Rise from a Poor Family: My Martial Arts Counterattack

Chapter 253 Ten Thousand Books, Breakthrough to Sixth Reincarnation
Raozhou Prefecture.

The Shu residence!

Lin Chen drank tea with Grandpa Shu for a while before taking his leave.

From Grandpa Shu, Lin Chen learned that Instructor Yu had gone to Hongdu Prefecture.

The Military Affairs Bureau rewards instructors with entry into the [Education Pavilion], and this trip to Hongdu Prefecture is aimed at achieving that rank.

The teacher went, and his wife accompanied him.

After leaving the Shu residence, Lin Chen headed straight for the Jiang residence.

He didn't know if Senior Sister Jiang had returned to Canglan Martial Academy, but regardless of whether she had or not, since he was back, he would definitely come to pay her a visit.

From his mother, Lin Chen learned that after Jiang returned to Raozhou Prefecture, she visited his home before and after the New Year.

The main gate of the Jiang residence.

Lin Chen gave his name, and the gatekeeper, upon hearing it, immediately ushered him into the courtyard.

"Master and Miss are not at home. I have already sent someone to inform Madam. Please wait a moment, Young Master Lin."

The steward of the Jiang family quickly appeared and treated Lin Chen with great respect. To become the steward of such a large Jiang family, he was also a martial artist, but not yet a rank-up.

The steward also knew of Lin Chen's name. He was a model martial arts student of the Great Liang Dynasty, having made his mark on the Martial Arts Mountain seven times, and had recently made a great name for himself in Lingxiao City.

The Hidden Dragon List - the number one genius on the Human Ranking.

But none of these titles are the most important thing. The most important thing is that this young master Lin is the future son-in-law of the family.

The master and mistress's son-in-law, the young lady's future husband, is practically half the master of the Jiang family.

After a short while, a maidservant came to lead the way, taking Lin Chen to the backyard.

In the back garden of the Jiang family mansion, Lin Chen met his future mother-in-law once again.

Even in early spring, the back garden was still full of flowers. Zhuang Min sat in the pavilion in the back garden, smiling as she looked at Lin Chen who was walking towards her.

"You've come at a bad time. Qing'er left home ten days ago and returned to Canglan Martial Academy. If you had come two days earlier, your Uncle Jiang would have been at the manor."

Hearing his mother-in-law's words, Lin Chen inwardly scoffed. Luckily, he arrived two days late. His father-in-law was no longer glaring at him because of what happened last time, but he was unlikely to be nice to him either.

"It's a real pity that I couldn't meet Uncle Jiang."

Lin Chen looked regretful, while Zhuang Min smiled broadly. She knew about Lin Chen from what her daughter had heard, as well as what she had learned herself.

Lin Chen is a humble and sincere young man.

But now it seems that's not entirely true; at least, that statement was said against my conscience.

If her husband doesn't want to see Lin Chen, then Lin Chen probably doesn't want to see her husband either. These two... it's already good enough that they haven't reached the point of mutual loathing.

However, it was precisely because of Lin Chen's words that Zhuang Min was even more satisfied.

Being flexible and not rigid is the way to conduct oneself in society.

Lin Chen had no idea what his mother-in-law was thinking. If he did, he would probably say something like, "Don't follow my example. Women are more prone to making preconceived notions."

My mother-in-law is actually more pleased with me because she's satisfied with me. If she hadn't been satisfied with me from the start, my behavior would have made me seem like a hypocrite in her eyes, someone who doesn't speak the truth.

Once a woman approves of you, she will automatically filter out many of your behaviors.

Lin Chen sat with his future mother-in-law for fifteen minutes, mainly as she introduced the varieties of flowers in the garden, while Lin Chen nodded and agreed.

He knew nothing about flowers, and judging that it was about time, he prepared to say goodbye.

"It's kind of you to have spent so much time looking at flowers with me."

Zhuang Min smoothed her hair and looked at Lin Chen: "Even your Uncle Jiang hasn't accompanied me to see the flowers many times over the years."

"Following my aunt to see the flowers has broadened my horizons. I never knew there was so much to learn about these flowers."

Lin Chen understood that his future mother-in-law had nothing to do at home every day except for growing flowers.

Thinking of this, Lin Chen was somewhat surprised. The Great Liang Dynasty allowed women to practice martial arts, so Madam Jiang should have practiced martial arts as well, but he did not sense any martial arts aura from her.

"As for Uncle Jiang, he must be busy with official duties, but I imagine that when he returns home, he will have plenty of time to accompany Aunt to admire the flowers."

Lin Chen said this intentionally. Although he had only met his future father-in-law a few times, he could deduce that his future father-in-law was a typical rough man and definitely not the kind of person who would appreciate flowers.

Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, he saw the anger on his mother-in-law's face.

I applied the eye drops very successfully!

"If Auntie is bored, she can invite some people to enjoy the flowers together. My teacher's wife should also be interested."

"Inviting someone to admire the flowers?"

Zhuang Min shook her head: "If I were to invite people to admire the flowers, I'm afraid all the ladies and young women in Raozhou Prefecture would be vying for an invitation. They're not coming for the flowers, but for the people."

Lin Chen was surprised, not expecting his future mother-in-law to be so clear-headed.

"At the end of the previous dynasty, the people were suffering and the demon race was causing chaos. However, the noblewomen were singing and dancing, holding various flower-viewing banquets. The wife of the Left Prime Minister at that time loved peonies. In order to cater to her taste, the officials of Luochuan Prefecture forced the people to switch from grain to flowers. For every peony in full bloom, a hundred drops of infant blood were needed."

Zhuang Min shook her head: "Peony has a blooming season, but at that time, the officials of Luochuan Prefecture, in order to please the Prime Minister's wife, exchanged a hundred drops of a baby's heart's blood for the blood of the demon bee clan, just because the blood of the bee clan could make the peony bloom against its blooming season."

"My love for flowers is a personal hobby, but once it gets out, there will always be people who will agree with my taste. If I really come across a rare flower, I can't guarantee that I won't be tempted."

"In that case, I might as well keep this hobby a secret from others. In the entire Raozhou Prefecture, only your master's wife and a few other people know that I love flowers."

My future mother-in-law is really insightful.

"If I come across any pretty flowers in the future, I'll collect the seeds and bring them to you, Auntie."

"You...you don't need to do that."

Zhuang Min scolded, "You didn't listen to what I just said. My identity makes me fond of flowers, and many people will want to curry favor with me. But if word gets out that you're collecting seeds, do you think no one will want to curry favor with you anymore?"

“I am just a woman and can’t make any big decisions. You are the top student on the Qianlong Ranking of the Great Liang Academy. There are many more people who want to curry favor with you than I am.”

"Hehe, Auntie, don't worry. I only collect them when I come across them. No one will know. I can't even do my filial duty as a junior, can I?"

Lin Chen chuckled. Zhuang Min looked thoughtful upon hearing this, and after a moment said, "Wait a moment for your aunt."

"it is good."

Zhuang Min left the back garden, but returned after a short while.

"This is a Flower Tasting Jade. It records all the varieties of flowers that your aunt has collected. If you ever encounter a rare flower, you can take out this Flower Tasting Jade. As long as you are within ten feet, the Flower Tasting Jade will glow, which means that your aunt has not collected this flower."

Lin Chen took the jade pendant, his eyes filled with curiosity. The pendant was hollow in the middle and carved with petal shapes. He wasn't curious about the shape of the pendant, but rather about how a jade pendant could have such a function.

Recording flower varieties, discovering new varieties that don't exist, and even having them glow on their own?
However, considering that Murong Yan had also given him a jade pendant, Lin Chen wasn't surprised.

The Nine Kingdoms must possess some secret techniques and special forging methods that can be applied to jade pendants.

The reason I don't know is because my current level of understanding is too low.

"I've already taken up a lot of your time. You've just returned to Raozhou Prefecture, and you must have a lot to do. I won't keep you for dinner."

Lin Chen had nothing to say about his mother-in-law's understanding nature.

So considerate!

Lin Chen said goodbye and left the back garden. After Lin Chen left, an old woman appeared behind Zhuang Min.

“Princess, you’ve already given our clan’s token to Lin Chen? Lin Chen and the princess aren’t engaged yet.”

"The Martial Garden issued the Hidden Dragon List, which was recognized by all nine kingdoms. Don't you understand the message behind this?"

Zhuang Min's expression turned cold, radiating an icy aura. If Lin Chen were here, he would probably be astonished to see this.

In his mind, his mother-in-law was an innocent and beautiful woman, and he never imagined that she would have such a cold and aloof side.

"Princess, are you saying that the Yan Dynasty's forces are about to enter?"

Zhuang Min didn't respond, but the old woman already knew what was going on: "If the Yan Dynasty really is going to come in, what about the prince consort?"

In the old woman's heart, the town's flower-giving token should have been given to the prince consort.

"The prince consort is of no use."

His own daughter couldn't be widowed. With this Town Flower Token, Lin Chen wouldn't have to worry about his life if he encountered any plant spirits.

……

……

After leaving the Jiang residence, Lin Chen visited Lord Bu Wenbin at the Military Affairs Department, as Lord Bu had taken good care of him during their special training. Afterwards, he returned to Poyang County and to Linhu Village.

He cultivated while waiting for news from Elder Zhao.

Jia Nanzhu also collected another box of secret manuals for Lin Chen, all of them were top-grade cultivation techniques, covering various weapons.

Ranked martial artists rarely engage in hand-to-hand combat anymore, especially in battles between opponents of the same level.

Normally, a martial artist of Lin Chen's level wouldn't need to study so many martial arts techniques. Even if he wanted to cultivate weapons, he would only choose one.

However, Lin Chen did not hide his situation and told his teacher that he practiced archery. The more familiar he was with other techniques, the better he could judge the direction of his opponent's movement.

"Unfortunately, there are no martial arts techniques from other countries."

Jia Nanzhu was somewhat disappointed. With his status, he could only obtain martial arts techniques from within the Great Liang Dynasty, which could be exchanged at the Ministry of Military Affairs or the imperial court. Special techniques like the Zhenyue Manual were unavailable to him.

Lin Chen didn't care; those family's secret techniques and skills would never be leaked.

"Or, we could start with the Martial Arts Academy."

Jia Nanzhu narrowed his old eyes slightly. Just because the Great Liang did not have martial arts techniques from other countries did not mean that the Martial Arts Garden did not have them either. The Martial Arts Garden was spread across the nine countries and must have an extremely good understanding of the techniques of each country.

"Even if the Martial Arts Academy has it, I'm afraid it won't be open to the disciples."

Upon hearing this, Jia Nanzhu nodded in agreement. Indeed, if the Martial Arts Academy were to provide martial artists from other countries with martial arts techniques from another nation, once the news spread, all countries would be wary of the Martial Arts Academy.

To put it bluntly, the reason why Wuyuan is welcomed in various countries is that Wuyuan is a neutral force in the nine countries and will also allocate resources to cultivate the geniuses of each country.

"Take it one step at a time. Your current progress has far exceeded your teacher's expectations. It doesn't matter if it's a little slower. You must make sure you can successfully complete the ninth revolution."

"Ah."

……

……

Seven days later, Lin Chen received a message from the Martial Arts Academy, bid farewell to his teacher, and headed to the academy.

"Senior Yan."

"Young Master Lin."

In the martial arts garden, Yan He'an saw Lin Chen with a smile on his face, but the smile was tinged with regret and emotion.

Six months ago, Lin Chen could only be described as having terrifying potential in martial arts, but now Lin Chen is truly beginning to show his talent.

Once the truth came out, the notion that practicing internal organs wasn't necessarily beneficial completely disappeared.

Even after joining the ranks, no one doubted that Lin Chen would become mediocre.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Lin Chen will undoubtedly have a place in Daliang within the next ten years.

"Elder Zhao is already waiting in the backyard. This time, Elder Zhao has brought quite a lot of things."

Yan He'an recalled that an hour ago, Elder Zhao arrived at the Martial Garden, followed by ten carriages, which had shocked even him.

However, he couldn't see what was inside the carriages. All ten carriages were pulled into the backyard by Elder Zhao, and he was ordered to inform Lin Chen to come to the Martial Garden.

Lin Chen followed Yan He'an to the backyard of Wu Garden, where he met Zhao Qianqiu standing in the yard.

"Elder, I shall take my leave."

Yan He'an was very self-aware; after escorting Lin Chen into the courtyard, he took the initiative to leave.

Although he was a steward of the Martial Arts Academy, he was only a steward of the Poyang County Martial Arts Academy. He was not qualified to know many of the secrets of the Martial Arts Academy. Lin Chen, on the other hand, was just an ordinary member of the Martial Arts Academy, but with his terrifying potential, he was able to know more secrets than he did.

"These carriages contain martial arts manuals collected by Wuyuan, from eight other countries, totaling ten thousand books."

Lin Chen was stunned by Zhao Qianqiu's first words.

He almost suspected that Wu Yuan had planted a spy by his side, watching his every move.

But then he realized what was going on.

Even his teacher knew that if he wanted to improve his archery skills further, he needed to learn more techniques, so Elder Zhao could deduce the same thing.

This is truly a timely help!

"You cannot take these manuals out of the Martial Garden. You can only view them within the Martial Garden, and only for three months. After three months, regardless of whether you have finished viewing them or not, this elder will destroy all of these manuals."

Giving Lin Chen foreign martial arts techniques to observe is risky for the Martial Arts Academy. She doesn't have that authority. What Zhao Qianqiu didn't tell Lin Chen was that it was the Academy Master's decision.

"Thank you, Elder Zhao!"

Lin Chen clasped his hands in a salute. He was well aware of the risks this action posed to the Martial Academy. The reason he wasn't allowed to leave the Martial Academy was to prevent the news from leaking out.

"Do you plan to advance to the sixth level first, or study these books first?"

"This disciple wishes to advance to the sixth level first."

Zhao Qianqiu was not surprised by Lin Chen's answer; she would have made the same choice in her own situation.

"follow me!"

Zhao Qianqiu led Lin Chen into the main room and gently tapped a scroll on the wall. The sound of a mechanism turning was heard, and Lin Chen watched as one side of the wall shifted, revealing a downward staircase.

After descending the passage, Lin Chen saw a pool in the basement.

The pool was empty, with an inlet on each of its four sides. The waterways of these inlets meandered and twisted, and if viewed from above, it looked like a maze, except that this maze had four entrances.

What is this for?
"Take off your clothes and stand in the pool."

"Take off your clothes?"

Lin Chen thought that he had been completely naked several times before, so he couldn't possibly be completely naked again this time.

He was a little embarrassed.

What's with the hesitation?

When Zhao Qianqiu saw Lin Chen standing still, he scolded him, and Lin Chen stopped being coy.

Just think of Elder Zhao as the doctor from your previous life.

After taking off his outer clothes, Lin Chen continued undressing smoothly...

"and many more!"

Zhao Qianqiu's icy voice rang out, and Lin Chen, who was holding his underwear, paused. He turned around to look at Zhao Qianqiu, and was stunned by what he saw. He could feel that Elder Zhao's eyes were filled with anger.

"You just need to take off your outer clothes."

Zhao Qianqiu practically spat out those words through gritted teeth, and Lin Chen's face instantly turned red, realizing he'd been tricked by his past habits.

"Concentrate and calm your mind. Although this transformation will not be as painful as your previous one, you still cannot be careless."

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow. What did that mean?
The Nine Revolutions of True Blood Refine the Organs, each revolution more painful than the last.

Why would Elder Zhao say that this time the pain would be less than before?

"This time, Wuyuan is providing you with the essence of the Zhao Kingdom's Cloud Cauldron Mother Tree. The essence of the Cloud Cauldron Mother Tree is the best main ingredient for healing pills, and it is not as violent as other energies."

Zhao Qianqiu offered only one explanation before turning and leaving the pool area.

After a short while, Lin Chen, who was standing in the middle of the pool, suddenly smelled a refreshing fragrance. When he looked around, he saw that he was surrounded by green mist.

Within the green mist, there was the sound of liquid flowing.

A few breaths later, the emerald mist meandered down from the four walls.

Lin Chen circulated the "Nine Revolutions Internal Organ Refining Technique," and felt his pores open up, with cool, spring-like energy seeping into his meridians.

Unlike the scorching and domineering power of Lingxiao, the essence of the mother tree, carrying the refreshing and gentle energy of plants, gently caresses the internal organs as soon as it enters the body.

As the emerald mist grew thicker, the resonance of Lin Chen's internal organs gradually arose, and this energy continuously surged into his dantian, where it was absorbed by the little figure within.

The originally golden figure now shone with an emerald luster, and as Lin Chen continued to circulate the Nine Revolutions Refining Internal Organs Technique, the emerald green color on the figure deepened.

As the emerald mist condensed into a tangible liquid that flowed over his waist, Lin Chen's spiritual platform suddenly brightened. The gate to the spiritual platform opened again, and the golden sun once more hung within it. But this time, behind the golden sun was a hazy green phantom, like a solar corona.

This was the first time Lin Chen was able to clearly see the changes in his internal body. In the past, during each of his internal organ transformation practices, he focused more on resisting the pain because of the suffering involved.

The influx of this emerald energy into his body would widen his meridians, but in a gentle way. This pain might be unbearable for ordinary martial artists, but it was nothing to him.

If I were to use the essence of the Cloud Cauldron Mother Tree for my next three transformations, it would be a blessing, not a suffering.

(End of this chapter)