Chapter 13: Advancing Warrior

  Uncle Niu was thinking of a clever plan, his mind full of ideas on how to firmly grasp the precious jade that Lin Huan had hidden in the straw without anyone noticing. If he could get a 17-year-old son-in-law who was a top-notch martial artist, it would be a great achievement. He made up his mind to personally attend the Martial Arts Certification ceremony that day, and if Lin Huan was indeed a martial artist, then during the certification process, everything would become clear as water flowing over rocks. If not, he was just a useless person. It's really worth waiting to see what happens.

  He narrowed his eyes and restrained his excitement. If he didn't keep calm in front of the children, it would be very embarrassing.

  "These days, you should find Lin Huan and ask him what's going on. You can also learn from him. As for other people's gossip, just ignore it. An unmarried man and an unmarried woman, what's there to be afraid of?"

  If what was said earlier was still somewhat veiled, then this statement is rather stark.

  Wan Wan was only fifteen years old after all, inexperienced and thin-skinned, immediately becoming flustered and her face burning hot.

  She had only sympathized with Lin Hou in the past, but today's battle made her look at him with new eyes and curiosity. However, her feelings hadn't reached the point of accepting him as a suitor. Seeing her father's intention to play matchmaker, she hastily said: "Father, I really don't have anything to do with Lin Hou, it's all just rumors from others. I only helped him because I saw him being bullied and felt sorry for him... but not because I like him..." After finishing speaking, she turned around and quickly retreated back to her room like a little bird.

  Niú Dàgāng looked at his sister who was leaving in the distance, with a puzzled expression: "Father, are you really going to set up Wǎn'ér and Lín Kuò together? But, Lín Kuò suddenly has a great increase in martial power, this is indeed strange..."

  Niu Da Shu saw through Niu Da's thoughts, this son has always been honest and straightforward, even if he deliberately skirted the issue, he couldn't deceive people. What he said was that Lin Heng was strange, but what he really meant was that he felt dissatisfied with himself for using Wen Er's lifelong event as a bet to cling to Lin Heng.

  "Lin Hang's martial arts skills are only one aspect, and how could I, Niu Gui, be someone who relies on selling his daughter to curry favor? The reason I consider him as one of the backup options for Wanwan is that he has a good character and is compatible with Wan'er's temperament. If it were those violent and rude people, even if they had high martial arts skills, I wouldn't give them a glance. The Cai family in Qingniu Town has been eyeing Wanwan covetously, thinking of marrying her to their over thirty-year-old, lecherous young master. The earlier we settle Wanwan's marriage, the sooner we can dash their hopes and have peace of mind."

  Niu Dajian was silent for a moment, and then suddenly felt guilty towards his father because of the thoughts he had just had in his heart. His own father was a man of strong character and high prestige in the local area, never a sycophant, if it weren't for Yuanyuan, his father wouldn't have made such a decision.

  However, judging from Yuanyuan's behavior, it seems that she doesn't have feelings for Lin Heng. Could this be a mismatched pair of mandarin ducks?

  Lin Heng returned home, closed the big gate, and his heart was racing: How could this punch be so powerful? Have I become a martial artist?

  He secretly observed those techniques for many months and naturally understood that when he was about to clash with Yuwen Wan, he would unleash his hidden strength.

  Potential, is the unique symbol of a martial artist, ordinary people simply do not have the ability to display it. So he was very certain that he had entered the "martial artist" this legendary and honorable threshold. But how did he enter? When did he enter?

  Is it possible that there has never been a martial artist who succeeded without tempering and washing their medicines, even among those ancient super seniors?

  Of course, Lin Heng clearly understood that the strange phenomenon in his body was undoubtedly due to the credit of that tooth-shaped pale blue system.

  What he wanted most at this moment was to summon that system in the sea of consciousness, but unfortunately, this system was not at his beck and call. Unless he entered a state of cultivation, and every muscle cell in his body was unable to withstand the intensity of cultivation, his body's subtlety would burst forth, only then would the system appear.

  It's broad daylight now, so he naturally can't practice.

  He took a big mouthful of cool water and came to the yard, recalling in his mind that sudden punch, deciding to try it out while no one was around.

  First, take a deep breath, and then use your consciousness to lift your body's essence to its sharpest point. Tendons, muscles, and hair stand up instantly like soldiers receiving orders. Then, the subtle energy hidden within the body rapidly expands, gradually becoming crystal clear, forming into threads that are orderly and regular. Slowly, they intersect, twist, and integrate, flowing like a surging river, vividly and actively penetrating the body.

  "Potential! Not bad, this is indeed potential!" Lin Huan suddenly sensed the existence of potential within himself, his heart bursting with joy. So that's what it was like, these surging energies were potential! He could finally confirm his own identity, he had indeed entered the ranks of a martial artist.

  Lin Heng, this acknowledged waste, in a mysterious and unknown way that even he couldn't understand, rose to become a warrior.

  Waist bent and body lowered, fists clenched into a tiger-dragon stance, a majestic aura emanated from him.

  "Dragon Slaying Eight Forms!" He suddenly sprang into the air, his body suspended in mid-air, as he executed the "Dragon Slaying Eight Forms" that he had practiced to perfection.

  A low rumble of thunder sounded, and the sturdy torrents within him slowly activated under his conscious control, causing an eerie movement that even the air seemed to feel uneasy about.

  "Boom! Boom! Boom!" The courtyard shook violently as he pounded his fists on the solid bluestone slab, sending stone chips flying and creating several huge craters over half a meter deep. Lin Heng was afraid of making too much noise and had already been holding back with all his might, but he still underestimated the destructive power of Yuan Li's strength. Such lethality was simply unimaginable for ordinary people.

  He had only performed up to the third move when he suddenly stopped abruptly.

  "If Mother were to come back, she would definitely scold us to death!" He looked at the several large pits on the ground and the scattered muddy soil all over the place, filled with despair.

  He hastily picked up the large broom in the corner and filled the big pit back with mud. Now that he had become a martial artist, his physical strength was no longer comparable to that of an ordinary person, and with just three or two strokes, he leveled the pit. However, the surface's green stone slabs were all shattered into small pieces, and it was impossible to restore them to their original state.

  He had no choice, so to avoid being found out, he went outside and dug up a few young saplings, reopened the hole, planted them inside, and watered them. He hoped that when his parents came back, they would just think he was playing around, digging holes in the ground to plant trees.

  It's probably better to be scolded like this, rather than letting parents know that they suddenly became a martial artist. If they ask questions, I don't even know how to answer them, and I certainly can't say that there's something strange inside me that helped me become a martial artist.

  Although he didn't know what the system was, its effect was so magical that it could make him, a five-time verification failure, become a warrior without washing medicine. If this secret were to be leaked out, it would definitely bring about a disaster of epic proportions. The fewer people who knew about it, the safer it would be, so even his parents couldn't be told. He decided that unless he succeeded in verifying it again after a month, he wouldn't use the system's power again, lest his astonished expression arouse others' suspicion.