Rise from a Poor Family: My Martial Arts Counterattack

Chapter 585 I Tread the Snow to the Mountain Peak

The entrance to Yaochi (Jade Pool).

This place, which symbolizes the highest power in the Flower Clan and is a sacred place rarely visited on ordinary days, is now bustling with activity, gathering the young members of the Flower Clan.

boom!
A figure flew out from the entrance of Yaochi and crashed heavily to the bottom of the steps.

"We lost again!"

At the entrance, the young men and women of the Flower Clan watched the figure flying backwards, their faces filled with regret.

More than a dozen clansmen have been defeated by Lin Chen, and so far they have never even seen Lin Chen's face.

At first, some people suspected that Lin Chen might have used some underhanded methods, since they hadn't witnessed these battles and they ended very quickly.

But as several clansmen went in and failed one after another, the young people of the Flower Clan realized that Lin Chen definitely did not cheat. If he had cheated, these defeated clansmen would not have left in silence.

"If you can't even withstand one of my moves, don't waste your time coming in here."

An arrogant voice came from within the Jade Pool, and upon hearing these words, all the young members of the Flower Clan present showed expressions of anger.

Too arrogant, too presumptuous!

This is the Flower Clan, an ancient and powerful clan that has produced god-level experts. When has anyone ever dared to come to the Flower Clan to provoke them?
"Should we inform the elders about this? Lin Chen is really too arrogant."

Someone in the crowd spoke up, but his words were immediately met with cold stares from the others.

Lin Chen is engaged to the little princess and is the prince consort of their Flower Clan. The elders have already acknowledged this, and this is the source of their struggle with Lin Chen, which the elders have tacitly approved of.

They can challenge Lin Chen and embarrass him, so Lin Chen can do the same to them.

Informing the elders meant that they had chosen to concede defeat in their contest with Lin Chen.

"Go and inform Brother Miao and the others. Only Brother Miao and the others can defeat Lin Chen now."

"No need to notify them, Brother Miao and the others have already arrived."

Not far away, three figures streaked through the air and appeared at the entrance of Yaochi.

Upon seeing these three figures, all the young people of the Flower Clan became excited. They hadn't expected that Brother Miao and the other two would all be there.

The top three strongest members of the younger generation of the Flower Clan!
While there's no definitive answer as to who is the number one among the younger generation of the Flower Clan, the three strongest among them are undoubtedly these three, and no one in the clan would disagree.

"This Lin Chen is really arrogant."

Miao Jingfeng looked at the entrance to Yaochi, and he still hadn't shown himself. This showed that he truly didn't take the Flower Clan seriously.

"Do you really think you can be arrogant just because you defeated Bai Junlin and the other two? None of the three of us could not suppress Bai Junlin and the other four with one hand."

Zhu Bai, dressed in blue and white, sneered. Just because Bai Junlin and his three companions were ranked among the top thirty of the younger generation in the clan did not mean they could be compared to the three of them.

The gap between the three of them and the rest of the clan was enormous.

"Since he's hiding inside and won't come out, I'll go and meet him."

Zhu Bai was about to step onto Yaochi, but just as she took her first step, Lin Chen's figure appeared at the entrance of Yaochi.

Upon seeing Lin Chen appear, Zhu Bai, Miao Jingfeng, and the other two exchanged glances, their faces showing arrogance. It seemed that Lin Chen was self-aware and dared not be presumptuous in front of the three of them.

"Lin Chen, you came to my Flower Clan as a guest, yet you injured my Flower Clan members and made outrageous remarks. This time you must give my Flower Clan an explanation."

Miao Jingfeng stared at Lin Chen, who smiled nonchalantly: "Explain?"

"I don't want to waste time with you. You all know the inside story. The reason I came out to see you is because I heard that the three of you are known as the strongest among the younger generation of the Flower Clan, however..."

Lin Chen shook his head with some regret, his face full of disappointment: "I thought you could pique my interest, but now it seems you're nothing special. You're just picking the best of a bad bunch. I don't want to waste any more time with you. All three of you, come at me together."

Swish!
As soon as Lin Chen spoke, the entire scene fell silent, but then erupted into an uproar and angry shouts.

"This brat is too arrogant, he deserves to die!"

"How dare he insult my Flower Clan like this! He must be taught a lesson!"

Miao Jingfeng and the other two also looked grim. They hadn't expected that Lin Chen would dare to say such arrogant things to the three of them after he appeared.

Even the strongest cultivators in the clan at the fifth level of the Innate Realm wouldn't dare to say that the three of them should join forces.

"Lin Chen, even if you are engaged to the little princess, you have insulted my Flower Clan so much that no one can protect you today."

Zhu Bai roared angrily, but Lin Chen sneered: "Come on, all of you. It'll save me time. I'd rather spend this time feeding the fish in Yaochi."

Zhu Bai and Miao Jingfeng exchanged glances, realizing that it was absolutely impossible for the three of them to gang up on Lin Chen. Even if they defeated Lin Chen, it would be an unfair victory if word got out.

"I come!"

Zhu Bai spoke to Miao Jingfeng and Mei Luochuan, then looked at Lin Chen.

"I told you, don't waste my time. Since the three of you can't bring yourselves to come together, then I'll do it."

As Zhu Bai's figure darted about, Lin Chen also moved, his figure approaching like a ghost, a finger of dark blue light piercing through Zhu Bai's protective aura.

puff!
Most of the young people from the Flower Clan at the scene didn't see what happened clearly. They only saw Zhu Bai's figure disappear from the spot, and then Lin Chen's figure also disappeared. Immediately afterwards, they saw Lin Chen return to the original spot, while Zhu Bai staggered backward with a "poof" sound.

A burst of blood mist erupted from his right shoulder, and he staggered back more than ten steps before regaining his balance, his face turning deathly pale.

This scene made all the younger generation of the Flower Clan gasp in shock; even Brother Zhu Bai couldn't withstand a single move from Lin Chen.

How is this possible?
Miao Jingfeng and Mei Luochuan's expressions also became extremely solemn. The difference in strength between them and Zhu Bai was not significant. The three of them had been competing with each other since they entered the Innate Realm. Each of them had a period of time when they were ahead. However, none of them dared to say that they could reliably defeat the other.

"Next, it's your turn, the two of you."

Lin Chen didn't look at the somewhat dejected Zhu Bai anymore. Instead, his gaze fell on Miao Jingfeng and Mei Luochuan, and his vast divine sense was released.

boom!
Miao Jingfeng and Mei Luochuan felt as if they had been struck by lightning, their minds instantly losing focus, and the next moment Lin Chen's figure also left two afterimages in the same spot.

Boom!

With two consecutive punches, Miao Jingfeng and Mei Luochuan had no time to react and were sent flying a hundred feet away. When they landed on the ground, the jade steps of Yaochi were smashed and cracked in several places. Their condition was even worse than Zhu Bai's.

hiss!
The entire scene was silent.

All the young members of the Flower Clan stared in disbelief at this scene. The three of them, Miao Jingfeng, who were considered the strongest, hadn't even lasted a single move against Lin Chen.

How could they possibly believe it if they hadn't seen it with their own eyes?

After a long while, someone in the crowd finally spoke.

"Brother Miao... couldn't even withstand a single move."

Among the crowd, a young girl's eyes showed disappointment. It should be noted that Miao Jingfeng and his two companions were the strongest among the younger generation of the Flower Clan, and had many admirers.

The cracks in the jade steps of Yaochi reflected the pale faces of countless young people from the Flower Clan—their faith in their noble bloodline had been shattered.

Miao Jingfeng and his two companions were also ashen-faced. They were no match for Lin Chen, and their proud martial arts talents were so easily defeated.

"They only live under the glory of their ancestors, thinking themselves of noble blood, but they don't realize that what outsiders respect is just the glory of their ancestors that surrounds them. Without this halo, they are nothing."

Lin Chen spoke again, his words still sharp and biting, but this time no one dared to refute him.

Because you can't refute it!

What is Lin Chen's background?
The entire Flower Clan now knows that he is the son of a fisherman from the lowest level of society, living on a desolate island overseas, with no status or bloodline whatsoever.

As for the Flower Clan, they are a super-powerful clan that has produced god-level experts and possesses racial talents. Their status and position are worlds apart.

But now Lin Chen alone has suppressed the entire younger generation of the Flower Clan. Faced with such an absolute difference in strength, any words seem so pale.

……

……

In the distance, several elders of the Flower Clan frowned: "Was Lin Chen's statement a bit too much?"

"I don't think it's a big deal. The younger generation in our clan is too arrogant and looks down on outsiders. It's good that Lin Chen has woken them up."

When Teng Wangshan spoke up, although Lin Chen's methods were much more drastic than he had imagined, he naturally had to speak up for Lin Chen.

"It's not that I don't allow Lin Chen to teach him a lesson, but I feel that Lin Chen went a bit too far. I'm afraid it will hurt Miao Jingfeng and the others' martial arts aspirations. Moreover, Lin Chen's words have made my Hua Clan seem worthless." The Hua Clan has been able to stand tall in the martial arts world for so many years, even through several dynasties. How could it be as insignificant as Lin Chen described?

Every era in the martial arts world produces peerless geniuses. These geniuses may be able to overwhelm their fellow Flower Clan members of the same age, but most of these geniuses are just a flash in the pan, rarely forming a family or passing on their legacy.

But the Flower Clan is different. Even without peerless geniuses, the number of martial artists at the Myriad Manifestations Realm has always remained at five. Moreover, thanks to the clan's foundation, even those peerless geniuses dare not act recklessly in the Flower Clan.

The greatest strength of the ancient clans compared to other martial arts families lies in the stability of their high-level strength, and their four superior clans are even stronger than ordinary ancient clans.

Moreover, this does not mean that their Flower Clan cannot produce any more peerless geniuses. Over the years, the ancestors of the entire clan have been working towards this goal.

Just as Teng Wangshan was arguing with the other elders over Lin Chen, at the jade plaza at the entrance of Yaochi, Lin Chen suddenly changed his tone: "Do you know why I look down on you so much?"

Hearing Lin Chen's sudden question, all the young people of the Flower Clan were stunned. Isn't it because we opposed your marriage to the little princess?

This is something everyone knows perfectly well; they're just short of saying it outright.

"I don't care at all about your opposition to my engagement with Senior Sister Jiang, because you can't stop it. Would you care about a powerless babbler?"

When Lin Chen asked this question, the young man from the Flower Clan nodded subconsciously, but then shook his head violently.

They nodded because they agreed with Lin Chen's words and wouldn't care about someone who only knew how to bark incompetently. They shook their heads because they didn't admit that they were the incompetent barker that Lin Chen was talking about.

"Lin Chen, we have nothing to say if you win, but there's no need for you to continue humiliating my Flower Clan."

Miao Jingfeng spoke coldly, and Lin Chen's gaze fell on Miao Jingfeng, revealing a disdainful smile: "Humiliation? What do you have that I can humiliate? If I weren't engaged to Senior Sister Jiang, if I weren't the consort of the Flower Clan, I would be turning around and entering this Jade Pool right now. Why would I waste my breath talking to you here?"

Lin Chen's words confused the young people of the Flower Clan present. If it wasn't to humiliate them, then what was the purpose of his words?
"I believe many of you here know my background and circumstances in detail, but how many of you know that I wrote a letter when I first entered the Refining Organs Realm?"

Lin Chen glanced at the scene and saw the confusion on the faces of the young people of the Flower Clan. He shook his head in disappointment: "You haven't seen it, and you probably don't even know what level the Refining the Internal Organs is, because the Refining the Internal Organs is not even the entry level. But in my hometown, a Refining the Internal Organs martial artist is enough to ensure that the entire family will have no worries about food and clothing for three generations. Below the Refining the Internal Organs is the Opening of the Apertures, and below the Opening of the Apertures is the Refining of Qi."

Not even a graded product?
Miao Jingfeng and the others were indeed shocked. From the moment they embarked on the path of martial arts, they were already entry-level martial artists, and they had no idea that there were realm divisions before entry-level.

What kind of realm are these practices of cultivating internal organs, opening the mind, and cultivating qi?
"Seven years ago, when I first stepped into the world of martial arts, let alone you, even those who had awakened their martial arts skills were people I had to look up to. For someone like me, a poor fisherman's son, learning martial arts was a luxury. My destiny was to take over the fishing net that my father had mended many times, fish on the lake all day long, enduring wind and sun. If I worked hard enough, I could buy a fishing boat that could carry 500 catties and pass it on to my children. That would be a successful life."

"Fortunately, the village produced a martial artist who secured the opportunity for all fifteen-year-old boys in the village to enter the martial arts academy for free. However, martial arts training is extremely expensive, requiring enough beef to increase strength. My older cousin has already entered the martial arts academy, and to support his training, we have exhausted all the remaining money in our family. We simply cannot afford to support my own martial arts training."

"But I'm not willing to be a fisherman on the lake for the rest of my life. I made a promise with my grandfather that if I could enter the Martial Arts Academy and pass its six-month assessment, my family would allow me to continue practicing martial arts. Do you know what the six-month assessment goal of the Martial Arts Academy is?"

Faced with Lin Chen's question, Miao Jingfeng and the others remained silent. They could tell that the assessment was not particularly difficult, but they couldn't guess what it was like because they had never experienced this stage before.

"The martial arts hall's six-month assessment requires lifting a 200-pound stone block."

Wow!
When Lin Chen announced the assessment goals, the young people of the Flower Clan were in an uproar.

Lifting a 200-pound stone block is a skill most of them had already mastered by the age of five or six.

"In order to pass the test, during the half month I entered the martial arts hall, in addition to practicing boxing with him in the martial arts hall during the day, I also went to the market early in the morning to scale fish and sell fish. I would scale fish for an hour and only get a pound of beef in return."

"Fortunately, it was the hottest time of June, so my hands didn't freeze. But even so, with this meager income, my strength growth still couldn't keep up. Other poor students like me in the martial arts hall gave up after only a few months. Firstly, they felt they couldn't pass the test, and secondly, they couldn't stand the ridicule from the other students in the martial arts hall."

"However, I knew that only by practicing martial arts could I change my fate. In order to pass the assessment, the other boys bought beef from the cafeteria to increase their strength, while I could only scoop up a ladle of beef soup from the cafeteria for free. The beef in that soup was so thin that it almost melted in my mouth. The boys in the school, like Zhang Tao, constantly mocked me. Every time I ate in the cafeteria, I didn't know how many mocking eyes fell on me, saying that I, a poor boy, didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth and dared to dream of changing my fate by practicing martial arts..."

Lin Chen's narration was very plain, as if he were telling an ordinary story, but it really moved everyone, including Miao Jingfeng.

The arduous journey of a poor boy striving to learn martial arts vividly comes to mind.

If it were them, could they be as persistent as Lin Chen?
When everyone asked themselves honestly, the answer made them feel ashamed; they feared they couldn't do it.

The hardships are bearable, but the ridicule from others, especially the strange looks from peers, are probably unbearable.

Meanwhile, the elders of the Flower Clan, who were also paying attention to this place with their divine senses, including the few who had previously expressed their dissatisfaction, all sighed.

They knew about Lin Chen's past cultivation, but before Lin Chen went to the Canglan Sect, there was only a brief introduction of a hundred words about Lin Chen's cultivation experience.

Born into poverty, he entered the martial arts academy despite his humble origins. Later, he passed the entrance exam for the martial arts school and distinguished himself in the county-level examination.

The simple words "poor family" and "born into a humble background" in the jade slip didn't convey much, but now that Lin Chen was telling the story, one could understand how much hardship and sorrow those six words represented.

"In the June martial arts academy assessment, I barely passed with the lowest score. I shared this good news with my grandfather, thinking that my family would support my martial arts training from then on. However, my grandfather was biased and prevented me from going to the academy for the sake of my cousin's martial arts training. I refused to compromise and forcibly separated from the family. Seeing that my family had no money and I had no way to learn martial arts... In this moment of despair, I still did not give up and went to the martial arts academy to seek help from the instructors..."

Hearing Lin Chen recount this, the atmosphere became very oppressive. They could imagine how desperate Lin Chen must have felt at that moment.

After enduring so much hardship and suffering so much cold stares and ridicule, he finally passed the test, only to be met with favoritism from his elders at home. If it were them, they would probably have already become despondent.

But Lin Chen didn't. Instead, he mustered his courage and went to the martial arts hall to find that high and mighty instructor...

They are ashamed of themselves!

At this point, unless they were truly dark-hearted, all the other young people of the Flower Clan no longer felt any jealousy towards Lin Chen.

Lin Chen is a good match for the little princess.

"Entering the martial arts school and winning first place in the county exam was a life-changing experience for me. Both my family and my own status improved. Even the most powerful figures who were once unapproachable now have to call me 'brother'."

Lin Chen's voice suddenly rose: "For many people, I have already succeeded. Martial arts cultivation does not require such diligence, and they can enjoy the privileged life of a martial artist. But for me, choosing to walk the path of martial arts is not only to change my fate, but also because I want to see the scenery at the pinnacle of martial arts."

"County exams, prefectural exams, the competition for the title of outstanding martial arts student in Jiangnan Province, admission to Canglan Martial Academy... Along the way, many people were shocked by my background and praised me highly. But I knew even more clearly that in their eyes, for someone of my birth to achieve what I have today is already a stroke of good fortune, and pursuing anything higher would be considered greed..."

"Without a background, I'm just a petty person who has achieved success. That's what many people say about me in private. That's why there's the competition for the role model of martial arts students, and why, apart from Canglan Martial Academy, the other three of the four major martial arts academies don't think highly of me..."

"But the words of others could not shake my resolve in the martial arts. It was with this unwavering determination to cultivate martial arts that I endured pain that ordinary people could not bear. Those once unapproachable figures, those geniuses I had to look up to, I relentlessly pursued and eventually surpassed..."

"No one helps me to reach the top of the mountain by walking on the snow!"

Lin Chen's gaze swept across all the young people of the Flower Clan present: "Do you know why I called you trash?"

"It's not because you're not strong enough, but because you don't have a true heart for martial arts."

Have you ever seen the moon set at dawn for several consecutive years?

"Have you ever experienced years of continuous, daily physical torment that pushed your body to its limits?"

On the scene, all the young members of the Flower Clan lowered their proud heads. If an elder or even a senior member had spoken to them in this way, they might not have been convinced.

Even among those exceptionally talented individuals of the same age, this is true.

They would only think that these super geniuses of the same age are just more talented than themselves.

Only when Lin Chen said this did they accept it.

Lin Chen is qualified because of his experience and abilities.

"Thank you for your guidance today, Young Master Lin."

Miao Jingfeng suddenly bowed deeply to Lin Chen, as did Zhu Bai and Mei Luochuan beside him.

The other young people from the Flower Clan quickly followed suit, saying in unison, "Thank you, Young Master Lin."

The address "Young Master" signifies their complete respect for Lin Chen and their acceptance of his status as the prince consort.

……

Inside the cave, Teng Wangshan stroked his beard and laughed, "That kid Lin Chen really has some unique ideas about how to do things."

"This matter was indeed handled beautifully. Now I understand why the Eldest Princess chose Lin Chen as the consort for the Little Princess. Perhaps the Eldest Princess was not sure how strong Lin Chen's martial arts talent was at the time, but with such a firm martial arts heart, his future realm will not be bad."

Many elders smiled, feeling for the first time that the princess had done the right thing.

The eldest elder, sitting at the head of the table, had a wise glint in his eyes as he said calmly, "Since Lin Chen is the son-in-law of our clan, I intend to have him represent our clan in the four-clan competition."

Upon hearing the First Elder's words, the other elders all looked over, their eyes filled with surprise. Only Teng Wangshan remained calm, for he had already anticipated this.

In his letter, Yin Wushuang of the Canglan Sect made this request, and the Canglan Sect was willing to give up a Canglan Spring for it.

The Flower Clan possesses countless spiritual springs to cultivate various flowers, herbs, and medicinal plants, but it lacks the Azure Spring.

This spring water is unique to the Canglan Sect.

But Teng Wangshan knew in his heart that the Grand Elders' Council agreed not only because of Canglan Spring, but also because of Lin Chen's status as the prince consort.

He had been thinking about how the Grand Elder would persuade the other elders and how Lin Chen would gain the approval of the other clansmen, but he never expected that Lin Chen would solve both problems himself.

PS: This is the first chapter to make up for yesterday's. There's one more long chapter coming up. Today is the last day of double monthly votes, so please vote!

(End of this chapter)