“Teacher Bai, does Taibai Martial Arts School take a student’s family background into consideration when admitting apprentices?” Han asked, somewhat puzzled.

Bai Ruoyue, with an unreadable expression, replied calmly, “The best age to start martial arts is between twelve and eighteen. You’re already twenty-two, and achieving any substantial progress will be difficult.”

“Fifteen taels of silver is not a small sum. You shouldn’t spend it on something that has little chance of yielding results.”

“Take the registration fee back, and focus on life—martial arts is secondary.”

Han was momentarily stunned. His frown relaxed as he couldn’t help but chuckle to himself.

This wasn’t what he had expected. He thought he was about to deal with someone who looked down on his humble origins, and he was ready to prove himself.

But instead, he had… met a kind person.

He had walked in with money to offer, intending to bring Taibai Martial Arts School some income, and here was Teacher Bai, not only considering his situation but also willing to refund his money.

She was truly a kind-hearted person.

“Teacher Bai, if I take the tuition fee back, the school will lose out on the money,” Han said with a smile, looking at her with gratitude.

“If the headmaster hears about this, he might reprimand you.”

“Since you’re so kind, I can’t let you suffer. I won’t leave!”

The tuition fee, I’ll take it whether you want me to or not!

Of course, if you’re willing to waive the fee and let me join the school, that would be even better.

Bai Ruoyue remained expressionless, giving him a brief glance before saying, “The headmaster is my father.”

“….”

Well, this changes everything.

I’ll leave now… No, wait! Since her father is the headmaster, I can’t leave now!

It wasn’t that Han wanted to take shortcuts in life—don’t misunderstand him—he simply admired Bai Ruoyue’s character.

With a daughter like this, the headmaster must be a person of good morals as well.

“You’re not leaving, are you?” Bai Ruoyue asked, her patience running thin.

Why wasn’t he listening to her? Martial arts isn’t something you can easily master, especially at twenty-two.

What kind of achievements could you make at this age?

It’s nearly impossible, you know?

In the end, Han decided to ignore Bai Ruoyue’s good intentions. With the registration papers in hand, he entered the door behind her. Bai Ruoyue didn’t say anything more.

Beyond the door was a spacious training hall. Several people were scattered around, practicing different movements. Others, dressed in martial arts uniforms similar to Bai Ruoyue’s, walked around offering guidance.

Li Wu, along with another young girl, was standing by a corner window. Han walked over to join them.

“A new apprentice?” a man asked from the window.

“Yes,” Han replied, handing over his registration papers. The man glanced at them, took a wooden token, inscribed Han’s name and details on it, and handed it to him.

“From now on, you can come directly here with the token. No need to go through Teacher Bai’s side.”

“My name is He Feng. I’m a disciple of the headmaster and one of your instructors for the next four months.”

Han and the others respectfully greeted him.

“I’ll go over some of the rules of our school,” He Feng said, stepping forward.

“Right now, you’re just regular apprentices. If you can reach the flesh and bone stage within the next four months, you can be promoted to senior apprentices.”

“Senior apprentices don’t have to pay tuition, but they’ll have certain duties to fulfill. Of course, you can choose to continue paying tuition if you wish, but it will be much more expensive.”

“If you’re unwilling to take on responsibilities, the school won’t keep offering free training.”

“Also, if your talents are good enough, there’s a chance the headmaster might take you on as a personal disciple once you become a senior apprentice.”

Han listened quietly, absorbing the structure of the school: regular apprentice, senior apprentice, and disciple of the headmaster.

“The Taibai Martial Arts School primarily practices the Taibai Fist. At the flesh and bone stage, there are three main forms to choose from: the Elephant, the Bull, and the Crane. There’s no hierarchy between them, so you can choose whichever one suits you best.”

Elephant, Bull, and Crane... They don’t sound particularly impressive. If I were naming them, I’d call them God Elephant Suppressing Hell Fist, Mighty Bull Demon Fist, and Longevity Crane Fist. Han mused to himself.

Such powerful-sounding names would definitely attract more students.

And when you fight others, you’d have the upper hand with names like that.

“I’ll take your bone structure and physique into account to see which style suits you best.”

“Choosing the right form will help you progress faster with less effort.”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

At that moment, Bai Ruoyue entered and called over the young girl who had been standing with Li Wu.

“Elephant form,” He Feng said after examining the girl, giving her a confirming nod.

“Just as expected,” He Feng chuckled.

Most female apprentices tend to be more suited for the Crane form, with only a rare few exceptions.

Next, it was Han’s turn. Initially, He Feng seemed casual, but as his hands moved over Han’s body, his expression changed.

What a remarkably well-built man!

After feeling Han’s physique, He Feng looked at him in surprise.

“Teacher He, which style is most suitable for me?” Han asked, curious.

He Feng paused before responding, “Your body... is quite unique. All three styles are equally suited for you.”

Li Wu, who had been listening nearby, shot Han an envious glance.

“I can only do the Bull style, but he can do all three. That sounds pretty impressive, doesn’t it?”

“You’re in a rather unique situation,” He Feng said thoughtfully. “We’ll need to discuss it before making a decision. Please wait here for a moment.”

He gave Bai Ruoyue a meaningful glance, and the two stepped into another room.

“Junior Brother He, what’s going on?” Bai Ruoyue asked.

Though she was younger than He Feng, Bai Ruoyue had joined the school much earlier, making her the senior.

“Senior Sister, there’s something odd about Han’s physique,” He Feng said, his voice tinged with concern.

“I’ve noticed that his body is already stronger than some of the warriors who’ve just entered the Flesh and Bone Stage, and he’s full of vitality.”

Bai Ruoyue froze for a moment, her first thought being that Han had lied about his age.

“He’s not really twenty-two, is he?” she asked, frowning.

But then she quickly realized something didn’t add up.

“The bone age is indeed twenty-two, so he wasn’t lying,” He Feng continued. “But his body is incredibly unusual—full of vitality, with vigorous blood flow, far beyond the average person.”

“This is the first time I’ve encountered something like this. I’m not sure what to make of it. Do you think we should inform the headmaster?” He Feng asked, unsure.

“Father seems to be meeting a distinguished guest… forget it.” Bai Ruoyue waved it off.

“You go ahead and teach them the fist techniques. I’ll go speak with Father.” She quickly left the room.

What did it mean to have a body that was on par with someone who had already entered the Flesh and Bone Stage without any martial training?

It meant that once Han stepped into the world of martial arts, his natural physique would already put him ahead of others in the same stage, giving him a significant advantage.

Moreover, this indicated an extraordinary talent for physical strength, which made the chances of him becoming a martial master all the more likely!

Twenty-two might seem too old to start learning martial arts?

Not at all. It wasn’t old at all—quite the opposite, he was still young, with plenty of time to train!

As Bai Ruoyue made her way to find her father, a wave of relief washed over her.

It was a good thing Han was so stubborn and didn’t listen to her advice to leave. She almost ended up inadvertently preventing him from reaching his potential.

Meanwhile, Han and the other two apprentices stood awkwardly, unsure what to say to each other.

Well, Han wasn’t feeling awkward.

He decided to break the silence and learned that the young girl’s name was Wang Taotao, who was also fifteen, the same age as Li Wu.

Li Wu, however, wasn’t keen on talking to Han, who he considered too much older. But when it came to Wang Taotao, he struggled to find the right words, stammering in hesitation.

Han couldn’t help but chuckle at the scene.

It was rather cute, in a way.

While the two younger apprentices exchanged shy glances, Han’s mind drifted to the two disciples who had just left.

“They must’ve noticed something unusual about my body,” Han thought to himself.

Ever since he consumed the Essence of Life, his body had undergone a significant transformation. He felt as strong as an ox.

In this world, where martial arts emphasized the body, Han’s physique was undoubtedly perfect for cultivating strength.

When He Feng returned, he led the three of them to a corner of the training hall.

“Wang Taotao, you’ll be learning the Crane Form later. For now, you can watch,” He Feng instructed.

“Han, we’ll decide which fist technique you’ll practice after Senior Sister comes back.”

Han nodded, showing no objections.

With that, He Feng turned to begin teaching Li Wu the Bull Form.

Li Wu eagerly awaited the lesson, but He Feng first spoke about something else.

“Martial arts starts with cultivating health. The process of learning fist techniques is also a process of nurturing the body. If you supplement your practice with nourishing herbs and tonics, the results will be even better.”

“There are health tonics available at the school, and they work quite well. If you’re interested, you can buy some.”

“Once you’ve completed your health cultivation, it’s time to start pushing the boundaries of martial arts, striving to enter the martial world.”

The fifteen taels of silver was just the tuition fee; it didn’t cover the cost of the herbs or tonics.

If you were serious about martial arts, you’d need a lot of money to support you. The saying "poor in literature, rich in martial arts" was more than just a phrase.

Han didn’t really care about the tonics, mainly because he couldn’t afford them.

But it did make him miss the Tian Di Bank even more.

He Feng was still talking when Han asked a question.

“Teacher He, is cultivating health considered a stage of martial arts?”

He Feng shook his head. “Not exactly. It’s not a formal martial arts stage, but more of a preparatory phase. It’s about getting your body into a healthy condition, so it’s better suited for martial practice.”

“During the health cultivation phase, any hidden injuries or imbalances in your body will be healed. Anyone who completes the process, unless they were born with some kind of deficiency, will be in top physical health.”

“You don’t need to worry. Even without tonics, as long as you practice diligently, you’ll still complete the health phase. It won’t take long.”

Han understood now—the health cultivation phase was just the preparation before formally stepping into martial arts.

“Once you’ve finished cultivating health, you need to continue your practice and refine your body. When you cultivate your first Inner Breath, that’s when you’ll officially enter the Flesh and Bone Stage, and become a senior apprentice.”

“With enough inner breath circulating throughout your body, your flesh will undergo deep refinement. This is when you reach the early stage of Flesh and Bone.”

“By the time you reach the perfected Flesh and Bone Stage, your body will be able to withstand most weapons’ attacks—blades won’t cut, swords won’t pierce, and you’ll be able to fight a hundred enemies with ease.”

Li Wu and Wang Taotao were both shocked, their eyes wide with excitement. “Weapons can’t harm you, and you can defeat a hundred people?”

That sounded incredible!

Han also felt a rush of excitement. The idea of having such extraordinary power was something he could never have imagined in his previous life. It was something he longed for deeply.

Then He Feng began demonstrating the Bull Form for Li Wu.

He used both fists and feet, his movements fast and explosive, with air-shattering sounds echoing through the room. The intensity of it was overwhelming.

Han and the others stepped back, feeling a tremendous pressure, as if a massive predator were about to pounce on them.

Li Wu and Wang Taotao looked pale, while Han’s reaction was slightly better.

Other people in the hall gathered around to watch He Feng’s demonstration of the fist techniques.

They had already chosen the forms that suited them, but none of them had yet entered the Flesh and Bone Stage. Watching an expert like He Feng perform would undoubtedly benefit them.

Once He Feng completed the set of movements, his breathing was still steady, showing no sign of exhaustion. He turned to Li Wu and asked:

“Did you remember it?”

Li Wu snapped out of his daze, his face turning red with embarrassment.

“I... I only remembered a little.”

“Alright, that’s okay. Try it yourself. I’ll break each move down for you. Don’t rush,” He Feng reassured him.

He Feng wasn’t surprised by Li Wu’s answer. After all, he had never seen a genius who could learn an entire set of techniques after just one demonstration. Every apprentice he had taught had to go step by step.

“I’ve been practicing the Bull Form for two months now, and I still find it difficult to master. It took me a long time to learn it properly.”

“It’s truly hard to master any technique.”

“即使在其他武派，我也从来没有听说过有人能只用一次示范就能学会拳法。”

周围的人点头表示同意，分享了自己的经历。他们都没有嘲笑李武——毕竟，他们刚开始的时候都经历过同样的过程。

如果他们现在嘲笑他，那只会让他们看起来很愚蠢。

最好等到李武花了比他们更长的时间来学习这项技术，这样他们就可以笑了。

Han 无意中听到了谈话，并观察了周围的表情。所有人似乎都表示赞同，点点头，聚精会神地看着何峰解构公牛形态。

韩默默地盯着，有些困惑。

公牛形态真的那么难学吗？

他觉得自己只是看了一遍就记住了。

嘿，等一下...在理解方面，我是不是某种天才？