Why do I have so many masters?

At Shaolin Temple...

The scholar in the blue robe nonchalantly tossed a bamboo stick to Wang Anfeng. Without any noticeable actions, numerous secret manuals appeared beside Wang Anfeng, and he casually said:

"The swordsmanship I created aims to break all the martial arts in the world."

"How can one break them without having studied them?"

"Look through these martial arts manuals, just practice them casually, and don't delve too deeply."

Wang Anfeng picked up the manuals which contained not only swordsmanship but also various weapon techniques like spears, swords, and halberds, as well as Qimen hidden weapons. He thought about the 72 movements designed to break swordsmanship, which indeed seemed capable of breaking all opposing moves.

It is often said that knowing both your enemies and yourself, you can fight without danger in many battles. If one has never practiced the techniques of the saber, how can they perfect the sword techniques that break saber moves?

Master Ying must have practiced martial arts from many families, which is why he could create this type of swordsmanship. But since he had not learned any other martial arts, it was like a blind man feeling an elephant to think he could just practice swordsmanship and break all other martial arts.

As thoughts churned in his mind, Wang Anfeng bowed to the scholar again, then picked up the secret manuals and placed them on a blue stone nearby. He picked up a manual from the top, the Ghost Head Saber Technique. He paused slightly, feeling as though he had heard the name before, yet it seemed to be merely an illusion.

He did not delve further and began reading. The moves described within were extremely cold and ruthless, embodying the essence of saber techniques, quite basic yet seamless and well-honed, evidently not ordinary. He became mesmerized as he read.

In Copper Man Lane, Wang Anfeng had faced many superb masters of saber fighting, and the 72 moves to break techniques indeed aimed to dismantle various martial arts. Therefore, his foundation in basic saber-wielding was not ignorant.

Yet, these basics were completely different from the systematic saber techniques, two different worlds. Now, as he looked at this saber technique, the sword moves from the 72 breaking technique emerged uncontrollably in his mind, as if enlightening him. But the deeper he tried to investigate, the more elusive it became, like moon in water or flower in mirror, scattered upon touch, not revealing the whole picture.

He flipped through this saber technique multiple times. In his mind, it seemed as if two figures, one with a sword and another with a saber, were ceaselessly combatting each other, neither willing to concede. The sword technique first broke through the saber technique, but knowing his own swordsmanship, he was aware of its potential flaws.

Thus, he used moves from the Ghost Head Saber Technique to forcibly break open the moves from the 72 breaking technique, and in response to the 72 breaks, the style of this saber technique underwent slight changes.

Using the swordsmanship again, he broke through the saber technique once more.

This back and forth continued; attacking and defending never stopped. Wang Anfeng, seated cross-legged, fell into deep contemplation. After a while, he again flipped the saber technique back to the first page, re-reading slowly. After a short period, he had finished reading again, and after pondering, he flipped again to the first page.

Now, he read at an extremely slow pace, contemplating each move for a long time. His right hand held the bamboo thrown by Master Ying, occasionally striking out with it. Gradually, he became proficient in the techniques.

The scholar in the blue robe saw his appearance and nodded slightly. Discover more stories at My Virtual Library Empire

A faint smile appeared at the corners of his mouth, softening his facial expression somewhat. He abruptly stopped, coughed lightly, and his expression quickly cooled off, becoming even more indifferent than before, standing not far from Wang Anfeng, hands behind his back, his robe fluttering in the wind, embodying the demeanor of a reclusive master.

At that moment, sensing something, he slightly furrowed his brow and said:

"Someone has arrived near your house."

His voice was indifferent, yet like the sound of a chime, clear and melodious. It awakened Wang Anfeng from his pondering. He had been so absorbed in contemplating martial arts that he had unconsciously summoned some inner strength. Upon regaining his clarity from that voice, the flow of inner strength was suppressed and returned to calm.

Unaware of the changes in himself, Wang Anfeng looked at Master Ying in a slightly puzzled manner. Master Ying spoke lightly:

"Let's stop here for today. You go out and deal with the visitor."

Before he could gather his wits, Wang Anfeng had already vanished from within Shaolin Temple and appeared in his wooden house.

Shaolin Temple - Atop Solitary Peak.

Wu Changqing stroked his beard, shifting his gaze away from the torn scroll of Heavenly Inquiry, pondering briefly before taking up his pen to write a few lines. He admired the acupuncture technique he had just created, nodding in satisfaction.

He turned to see that Hong Luoyu was also looking at the scroll of Heavenly Inquiry, his expression much calmer and more solemn than his usual frivolous demeanor. Wu Changqing found it slightly unfamiliar.

At that time, Ci also happened to have finished writing.@@novelbin@@

Wu Changqing stroked his beard and jovially started a conversation:

"Master Ci, did you gain some insights this time?"

Ci nodded and said:

"Somewhat."

"I wonder who authored this Heavenly Inquiry. Without a single word, it contains profound martial arts principles."

"I had never heard of such a treasure before."

Hearing this, Wu Changqing sighed:

"Indeed, even though it is so profound, it's only a torn scroll, truly unfathomable."

He shook his head in wonder, then, recalling something, he chuckled:

"Right, Master Ci, what martial art did you compose this time?"

Cal 开始文章摆出 Wolfgang Okni, an advocate for the adoptedlea rifle道:

"But a staff technique that uses the 'General's Staff' of Great Qin as a basis, merely revised a bit."

Wu Changqing nodded, not finding it strange.

During this time, they had been examining the martial arts manuals brought by Gongsun Jing in Shaolin Temple, reflecting on their own martial arts using the philosophies from Jianghu of Great Qin. On the other hand, they also spent their days perusing the torn scroll of Heavenly Inquiry, noting down their insights and revising the secret manuals of their world's martial arts.

Firstly, to align their thoughts, and secondly, because the scholar had asked them to do so. With nothing better to do, they fulfilled his wishes. With their profound foundations in martial arts, creating a new martial art wasn't a big deal for them, not to mention mere modifications. It was killing two birds with one stone, so why not enjoy it?

Thinking of this, Wu Changqing stroked his beard and laughed, saying,

"The master and the scholar are close friends, but do you know what exactly the scholar is up to?"

Yuan Ci glanced at him and said succinctly,

"Not close friends at all."

Wu Changqing was slightly startled, then he understood Yuan Ci's meaning.

Over the past year or so, these two had come to blows at least ten times. How could they be called 'close friends'? It was more apt to be called 'constantly at odds'. Opposing each other continually, having disagreements, they would end up fighting. He had never considered that the usually peaceful Yuan Ci would be quite stubborn about this literal interpretation, causing him to laugh involuntarily.

At that moment, Yuan Ci had already withdrawn his gaze and continued,

"However, according to this poor monk's understanding, his actions are certainly for Anfeng's sake."

"The 72 strikes are said to break all martial arts in the world, but that is only the framework. The more martial arts knowledge one has, the more powerful it becomes. However, if he really faces a skilled saber wielder with Anfeng's mere framework of swordsmanship at this time, it would not be sufficient to contend."

"Moreover, our martial arts and those of Great Qin are different. Simpler martial arts might still be manageable, but the more profound they become, the greater the differences. If Anfeng's techniques in each move show a stark contrast to the conventional martial wisdom, he will definitely find himself in trouble."

"It would be better to learn some Great Qin martial arts, firstly to enrich his own arsenal by using the stones of other mountains to polish his own gems, and secondly to resolve such troubles invisibly."

Upon hearing this, Wu Changqing had an epiphany, nodded and said,

"I see."

............

Meanwhile, in a wooden hut at Fufeng Academy,

Wang Anfeng was still sitting cross-legged, appearing on his own bed, still lost in his previous reflections. His expression was slightly bewildered. He glanced around, and suddenly, a strange noise came from his stomach, and an intense hunger struck him down instantly.

His deep reflections on martial arts had used up a lot of energy, and to eat more of his second master's cooking, he hadn't eaten anything since noon. He hadn't minded it while lost in thought, but now that he was fully awake, this feeling of hunger surged like a tide, unbearable wave after wave.

The youth clutched his stomach and thumped back onto the bed, thinking of his second master's medicinal meals and swallowing his saliva involuntarily, he murmured,

"It was just about time to eat."

"Who exactly is it..."

Suddenly he heard a very faint sound that blended with the wind, barely noticeable. However, Wang Anfeng's expression changed slightly, he raised his head and looked in a certain direction, calming his mind to distinguish carefully, and indeed, he recognized it was similar to the noise purposefully made by his third master when plotting against him.

Remembering how his third master, after successfully deceiving him, would righteously declare that it was for his future wellbeing in Jianghu, to prevent him from being schemed against by thieves, Wang Anfeng knew all too well.

Another strange cry from his belly made his eyes flash with fire, and the youth, extremely irritated yet laughing, said through gritted teeth, pausing between words,

"Hey..."

"So, it, was, a, thief..."

At the same time, just a few dozen meters outside the hut,

Liang Jingxuan stealthily moved ahead, feeling very proud, and whispered to a companion behind him,

"Hehe, nothing troublesome, right?"

"This is the culinary skill of our forefathers. Those with abundant experience would never notice."

The fat one relaxed a bit, yet felt worried again and said,

"What if that bookkeeper just happens not to be asleep?"

Liang Jingxuan replied impatiently,

"Ask, ask, ask, how many times have you asked?"

"I'm just worried, aren't I?"

Liang Jingxuan sneered and said,

"It would be best if he slept."

"If he isn't asleep, we'll just have to use the mystical smoke, enough to stun a buffalo."

"Heh heh, I refuse to believe he can withstand it. In Jianghu, no one can avoid being drugged at least once. We should just see it as giving this bookkeeper Wang a lesson beforehand. Consider this Cangyuan Sword as the fee. When he wanders in Jianghu in the future, he will surely need to thank us."

After speaking, he fell silent, looking around to see if anyone was approaching, and secretly signaled with a wave of his hand, saying,

"Let's go, Fatty."

"Loads of silver coins, just waiting for us…"

On a night with a dark moon and a high wind, a fat and a slim figure shot up using their movement techniques, their eyes gleaming, like hungry wolves lunging towards the silent little wooden hut.

PS: First update...