Rise from a Poor Family: My Martial Arts Counterattack

Chapter 589 The Regretful Starfall Palace

When Lin Chen asked him a question, Teng Wangshan remained silent.

He hadn't expected Lin Chen to be so perceptive. He had been thinking about how to comfort Lin Chen and not to take Liang Fu's words to heart, but now there was no need to persuade him.

"As Liang Fu said, your sect must have paid a considerable price to get the Heavenly Meteor Star Palace to grant you a spot this time. However, I am not clear about the specifics of what you paid."

Seeing Lin Chen's serious expression, Teng Wangshan advised, "No matter what price your sect paid to reach a deal with Tianyun Star Palace, this has already happened. What you need to do is take this opportunity to improve your physical body so as not to disappoint the sect's expectations of you."

"I understand."

Lin Chen nodded, then asked, "Senior, does our sect have nothing else to do?"

"What could possibly happen? Your sect has several Grand Elders overseeing things; what could possibly go wrong?"

Teng Wangshan laughed heartily. Lin Chen stared at Teng Wangshan's expression, his lips slightly pursed, but ultimately he didn't ask any further questions.

He was certain that Elder Teng was lying. Something else must have happened in the sect, but Elder Teng was unwilling to tell him, so there must be a reason why he was unwilling.

Is it because you're afraid it will affect your state of mind?

Since that's the case, there's no point in asking any further questions. As Elder Teng said, what I need to do now is to live up to the sect's hard work and take this opportunity to break through to the fifth level of my Immortal Body.

Soon, a steward from the Meteorite Palace appeared and led Lin Chen and Teng Wangshan directly to the location of the meteorite.

A huge, deep pit.

Standing atop the pit, Lin Chen felt a surge of energy continuously flowing from the deep pit, propelling him upwards like buoyancy.

Around the deep pit, many martial artists were struggling against the energy as they descended, but the further they went, the more difficult it became.

"what!"

A cry of surprise rang out, and a middle-aged man a hundred feet below suddenly staggered and was pushed backward several times. He tried to regain his footing several times, but finally he was pushed dozens of feet up before he could steady himself.

"This is where our sect's sacred stone is located. After entering the pit, the resistance will increase every ten feet. If you can't withstand this resistance, you will be pushed back dozens of feet. You only have one chance. Once you are pushed back, you can't go any further."

"That's the pilgrimage platform; everyone starts from there."

The steward of Starfall Palace, with a businesslike attitude, explained some rules to Lin Chen, bowed to Teng Wangshan, and left.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the deep pit, hundreds of martial artists had gathered. These were all innate martial artists from the Starfall Heavenly Palace who had come to watch the spectacle after hearing the news.

"Lin Chen, I'll be waiting for you here."

Teng Wangshan patted Lin Chen on the shoulder, and Lin Chen said "Okay" before taking a step and landing on the pilgrimage platform.

The pilgrimage platform, which could easily accommodate dozens of people, was now occupied by only him. Clearly, the martial artists from the Starfall Palace were determined to watch the spectacle from the sidelines.

On the pilgrimage platform, Lin Chen did not rush to begin, but instead looked at the martial artists who were currently in the deep pit.

There were dozens of martial artists in the entire pit, and the martial artist at the front had already gone seventy feet deep. Lin Chen carefully observed the actions of these martial artists at the front. These martial artists were not going down in a straight line, but were going down in a spiral, like a mountain road.

Is it because the resistance it experiences will gradually decrease?

Or is it to let the body gradually get used to this resistance, so that the body won't be unable to withstand the resistance all at once and be pushed back?

While Lin Chen was observing the situation of these martial artists, the martial artists of the Starfall Palace at the top of the pit were also getting impatient to see Lin Chen standing motionless on the pilgrimage platform for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

"What's wrong with Lin Chen? Why hasn't he taken any action yet?"

"That's a bit too cowardly. I remember the first time I did it, I only stood on the pilgrimage platform for a short while before I started to act."

"Rumors say Lin Chen is invincible in the fourth realm of the Innate Realm, so how come he lacks even this much courage?"

“I remember that when the one from the Great Luo Sect came last year, he only waited a hundred breaths before taking action.”

In the eyes of the martial artists of the Starfall Palace, Lin Chen was far too slow.

As a prodigy, shouldn't one display the boldness and decisiveness expected of a prodigy, acting with extreme efficiency and not hesitating or looking back?

The conversations between these martial artists from the Starfall Palace were completely undisguised, and Lin Chen, standing on the pilgrimage platform, could hear them clearly, but he did not react to them at all.

His gaze and divine sense remained fixed on the ground below, constantly capturing the surges of special energy.

He didn't know what price Elder Yin and the others had paid to secure this opportunity for him, but he knew the price was definitely not low.

Judging from the attitude of that elder from the Starfall Palace and the steward just now, the Starfall Palace did not welcome my arrival. It can only be said that the benefits offered by the sect made it impossible for the Starfall Palace to refuse.

A treasure that even a super sect finds hard to refuse is beyond priceless.

The sect paid such a price, only to give him one chance. He could not be too cautious.

What do the sarcastic remarks of these martial artists from the Heavenly Meteor Palace matter?
Half an hour, an hour...

The disciples of Starfall Palace were growing increasingly impatient. Some even landed directly on the pilgrimage platform and sneered, "Brother Lin, do you perhaps think that the energy of the sacred stone will weaken after sunset, and want to wait until then to go down?"

“Your sect’s sacred stone is no ordinary stone; I must treat it with utmost care.”

Lin Chen replied calmly, which immediately silenced the sarcastic remarks the martial artist had prepared.

Lin Chen's attitude was humble, and his words even praised their sacred stone, so even if he wanted to be sarcastic, he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Seeing the other party speechless, Lin Chen smiled faintly to himself. This was not the first time he had encountered such a scene. Back in the martial arts hall, when he tried to get a meal from Zhao Jingchuan and his friends, he suffered even more ridicule than this.

The disciples of Starfall Palace are very casual because they can come here to temper their bodies multiple times, but I only have one chance, so I have to be very careful.

"Brother Lin, please do as you please."

Finally, the man uttered those words and left the pilgrimage site.

A hundred breaths after the man left, Lin Chen finally stopped standing there and stepped off the pilgrimage platform. The moment he stepped off the platform, a magical energy suddenly surged forth.

As this energy enveloped him, Lin Chen immediately sensed that his divine sense and the innate power within his body were imprisoned. However, he did not panic at all. He gently pushed off with his right foot and used the rebound force to steadily land one zhang below.

The steward of the Starfall Palace did not inform him that his soul and innate power would be immediately imprisoned the moment he stepped off the pilgrimage platform, but Lin Chen discovered this clue from other martial artists through more than an hour of observation.

"It's finally moving!"

"It seems that Lin Chen must have made preparations in advance, which is why he didn't embarrass himself."

Seeing Lin Chen descend steadily three zhang and land on a protruding rock, many disciples of the Starfall Palace showed regret on their faces.

Many martial artists who are unaware of the situation will panic for a moment when they step out of the pilgrimage platform for the first time because their innate power is restricted and cannot be used. Some even fall directly onto the rocks below.

Many disciples of the Starfall Palace were originally waiting to see Lin Chen make a fool of himself, but now that they haven't seen it, they can only assume that Lin Chen knew about it in advance.

"This pressure is not even as great as the first level of the Thousand Layers Secret Realm."

Lin Chen landed firmly on the rock, feeling the pressure on his body. This pressure was like a thin veil covering him, not affecting his movements at all.

Even so, Lin Chen still chose the safest method of circling down the pit, and many martial artists from the Starfall Palace rolled their eyes when they saw Lin Chen circling down the pit.

"This is too... too cautious."

"It's only been a few feet, and it's already like this. Even a martial artist at the first level of the Innate Realm could descend thirty feet and then use this method to descend in a few breaths. Isn't Lin Chen just wasting his time?"

In the eyes of the disciples of Starfall Palace, Lin Chen was excessively cautious, unlike any other martial arts prodigy they had ever met.

As martial arts prodigies, they all strive to be the best in everything, but Lin Chen... his speed is even slower than theirs.

Lin Chen, who was already descending into the deep pit, could no longer hear the voices of the disciples of Starfall Palace, and even if he did, he wouldn't care.

One lap, two laps, three laps...

His body was descending steadily. Although he hadn't felt much pressure yet, he was using this time to become more and more familiar with the energy in the deep pit.

Ten zhang, twenty zhang, thirty zhang...

An hour later, they finally reached a depth of 100 zhang.

Upon reaching this point, Lin Chen stopped. He didn't feel much resistance a hundred feet ahead, and as this peculiar energy enveloped him, it continuously seeped into his body. He could feel some subtle changes in his physical body, but they weren't very noticeable.

Clearly, the energy at this depth is not yet concentrated.

By now, Lin Chen had figured out the pattern and intensity of the energy released by the sacred stone at the bottom of the pit. Based on this increasing intensity, he could easily go another hundred feet deeper.

Moreover, the faster the descent, the more energy enters the body.

call!
Lin Chen took a deep breath and this time did not choose to go around, but instead suddenly descended rapidly downwards.

One foot, two feet, three feet...

Above, the disciples of the Starfall Palace, who were getting bored and sleepy, thought Lin Chen would continue to choose to detour. But when they saw Lin Chen's figure suddenly descend rapidly, many of them were stunned, subconsciously rubbing their eyes, unable to believe what they were seeing.

It moved slowly for the first hundred feet, but then it accelerated later?

What kind of incredible, upside-down maneuver is this?
"Thirty zhang, forty zhang, fifty zhang and it still hasn't stopped." "Is he going to descend a hundred zhang in one go?"

All the disciples of the Starfall Palace were staring intently down below. Although they did not understand Lin Chen's behavior, the height from which he descended shocked them.

This was a descent of tens of feet in one go, and that was on top of the original hundred feet.

Ten breaths later, when Lin Chen descended to a depth of two hundred feet, all the disciples of the Starfall Palace present were speechless, their mouths agape.

All their previous mockery of Lin Chen now felt like a slap in the face in the face of this 200-zhang depth.

Looking back on their earlier words, they seemed like a bunch of clowns.

"He...he hasn't stopped yet."

A martial artist's voice trembled as Lin Chen continued his rapid descent. As Lin Chen descended, more and more figures appeared above the pit, including many elderly men.

Among them was Liang Fu, who had previously been in charge of receiving Lin Chen and Teng Wangshan.

Upon seeing Liang Fu and the others appear, Teng Wangshan's eyes gleamed, but he did not speak. These elders of the Starfall Palace had been so arrogant before, so let's see if they can remain so in the future.

"Two hundred and sixty zhang, the highest record in our sect is three hundred zhang."

The elders from the Starfall Palace exchanged glances, each seeing disbelief in the other's eyes.

Since the sect was established, the strongest physical body in each generation has only decreased by three hundred feet, and that person decreased when they were at the sixth level of the Innate Realm.

"It's already two hundred and seventy zhang."

Another elder spoke quietly, and just as they appeared, Lin Chen's descent height increased by another ten zhang.

At this rate, they will be able to break their Starfall Palace's highest record in less than a hundred breaths.

The fact that a record of their own sect has been broken by someone from another sect will have a significant impact on the reputation of Starfall Palace if word gets out.

But that's not the most crucial thing. The most crucial thing is that the founder left an oral instruction that there was a cultivation technique at a distance of four hundred feet. All the predecessors of the sect have tried to enter the four hundred feet distance and retrieve the cultivation technique left by the founder, but unfortunately, none of them have succeeded.

"Three hundred zhang!"

When one of the elders spoke in a low voice, all the elders present turned their gaze to Liang Fu.

The reason the sect agreed to let Lin Chen come here this time is because the Canglan Sect offered ten directions of Canglan energy. Canglan energy is unique to the Canglan Sect, but that doesn't mean that only Canglan Sect warriors can absorb it.

As one of the most unique energies in the world, Canglan energy has a wide range of uses, but due to the control of the Canglan Sect, very little Canglan energy flows out.

Only the Canglan Sect can preserve the Canglan energy.

The vast energy from all directions is equivalent to ten years' worth of reserves for the Canglan Sect. Their Starfall Heavenly Palace simply cannot refuse this offer.

Giving Lin Chen a spot is nothing to their Starfall Heavenly Palace. It's not like there haven't been outside sect martial artists who have come before, but the deepest they've ever been is just over two hundred feet.

Regarding Lin Chen's matter, Vice Palace Master Liang said that even if Lin Chen were given a spot, it wouldn't be a big deal, and as long as the sect showed that this was a transaction, it wouldn't offend the royal family or Young Master Dongfang.

The elders present all agreed with what Vice Palace Master Liang said, but the situation is completely different now.

If they knew that Lin Chen could penetrate more than 300 zhang, they would not care about offending the royal family and Young Master Dongfang. They would spare no effort to help Lin Chen continue to advance and reach 400 zhang so that he could retrieve the cultivation technique left by the sect's founder.

Liang Fu's expression was also very complicated at this moment. At a depth of more than 300 zhang, Lin Chen, an outsider, broke the record that their Starfall Heavenly Palace had ever set.

"Brother Teng, Lin Chen has made ample preparations this time. The Canglan Sect and your Flower Clan have prepared protective items for him?"

Upon hearing Liang Fu's question, Teng Wangshan replied quietly, "Brother Liang is joking. Your sect's sacred stone can only be approached by physical strength. All martial artists in the entire Yan Dynasty know this. What can you possibly prepare?"

"Really, there isn't any?"

Liang Fu was somewhat skeptical. While it was true that getting close to the Sacred Stone could only rely on one's own physical strength, it didn't mean there was absolutely no other way. The simplest method was to take pills that could temporarily increase physical strength.

"To be honest, as soon as the Canglan Sect informed me of this matter concerning the Flower Clan, I brought Lin Chen to your sect without stopping or making any arrangements."

"Elder Teng, how can you be so casual? You should prepare something for Lin Chen."

An old man from the Starfall Palace nearby couldn't help but speak up, his words carrying a hint of resentment.

Teng Wangshan laughed: "You guys are really interesting. Judging from your attitude towards Lin Chen, if the Canglan Sect or my Flower Clan were to prepare something for Lin Chen, who can guarantee that you wouldn't disqualify him for not following the rules?"

Now that they've seen Lin Chen's physical strength, they're panicking!

What were you doing earlier?
Teng Wangshan also understood that the Starfall Palace had been sending its disciples close to the Sacred Stone all these years not only to temper their physical bodies, but also because there were treasures below that tempted them.

Liang Fu's face darkened, looking somewhat embarrassed. He hadn't expected Teng Wangshan to be so blunt, pointing things out directly.

"Oh, I missed it!"

"If we had known earlier that Lin Chen's physical body was this strong, with the research our sect has done over the years, we could have given him some help, and reaching four hundred feet should have been no problem."

The elders of the Starfall Palace looked regretful, and with each word they spoke, Liang Fu's face darkened further.

Over the years, the sect has developed methods that allow a martial artist to advance an additional thirty feet in a deep pit. This means that as long as someone can descend to three hundred and seventy feet on their own, and with the sect's backup plan, they can reach four hundred feet.

But now, even though Lin Chen has already reached 330 zhang, once he exceeds 350 zhang, the pressure he bears will increase dramatically for every zhang.

"Lin Chen hasn't even stepped into the 370-foot range yet, so it's too early to talk about these things now."

Liang Fu snorted coldly. He couldn't admit that he had misjudged the situation. As long as Lin Chen didn't reach 370 zhang, he wouldn't be considered wrong.

After a hundred breaths, Lin Chen reached a height of 340 zhang.

After a thousand breaths, Lin Chen stepped into the 350-zhang mark.

An hour later, Lin Chen reached a height of 360 zhang.

At the very top of the pit, looking at the layer of color where Lin Chen was standing, no one spoke anymore.

Liang Fu appeared calm, but the clenched fist beneath his sleeves betrayed his inner tension.

Two hours later!
The moment Lin Chen landed in the 370-zhang circle, all the elders of the Starfall Palace were no longer surprised; all their eyes fell on Liang Fu.

Looking at Liang Fu's face, which was as black as charcoal, Teng Wangshan was secretly delighted, but he said aloud, "It's alright. Even if Lin Chen can't meet your sect's requirements this time, we can let him enter again."

However, to Teng Wangshan's surprise, as soon as he said this, the other elders chimed in, "There's no chance anymore."

"After reaching two hundred feet, the sacred stone will record the aura of each person. If you enter again, the resistance will double. Unless you wait another ten years, the resistance you will also increase as your cultivation level increases. Many disciples of our sect will stop before reaching two hundred feet if they feel they cannot withstand it."

Teng Wangshan understood; this meant that if Lin Chen missed this opportunity, he might never have another chance.

Liang Fu remained silent for a long time before finally uttering, "After this matter, I will resign from my position as Deputy Palace Master."

An opportunity to obtain a powerful cultivation technique left behind by the founder has been lost, and as the deputy palace master, he cannot escape blame.

"Brother Liang, perhaps Lin Chen can reach four hundred feet on his own, why rush to conclusions?"

Teng Wangshan was shocked by Liang Fu's decision, but he didn't feel sorry for Liang Fu. Instead, he felt that Liang Fu was still unwilling to believe Lin Chen.

"Brother Teng, I admit that I underestimated Lin Chen before."

After making the decision, Liang Fu's expression returned to normal, and he said with a wry smile, "Although no one in our sect has ever gone down to a depth of 300 zhang, our ancestor once left a description that after 350 zhang, each zhang is more difficult than the last. The pressure that Lin Chen will bear in the last 30 zhang will be dozens of times that of the previous 370 zhang."

"Tens of times?"

Teng Wangshan was also astonished. If that were the case, Lin Chen really couldn't possibly reach four hundred feet.

It's no wonder that these elders looked so regretful and remorseful.

"Perhaps a miracle will happen. Lin Chen has a nickname in his hometown: a genius who creates miracles."

Teng Wangshan whispered, but even he himself found it hard to believe what he was saying.

……

……

Below the deep pit.

At this moment, Lin Chen's Immortal Technique was operating at its peak, with energy constantly flowing into his skin pores. This energy was quickly absorbed by his body, causing his physical body to continuously strengthen.

Lin Chen was very fortunate that while enduring terrifying pressure, he was also able to absorb energy to temper his physical body and increase its strength; otherwise, he would never have been able to descend to such a depth.

This is the same as when he challenged the Invincible Arena. He gained benefits and improved his strength by defeating his opponents, and then used his improved strength to defeat the next opponent, forming a positive cycle.

The sacred stone in the Starfall Palace releases a unique energy, like a powerful tonic for the physical body, and it works extremely quickly. He had never heard of such energy before.

Five zhang later!
Lin Chen suddenly stopped, his expression turning strange. The panel, which hadn't appeared for a long time, was now in front of him.

[Immortal Body: Fifth Level]

(End of this chapter)