Chapter Thirteen: The White Cloud Pine and Crane Technique

Chen Fan followed the direction the girl pointed, looking toward the locations of the two classes. Each class consisted of about twenty to thirty people, all engaged in basic physical training exercises.

With his golden finger, Chen Fan could learn any martial art or technique as long as he acquired them; the teacher’s skill level was irrelevant to him. He glanced at the two instructors and said, “Whichever master’s class started more recently, I’ll join that one.”

He had no knowledge of martial arts fundamentals, nor had he undergone any basic training, so he naturally wanted to begin from the foundation. After all, he still had three martial arts techniques left to fully master with his auto-training system, so he wasn’t in a hurry.

The girl smiled gently. “That would be the Black Cloud Class.”

The instructor of the Black Cloud Class, Master Feng Cong, was a burly man with a thick beard, radiating an intimidating presence that made him seem hard to approach.

The girl’s gaze lingered on Chen Fan for a moment. “Master Feng Cong is one of the top instructors at White Cloud Martial Hall. Many disciples from powerful families specifically request to join the Black Cloud Class—it’s considered the elite class!”

Chen Fan was surprised, secretly thinking his luck wasn’t bad.

He was led before Feng Cong, and after a brief introduction, he joined the class.

For Chen Fan, martial arts could be learned instantly, engraved in his mind, with muscle memory formed automatically. Yet he had never undergone the most basic training. Thus, the early foundational exercises of the Black Cloud Class proved somewhat beneficial to him.

There were twenty-five students in the Black Cloud Class, most quite young. Chen Fan was among the older ones, generally twelve or thirteen years old, with the oldest around fifteen and the youngest just over eleven. There were no students as young as seven or eight.

Chen Fan himself, near his home in the county outskirts, was tall for his age group—at thirteen or fourteen, he was nearly 1.7 meters tall. But in the martial hall, that wasn’t unusual; among his peers, the tallest was already 1.8 meters, and even younger than Chen Fan by a year.

“These wealthy children have grown up pampered, perhaps exposed to the basics of martial arts from a young age, with private tutors laying the foundation. Even if their talent isn’t exceptional, years of accumulation would naturally yield good results!”

This was why children from rich families were more likely to achieve in martial arts—they grew up in privileged environments, their physical foundations far superior to ordinary people. Even now, after practicing several strengthening arts, Chen Fan couldn’t confidently say his physique was stronger than all his peers.

Among his classmates, Chen Fan spotted a familiar face: Su Qingyang, the young master of Datong Trading Company. Unfortunately, while Chen Fan recognized him, Su Qingyang had no idea who Chen Fan was—a mere clerk in the accounting room.

In the Black Cloud Class, nine out of ten students were from wealthy families. Their clothing alone revealed the disparity in background. Out of the twenty-plus students, including Chen Fan, only three came from ordinary families, so the three naturally gravitated together.

The other wealthy children, meanwhile, formed their own groups according to familial status, with the core circle comprised of several scions from prominent families. Of course, while relationships varied, there was little provocation between students. Everyone was new to the martial hall, entering a new environment, and thus behaved with restraint. Even the most unruly temperament wouldn’t seek trouble at this time.

However, lack of provocation didn’t mean relations were harmonious. The inherent divide in status made it difficult for different groups to truly bond.

Chen Fan also noticed that among his classmates, some were clearly already skilled. The difference in their physical condition and the precision of their practice was obvious.

This made Chen Fan even more curious. In a world governed by martial arts, it was unsurprising for children from great families to train from an early age. The question was, if their families possessed martial arts manuals and traditions, why did they still come to the martial hall to learn?

This piqued Chen Fan’s attention.

It was worth noting that, despite his muscular appearance, Feng Cong was actually quite genial, treating every student equally—a rare and admirable teacher.

A few days later, after completing basic martial arts training, Master Feng Cong began teaching genuine martial arts techniques—the so-called strengthening manuals.

Standing before the twenty-odd boys and girls, Feng Cong’s voice was loud and robust.

“The strengthening manuals, also known as basic martial arts, are called ‘martial arts,’ but they’re not pure combat techniques. Rather, they are methods for tempering the body.”

Chen Fan had already mastered seven strengthening manuals and understood their nature. Yet this was the first time he’d heard a systematic explanation.

He’d discovered through personal experience that these seven arts required fixed postures, with subtle details needing constant attention. There could be no mistakes; lacking flexibility, they were unsuitable for direct use in combat.

“Though they are basic martial arts, they demand a certain physique. Therefore, martial artists typically begin practicing strengthening manuals at around twelve years old, once their bodies have begun to develop.”

Chen Fan understood now why students tended not to be too young.

He glanced around at his classmates. The faces of these wealthy children were indeed youthful, almost all around twelve or thirteen. Of course, there were exceptions—children from affluent families received careful training from an early age, and some had begun strengthening their bodies within their limits at a young age, allowing a few to start a year or two earlier.

Chen Fan suspected there were certainly such individuals within his class.

“Our White Cloud Martial Hall possesses thirty-three strengthening manuals, divided into three grades. First grade is best, third grade the weakest. The difference in body-tempering effects is vast—even the weakest second-grade manual is several times more effective than the best third-grade one.”

Feng Cong’s face brimmed with pride and confidence. “The strongest and most effective first-grade manual is the White Cloud Pine and Crane Palm, the true core of our martial hall.”

As he spoke, his gaze paused, sweeping over the few finely dressed boys and girls—the students with the best family backgrounds.

Their eyes sparkled with eagerness.

His glance passed over Chen Fan as well, lingering only briefly.

Feng Cong smiled slightly. “I know many of you have already trained with other strengthening manuals. Yet you still chose to join White Cloud Martial Hall, precisely for this technique.”

Hearing this, Chen Fan understood.

Why were there students already skilled in martial arts?

Strengthening manuals laid the foundation for entering the martial path, building up vital energy. The stronger the foundation, the better. Those with family manuals still enrolled in the martial hall, clearly aiming for the White Cloud Pine and Crane Palm.

He wondered if the great families had no manuals comparable to this one, or if it possessed some special qualities. Could it cultivate a unique inner energy?