Becoming a Saint From the Iron Armor Skill

Meanwhile, Jiang Yun found herself staring blankly at Chen Cheng and Mu Xiaowan in the distance.

’So Chen Cheng knows such a stunningly beautiful girl. No wonder he was so dismissive of me. This beauty must be a noble lady from one of the great clans in the Inner City. How could someone from a minor family like me ever compare? Sigh...’ Jiang Yun’s imagination ran wild for a moment, and her heart filled with a profound bitterness.

...

"Brother Cheng, I’m sure you can become Elder Zheng’s disciple. Then we’ll be able to see each other often."

"Yeah."

"Master and the others are in the Double Courtyard. I’ll head in first."

"Alright."

Chen Cheng smiled and watched as Mu Xiaowan walked down the bluestone path and entered the Double Courtyard.

All the disciples Mr. Zheng recruited were Registered Disciples.

However, even among Registered Disciples, there were distinctions.

The ordinary Registered Disciples, who joined with prior training, could only cultivate in the outer courtyard’s plaza under the guidance of a Martial Arts Hall Instructor, continuing to practice their previous Martial Arts Skills.

Mr. Zheng would occasionally come out to offer some guidance to these Outer Court Disciples.

Only by cultivating a Skill to the point of producing Momentum could one become a True Disciple of Mr. Zheng and be personally taught Cultivation Techniques like the Muscle Strengthening Technique.

Another group of Registered Disciples was permitted to enter the Double Courtyard to cultivate the Powerful Eagle Claw Skill under Mr. Zheng. Once they achieved proficiency, they too could become his True Disciples.

These two paths were not mutually exclusive. After all, many people, like Shen Qingshuang, had no desire to practice Horizontal Cultivation Techniques. They were here solely for Mr. Zheng’s Muscle Strengthening Technique, hoping for a chance to witness his Momentum and Realm.

Cultivating in the Outer Court was simple: one just had to be under twenty years old and have cultivated a Mid-level Skill to the stage of Great Success. No further assessment was required.

Horizontal Cultivation Techniques like the Powerful Eagle Claw Skill had much stricter requirements for innate aptitude. To enter the Double Courtyard and cultivate it, one had to not only meet the conditions for the Outer Court but also pass a specific assessment.

Just then, several lavishly dressed young men and women walked through the Martial Arts Hall’s main gate and into the front courtyard plaza.

Their looks and demeanors were all outstanding, and each wore the distinct air of arrogance unique to disciples of great clans. They were the young disciples from the Four Great Clans of the Inner City.

The plaza immediately erupted in a buzz of excitement.

These young men and women split into three groups, each claiming a spot. They sized up the crowd while conversing in low voices.

Chen Cheng, too, was sizing up these disciples from the Four Great Clans.

Luo Chenghu, standing beside him, curled his lip and said resentfully, "Don’t be fooled by their titles as disciples of the Four Great Clans. They walk around with their noses in the air, but they’re really just from side branches that their families don’t value. Their Martial Arts Talent is average—many of them aren’t even as good as me!"

Chen Cheng smiled. "You know all of them?"

"There are a few I haven’t seen, but I know most of them." Luo Chenghu nodded and began to explain. "The five on the far left are from the Qin Family. The three not far from them are from the Shen Family, and the two on the far right are from the Wang Family.

Hmm... strange. Why is Wang Li here too? If I remember correctly, he should be almost twenty, and he reached Skin Grinding Realm Perfection and Sword Technique Perfection long ago."

Chen Cheng followed his gaze. Of the two from the Wang Family, one wore a sword and the other a saber.

The one with the sword was clearly Wang Li. He had a lean build, a fair complexion, and long, narrow eyes that held a hint of arrogance as he swept his sharp gaze over the crowd.

To reach Skin Grinding Realm Perfection and Sword Technique Perfection before the age of twenty... someone like that would be considered to have upper-tier talent, even among the disciples of the Four Great Clans of the Inner City.

His coming to the Zheng Martial Arts Hall to become a disciple was clearly for the same reason as Shen Qingshuang: to cultivate Sword Momentum and become one of Mr. Zheng’s True Disciples.

Seeing his confidence, Chen Cheng couldn’t help but take a second look. At that exact moment, Wang Li turned his head, and upon seeing Chen Cheng, the corner of his mouth curled into a faint, contemptuous smile.

"Brother Cheng, you know Wang Li?" Luo Chenghu asked in surprise, having also noticed Wang Li’s expression.

"I don’t," Chen Cheng said flatly, turning his head away. For some reason, there was something familiar about Wang Li, and it was not a pleasant feeling.

"Oh, then he must know you. A side branch of the Wang Family lives in the Ruyi District, and they’re relatives of Wang Li’s through marriage. Perhaps he’s seen you around."

Luo Chenghu said "Oh," then continued, "Wang Li might have some skill, but he’s still just an unimportant disciple from the Wang Family.

Among all these people, the most formidable is Qin Ruonan of the Qin Family—the very tall woman carrying a long spear.

She’s a lady from the direct line of the Qin Family. At nineteen, she has already cultivated the Silver Snake Spear Technique to Perfection and is supposedly close to developing Momentum.

Her older brother, Qin Ruiyang, is Mr. Zheng’s first True Disciple. Among everyone here, she’s probably the one with the best chance of becoming a True Disciple."

"Yes, Qin Ruonan is indeed extraordinary," Chen Cheng nodded.

Qin Ruonan was extremely tall, likely over six feet. She was also stunningly beautiful, with a high-bridged nose and a heroic air about her brows. She projected an image of valiant competence, a woman who could rival any man.

"What about the Shen Family disciples?" The Qin Family had Qin Ruonan and the Wang Family had Wang Li, but the three young disciples from the Shen Family looked rather unremarkable. Because of Shen Qingshuang, Chen Cheng was a little curious.

Luo Chenghu shook his head and sighed. "In the Shen Family’s younger generation, the women outshine the men. Aside from Shen Qingshuang and Shen Qingyao, the other disciples all have average talent.

Among the three from the Shen Family, the one in the middle is a direct-line son, Shen Qingpeng. He’s Shen Qingshuang’s younger half-brother. The guy’s just a dandy—useless at martial arts, he just likes to wander around and cause trouble."