Evergreen Cultivation Method

"Remember the rules. Entry-level Martial Arts cost ten taels, Third-class Martial Arts twenty taels, and Second-class Martial Arts one hundred taels. You may only practice them yourself and must not pass them on!" Steward Zhao said mechanically, his head lowered over the account book.

Everyone who entered received the same reminder.

"Understood, Steward!"

Shen Fan glanced at Steward Zhao before walking inside.

"This steward's aura seems a little strange. He's clearly not strong, yet he gives me an intense sense of danger! How strange!"

Shaking his head, Shen Fan did not dwell on it. There were plenty of powerful martial artists in the school; he could not worry about every single person.

The Ox Demon Martial Arts School's internal structure was actually quite simple. Hall Master Zhang Longyun was unquestionably the strongest expert and held the greatest authority.

Below him were two Vice Hall Masters. One had died a few days ago, leaving only the other—Sun Bing, a veteran Viscera Refiner.

Then came the Eight Great Martial Masters and Eight Great Retainers. They were all Viscera Refiners, though clearly not at the level of Hall Master Zhang Longyun, who was at Peak Viscera Refining.

Below them were the four great stewards. The only ones Shen Fan had come into contact with were Steward Zhang and Steward Zhao. Steward Zhang chiefly managed the martial arts school's Disciples, while Steward Zhao oversaw the Scripture Pavilion.

The remaining two stewards managed highly important affairs within the martial arts school and belonged to the sort most trusted by the Hall Master.

Of course, while a steward's own abilities were important, his strength also had to command respect.

Every steward was at least a Blood Coagulation Realm martial artist. As for whether any were Viscera Refiners, no one knew. Stewards generally had no need to fight, so Shen Fan had no idea which of them was stronger.

Below the stewards were the Disciples. These people were also the foundation of the martial arts school. If the school wished to continue growing in the future, it would inevitably have to select talented individuals from among these Disciples.

That was why the martial arts school treated official Disciples so well.

As for Apprentices, they did not count as members of the martial arts school at all. Being able to receive its protection was already quite good.

Though the hierarchy was simple, the treatment at every rank was entirely different. Shen Fan, however, had no desire to climb higher. He only wanted to cultivate his Martial Dao well and seek longevity!

Arriving before the bookshelves, Shen Fan was nearly dazzled by the Secret Manuals before him. The shelves were filled with a dazzling array of manuals, all accumulated by the Ox Demon Martial Arts School over several decades.

Suppressing his excitement, Shen Fan decided to handle the important matter first—finding the legacy left behind in the martial arts school by that Medical Sage!

Without the slightest impatience, Shen Fan examined the Secret Manuals one by one, afraid of missing it.

A martial arts school was still only a martial arts school, after all, and its storage of these Secret Manuals was far from professional. Manuals frequently practiced by Disciples were generally placed in the most conspicuous locations. But the Medical Sage's legacy Shen Fan sought was clearly something no one would practice, so it was difficult to find for the moment.

Shen Fan knew it was very likely a high-grade Health Cultivation Method, at least Second-class Martial Arts. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for someone to reach the level of a Medical Sage.

Those known as Medical Sages were all capable of treating Xiantian Experts!

One Secret Manual after another flashed past Shen Fan's eyes.

Golden Goose Art, Arhat Body, Wind and Rain Art...

Every one of them made Shen Fan itch with desire, but he knew this was not the time to select them.

Time slowly passed. Shen Fan had nearly searched the entire Scripture Pavilion, yet he still had not found that unknown Health Cultivation Method.

Just as Shen Fan was growing restless, a complaint suddenly caught his attention.

"What the hell? Evergreen Cultivation Method? Why is there a Health Cultivation Method here? Who would practice this stuff?" With that, the Disciple casually tossed the Secret Manual into a corner.

But Shen Fan immediately saw that this was likely his target. After that Disciple left, Shen Fan hurried to the corner and dug out the Evergreen Cultivation Method.

After carefully studying part of it, Shen Fan deeply felt the marvels of this Evergreen Cultivation Method.

With the Three Yuan Art, also a Health Cultivation Method, as a comparison, Shen Fan could naturally see at a glance just how profound and unfathomable the Evergreen Cultivation Method was.

The Martial Dao truths contained within made even Shen Fan, a genius who had practiced many martial arts, feel his eyes light up.

Now even more certain that this was his target, he tucked it into his robes without hesitation, then selected two more martial arts from among the others.

One was the Second-class Martial Arts Startling Swan Art, and the other was the Third-class Martial Arts Iron Shirt.

As for more martial arts, Shen Fan did not plan to buy any for now. He truly did not have the energy to practice so many.

Having found three more martial arts this time, he already had enough to work on for quite a while.

Coming before Steward Zhao to register them, Shen Fan placed the Secret Manuals before him.

Suddenly, Steward Zhao gave a startled cry. "Evergreen Cultivation Method? How is there a Health Cultivation Method here?"

But after his momentary surprise, he had no further thoughts about it. He had seen countless cultivation methods; a mere Health Cultivation Method was not worth his notice.

Once the registration was complete, Steward Zhao charged Shen Fan one hundred and forty taels of silver. The Startling Swan Art, as a Second-class Martial Arts, was worth one hundred taels, while Iron Shirt, as Third-class Martial Arts, cost twenty taels. Yet what Shen Fan had never expected was that the Evergreen Cultivation Method, far beyond Third-class Martial Arts, was also priced as Third-class Martial Arts!

This delighted Shen Fan. He had originally thought he would have to bleed heavily, but it seemed he had overthought things.

He paid readily, grabbed the Secret Manuals, and scurried off.

But Steward Qian narrowed his eyes as he watched Shen Fan's retreating back.

"Who is this kid? Why don't I remember him? It's rather strange that he can suddenly produce so much silver!"

As he muttered to himself, a glint flashed through Steward Zhao's eyes.

By flaunting his wealth, Shen Fan had once again drawn the attention of a steward. Whether that was a good thing or not, no one could say.

Naturally, Shen Fan knew nothing of this. Clutching several Secret Manuals, he plunged straight into his room.

For the following week, aside from eating, he spent all his time studying those martial arts.

The Third-class Martial Arts Iron Shirt was quickly understood inside and out by him. After practicing it just a few times, he had already entered the beginner stage. The Startling Swan Art, however, truly deserved to be called a Second-class cultivation method. Even Shen Fan, whose Talent had already reached the level of a Martial Dao Prodigy, needed two days just to barely get started. For the remaining five days, Shen Fan devoted himself to cultivating the Evergreen Cultivation Method, whose grade had yet to be determined.

But despite spending a great deal of time on it, Shen Fan still felt he was just a little short of gaining entry.

Now, Shen Fan's Attribute Panel had undergone a few more changes:

Host: Shen Fan

Talent: 22 (Martial Dao Prodigy)

Lifespan: 160

Martial Arts: Savage Bull Fist (Great Accomplishment), True Combined Strength (Great Accomplishment), Three Yuan Art (Great Accomplishment), Ape Strike Technique (Minor Accomplishment), Thousand Mechanisms Hand (Minor Accomplishment), Iron Shirt (Entry), Startling Swan Art (Entry), Evergreen Cultivation Method (Not Yet Entered)

Realm: Bone Forging

After gaining entry into Iron Shirt and the Startling Swan Art, Shen Fan had gained a total of eight years of lifespan, and his Talent had increased by another point. After breaking through to the Talent of a Martial Dao Prodigy, Shen Fan discovered that his lifespan now had to increase by twenty years for his Talent to rise by a single point.

He guessed that the stronger his Talent became in the future, the more lifespan it would take to raise it further.

Although he was still at the Bone Forging Realm, the entry-level Iron Shirt and Startling Swan Art had already generated vitality and blood. These two newly born streams of vitality and blood nourished Shen Fan's bones once more.

This made his Bone Forging Realm even more solid.

Ordinary Martial Artists would focus wholeheartedly on cultivating a single Martial Art, and in the end, they would usually use only one kind of vitality and blood to nourish their bones and complete Bone Forging.

But Shen Fan was different. He possessed more and more varieties of vitality and blood, and the Bone Forging Realm he achieved was vastly different from that of others.

But without a doubt, Shen Fan's current approach was correct, because these streams of vitality and blood with different characteristics would lay an even firmer foundation for him, making his combat strength greater and allowing him to break through to higher Realms more easily.

"Iron Shirt only needs a short period of practice each day. Before long, it should reach Minor Accomplishment in a week. The Startling Swan Art is a little harder, but half a month should be about enough!"

"But this Evergreen Cultivation Method... why does it always feel like I'm just a little short? No matter how I practice, it seems like I just can't gain entry. It's truly strange!"

Shen Fan was somewhat distressed. He had not expected that the Health Cultivation Method he had obtained with such difficulty would be impossible to cultivate, and it was driving him a little mad.

Fortunately, he still had other Martial Arts to cultivate. At that thought, Shen Fan's expression eased somewhat.