Indeed, Linghu Chong and Wang Jingyuan had played a major part in the whole affair, and the Mount Tai Sect ought to thank them. But the gift they'd chosen raised questions.
After all, each of the Five Great Sword Sects had its own healing medicine. The most famous was the Hengshan Sect's White Cloud Bear Gallbladder Pill. In the original story, Linghu Chong had been hacked to the brink of death, but after taking a White Cloud Bear Gallbladder Pill and sleeping for a day and a night, his wounds had healed. Yet the Mount Tai Sect had no renowned secret healing medicine.
The medicine Daoist Tianmen carried with him was probably just for emergencies, intended to be used on them if needed. Now that he was giving it to Linghu Chong as thanks, it seemed rather perfunctory.
It seemed some of Linghu Chong's earlier remarks had genuinely displeased Tianmen. But Linghu Chong wasn't one to read between the lines, so he couldn't sense it.
As for Tianmen's promise to Wang Jingyuan, if it really amounted to just one or two moves, that would be nothing special. But if he followed it up with...
"Martial Nephew Wang, tell me, what would you like to learn?"
Ask, and you shall receive. There it was!
After Daoist Tianmen spoke, Wang Jingyuan's eyes lit up. "I'd like to learn your sect's Dai Zong Ru He."
The NPC had offered him a choice, so naturally he'd pick the most valuable reward. No player would politely turn down a good offer at a moment like this.
Daoist Tianmen's brows knitted as soon as he heard Wang Jingyuan's request. His own master had once said that Dai Zong Ru He could be called the pinnacle of the Mount Tai Sword Style: it never missed its mark, and it never needed a second strike to kill.
But Daoist Tianmen wasn't reluctant because the move was so powerful that he wanted to go back on his word. The technique was simply too difficult and abstruse. Even his own master had only grasped a little of it. No one in the Mount Tai Sect had mastered this move for decades.
In Daoist Tianmen's eyes, Wang Jingyuan's wish to learn it was unrealistic. As the dignified leader of the Mount Tai Sect, he couldn't repay a debt of gratitude with a useless move.
Tianmen said gravely, "It seems Martial Nephew Wang has heard of this move. But do you know that Dai Zong Ru He is no ordinary sword technique? You must wield your sword with one hand and calculate with the fingers of the other.
"The key lies not in the swordplay, but in the calculations. You calculate the enemy's position, martial arts school, height, weapon, the angle of the sunlight, and many other things. The calculations are extremely complex. Once you've worked them out, you thrust your sword, and you cannot miss.
"But the move is too profound and mysterious. No one in my Mount Tai Sect has understood it for decades. Martial Nephew Wang, why not choose something else?"
Wang Jingyuan smiled. "Perhaps Martial Uncle Tianmen can't tell, but I'm actually a genius. As long as someone is willing to teach me, I can learn every martial art in the world. If you don't believe me, Martial Uncle Tianmen, you can put me to the test."
Daoist Tianmen's brow furrowed even more deeply. Why was this child making such outrageous boasts? He tried to dissuade him a few more times, but Wang Jingyuan was set on learning Dai Zong Ru He and refused to consider anything else. After all, it was the most valuable move in the Mount Tai Sword Style. Only a fool would settle for second best.
After trying several times without success, Daoist Tianmen stopped arguing. Instead, he called Wang Jingyuan over and began explaining the intricacies of Dai Zong Ru He. Chi Baicheng was Tianmen's disciple. Since his master hadn't told him to leave, he stayed, but he was soon lost in the explanation and couldn't follow along.
Linghu Chong and Lin Pingzhi knew the rules. The two of them went into the inner room and closed the door behind them.
[Daoist Tianmen is teaching you Dai Zong Ru He]
[Learn? Yes/No]
[Yes]
Though he'd only learned the basics, Wang Jingyuan now understood every intricacy of Dai Zong Ru He. He got it: this sword style was basically an Excel spreadsheet with pre-filled formulas.
The sword moves were ordinary, all straight thrusts, with around a dozen variations. The calculations, meanwhile, were empirical formulas distilled from the accumulated combat data of the masters who'd come before.
Each variable—position, height, weapon, terrain, and so on—had its own corresponding finger-counting method and parameters. In combat, you simply chose the relevant variable based on the situation and began calculating with its parameters. You then fed the result into the next variable's parameters and continued calculating.
Once you'd calculated every variable, you'd get a code. Pick the thrust that corresponded to the code and strike.
The formulas were already there. What mattered was how quickly you could enter the parameters and calculate. Of course, if you ran out of time before finishing, you could still strike. But the more variables you included, the more accurate the result would be.
If you weren't practiced at the calculations and only had time to finish one variable before the enemy attacked, you might as well not bother. Just use another sword technique.
No wonder people here thought it was difficult. This sword style went against all their instincts. In a fight, you ignored everything else and frantically entered parameters and calculated. Once you had the result, you didn't think about anything else. You simply struck according to the answer.
That was without even considering the speed of the calculations. People weren't computers. What if your eyes played tricks on you and you misjudged your opponent's height, entering the wrong parameter? What if you made a mistake while calculating? The formulas were empirical, drawn from accumulated data, but what if they didn't apply to the opponent you were facing?
After getting a result, could you really be sure you hadn't made a mistake and thrust your sword without hesitation? If you hesitated and missed your chance, would you have to calculate all over again? And if you didn't trust your calculations and changed the thrust based on your own judgment, what was the point of using this move?
Wang Jingyuan shook his head. Other martial arts were simple: adapt to the terrain and circumstances, and respond to changes as they came. This move was like sitting a math exam in the middle of a fight, with hardly any time to spare. Calculate correctly, and you'd be unstoppable. Calculate incorrectly, and you might die.
Now that he'd learned it, Wang Jingyuan didn't regret his choice. He drew his sword, pointing it diagonally downward with his right hand, while his left hand counted on its fingers. His gaze settled on Daoist Tianmen.
Daoist Tianmen looked uncertain. He drew an old-fashioned sword from behind his back and took the opening stance of Mount Tai Eighteen Twists. He didn't attack, only waited for Wang Jingyuan to finish calculating.
Before long, Wang Jingyuan's left hand clenched into a fist, and Daoist Tianmen struck. Then Daoist Tianmen saw Wang Jingyuan's sword pierce straight through his move and thrust toward his throat.
[Dai Zong Ru He proficiency +1]
Daoist Tianmen channeled his Internal Energy, turned his sword, and knocked Wang Jingyuan's blade aside. Wang Jingyuan had only been testing the move. He hadn't used much strength, let alone Internal Energy.
Daoist Tianmen easily knocked his sword to one side.
Daoist Tianmen lowered his sword. He stared at Wang Jingyuan with a complicated expression for a long moment before exclaiming, "The younger generation is truly formidable!"
How could someone this talented have failed to join our Mount Tai Sect?
Chi Baicheng also looked astonished. He'd only just heard his master explain this sword technique, and from what his master had said, it was incredibly difficult to learn.
So how had Martial Brother Wang seemed to master it in just a moment?
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