Chapter 432: Chapter 376: The Martial Arts Hall’s Little Fanboys (Part 2)
Looking slightly weary, he squinted into the morning sun.
He opened his palm, reaching toward the sunrise on the horizon. The golden morning light enveloped his entire hand.
It stained his palm a fiery red.
The next moment, the look in Lin Yi’s eyes changed abruptly.
His hand snapped shut into a fist, as if trying to seize the blazing sun itself.
9:54 AM.
New Star Martial Arts Hall.
A bus slowly pulled into the station and came to a stop.
When the doors opened, passengers disembarked one after another.
Finally, a young man stepped off the bus.
He walked to the entrance of the Martial Arts Hall and looked up, gazing at the familiar facade.
His eyes lingered on the gilded sign emblazoned with the words "New Star Martial Arts Hall."
His eyes were filled with memories.
He remembered the first time he came here.
He had yearned to be here, full of envy, wanting nothing more than to become a student at this Martial Arts Hall.
To cram for the Martial Arts Examination, to fight for a spot at a Martial Arts University.
But a single sparring session had become his ticket to stay.
A recommendation from his homeroom teacher, Liu Song, and the appreciation of Coach Yang Yong.
They had given him the good fortune to become a disciple of the Martial Arts Hall.
The kind who didn’t have to pay tuition, at that.
Every little moment of his training in the Martial Arts Hall, like long-sealed memories, came flooding back.
Zhou Qi, Sun Tao, Hu Quan, Li Xuewen...
Their smiling faces, once strangers, now familiar friends.
During those few months at the Martial Arts Hall, they had trained together, striving for the same goal.
They had cheered each other on, pouring out their sweat and effort side by side.
In the blink of an eye, more than a year had passed.
The Martial Arts Hall hadn’t changed.
It still had the same grand, imposing entrance.
Outside the main doors, a banner was displayed, advertising for new students.
[Regular Student: 1599/class. Buy ten, get one free. Includes a complimentary Martial Arts Uniform...]
[Gold Medal Coach Program: 2999...]
Seeing the familiar advertisements, the corners of Lin Yi’s mouth lifted into an unconscious smile.
Just as he was focused on the ad copy and the familiar names of the coaches...
A student in a Martial Arts Uniform walked out.
The moment he saw Lin Yi, he hurried over with a smile and said, "Hey, buddy. Thinking of joining our Martial Arts Hall?"
"Our New Star Martial Arts Hall is one of the best in Xinghai City. A lot of the students who’ve trained here have gotten into the New District’s Martial Arts Universities!"
"Oh, and we had this one senior who was absolutely incredible—the Martial Arts Examination Champion Scholar for the whole district... I’m not just bragging, he really graduated from here!"
"Oh?"
Lin Yi glanced at him with a smile. "This Martial Arts Hall is that amazing?"
"Of course! To be honest, our hall’s Gold Medal Coach, Yang Yong, is widely recognized as the best coach in the entire district. And get this—that Martial Arts Examination Champion Scholar I mentioned? He was trained by Coach Yang himself. How awesome is that?"
Lin Yi smiled and nodded. "Is Coach Yang Yong here?"
"He is! Hey, are you looking to sign up with Coach Yang Yong?" The student’s eyes lit up instantly.
The grin on his face was so wide he could barely contain it.
Lin Yi chuckled and nodded. "Could you please take me to him?"
"Yes, yes, of course! Come with me, I’ll take you there right now!"
And so, one following the other, the two of them walked into the Martial Arts Hall.
As soon as they stepped inside, Lin Yi noticed that the two receptionists at the front desk were new.
They weren’t the same two girls from last year.
The student walked up to the counter and briefly explained the situation to them.
After seeing the two receptionists nod, the student turned back and said, "Come on, follow me. I’ll take you directly to the training hall so you can see the facilities!"
"You don’t have to rush into a decision. You can take a look around first!"
"If you like what you see, you can decide then. There’s no hurry!"
The student rambled on, listing all the benefits of the Martial Arts Hall.
The moment they stepped into the elevator,
Lin Yi couldn’t help but ask, "Do students normally recruit new members at your Martial Arts Hall now?"
"Huh? Oh... hehe, not really!"
He scratched his head, his face flushing slightly. "Actually, I was only able to study here thanks to Coach Yang Yong. He saw I had some talent and specially applied for me to get free admission!"
"That means I don’t have to pay anything. I get to study here for free!"
’But I felt a little bad about it, so I figured if I could help recruit one more student for the hall, I’d feel a bit better!’
"But I’m not trying to get your sympathy!"
"If you don’t think this place is good, or if you feel Coach Yang Yong isn’t the right fit for you, you can always choose someone else. I definitely won’t pressure you..."
Fearing Lin Yi might get the wrong idea, he quickly changed his tone.
But Lin Yi just smiled and nodded.
A familiar *DING* sounded.
The elevator doors slowly slid open.
One after the other, they stepped out of the elevator.
Lin Yi looked at the familiar training hall before him, the unchanged equipment, and the sparring ring set up in the middle.
Scene after scene of memories surfaced once more.
It felt as if he could see shadows of the past in every corner.
Especially the sparring ring—that was the place he had used most often during his time at the Martial Arts Hall.
Because his cultivation level was the highest among them.
And he also had a wealth of combat experience.
So, Lin Yi became the designated "long-term sparring partner."
Whenever he had free time, he would be with Shen Mengyi, Zhou Qi, Sun Tao, and Hu Quan.
They would take turns sparring with him in the ring.
He would help point out their weaknesses and show them how to correct them...
The ring was still there.
But the familiar faces were all gone.
"Hey, wait here for a moment. I’ll go get Coach Yang Yong!"
After the student finished speaking, Lin Yi chuckled and nodded.
The student then ran off into the training hall.
A short while later, a man was seen following him back toward the elevator.
And when the man, still a good distance away, glanced over,
his expression suddenly shifted.
He then quickened his pace, striding toward Lin Yi. ℯ𝐥.
"Coach Yang Yong, this is the guy I was telling you about—"
Before the student could finish his introduction,
Yang Yong had already walked up and playfully punched Lin Yi on the shoulder.
Beaming, he said, "You brat, what are you doing back here?"
"You couldn’t even give me a call to let me know you were coming?"
Yang Yong’s smile was tinged with excitement.
This left the student beside them completely dumbfounded, his mind unable to process what was happening.
Lin Yi laughed and said, "I came back for a business trip and thought I’d stop by the Martial Arts Hall to see you!"
"Coach Yang, you haven’t changed a bit!"
"Haven’t changed? My hair has gone gray... If I hadn’t just dyed it yesterday, you’d be looking at a man several years older than you remember!"
"Your hair’s gone gray?"
Lin Yi was startled and quickly glanced at Yang Yong’s hair.
Yang Yong chuckled and nodded, seemingly with a lot he wanted to say to Lin Yi.
However, he immediately turned back to look at the student.
"Zhu Liang, haven’t you always wanted to meet your idol?"
"The person standing right in front of you is the very Lin Yi you’re always talking about. How can you not recognize your own idol when you see him?"
"Huh?"
The student was completely stunned.
He rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
He looked closely at Lin Yi again, so excited he could hardly believe it.
"You... you’re really Senior Lin Yi? The Martial Arts Examination Champion Scholar of our entire district?"
Zhu Liang said, his face a mask of shock and disbelief.
Lin Yi chuckled and nodded. "The one and only!"
"Oh my god, I... I actually met my idol..." Zhu Liang shouted in excitement.
His excited shout rang out.
It was perfectly clear throughout the entire training hall.
In an instant, the other students in the training hall all turned their heads to look in his direction.
Especially when they heard the keywords "idol" and "Lin Yi."
They all came running wildly toward Lin Yi.
Instantly, Lin Yi was surrounded by them.
At that moment, he was like a dazzling superstar, thronged by his young fans.
The center of everyone’s attention.
After a long while, and only after Yang Yong barked at them,
did they reluctantly return to their training.
Yang Yong glanced at Lin Yi with a smile.
"Even though you’ve left the Martial Arts Hall, your name and your experiences have become the stuff of legend among all the halls. Your story is now an inspirational tale!"
"Compared to when you all were here, the current students are even more hardworking and motivated!"
"It’s the same in the schools, too. They all see you as a role model. Their goal is no longer just any Martial Arts University!"
"It’s to be the district’s champion scholar!"
Lin Yi: "..."