Chapter Five: Parallel Cultivation

In the narrow alley, the disheveled man frowned as he looked at Chen Fan.

"You still want to buy my martial arts manual?"

Chen Fan nodded repeatedly.

The man raised an eyebrow. "Kid, let me warn you: sometimes, when you can't grasp martial arts, it might not be the manual's fault."

Chen Fan was taken aback, then forced a bitter smile, saying nothing. This man had pretended not to know him earlier—clearly thinking Chen Fan had failed to master the technique and wanted to return the manual.

"I don’t think you’re from a wealthy family," the man commented, eyeing Chen Fan. "Let me be frank: if you’re willing to spend two taels of silver on a ‘Tiger Fist’ manual, your family must have some savings. To be honest, the money spent on ten such manuals would about cover the entrance fee for the Flying Tiger School. Once you enroll, training in strength techniques is free, and there are renowned instructors to guide you..."

He was not without conscience. Chen Fan’s lips twitched. How could he not know the benefits of joining a martial academy? But with Pi Liu pressing him, there was no way he could save enough for the fee right now!

Saving money took time, and with his special ability, the sooner he acquired new techniques, the better. As for teachers, they were a luxury, not a necessity. Since he had decided to oppose Pi Liu, he needed to grow stronger as quickly as possible.

"So, will you sell it or not?" Chen Fan asked directly.

The man narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "I’ll sell, but let me remind you again: more martial arts doesn’t mean better. If you fail to grasp the essence, no amount of techniques will help you become stronger..."

Chen Fan kept silent, simply watching him.

The man didn’t waste more words and produced another manual. This one was a palm technique, titled ‘Soft Cloud Palm.’

Chen Fan flipped through it and asked, "This technique has only four moves. Isn’t it even simpler than the Tiger Fist?"

The man replied, "Both are basic martial skills, but there are differences. Tiger Fist is among the more powerful and effective basic techniques, while Soft Cloud Palm is fairly average. I have better manuals, but selling them to you would do you a disservice."

Chen Fan understood. Some superior strength-training techniques were likely forbidden from being passed on. He asked, "You keep mentioning basic martial arts. So, there are more advanced techniques as well?"

The man nodded. "I see you’re a regular customer and a lover of martial arts, so I’ll explain a bit more. Basic martial arts are also called foundation techniques or strength-training manuals, usually consisting of fist and palm methods. Their main purpose is to build health, strengthen the body, and enhance vitality."

Chen Fan had a sudden realization. No wonder, after starting Tiger Fist, his appetite had increased so quickly and his body was growing sturdier!

The man continued, "Of course, the deeper your understanding of basic skills, the better the results. When you grasp internal energy, you’re truly at the threshold of martial arts—you could be called a quasi-martial artist."

Chen Fan’s heart stirred. He recalled the surge of heat within his body when he had an ‘epiphany’ while practicing. Could that have been internal energy?

Had he reached the threshold? He couldn’t be sure.

Yet, in less than a month, he had already felt his body changing dramatically every day.

Not to mention anything else—his strength alone had nearly doubled! His body was becoming ever more robust. On that point alone, his strength-training had not been wasted.

The man said, "For most people, with a teacher’s guidance and the right herbal tonics and diet, one can master a basic technique of lower grade in a month or two and fully refine it in three to five years, eventually grasping internal energy. That’s assuming you have the talent for martial arts—without it, or with bad luck, even eight or ten years wouldn’t get you there."

Chen Fan was inwardly astounded. So, even with talent, mastering a basic strength technique took three to five years.

He wasn’t foolish. By now, he fully appreciated the mysterious power and advantage of his golden cheat.

Of course, he didn’t get arrogant. He understood that the man was describing the average level among martial artists—there were always those with extraordinary talents.

The man didn’t notice the change in Chen Fan’s expression and went on, "Grasping internal energy is both the first and hardest step. The Flying Tiger School has countless disciples, but fewer than one in ten can truly achieve internal energy and become martial artists. Only two types succeed: those with wealthy backgrounds who can buy their way forward, and those with exceptional talent. Some inferior strength techniques allow faster internal energy cultivation, but their foundation is poor, and future achievements limited..."

He didn’t elaborate further. He had said enough.

Chen Fan understood the implication but remained undeterred. Holding the Soft Cloud Palm manual, he asked, "Since this isn’t as good as Tiger Fist, could you give me a discount?"

The man looked at Chen Fan’s coarse clothes and bright eyes, hesitated, and said, "At least... one tael of silver."

Chen Fan’s eyes brightened. "Do you have any other manuals?"

Having advanced his wages by a month, with some money left at home, he naturally wanted to buy more.

The man was surprised but then said, "Unless you’re exceptionally gifted, it’s best to focus on one basic technique. But different people are suited to different arts, and results can vary greatly. If you want to find the technique best suited to you, it’s worth trying a few..."

He then produced several more manuals.

Chen Fan’s eyes shone as he took them all and flipped through them. By now, with three forms of Tiger Fist under his belt, he was somewhat familiar with basic techniques and chose the three best by his own judgment.

Unfortunately, none of these seemed as good as Tiger Fist.

Besides Soft Cloud Palm, there were ‘Great Hand Seal’ and ‘Duck Walk Fist.’ He handed over all three taels of his advanced wages without hesitation.

He felt no regret whatsoever. Once he became a strong martial artist, earning money would be the least of his concerns.

As he was leaving, the man offered one last piece of advice: "Here’s my suggestion—if you can’t master any of these four basic techniques within two years, you should give up on the martial path..."

With that, he turned and drifted away.

Chen Fan watched his retreating figure, thoughtful.

This man claimed kinship with someone from the Flying Tiger School, and from his understanding of martial arts, surely he was no ordinary person—perhaps already a martial artist himself.

Suppressing his curiosity, Chen Fan eagerly hurried home with the three manuals and immediately began his training.

He started with the Soft Cloud Palm.

This palm technique consisted of three moves. With his experience from Tiger Fist, he found practicing this method quite easy.

After performing all three moves, a string of characters appeared before his eyes once more.

Soft Cloud Palm had entered auto-cultivation mode!

Suppressing his inner excitement, Chen Fan picked up the second manual—Great Hand Seal.

After practicing Great Hand Seal, it too entered auto-cultivation mode as expected.

But when he tried the third—Duck Walk Fist—he awkwardly discovered that he could not cultivate more techniques in parallel.

Disappointment washed over him.

"So I can only cultivate three techniques at once..."

But thinking it over, it made sense. If he could cultivate an unlimited number of techniques simultaneously, he’d just need to practice enough methods and eat enough food—he’d be invincible in no time.

"Three is plenty," he consoled himself. The golden cheat had its limits, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Chen Fan checked his efficiency and was relieved to find that Tiger Fist’s progress had not slowed. Each technique progressed independently.

What’s more, both Soft Cloud Palm and Great Hand Seal advanced as quickly as the transformed Tiger Fist!

"These two are indeed simpler techniques!"

With fewer moves than Tiger Fist, he estimated he’d master both in just over a month.

Perhaps the skills were simpler, or perhaps his body had grown much stronger in recent days and was better suited to training.

Chen Fan couldn’t help but think, "Pity... If I’d known I could only cultivate three at once, I would have started with Duck Walk Fist..."

His gaze drifted to a corner of the yard.

Quacking sounds echoed as two ducks waddled in the muddy pen ringed with wire—the only poultry his family owned.

Duck Walk Fist, naturally, would be easier to meet its hidden special conditions than the other techniques.

Still, even without extra speed, mastering it in a month was no trouble. He wasn’t too concerned.

"In one more month, once I’ve mastered all three, my strength should rise again... By then, I should also have figured out the background of Pi Liu and his gang..."

Chen Fan’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.