Chapter 112

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

Recruitment of Editors: https://gravitytales.com/recruitment-of-editors/

Chapter 112: Variations

The light tone and those ordinary words made Zhang Xiaohua feel warmth in his heart. Although it was just a normal bit of concern, as the old saying goes, ‘It’s not that one doesn’t know the value of something, but that they fear comparison’. Compared to the mistreatment Zhang Xiaohua had endured in the past with the blue-robed servants, the little daily gestures of care from He Tianshu and the others felt worlds apart. It’s no wonder Zhang Xiaohua felt so grateful.

After giving Zhang Xiaohua some instructions, He Tianshu and the others hurried off. The daily work in the medicinal field was easy to manage, and in fact, it wouldn’t have mattered if Zhang Xiaohua wasn’t there. But those seeds, which had never sprouted, weighed on He Tianshu’s mind like a mountain, and he wouldn’t be at peace until they were dealt with.

Once they left, Zhang Xiaohua quickly returned to his room. Although the meal inside was simple, Zhang Xiaoua still ate it with great relish. Then, he immediately went out, ready to ‘Do your own monk’s duties and strike your bell’.

[TL_Note: To finish his tasks]

During his midday break, Zhang Xiaohua stayed in his room, carefully using a tree branch to simulate the feeling he had found that morning. Sure enough, when his speed was just right, not too fast and not too slow, that warm current appeared again. Zhang Xiaohua had an epiphany. Although the reason for the appearance of this warm current was still unclear, one thing was certain, the variations in this sword move needed to be executed at this speed to achieve the best effect!

With this understanding, Zhang Xiaohua continued to perform the sword moves at this speed, and the warm current kept appearing. Only then did he realize that as soon as he began to execute the sword move, the warm current would flow from a specific spot on his left shoulder, down along his arm to his hand, and only disappear after the movement was completed, with the current reaching the tip of the branch in his left hand.

After practicing all afternoon, Zhang Xiaohua finally committed the variation in the left-handed sword technique to memory. The speed of the movements was also set, allowing him to summon the warm current with every practice. Only then did he stop.

That evening practice was beyond Zhang Xiaohua’s expectations. Under Elder Yu’s supervision, Zhang Xiaohua used his right hand to perform the sword move. He had expected it to be unsuccessful like before, but perhaps due to his constant practice with his left hand at that specific speed, Zhang Xiaohua’s right hand naturally fell into the same rhythm. To his surprise, he was able to complete the move, although just barely and with much room for improvement. After all, Zhang Xiaohua’s right hand had only recently recovered, so the issues might have been due to his fingers still being stiff.

Elder Yu was quite surprised. That morning, he had seen Zhang Xiaohua’s average performance and thought that, given his aptitude, it would take several more days of practice to master the first variation in this sword move. But now, it seemed he had underestimated him. Elder Yu was very happy and had Zhang Xiaohua practice the move again. Seeing that he had indeed mastered it, Elder Yu said: “Zhang Xiaohua, I didn’t expect you to learn it so quickly, it’s a bit beyond my expectations. However, don’t get arrogant. It only took me half a day to master this sword move when I practiced it. My aptitude is quite average in the martial world, if someone more talented were to try, they’d likely master it after seeing it twice.”

Zhang Xiaohua naturally felt no pride and immediately replied: “Elder Yu, don’t worry. I know my own aptitude, this is the result of repeated practice.”

Elder Yu was very satisfied and said: “Indeed, a human effort has its limits, you don’t need to be overly concerned. Just do your best. I can tell that learning the first variation must have been challenging for you. Since you’ve now mastered the first variation, I’ll teach you the second one shortly. But for now, don’t overstrain your recovering bones. As the saying goes, ‘Haste makes waste’, so make sure to keep that in mind.”

Hearing that he could learn the second variation, Zhang Xiaohua was delighted and didn’t pay too much attention to Elder Yu’s advice.

In fact, Elder Yu had initially planned to teach Zhang Xiaohua the variation in the sword move the next morning. But seeing that Zhang Xiaohua had mastered the first variation by evening, he was so pleased that he began demonstrating the second variation under the moonlight in the forest. After Zhang Xiaohua had watched him once, Elder Yu explained it in detail. When he saw that Zhang Xiaohua’s expression had relaxed, indicating comprehension, he slowly performed the move again, letting Zhang Xiaohua observe closely before stopping.

Although the sword technique had nineteen variations, they were all based on the same fundamental first move. The first variation was the most difficult to learn, but once it was mastered, the other variations, which were quite similar, would naturally be easier to pick up. Thus, Elder Yu spent significantly less time teaching the second variation than he had on the first.

Unfortunately, Elder Yu still overestimated Zhang Xiaohua’s comprehension. Although Zhang Xiaohua understood how to execute the move in theory and had already grasped it mentally, when he tried to perform it with the branch in his hand, he couldn’t meet Elder Yu’s standards no matter how hard he tried.

Seeing Elder Yu’s furrowed brow, Zhang Xiaohua reluctantly put down the branch. After all, his right hand had started to hurt again. He knew he shouldn’t ignore the important matter and hurt his roots. Noticing Zhang Xiaohua’s frustration, Elder Yu patted him on the shoulder and said: “It’s alright. Just keep thinking it over in your mind. This isn’t the first time you’ve faced such a challenge. Rest up and continue practicing tomorrow.”

With that, Elder Yu turned and left without another word.

Zhang Xiaohua felt uneasy as he watched Elder Yu walk away. No one likes to be underestimated, and though he knew his aptitude wasn’t great, being reminded of it again and again left him feeling defiant. Determined to improve, he picked up the branch again. This time, however, he had learned his lesson. Instead of using his right hand, he started with his left. He first visualized the move in his mind, then slowly began to practice it with his left hand. After a few attempts, he memorized the variation and then tried to replicate the feeling he had at noon by performing the move at the same speed as the first variation. Sure enough, the warm current reappeared, just like it had earlier.

Delighted, Zhang Xiaohua realized he was on the right path, so he continued practicing under the moonlight.

After mastering the second variation, he practiced the first one again, repeating the process over and over until it seemed as if Elder Yu had been teaching him left-handed swordsmanship all along.

The night passed without incident, and the next day, Zhang Xiaohua began his routine by practicing his set of 101 incomplete fist moves, followed by the two sword variations. He waited for Elder Yu to arrive, but after a while with no sign of him, Zhang Xiaohua decided not to wait any longer.

His right hand, having rested overnight, had recovered and no longer felt sore. So, he picked up the branch again and began to mentally rehearse the second variation. Then, at a steady pace, he started to move. Strangely enough, the variation that had been so difficult the night before was now manageable after a night’s rest. Although he couldn’t yet perform it flawlessly, like flowing water, he had nonetheless learned it.

Only then did Zhang Xiaohua seem to wake up. To learn the variations of this sword technique, it appeared he needed to first master them with his left hand before he could fully grasp them with his right hand. How strange, could it be because of his previous injury to his right hand?

When Elder Yu assessed Zhang Xiaohua’s progress that evening, he too was puzzled. He couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed. It’s said to, ‘teach according to the student’s ability’, but perhaps he had used the wrong approach. Maybe he wasn’t suited to teaching. How could such a simple variation be so difficult to explain? Forcing Zhang Xiaohua to go back and think about it carefully before he can figure it out on his own.

Feeling somewhat awkward, Elder Yu said: “Zhang Xiaohua, this… Am I not teaching this well?”

Zhang Xiaohua was taken aback and replied: “No, Elder Yu, your teaching is excellent.”

Elder Yu sighed and said: “Ah, don’t try to comfort me. I’ve taught a few disciples before, and they never seemed to learn well either. None of them made a name for themselves in the martial world. Now, even teaching you a few variations in a sword technique seems to be beyond me.”

Zhang Xiaohua, utterly confused, could only respond: “Elder Yu, I’m very grateful that you’re teaching me swordsmanship. If I can’t learn it, it’s because my aptitude isn’t good. I’ve told my second brother before that if others can learn something in one try, I’ll practice it ten times, twenty times, or even a hundred times until I master it.”

After hearing this, Elder Yu agreed with it very much in his heart and said: “You’re right. Although there are many talented people in the martial world, they are as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. For people like you and me, who are just ordinary, we must put in more effort than others to achieve good results. Zhang Xiaohua, you’re doing very well.”

After that, Elder Yu stopped worrying whether the problem lay with his teaching methods or Zhang Xiaohua’s comprehension. As before, he carefully explained the changes in the sword variation and demonstrated them slowly until Zhang Xiaohua felt he understood. Then, Elder Yu would leave, allowing Zhang Xiaohua to practice on his own. The next morning, Elder Yu wouldn’t show up, giving Zhang Xiaohua time to internalize the moves by himself. Only in the evening would Elder Yu return to assess Zhang Xiaohua’s progress.

In this manner, Zhang Xiaohua quickly advanced, learning a new variation each day until he had mastered the sixteenth variation.

The learning of the seventeenth variation hit a snag. After Elder Yu had taught it, Zhang Xiaohua memorized the movements and could perform them with his left hand, but the warm current would not appear. Zhang Xiaohua thought the issue might be with his speed, so he tried various adjustments, but the warm current remained elusive. Zhang Xiaohua also attempted to use his right hand, but no matter what he did, he couldn’t get it right. There were always some details he couldn’t manage.

Zhang Xiaohua practiced alone for another two days but still couldn’t master the seventeenth variation. Elder Yu, after some thought, concluded that Zhang Xiaohua’s right hand had not yet fully recovered and was not as flexible as it should as ordinary people, which was why he was struggling to perform it. Therefore, Elder Yu proceeded to teach him the eighteenth and nineteenth variations.

As Elder Yu had anticipated, Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t master the last two variations either. After several more days of effort, Elder Yu called Zhang Xiaohua to the forest and said: “Zhang Xiaohua, I have taught you all nineteen variations of this sword technique. I am already very pleased that you’ve managed to learn sixteen of them. To be honest, I originally thought you might learn only half of them. You have far exceeded my expectations.”

Hearing Elder Yu’s, Zhang Xiaohua felt a pang of disappointment. However, the reality was indeed like this, and he couldn’t defend himself in the slightest.

Elder Yu continued: “You should have memorized the remaining three variations. Once your right hand is fully healed, you can try to practice them again. The purpose of teaching you these sword techniques was to help you protect yourself. If you don’t provoke overly powerful opponents, I believe these sixteen variations should be sufficient to keep you safe. Additionally, what you’ve learned so far is merely the surface, it doesn’t have much power. You still need to diligently recite the sword formula. When you eventually learn internal energy and combine it with the sword formula, that’s when the true power of this technique will be realized.”

Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t help but ask: “What does its true power look like?”

Elder Yu smiled and replied: “You’ll see.”

As he spoke, he took out his sword and thrust it forcefully into a large tree. The sharp edge of the sword sank three inches into the wood. Then, Elder Yu drew on his internal energy and executed the sword technique again. With a sharp “thud”, the long sword plunged deeply into the tree, as if it were about to penetrate the trunk entirely.

Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t help but gasp in awe. The difference was astonishing.

Noticing Zhang Xiaohua’s reaction, Elder Yu knew what he was thinking and said: “Do you see the difference now? Zhang Xiaohua, without learning internal energy, you’re like a frog at the bottom of a well, confined to a small circle and unable to grasp the true power of internal energy. Even if you master the finest sword techniques, they remain just a framework without the soul of internal energy. You can never truly be considered a top-notch master.”

Seeing Zhang Xiaohua’s disheartened expression, Elder Yu added: “I know you want to learn internal energy cultivation methods, but I can’t teach you. I hope you’ll have the chance to study advanced internal energy skills in the future. For now, this is all I can teach you. Practice diligently, and I hope these sword techniques will be of help to you in the future.”

With that, Elder Yu flicked his sleeve and turned to leave.

Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t help but open his mouth and call out: “Elder Yu.”

Elder Yu turned back and asked: “What is it?”

Zhang Xiaohua hesitated for a moment before saying: “Thank you, Elder Yu.”

Elder Yu smiled and replied: “No need to thank me, Zhang Xiaohua. Just focus on your practice, and I hope you succeed.”

With that, he left gracefully.

Zhang Xiaohua stared at Elder Yu’s one-armed figure, now just a silhouette in the distance, and felt a deep sense of gratitude. Despite having no familial ties or frequent interactions with Elder Yu, he had bestowed such a significant favor, teaching him a sword technique. Even though Elder Yu might not have cared much about it, how could Zhang Xiaohua not take it to heart?

Earlier, Zhang Xiaohua had wanted to mention his progress with the sword technique using his left hand to Elder Yu, but when the words came to his lips, he was unsure of how to phrase them. Most of the sixteen variations performed by his left hand were beyond recognition, and he wanted Elder Yu to know that he wasn’t useless? That he could also apply the sword techniques to his left hand? Yet, thinking about Elder Yu’s display of inner energy, he decided against boasting about his small achievements. His own little cleverness was nothing, so he shouldn’t take it out to show off.

However, Zhang Xiaohua genuinely wanted to ask Elder Yu about the warm current. 

After standing still for a moment, Elder Yu was already far away. Zhang Xiaohua collected his thoughts and picked up the branch. He practiced the sword techniques in the forest, completing a few variations. Feeling a bit bored and with his right hand aching, he switched to his left hand.

Using his left hand, Zhang Xiaohua noticed a different sensation within the sword moves, the warm current flowed smoothly through his left arm, which was very comforting. After Zhang Xiaohua’s modifications, the sixteen variations of the sword technique connected seamlessly, creating a continuous flow of movements. From the first variation to the sixteenth, coupled with changes in footwork and body movements, it felt like a complete sword form. Zhang Xiaohua practiced with great enthusiasm, losing himself in the movements, and entering a new state. He just wanted the dance with the sword in his left hand. Zhang Xiaohua felt as if he was born for the sword at this moment, practicing from the first to the sixteenth variation and then looping back to the first.

He didn’t know how long he practiced, but he eventually felt a suffocating breath in his chest and felt an urge to release it. With each movement of the sword, it seemed he found a target. Zhang Xiaohua opened his mouth, took a deep breath, exhaled forcefully, and as he followed through with the sword move, he thrust the branch in his hand forward. The warm current flowed naturally with his movement, and to his astonishment, the branch pierced into the tree trunk. With a dull thud, the tree branch drove deep into the tree, then, inch by inch, it broke apart and fell to the ground.

Only then did Zhang Xiaohua wake up from his dream-like state. Staring blankly at the broken stick in his hand and then at the piece lodged in the tree trunk, unable to believe it was his doing.

While Elder Yu’s sword had forcefully penetrated the tree by three inches, Zhang Xiaohua had thought that if he used his own strength to insert the sword, he might have been able to reach five inches. Yet, the idea of driving a thin stick into the tree as Elder Yu did with inner energy had seemed impossible. Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t even dream of it. Can he be considered a master?

However, when Zhang Xiaohua walked over and pinched the branch lodged in the tree trunk with his thumb and forefinger, he easily ‘plucked’ it out without much effort. He then saw that the tree trunk only had a shallow pit where the stick had been embedded, a mere dent. Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t help but laugh at himself. He compared himself to a pauper who had just acquired a few dozen taels of silver and fancied himself the wealthiest person in the world, only to realize that his small fortune was a mere joke in the eyes of a truly rich person. What a joke, I thought my martial skills were impressive for driving a stick into the tree trunk, but now it seemed just a small indentation.

Shaking his head, Zhang Xiaohua tossed the stick away

 Feeling it was getting late, he picked up his lantern and slowly made his way back to his quarters.

Only the small pit remained on the tree trunk.

While poor Zhang Xiaohua was lamenting his own arrogance, he didn’t realize that he really underestimated himself. Even Elder Yu, under the same conditions using only a tree branch, would not dare to claim he could make a similar dent in the tree trunk. If Elder Yu had seen Zhang Xiaohua’s “sword”, his eyes would have fallen out of his sockets. Unfortunately, Zhang Xiaohua only saw the sharpness of Elder Yu’s long sword. Although he knew that a tree branch was ‘dull’ and hard to embed into the trunk, his consistent attitude led him to underestimate his own achievements. Alas, as the ancients said, ‘Details determine success or failure’. Zhang Xiaohua still had much to learn and a long road ahead.

Yet, as Zhang Xiaohua walked, he was not aware of this. He had long discarded his earlier excitement and was now muttering to himself. When it would be appropriate to visit Elder Yu to retrieve the martial arts manuals?