Chapter Twenty: The Stellar Body-Refining Technique

The master guides you through the door; cultivation depends on oneself.

From then on, Feng Cong would come to the Black Cloud Class every few days to answer the students' questions, but he no longer watched over their training each day. Of course, White Cloud Martial Hall had already arranged daily training plans for its students, so they wouldn't lose their way.

This brought great joy to Chen Fan's heart. At last, he could act freely!

From then on, whenever he had time for independent practice, he left White Cloud Martial Hall to seek opportunities for "epiphany" outside.

Time flowed swiftly; in the blink of an eye, two months passed.

On this day, the sky was shrouded in dark clouds, and fierce winds raged. In the distant heavens, a flash of lightning thundered, stirring the soul.

On the second floor of a house, a young man gazed through the corridor window at the lightning afar, practicing a set of palm techniques. This youth was, of course, Chen Fan.

His eyes shone as he fixed his gaze on the distant storm, a hint of joy flickering within them.

"I've had another epiphany!"

As he observed the lightning and thunder, he truly slipped into an epiphany. After practicing the moves, his progress in a technique called "Wind and Thunder Palm" leapt forward—though he had only just begun learning it days ago, the progress suddenly jumped to 50%, and the first form was perfected.

His cultivation efficiency doubled! What would have taken him two months to master could now be accomplished in just one month.

"The efficiency has improved so much!"

Chen Fan's eyes sparkled, filled with delight.

"Wind and Thunder Palm" and "Fierce Tiger Fist" were techniques of the same grade, but one was at the lower end, while the other was at the very top. "Wind and Thunder Palm" was the strongest technique in White Cloud Martial Hall, second only to "White Cloud Crane Palm".

This epiphany brought a far greater increase than when he watched the cat and gained insights for Fierce Tiger Fist.

"The big cat's connection to the tiger was only indirect, but the storm and lightning are things I truly witnessed!"

Chen Fan gained further understanding of his unique talent's hidden rules. The closer the inspiration to the essence of the technique, the greater the improvement in efficiency. Unfortunately, he was still too far from the real lightning, unable to approach it for fear of danger—otherwise, the changes might have been even more dramatic.

In these two months, this was not his first epiphany. He had already completed the cultivation of two second-grade power techniques and was currently working on another, "Jade-Breaking Fist", which, at his current rate, would be mastered in ten to fifteen days.

Chen Fan chose second-grade techniques whose imagery was easy to observe!

At this moment, his three ongoing practices were "White Cloud Crane Palm", "Wind and Thunder Palm", and "Jade-Breaking Fist".

He had fully mastered only the first two forms of "White Cloud Crane Palm". The progress on the third form had just begun, not yet a quarter complete.

Of course, to the average person, this was already an astonishing achievement.

For Chen Fan to master two forms, he had spent steadily on White Cloud Martial Hall's secret medicinal broths, which provided occasional boosts. His money was dwindling day by day.

At this rate, he feared he would run out of funds before he finished mastering "White Cloud Crane Palm".

But there was no denying that the combination of these secret techniques and medicinal broths produced incredible results. Chen Fan's body, which had been approaching its limits, kept evolving, his vitality transforming!

Now, he ate five or six meals a day, with meat at every meal. If not for his good relations with Bao Tianyou and others, often sharing their food and drink, he would have spent even more.

Yet, eating well brought dramatic changes to his spirit and energy. When people go hungry, their faces become sallow and thin; there's nothing appealing about that.

Chen Fan was never unattractive, but as his body grew stronger, his features became ever more refined. There were even people who came forward to arrange matches for him.

In a feudal society, marrying at fifteen or sixteen was nothing unusual. Chen Fan, at thirteen or fourteen, was approached for a match that would be finalized in a couple of years.

He turned them all down flatly.

His mindset was ultimately different from the common folk. Besides, his heart was set on martial arts; he had no desire for matchmaking.

...

Night.

After dinner.

Rain had fallen during the day, but the night sky now glittered with stars and moon.

Chen Fan lay on the rooftop, rubbing the black ring at his chest, gazing at the progress bars before him, pondering ways to earn money.

Now that he was training in martial arts, he had no intention of returning to his former bookkeeping job earning a few taels a month. Yet, as a novice in the martial path, he had no idea how to profit from his newfound skills.

"Should I become a thug? Fight my way out?"

He first thought of Pi Liu and his ilk.

Joining the Black Tiger Gang might be an option.

But he quickly shook his head.

He had no desire to join such a shady organization. Moreover, he had killed Pi Liu and didn't want further entanglements with the Black Tiger Gang.

"Perhaps I could display my talent and strength to have White Cloud Martial Hall allocate resources to me?"

Chen Fan mused.

He planned to consult Bao Tianyou and others to ask about the situation.

Suddenly, his chest burned with heat.

He sat up abruptly, looking at the black ring on his chest.

After absorbing moonlight for a month, the ring finally changed.

A faint glow shimmered atop the ring, gradually coalescing into a tiny, human-shaped projection.

The figure assumed a horse stance, appearing to practice martial arts. Countless points of light flickered across its form, like stars in the sky.

"Is this a martial technique?"

Chen Fan's eyes gleamed. He immediately leaped from the rooftop, returned to his room, locked the door, and began to mimic the figure's postures.

Every few seconds, the figure changed stance. With each transition, the starlike points of light within its body glowed with different brilliance.

For half an hour, Chen Fan followed the figure through hundreds of postures. When the figure finally ceased moving, its glow faded and it slowly dissipated.

At the same time, beneath the three martial techniques he was training in, a new entry appeared: "Star Forging Body Art".

Chen Fan recalled the dying words of Yuan Kuanglin, who had shouted about obtaining something from the Star Sect. Could this technique be from that sect?

He immediately focused his mind to check the cultivation efficiency of this new art.

Upon seeing it, Chen Fan was stunned.

The training efficiency was only about 0.8% per day, not even one percent. It would take five months to master the first stage.

For comparison, his hardest technique, "White Cloud Crane Palm", required less than six months for all six forms.

Despite his surprise, Chen Fan was thrilled.

The harder the technique, the greater the reward upon mastery.

The name alone suggested it was no mere power technique, but an advanced cultivation method.

Without the relevant manual, Chen Fan had no idea how many levels the technique contained.

"I heard from Bao Tianyou that later stages of the martial path involve choosing true arts and refining the body. Could this be a true art? Will it temper my physique?"

He shook his head, reining in his swelling pride from his increased strength, then quietly stored the ring and lay back on the rooftop to watch the dark heavens.

Since this technique was tied to the stars, perhaps watching the night sky might aid his cultivation.

Sadly, with three techniques in progress, the fastest, Jade-Breaking Fist, still needed half a month.

...

The next day at the Martial Hall.

Before Chen Fan could find Bao Tianyou, he saw the entrance crowded with students, abuzz with excitement.

Curious, he joined the throng, only to find a notice hanging before the Martial Hall.