This Martial Saint is Too Cautious

Yang Qingfeng smiled and stood to the side. Among this batch of disciples, there were three he was most optimistic about.

Linyuan, Lin Yan, and Zhuang Zheng.

Linyuan’s talent in the Martial Arts was undeniable. He was proud but not arrogant.

Lin Yan was exceptionally talented with the Mountain-Splitting Fist and was earnest by nature.

Zhuang Zheng had an introverted personality and was a bit timid. However, he was the most diligent when it came to the Martial Arts. The fact that he had also broken through to the Second-Time Skin Smoothing was proof that his talent was not lacking.

Excluding Linyuan, Lin Yan and Zhuang Zheng were the ones from this batch most likely to reach the Third-Time of Skin Smoothing within three years.

...

On the training grounds, Lin Yan and Zhao Linyuan stood facing each other.

"Senior Brother Lin, be careful."

Zhao Linyuan instinctively moved to cup his fist, but remembering they had just shaken hands, he simply lowered his outstretched hand.

With a push of his foot, he closed the ten-foot distance in an instant, his right fist smashing toward Lin Yan’s face with the force of a collapsing mountain!

The wind from his fist howled, fierce and intimidating.

Lin Yan neither dodged nor evaded, meeting the attack with a fist of his own.

BAM!

A dull thud exploded as their fists met.

Lin Yan’s arm went slightly numb; he was at a disadvantage in terms of Power. Zhao Linyuan, however, had already used the recoil to retract his right fist, his left sweeping in horizontally.

Zhao Linyuan didn’t dare underestimate Senior Brother Lin. Since their master had said that Senior Brother Lin’s proficiency with the Mountain-Splitting Fist was greater than his own, he resolved to give it his all.

Lin Yan sidestepped the blow and jabbed his right fist toward Zhao Linyuan’s ribs from the side.

The punch came from a tricky angle. It was a variation of the Chopping Rune Technique within the Mountain-Splitting Fist, designed to strike an opponent’s defensive weak spots.

A flicker of surprise crossed Zhao Linyuan’s eyes. He hadn’t expected Senior Brother Lin to react so fast and pinpoint the weakness in his attack so precisely. He had no choice but to pull back his fist and retreat.

They traded blows, a blur of crisscrossing fists.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

The dull thuds rang out across the training grounds, booming one after another like a drumroll.

Standing under the eaves of the corridor, Yang Qingfeng’s gaze shifted between the two fighters, and he nodded slightly.

Zhao Linyuan’s attacks grew fiercer. His Fist Momentum was savage and overbearing, each punch carrying an unstoppable force, as if he meant to utterly crush his opponent.

Lin Yan, on the other hand, appeared to be constantly on the defensive. In truth, the angle, power, and timing of his every block were perfectly executed. He neutralized Linyuan’s ferocious assault blow by blow, like a great rock in a torrent, remaining steadfast as the waves crashed against it.

This was the advantage of having cultivated the Mountain-Splitting Fist to such a masterful degree. Lin Yan anticipated Linyuan’s every move.

If nothing changed, Linyuan was bound to lose.

Fifty moves.

Seventy moves.

Ninety moves.

Their movements grew faster and faster, until a blur of fists seemed to envelop the entire training ground.

Suddenly, Zhao Linyuan let out a fierce shout. His fists, which had begun to slow, abruptly became sharp and vicious as he threw a powerful punch.

Hearing Zhao Linyuan’s battle cry, Lin Yan knew his junior brother intended to settle the match with this one punch. He instinctively prepared to use his Fist Momentum, but forced himself to hold back.

BAM!

Their fists met.

Zhao Linyuan didn’t move an inch, while Lin Yan retreated two steps.

"Junior Brother Zhao’s Qi Blood is immense. I’ve lost."

Lin Yan stopped fighting, but Zhao Linyuan shook his head. "Senior Brother Lin, your Fist Technique is superb. If this were a true life-or-death struggle, I’m afraid I would have been defeated long ago."

In the latter half of the fight, Zhao Linyuan also realized something was amiss. Lin Yan had anticipated his every punch, causing many of his strikes to land on empty air.

If Senior Brother Lin had chosen to dodge that last punch, he would have been the one to lose.

"You both have your strengths. Linyuan’s advantage is his immense Qi Blood, while Lin Yan’s Fist Technique is superb, allowing him to gain the upper hand by counter-attacking. This spar was for you to learn from and validate each other’s skills, so that you may advance further on your Martial Arts path."

Yang Qingfeng said with a smile, his words mainly for Zhao Linyuan’s benefit. In Martial Arts, the disparity was not just in one’s Realm, but also in the mastery of one’s Cultivation Technique.

He was very satisfied with Lin Yan’s performance. Compared to their last encounter, Lin Yan’s comprehension of the Mountain-Splitting Fist had clearly advanced.

"We will remember our master’s teachings," Lin Yan and Zhao Linyuan replied in unison.

"Master, at what level would you place Junior Brother Zhao and me among those at the Second-Time Skin Smoothing Realm?" Lin Yan asked curiously.

"Upper-middle tier."

Hearing his master’s words, Lin Yan was dumbfounded.

’Just a moment ago, I judged that if I got serious, I could beat Junior Brother Zhao in thirty moves without using my Fist Momentum. With Fist Momentum, I could beat him in ten. And if I used my Stone Waist Barbarian Ridge, three punches would be enough.’

’Doesn’t that mean I could take out an ordinary Second-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist with a single punch?’

’Are Second-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artists like children in front of me?’

’Am I really that strong?’

"What is Senior Brother Lin thinking about?" Zhao Linyuan asked, seeing Lin Yan’s silence.

"I was thinking about how powerful those top-tier Powerhouses at the Second-Time Skin Smoothing Realm must be."

"Senior Brother Liu from the Martial Arts Hall failed in his attempt to break through to Third-Time of Skin Smoothing, but he’s still a top-tier Martial Artist among those at the Second-Time Skin Smoothing. I fought him once and was defeated in ten moves."

Lin Yan: ???

Leaving the Martial Arts Hall, Lin Yan finally confirmed one thing: among Second-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artists, he was indeed at the very top.

Next, following the Secret Medicine recipe he had memorized, he visited several different Tang Family apothecaries in the city to purchase the ingredients. Besides the herbs for the recipe, he also bought some restorative herbs. This was partly to help his aunt regain her strength, and partly to prevent the Tang Family from deducing the formula from his purchases.

He might have been unfairly suspecting them, as the Tang Family might not necessarily do such a thing, but it was always better to be cautious.

His master gave him the recipe out of trust, and he could not betray that trust.

Returning home, Lin Yan lit the stove and began preparing the medicinal paste. While it simmered, he started helping his younger brother practice his calligraphy.

From the study, Lin Mo’s pained cries rang out periodically. In another room, his aunt mended clothes, a gentle smile on her face as she listened to the two brothers.

...

「The Tang Family Estate.」

"Young Miss, this is the complete list of medicinal ingredients Lin Yan purchased. In total, he spent two hundred and sixty taels of silver."

Tang Tang took the list from the steward and scanned it. The Tang Family didn’t usually track the purchases of a Martial Artist affiliated with the hall. However, this time, a Shopkeeper had reported it because Lin Yan had spent an unusually large amount of silver coins at once.

Martial Artists affiliated with the Tang Family received a thirty percent discount on all herbs and Elixirs purchased from their apothecaries.

But this benefit wasn’t unlimited. Otherwise, some affiliated Martial Artists might exploit the privilege, buying discounted ingredients for others and pocketing the difference. While the Tang Family wouldn’t take a loss, their profits would be significantly reduced.

Second-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artists had a monthly limit of one hundred taels. This was the baseline the Tang Family established based on their typical expenses.

"Young Miss, should we send someone to remind Lin Yan?"

"No need!"

Tang Tang put down the list. "Five bottles of Vital Tendon Pills are indeed useful for a Second-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist. The other herbs... are likely for concocting some kind of Secret Medicine. This alone isn’t enough to prove that Lin Yan is buying Elixirs and herbs for others. If it happens again, we’ll investigate further."

’She had dismissed many of the family’s unambitious Martial Artists and recruited young ones precisely because she wanted to cultivate or foster ties with a group of driven practitioners.’

’If Lin Yan truly spent these silver coins on his own training, the Tang Family wouldn’t stop him, no matter how many ingredients he bought.’

’But if he was abusing his discount to act as a middleman, he would be dismissed the moment he was found out.’

...

After preparing the Secret Medicine, Lin Yan said goodbye to his aunt. With his younger brother watching him with expectant eyes, he left the courtyard and headed for a shop in the city called the Treasure Meat Pavilion.

The Treasure Meat Pavilion sold various Rare Birds that nourished Qi Blood, catering exclusively to Martial Artists.

An eager shop assistant led Lin Yan into the store. From a short distance away, a young man caught sight of him and hurried over. "Junior Brother Lin?"

"Senior Brother Zhang?"

At first, Lin Yan thought Zhang Liang was also there to buy Treasure Meat. It wasn’t until the shop assistant addressed Zhang Liang as "Young Master" that he realized the Treasure Meat Pavilion was actually his Senior Brother’s family business.

"Junior Brother Lin, here for some deer meat, I presume?" Zhang Liang then turned to the assistant. "This is my junior brother. From now on, give him a ten percent discount on all his purchases."

Zhang Liang issued the instructions to the shop assistant. He knew Lin Yan had already reached Second-Time Skin Smoothing. At this Realm, snake and fish meat had little effect on Qi Blood growth; only deer meat was noticeably effective.

"Junior Brother Lin, don’t think I’m being stingy by not offering a bigger discount. Even though my family runs the Treasure Meat Pavilion, the truth is that all this Treasure Meat, especially the deer, is shipped in from other counties. We have to pay bribes every step of the way, so we’re just making a modest living."

"Those clad in lavish silks are not the ones who raise the silkworms," Lin Yan added.

"’Those clad in lavish silks are not the ones who raise the silkworms’... Junior Brother Lin, that’s wonderfully put. That’s exactly it. Even though I’m the Young Master, I can only afford to eat deer meat a few times a month. Plus, we’re not the only ones selling Treasure Meat in the city, so the competition is fierce."

Though Lin Yan felt Zhang Liang was exaggerating a bit, he figured it probably wasn’t a hugely profitable business. He asked curiously, "Senior Brother Zhang, has no one in the city considered domesticating and breeding their own deer?"

"They can’t be domesticated. The Half Moon Grass that Plum Deer eat only grows in Sanshan County. There are many mountains and forests over there, with not only Plum Deer, but other Rare Birds, including some precious medicinal herbs. But all of these are controlled by a few big families in Sanshan County. In all of Guangping County, only the Tang Family has a foothold there."

Zhang Liang shook his head with a wry smile. His words were spoken casually, but Lin Yan listened with intent, and his eyes lit up.

Ever since he started learning the True Understanding of Earth Veins, he had searched all the mountains and forests around Guangping County, but his gains were small.

It wasn’t that the True Understanding of Earth Veins was useless, but rather that even a clever housewife can’t cook without rice. Guangping County didn’t have any high mountains; even Great Mist Mountain was just a collection of hills.

If the mountains aren’t high and the forests aren’t deep, there won’t be many wild beasts or precious medicinal ingredients.

’If I get the chance in the future, I should definitely go check out Sanshan County.’