Chapter 2. Lin Ming
At the foot of the Great Mountain Zhou lies a stretch of buildings extending up to 10 km in length. This is the area of operations for the Seven Profound Martial House and the Sky Fortune Martial House, and today is the day of registration for those who wish to take the Seven Profound Martial House's entrance assessment.
A crowd was gathered on the field before the Seven Profound Martial House.
Even though Lin Ming, Lin Xiang and Lin Xiaodong had deliberately chosen to arrive late, they came to realize that they had underestimated the number of applicants.
The applicants were all lined up in three lines, with each line extending up to several meters in length. Judging by the current queue, a whole one hour would be needed before registration could be completed.
"We'll have to wait," Lin Xiang said expressionlessly as he stood in line with an iron spear flung over his left shoulder.
"En," Lin Ming nodded his head.
Lin Xiaodong sighed helplessly. He then pointed toward a small gate nearby. "Hey, there are very few people there."
The gate that Lin Xiaodong pointed out had few people and the ground was also paved with a red carpet.
"That place is reserved for nobles…" Lin Ming noticed the writings on the sign.
Since the Seven Profound Martial House was built upon the grounds, buildings and resources of Sky Fortune Kingdom, it was only natural for them to give some face to the elite classes of the kingdom. In fact, many of the martial house's affairs would be handed over to the elites to manage. One such example would be today's registration for entrance assessment.
"Damn it," Lin Xiaodong muttered in discontent. Nobility was something that only the Imperial Family could grant and could be inherited. Even though the Lin Family is a wealthy family, it is not a noble family.
Lin Xiaodong was cursing off at the nobles while consoling himself when the doors of the gate opened.
Two young males strode out from the gate; one of them was wearing blue clothes with a long sword attached to his waist. His hair was tied up into a gold coloured headgear and had a handsome appearance.
Seeing the appearance of this man caused Lin Ming to frown. This was none other than Zhu Yan.
The Zhu Family's daughter had married into the Imperial Family and had become the Eldest Prince's favored concubine. With the Eldest Prince's position in the royal family, the Zhu Family soared to become the number one family within Green Mulberry City. Moreover, they were also granted the rank of nobility, thus allowing Zhu Yan to ensure Lan Yunyue's admittance into the Seven Profound Martial House.
"Damn, we end up meeting a detestable person," Lin Xiaodong muttered unhappily.
Zhu Yan was walking side by side with the other young man. A few other nobles waiting outside then chose to follow the two of them. It would appear that Zhu Yan was bringing the other young man to register. The two of them continued walking forward.
At this rate, it was inevitable that Zhu Yan would bump into Lin Ming's group.
With his current position and strength, it was possible that Lin Ming would end up suffering badly if they were to bump into one another, but he still chose not to run and instead looked forward in a calm manner as Zhu Yan approached.
Zhu Yan's pace was disrupted after catching sight of Lin Ming, Lin Xiang and Lin Xiaodong. His first reaction was that of shock. After that, he frowned.
Seeing Lin Ming made him feel uncomfortable. Although he had snatched away Lan Yunyue, she had refused to engage in any acts of intimacy before their wedding. Clearly, Lin Ming still exists within her heart, not to mention her feelings of guilt. The only reason she had chosen Zhu Yan was due to the Seven Profound Martial House. As a man, Zhu Yan was unable to tolerate the fact that his future wife's heart remained within the palms of another man.
"You are called Lin Ming, am I right? How unexpected, you would actually follow us all the way here. You, with a mere cultivation level of First Stage in Physical Training, want to take the test to enter the Seven Profound Martial House?"
The meaning behind Zhu Yan's words was obvious. He didn't want Lin Ming to enter the Seven Profound Martial House. Even though Lin Ming's strength was of no threat to him, Lin Ming's existence within the Seven Profound Martial House would make it impossible for Lan Yunyue to forget him.
"Whether or not I manage to pass the assessment is my own problem. I am not here as a result of following anyone. I am here due to my pursuit of the Martial Path."
"The Martial Path? A mere above average talent like you dared to utter the words of pursuing the Martial Path? Insolence!" Having said that, Zhu Yan's finger released a light sound; after that, his long sword shot out from its sheath!
He grasped onto the sword and slashed the air, releasing an intense sword qi, which created an air splitting sound.
A barely visible wave flew outwards, directly cutting down half the canopy of a nearby tree. The sounds of "pususu" could be heard as a large number of branches and leaves fell to the ground.
The people around all stared with bulging eyes. Most of them were of roughly the same age as Zhu Yan and were not that much younger. However, Zhu Yan's accomplishment in the Martial Path had already left them far behind.
The reason Zhu Yan unleashed this sword slash was to give Lin Ming a mental blow, and show him the gap between the two of them. "I am a Superior Fourth Grade Martial Talent. I began training in martial arts since I was twelve, consuming countless medicinal pills in the process and have now entered the Heavenly Abode's Sword Sect within the Seven Profound Martial House. I am currently at the pinnacle of the Third Stage of Physical Training. Even so, I am barely at the beginning stage of the Martial Path. And yet, someone like you with a mere First Stage in Physical Training dared to talk about the Martial Path?"
Zhu Yan's manner of speech was so arrogant, it caused Lin Xiang to secretly sneer.
Meanwhile Lin Xiaodong became enraged. "Surnamed Zhu! You are simply someone born two years earlier than us! What are you boasting about? This senior here has been training in martial arts since he was four years old! When you were still learning how to count to ten, he was doing complex math! What are you so proud of that you ate more medicinal pills growing up? If our ages were reversed, it's unknown just who would be stronger!"
As Lin Xiaodong said this, he patted Lin Xiang's shoulder.
Zhu Yan turned to coldly look at Lin Xiang.
Lin Xiang was dumbfounded. He didn't expect the fatty friend to throw him under the bus like this!
Zhu Yan took a step toward Lin Xiang, the true essence within his body exploded outwards as he sneered. "Right. You must be Lin Xiang, the 'genius of the Lin family'. I see that you are still at the Middle of the First Stage of Body Transformation at fifteen years old, what a great genius you are!"
After hearing Zhu Yan's words, several people in the queue laughed out loud. Although they didn't know the details in regards to Lin Xiang, registering for the Seven Profound Martial House with just Middle Strength Training Stage cultivation was simply laughable.
Lin Xiang remained expressionless and unmoved, but Zhu Yan's words had angered Lin Ming and he squeezed his fists.
Zhu Yue continued, "What matters most in this world is strength. So what if he had some little intellect growing up? Those from the Lin Family that have the qualifications to talk with me can be counted on one hand. Clowns like you have no qualifications to speak with me. That includes you too, Lin Ming! If not for Lan Yunyue, you have no qualifications to talk to me at all! I will give you this advice, a man must know his own limits. Lan Yunyue is not someone you can match up to."
A female with a Superior 3rd Grade Martial Talent, good looks and bearing is rare within Green Mulberry City. Most of them would only appear in great families. However, considering the conflicts of interest between the great families, they would never allow their talented females to be married off into other families, leading to the strengthening of their rivals' bloodline. Thus, most great families would request that the male side marry into their family. This is the reason why Zhu Yan had said that.
"Two thousand gold taels! From today onwards, I do not want to see the faces of you two brothers in the Seven Profound Martial House ever again!" Zhu Yan said as he pulled out a stack of gold bills from his bosom. Lin Xiang had the exact same appearance as Lin Ming, so Zhu Yan didn't want to see him apply for the Seven Profound Martial House either, because his face would remind Lan Yunyue of Lin Ming.
The people around were rendered speechless. Two thousand gold taels is a very high sum of money, enough for a martial artist in the Physical Training Stage to buy up necessary high-grade herbs for training usage for up to six years.
"Two thousand gold taels? Do you take us for beggars?" Lin Xiaodong pushed back the stack of gold bills. Truth be told, he was simply putting on a brave façade. Even for him, two thousand gold taels was simply a fortune.
Zhu Yan flicked his hands and a powerful repelling force knocked Lin Xiaodong away. Zhu Yan coldly stared at Lin Ming and Lin Xiang beside him, awaiting their answer.
Lin Xiang slightly squinted his eyes without a single change in his expression. He wouldn't mind scamming Zhu Yan out of some money to help with his cultivation journey and then still apply for the Seven Profound Martial House, but he knew that unfortunately Lin Ming wouldn't go along with it and he was the main player in this negotiation.
Lin Ming took a deep breath before speaking out in a slow yet powerful tone: "Zhu Yan, whether it's me or my brother, we might not be your match in terms of talent, and even less so in terms of family support. However, the cultivation of martial arts does not depend only on talent and financial support; there is an even more important factor… the heart of a martial artist!"
"Your cultivation of martial arts is done for the sake of wealth, status and vanity. However, my cultivation of martial arts is done for the sake of pursuing the Martial Path. The Martial Path does not exist for those with talent, it does not exist for those with authority and it does not exist for those with money. It exists for those whose heart beats for the sake of martial arts! There will come a day when I will surpass you!" As he reached the end of his sentence, Lin Ming spoke out each word with emphasis and in a clear voice.
Everyone who was standing nearby could clearly make out what he had said.
A Grade 3 Talent wanted to chase after a Superior Fourth Grade Talent. In addition, there was an enormous gap in terms of background between them both. This brat has gone mad!
Hearing Lin Ming's words, Zhu Yan became momentarily stunned before laughing out. "Haha, good! Very good indeed! I will be waiting for you!"
After saying that, Zhu Yan kept the stack of gold bills. With a "weng" sound, the long sword returned to its sheath. He then gave Lin Ming a long look before turning away.
Lin Xiang sent Lin Ming a faint look, before silently placing his free right hand on his shoulder.
…
"Little brother, it was quite rash of you to challenge Zhu Yan like this. He is known for being vengeful and cruel. We are commoners, so before we are admitted into the Seven Profound Martial House it's very easy for us to lose our lives," Lin Xiang said with a plain expression as they walked down the road.
In the Sky Fortune Kingdom the lives of commoners and nobles aren't equal. Unless the two brothers gained the protection of the Seven Profound Martial House, no one would care if they died.
As a noble, even if Zhu Yan killed them on the street in public, he would only end up being confined as punishment. After that, all he had to do was pay a compensation of two hundred gold taels for each of them and he would be released.
For Lin Xiang, he would rather cultivate in secret without provoking those stronger than him, and then only step over them once he's strong enough, even if he had to endure humiliation. There is nothing shameful about this. Those who find challenges just to prove their bravery and risk their lives to fight to the death with strong enemies, this is the real stupidity.
Lin Ming remained quiet. After a moment he said, "When Zhu Yan looked at us with his condescending look, I felt a strong urge to say everything I did and I don't regret it. I'm afraid that If I didn't do it, I wouldn't stay true to my heart of martial arts."
Lin Xiang sent Lin Ming a look and didn't respond. In this world exists a concept called the 'heart of martial arts'. It is believed that if a martial artist doesn't act according to their principles and desires, then their heart would not be at ease and their cultivation wouldn't progress smoothly. He didn't share this superstitious view, but he felt that the 'heart of martial arts' might be more mystical and elusive than a person's simple set of beliefs and determination, and might have to do with the rules of this world.
Although Lin Xiang didn't approve of Lin Ming's attitude, he couldn't judge it. Furthermore, Lin Ming was still very young, so it was normal for him to be a bit reckless. In fact, Lin Ming growing up to be similar as in the novel greatly satisfied Lin Xiang in terms of his goals.
He only said, "We'll just have to be careful."
Lin Ming nodded. "En."
In regards to surpassing Zhu Yan, it would be extremely difficult for Lin Ming to do it. The amount of effort that would be required to pay would be colossal.
He had no fear of hard work or bitterness, but the same could not be said for internal injuries. Medicinal herbs were needed to heal those injuries and those medicines were undoubtedly expensive.
Lin Xiaodong was able to guess what Lin Ming was thinking and said, "Two brothers, all you need to do is train hard. As for the financial side of things, I will figure it out for you. Just be rest assured, even though my grandfather's position in the family is not high, it is still nothing to scoff at. Taking out a few hundred gold taels is not impossible for me."
Lin Ming stopped walking and turned around to face Lin Xiaodong. In life, there are many fair weather friends, but those who would offer help in times of need are rare. Between brothers, saying thanks would be hypocritical. Yet, Lin Ming still stopped and said in a serious tone, "Xiaodong, thank you."
"Enough, stop this. This is too much for me. I am not someone who pursues much in life. Taking the entrance assessment for the Seven Profound Martial House is simply a way to protect my father's reputation. Two brothers, I will bet on you. After you become masters in the future, you must help cover my ass a bit, hahaha."
Lin Ming gave a hearty smile and laughed. "En! With a brother like you, we will definitely persevere on the Martial Path."
Lin Xiang faintly smiled. At that moment he only hoped that plot armor was on their side.
…
By the time Lin Xiang and Lin Ming returned to their dwelling place, it was already evening. This was a room that they had rented.
During this period of time, from the day that Seven Profound Martial House began its registration for entrance assessment until the day of its assessment, all the dwelling places within Sky Fortune City would be packed and inns full. The rental rates would undoubtedly increase by half. Thus, many applicants would choose to rent a room.
Naturally, that in itself was not a cheap option, but the two brothers decided to share a room to reduce the cost, just like they had always done.
The single room they rented was only ten square meters in area with a very simple set up. One brother would sleep on the bed, while the other on the floor, and they would rotate. Because it was the height of summer, there was no problem of it being too cold.
Just as the two brothers closed the door, someone knocked.
Lin Xiang opened the door to see the landlady standing there.
The landlady is a roughly fifty years old woman with a somewhat obese body. The landlady's face was usually fierce and harsh, but today she was sporting a pleasant looking smile, causing one to feel that something was off.
"Landlady, do you need anything?" Lin Xiang asked. He already had a premonition of what would happen next.
"This… little fellows, I am sorry, but can you please vacate this room," the Landlady said in a tone that was more of a command than a question.
"En?" Lin Ming frowned as he stepped closer. "Why?"
"Hehe, sorry, but I have rented this room," a harsh sounding male voice interjected.
Lin Xiang and Lin Ming turned around and found a man with huge monkey-like ears walking in from the hallway. The man was smiling in a seemingly playful manner.
Looking at him for a moment, they recognized him as one of the underlings that had followed along behind Zhu Yan and the other young man. It appeared that he is the underling of the other young man. Back then, the other young man had remained silent and only looked at the Lin family trio with an expression of contempt.
No doubt, the young man was currently trying to get in the good books of Zhu Yan by sending his own underling to cause problems for them. All he needed to do was offer a rental fee several times higher than what the Lin brothers had and the Landlady would naturally be willing to force them out.
Presently, the Seven Profound Martial House is holding its registration event, leading to difficulty in searching for a dwelling place. Finding another place to rent would be easier said than done. But even if they did, there was no guarantee that this underling would not appear to cause problems for them again.
Lin Xiang's eyes secretly flashed. Finally, the events started catching up to those of the novel. According to the novel, the man that came here was Wang Yigao's underling. If they beat him up today, which is what Lin Ming did in the novel, then the young master Wang Yigao would try to assault them in a deserted alley later on with his bunch of goons to cripple them in revenge.
As long as Lin Xiang had the Magic Cube, then it would be a great chance to earn a lot of gold from a duel wager with Wang Yigao like in the novel, but if he didn't, then he didn't feel confident in winning against a Second Stage young master who learned martial skills and owned a flexible armor in a fair fight. As a result, the two brothers might become crippled for life, or at the very least would need to be very careful in avoiding secluded places for the next several months.
It really was a tricky situation…
Lin Ming's face turned heavy and he gazed coldly at the landlady. "Back then we had agreed that we will be renting for five months. We have also paid you the five months' rent in advance. Currently, there are still three more months until the deadline. But, you want us to leave now?"
The landlady smiled apologetically, "This… Naturally, I am aware of this. How about this? I will return the rent for the three months back to you. How about that?"
"Ah! Return me the three months' rent? You have quite the calculative mind!" Lin Ming's anger had begun boiling. If this landlady had been forced to evict them due to the pressure of the other person, then Lin Ming would accept simply leaving. However, her current actions and words have made him furious.
"Hey, what are you talking about? Back then, we had only talked about it and not signed off on anything. This room is mine. Who I choose to rent it to is up to me! I'm already doing you two a favor to allow you to live together!"
Considering Sky Fortune City's status as the capital city of Sky Fortune Kingdom, all the property owners here have a subconscious sense of superiority. To them, all those who came from the outside are but country bumpkins; they would look down upon them while speaking in tones of disdain towards them.
Furthermore, this man beside her was obviously someone sent by a rich and powerful family. With someone like this backing her up, the landlady became more courageous.
At this moment, the man with monkey-like ears laughed out arrogantly. "Hehe, if you are sensible, then just get out immediately. I will tell you something else. This Young Master has my eyes on you. Even if you manage to find another place to rent, I will still be able to throw you out. Within these three months before the entrance assessment for the Seven Profound Martial House begins, you should just resign yourself to sleeping in the streets, haha!"
The man laughed.
For those who were born within the circle of elites, it was only natural for them to form an arrogant sense of superiority. However, even when they were expressing their arrogance, they would still maintain a certain bearing of grace and speech, just like Zhu Yan. This person standing before them, on the other hand, was revealing a naked form of arrogance, one befitting those of bullies who could only depend on others.
Lin Ming stared at the man with monkey-like ears, his eyes turning colder with each passing moment.
"What are you looking at? Are you thinking about hitting me? Let me tell you, my Young Master is the second son of the lord of the Defence Army for Sky Fortune City. If you dare beat this Young Master, then this Young Master will…"
At that moment Lin Xiang suddenly threw out a sucker punch, drilling his fists right into the man's solar plexus.
With a pitiful groan, the man's eyes bulged out from the pain as his entire body became paralyzed and breath was pushed out from his lungs. He instantly dropped down to the ground and curled up like a shrimp, clutching his stomach and shrieking while gasping for breath.
An arm capable of swinging a 100 jin iron spear (60,4 kg) as if it was a bamboo stick struck the man accurately in his weak point. The result could be imagined, mucus was flying out of the man's mouth as he nearly fainted.
Even though Lin Xiang's First Stage of Physical Training was only the beginner territory of the martial path and he wasn't deep in it, it was by no means worthless.
After all, many people within Sky Fortune Kingdom were unable to train in martial arts. Lin Xiang, on the other hand, was a good talent to begin with. In addition, he was very hard working in his training. Even though his true essence cultivation was low, he had trained hard his physical body and martial arts; it may be difficult to find even one with the same level of strength as him amongst one thousand peers of the same talent.
The landlady was shocked, her eyes bulged out for several moments. Perhaps if there was a ferocious expression on Lin Xiang's face, then she would have screamed and run away, but Lin Xiang was expressionless and calm, and it caused her to swallow the words in her throat as she stood there frozen.
"Since you're breaking the agreement, then return us five months' rent. This is only fair, isn't it?" Lin Xiang calmly said as he looked at the Landlady, ignoring the man gasping for breath on the floor.
The Landlady blinked her eyes. She saw a furious look on Lin Xiang's twin brother's face behind Lin Xiang who looked at her calmly, awaiting an answer.
"Y-yes, it is fair." The Landlady mumbled and with shaking chubby hands took out a few banknotes, ten gold taels in total, which was the rent that Lin Xiang and Lin Ming originally paid for the room.
Lin Xiang received the ten gold taels and looked at Lin Ming. He said, "We're leaving."
Lin Ming nodded. The two picked up their backpacks and other belongings, and Lin Xiang picked up his iron spear.
As they began walking out of the room, the man with monkey-like ears on the ground seemed to have regained some of his breath as he pointed his finger at them and dryly hissed out, "You… You dare hit me, you… You are finished."
"Still full of energy, huh?" Lin Xiang looked over and fiercely kicked the curled-up man in the abdomen.
"Yiii!" The man with monkey-like ears groaned out and his already curled-up body pathetically curled up further. Although there he should have no real injuries, he wouldn't be getting up from the ground in the next few minutes. At the same time, it was certainly a quite humiliating experience for him.
Lin Xiang then placed his foot on the man's head and pressed down.
The wooden floor started creaking under the pressure and the man with monkey-like ears felt as if his head would burst at any moment. He looked up at Lin Xiang and only saw an expressionless look as if he wasn't even worth stepping on.
THe man felt rage and fury rising in his heart, but the fear of his skull cracking at any moment overwhelmed him. He stared at Lin Xiang in fear while pitifully groaning, his eyes wide open.
Suddenly, the pressure from the man's head disappeared as Lin Xiang lifted his head. His goal of humiliating the man without causing him any injuries was accomplished. He didn't spare him even a second glance as he walked out after the brief pause.
Watching this scene, the landlady watched tongue-tied while holding har hands in front of her mouth, nearly fainting.
Lin Ming behind him snorted at the man and turned away his head, following Lin Xiang. He was well aware that after beating up this man, the person behind him would never let this go and would certainly bring upon Lin Xiang and him no small amount of trouble. However, Lin Ming felt no regret in regards to what happened and in Lin Xiang's shoes would have done the same.
As a man, there is a need to endure. If the person who had come today was a martial artist, Lin Ming would not advocate acting like this and would choose to endure. This loss was one that must be endured.
However, the one who appeared before them was a worthless underling, one who could only depend on the backing of his master. If Lin Ming had to endure what this kind of person had to say, then what was the point of him learning martial arts? That was simply incompatible with the Martial Path within Lin Ming's heart.
Thus, Lin Xiang and Lin Ming left the neighborhood.
"We'll have some trouble coming our way," Lin Ming casually said as they walked.
"Hn." Lin Xiang replied noncommittally. In the end, he aimed to initiate the events from the novel for a chance to earn some money.
He thought about it and he didn't cause the man with monkey-like ears any injuries, so it was always a way out. Although he greatly humiliated him and he would surely seek revenge, if Lin Xiang had to duel Wang Yigao without the Magic Cube then he also felt confident in winning as long as he prepared accordingly and brought some sneak-attack weapons with him.
"So where do we go?" Lin Ming asked.
As of now, all the inns were full; in addition, the prices were also far too expensive for them. Even though Lin Ming has no objections to sleeping in the wilds, Lin Xiaodong would probably throw a fuss and insist on bringing them to his own abode.
If they were to do so and the second son of the Army Lord sends his men there, Lin Xiaodong himself can forget about sleeping in his house. He will have to accompany Lin Xiang and Lin Ming and sleep on the streets.
Moreover, Lin Xiang had just provoked a dangerous trouble. There was no guarantee that the Army Lord's second son would not send some thugs over. In these people's eyes, causing others to become crippled was no big matter. Lin Ming did not want to bring such a kind of problem to Lin Xiaodong.
If that is the case, then where could they go?
"I have a place in mind." Lin Xiang faintly smiled.