Rise from a Poor Family: My Martial Arts Counterattack

Chapter 632 Delivering a Fortune
Rumble!
Lin Chen stood on the deck, watching the storm pour down like a torrent above, a hint of worry in his eyes.

As the four of them headed upwards, the annihilation storm clearly intensified.

A few breaths later, sensing that the annihilation storm was becoming increasingly violent, Lin Chen had no choice but to control the ghost ship to retreat several hundred feet.

After a hundred breaths.

Lin Chen's pupils shrank sharply. In the torrent of the raging storm, he saw a figure being swept away by the current.

"Is that Senior Zhao?"

The torrent rushed down very quickly, and what shocked Lin Chen was that Senior Zhao, a god-level expert, was like a fish in the torrent, powerless to resist. In just a few breaths, he was completely swept away and disappeared.

Did Senior Zhao fail?

Lin Chen was shocked. He already knew from Sister Piao that reaching the other shore was not an easy task and that there was a possibility of failure. But he never expected that the price of failure would be death.

A god-level expert turned into a corpse right under his nose.

However, this was only the beginning. Less than thirty breaths later, another senior was also swept away by the torrent of the engulfing storm.

Seeing the bodies of these two seniors, Lin Chen became even more worried about Sister Piao's safety.

Three hundred breaths later, when he saw a beautiful figure appear in the torrent, Lin Chen's expression changed instantly. Looking at Sister Piao being swept downstream by the torrent, he didn't hesitate for a moment and immediately took control of the ghost ship to go there.

boom!
The moment the ghost ship approached the torrent, the entire bow deck began to shake violently, and Lin Chen was also severely injured, his body trembling continuously.

"keep going!"

Lin Chen gritted his teeth, enduring the excruciating pain, and continued to steer the ghost ship into the torrent. The moment the entire ghost ship plunged into the torrent, the ship shook violently, and the mast that had been standing upright began to bend.

"Sister Piao!"

At the same time, Liu Piao's body also fell from the torrent and landed on the ghost ship.

"go!"

After catching Liu Piao, Lin Chen did not hesitate and immediately controlled the ghost ship to descend and retreat.

The ghost ship descended rapidly, its hull rocking violently and almost capsizing, but thankfully it eventually stabilized.

……

Fifteen minutes later, the ghost ship finally moved away from the torrent. Lin Chen stood on the deck, beads of sweat dripping down his face, panting heavily. He was just a moment away from the ship sinking and everyone dying.

After a few dozen breaths, Lin Chen came to his senses and looked at Liu Piao, who was floating on the deck.

"Sister Piao?"

Lin Chen called out softly, and as he did, Liu Piao's body trembled, and after a while, her eyes slowly opened.

The moment Liu Piao opened her eyes, a terrifying aura emanated from her, causing Lin Chen to involuntarily take several steps back. Fortunately, the aura appeared and disappeared quickly.

As Liu Piao stood still on the deck, the aura she had been releasing was completely concealed.

"Little brother, there's nothing to be sad about. This was within my expectations."

When Liu Piao saw Lin Chen's gaze, she smiled slightly, her expression revealing no trace of sadness.

"There are only two outcomes when you try to reach the other side: success or failure. However, very few people can actually reach the other side. I have long been prepared for failure."

Instead, Liu Piao comforted Lin Chen, but Lin Chen remained silent. From the terrifying aura that Sister Piao had just released, he knew that this was a final burst of energy before death. As a god-level expert, how could she not control her aura?

For a god-level powerhouse, losing control means certain death.

"This time, none of the four of us will be able to cross to the other side."

"Sister Piao, what exactly is in the Nine Heavens of the Other Shore? Have any god-level experts from your continent ever entered it?"

In the end, Lin Chen asked the question that had been bothering him.

If the other shore is difficult to reach, how can we prove that once we step onto it, we can exist eternally?

Unless a god-level powerhouse has ever landed on the other side and then emerged from it.

"do not know."

Liu Piao sighed softly: "The continent where my sister is located has produced many god-level powerhouses, but no one knows whether those who embarked on the path to the other shore succeeded. However, one thing is certain: none of these powerhouses ever returned."

Seemingly sensing Lin Chen's doubts, Liu Piao continued to explain, "Little brother, the day you step into the God-level realm, you will feel the existence of the other shore. It is an aura that transcends the God-level. This aura cannot be deceived. Just like a higher realm in martial arts, it has a fatal attraction for every God-level expert."

Hearing this, Lin Chen nodded, and he understood somewhat.

Any martial arts expert who can step into the god level must not only have amazing martial arts talent and opportunities, but also have a heart that wants to climb to the top of martial arts. Now that they know there are higher realms above the god level, how could they possibly endure it?

A god-level expert like Sister Piao doesn't care whether stepping onto the other side truly means eternal immortality; they simply pursue a higher peak in martial arts.

Lin Chen recalled the dream he had in front of the Creation Stele. In some ways, Piao Jie and the others were just like those mayflies, willing to pay the price of their lives in pursuit of that ultimate brilliance.

The life of a mayfly is insignificant to humankind, yet even a god-level powerhouse's life is but a mayfly, a drop in the ocean, compared to the universe.

"Little brother, do you know why I consider you my younger brother?"

Liu Piao smiled and looked at Lin Chen. Lin Chen shook his head. If it was just to leave a way for the descendants of the sect, Sister Piao had no need for it at all, because he himself might not even have the opportunity to go to the continent where Sister Piao was.

“It’s not just because you’re the boatman of the God’s Ship, but because I see a possibility in you.”

"One possibility?"

"The possibility of reaching the other side."

Liu Piao looked at Lin Chen: "Little brother, you come from the Primitive Land. The martial arts in the Primitive Land are indeed relatively backward, but the Primitive Land also has its advantages, namely that the luck still exists."

"Is air-based computing an advantage?"

Lin Chen frowned. According to what he had learned from Sister Piao and the other three, using luck to condense a divine seal to enter the god level was weaker than those of them who entered the god level without using a divine seal. So why did Sister Piao say it was an advantage?

"Those who condense their divine seal through luck to enter the god level will indeed be weaker than those of us who normally enter the god level. But on the other hand, this also illustrates the importance of luck."

After hearing Sister Piao's explanation, Lin Chen thought about it again and realized that it made perfect sense.

Using luck to condense a divine seal and step into the god level, she is the weakest among the gods. However, this also shows the power of luck. Normally, it is very difficult to break through to the god level by relying on one's own strength. Even in the world where Liu Piao lives, god-level experts are not always there. The last god-level expert before her was three thousand years ago.

This clearly demonstrates just how difficult it is to reach the god-like level.

This is enough to demonstrate how powerful the influence of luck is.

“Little brother, remember what I’m about to say.” Liu Piao’s expression suddenly turned serious: “According to what you said, someone on your continent has already begun to condense a divine seal, but the condensation of a divine seal does not mean that it cannot be replaced. You have a chance to seize their divine seal.”

"Seizing the God Seal?"

Lin Chen's pupils shrank suddenly; this was something he hadn't expected.

Condensing a divine seal means stepping into the divine realm, making one an invincible existence in the Yan Dynasty.

"If you, my little brother, can reach the God level without relying on the Divine Seal, and then go to the Yan Dynasty to defeat that person, you will have the opportunity to seize the fortune he has accumulated. You should know that fortune only gathers in the strongest, and if there are two, then the fortune is no longer secure."

Lin Chen narrowed his eyes slightly; he understood what Sister Piao meant.

My thinking was limited. If I hadn't gained this insight, I would have thought that to reach the god level, I needed to condense a divine seal. But I forgot that you can reach the god level even without a divine seal. Sister Piao and the other three are the best proof of that.

Most importantly, there are no martial arts techniques in the Yan Dynasty that can be directly cultivated to the god level, but such techniques exist on other continents.

Lin Chen felt a surge of excitement, but when he thought about his own situation, that excitement dimmed somewhat, since he still hadn't solved the problem of his soul's inability to grow.

If this problem isn't solved, let alone reaching the god level, it will be difficult to even maintain one's strength.

Liu Piao seemed to be able to see through Lin Chen's thoughts and slowly said, "If it were before today, I wouldn't be able to solve your soul problem, but it's different now."

Although Liu Piao had already subsided, her eyes still held a mixture of sadness and detachment at her failed attempt to reach the other side.

She gazed at the young boatman before her, a man from a primitive land, whose fate had been fraught with hardship yet who remained steadfast. She slowly raised her jade-like hand, and a resolute smile appeared on her exquisite face: "Young man, having met you, I will bestow upon you a great fortune."

If Lin Chen hadn't pulled her back from the torrent, she wouldn't be where she is today. So, in the last moments of her life, she helped her younger brother, hoping that he could ultimately achieve what she herself couldn't.

Before she finished speaking, the aura that had been restrained to the extreme on Liu Piao suddenly burst forth, and a frost flower condensed on the tip of her raised right finger.

The frost flower slowly drifted towards Lin Chen, and before Lin Chen could respond, the frost flower suddenly bloomed, rushing towards him and instantly enveloping the space around him.

A pure and domineering divine will filled the entire space, and time seemed to freeze at this moment. Lin Chen felt as insignificant as dust, and even his thoughts were almost stagnant. At this moment, only the white figure in front of him became the sole ruler of this world.

This is the divine soul of a god-level powerhouse, forming its own world.

The white-clad figure smiled as she looked at Lin Chen. In that smile, a nebula vortex appeared behind Lin Chen. Since his soul dissipated, he had been unable to summon the nebula vortex of his soul again, but this time it reappeared.

The strange phenomenon of the bright moon rising over the sea appeared, and this time the moon rose to a higher and brighter height than when his soul was not injured.

Lin Chen understood that this was all because of Sister Piao. Sister Piao was using a method he couldn't comprehend to restore his soul to its peak state at this moment.

A dozen or so breaths later, when the moon behind Lin Chen stopped rising in altitude, Liu Piao's figure suddenly transformed into countless frosts, drifting towards the starfall vortex behind Lin Chen, and finally completely assimilated Lin Chen's nebula vortex into a vast and boundless sea of ​​stars.

Lin Chen realized that each star in the nebula vortex was originally a martial arts will, but now each of these "stars" contained the ultimate truth of each martial arts, which was a martial arts will that transcended perfection.

In the Yan Dynasty, the highest level of martial will is the flawless level. However, in those continents that have lost their fortune, the highest level of martial will is the domain.

Every martial arts will, when cultivated to its peak, will form its own unique domain, within which one becomes invincible.

To reach the god level, one needs to comprehend a hundred domains.

This is the difference between martial arts in other worlds and those in the Yan Dynasty. Now Lin Chen also knows that the god-level experts in the Yan Dynasty do not have domains, or the so-called Myriad Manifestations Realm domain is just a pseudo-domain. Even god-level experts only make up for their last shortcoming by relying on the divine seal to turn it into a true domain.

In Piao Jie's words, these god-level powerhouses who comprehend hundreds of domains on their own can crush any god-level powerhouse in the Primal Land with a single punch.

After all, one obtained a domain by relying on the divine seal, while the other comprehended a hundred domains on his own.

The difference in strength is obvious.

At this moment, feeling his soul continuously absorbing the martial will, Lin Chen understood what Sister Piao meant by the good fortune she had given him.

Sister Piao gave herself all the hundred domain wills she had comprehended.

At this moment, the vast starry sky behind Lin Chen began to slowly merge, eventually converging into a hundred of the most dazzling stars. The light emitted by these hundred stars even surpassed that of the bright moon.

A few breaths later, these hundred condensed laws transformed into a long river, refined to the extreme and flowing with all kinds of martial charm. Ignoring all obstacles, it pierced through the starry sky and precisely poured into the bright moon.

boom!
As these hundred domain wills surged into the bright moon, an extreme sense of tearing pain and an indescribable feeling of fullness erupted simultaneously.

His soul seemed to have been thrown into a cosmic furnace, every inch of it forcibly torn apart and dissolved by the torrent of will containing the laws of martial arts.

The pain far exceeded any limit that the physical body could endure, making him feel as if his consciousness was teetering on the edge of being shattered and reassembled countless times.

If he hadn't undergone several soul reconstructions, this one blow would have shattered his soul.

Along with this tearing pain, countless unprecedented insights and wills of martial arts flooded into the depths of his consciousness like a burst dam.

While his core soul was being destroyed, it was forcibly reshaped, expanded, and sublimated by the vast torrent of the soul's origin!
The previously stagnant spiritual realm, like a dam that had been breached, began to rise wildly at an unprecedented speed!
The three realms of the innate, the four realms of the innate, the five realms of the innate...

Lin Chen's spiritual power grew at an astonishing speed, advancing with unstoppable momentum. However, Lin Chen had no interest in such matters at the moment, as his entire mind was immersed in comprehending these martial arts realms.

At this moment, on the deck, Liu Piao looked at Lin Chen, who was immersed in his comprehension, with a look of satisfaction on her face.

The reason she didn't inform Lin Chen beforehand wasn't to test him, but because she wasn't sure if Lin Chen could handle this unexpected opportunity.

After all, the infusion of a god-level expert's soul is no small matter. If Lin Chen cannot withstand it, the price will be the complete shattering of his soul.

This time, however, both she and Lin Chen made the right bet.

"Little brother, if we can ever reach the other side, we will go back to my sister's mainland to see her."

As a god-level powerhouse, Liu Piao naturally left her divine thoughts on her own continent. If Lin Chen were to one day step onto the other shore, it would mean that he could break through the boundary of the Annihilation Storm and enter his own continent.

After whispering, the light in Liu Piao's eyes slowly faded. Before her eyes turned completely gray, Liu Piao stepped off the deck. As a god-level expert, she had her own dignity and did not want Lin Chen to see a cold corpse after he finished his comprehension.

Every god-level powerhouse who fails to reach the other side is destined to be buried in the annihilation storm.

……

……

Amidst the annihilating storm, the ghost ship silently sailed back the way it had come.

Lin Chen stood on the deck, his entire body surrounded by frost, like a giant frost cocoon. But if you looked closely, you could see that the frost cocoon was getting smaller and smaller.

…… ……

East China Sea.

Star and Moon Island.

The seaside is covered in a vast expanse of white snow.

"The weather has changed drastically in the past few years, and even the sea has been covered with ice and snow."

Along the island's coast, many fishermen gazed at the snow-covered sea, their faces filled with emotion.

You should know that this is the East China Sea, and we have never heard of the sea freezing over before. But for the past three years, there has been heavy snow every winter, and it lasts for several months at a time.

"I heard from those big shots that it seems like the weather is really going to change, which is why God sent snow to cooperate."

What does it mean that the government is changing its policies?

"How would I know about this old man? We're just fishermen. We only heard those adults say it casually."

"Haha, Lao Hu, you're too modest. Everyone knows your daughter is accomplished; she's already become a disciple of the Pingxiang Sect. You'll be enjoying a life of luxury from now on. Why bother fishing?"

Pingxiang Sect is one of the two strongest sects on Xingyue Island.

When the Hu family's daughter became a disciple of the Pingxiang Sect, all the nobles in Linhai City came to congratulate her. Even though several years have passed, the fishermen present still vividly remember the scene.

"I've been fishing for most of my life, I'm destined to be a busybody, I can't find a moment of leisure."

"That's true, but Lao Hu, you're just fishing for fun now."

The fishermen present looked at Lao Hu with envy. Fishing to pass the time and making a living are completely different. Lao Hu doesn't care about the catch at all now. He shares his catch with other fishermen. Even if he doesn't catch anything, he is still all smiles.

"Hey, look what's that?"

Suddenly, a fisherman pointed to the sea, where a block of ice was slowly drifting by amidst the ice and snow.

"Oh dear, who is this unlucky person? They fell into the water and got frozen."

Soon, the fishermen saw clearly that there was a figure inside the ice block, and several fishermen used bamboo poles to scoop the ice block to the shore.

"He's a young man, quite handsome, what a pity."

After seeing the man's face clearly inside the ice, several fishermen showed regret on their faces. He was frozen solid; he was definitely dead.

"This doesn't look like it's from around here. What should we do?"

"What else can we do? Let's just leave it as it is."

The fishermen present didn't want to get involved. If it were someone they knew from the neighborhood, they could help send him back, but the man looked unfamiliar and wasn't from the area, so they figured it was better to avoid trouble.

"Let's take this guy home."

"Old Hu, we still need to fish, we don't have time."

"Alright, leave it to me. Brothers, give me a hand and help me carry it to my carriage."

Old Hu didn't care; he was just fishing to pass the time. As for not breaking the ice, it was because he was afraid that if he did, the man's body would decompose.

Despite the cold weather, it's only on the coast side; the weather on the island is still normal.

After the fishermen loaded the ice blocks onto Lao Hu's carriage, Lao Hu greeted them and then led the carriage away.

"Hey, Lao Hu has really changed now."

"Heh, if my daughter could join Pingxiang Sect, I'd be just like Old Hu. Old Hu doesn't need to make a living now; he's just earning a reputation."

"Forget about Pingxiang Sect. If our child can join the Three Blades Sect in the city, it will be a blessing from our ancestors."

……

A house in the city.

Old Hu pushed the carriage into the courtyard and was about to unload the ice from the carriage when he froze. Cracks had appeared in the ice, and they were spreading at a visible speed.

click!
click!
click!
Several sounds of ice breaking were heard, and soon the entire block of ice shattered, revealing the man's true face inside.

"Ouch, what happened? Was it caused by the bumpy ride?"

Old Hu was somewhat intimidated when he saw the man's true appearance in the carriage. He could sense the man's handsome appearance even through the ice, but now that the ice was gone, he not only looked handsome but also exuded an air of nobility.

In an instant, Old Hu thought of the first time his daughter returned home after becoming a disciple of the Pingxiang Sect. The senior sister who came with her had the same kind of aura, making people afraid to look directly at her.

But my daughter's senior sister exuded such noble air when she was standing there. This man in front of me has such an air just by lying there with his eyes closed. His background must be extraordinary.

"I hope I won't get myself into trouble."

Old Hu was worried. If this person was really a benefactor, then he certainly wouldn't have drowned or frozen. He wasn't worried about anything else, but he was afraid that it would involve his daughter.

"No, I'll write a letter to my daughter instead."

Old Hu stamped his foot, ignoring everything else, and walked towards the gate. He wanted to write a letter to his daughter in Pingxiangmen and ask her how to handle the matter.

After writing the letter, Lao Hu hurriedly returned, but when he stepped into the courtyard and saw the situation inside, he was suddenly dumbfounded.

The man who had been lying on the carriage was now standing in the courtyard.

It’s a charlatan!
……

……

Pingxiang Gate.

Two young women were walking along the mountain path.

"Zhiyun, Liu Li is going too far. This opportunity should have been yours."

One woman looked furious, while the other simply smiled and said, "It's alright, there's always next time."

"Zhiyun, it's because you're too easygoing that Liu Li thinks you're easy to bully."

“Zhiyun, you can’t back down with someone like Liu Li. The more you back down, the more she will take advantage of you.”

……

After a short while, Hu Zhiyun parted ways with her companions, her brows furrowed slightly. She knew that in the eyes of her fellow disciples in the sect, she was the kind of person who was weak-willed.

But she had no choice. It wasn't that she didn't want to be weak, but her family background prevented her from being like her other fellow disciples.

The other senior and junior sisters in the sect all come from martial arts families on Star Moon Island. Many of their elders have intricate connections with the sect. Take Junior Sister Liu, who stole her sect trial this time, for example. Her grandmother was originally a steward of Pingxiang Sect.

With this connection in place, Liu Li received care from several deacons after joining the sect, and there were even rumors that the Sixth Elder was preparing to take Liu Li as his disciple.

How could a girl from a poor family like her compare to such a prodigy?

Lost in thought, Hu Zhiyun quickly arrived at the sect's mail receiving area. She had just received a message that her father had written to her.

Her father rarely wrote to her, so Hu Zhiyun dared not delay, fearing that her father had encountered some trouble.

But after she finished reading the letter her father had written, her brows furrowed even more.

My father pulled a male corpse from the beach; he seems to be someone of unusual status.
In an instant, Hu Zhiyun realized that the male corpse must have been a martial artist in life, and a martial artist could not possibly freeze to death on the beach. The only possibility was that he was killed, which must have involved a fight among martial artists.

Bringing this male corpse home might cause unnecessary trouble for Father.

Thinking of this, Hu Zhiyun did not hesitate and immediately asked the sect elder for leave to go home.

……

As Hu Zhiyun stepped out of the mountain gate, before she had even left, she saw several women walking towards her.

"Zhiyun, are you going out?"

"It's quite a rare occasion for Junior Sister Hu to leave the mountain gate."

The girls who came towards her had smiles on their faces and seemed to be greeting her, but Hu Zhiyun knew that these girls were not really close to her.

These three came from slightly better backgrounds than me, but among all the disciples in the sect, they were still considered to have humble origins.

Originally, everyone came from similar backgrounds, so they should have been able to gather together. That was indeed the case at first. Senior Sister Wang was very enthusiastic towards her and took good care of her when she first entered the sect, helping her to quickly familiarize herself with the sect. She even invited her to join the Humble Abode Association.

The Humble Beginners Association is an alliance created by disciples from ordinary backgrounds within a sect.

For disciples of humble origins, sticking together for mutual support is indeed a good choice. What excited Hu Zhiyun even more was that after joining the Humble Beginnings Association, she learned about the deeds of a great figure.

A fisherman's son, who also came from an island in the East China Sea, an island where martial arts were desolate, became a truly important figure in the entire Yan Dynasty in just a few years.

Upon first hearing about the deeds of this important figure, Hu Zhiyun was greatly excited.

Because her background was almost exactly the same as this important figure's.

If that important person can do it, why can't she?
Even if I can't be like this great figure, I should at least be able to break through to the Innate Realm on my own.

The deeds of this great figure were a tremendous driving force for her martial arts training.

However, after attending several meetings of the Poor Scholars Association, Hu Zhiyun discovered something was amiss. The so-called mutual support was a complete sham. The senior and junior members of the Poor Scholars Association only talked about working hard every day, and every time the association convened, some rich young men would appear.

After participating a few times, Hu Zhiyun realized that the so-called alliance of martial artists from humble backgrounds was merely nominal. The real purpose of the association was to select wives for the young masters from martial arts families.

After realizing the true nature of the Poor Man's Guild, especially after being approached by a rich young man who bluntly proposed a deal, she voluntarily withdrew from the guild.

For this reason, the three senior sisters were very dissatisfied with her and would speak sarcastically to her every time they met.

Hu Zhiyun greeted them politely, ignoring the sarcasm in their words, and left on her own, leaving the three women feeling as if they had punched cotton.

"Hmph, so arrogant, does he really think he's some kind of martial arts genius?"

"A fisherman's daughter is already incredibly lucky to have caught the eye of Young Master Zhao, yet she still pretends to be aloof."

"Hu Zhiyun thought Liu Li had stolen her trial opportunity just because she was spoiled. She had no idea that Liu Li was engaged to Young Master Zhao. Liu Li was deliberately targeting her. Just watch, with Liu Li targeting her, she won't be able to enter the inner sect in less than three years. She'll be sent by the sect to do menial tasks."

The reason the three women were rude to Hu Zhiyun was because that young master Zhao had taken a liking to Hu Zhiyun but not to them.

……

……

"Young man, who exactly are you?"

"Brother, since you're not dead, why don't you leave my house?"

The Hu family residence.

Old Hu looked at the young man standing in the courtyard with a helpless expression.

Three days ago, he thought it was a zombie coming back to life, but it turned out the other person wasn't dead.

He thought, "If he's not dead, he's not dead. He can just wake up and leave." But what he didn't expect was that this guy would stay at his house and pretend to have amnesia.

"Brother Hu, please forgive me. I just felt that I should have some connection with your family. I will leave once I regain my memory."

The man had a smile on his face. He didn't know his name or where he came from, but at Brother Hu's house, he saw a calligraphy book that felt very familiar to him.

Even in the humble dwelling where the moon shines through, starlight still shines.

The voice of a poor but resolute person can shake the heavens and the earth.

This is a calligraphy copybook that I saw in Brother Hu's daughter's study. The moment he saw it, he felt an extreme sense of familiarity. His intuition told him that this copybook had a great connection with him.

He already knew that the calligraphy was written by Brother Hu's daughter, and that Brother Hu had already written to her and would be back soon. He was looking forward to meeting Brother Hu's daughter, hoping to learn about the origin of the calligraphy from her and perhaps find clues to discover his own identity.

So, he had no choice but to act like a rogue and stay at Brother Hu's house.

……

……

PS: I'm finalizing the outline. I haven't been updating much these past few days, so I've decided to release a few long chapters so everyone can enjoy them all at once.

(End of this chapter)