Disciple Treatment

Liu Zhen pulled Shen Fan along to register with the steward.

Before long, everything was taken care of, and Shen Fan had a token in his hand. The Ox Demon carved on it looked lifelike.

"Junior Brother Shen, this is your identity token. Make sure you keep it safe. From now on, it'll serve as proof that you're an official disciple of the Martial Hall. You'll need it to collect your medicinal cuisine allowance and other benefits!"

Liu Zhen gave him a detailed rundown. He had a fairly good impression of Shen Fan; after all, Shen Fan had come up through his hands, so he naturally carried the mark of Liu Zhen's faction.

What's more, the Martial Hall had even rewarded him!

"Don't worry, Senior Brother Liu. I'll be careful," Shen Fan said politely.

"Mm. With this identity token, you'll be able to collect a portion of medicinal cuisine to nourish your body every day, along with two taels of reward money each month!

"Of course, that's just the support given to newcomers like you who've only just started Skin Refining. As your strength improves, the Martial Hall will support you even more. Medicinal cuisine is nothing; you might even get the chance to receive pills!

"You should know, pills are far more potent than ordinary medicinal cuisine. They're only a hair's breadth away from being elixirs!" Liu Zhen explained carefully.

"These are all things you need to understand now that you're an official disciple. Don't aim too high too soon. In the end, the Martial Path still depends on your own strength!

"Once you have the strength, everything you deserve will come to you.

"On the other hand, if you force yourself to claim benefits you haven't earned, sooner or later, you won't be able to hold on to them!"

As he spoke, Liu Zhen gave Shen Fan a long look.

Shen Fan nodded slightly. Ever since he'd learned that the Martial Path flourished in this world, he'd known he had to keep a low profile and stay safe.

After all, with the Attribute Panel, as long as he could keep himself safe, longevity was practically within easy reach!

Seeing how obedient Shen Fan was, Liu Zhen smiled with satisfaction. This junior brother was quite well-behaved. It was just a shame his aptitude was a little lacking. It had taken him over a year to reach Skin Refining; before his blood and vitality declined, he'd probably manage no more than Bone Forging!

Liu Zhen silently assessed him. As he looked at Shen Fan, the light in his eyes gradually dimmed.

"All right, your senior brother's heading back. Come find me anytime if you have any questions!" Liu Zhen shook his head and left at an easy pace.

"Farewell, Senior Brother!" Shen Fan called after him with utmost respect.

When dealing with someone stronger than himself, it was best to be "well-behaved." That was a little bit of shallow wisdom Shen Fan had picked up in his previous life.

But when he was strong enough to handle anything, he could reach the realm of "never overstepping the bounds."

The words of the strong were the rules; naturally, he would "never overstep"!

Clutching the token in his hand, Shen Fan finally felt a little more settled.

Starting today, he could finally devote himself wholeheartedly to the Martial Path. Back when he was an apprentice, odd jobs had taken up far too much of his time and energy!

That very day, Shen Fan finally got to taste the fabled medicinal cuisine.

It was a bowl of brown medicinal broth, steeped in a powerful, bitter smell. At first glance, Shen Fan wanted nothing to do with it, but thinking of how much it could help his Martial Path, he gritted his teeth and downed it in one go.

As soon as the medicinal cuisine reached his stomach, Shen Fan felt warmth spread through his gut, followed by a surge of heat that coursed throughout his body.

Shen Fan knew the medicinal cuisine was taking effect. Not daring to waste a moment, he immediately began practicing his fists. His Savage Bull Fist was still a long way from Major Accomplishment, so he shifted his focus back to True Combined Strength.

After all, techniques were relatively easy to improve at lower levels!

And once his technique improved, his aptitude and lifespan would increase too, which would in turn speed up his training and make it easier to reach even higher levels.

It was a closed loop, one that worked to Shen Fan's advantage.

Now that his Savage Bull Fist had broken through to Minor Accomplishment during the day, Shen Fan's Attribute Panel looked like this:

Host: Shen Fan

Aptitude: 12 (Somewhat Talented)

Lifespan: 53

Martial Path: Savage Bull Fist (Minor Accomplishment), True Combined Strength (Beginner)

Realm: Skin Refining

Minor Accomplishment in Savage Bull Fist had added ten years to Shen Fan's lifespan, and his aptitude had increased by one point as well.

Based on this pattern, Shen Fan had a vague idea of how the panel allocated points.

Before aptitude reached ten, every additional year of lifespan increased it by one point. After ten, it probably took around ten years of lifespan to gain a single aptitude point!

At the thought of this possibility, Shen Fan took a deep breath and calmed his restless excitement.

Although it was getting harder and harder to increase his aptitude, each point had a more explosive effect than the one before.

For example, this time his aptitude had increased by just one point, yet Shen Fan could clearly feel that his understanding of martial arts had improved. His training speed had increased by at least twenty percent!

Later on, perhaps every point of aptitude would multiply his training speed.

With an aptitude of twelve, Shen Fan could master beginner-level True Combined Strength even faster. At eleven, he would've needed a little over a month to reach Minor Accomplishment. Now, he only needed a little over half a month!

And now that he was a disciple of the Martial Hall, he had more time to train, along with ample food and the support of medicinal cuisine. That timeframe would shrink even further!

Conservatively speaking, he'd need no more than ten days to bring True Combined Strength to Minor Accomplishment.

That was how important resources were to a Martial Artist.

That was why most Martial Artists in the world had to scramble to gather all kinds of resources. After all, their aptitude was fixed; if they wanted to train faster, spending resources was inevitable.

Compared with ordinary Martial Artists, Shen Fan undoubtedly had many more advantages.

But the existence of the panel could never be revealed. Keep a low profile, grow rich in silence, then quietly amaze everyone—that was Shen Fan's plan for now.

The next day, Shen Fan slept in for the first time, until the sun was shining on his backside.

He got out of bed at a leisurely pace, then went to the Martial Hall's dining hall and ate a breakfast he'd never dared dream of before: five big meat buns and a bowl of thin porridge!

Apprentices only got two vegetable buns for breakfast.

And that was only the smallest difference between their benefits.

After breakfast, Shen Fan headed to the training grounds reserved for Martial Hall disciples. Professional training equipment was everywhere, and of course, it was all free to use.

Shen Fan found an empty patch of ground and began warming up with some fist practice.

Just as Shen Fan was immersed in his own world, an apprentice suddenly approached him, hesitant and cautious, and asked respectfully, "Senior Brother, is there anything I can help you with?"

The apprentice was scrawny and small, with a wan, malnourished look on his face. Clearly, he was another poor soul. But as an apprentice, he had to do odd jobs.

If he couldn't meet certain requirements, he might even be driven out of the Martial Hall.

Besides a few simple chores, serving the official disciples was one of the most common kinds of odd jobs.

Pouring tea and water, kneading shoulders and legs—apprentices had to do whatever servants did. Sometimes they even had to act as sparring partners and take a beating. To live under someone else's roof was exactly that.

Shen Fan glanced at the young apprentice without saying a word.

The young apprentice was so anxious he was close to tears. Clearly, he was new, and rather timid.

Shen Fan suddenly smiled. "Bring me a pot of tea. I'm thirsty!"

Hearing Shen Fan's order, the young apprentice's face lit up with joy, and he scampered off.

As long as he had work to do, no one could drive him away. If he could stay at the Martial Hall, he could keep living!

Serving tea and water was undoubtedly the easiest job. At least compared to everyone else, Shen Fan was remarkably mild-mannered.

But Shen Fan didn't think there was anything wrong with that. He'd known hardship himself, so he couldn't stand seeing others suffer even more. Though he wasn't strong enough to do much yet, making choices that honored his conscience whenever he could was still a good thing.

Martial Artists had to cultivate their hearts as well as their skills!