Rise from a Low-class Family to Martial Artist-Chapter 110 - 15: Chasing and Striving, Never Wasting Youth

Chapter 110: Chapter 15: Chasing and Striving, Never Wasting Youth

Under the cover of night!

Lin Chen and Fu Ang emerged from the Martial Arts Pavilion, and due to the late hour, they didn’t encounter any students, thus avoiding curiosity and scrutiny.

However, the instructor responsible for the order of the Martial Arts Pavilion at the Mountain Suppressing Martial Arts Hall stopped Lin Chen to ask a lot of questions. It was clear that Lin Chen, having won first place in the martial arts match at the hall, had already made a name for himself among the Eight Great Martial Arts Halls.

In truth, it wasn’t just the Eight Great Martial Arts Halls; since this match was open to the public, it attracted a significant number of onlookers. Even several days later, it remained a hot topic in local teahouses and taverns.

Lin Chen’s name appeared most frequently, and in modern terms, it’s like it topped the trending list.

While the common people discussed the excitement of the fight, many wealthy and influential figures in the county town thought of befriending Lin Chen, but Lin Chen refused them all.

Many invitations from influential figures were sent to the gatekeeper of Jingshui Martial Arts Hall. Although the gatekeeper notified Lin Chen, he pretended not to know, and ultimately, Hall Master Kong intervened and sent all of them back.

Citing his need to focus on his training, Lin Chen declined, allowing the martial arts hall to play the bad guy.

Lin Chen understood clearly that by accepting the invitations from these powerful figures now, he might benefit somewhat. Not to mention, they would likely serve precious bird meats and might even invest in befriending him by gifting silver coins.

But after careful consideration, Lin Chen decided not to interact with these influential figures in the county for the time being.

No one rises early without profit!

These influential figures value his potential and wish to ally with him in advance.

It’s not that he is aloof; if he were to engage with these figures now and accept some favors, it might cheapen himself too much.

Only after reaching the Refining Viscera Realm would be the beginnings of his interactions with these powerful figures in Poyang County. By then, if they want to befriend him, the silver coins offered would be more, and he’d have some say.

Returning to his dormitory, Lin Chen no longer had Fu Ang accompany him, but quietly began to read the secret manual of the Iron Bone Skill.

After reading, Lin Chen’s eyes gleamed with brilliance.

No wonder it’s reputed as the leading Horizontal Cultivation Grade Technique in Poyang County; the power of the Iron Bone Skill is stronger than he imagined, although the difficulty of cultivation is also extremely high.

No wonder the disciples at the Mountain Suppressing Martial Arts Hall progress slower in terms of realm, because the Iron Bone Skill simply cannot be rushed.

The cultivation of the Iron Bone Skill can be described as a process of honing oneself.

The first step in entry is to hammer oneself.

Using both fists alternately, you punch your shoulders, arms, abdomen, and thighs, and you must also adjust your breathing and qi so that your breath matches the rhythm of the punches.

This step stimulates the muscles and bones of the body, increasing their resilience.

No shortcuts can be taken for entry; you must punch step by step until your body fully adapts.

"A hundred years ago, those predecessors walked this path, and now I’m merely retracing the steps of those predecessors. If I can’t withstand this hardship, how can I talk about progressing further on the Martial Path?"

After a brief reflection, Lin Chen calmed his emotions and then lit the firewood in the courtyard stove, starting to heat water.

Hammering oneself needs to be paired with a medicinal bath, otherwise, prolonged punching can damage the body’s bone structure.

The recipe for the entry-level medicinal bath costs one tael of silver for three packs. According to Fu Ang’s explanation, typically, you practice for three two-hour periods daily, and after each period of honing oneself, soak in the medicinal bath for a quarter hour.

While waiting for the water to heat, Lin Chen stood in the courtyard and, according to the qi-running technique recorded in the secret manual of Iron Bone Skill, began to regulate his breathing.

After ten breaths, Lin Chen clenched his fists, slowly raised them, and brought them down on his own arm. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Bam!

The sound of fist colliding with muscle echoed unusually loud in the courtyard, causing his arm to involuntarily tremble.

Unlike the newly entered students at Mountain Suppressing Martial Arts Hall, most of whom have only opened one acupoint or haven’t opened any, with punch strength not considered strong, he has already opened eight acupoints. Even without executing the Clear Wind Palm, his ordinary punch is sufficient with the strength of several thousand pounds.

For the hammering to be effective, it must gradually approach the upper limit of what the body can endure; otherwise, it’s no different from scratching an itch through a boot, having no effect.

In the adjacent dormitory, Fu Ang, who had just lied down on his bed, heard the "bam" sound, and his eyelid twitched—Senior Brother Lin is so ruthless with himself?

He recalled how initially, he progressed step by step, gradually reaching his body’s limit, and this process took almost a quarter of an hour.

Truly a fierce individual who achieved Great Success with the Clear Wind Palm in just three months; Senior Brother Lin’s diligence and intensity make him feel inferior. From tomorrow onward, he too must add an extra hour of training daily.

Today... with night already so deep, he decided to let it go for now.

...

...

Yet a quarter of an hour later, Fu Ang still couldn’t fall asleep; the continuous pounding from next door kept him awake.

"How am I supposed to sleep like this."

Fu Ang, exasperated, climbed out of bed—since he couldn’t sleep, he might as well train for a while longer too.

Senior Brother Lin has just started the Iron Bone Skill, after one two-hour session of training, and after soaking in the medicinal bath, he should rest.

...

...

In the courtyard, Lin Chen was drenched in sweat, his whole body red, sweat constantly sliding down his forehead and cheeks.

Practicing the Iron Bone Skill, even at the introductory level, is far more challenging than the Clear Wind Palm and Water Cloud Palm.

One two-hour period later, Lin Chen felt entirely drained, trudging heavily to the bath barrel, stripped off his only shorts, and directly stepped into the bath.

Hiss!

With skin contacting the medicinal liquid, a spicy stimulation surged through the skin’s pores, causing Lin Chen unprepared, to grimace in pain.

"Oh no, I forgot to tell Senior Brother Lin that the Bone-Forging Nourishing Essence Liquid is extremely spicy, especially when the body is injured. I hope Senior Brother Lin can withstand it."

Hearing no sound from next door, Fu Ang realized Senior Brother Lin must have started the medicinal bath; only then did he recall he had yet to remind Senior Brother Lin that before the bath, it’s best to rinse the body several times with hot water—this makes soaking in the medicinal bath less intense.

Fu Ang stopped practicing; once Senior Brother Lin finishes the medicinal bath, he ought to sleep.

However, just as Fu Ang lay back in bed, sounds came again from the next door, and they were even more frequent than before.

Fu Ang’s eyes widened, showing a look of disbelief. Is Senior Brother Lin still practicing?

Is he made of iron?

He remembered that the first time he practiced Iron Bone Skill for two hours, after a medicinal bath, he was so exhausted that he didn’t even want to move his fingers. Only after sleeping for four hours did he start the second practice.

Lin Chen’s body is naturally not made of iron, but since he chose this path of extreme training, he was prepared to train diligently.

The panel hasn’t even shown the Iron Bone Skill yet, which means he hasn’t even taken the first step.

At least, he needs to train until the panel shows the Iron Bone Skill before he can sleep.

Fu Ang has already mastered Iron Bone Skill and still practices in the next yard.

The Martial Path is not something you can strive for alone.

To walk the road of extreme training, one must strive harder than others.

Bang!

Bang bang!

Bang bang bang!

The rhythmic sounds of beating came one after another, and Fu Ang’s face also showed a resolute expression.

"Senior Brother Lin has just started practicing Iron Bone Skill and is already so diligent. How can I let Senior Brother Lin surpass me, isn’t it just training through the night?"

He got up, left the bed, and returned to the yard.

A dozen breaths later, the sounds of beating from the two yards came one after another. The difference was that Fu Ang no longer used a hammer to strike himself, but instead repeatedly hit his chest against a slab of bluestone erected in the yard.

Silent night, accompanied by the breeze.

...

...

Next morning!

Lin Chen checked the panel first thing.

[Host: Lin Chen]

[Realm: Opening Acupoints Realm (8/24): (5/100)]

[Clear Wind Palm: Perfection]

[Water Cloud Palm: Great Success (0/1)]

[Iron Bone Skill: Not Started (1/100)]

After the Eight Acupoints, the realm growth returned to 5 points, Lin Chen frowned slightly but wasn’t too disappointed.

After the Eight Acupoints, the advantage of Clear Wind Palm in perfection is gone. Without the addition from Clear Wind Palm, a slower progress is normal. With this progress, it is likely that his Life Chart has a gradual benefit; otherwise, it would be even slower.

With this progress, it is roughly twenty days per acupoint, already far exceeding the average breakthrough speed of the hall’s students.

Not minding the progress of opening acupoints, Lin Chen’s gaze fell on the Iron Bone Skill section.

After a night of diligent practice, the panel finally refreshed to show the Iron Bone Skill, which made Lin Chen a bit happy.

The reason for wanting the panel to show the Iron Bone Skill as quickly as possible is very simple.

The Iron Bone Skill is too difficult and painful to practice. With the panel showing progress, the pain is somewhat alleviated.

Visible progress, the joy on a spiritual level, can somewhat alleviate the physical pain.

Last night he forgot how long he practiced, only when dawn began to break and when he was truly out of strength did he go back to the room to rest.

After changing clothes, Lin Chen prepared to go to the hall’s dining hall for a meal. Upon opening the door, he saw Fu Ang coming out of the dormitory as well.

When their eyes met, he saw a fleeting hint of grievance in Fu Ang’s eyes.

Probably seeing things.

"Junior Brother Fu is really diligent. I almost couldn’t hold on yesterday, didn’t expect Junior Brother was still practicing."

Lin Chen sincerely admired Fu Ang’s diligence, given his background, that he practiced even later last night was truly rare.

But it also made him realize even more that Iron Bone Skill is extremely difficult to practice.

With Fu Ang’s diligence, Iron Bone Skill is only at mastery, showing how difficult small success and great success must be.

Fu Ang’s mouth twitched slightly, feeling a bit guilty inside.

It’s not that he endured better than Senior Brother Lin, but he was holding back, refusing to admit defeat.

In the last half hour, he sat in the yard hitting the stone slab with his hand, creating the illusion of training, rather than actually practicing.

"Martial Path, lies in diligence, it’s nothing."

Fu Ang waved his hand nonchalantly, then changing the topic: "Senior Brother Lin probably hasn’t eaten yet, let me take you to taste the delicacies of our hall’s dining hall."

"Sure, thank you, Junior Brother Fu."

"Not a bother at all, I haven’t eaten either."

Fu Ang scratched his head, he had just awoken too. Though his Iron Bone Skill was already mastered, after crazy practice last night, several places on his body were faintly aching.

After the meal, maybe go to the Martial Arts Pavilion to buy some Nourishing Essence Ointment to apply.