Martial Classic, Daoist Classic

Chapter 7: The Martial Classic and the Daoist Classic

Living in this world, the physical body is like a boat crossing the sea, while the soul and its thoughts are the people inside the boat. However, although the Great Gan Dynasty prohibits private practice of martial arts, it encourages the nobility and the royal clan to practice martial arts, archery, and horsemanship. At the same time, it has established "Martial Halls" within the military. "This old man must go to meditate and nourish my spirit; if you need anything, sir, just give a command. Although the children outside cannot speak yet, they understand human language." It is fortunate that the imperial examinations have abolished archery and horsemanship; otherwise, he would never have had a chance to get ahead in his entire life. After reading the beginning of the Martial Classic, Hong Yi thought about practicing martial arts again. This simple idea came directly from the red gold coins in the palace of Consort Yuan. Tendon Training: The tendons throughout the body become strong and elastic, with fierce explosive power and agility, capable of fighting six or seven men; such people are called "Martial Apprentices" in the army. Marrow Training: The practice of boxing and martial arts has penetrated into the bone marrow. Such people are called Grandmasters. Membrane Training: The skin and membranes throughout the body become sturdy, resisting blows; when force is exerted, the skin becomes as tough as oxhide, capable of defeating more than ten men; such people are called "Martial Warriors." Both books are massive, each consisting of dozens of thick volumes. The Martial Classic is a book compiled by collecting martial arts from all over the world. "Cheep, cheep." A few joyful fox cries came from outside. "Suppressing military officers with scholars while secretly cultivating them to preserve the nation's military power, collecting books from all over the world, revising classics, keeping military power in one's own hands, prohibiting civilian martial power, and developing official military power—such methods are truly capable of turning clouds and rain." "A scholar cannot be without the strength to truss a chicken. Since the Martial Classic is here, I must read it carefully and find one or two boxing techniques for self-cultivation." As Hong Yi was flipping through the pages, he suddenly saw two large books placed in a prominent position on the central bookshelf: one was the Martial Classic and the other was the Daoist Classic. The "Martial Hall" has a strict hierarchy for martial arts, even more rigorous than the imperial examinations. It is a path for martial practitioners to advance. Blood Replacement: After the bone marrow becomes powerful, through cultivation, the blood throughout the body is renewed—this is known as "marrow training like frost, blood training like mercury." It is a rebirth, a shedding of the old self. Such people can fight hundreds of men and are considered saints among martial artists. Categorizing the library is a massive task. As for the Daoist books and martial arts manuals collected from the common people, they were all burned to ashes. Hong Yi opened the Daoist Classic again. The ultimate goal of both is to transcend life and death. In the Martial Classic, these seven levels are described in detail. Hong Yi had read many notes from scholars that described in detail the circumstances under which these two books were compiled; the Great Gan Dynasty collected books from all over the world, filling the entire national library. Thousands of people participated in the compilation, including famous martial arts masters, as well as leaders from the Taishang Dao, Zhengyi Dao, Fangxian Dao, and Buddhism. Having read the introductions to both the martial arts and the Daoist classics, he finally had a clear understanding of the two methods of cultivation. However, he knew that if he mastered martial arts, passed the imperial examinations, became proficient in both literature and martial arts, and entered the military system of the Great Gan Dynasty, his status would be very high. If he then performed meritorious service, he would be granted a title, and if he were lucky, his mother's status would be officially recognized by the court as "Lady." Martial arts focus on cultivating the physical body; a sturdy body can safely carry a person across the bitter sea. "Sir, please rest well. If there is nothing else these days, you may live in this secluded valley. All tea and food supplies will be provided by this old man." Elder Tu nodded with satisfaction as he watched Hong Yi flip through book after book. "Is the highest realm of martial arts a Human Immortal?" Hong Yi looked at this annotation and thought to himself: "When my father, Marquis Wuwen, was young, he could draw a nine-stone bow and shoot continuously; I wonder what kind of realm that is?" Hong Yi's attention was entirely focused on the books in the stone chamber. Once the fox, Elder Tu, left, he immediately walked around the room, his eyes scanning the books that interested him. The opening of the Daoist Classic states: The world is like a bitter sea, and the human body is like a raft crossing the sea. However, the bitter sea is boundless, and the raft will eventually rot. Only if the soul is firm can one abandon the boat and use one's own strength to swim to the other shore of the bitter sea. "So that's how it is. Two different paths of cultivation, yet both have their logic." Bone Training: The bones throughout the body become hard, with powerful piercing force, the body becomes more agile, and resistance to blows is stronger, capable of fighting dozens of men. Such people are called "Martial Masters." The Daoist Classic is a book of cultivation compiled by collecting Daoist texts from all over the world. With these thoughts in mind, Hong Yi opened the Martial Classic. Hong Yi looked at the two books, his heart filled with emotion. About half an hour later, Hong Yi had roughly walked through the entire stone chamber and discovered that a large portion of the books in this room were martial arts manuals, while the rest were Daoist cultivation texts—truly as vast as the sea. The meaning of this passage was not profound; it meant that besides flesh, tendons, membranes, bones, internal organs, marrow, and blood, the human body also contains many acupoints, like the stars in the sky, where the gods reside. After cultivating these acupoints, one can have infinite power with every movement—a physical true immortal, a Human Immortal! Elder Tu gave a final instruction and then wobbled away. Both books were compiled at the founding of the Great Gan Dynasty. Organ Training: Through breathing and meditation, the internal organs are strengthened, breathing becomes continuous and deep, and stamina is long-lasting, capable of fighting nearly a hundred men. Moving as fast as a galloping horse, jumping as nimbly as a bird, such people are called "Innate Martial Masters." Flesh Training: The foundation of martial arts; exercising the whole body to make the flesh firm and full, with agile reactions, capable of fighting off two or three attackers. The "Martial Hall" in the Great Gan Dynasty army calls this level "Martial Student." Unfortunately, only a few years after these two books were compiled, the Great Gan Dynasty immediately banned their printing and collected the already printed books from the public to burn them all at once. Anyone found hiding these books would face severe punishment. "Alright, Xiao Sang, Xiao Fei, Xiao Shu, go prepare some late-night snacks and tea for the sir." "So, these foxes inviting me here was secondary; the most important thing was to categorize the books. It will be convenient for reading in the future. I never expected that coming to West Mountain to guard my mother's grave and seek peace would lead to such an encounter. That woman, Consort Yuan, actually took out red gold coins from the palace—what is her relationship with these foxes? This matter is confusing, and I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse." "I must win the highest status for my mother. However, martial arts cultivation is not a matter of a single day; there is no need to rush. Let me first look at the cultivation of the soul through immortal arts. I wonder what the difference is?" "It seems I must practice martial arts. A scholar without the strength to truss a chicken is not a good situation. Although our Great Gan Dynasty is controlled by civil officials, to truly be granted a title, one must rely on military merit. If I learn martial arts, pass the imperial examinations, and then go into the army, my status will be high. If I perform meritorious service and am granted a title, then my mother's status will not just be 'Lady,' but 'Lady of the Realm'... her status will be far higher than Lady Zhao's..." Hong Yi continued to read and compared the two, discovering that martial arts cultivation is divided into seven levels: Flesh Training, Tendon Training, Membrane Training, Bone Training, Organ Training, Marrow Training, and Blood Replacement. Hong Yi knew that the "ten-man enemy" and "hundred-man enemy" mentioned were not ordinary civilians, but trained soldiers. After reading the beginning of the Martial Classic, Hong Yi finally understood how strictly the Great Gan Dynasty controlled military power and how much effort they had put into it! "Martial Student, Martial Apprentice, Martial Warrior, Martial Master, Innate, Grandmaster, Martial Saint! Such a detailed classification—I wonder if it's the same as the imperial examination's classification: Student, Scholar, Provincial Graduate, Metropolitan Graduate? The Great Gan Dynasty was founded on martial power and has put in so much effort that scholars don't even know about it. They even estimated how many men one can fight. It seems they have strictly practiced this in the army. But even a saint among martial artists seems unable to transcend life and death; there seems to be a feeling of something left unsaid." Hong Yi felt a sense of wanting more, and at the same time, an inexplicable fear arose in his heart. The opening of the Martial Classic states: The ultimate goal of martial arts is to strengthen the physical body and transcend life and death, not to kill or show off. The world is like a bitter sea, and the physical body is like a raft crossing the sea. If the body is strong, it can carry a person directly to the other shore of the bitter sea. If he kept these two books, he would be caught by Lady Zhao in the Marquis's mansion, and that would be trouble. Hong Yi thought to himself and opened the Daoist Classic again. Many wealthy families with thousands of books would hire senior scholars to categorize them. In the Marquis Wuwen's mansion, only the late Old Matriarch Hong, Hong Xuanji's mother, was a "Lady of Ci'an." Moreover, the Great Gan Dynasty issued another order strictly prohibiting the private practice of martial arts and strictly controlling temples and Daoist monasteries throughout the world. Since the army wiped out the Great Zen Temple twenty years ago, the Great Gan Dynasty's control over civilian martial power has reached its peak. In fact, it was not that Hong Yi didn't want to practice martial arts, but he truly lacked the conditions; he couldn't afford a martial arts teacher, nor did he have the money to buy a horse or bow for archery. Immortal arts, on the other hand, argue that the bitter sea is boundless and the boat—the physical body—will eventually rot, so it is better to cultivate the soul directly, just like becoming proficient in swimming; that way, even if the boat is destroyed, the person will not drown. Afterwards, the Great Gan Dynasty, under the slogan of "rectifying the human heart and abandoning evil doctrines," repeatedly collected books from civilian temples and revised the classics. But they never again compiled books like the Martial Classic or the Daoist Classic; instead, they were all about benevolence, righteousness, ritual, law, and loyalty. Hong Yi was a scholar, so he naturally understood the meaning of the text easily. "To practice martial arts without understanding the acupoints is to never achieve a physical body that is holy, nor can one understand the mysteries of the physical body. The acupoints of the human body are like the stars in the sky, where the gods of heaven and earth reside. If one can understand the acupoints and cultivate them until they resonate with the stars in the sky, then every movement will have infinite power, capable of capturing dragons and throwing elephants—this is like the Daoist Yang God merging with the spirit to transcend, reaching the realm of the Human Immortal. Annotated by Zen Master Yinyue in the 30th year of the Great Gan Dynasty's founding, during the Mid-Autumn Festival." "The books in this stone chamber are truly complete, especially those regarding martial arts and Daoist cultivation." Although Hong Yi had read many notes about foxes and ghosts, most of them were about sentimental fox maidens and talented scholars. But when he actually encountered such a thing, he felt that these foxes were not just about reading and cultivating. When Hong Yi saw this, he pounced on it like he had found a treasure. He had wanted to read these two great books for a long time. "Eh? There are actually the Martial Classic and the Daoist Classic! I have admired these two great books for a long time and have always wanted to read them, but I could never find them or borrow them." "Then I will start categorizing and organizing the books tonight," Hong Yi said. The status of "Lady of the Realm" is much higher than that of a "Lady," and it is the highest honorary title granted by the court to noble families. Such a powerful system of military control. The world is a vast ocean. These two books are not easy to see; the Great Gan Dynasty has laws that those who copy or print the Martial Classic or Daoist Classic will, at the very least, have their whole family conscripted and exiled for three thousand miles, and at worst, be beheaded. "Human Immortal!" Sure enough, just as the fox, Elder Tu, said, the cultivation in the Daoist Classic is divided into ten levels: Spirit Stabilization, Soul Departure, Night Wandering, Day Wandering, Object Manipulation, Manifestation, Possession, Reincarnation, Lightning Tribulation, and Yang God. It was the fear caused by the Great Gan Dynasty's precise control over human martial power. Hong Yi had read about this series of methods in some scholars' notes, but he was not clear about the specific matters of the "Martial Hall" in the army. "Hmm?" As Hong Yi read, he suddenly discovered that there were annotations between the lines of the main text of the Martial Classic. Obviously, they were added by a reader. "Hmm? Martial arts are for transcending life and death, then what are immortal arts for?" However, these were all aimless guesses; the most urgent thing right now was to read. So many books made Hong Yi, who had to rely on borrowing and copying to read, feel extremely excited. Clearly, this passage was annotated by a monk from the Great Zen Temple named Zen Master Yinyue. A path of advancement even more rigorous than the imperial examinations. Hong Yi had admired these two books for a long time, but with his status, it was impossible for him to see them.