Chapter 17: Pine Crane Stance

On the previous training ground, Instructor Xu was already waiting there.

His upper body was bare, his muscular frame coated in a thick layer of sweat, and in his hand he held a long spear, polishing his martial skills.

Seeing Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan, he flicked his arm, and the spear shot through the air like a flying dragon, landing precisely on the weapon rack.

“You’re here?” He studied their expressions, a sly grin on his face: “Did you get shut down by Young Master Seven?”

Zheng Fa, Gao Yuan: “...”

“They say this servant is the cream of the Zhao household, but this is already my sixth time teaching Young Master Seven’s servant.” Instructor Xu’s tone carried a hint of sympathy.

Zheng Fa remembered that Gao Yuan had once mentioned Young Master Seven had indeed had five servants before.

Gao Yuan’s expression grew even more gloomy.

“Young Master Seven is hard to please—none of his servants stay long—but almost everyone in the Zhao household, from top to bottom, volunteers for this job. Why do you think that is?”

Instructor Xu suddenly changed the subject.

Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan looked at him.

“Because of the martial art I’m about to teach you!”

Instructor Xu continued: “Our Zhao ancestral patriarch was a disciple of an immortal sect, and generation after generation has produced someone who entered the immortal realm—that’s how our Zhao family became a thousand-year noble house.”

“But immortal arts are elusive, and we are of lowly birth—immortal destiny is beyond our reach.”

Instructor Xu’s expression darkened slightly, but his next words surged with passion: “Yet our Zhao family doesn’t just have immortal destiny—we also possess martial arts to dominate the mortal world! Learn martial arts, and you’ll never be weak again! Even if you’re never a servant, you’ll have a foundation to stand on!”

“Take me—I learned martial arts, gained skill, and now I train the Zhao household guards, eat well and drink well! When I walk outside, who doesn’t look up to me?”

Instructor Xu’s words made Gao Yuan’s eyes gleam with excitement.

But Zheng Fa felt a strange sense of familiarity—this was nothing compared to modern sales pitches.

At least they’d first create some anxiety, right?

Instructor Xu looked at Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan, puzzled.

He knew he wasn’t eloquent, and had spent ages coming up with these grand promises.

Yet Gao Yuan, who came from a good background and had seen the world, was practically howling with inspiration.

But Zheng Fa showed no reaction?

He glanced at Zheng Fa, then asked Gao Yuan: “You’ve trained in martial arts before—do you know what it takes to join a martial school in Jingzhou City?”

Gao Yuan thought a moment, then answered: “Usually, you first pay an entrance fee—apparently the minimum is... twenty taels of silver?”

“And then?”

“I heard outside schools require three years of training and five years of servitude?”

“Exactly!” Instructor Xu slapped his palm loudly: “Outside, you don’t even know if you’ll learn real skill, yet you still have to serve them like a beast for years.”

“But in our Zhao household, Lady Zhao sees that though you’re merely Young Master Seven’s servants now, you may one day manage our family’s estates—so she’s granted you the privilege of training under me! This is Lady Zhao’s immense benevolence!”

Zheng Fa found himself agreeing with this.

Though Zhao household servants had a lowly reputation, in this world it was seen as fortune.

Because the Zhao family controlled so much social resource, even a small share given to servants was far better than what ordinary commoners had.

“Besides, how could the martial arts taught outside compare to our Zhao family’s hidden treasures?”

“Instructor, how do you judge the quality of martial arts?” Gao Yuan asked curiously.

Instructor Xu smiled proudly and explained: “All martial arts in our Xuanwei realm ultimately originate from one place—the immortal sects!”

“Immortal sects?”

“Legend says immortal sect disciples possess countless divine abilities, and their cultivation methods are immensely powerful. But one thing—these methods require divine aptitude; without talent, you cannot cultivate immortal arts. Yet surely, the immortal sect disciples have relatives and friends without such talent?”

“So martial arts were created?”

“It’s not quite creation—the earliest martial arts were simplified, incomplete versions of immortal sect methods.” Here, Instructor Xu’s gaze dimmed slightly: “Those without immortal talent who practiced martial arts could become stronger than ordinary people—though still nowhere near the power of immortal arts.”

Hearing this, Gao Yuan whispered: “Then I still want to cultivate immortality.”

“Nonsense—who doesn’t? Even if you had immortal talent, look at Young Master Seven—he has a touch of divine aptitude, can he cultivate?”

“Young Master Seven? Why not?” Gao Yuan stared blankly.

Instructor Xu lightly slapped his own cheek, clearly annoyed he’d revealed a secret in the heat of the moment.

“Shut up! The martial arts taught in city schools come from fallen immortal clan descendants—they’ve been lost over time, and later generations lack the ability to restore them; they’re likely incomplete and nowhere near their original power.”

“But our Zhao family is different—we’ve had immortal ancestors generation after generation! Our martial arts have been refined by generations of immortal sect disciples; in refinement and subtlety, they surpass even the originals.”

Both Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan believed him—after all, the Zhao family’s thousand-year reputation far outweighed any school.

“Today, I will teach you two a method from our Zhao family’s legacy: the ‘Pine Crane Stance’.” Instructor Xu, perhaps still embarrassed by his earlier slip, didn’t want to waste more words.

“Watch closely!”

He assumed a stance: one foot forward, lightly touching the ground; the back foot’s toes tightly clenched, the instep arched like a bridge inside his shoe; his fists slightly drawn in.

Most peculiar was his upper body posture.

From waist to neck, he stood in a reverse bow shape, resembling a crane singing aloud.

“Watch my movements! Follow me!” he told Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan: “Root your feet! Dig five holes into the floor with your toes! But keep your upper body relaxed!”

Seeing both had mimicked the posture, he continued: “Follow my breathing! Inhale, exhale!”

When he inhaled, the muscles of his upper body rolled like wheels, until his chest and abdomen swelled into a great sphere.

When he exhaled, a long, steady breath flowed from his throat, transforming into a clear, resonant crane cry.

Zheng Fa followed along, but always felt awkward.

Instructor Xu circled him several times, slapping his body repeatedly.

“Pull your back in—don’t pull too hard!”

“Stomach, stomach!”

“Mind your breathing rhythm!”

As Instructor Xu guided him, Zheng Fa began to sense something—a warm current surged along his breath, coursing through his entire body.

After practicing a while, Zheng Fa felt his whole body aching, unable to hold the posture.

Beside him, Gao Yuan was also grimacing.

“Instructor, this ‘Pine Crane Stance’ is so hard!”

“It’s hard because it’s powerful!”

“What makes it powerful?” Gao Yuan pressed.

Instructor Xu glanced at the two, then spread his arms wide—his entire body leapt into the air like a bird.

A man with massive, muscular limbs, yet his movement was astonishingly light, even ethereal, as if riding the wind.

When he landed, he had leapt over five or six zhang!

“C-can you fly?” Gao Yuan gasped.

“Of course you can’t fly—but once you master the Pine Crane Stance, you’ll become the greatest lightness expert in the mortal world.” Instructor Xu grinned proudly: “Moreover, the Pine Crane Stance originates from an immortal art said to grant eternal life; when perfected, it can...”

“Eternal life?” Gao Yuan exclaimed excitedly.

“Dream on—just longevity and health!” Instructor Xu rolled his eyes.

“This...” Gao Yuan thought a moment, realizing his fantasy was too grand: “Then how long will it take me to reach the pinnacle?”

“Someone like you? Maybe thirty years.” Instructor Xu gave him a look.

“And how many extra years will I gain?”

“Twenty?”

“...That’s a ten-year loss!”

Thus evaluated Gao Yuan, the math prodigy.