78: Lingxiu is favored!

Meanwhile, within Jinling City, a storm was silently brewing.

Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall.

The martial arts hall that once ranked among the top three in Jinling City was now deathly silent.

Hall Master Lin Feng had been scared out of his wits by that sky-reaching water dragon on the Qiu River, and his martial heart had completely collapsed.

He didn't even return to the martial arts hall; instead, he chose the most pathetic way out right from the riverbank—fleeing Jinling City overnight.

He knew very well that the City Lord's Manor's failed operation and heavy losses meant they would surely look for someone to vent their anger on.

And since he had been the one leading the agreement from start to finish, he would undoubtedly be liquidated.

The Hall Master has run away!

This news spread through the interior of the Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall like a plague.

At first, the Disciples didn't believe it.

But as time passed and several core instructors also vanished, panic finally exploded completely.

"The Hall Master really ran away! Someone saw him fleeing out of the city late last night!"

"It's over! So many people from the City Lord's Manor died; they will definitely take their anger out on our martial arts hall!"

"When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. Why stay here and wait for death? I need to pack my things and get out!"

The people's hearts were scattered.

The training grounds that were once bustling with activity and sweating Disciples were now empty.

The Disciples fled like startled birds and beasts; some made off with any valuables they could carry from the hall, while others simply sought out new paths.

In just a single day, the vast Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall became a deserted building.

All that remained was a mess of a courtyard, with fallen leaves and papers blown by the wind, swirling in the empty space, telling of past glory and current desolation.

Past honors, rules, and brotherhood were fragile and unable to withstand a single blow in the face of disaster.

A colossus had collapsed just like that.

In the late autumn of Jinling City, the chill was growing stronger.

Chen Meng stood before the dilapidated, kicked-open gates of the Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall, her pretty face filled with confusion and helplessness.

She had only gone home to visit her sick father, Chen Shui, for two days. When she returned, her world had already collapsed.

The martial arts hall was deserted and in shambles; even the usually strictest instructors were nowhere to be found.

She asked around and only then pieced together a fact from the neighbors that made her limbs go cold—Hall Master Lin Feng had run away!

"Father, what do we do now?"

Chen Meng returned home, her voice carrying a hint of a sob.

Her father, Chen Shui, was also frowning with worry at this moment.

"The Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall is completely finished."

Chen Shui sighed and patted his daughter's shoulder.

"Even the Hall Master has run away. No one can withstand the wrath of the City Lord's Manor."

"Menger, you... you should find another martial arts hall."

Find another one?

Easier said than done.

Over the next few days, Chen Meng and her father visited every martial arts hall, large and small, in Jinling City.

"What? A Disciple of the Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall?"

When the recruitment instructor of the Feiyun Martial Arts Hall in the south of the city heard this, he immediately waved his hand, his face showing unconcealed disgust.

"We're not accepting! We're not accepting! Our temple is small; we can't accommodate a great Buddha like you."

"Who knows if you're involved in that mess with the City Lord's Manor."

"So you're from the Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall..." The manager of the Benlei Martial Arts Hall in the north of the city stroked his chin with a fake smile.

"The girl's talent is not bad, but it's a pity. We aren't recruiting new Disciples lately. You should look elsewhere."

Encountering wall after wall and cold shoulder after cold shoulder, Chen Meng's heart sank bit by bit.

The words 'Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall' had now become synonymous with a plague in Jinling City; everyone avoided it like the pestilence.

Every major martial arts hall feared that taking in their Disciples would bring suspicion and trouble from the City Lord's Manor.

In the past, she had been proud to be a Disciple of the Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall.

But now, this identity had become the greatest obstacle on her path of martial arts.

"Father, is it that I can never Cultivate again?"

That evening, after being rejected by a small martial arts hall once more, Chen Meng's eyes turned red, and her voice was filled with despair.

She loved martial arts and was unwilling to give up just like this.

Seeing his daughter's despondent appearance, Chen Shui felt like a knife was twisting in his heart.

He had hidden here and had no connections in Jinling City; he could only worry in vain.

Just as the father and daughter were falling into despair, an unexpected opportunity came knocking by a twist of fate.

That day, Chen Meng was feeling frustrated and went to a park in the east of the city to practice her boxing alone.

She was practicing the basic fist techniques of the Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall, but because of the change in her state of mind, there was a hint of tenacity and determination in her moves that hadn't been there before.

She didn't notice that under a corridor not far away, a middle-aged woman dressed in an elegant long dress with a dignified temperament had been quietly watching her for a long time.

"This girl has good skeletal structure, and her Heart-Nature is also quite firm."

Beside the beautiful woman, a young female Disciple spoke in a low voice.

"It's more than just good." A flash of appreciation crossed the middle-aged woman's eyes.

"Look at her punches. Although they are basic techniques, they faintly contain her own insights."

"To be able to maintain her original heart while her state of mind is in such turmoil is truly rare. Go and ask about her background."

"Yes, Hall Master."

The young female Disciple took the order and soon arrived before Chen Meng.

"Pardon the intrusion, young lady."

The female Disciple's tone was gentle and carried goodwill.

"My Hall Master appreciates your fist techniques and would like to invite you over for a chat."

Chen Meng stopped her movements and looked at the other party warily.

When she followed the female Disciple's gaze and saw the extraordinary middle-aged woman under the corridor, she couldn't help but be stunned.

She recognized that symbol; it was the 'Lingxiu Hall'—an establishment in Jinling City capable of rivaling the Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall at its peak, and even surpassing it in certain aspects!

Lingxiu Hall was famous for training female Disciples and exquisite Martial Skills. Its threshold was extremely high, making it a Holy Land that countless young female Martial Artists in Jinling City dreamed of.

With an anxious heart, Chen Meng followed the female Disciple to the middle-aged woman.

"What is your name? Where did you study?"

The Hall Master of Lingxiu Hall, Miss Liu, asked directly. Her gaze was gentle yet sharp, as if it could see through one's heart.

"I... my name is Chen Meng. I was... once a Disciple of the Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall."

Chen Meng gritted her teeth and told the truth.

She was already prepared to be immediately driven away.

"Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall?"

Miss Liu's eyebrows twitched slightly, but she didn't show the expected disgust; instead, there was a hint of understanding.

"So that's how it is. No wonder you have so much on your mind."

She paused and continued, "Lin Feng abandoning the hall and fleeing was his personal choice; it has nothing to do with you Disciples."

"My Lingxiu Hall does not ask about origins, only about talent and character."

"Are you willing to join my Lingxiu Hall?"

A massive surprise struck Chen Meng like lightning, making her think for a moment that she had misheard.

She stood frozen on the spot, her mouth slightly open, unable to speak for a long time.

At the edge of the abyss of despair, a golden rope had just been lowered down.

"I... I am willing! Disciple Chen Meng pays respects to the Hall Master!"

Once she reacted, Chen Meng could no longer suppress her inner excitement. Her knees went weak, and she was about to kneel for the formal apprenticeship ceremony.

Miss Liu lifted her hand slightly, and a gentle force supported her.

"There is no need for such grand formalities."

"From this day forth, you are a Disciple of my Lingxiu Hall." A faint smile appeared on Miss Liu's face.

"Go and say goodbye to your family. Report to the hall tomorrow morning."

Until she walked out of the park, Chen Meng's steps were still light, as if she were walking on clouds.

She rushed home and told her father this wonderful news.

When Chen Shui finished listening, he was also so excited that old tears ran down his face, repeatedly saying, "Good, good, good."

That night was the most peaceful sleep Chen Meng had had in days.

Her life, after falling into the depths, seemed to have welcomed a ray of light once again.