In the principal's office, the headmaster poured a cup of tea and handed it to Old Wei, full of emotion: "You've finally found a suitable successor. All these years, you wouldn’t meet me, but I knew you couldn't easily give up."

Old Wei gulped the tea down in one go, savoring it before replying, "Haha, you really know me well. I've observed Amori for several years; his temperament is quite commendable and reminds me of my younger self. Wahaha!"

The headmaster smiled gently, "So he must be quite a proud young man."

"True, he has ambition, but he’s not overly arrogant; his character is still quite simple. On the other hand, the other one is rather reckless. If he weren’t so unsuited for specializing in blade techniques, I wouldn’t want him to pursue the path of a close-combat expert," Old Wei said, a hint of regret on his face.

"Oh," the headmaster replied, somewhat surprised. "It’s rare for you to praise someone this much. Now I’m looking forward to seeing him. Those who can become close-combat experts are no ordinary people."

"Haha, he’s quite an interesting kid," Old Wei chuckled.

The headmaster laughed heartily. "So, what brings you here? Surely it’s not just a social call. Is there anything I can assist you with?"

"Actually, it’s not a big deal," Old Wei replied without a hint of embarrassment. "Amori has no problem learning the Earthly Fury Blade, but he lacks a practical training ground. I wanted to borrow your trial portal at Tianjing Academy for a while. As for Tang Tian, he’s already seventeen, and he’s just completed his basic martial training. If we wait any longer, it will be a waste."

"Seventeen?" The headmaster’s smile faded as he fixed his gaze on Old Wei. "Just completed basic martial training?"

"Yes!" Old Wei replied with a grin. "But don’t underestimate him…"

The headmaster raised a hand to interrupt Old Wei, "I’m not underestimating him, but I don’t believe a seventeen-year-old who has just finished basic training is worth cultivating. You should consider someone else."

Old Wei’s smile vanished, and he frowned. "Are you refusing?"

"Amori is fine, but I don’t see any value in cultivating Tang Tian," the headmaster remained unmoved. "I recall now—Tang Tian is that notorious super-repeat student. You actually brought him here?"

Old Wei shot back coldly, "Do you doubt my judgment?"

"You’re too soft-hearted, easily swayed by emotions," the headmaster replied calmly. "You always believe in miracles. Those without talent are destined for mediocrity, especially when time is against them. I’m glad you came to see me, but bringing someone like him—who has no future—is unacceptable. You're wasting time and our friendship."

Old Wei sneered, "You’re still as lacking in humanity as ever."

"That’s why Tianjing Academy is the top school in Xingfeng, while your Shaqima Academy ranks third from the bottom," the headmaster would not back down.

Old Wei, tired of the argument, said coolly, "Then I guess I’ll see you at the Xingfeng Martial Arts Conference."

With that, he turned and pushed the door open.

When Tang Tian and Amori saw Old Wei’s gloomy expression, they wisely kept silent.

Back at Shaqima Academy, the two quietly speculated about the meeting.

Tang Tian quickly pushed the matter from his mind, focusing instead on his daily practice of the flick punch. While his efficiency was not as extreme as during the intense training behind the light gate, he still managed to complete around four thousand flick punches each day.

He applied the same rigorous training habits to his routine, pushing himself until exhausted, then using the Crane Qi Formula to recover. The progress in the Crane Qi Formula was swift; with the help of this technique, Tang Tian could perform four thousand flick punches daily.

Unbeknownst to him, he had completed an astounding sixteen thousand flick punches.

In the third round of intense training, Tang Tian focused on his punches, which flickered in the air with incredible speed, elusive and unpredictable.

His fists seemed to be connected by an invisible thread to the true energy in his third-tier dantian pool. With every punch, a sliver of true energy flowed into his meridians.

This energy was so fine he remained unaware of it. Yet, as he continued to punch, these minuscule streams of energy gradually filled every corner of his body.

Though tiny, they accumulated in staggering numbers. Since he began practicing the Crane Qi Formula, he had thrown out approximately fifteen thousand punches, each contributing a fine strand of true energy. These strands collected like a wave, continuously surging forward.

They activated many obscure and delicate meridians, those that most people would never use in their lifetime, bringing them to life.

Within the body, the twelve main meridians are the most commonly used; they are wide and facilitate the flow of true energy. Besides them are the eight extraordinary meridians, which operate independently and have given rise to many martial techniques. Additionally, there are countless fine meridians, often deemed worthless by most martial artists due to their fragility and inability to bear much true energy.

However, Tang Tian was unaware that his punches were causing changes in the true energy flow.

He continued to throw punches, getting closer to his goal of twenty thousand flick punches. Achieving this milestone would allow him to execute the perfect flick punch. In fact, with his current speed, he could land nine out of ten punches as flick punches.

His personal style was increasingly apparent—fast and airy.

Sweat dripped from him, but it did not distract his focused gaze.

Unbeknownst to him, perhaps spurred by nearing his goal, Tang Tian felt an unprecedented exhilaration, causing his punching speed to increase.

The wind from his punches grew sharper and more urgent.

The true energy in his third-tier dantian pool surged like water filling a reservoir, becoming increasingly turbulent.

Tang Tian was lost in the moment; the trajectory of each punch became clearer, and he could even perceive the subtle air currents stirred up at the moment his fist vanished.

One punch after another!

The air currents rippled like water, only to be shattered by his fists.

The twentieth thousand punch!

Tang Tian's entire body jolted as the surging true energy in his third-tier dantian pool erupted with a deafening roar, as if something were breaking free from a cocoon.

A clear cry of a crane suddenly rang in his heart.

In an instant, his fist disappeared into the air.

When his fist reappeared, a faint glow enveloped it.

Tang Tian was momentarily stunned, staring at his fist in disbelief. That last punch… that glow…

He tried to punch again!

Indeed, that faint white glow appeared once more around his fist.

Punch glow! It truly was a punch glow!

Only third-tier fist techniques can produce such a glow, and now it had manifested in his hand!

Joy flooded Tang Tian's heart; although it was merely a faint layer of glow, the power behind it was fundamentally different. The flick punch was a second-tier technique focused on muscle strength, and in this aspect, it remained tied to basic fist techniques, unable to form a punch glow.

True punch glow, however, could withstand blades and swords, shattering stone and gold.

"Haha! Punch glow! I’ve developed punch glow! I can’t believe I’ve actually done it!"

The so-called glow can only be formed when true energy is expelled, a characteristic of third-tier martial techniques. Amori's Earthly Fury Blade could generate blade glow, and previously, while Tang Tian could infuse true energy into his palms, he could not form punch glow.

This meant that Tang Tian's flick punch had begun to qualify to contend with third-tier martial techniques.

After a while, Tang Tian gradually calmed down from his excitement. But why could he produce punch glow with the flick punch?

The flick punch was a second-tier technique, which logically should not allow for punch glow.

Suddenly reminded of the earlier stirring in his third-tier dantian pool and the crane cry, Tang Tian’s heart raced—was it true energy? He quickly sat down to examine the true energy within him. The third-tier dantian pool was filled to the brim, but he could not discern anything unusual.

However, when he attempted to throw another flick punch, something miraculous happened. A stream of true energy flowed from his third-tier dantian pool, following the usual paths of his training, reaching his fist.

Interesting!

Tang Tian repeatedly threw flick punches, focusing on the changes in his true energy.

The true energy within him was remarkably lively, originating from the dantian pool and spreading through his meridians like a vast net throughout his body. As he punched, the true energy net swiftly altered, many fine streams converging like rivers returning to the sea at his fist, thereby forming the punch glow.

Tang Tian repeatedly executed flick punches, observing the changes in the true energy net, feeling a sense of familiarity in its transformation.

Wait a moment, Tang Tian suddenly slapped his forehead, realizing.

Crane form!

The entire true energy net had formed a crane shape, with Tang Tian’s fist representing the crane’s beak.

When Tang Tian punched, the true energy gathered at the beak, condensing into punch glow. Upon retracting his fist, the crane form dispersed and became indistinct.

Crane Qi Formula!

It truly was impressive!

Tang Tian marveled, realizing how formidable the Crane Sect had been with such a powerful technique.

Unbeknownst to him, he had accidentally mastered the Crane Qi Formula. The current Crane Sect training was merely a simplified version of this technique. The Crane Qi Formula had gradually declined, linked to its complex operation routes. Without someone to highlight the crane form's characteristics, the difficulty of cultivation was extremely high. Additionally, it required someone like Tang Tian to continuously practice martial techniques to activate the obscure and delicate meridians, which was the essence of the crane form.

This third-tier silver Crane Qi Formula soul card was originally used by the Crane Sect to lay foundations for young disciples. The crane form was the basis of the Crane Sect's martial techniques, representing the true essence of their teachings.

Tang Tian had unwittingly cultivated the crane form.

Now, with each punch, his true energy would converge in layers, transforming into a torrent.

Sometimes, looking back from the outcome, many key points become apparent. The silver card's attachment lasted for a month, and as insights flooded his mind, everything became increasingly clear.

Tang Tian realized that those seemingly useless fine meridians, when activated in greater numbers, would unleash even more astonishing power upon the moment of true energy activation.

What thrilled him further was that once the crane form was mastered, it could be applied to any martial technique.

Without hesitation, Tang Tian plunged into intense training.

Twenty thousand punches were nothing; another forty thousand awaited him.

Strengthen the crane form!

Comprehend the killing move!

Tang Tian felt invigorated and determined.