Rise from a Poor Family: My Martial Arts Counterattack

Chapter 417 Becoming Famous in the Myriad Fire Sect (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Fire refining platform!
This is a place where disciples of the Wanhuo Sect spar and compete.

On the forging platform stood nine iron pillars, each covered with runes.

The Wanhuo Sect has few disciples, and many of them spend long periods in seclusion refining innate fire. Unlike the Canglan Sect, where the most bustling place is the mission hall, the Wanhuo Sect's most bustling place is the fire refining platform.

When Lin Chen and Zhao Haoyang arrived at the Fire Refining Platform, there were already many disciples of the Myriad Fire Sect below, ready to go up and spar.

"Fellow disciples, I wish to have a duel with Lin Chen of the Canglan Sect on the Refining Fire Platform. I hope you can give me the honor of having our duel ahead of schedule."

Zhao Haoyang's attitude towards Lin Chen was not friendly, but his attitude towards the other disciples of the sect was still quite good.

Upon hearing Zhao Haoyang's words, many disciples of the Wanhuo Sect turned their gazes to Lin Chen. When they confirmed that this Lin Chen was indeed the same Lin Chen they had seen in the martial arts arena not long ago, the entire scene instantly became noisy.

"If it really is Lin Chen from the Canglan Sect, how did he come to our Wanhuo Sect?"

"What do you care why? Didn't you hear Senior Brother Zhao say he wanted to fight Lin Chen on the Refining Fire Platform?"

"Senior Brother Zhao is quite strong, but he probably doesn't have much of a chance of winning against Lin Chen."

The disciples of the Myriad Fire Sect were discussing it amongst themselves, while some disciples had already left to inform others.

Regardless of why Senior Brother Zhao and Lin Chen are fighting, this excitement is not to be missed.

After the other disciples made way for him, Zhao Haoyang led Lin Chen onto the fire-refining platform.

"Lin Chen, the Fire Refining Platform of my Ten Thousand Fires Sect contains various innate fires within its fire pillars. If disciples of my Ten Thousand Fires Sect were to compete in manipulating the power of flames, it would be divided into three rounds. The first round would be a contest of who could summon more innate fires."

Zhao Haoyang stared intently at Lin Chen, who glanced at the nine stone pillars and nodded to indicate that he understood.

Meanwhile, the Wanhuo Sect disciples below the stage realized that Zhao Haoyang was not going to fight Lin Chen, but rather to compete in the ability to manipulate flames.

“I knew it couldn’t be a fight. Senior Brother Zhao isn’t the arrogant type.”

"If it's a contest of controlling innate fire, then Senior Brother Zhao has a higher chance of winning."

“That’s right. I watched Lin Chen’s battle on Martial Dao Mountain. Although he also refined the Innate Flame, it was only two of them. His control over the Innate Flame is definitely not as good as Senior Brother Zhao’s.”

The disciples below the stage changed their previous worries. When it comes to manipulating innate fire, who can compare with their Myriad Fire Sect?
Being number one at Wudao Mountain isn't enough.

At the same time, other innate disciples within the Wanhuo Sect, including many personal disciples, were also notified.

"Junior Brother Zhao is going to have a contest with Lin Chen to control the innate fire. That's interesting. I should go and see."

"It seems that Junior Brother Zhao has been stimulated by something, but I am quite curious that Lin Chen dared to agree."

Many of the direct disciples also showed interest in their eyes; they did not simply believe that Zhao Haoyang was bound to win, as the other disciples did.

Lin Chen had just reached the summit of Martial Arts Mountain, and his reputation was rising. If he wasn't confident, why would he agree to Junior Brother Zhao's challenge?

Lin Chen dared to agree, so he must have something to rely on.

And that's exactly what they were curious about—they wanted to know what Lin Chen relied on and what gave him his confidence.

As Zhao Haoyang explained the rules of the competition to Lin Chen, more and more people gathered at the fire-refining platform below.

"Senior Brother Qin has arrived."

"Senior Brother Zhang has arrived as well."

"All these direct disciples have shown up. It's been a long time since the Refining Fire Platform has been this lively."

……

Ultimately, a steward at the third level of the Innate Realm served as the referee for this competition.

"Who among you two will go first to ignite the primordial fire?"

The referee looked at Zhao Haoyang and Lin Chen. Seeing that Lin Chen didn't speak, Zhao Haoyang said directly, "I'll go first, and let you see how to activate the innate fire, so that you won't say that my victory was unfair."

In Zhao Haoyang's mind, he wanted to defeat Lin Chen to prove his talent to Elder Wan, and he wanted to defeat Lin Chen so that he would have nothing to say.

Lin Chen didn't say anything, but simply retreated to a corner outside the nine fire pillars of the fire-refining platform.

Zhao Haoyang stepped to the center of the nine pillars of fire. The area beneath his feet was engraved with many runes, but when combined, these runes formed a flame pattern.

Zhao Haoyang stood in the center of the stage, his expression calm, while the Wanhuo Sect disciples below eagerly awaited his arrival.

A few breaths later, Zhao Haoyang began to form hand seals, and his aura continued to rise.

"The Melting Fire Technique?"

Seeing the hand seal Zhao Haoyang formed, Lin Chen narrowed his eyes slightly. He also knew this hand seal, which came from the Fire Fusion Technique.

As Zhao Haoyang began to circulate the Fire Fusion Technique, the flames on the nine surrounding fire pillars changed, becoming more leaping. The inscriptions on the pillars also flickered in the flames, and the speed of the entire fire-refining platform increased at an astonishing rate.

"Senior Brother Zhang, how many innate flames do you think Junior Brother Zhao can ignite?"

"With Junior Brother Zhao's talent, obtaining five innate flames should not be a problem."

Zhang Tai offered his guess: Junior Brother Zhao's talent and strength were already enough to make him a personal disciple. The reason he hadn't become a personal disciple was simply because Junior Brother Zhao wanted to become Elder Zhuang's disciple.

The news he heard was that Elder Zhuang refused; if it were any other elder, they probably would have agreed.

All of them, the direct disciples, knew that Elder Zhuang was extremely strict in accepting disciples. Over the years, very few disciples had been chosen by Elder Zhuang, and those who were chosen by Elder Zhuang had become disciples of other elders. To this day, Elder Zhuang has not accepted a single disciple.

Junior Brother Zhao wants to become Elder Zhuang's disciple, and he also wants to become Elder Zhuang's only disciple. As the only disciple, Elder Zhuang will definitely devote all his efforts to him.

Unfortunately, Junior Brother Zhao failed to become an apprentice.

"Perhaps Junior Brother Zhao doesn't intend to defeat Lin Chen in this competition, but rather wants to use it as an excuse to showcase his talent to Elder Zhuang."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Tai smiled slightly; this was highly likely.

boom!
Just as Zhang Tai and the others were talking, a change occurred on the fire-refining platform. A pillar of fire suddenly shot into the sky with crimson flames. The appearance of the crimson flames was like opening a valve, and then other pillars of fire also shot into the sky with flames.

One way, two ways, three ways, four ways...

Four in a row, eliciting gasps of surprise from many disciples below. One of the tests in the Wanhuo Sect's disciple assessment also involves igniting the innate fire. One pass is enough to enter the outer sect, three passes are enough to enter the inner sect, four passes make one of the best inner sect disciples, and five passes... is the standard for a personal disciple.

Can it be done in five ways?

Many disciples on the scene were filled with anticipation, and three breaths later, when the fifth pillar of fire sent a purple flame soaring into the sky, cheers erupted from below.

On the fire-refining platform, the deacon, who was acting as the referee, also had a smile on his face. Zhao Haoyang's talent was quite good, but it was a pity that he had chosen the wrong elder.

However, Zhao Haoyang, the person involved, did not show any joy on his face.

Having five innate flames was merely the minimum standard to become a direct disciple; it only meant he had passed one test, and he was not satisfied with the result.

"Come again!"

Zhao Haoyang roared, his hand seals were made again, and the runes under his feet shone brightly. Three breaths later, the sixth pillar of fire began to vibrate, and the flames gradually became more active.

boom!
A burst of orange-red flame suddenly surged, shooting into the sky and converging with the other five innate flames in mid-air, resembling a brilliant burst of fireworks.

"Six Flames! Senior Brother Zhao is amazing!"

"It's not just about six flames. The mother flames of these six innate flames are all different; they are six different flames." A martial artist of innate nature slowly spoke. Among the ten thousand flames recorded in the Wanhuo Sect, there are mother flames and child flames. A mother flame can fuse with other mother flames to give birth to different child flames.

If two offspring have the same mother fire, the disciples of the Myriad Fires Sect call them "same fire," while if they have different mother fires, the relationship between the two offspring is "different fire."

Many disciples of the Myriad Fires Sect are naturally close to a certain innate mother fire, and the child fires under that mother fire are easier to comprehend and refine than other strange fires.

Summoning six innate flames is only considered good for the higher-ups of the Myriad Flames Sect, but summoning six different flames means that Zhao Haoyang will be able to refine a great many innate flames in the later stages.

"Senior Brother Zhuang, are you having any regrets now?"

At a volcanic crater, several elders saw the six strange flames that Zhao Haoyang had summoned and nodded in approval. At the same time, they looked at Zhuang Lie and said, "Senior Brother Zhuang, Zhao Haoyang has good talent. I think you can take him as your disciple."

Zhuang Lie's expression was somewhat complicated. If he hadn't met Lin Chen, he would have taken Zhao Haoyang in as a disciple, but after meeting Lin Chen, his interest in Zhao Haoyang diminished.

This is human nature.

If you haven't seen the best, you can accept something less than the best; but once you've seen the best, you won't like anything less than the best.

This was the first time in his life he had ever seen someone master the Fire Fusion Technique through on-the-spot practice.

"Let's see how Lin Chen performs first."

“Senior Brother Zhuang, it’s impossible for Lin Chen to join my Ten Thousand Fires Sect. Even if he performs better than Zhao Haoyang, he’s still a disciple of another sect. Besides, I don’t think Lin Chen can surpass Zhao Haoyang.”

Zhuang Lie pursed his lips, and after being persuaded by the elders, he finally said, "As long as Lin Chen is worse than Zhao Haoyang in this round, I will accept Zhao Haoyang as my disciple."

……

The cheers below the refining platform subsided as the six innate flames returned to the fire pillar, but the hushed conversations continued.

Zhao Haoyang then looked at Lin Chen with a smug look in his eyes: "It's up to you now."

He was very satisfied with his performance in being able to summon six different flames.

Zhao Haoyang moved aside, and Lin Chen rubbed his nose. Without hesitation, he stepped to where Zhao Haoyang had been standing.

"Here we go, it's Lin Chen's turn now. How many paths do you think Lin Chen can activate?"

"I heard that Elder Zhuang once went to the Canglan Sect in person and said that Lin Chen has a very good talent in manipulating flames, and should be able to reach the fourth level."

"Four? Senior brother really thinks highly of Lin Chen. I think it's at most three."

These innate martial artists had all been on the Fire Refining Platform and knew very well that to ignite the innate fire, one's own talent was one aspect, but the level of cultivation of the sect's Fire Fusion Technique also played a role.

Even if Lin Chen is talented, he hasn't been practicing the Fusion Fire Technique for long. His guesses of "three paths" and "four paths" are only because Lin Chen is the number one in Martial Arts Mountain and has also been recognized by Elder Zhuang.

At the center of the fire-making platform.

Lin Chen took a deep breath, glanced at Zhao Haoyang standing to the side, and finally nodded to the referee in front.

Lin Chen changed his hand seals and closed his eyes. The Fire Fusion Technique began to circulate within his body. The moment the Fire Fusion Technique began to circulate, he felt a special suction force suddenly enter his body from beneath his feet, causing the Fire Fusion Technique within his body to stagnate.

However, it returned to normal in the next moment.

"rise!"

A few breaths later, Lin Chen suddenly opened his eyes and let out a soft shout.

boom!
boom!
boom!
Instantly, flames shot into the sky above the four pillars of fire.

This scene caused Zhao Haoyang's pupils to shrink sharply. How could this be?
Below the stage, many direct disciples' expressions instantly turned solemn, while those inner and outer disciples below the Innate Realm fell silent at this moment.

Even the referee's eyes were fixed on Lin Chen at this moment.

Four innate flames instantly, this talent...

boom!
Two breaths later, the fifth innate fire appeared, and Zhao Haoyang clenched his hands, his fingertips digging deep into his flesh.

With one more step, Lin Chen would catch up with him.

Since they were both from the Six Paths, he had lost, after all, he had been cultivating the Fusion Fire Technique for ten years.

Ten breaths later, the sixth innate path appeared.

The scene erupted in uproar.

They caught up; the number of innate fires was now equal.

"The relationship between the six innate flames that Lin Chen has activated is not entirely about different flames. Junior Brother Zhao has not lost yet."

A man next to Zhang Tai spoke up, but Zhang Tai shook his head. Even if it wasn't a strange fire, considering the time Lin Chen spent cultivating the Fire Fusion Technique, Junior Brother Zhao had already lost.

These words were merely meant to save face for Junior Brother Zhao and the Myriad Fire Sect.

However, this face was gone after ten breaths.

boom!
The seventh primordial fire burst forth from the stone pillar, and the scene fell into an instant deathly silence.

exceeded!
The comparison of the number of different types of innate fire is conditional, namely, that the total number of innate fires is the same.

If they are not the same, the one with more differences wins.

These are the rules for the disciples of the Myriad Fire Sect to compete against each other over the years, and also the rules for their assessments.

Zhao Haoyang looked extremely dejected. Elder Zhuang was right; he really was inferior to Lin Chen.

On the refining platform, after Lin Chen activated the seven innate flames, a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes. However, it was so fleeting that no one noticed it, especially since everyone was still in awe of the seven innate flames.

One breath, two breaths... thirty breaths.

With no more innate fire being ignited, Zhang Tai and the others below the stage couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Although it wasn't a competition between them and Lin Chen, if Lin Chen had ignited more innate fire and surpassed them, they would have lost face.

"Boy, don't hold back. Unleash your full power. Draw as many Dao as you can. If you want to fleece me, you'd better shock me!"

As soon as the voice fell, Zhuang Lie's figure suddenly appeared on the fire-refining platform.

When Lin Chen saw Zhuang Lie's figure, a smile appeared on his lips. He had indeed been thinking about whether he should stop now and save face for the disciples of the Myriad Fire Sect.

Since Elder Zhuang has said so, I will do my best.

"Since Elder Zhuang has given such instructions, this junior will do his best."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Chen's aura surged once again.

“BOOM BOOM!!!”

The remaining two pillars of fire also instantly burst into flames.

Nine innate flames instantly covered the sky above the refining platform, but this was not the end.

As Lin Chen's hand seals changed, the disciples below the fire-refining platform stared in disbelief, several of them holding fire-controlling artifacts dropped their weapons to the ground with a clang, looking at the platform in disbelief.

(End of this chapter)