, the previous victor returned.
A young man in his twenties, seeing Lin Chen, sneered coldly, "Another naive martial arts hall brat, I'll defeat you in ten moves."
"Please, go ahead."
Lin Chen said nothing more. The opponent appeared to be twenty-five or twenty-six but had only opened two acupoints, so his achievements in the Martial Path were limited, and his words carried clear hostility toward martial arts hall disciples.
Most likely, he was someone who failed to enter the martial arts hall, or a bottom-tier presence within it, someone with a strong sense of jealousy.
However, Lin Chen did not underestimate him because of this. The opponent had practiced martial arts for at least seven or eight years. As long as he wasn't a fool, his proficiency in cultivation techniques wouldn't be low.
Wu Bin snorted softly, bent his legs then stretched them like an eagle in a torrential storm, leaping instantaneously and arriving before Lin Chen, his right leg sweeping horizontally with a howling sound, aiming straight at vital spots.
Lin Chen moved slightly, like a gentle breeze in the forest, retreating a few steps in the face of Wu Bin's sweeping stance.
"You don't even dare to engage directly, yet you dare to come on stage!"
Seeing Lin Chen retreat, Wu Bin's eyes were filled with disdain, his offensive rose even faster, each kick full of viciousness and impatience. He wanted to defeat Lin Chen within ten moves.
After retreating several paces, with the arena's edge behind, Lin Chen did not panic. The leg technique the opponent was using was unfamiliar to him, but after a few moves, he began to grasp some footing.
The reason he wanted to beat him in ten moves was that this leg technique followed a swift path, and although the offensive remained fierce, precision had slightly dropped.
"Do you only know how to dodge? Are all the martial arts hall disciples such cowards? If you're such a coward, why bother stepping into the arena? Go back to your martial arts hall and play house with your senior brothers."
Seeing Lin Chen evade his attack every time, Wu Bin grew a bit anxious and started mocking him with words.
"As you wish."
Lin Chen murmured softly, and as Wu Bin swept his leg, with residual strength yet to retract, Lin Chen sidestepped easily, then swiftly countered with a backhanded strike, displaying the essence of the Clear Wind Palm brilliantly.
The palm was like a gentle breeze; with it, he moved, landing the perfect strike on Wu Bin's chest.
Pa!
The powerful palm wind forced Wu Bin back repeatedly, and Lin Chen, not giving Wu Bin any respite, flashed forward again, delivering a series of strikes.
Wu Bin was adept at leg techniques, but being closely engaged by Lin Chen, he couldn't bring his legs into play and had to hurriedly punch to defend.
Crack!
The clash of palm and fist left Wu Bin wide-eyed, feeling as though the bones in his hand were jolted out of place.
Catch him when he's down!
If it were a spar at the martial arts hall or a practice session with Lu Yongfeng and the others, Lin Chen would have held back at this point, but against this opponent, he saw no reason to.
The rules of the arena dictate that unless one concedes voluntarily or is forced out of the arena, the match isn't over.
A barrage of three consecutive palms!
Wu Bin was sent crashing off the arena, landing heavily on the ground.
The first arena initially didn't draw much attention, but as Wu Bin landed with a thud, many heads turned to look over.
Was the fight on the first arena this intense?
"Wu Bin actually lost, could this be a new entrant from the Clear Wind Martial Arts Hall, or an old student?"
Wu Bin was quite reputed in the arena, known as the gatekeeper of the first arena.
Having practiced martial arts for ten years, even though his realm wasn't high, his proficiency in cultivation techniques was something new students at the martial halls couldn't match.
"Even if it's a student from the previous class, defeating Wu Bin is commendable."
"Not the best, but more than enough, he must be an older student who diligently practiced cultivation techniques at the martial arts hall."
Most of the martial artists present had modest backgrounds, reaching their current realm more through enduring the passage of time.
Wu Bin climbed up from the ground, glaring at Lin Chen with hatred in his eyes, finally turning away reluctantly.
Lin Chen did not step down from the arena to rest. Against Wu Bin, he hadn't gone all out and didn't need rest.
After the first fight, Lin Chen realized the difference between arena battles and sparring among martial hall students; this was more real and brutal.
But it was precisely this type of combat that stirred his blood, for martial artists, this is what true competition should be, where a loss isn't just a failure, but something that could result in injury.