Chapter 9 Speaking of Martial Arts_1

When Pei Ye arrived at the county government office, Chang Zhiyuan had not returned. Shen Yanping was sitting in the yard, grinding his thin and delicate sword. Meanwhile, Feng Zhi was squatting nearby, inspecting a giant halberd and a set of heavy armor fetched from the military equipment depot.

"Wearing this, I might not even touch the enemy's clothes."

"You weren't able to touch them to begin with, at least with this on, you can take a few more blows."

Shen Yanping chuckled and shook his head.

"Damn it, the ropes have rotted from disuse — boy, you've arrived just in time, tie these two pieces of armor."

Pei Ye squatted down next to the two of them, as the clang of his sword echoed when he rested it on the stone stool.

Feng Zhi looked up at him and said: "If we do lose, best to keep your sword in its sheath and head straight for the mountains in the direction of the county town. It might be your only chance at survival."

Shen Yanping let out a soft sigh: "If one person escapes, it just means another died in their place, just like last night…"

Pei Ye asked, "Are you two worrying about the possibility that he might strike early?"

"The bailiffs just reported that there's no sign of arrests on Mr. Chang's side yet, but who knows if he's waiting for us to gather everyone with potential in the city before making his selection of seven?" Shen Yanping shook his head, "We know too little about the enemy, it leaves us defenseless. The most dangerous time would be after we've gathered everyone at the county office and the two hours it takes for Jing Duwei to arrive."

Pei Ye took a moment before saying, "I can also help fight off the enemy."

Before Shen Yanping could reply, Feng Zhi frowned and looked up, "Didn't you fail where the seed cracked?"

"Yes," Pei Ye admitted, "but I know a certain swordsmanship, which may be of some use."

"…" Feng Zhi rolled his eyes, "Young people always have a daft kind of confidence."

Shen Yanping chuckled before turning serious, "Thank you for your courage, Young Hero Pei. But if you can protect yourself and prevent the perpetrator from succeeding, that would be our common victory."

Pei Ye stayed silent, but he nodded his head in agreement.

Shen Yanping suddenly lightened the mood with a smile: "In truth, the situation isn't as dire as we may think. We are simply overthinking it. If the enemy could abduct people early, the optimal strategy would be to abduct twelve individuals at once and hide them deep within the mountains to conduct the ritual over three days. As it currently stands, they probably can only channel some sort of mystical power and identify their targets at the time of the ritual. By then, Jing Duwei should have already arrived."

In reality, this was indeed a fair assessment of the present situation. But with the exam already over and the results pending, Feng Zhi and Shen Yanping, like anxious test subjects, could not help but fret over the slightest possibility of an unexpected outcome.

Pei Ye hesitated for a moment, then asked respectfully, "Apologies for my ignorance, but once this Jing Duwei arrives, will the crisis surely be averted?"

This time, not only did Shen Yanping laugh, Feng Zhi also gave a slight smirk.

Shen Yanping explained, "Sir Lin has reached the five level in Meridian Tree, as for this felon, judging from the traces, he seems to be an extraordinary expert at the seven level. However, Jing Duwei had already master the art of the eighth level in Meridian Tree ten years ago, and at the beginning of this year, he achieved enlightenment and acquired the respectable title of a Grandmaster."

Pei Ye was taken aback, it certainly sounded like a sure win.

If we were to discuss 'Dantian Seed' and 'Meridian Tree', it's essential to clarify the concept of martial arts first.

Be it in a martial arts hall, a household, a sect, or an army, the first lesson for a commoner starting their training is always 'What is Martial Arts?'.

What is martial arts? For ordinary people, it simply means 'being able to fight'. In this sense, someone like Pei Ye, capable of handling swordsmanship, climbing walls, and regularly winning fights, could be considered a top-notch fighter in a small county. However, in the grand scheme, it's merely a matter of strength, agility, quick reflexes, and skills earned by years of weapon practice.

"True martial arts… can turn you into a different kind of person." Pei Ye remembered his grandfather saying that.

How can one penetrate someone's neck by flicking a leaf or a flower? How can a person weighing a hundred pounds stand on a twig, or glide across water? How can they project their voice into someone's mind or retrieve items from afar?

All of this becomes possible once the seed in the Dantian splits into two sprouts, forming the so-called 'First Level of Meridian Tree'. With a Meridian Tree, one has True Qi. Without True Qi, despite one's fighting abilities, one could not be considered a beginner, and is merely the butt of insiders' jokes, a "land duck".

As of now, Pei Ye is indeed a rather strong "land duck".

Once the two sprouts appear, they split into four, which is called 'two branches'. They then grow further into the 'third level with eight branches' and the 'fourth level with sixteen branches', eventually multiplying eight times to reach a total of two hundred and fifty-six.

The size of the Meridian Tree directly influences the volume of True Qi. Understanding this mechanism helps to gauge the relative strength of different martial artists.

Practitioners under the third level, with two, four, or eight branches of their meridian trees, aren't too far ahead of the 'land ducks'.

At this stage, while True Qi is of limitless use and the gap between those with and without it is vast, many other factors can bridge this gap in actual combat, including strength, skills, experience, environment, weapons, etc. As proven in the Mid-Autumn Martial Arts Festival, Pei Ye often held his own against more experienced opponents of the second or third Meridian Tree level.

However, this ability to punch above one's weight is mostly limited to the second and third levels.

The fourth level signifies a change from eight branches to sixteen, the fifth level from sixteen to thirty-two, and the sixth from thirty-two to sixty-four. This explosive growth in True Qi far exceeds the physical limitations of humans.

From here on, even if you have extraordinary strength, it can't compensate for the vast volume of True Qi the enemy possesses. The main advantage lies not even in the enhancement of True Qi to one's physical condition, but rather in the fact that those without True Qi simply do not understand its wonderful uses, and are unfamiliar with the attacking methods of those who possess True Qi. You may think an attack has aged, but with a twist of the wrist, the enemy can strike even harder; you may think the enemy is unable to draw force while mid-air, but they can move horizontally in the air.

Even if one has heard about these abilities, there is no time to think or react in battle.

It's all sorts of incredible angles, all kinds of unconventional strategies, and a significant enhancement in all five senses. The 'impossible' that 'land ducks' are accustomed to, is just a simple strike for those who wield True Qi.

The concept of 'True Qi' has changed the principles of martial arts profoundly. Given its various amazing uses, it is not an overstatement to say that martial artists who have mastered True Qi become 'different kinds of people'.

Once reaching the seventh level with one hundred and twenty-eight branches and the eighth level with two hundred and fifty-six branches, the drastic increase in strength causes these martial artists to stand far above the rest.

The fourth level could possibly defeat the fifth, for instance, if Feng Zhi and Lin Lin were to spar twenty rounds, Feng Zhi might win once. The fifth level occasionally wins against the sixth, like those talented youngsters from prestigious sects. However, records of the sixth defeating the seventh level or seventh defeating the eighth are extremely rare.

There are theories suggesting that the seventh and eighth levels should be classified as their own separate realms, and they do make sense.

As for the stage after the entire Meridian Tree is formed—it is not only irrelevant to the majority of people, but also irrelevant to the term 'martial arts'. This is precisely where Jing Duwei situates himself. According to the text 'On Martial Arts', "Ascending the jade stairs of the Xuanmen, transforming life in the heavens and the earth, to climb the heavenly tower," martial artists and magicians converge in this regard.