The Martial Classic and the Daoist Classic

While living in this world, the body was like a boat crossing the sea, and the thoughts of the spirit were the people aboard it. Though the Great Gan Dynasty forbade private citizens from practicing boxing and martial arts, it encouraged the royal family, nobles, and imperial clansmen to practice martial arts and archery. It had also established a "Martial Hall" within the army.

"This old man must go meditate and nourish his spirit. If you need anything, sir, just tell me. The children outside can't speak yet, but they already understand language."

Fortunately, the imperial examinations no longer tested archery. Otherwise, he could have spent his entire life without ever getting a chance to rise in the world.

After reading the beginning of the Martial Classic, Hong Yi began thinking about martial arts again. The thought hadn't come from nowhere—it had been sparked by the red-gold coins in Consort Yuan's palace.

Training the sinews: The sinews throughout the body became strong and supple, unleashing fierce bursts of power. The body grew nimble enough to face six or seven opponents. In the army, someone at this level was called a "Martial Disciple."

Training the marrow: The practice of boxing and martial arts had penetrated deep into the marrow. Someone at this level was called a Grandmaster.

Training the membrane: The skin and membranes throughout the body became tough enough to withstand blows. When strength was exerted, the skin grew as resilient as oxhide. One could still prevail even when surrounded by more than ten opponents; such a person was called a "Martial Warrior."

Both books were massive, each comprising dozens of thick volumes. The Martial Classic was a compilation of martial arts from across the land.

"Yip, yip!"

Several excited fox cries came from outside.

"They use scholars to suppress military officers, yet secretly cultivate officers to preserve the nation's military strength. They gather books from across the land, revise the classics, keep military power in their own hands, forbid the people from practicing martial arts, and strengthen the official army. What a masterful way to turn the clouds and rain!"

"A scholar shouldn't be so weak he can't even kill a chicken. Since there's a Martial Classic here, I ought to study it properly and find one or two boxing styles to cultivate the body with."

As Hong Yi leafed through the books, he suddenly noticed two imposing volumes displayed in a prominent spot at the center of the shelves: the Martial Classic and the Daoist Classic.

The Martial Hall had strict rankings for martial artists, more detailed even than the imperial examination system. It was one path by which martial practitioners could rise through the ranks.

Training the blood: Once the marrow had grown strong, further cultivation renewed the blood throughout the body. As the saying went, "Train the marrow until it is like frost, and the blood until it is like quicksilver." The body was reborn, its sinews and marrow purged. Someone at this level could face hundreds of opponents and was a saint among martial artists.

Sorting the books was a major undertaking. All the Daoist books and manuals on boxing and martial arts gathered from among the people had been burned to ashes.

Hong Yi opened the Daoist Classic as well. In the end, both paths aimed to transcend life and death.

The Martial Classic described these seven levels in detail. Hong Yi had read many scholars' notes, some of which described at length how the two books had been compiled. The Great Gan Dynasty had gathered books from across the land until its libraries overflowed. Thousands upon thousands of people had worked on the compilation, including renowned martial artists, leaders from the Daoist schools of Taishang Dao, Zhengyi Dao, and Fangxian Dao, as well as leaders from Buddhist sects.

After reading the beginnings of the Martial Classic and the Daoist Classic, he finally had a clear understanding of the two paths of cultivation: martial arts and immortal arts.

Still, he knew that if he mastered martial arts, passed the jinshi exam, and became a scholar skilled in both civil and military pursuits, he would hold a high position upon entering the Great Gan Dynasty's military. If he then earned military merit, he might even be granted a noble title. And if fortune smiled on him, the court might grant his mother the title of "Lady."

Martial arts focused on cultivating the body. A sturdy body could carry its owner safely across the sea of suffering.

"Sir, rest well. If nothing comes up over the next few days, you can stay in the secluded valley. This old man will see that you're supplied with tea, water, and meals."

Seeing Hong Yi turn through book after book, Elder Tu nodded in approval.

"The highest realm of martial arts is the Human Immortal?" Hong Yi read the note and thought, When my father, Marquis Wuwen, was young, he could draw a powerful bow with nine stones of strength and shoot repeatedly. I wonder what level he reached?

Hong Yi's attention was fixed on the books filling the stone chamber. As soon as Elder Tu, the fox, left, he immediately began walking around the room, scanning the shelves for books that interested him.

The opening of the Daoist Classic explained: "The world is a sea of suffering, and the human body is a raft for crossing it. But the sea of suffering is boundless, and every raft will eventually rot. Only when the spirit is strong can one abandon the raft and swim to the far shore by one's own strength."

"I see. These two paths of cultivation are different, yet both make sense."

Training the bones: The bones throughout the body grew hard, their piercing force immense. The body became more nimble and better able to withstand blows, allowing one to face dozens of opponents. Someone at this level was called a "Martial Master."

The Daoist Classic was a book of cultivation compiled from Daoist texts gathered across the land.

With this in mind, Hong Yi opened the Martial Classic.

Looking at the two books, Hong Yi felt his heart stir with emotion.

About half an hour later, Hong Yi had made a rough circuit of the stone chamber. He found that a large portion of its books were on boxing and martial arts, while the rest were Daoist texts on cultivation. It was a veritable ocean of books.

The meaning of this passage wasn't difficult to grasp. Besides flesh, sinews, membranes, bones, organs, marrow, and blood, the human body contained countless acupoints, like stars in the heavens, each inhabited by a deity. Once these acupoints were cultivated, every gesture could wield boundless power. A true immortal of the flesh was a Human Immortal!

After giving Hong Yi a reminder, Elder Tu shuffled out.

Training the organs: Through breathing exercises, the internal organs grew stronger, the breath long and deep, and one's stamina seemingly inexhaustible—enough to contend with nearly a hundred opponents. One could run as swiftly as a galloping horse and leap as nimbly as a flying bird. Someone at this level was called a "Xiantian Martial Master."

Training the flesh: This was the foundation of martial arts. By moving the whole body, one trained the flesh until it was firm and full, and one's reflexes grew keen enough to withstand attacks from two or three opponents. In the Great Gan Dynasty's army, someone at this level was called a "Martial Student."

The Great Gan Dynasty had compiled both books when it was founded.

"Xiao Sang, Xiao Fei, Xiao Shu, go make the gentleman some late-night tea and snacks."

"So the foxes invited me here to teach, but teaching was only secondary. The most important thing was to sort the books so they'd be easier to read later. I never expected that when I came to West Mountain to guard my mother's grave, read, and seek some peace and quiet, I'd run into something like this. That woman, Consort Yuan, even produced red-gold coins from the imperial palace. What exactly is her connection to the foxes? It's all so tangled and mysterious. I can't tell whether this is a blessing or a curse."

"I have to win the highest possible title for my mother. But martial arts take years to cultivate, so there's no need to rush. I should first look into cultivating the immortal arts and the spirit. I wonder how different they are."

"Looks like I'll have to practice martial arts. A scholar who can't even kill a chicken is no good. Though civil officials run our Great Gan court, true noble titles still have to be earned through military merit. If I learn martial arts, pass the jinshi exam, and then join the army, my status will be high. If I earn military merit and win a noble title, my mother won't just be a Madam—she'll be granted a title of her own... Her status will be far above Lady Zhao's..."

As Hong Yi read further, comparing the two, he found that martial arts cultivation was divided into seven levels: training the flesh, sinews, membranes, bones, organs, and marrow, followed by renewing the blood.

Hong Yi knew that the opponents described as "ten-man" or "hundred-man" foes weren't ordinary civilians, but trained soldiers.

After reading the beginning of the Martial Classic, Hong Yi finally understood just how tightly the Great Gan Dynasty controlled military power—and how much effort it had poured into doing so.

"Martial Student, Martial Disciple, Martial Warrior, Martial Master, Xiantian, Grandmaster, Martial Saint! What a detailed ranking. I wonder if it's like the imperial examinations, with their ranks of licentiate, xiucai, juren, and jinshi? The Great Gan Dynasty was founded on military power, yet the tremendous effort it put into this is something scholars don't know about. They've even estimated how many people each level can fight. It seems they must have drilled them strictly in the army. But even a saint among martial artists still can't transcend life and death. It feels like there's more to it."

Hong Yi read on, hungry for more, but a strange dread also rose within him.

The Martial Classic began: "The ultimate purpose of martial arts is to strengthen the body and transcend life and death, not to kill and show off one's strength. The world is a sea of suffering, and the body is a raft for crossing it. If the body is strong, it can carry a person straight to the far shore."

If he kept these two books, Lady Zhao would immediately seize on it as a pretext to cause trouble for him in the Marquis Mansion.

Hong Yi thought this over and opened the Daoist Classic.

Many wealthy households with thousands of books hired seasoned scholars to sort them into categories.

In the Marquis Wuwen's household, only the late Dowager Hong—the mother of Hong Xuanji—had ever been "Lady Ci'an."

Moreover, the Great Gan Dynasty later ordered a strict ban on private citizens practicing boxing and martial arts, and kept tight control over temples and Daoist abbeys throughout the land. Ever since the great army destroyed the Great Zen Temple twenty years ago, the dynasty's control over private military power had reached its peak.

Actually, Hong Yi didn't object to practicing martial arts. He simply lacked the means: he couldn't afford a martial arts instructor, had no money to buy a bow and horse, and had nowhere to practice archery.

Immortal arts, by contrast, focused on the boundless sea of suffering and the body that would eventually decay. Rather than cultivate the body as a boat, one cultivated the spirit, much like learning to swim. Then even if the boat were destroyed, one wouldn't drown.

"Training martial arts without understanding the acupoints will never let you become a saint in the flesh, nor will it reveal the body's mysteries. The acupoints in the human body are like the stars in the sky, each a dwelling place for a deity. If someone can understand and cultivate the acupoints until they resonate with the stars above, then every gesture will have boundless power; they will be able to seize dragons and hurl elephants. This is like a Yang God merging with the spirit and transcending the world through Daoist cultivation, reaching the realm of the Human Immortal. Annotated by Zen Master Yinyue on the Mid-Autumn Festival, thirty years after the Great Gan Dynasty was founded."

"Goodness, this stone chamber really does have everything—especially books on boxing and martial arts, as well as Daoist texts on cultivation."

Though Hong Yi had read plenty of strange tales about foxes, most of them featured amorous fox spirits and talented scholars meeting beautiful women. But now that he'd encountered something like this himself, he couldn't help feeling that these foxes weren't simply creatures who read books and cultivated.

When Hong Yi saw the books, he pounced on them as if he'd found treasure. He'd longed to read these two great books for ages.

"Huh? They actually have the Martial Classic and the Daoist Classic! I've admired these two books for a long time. I've wanted to read them for ages, but I could never find them or borrow them."

"If I start tonight, I can begin sorting the books."

Hong Yi said.

"Becoming a Human Immortal!"

Sure enough, just as the old fox had said, the Daoist Classic divided cultivation into ten levels: Settling the Spirit, Leaving the Shell, Night Roaming, Day Wanderer, Object Manipulation, Manifestation, Possession, Body Snatching, Tribulation of Thunder, and Yang God.

These measures were all part of a deliberate campaign to keep the Great Gan Dynasty's grip on the people's military power. They had even turned that grip into a precise system.

The world is a vast ocean.

Both books were not easy to come by. Under Great Gan law, anyone who copied or printed the Martial Classic or the Daoist Classic could have their whole household conscripted into the army and exiled three thousand li for a lesser offense—or lose their head for a greater one.

Hong Yi was a scholar, so the meaning of the text came easily to him.

"The highest realm of martial arts is to strengthen the body and transcend life and death. Then what are immortal arts for?"

Yet these were only vague guesses. For now, the most important thing was to read.

With so many books around, Hong Yi—who had always had to borrow books, copy them, and only then read them—could hardly contain his excitement.

Obviously, that passage had been annotated by a monk from the Great Zen Temple named Zen Master Yinyue.

A path of advancement more closely graded than the imperial examinations.

Hong Yi had long admired these two books, but given his status, there was no way he could get his hands on them.