Chapter Fourteen: Two Great Martial Houses, The True Legacy of Hard Training

Rainfall Martial Arts Hall.

“What business brings you to our Rainfall Martial Arts Hall?”

At the entrance, two disciples in blue training attire reached out to block Bai Xuan’s path.

“I’ve come to learn,” Bai Xuan replied calmly.

“To learn, is it? Go on inside.” The two disciples let him through. “Our hall master is usually absent. Today, Instructor Liu is in charge. If you wish to become a disciple, you should seek him out.”

They showed no fear that Bai Xuan was here to challenge their hall.

Within Rainfall Martial Arts Hall, there were authentic hard-style techniques passed down through generations. The senior instructors had all experienced two breakthroughs of vital energy and blood, and the hall master himself had undergone three. With each breakthrough, the body’s constitution changed radically—so much so that blades could not injure, and fire could not burn. Such abilities bordered on the supernatural.

Who would dare come here to provoke the Rainfall Martial Arts Hall?

“What a magnificent martial arts hall,” Bai Xuan murmured as he stepped inside. His gaze swept the vast space, easily a thousand square meters, broad and imposing. The walls were adorned with massive sea beast skulls, lending the place a grandeur tinged with the untamed wildness of the ocean.

Inside, a hundred disciples shouted in unison as they trained. Dozens paired off, practicing martial forms against one another.

“To my eyes, it seems rather ordinary,” Bai Xuan thought, pausing to watch. With his current insight, these disciples who hadn’t yet broken through their first vital energy stage moved with softness and lack of power. Even those who had one breakthrough were still unsteady; despite their technique and experience, the gap in strength between them and Bai Xuan was immense—he could defeat them in a single move.

“You’re here to become a disciple?” Soon, Bai Xuan was greeted by Instructor Liu, the head instructor of Rainfall Martial Arts Hall.

The instructor’s blood energy was still vigorous. Bai Xuan could sense that, though not as abundant as his own, it was formidable nonetheless.

“Yes,” Bai Xuan answered.

“Then you’ve come to the right place. Our Rainfall Martial Arts Hall holds the true legacy of Iron Palm, a hard-style art that can be cultivated to the level of a grandmaster. It strengthens both inside and out, rendering one’s martial skills unmatched.” Instructor Liu stroked his beard as he spoke.

He was supremely confident in his school’s teachings. On Qianshan Island, aside from the four great families, only their hall possessed a true hard-style martial legacy.

Though hard-style martial arts were widespread, few schools had authentic teachings. Improper practice could easily lead to torn muscles and broken bones, even lifelong disability.

Thus, on Qianshan Island, only those with genuine transmission had reason to pursue such arts.

“Iron Palm, is it…” Bai Xuan nodded. This was a widely known hard-style technique, which involved rubbing one’s palms with red-hot iron sand during training. Without true instruction, a single misstep could cripple the hands forever.

Judging by the Rainfall Martial Arts Hall’s prosperity, there seemed to be no issue with their training.

“How much is the tuition?” Bai Xuan asked.

“Our fees aren’t too steep—three taels of silver per month. But that’s only for ordinary instruction. If you wish to learn the true legacy, that’s a different matter.” Instructor Liu’s tone grew solemn.

“The true legacy is worth more than ten thousand gold pieces,” he declared.

That was to say, the true teachings were so valuable that fifty, five hundred, even five thousand taels might not be enough to obtain them. Sometimes, it required staking one’s life and blood to gain such knowledge.

“Unless you perform the formal three bows and nine prostrations, join our Rainfall Martial Arts Hall as a disciple, and receive the transmission, you cannot study the true legacy.” Instructor Liu’s words were firm. Such were the rules.

Bai Xuan frowned. To perform the three bows and nine prostrations and become a disciple of Rainfall Martial Arts Hall? If he were a free man, that would be one thing, but as a collateral member of the Bai family, with his name registered on a whaling vessel, it was impossible for him to truly join the hall.

“I see,” he responded.

Instructor Liu, understanding his situation, could only express regret. “Then I’m afraid our hall has nothing further to teach you.”

…

Evening.

“They refused to teach you at Rainfall Martial Arts Hall?” Old Li asked in surprise. “So strict, I see… Wait—at the True Sun Martial Arts Hall, I know an instructor who also teaches the true legacy. Let me ask him if there’s some way to make an exception.”

Now that he was on shore, Old Li still found ways to prepare medicinal meals. The white-scaled fish on shore was a bit cheaper than at sea, mainly due to the greater variety available—only eight hundred coins per fish, and he still delivered the “Scattered Sea Medicinal Meal” every day.

“I’ll leave it to you, Uncle Li,” Bai Xuan said.

Old Li was quite advanced in years, widely experienced, and well connected. Though there was no guarantee of success, it was worth a try.

Within two days, Old Li returned with news: the instructor had agreed to teach privately, but would require some extra compensation.

This was only fair. Bai Xuan considered, then produced the pearl he had found while fishing.

“Hiss… That pearl must be worth at least a hundred taels of silver,” Old Li gasped upon seeing it. Such quality was exceedingly rare; he had seen its like only a few times in his life.

“It’s nothing—an unexpected windfall. If it can buy me a true legacy, it’s worth it,” Bai Xuan replied.

Though the pearl was worth a hundred taels of silver, selling it was another matter. When he’d tried to pawn it earlier, they’d offered only twenty taels.

Such was the rule at pawnshops—to start at a fifth of the true price was normal.

“All right, I’ll handle this for you,” Old Li promised, patting his chest.

Three days later.

When Bai Xuan saw Old Li again, the old man was limping, his face bruised and swollen.

“Xuan, I failed you—I was swindled,” Old Li said in shame.

After receiving the pearl, the instructor had simply denied any agreement, claiming the true legacy could not be taught. In truth, he had only been after the money.

Old Li had been duped. In his younger days he had practiced some hard-style martial arts, but without a true legacy, he had given up for fear of injury, and now knew only some sword and knife techniques. The instructor, being a teacher at the hall, had at least broken through the first level of hard-style training. Old Li stood no chance of getting the pearl back.

“Don’t worry, Xuan.” Old Li handed Bai Xuan a box containing scattered silver, about fifty taels in all. “I managed to scrape together fifty taels. I’ll repay you the rest of the pearl’s worth somehow.”

He was proud and stubborn. Having lost Bai Xuan’s pearl, he was determined to make up for it himself, refusing to let Bai Xuan suffer a loss because of him.

“That’s not necessary,” Bai Xuan said, eyes narrowing slightly. He stood up. “My belongings—I’ll reclaim them myself.”

…

The next evening.

“Ah, this unexpected windfall is truly delightful.” Instructor Wang emerged from a tavern, squinting and raising the pearl to admire it in the moonlight.

He had planned only a small deception: should the other party be ignorant, he would teach them a few superficial hard-style moves and call it done. But upon seeing the pearl, his greed overcame him.

Without connections, such a gem might fetch only ten or twenty taels at a pawnshop, but with the right contacts, a hundred taels or more would be easy.

He had immediately turned hostile, throwing Old Li out.

“If I sell this at the sea market, it could fetch as much as a hundred twenty taels… That’s enough for me to take another concubine.”

Just then, he sensed darkness ahead—a figure blocked the alleyway.

“Hm?” Instructor Wang’s brow furrowed as he said in a deep voice, “I am an instructor at True Sun Martial Arts Hall. Who dares stand in my way?”

His muscles tensed, blood surging, and in an instant, the effects of the wine vanished.