Transplanting Martial Arts

Xie An trudged through the snow to Uncle Shui's quarters.

Once inside, Uncle Shui took a yellowed booklet from a drawer. Three striking characters were written across its cover: Taishan Fist.

"Though this is an introductory martial art, there are things I must make clear to you, Mingxi. Martial arts are no roadside juggling tricks. They are killing skills.

"The slightest mistake could injure you at best, or leave you dead beneath an enemy's blade at worst. Do you understand, Mingxi?"

Hearing this, Xie An grew serious too. "I understand."

Only then did Uncle Shui continue. "There's an old saying among martial artists: external arts train the tendons, bones, and skin; internal arts train a single breath of energy.

"A martial artist must begin with external arts. Only after passing the five stages of Skin Tempering, Muscle-Tendon Tempering, Bone Tempering, Organ Tempering, and Blood Tempering can one rush the blood and transform force. If you're fortunate enough to refine Inner Force, you enter the Inner Martial Realm.

"Those who practice external arts are martial artists. Those who enter the Inner Martial Realm may be called Martial Masters. They can open a school in Qingwu County, take disciples, spread their art, and make a name for themselves."

The more Xie An heard, the keener he became. "Is it difficult to become a Martial Master of the Inner Martial Realm?"

Uncle Shui snorted. "One year for the skin, three for copper tendons, five for iron bones, ten for the organs, fifteen to rush the blood and transform force. That would already be a respectable achievement. If one in ten martial artists in the Blood-Rushing Realm enters the Inner Martial Realm, that's good going. Even those who develop Inner Force are mostly over forty."

Uncle Shui's expression was grave, as though he meant to frighten Xie An away.

If Xie An gave up now, so much the better.

But...

Why were the boy's eyes shining even brighter?

"Uncle Shui, what is it like after entering the Inner Martial Realm?" With the Ten-Thousand Questions Martial Arts Model at his disposal, Xie An couldn't help setting his sights higher.

Uncle Shui found Xie An's behavior a little strange today. But he was a martial artist himself, and seeing Xie An take an interest still warmed his heart.

"The Inner Martial Realm has three levels: Manifest Force, Dark Force, and the Transformation Realm. We have an old saying: ten years of Manifest Force can't match three years of Dark Force." Uncle Shui raised his callused hands and explained at an unhurried pace. "Most martial arts schools teach nothing beyond Manifest Force. The 'whip force' of Tan Legs, the 'unyielding bridge hands' of Hung Fist, the 'boring force' of Piercing Feet... Even mastered to their limits, they're still just Manifest Force."

After a pause, the seasoned martial artist's clear-eyed understanding showed in Uncle Shui's gaze. "A Manifest Force Martial Master can split stone tablets with a punch and leap across rooftops. That's first-rate skill. But against a Specter... it's a lost cause."

Xie An nodded. "Then what about Dark Force?"

Uncle Shui slowly inhaled. His chest swelled high, then gradually settled as he exhaled.

In that brief breath, Xie An heard something within Uncle Shui's body that sounded like a stream flowing.

Could Uncle Shui already be a master of Dark Force?

Uncle Shui continued. "Once you've passed Manifest Force and nourished your blood and vital energy until they brim over, they can flow outward. Then you cultivate a breath of 'Vital Breath' in your dantian. It travels through the meridians, passes through the pores, and transmits force through objects. In the martial world, they call it 'Strike the Ox Through the Mountain,' or 'Needle Hidden in Cotton.'"

"Years ago, the martial artists of Qingwu County's outer city formed the Benevolent Martial Arts Association. Seventy percent of the experts on its rolls practiced Manifest Force. Twenty percent had a half-baked grasp of Dark Force. As for those who had truly mastered Dark Force, you could count them on two hands in the whole outer city.

"Why so few? Because training Dark Force means you mustn't expend your yang essence. You have to nurture that breath in your dantian day and night. How many martial artists can get past that hurdle? Give up a wife, children, and a warm bed? Stay away from drinking parties and gambling tables? Hard!"

Until now, Xie An had known only a little about external arts. Hearing about the Inner Martial Realm for the first time set his heart racing with longing.

"Uncle Shui, what happens when Dark Force strikes someone?"

A sharp gleam crossed Uncle Shui's eyes. "One punch leaves no visible wound, but Dark Force penetrates the body and shatters the internal organs. That's why we have a saying: Manifest Force takes your money; Dark Force takes your life."

Xie An grew more eager by the moment. "Then can a Dark Force master deal with Specters?"

Uncle Shui studied him for a long while. At last, he seemed to make up his mind. "That's what makes Dark Force truly valuable. There's another saying: Manifest Force strikes men; Dark Force strikes ghosts."

Xie An sucked in a cold breath. At last, he knew how to counter Specters.

But Uncle Shui's next words dashed his hopes.

"Of course, sayings like that tend to exaggerate. Dark Force can only deal with certain ghosts that have possessed someone. What lets a possessing ghost cause trouble? A wisp of Yin-Baleful Essence lodged in another person's body. Hitting it with Manifest Force is like striking a steel plate with a hammer. It makes a loud noise, but it can't disperse the Yin-Baleful Essence inside.

"Dark Force is different. It penetrates the body and specifically breaks apart that mass of Yin-Baleful Essence within."

Xie An hurriedly asked, "What if the ghost hasn't possessed anyone?"

Uncle Shui shook his head and sighed. "Then even a Dark Force master can do nothing. All told, mastering Dark Force gives you some ability to protect yourself against ordinary Specters on the road. But if you encounter a powerful ghost, or one that hasn't possessed anyone... you're still done for. Even so, with all the people in Qingwu County's outer city, those who've mastered Dark Force can be counted on two hands. Most of them have passed sixty, too. Hard, hard, hard."

Xie An wanted to ask about Transforming Force, but Uncle Shui handed him the booklet. "Take this back and have a look, Mingxi. If practicing martial arts seems too tiring or too difficult, don't force yourself."

Xie An accepted the booklet, said goodbye, and hurried back to the main room of the West Courtyard. He told Qiu Lan to prepare more ginseng and hen soup that evening, then sat cross-legged on the bed and opened the booklet.

Taishan Fist grew out of the "Rock-Shattering Hammer Method" used by stonecutters in Great Qian. Later, a Martial Master named Zhao Tieshan revised and consolidated it, turning the hammer method into a fist art.

This fist art placed no weight on elaborate moves. It focused solely on drawing strength from the ground, delivering force with the whole body, and striking with crushing momentum.

It had three levels in all: Mountain-Suppressing Stance, Mountain-Taming Fist, and Five Mountains Collapse.

The first level was stance training. Only the latter two were fist techniques.

Xie An carefully read the formula for the first level, Mountain-Suppressing Stance:

Plant both feet where the mountain takes root; ten toes grip the earth as though growing roots.

Knees lock like twin thousand-catty gates; hips settle into a nine-tiered purple-gold basin.

Waist and spine stand straight as the Heavenly Pillar; shoulders sink, and the shoulder wells draw upon the gate of earth.

Tongue touches the upper palate to receive heaven's dew; each breath secretly follows the sound of the tides.

"What a grand formula... This doesn't look like an ordinary introductory martial art."

He read on to the detailed instructions.

Mountain-Suppressing Stance demanded extreme precision in posture. It was also remarkably complex, containing no fewer than three hundred variations.

How many years would it take to learn all that?

He had never heard of a stance with three hundred variations...

Uncle Shui probably picked the hardest introductory martial art on purpose, hoping I'd give up when I saw how difficult it was. After all, neither he nor Father believes I can master martial arts. They gave up expecting anything of me long ago...

If the stance work alone was this complicated, Xie An had no interest in reading further.

Ten Thousand Questions!

"Break down and analyze Taishan Fist, then transplant the entire fist art into me."

[Identifying martial art]

[Identification successful: Taishan Fist]

[Analyzing...]

[Severely insufficient computing power!]

Xie An's head suddenly spun, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Seriously? You can't even analyze an introductory martial art?

Then why the hell are you called Ten Thousand Questions?

Even your little brother, Thousand Questions, is better than you.

After grumbling to himself, Xie An began to wonder.

Should I try an easier introductory martial art?

The idea seemed workable. He was about to head out and look for a simpler art when inspiration struck.

No.

I'm going about this the wrong way.

Taishan Fist had three levels.

If I can't transplant all three at once, could I transplant the first level on its own?

If it can't even transplant the first level, I'll have Ten Thousand Questions identify the problems and adjust from there... I can narrow the goal step by step.

I'll try transplanting the first level first.

With that in mind, Xie An changed his command.

"Analyze the first level of Taishan Fist and transplant it into me."

[Analyzing...]

This time was different.

Hundreds of variations of Mountain-Suppressing Stance appeared clearly in Xie An's mind. They flashed and separated, finally becoming countless tiny movements that rearranged and recombined...

It felt as though code were racing through his mind.

[Analysis successful...]

[Transplanting...]