Chapter Fifteen: Talent and Principles of Action

The youths, both boys and girls, steadied their stances and readied themselves, beginning to practice the palm technique.

A succession of crisp sounds rang out as their hands sliced through the air.

Feng Cong’s gaze swept over the group, his eyes sharp and discerning.

Nearly all of them possessed only the outer semblance of the technique, failing to grasp the essence of the White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm. Even so, talent still created differences among them.

The children from wealthy families generally had a better foundation, most having trained in martial arts before; their progress was naturally superior. The most accomplished among them were all scions of the established families of Feiling County.

Among the three from common backgrounds, it was Chen Fan’s performance that most satisfied Feng Cong. To be sure, even if Chen Fan had little natural talent, he had already mastered seven tomes of force-cultivation techniques, granting him a robust physique and vigorous blood and energy.

With such a strong foundation and considerable experience, he far surpassed the average novice.

Ultimately, Feng Cong’s gaze settled firmly on a black-haired girl in the first row, his eyes glinting with keen interest.

The girl was only eleven or twelve, yet exuded a fierce aura. White mist rose from her crown as her fists struck out, producing sharp, resounding cracks.

She was the only one whose practice bore genuine resemblance to the true art, faintly capturing a trace of the White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm’s subtlety.

Once the effects of the medicinal decoction wore off and the practice ended, Feng Cong surveyed the group and gave a slight nod. “Su Qingyang, Lin Mo, Wang Mian… and Chen Fan. The four of you must have prior training. Your foundations are solid—you all have a chance to master this palm technique.”

Having already formed a base with force-cultivation methods did indeed aid the learning of other arts, though such advantages were largely limited to the early stages.

Chen Fan felt a flicker of realization—Feng Cong had indeed recognized his martial background. As the master of White Cloud Academy, Feng Cong was surely an accomplished martial artist himself; lacking such discernment would be unthinkable.

Yet, Feng Cong did not pursue the matter, sparing Chen Fan, a commoner, from unnecessary trouble.

The other students whispered among themselves, casting curious glances at those praised, especially at Chen Fan. Those beside him looked at him in surprise.

“You’ve been hiding your skills well,” one remarked.

It was one thing for the wealthy scions to have prior training, but for Chen Fan—a mere commoner—to possess such skills was truly remarkable. Still, at White Cloud Academy, having a martial background was not particularly rare. Whether they would actually master the White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm remained uncertain.

Feng Cong approached the black-haired girl with a smile. “You must be He Hongshan of the He family. I’ve long heard you’re the most gifted of Feiling County’s new generation. Indeed, your fists are the best—far superior to Lin Mo and the others.”

To be singled out was no ordinary feat.

The girl lifted her chin with pride. “Thank you for your praise, Master.”

Feng Cong nodded, a look of satisfaction on his face. He silently made note of her, already considering her one of the academy’s promising seeds.

A single step ahead could lead to victory at every stage.

With both talent and family standing, such individuals naturally enjoyed greater advantages than others. The White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm was notoriously difficult to master. Even with so many scions in this Black Cloud Class, which was far stronger than most, how many would actually succeed in learning it remained to be seen.

Feng Cong smiled, gazing at the class. “Very good, very good. It seems that in a few years, our class will produce many who pass the entrance threshold. And if any master the White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm, they will reach even greater heights…”

He left the rest unsaid.

To pass the academy’s force-cultivation trials and become a true core disciple was to become one of White Cloud Academy’s elite—a rare distinction, reserved for the prodigiously gifted or the exceptionally strong, the true martial artists.

Those who mastered the White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm, however, were set apart even from core disciples, their status higher still.

Meanwhile, Chen Fan watched the girl before Feng Cong with mixed feelings.

A He family scion? There surely wasn’t another He family in Feiling County.

He still remembered the time when Li Linliu of White Cloud Academy had chastised a He family youth in the street. He’d thought that, even if the academy didn’t fear the powerful He family, such an incident would surely create a rift. Yet, surprisingly, the He family had sent their own children to study here.

“White Cloud Academy is evidently more than just an ordinary martial school. I wonder if Li Linliu is a core disciple himself?”

His curiosity about the academy—and about the White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm—only deepened.

But glancing at his own progress bar for the technique, Chen Fan felt a tinge of helplessness. He could only train three arts at a time through his special method; mastering another would take at least ten more days.

Feng Cong gave another brief explanation of the palm’s key points, then allowed the students to train on their own, answering questions as they arose.

Whether one could master the technique depended on talent and diligence.

Chen Fan felt awkward. His circumstances were unique; rather than toiling away, it made more sense to seek out moments of inspiration, to meet the hidden criteria for his method and increase his efficiency.

Still, given the current situation, he couldn’t simply leave. He had no choice but to practice with the others.

“My unusual talent is actually hampered here in the academy. But outside it, I’d have no way to continue training…”

He knew he had no real choice.

While his mind raced with thoughts, outwardly Chen Fan practiced his forms, appearing diligent enough, but without much enthusiasm.

It was a matter of attitude.

Feng Cong, quietly observing the students, particularly those with prior training, soon noticed Chen Fan’s lack of engagement.

Naturally, he had no idea about Chen Fan’s unique situation and felt some disappointment. But he did not directly rebuke Chen Fan. As a teacher, he understood that words alone were insufficient; only when a student experienced the frustration of falling behind their peers would they be spurred to greater effort.

He simply shook his head and turned his attention back to He Hongshan, an unconscious smile on his lips.

Chen Fan, unaware that his teacher had noticed him, continued to absentmindedly rehearse his forms, his mind turning over what special circumstances might boost his mastery of the White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm.

The imagery of white clouds and pine cranes was easy enough to grasp, but actually witnessing such a sight was another matter. There were no cranes in Feiling County; perhaps there were in the capital?

He also recalled that when he defeated Pi Liu, he had gained insight into the Tiger Fist’s essence through real combat. Could it be that sparring with others could also fulfill certain hidden conditions and lead to sudden enlightenment?

Time slipped by as Chen Fan toiled daily at his training.

In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.

During this period, he had sparred with his fellow disciples, using the techniques he was currently honing. Yet, unlike with the Tiger Fist, he gained no new insights.

“Perhaps only real combat yields results?” Chen Fan mused, recalling how he had secretly disposed of Pi Liu. In the end, he shook his head, unwilling to risk repeating such actions at this stage.

Actual combat could indeed accelerate progress, but it also brought danger. At his current rate, he could improve quickly enough without taking those risks.

Meanwhile, over these two weeks, he noticed that his White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm, which he hadn’t yet set to train automatically, had reached 2% progress—earned solely through diligent practice.

“My body truly lacks martial talent. Without my special method, it would take ten or twenty years to master this art…”

Yet Chen Fan was not discouraged. On the contrary, it only strengthened his resolve.

Toiling away was a waste of his energy.

Efficiency was key: he would continue using his method while seeking moments of inspiration to further increase his progress.

Finally, the day arrived when the progress bar for one of his three auto-trained arts reached completion, allowing him to add the White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm to his training regimen.

And in just one day, his progress jumped nearly 4%—an improvement many times greater than what he could achieve through ordinary practice.