The Best of Times for Ancient Martial Arts, the Worst of Times

"By your account, wouldn't Grandmasters be beyond human? If they have that kind of power, why has no one really heard of them? Don't tell me Zhang Sanfeng was the only Grandmaster."

At Chen Cheng's question, Master Ying gave him an odd look. Aren't you a Grandmaster yourself? Don't you know whether you're beyond human?

Of course, Master Ying wasn't about to argue with Chen Cheng. Instead, he explained:

"Zhang the True Person certainly wasn't the only Grandmaster in history. In fact, they became more numerous as we approached modern times. My school's records alone list more than eight."

"But as I said before, we martial artists aren't superhuman. We train to control and bring out the power of our own bodies, not to pursue some illusory path to immortality.

"So even an expert like Zhang the True Person would lose an arm or a leg if a blade struck him. An arrow would still leave a bloody hole in him. Without prompt treatment to stop the bleeding and disinfect the wound, he could die from blood loss and tetanus."

"And that was in ancient times. In the modern era, especially after Minié balls came into use, a few dozen riflemen firing in a line would be enough. Even if Zhang the True Person came back to life, he couldn't dodge that many people firing at once."

"Take Grandmaster Cheng Bagua, for example. He had trained to the point of mastering Cicada Senses Autumn Wind Before It Stirs.

"He could easily kill a dozen riflemen, but in the end, didn't he die under the guns of an entire rifle squad?"

"And it's not like on television, where we can live on nothing but the northwest wind. Young people who work out today need plenty of nutritious food and all kinds