"Junior Brother Lin, our Capital City Martial Arts Academy is the oldest among the Five Great Martial Arts Academies of Liang. It used to be the United Martial Arts Academy, and its current location is precisely where the United Martial Arts Academy was back in the day."
By the lakeshore of Linhu Village, Lin Chen was sending off Ye Jie and Ye Feng, the sister and brother.
Before boarding the boat, Ye Jie looked at Lin Chen with a smile. Lin Chen was such a promising talent, and it wouldn’t be long before he went to the Martial Arts Academy. She was leaving a good impression for her academy in advance.
"If you are willing, Lin Chen, once you reach the Capital City, I will inform the instructors of your situation, and I believe they will allow you to bypass the entrance examination and directly become an academy disciple."
Her younger brother needed to pass the academy’s entrance exam to join the Capital City Martial Arts Academy, but since Lin Chen could already make a name for himself on Martial Arts Mountain, it was naturally unnecessary.
"Thank you, Senior Sister Ye. I haven’t yet decided which academy to go to, but the Capital City Martial Arts Academy is indeed a place I aspire to."
Lin Chen naturally put on a convincing act, and the Capital City Martial Arts Academy wasn’t bad. He indeed had the possibility of going there.
"Alright then, Senior Sister will be waiting for Junior Brother Lin at the Capital City Martial Arts Academy."
Ye Jie knew that Lin Chen wouldn’t immediately agree, so after a few more words, she boarded the boat and left.
After watching Ye Jie and Ye Feng’s departure, Lin Chen didn’t rush home but instead walked towards the village entrance.
At the entrance of Linhu Village, what used to be a dirt path had been replaced with a bluestone pavement. The giant rock with the words "Linhu Village" carved on it had also been replaced with a new one, and opposite this rock stood a stone stele with gold-painted edges.
The Martial Refinement Stele!
This was the first time Lin Chen saw this Martial Refinement Stele after returning to the village.
According to the village chief, when the stele was erected, the Lord Prefect personally came with many people, and numerous dignitaries from the city also attended, making the entrance of Linhu Village extremely crowded. The villagers from the surrounding areas were envious.
It was the most glorious day recorded in the village’s history since Linhu Village had a genealogy.
"Chen!"
At the village entrance, there was a villager standing there. Seeing Lin Chen approach, he immediately came forward to greet him.
"Uncle Cun, what are you doing here?"
"The village chief arranged for me to guard this stone stele awarded to you by the government office. We can’t let those rascals in the village pee on it. This is our village’s glory."
Lin Chen chuckled. Indeed, the mischievous children in the village liked to do such things.
Even though their elders would instruct and remind them at home, there would always be a few disobedient troublemakers.
"Did the village chief ask you to guard it all the time, Uncle Cun?"
"I wouldn’t mind guarding it all the time. The village pays thirty cents a day. But this job is typically assigned to the women in our village, a different household each day. If someone’s unavailable, they switch with another family. My wife had a stomachache today, so I had to come here and substitute for her."
Thirty cents a day!
That income wasn’t trivial in Linhu Village, especially for the women in the village. If given a chance, the villagers would be eager to guard it every day.
It seemed the village had made quite a bit of money from selling grave plots.
"Chen, we still have to thank you. The village chief said that in the future, the kids from our village can all go to the Martial Arts Hall. The Martial Affairs Office has issued a document that the kids from our village can continue to attend the Martial Arts Hall without paying tuition. The village chief calculated that next year, a dozen or so kids from our village will attend the Martial Arts Hall."
"A dozen?"
Lin Chen was a bit surprised. How many people were there in the village in total? Were there that many teenagers of appropriate age?
"Many were originally from our village but moved away. They’ve moved back recently." Seeming to sense Lin Chen’s confusion, Uncle Cun explained.
"I see. That’s a good thing; it means our village will be more prosperous."
The ones who left were returning. Lin Chen believed that the old village chief had his reasons for agreeing. Given the old village chief’s nature, he would never do something unprofitable.
With Uncle Cun guarding the village entrance, Lin Chen didn’t stay long there. The words on the Martial Refinement Stele were full of praises for him. Staring at such compliments under others’ eyes felt a bit thick-skinned for him.
Shortly after returning home, Lu Yongfeng, Zhao Jingchuan, and Cheng Ying arrived together.
Seeing the three, Lin Chen was very pleased. The four brothers chatted for a period, and Lin Chen was happy for Lu Yongfeng and the others as they had opened their ten acupoints.
"Senior Brother Lin, we’re planning to seek a job at the government office."
Opening ten acupoints allows one to seek a job at the government office, which is stipulated by the County Government Office.
Considering Lu Yongfeng and the others’ family situations, relying solely on family funds wasn’t enough to continue progressing on the Martial Path. They would have to find a way to earn their own money.
"That’s a good plan. Do you need me to have a word with Chief Qi on your behalf?"
Lin Chen was willing to lend a hand to his junior brothers like Lu Yongfeng. He never considered himself selflessly altruistic. As for whether Lu Yongfeng and the others getting into the government office would take opportunities away from other martial artists, it wasn’t his concern.
In the words of a previous life, if I rose up, even the village dog would get a position.
Even though he wasn’t that exaggerated, he still felt the need to help when he could.
"Brother Lin has already introduced us to Chief Qi, and everything has been discussed."
Zhao Jingchuan smiled slightly. In his eyes, Brother Lin was Lin Xiuyong. Although Lin Xiuyong’s Martial Arts Realm was not as advanced as theirs, he was a few years older and not a disciple of the Martial Hall, so naturally, they could not call each other junior or senior brothers.
"Brother Lin is a good person, it’s worth staying in touch with him more often."
Lin Chen nodded. Lin Xiuyong had already passed the prime age for cultivation and didn’t have much ambition in the Martial Path anymore. He might only open a dozen or so acupoints in his lifetime. By saying this, Lin Chen meant that Junior Brother Lu and the others should keep in touch with Lin Xiuyong. In the future, when they hold important positions in the government offices, they could take care of Lin Xiuyong.
Half an hour later, Lu Yongfeng and the others got up to leave, and Lin Chen saw them off at the doorstep.
"Senior Brother Lu, Senior Brother Zhao, didn’t you notice that Senior Brother Lin’s demeanor has become different?" Cheng Ying couldn’t help but speak as they left Linhu Village and got on the boat.
"Indeed, there’s something different. Now, facing Senior Brother Lin feels like facing the Hall Master and the Instructors." Zhao Jingchuan agreed.
"Senior Brother Lin hasn’t become estranged from us; it’s the natural aura of a Martial Artist. As Senior Brother Lin’s strength grows, this sense of pressure will only become stronger."
"Senior Brother Lu, I didn’t say Senior Brother Lin is distant from us, don’t misunderstand."
"I understand what you’re saying, Junior Brother Cheng. I only meant to let you mentally prepare yourself because maybe in a year or two, when we meet Senior Brother Lin again, we might have to think twice before speaking."
Lu Yongfeng smiled wryly, regretting that he once thought he could catch up with Senior Brother Lin. It’s like a firefly trying to compete with the bright moon, utterly knowing his limits.
"Not necessarily. Senior Brother Lin is not that type of person. Didn’t you notice just now, when he sensed our unease, he made sure to follow our lead in conversation, allowing us to relax?"
Zhao Jingchuan had a different view from Lu Yongfeng. At first, they were indeed a bit nervous facing Senior Brother Lin, but Senior Brother Lin deliberately talked about the interesting things in the Martial Hall with them to help them relax. This is what sets Senior Brother Lin apart from other geniuses.
He believed that even if Senior Brother Lin entered the ranks in the future, or even became a high official in the Imperial Court, he would remain unchanged.
After Lu Yongfeng and the others left, there were no more visitors in Linhu Village. Lin Chen began to continue his training in the back mountains. He had a premonition that in about fifteen days, he might break through to the Opening of twenty acupoints.
The next day, Lin Chen awaited the arrival of his teacher.
"How did it feel returning home in glory this time?"
Jia Nanzhu arrived directly by boat to Linhu Village without alerting anyone in Poyang County. He didn’t want to steal Lin Chen’s spotlight at yesterday’s welcome banquet by disembarking at Raozhou Prefecture.
If he were present, the main table would inevitably be his.
Lin Chen deserved this honor, and this would be a scenario Lin Chen would face multiple times in the future.
Experiencing this early on would help prevent him from losing himself in others’ flattery and praise in the future.
"It’s exhausting but somewhat proud."
Lin Chen answered honestly. No wonder so many people love returning home in glory. The praise from one’s fellow villagers is far more emotionally stirring than that from outsiders.
This might have something to do with him being from the South in his past life.
"Haha, many people wish they could always be so exhausting; who wouldn’t want to be under the spotlight, the center of attention?"
Jia Nanzhu was not displeased by Lin Chen’s answer; he had been through it, so he understood the feeling.
"However, the glory is now in the past, and for you, the next stage of your Martial Path begins. I’ve brought you all the resources needed for your Opening Acupoints Realm advancement. Strive to break through to the Refining Viscera Realm in the next half year."
Jia Nanzhu had made plans for Lin Chen’s training progress. Lin Chen was currently at nineteen opened acupoints. Reaching twenty-four acupoints means five more acupoints need to be opened, with the aim of opening one acupoint about every month and then breaking through to the Refining Viscera Realm within two months.
This progress matches the cultivation speed of aristocratic families’ descendants.
As one progresses further in the Opening Acupoints Realm, the speed decreases. Many aristocratic descendants might break through several acupoints in a month in the early stages, but later the speed slows down. And reaching twenty-four acupoints generally requires two to three months before breaking through to Refining Viscera.
Even though he stated half a year, Jia Nanzhu’s longest timeframe in mind for Lin Chen to break through to Refining Viscera was nine months.
As long as the breakthrough to Refining Viscera is achieved within nine months, it’s acceptable since Lin Chen is on the Extreme Martial Arts Path, which naturally makes Realm breakthroughs more challenging than others.
"Disciple will give my utmost effort."
With half a year and ample training resources, Lin Chen didn’t find it difficult. His Realm breakthroughs had already visibly accelerated, reduced from the original one month to about twenty days, and the remaining few acupoints would only get faster; he might break through to the Refining Viscera Realm within three months.
"Teacher, on my way back to Poyang County, I encountered disciples from the Qingyun Martial Arts Academy."
Lin Chen recounted the situation of encountering those two Qingyun Martial Arts Academy disciples at Poyang Lake. Jia Nanzhu also frowned: "The disciples of Qingyun Martial Arts Academy are actually so arrogant. In that case, just don’t choose Qingyun Martial Arts Academy. The other academies are not inferior to Qingyun Martial Arts Academy. You’ve made a name on Martial Arts Mountain; any other academy would be glad to recruit you."
Jia Nanzhu pondered for a moment and continued, "Since you’ve already been approached by disciples of a Martial Arts Academy, let me tell you about the Five Great Martial Arts Academies."
Originally, Jia Nanzhu planned to discuss the Five Great Martial Arts Academies with Lin Chen after academy representatives approached him, but now it seemed he could inform Lin Chen in advance, allowing him to have a good idea.
"The Five Great Martial Arts Academies, excluding the Demon-slaying Martial Arts Academy and Canglan Martial Arts Academy, the other three academies all split from the United Martial Arts Academy. The United Martial Arts Academy was the first academy established after the founding of our Liang dynasty, and its establishment was, in fact, a necessity at the time."

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