by Tao Wong
Spear. Ji[10]. Dao[11]. Bow. Mace. Rope. Greataxe.
One after the other, the manuals ran on and on. There were eighteen traditional arms[12], and it seemed that the sect had manuals for all of them. Some, like the crossbow, only had a few manuals, while other more popular weapons, like the axe or jian, had significantly more. Out of curiosity, Wu Ying stopped at the area where the jian[13] manuals were kept.
He flipped through the manuals, scanning the instructions and forms. As he flipped through manual after manual, his frown grew greater and greater. At times, Wu Ying would stare at a particular passage before shaking his head and moving on to a new manual.
“You find our work on the jian inadequate?” a deep voice said, startling Wu Ying.
Turning, Wu Ying realized that an Elder stood beside him, dressed in the iconic green-and-grey robes that the Elders all wore around the sect. A quick look at his headdress was enough to inform Wu Ying that whoever spoke to him was high up on the ladder. Piercing black eyes bore into Wu Ying, seeming to weigh him even as a suffocating pressure filled Wu Ying with trepidation.
“I would never dare say something like that, Elder,” Wu Ying said, bowing deeply.
“Interesting. What style did you learn?”
“Long style jian,” Wu Ying said. “My father never mentioned the style name.”
“Long family jian. If I’m not incorrect…” The Elder looked down the shelf and stepped past Wu Ying, who shrank back automatically. He pulled a small manual from the shelf and handed it to Wu Ying. “Is this it?”
Wu Ying took the manual hesitantly then, under the eyes of the Elder, scanned through it slowly at first. Moving more quickly, he flipped through page after page, skipping toward the end. The Elder said nothing, watching Wu Ying read till he was done.
“I’m sorry!” Wu Ying said when he realized he had been making the Elder wait. At the Elder’s wave to dismiss the apology, Wu Ying finally answered the question. “Yes, this is it.”
“But you seem unhappy.”
“I…”
“Speak.”
“It is a very poor copy of our style,” Wu Ying said finally. “There are finer points that are missed, as well as numerous transitions that are missing or out of order.”
“That is no surprise,” the Elder said with a sniff. “If it was complete, it would not be in this section. Whoever collected this must have done so from watching your family practice. The work itself is sub-par.”
“Oh,” Wu Ying said, his hand clenching slightly.
At the Elder’s clearance of his throat, Wu Ying relaxed his grip on the manual and set it back on the shelf. To think that some outsider had dared to steal their style—and then sell it! It burned, even if that sale had come with significant mistakes. But of course, that was why so much of their style had not been written down but passed orally, from father to son.
“Yes. Now, if you are the rightful heir of this style, if you would pen corrections or a new manual, I could see my way to ensure you are properly compensated,” the Elder said.
“You would?” Wu Ying said, surprised.
“Of course.” After a brief pause, the Elder chuckled. “Ah. I never introduced myself, did I? I am Elder Ko. I am in charge of the library for the inner and outer sect members.”
“Greetings, Elder Ko. I am Long Wu Ying,” Wu Ying said. “But I must decline your offer. I am not authorized[14] to pass on the art as yet.”
“Are you sure? I could provide a significant number of contribution points for an authentic Long family jian manual.”
“I am sure.”
“Humph.” Elder Ko fixed Wu Ying with a glare that Wu Ying astutely avoided by keeping his gaze lowered. Still, he felt the Elder’s attention on the back of his head, making him grit his teeth. The silence stretched for minutes, allowing Wu Ying to hear every single turn of the page, every scuffed footstep in the library. Or so it seemed. “Good.”
“I’m sor—wait? Good?” Wu Ying exclaimed.
“Yes. I would have banned your use of the inner sect library if you were so cavalier with such secrets,” Elder Ko said.
“That was a test?”
“Everything is a test. Now, your sect stamp?” Once Elder Ko had received it, he touched his own sect stamp to it, transferring the cultivation points to himself. “Now, do you have any other training?” After Wu Ying finished listing his small list of skills, the Elder sniffed. “Basic training at your village. Garbage.”
Wu Ying winced but bent his head in acknowledgement. It was, sadly, a fair assessment. Even the basic martial arts they were learning in the morning was better than what he had learned in the village. He thought that they were taught the barest basics to make them effective, but not enough to ever make the peasants a threat. Not that peasants, with cultivations in the low digits, could ever be a threat to a Core Cultivator.
“And what level have you achieved with your swordsmanship?” Elder Ko asked.
“I have only achieved a novice level with the style thus far,” Wu Ying said with a grimace. It was one of his personal shames.
“Really?” Elder Ko said with a frown but sighed. “Show me.”
“I—” Elder Ko twitched his hand and handed Wu Ying the sword he drew from his side, cutting short Wu Ying’s excuse. “Thank you, Elder.”
Wu Ying stepped back, eying the distance around him before setting the sword at his side. He drew another deep breath before releasing it, relaxing his body. In the tight quarters, Wu Ying truncated much of the strikes and steps of his form, doing his best to showcase his minor knowledge.
There were five major levels of understanding of a martial art. At the initiate level, one could be considered to have memorized and grasped, at the lowest level, the movements and essence of the art. Novices had grasped more than the set movements and could apply them in a more fluid format, while those with intermediate understanding of the art could fight smoothly using the forms without hesitation. In addition, at the intermediate level, practitioners had grasped the basic understanding of the martial art. As for peak understanding, that was the level most practitioners achieved after a decade or two of study, with the ability to combine the martial art style with others in a combative stance. Generally only geniuses or those who came up with the Style itself could achieve the stage of perfection, grasping both the basic and underlying means of each movement as well as the potential within each action.
Of course, all of that was a fuzzy concept in some ways. A simple, less complex style would be simpler to grasp and grow into higher levels of achievement than a complicated style like the Long family sword art. It was because of this, and the wide gaps between each level, that Elder Ko had requested Wu Ying to showcase his grasp of the style.
All this, of course, was outside the basics of swordsmanship—the Sense of the weapon itself. That was a different form of understanding.
“A pleasure to watch,” Elder Ko said, tapping his lips. “And for your age, a novice level understanding is understandable. If disappointing. You are no martial genius, that is clear. Nor have you grasped the Sense of the Sword either.”
Wu Ying winced slightly but could not help but accept Elder Ko’s blunt assessment. It was true enough. Fa Hui, that big ox, had managed to win as many matches as he lost when they sparred sword against spear. Even if Fa Hui had never received any particular additional training, size, strength, and weapon choice made a big difference.
“No protest?” Elder Ko smiled. “Good. You have the correct mindset at least. Now, do you understand what the process is for choosing the correct martial art?”
“Uhh… one that suits you and your inner strengths, yes?” Wu Ying said. That much, at least, he understood.
“Of course. But that is not all. Suitability is one criteria, but you must also consider compatibility with your other styles and, at your level, growth!” Elder Ko said, wagging a finger at Wu Ying.
“Growth?”
“Of course. You are just starting on your c
ultivation journey. A martial art that suits a Body Cleanser might be useless when you achieve Energy Storage, never mind Core Formation. As a Body Cleanser, you have no ability to project your chi outside of your body, as you have not opened the energy storage meridians in your body. Only at the Energy Storage stage will you begin such a process,” Elder Ko said.
Wu Ying nodded quietly. That information was not unknown to him, but he had not truly considered the implications, since it had never mattered to him before. But obviously, Elder Ko was right.
“Many of the works in this section are only suitable for practitioners in the Body Cleansing stage.”
Of course, many practitioners would never know better until it was too late—unless they sought Elder Ko’s guidance. Or received such guidance from their families. Which, come to think of it, they probably did.
“I look forward to Elder Ko’s guidance,” Wu Ying said with a bow.
“Har. A sweet-talker,” Elder Ko said. “Now, considering your sword style, you are actually well placed for further levels in cultivation. While the Long style jian art provides significant benefits at the lower levels, it is when you have achieved Core formation stages that its strength will truly be shown.”
“Elder is very knowledgeable.”
“Your great-grandfather’s brother once fought my master,” Elder Ko said with a sniff. “A pity that he fell during the war.”
Wu Ying bobbed his head. He vaguely recalled that story, but it was such a long time ago that the matter for their family had faded. Still, it was due to his contributions that their family held what little prestige it did in their village.
“Considering its slow growth and your lack of development in the jian, if you do not improve significantly, you should avoid taking challenges using weapons in the tournament if the format allows it.” Elder Ko walked down the stacks, leading Wu Ying to a portion of the shelves that took up one entire row. Even a quick glance was enough to inform Wu Ying that this entire row contained fist arts. “It is better for you to study a fist art that is compatible with what you have learned but which you can make use of in the Energy Storage stage too.”
“Yes, Elder.”
“Good.” Elder Ko walked among the shelves, pulling manual after manual before tossing the majority back. He did not even look deeply at those he picked up, only checking to verify the name of the manual before moving on. In this way, in a short time, the Elder had accumulated three manuals he was happy with, which he passed to Wu Ying. “Study the introduction, principles, and first stance for all these. Then make your choice.”
“Of course, Elder Ko,” Wu Ying said with another bow. “I was hoping the Elder might recommend a cultivation method too.”
“Already?” Elder Ko sniffed but nodded, leading Wu Ying to another section of the dimly lit library.
Along the way, Elder Ko stopped to adjust some manuals, giving Wu Ying time to view the burnished wooden shelves and the manuals in detail.
“Did the Elder not want me to show my cultivation?” Wu Ying inquired as they walked.
“I have already seen it,” Elder Ko said. “When you were showcasing your forms, your chi moved through your meridians on its own accord.”
“It did?”
“Of course. The reason the Yellow Emperor never recommended movement while cultivating was due to the propensity of cultivators to inadvertently activate their chi during practice and, eventually, normal movement. While that allows you to cultivate faster, it also allows those with the proper training to grasp another’s cultivation level,” Elder Ko said. “Were you not informed of this?”
“No.”
“Hmmm…” Elder Ko turned down the stacks and walked along the manuals for cultivation, repeating his earlier actions. When he was done, this time, Elder Ko offered Wu Ying half a dozen manuals and held another one. “All these would be suitable for you. Of course, we do not recommend shifting from the Yellow Emperor’s style as yet. While the style provided to you is slower than some others, it has the benefit of not aspecting your chi. The vast majority of the cultivation methods in your hands will, unfortunately, force an aspect onto your chi. There is no help for it, but that is what we have at this level.
“As for this”—Elder Ko waved the simple scroll in his hand—“this is a cultivation exercise.”
“An exercise?” Wu Ying said. This was the first time he had heard of a cultivation exercise.
“Yes. Exercises are unlike full styles—they focus upon one aspect of cultivation and force an individual to repeat it constantly. It is uncommon for cultivation exercises to be used these days, as cultivation styles have progressed sufficiently that many exercises are included in most styles,” Elder Ko explained patiently. “But in this case, this exercise focuses on awareness and containment.”
“Why would I need awareness?”
“Greater awareness of one’s chi and when it flows will allow you to understand when you are activating your chi. Containment will help you reduce the external signs when you are cultivating. It will also dampen the signs of your passing in general,” Elder Ko said. “Do you understand?”
“It’ll stop people from reading my level as easily?” Wu Ying said, a light bulb going off.
“Good. And unlike those manuals, this you can afford.”
“Oh. Oh…” Wu Ying ducked his head. Well, yes. Cultivation manuals would be expensive. How expensive, he was not certain. Still, he took the last manual from Elder Ko, intent on studying all his options.
“Good. Then we are done.”
Elder Ko turned and walked away, leaving Wu Ying clasping the many books and staggering off to find a quiet corner to read.
***
Hours later, Wu Ying leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. As he lowered his hands, he stared at the lamps that had been lit all around the library, giving off flickering light. His stomach rumbled, reminding Wu Ying that he had not eaten anything since that morning, an uncommon occurrence as he always managed to grab an afternoon snack from the kitchens. Never mind the dinner that he had missed too.
Still, the day had been productive. He had finished reading through the documents the Elder had provided. As Elder Ko had said, all the cultivation manuals aspected his chi, ensuring that his chi would resonate with one of the five elements[15]. It was, of course, quite common for individuals to have their chi resonate in that manner—in fact, Wu Ying was certain most of the Elders were aspected in one form or another. However, his level of cultivation and insight were insufficient to sense that as yet.
However, Wu Ying was certain that changing his cultivation right now was a bad idea. For one thing, the cultivation techniques he had read were not that much of an improvement over the Yellow Emperor’s. And while he only had the manual for the Body Cleansing stage, the Yellow Emperor’s guide was sufficient for now. If he managed to actually achieve a position in the inner sect, he would have access to better manuals. Still, reading the manuals did offer him one benefit—they had expanded his view on cultivation and enlightened him on certain aspects of the Yellow Emperor’s style. Wu Ying knew, given time to experiment and digest the information, he could progress even faster now.
As for purchasing the cultivation manuals, he could not afford a single one, so he put the entire matter aside.
Wu Ying focused on the three martial art styles he had been given. Reading those had taken most of his time. Even though he had been instructed to only read the principles and first stances, understanding and grasping the details of each style required concentrated attention.
The first book was a fist art, the second a palm art, and the last a kicking art. Of course, those weren’t the only differences between each martial art style. Styles could be differentiated by both internal and external arts—that was, whether a style required significant understanding of chi or just a powerful body. Of the three, the palm art was the only internal art. And while the Long family jian style was an internal art too, his father’s warnings resounded in h
is head. Avoid studying too many internal arts until you become proficient with our family style. Till then, you are only likely to confuse yourself.
Considering that, the palm art, while easier to understand from the looks of it, probably had numerous traps he had yet to see. Better to set it aside. In that case, Wu Ying’s options were the fist style and the kicking style.
Falling Stars Fist emphasized long strikes and quick movements, using a flurry of blows to stifle an opponent’s ability to defend themselves. The Falling Stars Fist originated from the north, so it required a focus on deep stances to begin and the ability to explosively change directions. As a pure fist style, it was easy to learn and would provide Wu Ying with a fighting style he could quickly master—giving him new explosive power. As a fist style, compared to the basic style they learned as an outer sect member, the Falling Stars Fist was significantly better and would improve so long as his cultivation and strength improved.
On the other hand, the Northern Shen Kicking Style emphasized footwork and fast kicks at a short distance. Unlike what he had assumed, it actually contained a significant amount of grappling techniques as well, since the style focused on disrupting, grappling, and locking joints before finishing off the opponent with kicks.
Both styles suited his current understanding of the Long family jian style. Explosive lunges and quick footsteps were part of his original martial style, along with the extended use of the jian’s reach to keep opponents at the maximum range. Wu Ying knew that at later stages, projected chi would extend his attacks with the jian even further. As such, the footwork that he’d learn with either style would be beneficial, with the Falling Arts expanding on explosiveness and the Northern Shen on evasiveness.
However, the Northern Shen Kicking Style had less in common with the actual use of his sword since it focused so much on kicks and grappling. Right now, the Long family style focused on the longest range, so Wu Ying’s options when an opponent got within his effective range were reduced. In other words, if an opponent chose to box or grapple with Wu Ying, his only chance was to run away.