"You delivered a palm strike; I’ll return the favor with one myself."
Jiang Duanchao’s raised right hand didn’t withdraw. His right hand rotated, his figure transformed into an afterimage on the spot, and in the blink of an eye, he was before Lin Chen. His right palm came crashing down like a stormy wave. Lin Chen’s pupils contracted, his toes touching the ground. Without moving his feet, his upper body shifted half a step to the left, avoiding the incoming strike while simultaneously executing the second move of the Wind and Cloud Palm with his right hand.
"Not a slow reaction."
A look of admiration flashed in Jiang Duanchao’s eyes. The boy’s speed and reflexes were commendable, but what impressed him most was his ability to spot the flaw in his strike in such a short time.
However, in the face of an absolute power gap, it ultimately proved futile.
Jiang Duanchao raised his eyebrows slightly, his palm continuously striking like cold plum blossoms bursting in snow, each Qi Force accurately hitting the points where Lin Chen’s old strength waned.
Lin Chen was forced to retreat continuously, having no choice but to defend passively. If not for his mastery of the Mountain Suppressing Chart to the Second Layer, he would have already lost by now.
Seeing Lin Chen being pushed back by her own father, Jiang Qing clenched the corners of her dress, her knuckles turning white, her face filled with worry.
"I can’t keep being beaten passively like this."
After a dozen moves, Lin Chen resolved to stop hiding his strength. The Qi and Blood within him completely released, beginning to circulate madly. As his Qi and Blood circulated, a red glow shimmered across his entire body.
The acceleration in the circulation of Qi and Blood increased Lin Chen’s speed, finally allowing him to keep pace with Jiang Duanchao’s palm strikes.
Pa!
Another clash of palms occurred. This time, Jiang Duanchao’s pupils contracted slightly. The collision of their Palm Wind stirred the surrounding fallen leaves into a whirlwind.
As the dust settled, Jiang Duanchao returned his hand to his back, subtly trembling out of Lin Chen and Jiang Qing’s sight. How did the boy’s power suddenly surge so much?
This power had already surpassed his own.
No wonder you could defeat Pei Qingming on Martial Arts Mountain—truly impressive.
But Lin Chen was unconcerned about Jiang Duanchao’s shock. No longer hiding his strength, his Wind and Cloud Palm continued relentlessly, one strike after another. Jiang Duanchao furrowed his brows, stepping sideways for the first time.
Step by step.
"This kid is cunning; he deliberately hid his strength earlier!"
Watching the now aggressive Lin Chen, Jiang Duanchao immediately realized he’d been duped. If the boy had fought with full force from the start, Jiang Duanchao would have immediately raised his power level. But after exchanging over a dozen moves, if he suddenly elevated his strength now, the boy would surely notice.
Is he betting I won’t blatantly increase my strength in front of him?
Still so naive!
"Not bad, this is getting interesting. Earlier, I fought you with the power of Opening the Acupoints at fifteen points; now I can raise it to sixteen."
Jiang Duanchao laughed loudly. Although his aura did not visibly increase, his palm wind directly tore through Lin Chen’s Palm Wind, like a cold spear piercing Lin Chen’s hand.
"Damn, did he just elevate by One Acupoint?"
Feeling the force of the Palm Wind, Lin Chen inwardly cursed. The power had doubled; he felt as if his palm had struck a spear tip, with the force of the spear probing directly through his palm into his arm.
The Qi and Blood that had been wildly circulating within him instantly scattered, churned by the invading force.
Stumbling back multiple steps, Lin Chen barely steadied himself, a metallic taste rising in his throat. Yet, at the last moment, he swallowed it down.
"Remarkable kid, he endured my strike at Opening the Acupoints of twenty-four points without spitting blood."
Jiang Duanchao maintained a calm expression, though he was inwardly surprised. Even Pei Qingming at Opening the Acupoints of twenty-point strength would have spat a mouthful of blood taking such a strike.
No, he must be made to spit blood today.
Jiang Duanchao prepared to strike again, but Lin Chen swallowed the blood rising in his throat and cupped his fists, saying, "Thank you, Uncle Jiang, for your guidance. This junior has comprehended."
Comprehended?
Did you really comprehend something?
Nonsense!
Jiang Duanchao paused upon hearing Lin Chen’s words, quickly realizing the boy’s cunning. Knowing he intended to strike hard, the boy decided not to fight anymore.
"You’ve become so shameless; I’d be a fool to continue fighting."
Lin Chen muttered inwardly, his expression unchanged. He even bowed deeply to Jiang Duanchao before standing quietly where he was, recalling the scenes of the recent battle, pretending to savor and comprehend it.
"Father, Junior Brother Lin has great Martial Path comprehension."
Jiang Qing chimed in, preventing Jiang Duanchao from acting. He decided to let the boy go for now; there would be plenty of opportunities later.
He dares to feign comprehension, can he really comprehend...
Out of the corner of his eye, Jiang Duanchao glanced at Lin Chen, his eyes suddenly flaring with intensity. Could the boy truly have comprehended something?
How could that be?
He hadn’t given the boy any clear guidance; what could he have understood?
Yet, at this moment, as Lin Chen instinctively gestured with his hands, especially the clarity in his eyes, it was something that could not be faked. He was truly immersed in a state of enlightenment.
"Girl, don’t disturb this boy."
Jiang Duanchao advised his daughter, who nodded, her charming eyes filled with anticipation as she watched Lin Chen.
Junior Brother Lin gaining insights from the fight with her father, it seemed her father would be pleased with Junior Brother Lin’s Martial Path talent.
At this moment, Lin Chen was indeed absorbed in a state of understanding.
From the battle on Martial Arts Mountain with Senior Pei to the recent fight with Uncle Jiang, both shared a commonality. Their cultivation techniques could manifest the power of weapons.
Senior Pei’s Finger Technique was as graceful and sharp as Swordsmanship, and Uncle Jiang’s Palm Technique was as penetrating and fierce as Spear Technique... How was this achieved?
If it were possible for Uncle Jiang to cheat, Senior Pei certainly couldn’t. The image left on Martial Arts Mountain must reflect Senior Pei’s strength at twenty acupoints.
Is it a difference in Qi-running?
No, the Qi-running Technique only influences the speed and striking power of the Qi and Blood.
My Qi and Blood running trajectory derives from the True Blood Circulation Method and is certainly no worse than theirs.
Is it compression?
Lin Chen suddenly thought of the sixth move of his Wind and Cloud Palm: Palm Six.
Palm Six requires circulating the Qi and Blood used in the previous five moves several times within the body before an extreme burst, the power of one strike equal to multiple combined strikes, capable of stacking three layers.
Whoosh!
In the next moment, Lin Chen began practicing the Wind and Cloud Palm on the spot.
Palm One, Palm Two, Palm Three, Palm Four, Palm Five... Palm Six.
The instant Palm Six struck, Jiang Duanchao’s pupils contracted: "This boy, he’s really reaching this stage; the vigor of his Qi and Blood..."
Beside him, Jiang Qing’s expression was composed during the first palm. By the second palm, she muttered, "I can’t withstand this palm."
"This palm... I would be severely injured."
"This palm... could kill several of me."
Certain techniques don’t require personal experience to feel their power. When Lin Chen unleashed the sixth palm, Jiang Qing’s delicate body shivered. Even from several meters away, she could feel the immense power that already stirred her Qi and Blood within.
"I understand. It’s not compression; it’s Stacking Force, gathering power at a single point to unleash diverse forces with instantaneous power. Uncle Jiang’s Palm Technique is Spiral Force, while Senior Pei’s Finger Technique is a force of rapid flow..."
"I’m on a different path from these two; I’m stacking... so Palm Six could be even more perfected."
Ten breaths, a hundred breaths... a quarter of an hour...
Lin Chen continued practicing his palms in the open space, while Jiang Duanchao and Jiang Qing quietly observed. Soon, two more figures appeared on the scene.
Jia Nanzhu and Liu Ru had arrived, but they stayed silent, standing at a distance.
"Senior Brother Liu, if Canglan Martial Arts Academy wants to recruit Lin Chen, it’s best to present unprecedented conditions."
Jiang Duanchao, upon seeing Liu Ru, transmitted his voice directly to him.
Liu Ru nodded slightly, realizing that the longer he spent with Lin Chen, the more he understood the extraordinary extent of this young man’s talent.

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